Vanity Appeal

My mother goes out of her way to make my visits home that much more special. She rolls out the red carpet. Knowing I’m in the process of re-desinging my dressing room with a more vintage and boudoir aesthetic in mind, she was thoughtful beyond any expectation of a madre and wanted to be involved, even if from 650 miles away. When I got home over the weekend, I was received with gifts! I opened bags and lovely tissue paper which wrapped these stunning pieces for my dresser. I’ve been wanting to recreate a vanity where I really use all of the accotourements and go back to being a ladies lady.

She nailed it!

You don’t need a dressing room or fancy closet to create a lovely and practical vanity look on your dresser or armoire. These few pieces will get you started and on your way to a enjoying an ultimate feminine experience every time you get dressed.

1. Lovely mirrored tray. This will hold most of your pieces, perfumes, etc… Go for a vintage one if you can and one that has really good weight. If you can’t find a vintage one, your local HomeGoods, TJ Maxx or similar discount stores offer really good décor options. My mom found this stunning designer glass tray that weighs 25 pounds so you can imagine how sturdy, solid and well-made it is. She snatched it an antique store in Vienna, Virginia. Story is it was on sale for $100 and she eye-balled it until it was marked down to $30.

2. Perfume bottles. Vintage perfume bottles are the way to go. Old bottles are good for refilling your favorite perfumes and are a lovely way to display them. My mom gifted me with these beautiful perfume bottles — most of them vintage, two of them new. The pair of crystal bottles with detailed diamond cut out pattern, were given to her in 1982 by an old client of hers. I’m wondering how long that sweet lady had them prior to gifting them to Mami. The shorter crystal one was given to my late grandmother as a “welcome” gift during a visit from Cuba back in 1985. It’s empty but I plan on filling with her favorite scent. And the rose one! It’s has a tassel that says “Victoria’s Secret.” Who knew VS made crystal perfume bottles? Mami says she got it in the early 90s.

New bottles, like this Prada one are a good fit to have on your mirrored vanity, too. She got that a few weeks ago and teased with an iPhone pic– “Mi’ja, look at what I got you.” Newer bottles give it modern appeal that’s necessary so that your set up doesn’t look too staged or ready for a Mad Men set. Then again, you actually might like that.

3. Extras. I like paper weights. They’re so practical for holding paper and notes down. I like these round ones with images of love and Paris to use over hand-written notes or keeping receipts in place. They don’t have to actually go on the vanity tray, but they look great on the dresser, close by. Glass dishes. I love these in varying sizes for keeping jewelry, pins and every day purse bits. I somehow end up with a lot of bobby and safety pins.

4. Hand-held vanity mirror and brush. I didn’t picture it, but a set is ideal if for no other reason than to bring back the vintage life of daintiness and femininity. I remember sitting at my vanity stool as a young girl with age-appropriate ones, but more grown up ones are available at thrift stores.

There’s nothing like acquiring timeless pieces that have a story. I love the pretty little things that make women feminine creatures of beauty. And a vanity with pretty scents is the quintessential stage for the perfect lady.

Eat well, love unapologetically, pray with true intention, and take care of yourself.

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