Scent I'm Loving Now: Calendula

I'd never given much thought to calendula, an herb that looks a lot like a marigold. Then a friend of mine gave me some Weleda baby products for my daughter, including their Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash. It wasn't long before I was poaching it for myself--it's got the most delicious, woodsy, honey-like smell, and leaves my skin unbelievably smooth. Added bonus: Weleda products are free of all kinds of chemicals, like parabens, that you'll find in most other beauty products.

Soak Away Stress

If you do one nice thing for yourself this week, take a bath. After several especially stressful days, I took one mid-week last week ... and loved it so much that I took another two days later. I wanted the whole spa experience, so before I filled the tub, I lit a few candles, poured myself a tiny bit of wine and grabbed a stack of magazines. For my first bath, I added a homemade herbal mix (lots of lavender and rosemary--mmm) that a friend had given me; for my second, I wanted bubbles, and I used some California Baby Calming Aromatherapy Bubble Bath (which a friend bought for my daughter--but as it turns out, it's brilliant for adults, too). After a quick soak, I was feeling 100 times more relaxed. When's the last time you took a bath?