Today marks the official first day of spring! With a new season comes new essentials and must-haves, and I thought I'd share some of mine for this spring.

Lemon essential oil

// I've recently been getting into essential oils {<== That was a sponsored post, this isn't} and lemon is a perfect one for springtime because it's light and fresh and can help with spring cleaning. Find some more uses here!

Candles

// I love my fall/ winter candles, but when a new season hits sometimes you want some fresh scents. 

Recently I've been loving Signature Soy in Vintage Lace from Target. It smells really pretty! Can something smell pretty? Well I'm declaring it. It can.

eos lip balm

// Or as my cousin calls them, "My egg." They're seriously one of the best balms and perfect for healing your lips from harsh winter effects. 

My most recent flavor is Strawberry Sorbet and it smells sooooo good.

Floral. And coffee.

// Every spring rolls around and I find myself drawn to floral, and I'm reminded of that ever so famous Miranda Priestly quote, "Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking."

But I just can't help myself.

Sorry Miranda.

Top: Forever 21

As for the coffee, it's technically an every season/ daily essential, so it only made sense to throw it in.

I loooove hazelnut and sometimes I'll add some milk and cinnamon for a little extra. I also like to put iced coffee back into the mix for this time of year. Instant mood lifter.

Bright nail polish

// I'm all about white and light pinks and blues right now.

Coral lipstick

// I tend to shy away from lighter lipsticks because they have the ability to make you look younger and I have that issue naturally.

BUT if you can find a coral that's just the right shade, it fits right in with springtime.

Color: Maybelline Shocking Coral

Statement necklaces

// Fall is the season of the scarves, and I feel like spring is all about statement necklaces.

They're able to instantly add a finishing touch to a simple look and I'm kind of obsessed.

A rad playlist

// Music kinda puts everything together. See what's on my playlist next week!

Welp, that was a lot to cover, but fun to put together and I'm thinking about doing it seasonally. Let me know what you think!

Also, what are your absolute must-haves for this spring? 

The skinny on essential oils with InstaNatural

I've been wanting to try out essential oils for the longest time, so when I had the opportunity to test out some by InstaNatural, I was into it.

What exactly are essential oils? Well, as A Cup Of Jo puts it, they are a "very potent extract from the leaves, stems, roots, flowers or bark of plants." All natural? Check. Oils are said to be one of the best forms of aromatherapy and they are fairly easy to use. 

There are a lot of essential oil brands around, so it can be a bit overwhelming to decide which is best for you. According to InstaNatural's website, all of their products are produced and packaged in FDA- certified facilities, which is always a good {and legal} thing! They also focus on making sure all of their ingredients are always natural and that's very important to me. I don't want crap in my body. Another important fact? Their label makes it clear that they don't test on animals. 

I was able to test their peppermint and lemon oils, and was pleasantly surprised when I realized the bottles were a full size 4 oz. The aromas are quite strong, which is natural with oils, so you'll want to store yours in a pretty open space. When the oils first arrived I was actually afraid the peppermint had spilled because I could smell it so well, but all was intact! 

Peppermint oil:

Peppermint is said to be one of the most potent and therapeutic of the oils. If you google the benefits of this oil, there are tooooons of answers you can get, just a few of them being relief from indigestion, nausea, pain relief, headaches.... 

I get headaches pretty frequently, so that's probably what I'll be using this oil the most for. Recently I got an awful migraine and decided to rub a small amount onto my temples and forehead. I could feel instant relief and the cooling effect was really relaxing and took my mind off the pain. 

The ache did come back, however, most likely because it was so bad already. So, I recommend rubbing some oil into your temples when you first feel a bad headache coming on so that it's more effective.

Lemon oil:

There's also a variety of lemon oil uses, including stress relief, {which I need some serious help with. Thanks anxiety} and help with stomach issues, skincare, insomnia... {Say whaaa? Gimme} among lotsa others. 

It can also be used as a general cleaning solution, which I'm really excited to try.

It smells so refreshing and if you need a little mid-day boost, you can dab a little onto your wrist and you'll be good to go.

Other tips:

Always be sure to dilute your oils before using more than a tiny amount. I've just been using some extra virgin olive oil, but there are other good carrier oils you can try as well. Pinterest/ google all about it!

Speaking of pinterest, I've been finding sooo many good tips + tricks for oils, plus tons of diy options. {Expect all the diy posts comin at ya in the future} 

If you're a "beginner" like I am, I highly recommend checking out InstaNatural. {Or even if you're like an oil expert or something} They don't just have essential oils, but also serums, toners, hair oil, basically ALL THE THINGS that I want to start using more of. Head to their website for more info on everything! 

I'm really excited about this oil thing and I welcome any tips that you have... have you tried essential oils? What's your favorite? What do you hate? SPILLLL.

*This post is powered by BrandBacker, but all opinions are always my own.