Moving House

This blog can now be found at http://bathproductsandotherobsessions.wordpress.com/

Thanks.

It's 2009 and everything is coming up rosy!

Welcome January and welcome 2009!

The new year is always an exciting time. Even though it occurs at the bleakest and coldest point in the calendar, it has an amazing capability to re-energize a person!

Where I live we had a very snowy and cold December, so we are doubly happy to see January emerge on the horizon! Even a snow lover like myself can find themselves tiring of the white stuff after a month of poor driving conditions and shoveling.

One thing I never tire of is the wonderful rosy cheeks you get after being outside on a cold, brisk day. There's something so youthful and charming about this flush. Perhaps it is because I associate it so much with my own childhood spent playing in waist deep snow in wintery Alberta.

On a recent trip to the local drugstore- I'm there so frequently I think they know me by name now- I picked up a product I had heard about long ago but had never been able to find in stores here; Benetint by Benefit.

Benetint succeeds in doing what very few blushes can do; it gives a rosy, natural glow. A little dab on the cheeks and you have a complexion like a small child sipping hot chocolate on a cold, snowy afternoon. Because it is a stain and not a powder, you don't get that fake flaky look either. It smells lovely -like wild roses- and it's multipurpose too -you can use it as a lip stain as well- which is great for the financially challenged!

I have never really been a make-up fiend but this is one I am definitely developing an obsession for. I even bought it for my sister as a birthday gift. I can't imagine going back to powdered blushes now. No way. What's that old saying? Oh that's right; it's love at first blush!

Getting to know me, getting to know all about me!

Yikes, has it really been almost two months since my last post? Time flies! Probably south if it knows what's good for it. I've been busy, and I know only my sister reads this so I don't feel so bad, but I do feel a New Year's resolution coming on....

I've often wondered where my obsession with skincare products began. I know that seems like a weird thing to wonder but... wonder I do. I suppose it has to do with my long history of bad skin. I've had awful skin since I was about 11. As a teen I tired prescription cremes and lotions to clear it up; they worked for a while but my skin always broke out after I stopped. A few years back I did Accutane and so far that has been the only thing that has worked yet, I still get breakouts. Let me tell you, it's about a 100 times better than it was but it is still worse than any other person in their 20s that I know.

Thanks to my tricky skin care issues, I have become a bit of a fanatic about skincare products; I know them all and I've tired them all! And I thought I knew it all. I had myself convinced that I was an oily/combination skin, acne prone, non-sensitive type. That is until I found this book.

The Skin Type Solution by Dr. Leslie Baumann is fantastic! She breaks skin types down into 16 very specific categories. Now, I know that sounds complicated but it is actually very simple. In the first part of the book there is a quiz you take which determines whether you are oily/dry, sensitive/resistant, pigmented/non-pigmented and tight/wrinkled. I ended up as a dry, sensitive, pigmented, wrinkled type. Way different than I would have thought I was. After you've "typed" yourself, Dr. Baumann then explains exactly what is unique about each of the 16 skin types, what products you should use and what you should stay away from. DSPW types like me should avoid scrubs and toners and should moisturize several times a day. The products she recommends for each type come in a range of prices -from economical to splurge- and most are available at your local pharmacy. There are a couple I can't get at my local store, so I might have to source them out on my next trip to the city.

I've only been following the regiment for a week but I feel like there is already a difference. My skin feels softer and seems to be clearing up. I guess we'll see if it continues to improve. It would be nice to have finally figured out the key to clear, healthy skin after all these years; hopefully this is it.

Thankful for Thanksgiving.

Autumn is probably my favourite season. I love the cold, crisp weather, the re-emergence of mittens and comfy coats, and the spicy sweetness of cinnamon flavoured treats. The trees turn fantastic shades of red, yellow and orange and curling up under a wool blanket by a crackling fire with a book is an acceptable way to spend an afternoon. Two of my favourite holidays happen in Autumn too. Well, I don't actually have any holidays I don't like but, you get the picture; I like Halloween and Thanksgiving a lot.

Here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, which this year is on the 13th. It's a statutory holiday in most provinces which means no work or school. Like our American cousins, we Canadians have a large turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Bring on the stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, carrots, peas and whatever else I can handle! Oh, and of course the turkey, we can't forget that! This marathon of a meal is usually followed by the traditional dessert of Pumpkin Pie, although I prefer the melt in your mouth deliciousness of Pumpkin Cheesecake. Some families have their feast on Monday, but mine has traditionally chowed down on the Sunday.

My Mom spares no expense when it comes to holiday meals, and Thanksgiving dinner is no exception. For great food, like with most things in life, there's no place like home. Whether it is because we become accustomed to our mothers' cooking, or whether they know just how we like it, nothing compares to wonderful home cooked meals.

But as I get older, I find that holidays become more and more about spending time with loved ones. No matter where we are or what we are stuffing ourselves full of, so long as we are surrounded by people who love us it's always a wonderful time. This year, for example, instead of the traditional turkey dinner we're having a seafood spectacular. What could be better on the west coast than fresh salmon? And even though we've deviated from our traditions this year, it doesn't feel any less like Thanksgiving. We'll have a house full of company and a table full of wonderful, home cooked food; isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about anyhow?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wax on, wipe off!

Confession : The thing is, I am very lazy. If you needed further evidence of my guilt than this confession just look at the date of the previous post. Long ago it was. Laziness is just how I am. I'm not a morning person and I hate expending energy needlessly. I'm just plain lazy. I'm not bragging, just being honest. I wish I wasn't- I could get so much done if I wasn't -but alas we all have to work with what we were given.

I am so lazy I even invented a game in which the laziest person wins. It is called Lazy Chicken. I "invented" it one lazy summer afternoon as I was sitting in the family room with my parents. My dad had an article I wanted to read but he was on the other side of the room. I told him to bring it to me, he said to come and get it and we stared each other down until one of us out lazied the other and the loser (me) got tired of it and got up and crossed the room. Thus Lazy Chicken was born.

Beauty experts usually have a list of commandments for good skin care. These are things like "wear sunscreen", "drink lots of water" and so on. One that is always on the list, no matter the expert, is "take off your make-up/wash your face before bed". Excellent advice. Not only does it keep your face nice and clear it prevents you from getting mascara all over your pillow cases. But sometimes this good advice comes in direct conflict with my previous confession. Late at night when you're tired and inclined to laziness it can be hard to get thorough your skin regime, particularly if it has multiple steps.

Then I discovered facial towelettes. Pre-moistened disposable God-sends. I'm currently using Boot's No. 7 4 in 1 Quick Thinking Wipes but in the past I have used Garnier Skin Naturals Complete Cleansing Cloths as well. The products are comparable but I like that the Boot's No. 7 4 in 1 Quick Thinking Wipes firmly re-shuts so that the last ones in the pack don't dry out before you get to them.

Yes, I know they're not the most environmentally friendly products out there. They're basically the disposable diapers of the beauty world. But they're so convenient and I'm so lazy. It's indulgent but isn't all beauty indulgent at its core? It's about making you feel good about yourself, no matter how environmentally friendly a product is or isn't. So it would take a lot of effort on someone else's part to get me to loosen my grip on my towelettes. Oh what am I saying, I'm too lazy to put up that much resistance!

Summertime and the living is soapy.

Summer time is a bit of a reprieve for the spirit. We slow down our frenzied pace and take time to enjoy life. The long, warm nights, the fresh produce, the bright sunshine, we can look forward to all these things in summer. There are so many wonderful summer time traditions; swimming, picnics and barbeques, outdoor concerts and summer time treats like ice cream, watermelon and lemonade. In the cold Canadian climate, summer time can be an all too short season often made even shorter by poor summer weather. Fortunately I have found a way to sustain me through the long, dreary winters, Rocky Mountain Soap Company's Summer Lemonade Soap. It is summertime in a bar. Not only does it smell divine, like fresh lemonade, but it comes in a cheerful colour scheme too. The blue wisps are reminiscent of a summer sky, the yellow like dots of summer sunshine. Using this soap is like enjoying a summer afternoon in the country, sipping lemonade and relaxing in the sunshine, all while never having to leave your bath! It's a wonderful pick me up in the morning and a lovely reminder that summer is always just around the corner, even on the darkest and coldest winter days.

The obsession begins...

The thing about an obsession is it always starts off innocently enough, doesn't it? A little indulgence here and there. Sometimes an obsession can even blossom from a banal, every day occurrence. Something as habitual and commonplace as, for example, bath time.

As a child, bath time was one of my favourite times of day. I was "Queen of the Bath", as my father once proclaimed. I had bath toys galore and copious amounts of bath products; bubble bath, bath beads, bath crayons, and mountains of tiny hotel soaps. Anytime I was in a foul mood as a kid, which was often let me just say, my parents would run a bath for me and I was instantly transformed. Just add water!

Considering my long history with O.B.P.B. (Obsessive Bath Product Behaviour) it would only be right for my first post to feature my very first bath product obsession; Johnson's Baby Lotion.

I was introduced to the Johnson's line as a baby, obviously, and therefore I don't recall my initial reaction. The Baby Oil, the Shampoo, the Powder and the Lotion. These are staples in the daily care routine of most babies but, eventually they fall by the way side as we age. A pity really. To me there is nothing more wonderfully comforting than the smell of the Johnson's baby line.

I was "reintroduced" to the lotion when I was 14, thanks to In Style magazine. What I love about In Style is that they always have tons of products recommended by famous people. As a young girl in a small town, these product took on a glamorous sheen all their own but most were, alas, not available at the local pharmacy. Then I happened upon a product recommendation by Jennifer Aniston; Johnson's Baby Lotion for smooth, soft legs. Recommended by a star and available at the local pharmacy? I was elated! Since that day it hasn't left my vanity. Other lotions and creams come and go but Johnson's is forever. It moistuizes without being greasy or heavy. It comes in a friendly baby pink bottle, a design as iconic as the company itself. No fancy redesigns for this classic. And the smell.... It's hard to describe but you know it when you smell it. Not too strong, it takes you back to a time when all you had to worry about was which teddy to play with and what time to take your nap.

If I am ever fortunate enough to have children, and if one is a girl, I imagine that this will be the first bath obsession I pass on to her. Not a bad start.