All Things Fashionating by tracy mausser

To me, holiday shopping is like being a kid in the candy store.   Normally, I am a very calculated shopper and head out with a very specific game plan.   It never fails that – when I have carte blanche – I can’t find anything.   The complete opposite is true when I am shopping for friends and family during the Christmas season.   For every one gift that I find for a giftee, I always want one for myself or seem to find a plethora of other items that I want under my own tree.     Here are a few of my favorite things this holiday season:   Wild Fig & Cassis Cologne by Jo Malone. Inspired by breakfast in Tuscany - the moment of breaking open juicy figs, fresh from the tree - Wild Fig & Cassis is a delicious fragrance. The scent of sun-warmed figs and delicate cassis is entwined with notes of hyacinth and cedarwood, enveloping the wearer in the warmth of the Mediterranean.     Daily Yoga Jacket by Lululemon is a versat...

  To me, Wednesday is my day of spirituality.  Well, as much spirit as one can muster mid-way through the work week.  It seems that the trauma of Monday and Tuesday are behind and, with the promise of another weekend in front of me, I always feel a sense of calm and control right about now. So today -- in honor of my inner spirit -- I started off the day with a half hour of yoga.  As anyone who follows this blog knows, I completed a half marathon on the last Sunday of October.  I  promptly took the week off from any exercise and luxuriated in sleeping in -- during the week until 6am.  Not necessarily anything to be excited about but, after waking up at 4am a few mornings a week for the past several months, six seemed like noon.  However, despite the early buzz of my alarm clock, I was excited to greet the world with my Sun Salutations. Well, since it has been more than a year since I have even attempted a series of asanas, yoga beat ...

A gift card to Lululemon is on the top of my Christmas list again this year. For the past three years – bi-yearly at my birthday and the Saviors' – I have asked for overpriced athletic wear. According to Wikipedia, Lululemon Athletica is a self-described, yoga-inspired athletic apparel company, which produces a clothing line that is distributed internationally. This definition is so sterile, but I can tell you that my personal experience with Lulu workout wear is anything but. The quality of my running and yoga clothes are top-notch and the positive and uplifting philosophy of the company is ü ber cool too. Our local shop offers yoga classes, workshops, organizes weekly runs; it is so much more than just a retail store. But, what got me hooked is Luon ® -- Lulu’s signature fabric. The 4-way stretch and pre-shrunk fabric, with a super-duper high Lycra count, holds everything in and makes you look like you’ve spent thousands of dollars getting sculpted with liposuction. Nothi...