Hands

I chopped up an onion on Saturday and my hands still have that slight eau de onion. On another note I saw Julie & Julia last night. The Julie part of the movie wasn't that great, but with all the foods I was brought back to my question...how do you get the smell of onions off of your hands? I've tried rubbing my fingers on the steel of the faucet, that's the most popular way of my coworkers. Lemon juice is also popular. What I like to do for a quick fix is a coffee or sugar scrub. Pour some ground coffee or sugar in your hands (I like about a handful) and scrub for about a minute and then rinse off. I don't think it does a great job with getting rid of the onion smell, but it lets me continue on with work without being nauseated by it. Most importantly - it makes my hands feel great! They are super soft.

Thanks for having me!

I am very excited to be a part of this blog. How perfect, I thought, for my first entry to be about a product that my dear friend Susan introduced to me more than a decade ago. I'm talking about Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. Queen Helene is one of those brands that doesn't try to get you with the flashy container. Its also one of those brands that you wonder where the frick they came from because it isn't owned by Proctor and Gamble. Trust me, you don't want to know how much stuff that company makes thats not only in your bathroom-but everywhere else too. If you're interested.
Anywayz, if you have any consistent form of acne, or great skin, this mask is nice. It has sulfur, which helps dry up pimples and make pores look smaller. It also smells great, looks great on your face for some reason, but watch out-it can sting a little, especially if your face is dry.

What's funny about this product too, is that its all-natural. You'll see it in Whole Foods (with a jacked up price) but you can usually find it at any drugstore. Outside of drugstores, its less expensive. You used to be able to get it wherever they sell skin care products, but lately it can be a little harder to find. Some of the Queen's other products can be hit or miss. But this one has been in my bathroom for years.

p.s. And of course you get 33% more, free!!! (Come on, they're not fooling anyone with this. Its been on the tube for ten years.)

Candles

I relocated recently and I'm having fun with my new apartment. I was scared on moving day because I was worried about the previous tenant and if he had cats or anything that smelled like an old person. Surprise! He didn't. What I did find was that I had a stuffy smelling apartment on my hands. I also detect a whiff of fruit snacks in the air - maybe I'm just overly critical, but I always feel like it smells like Fruit Gushers when I first enter. It's kind of weird! So I've been working around the clock to get rid of it. It's not a bad smell, it's just not something I want to keep in my apartment.

Without question my favorite candles are Root candles. I have been saving a back-up supply of about 8 candles for the past 2 years now since my last visit to Medina, Ohio. Patchouli is my favorite, and also the strongest scent so I've been loving the effect it has on my place. But I'm running out!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I've been thinking about making a big Root candle order online to re-stock my supply, but the website I went to this morning is not the old Root I know. They've made it hard to find the basic candles I love and they're calling all the basic candles scents "Legacy" candles now. What the...? Lame. But I'll probably still order in a few months if I see some improvement from them.

I'm not willing to give up on Root just yet, but I'm in the market for new brands. The Capri Blue line at Anthropologie is good, but I don't like to burn them all the time because they can be a little too sweet sometimes - like when you're eating. They're more of an after-dinner, watching HGTV candle.

Late Summer/Early Fall Nails

Does anyone have any ideas...for an end-of-summer nail polish? We're coming up to August and I wonder what people are wearing for this time of year. I've freshly repainted with my old standby, Keys to My Karma. But we all know that was from the India Collection for Spring/Summer 2008. AKA time for me to update. On OPI they are advertising matte for Fall 2009. I guess it makes sense...but matte is so boring sometimes. Although I do like the slate color in the far upper left if I had to choose. AND maybe the pink on the bottom. Maybe with a nice top coat I could work with them.

Bugs

I hate putting insect repellent on my skin. It feels and smells gross. This weekend I had to take the plunge so I thought I'd buy some of my own to carry to an outside party. First of all - who knew that insect repellent wasn't in the pharmacy section of the grocery store?? I almost left before going to the toxic roach trap section of Harris Teeter. Bug sprays now are all about repelling the West Nile Virus. Great idea, but if a mosquito repellent is keeping away mosquitoes - wouldn't that include the ones infected with West Nile Virus? Or am I really dumb?

I smelled a few of the sprays and based purely on smell alone - I had to go with the Cutter Skinsations Insect Repellent. The scent really was "clean and fresh"! My thinking was that when I was outside at the party people MIGHT even think it was my perfume. It smelled that refreshing! This one seemed like the more feminine choice. The packaging also hearkened back to the Skin So Soft by Avon that everyone used to swear by when I was growing up. But something else made me grab the Cutter Advanced Insect Repellent. It was the one that most people had bought in the section and it was on price special. However, the scent was fragrance free and I was still so hung up on the Skinsations that I purchased both. It was a crazy Saturday!

Off! seems to be the brand with the most monopoly on the bug market...but something about Cutter just appealed to me. Was it the fair pricing? The nice scent? Possibly. Most importantly though the Cutter graphics weren't assaulting my eyes. When I got home I checked the labels to see what the active ingredients were in both sprays. DEET was the main ingredient in the Skinsations and Picaridin was the main one in the the Advanced. I remember DEET being controversial, but I couldn't remember why. A quick fact check this morning and I'm still clueless. I assume there were cases of birth defects in pregnant mothers and some belief that DEET was a carcinogen, but from what I've read this morning that is not the case with the newer products on the market today. Does anyone else know more about DEET that I'm missing?

As for the products effectiveness, I'm pleased with my purchases. I used the Advanced one at the party but I didn't apply it until after I got there so I got a few bites beforehand...

New Correspondent

You may have noticed one of our correspondents has a lot on her plate and hasn't been voicing her opinions much lately. As a result, DD is taking applications for a new writer(s?)!! We'd love to hear from a new voice!! Just send us an email at drugstorediaries@gmail.com with some of your product likes and dislikes. We'd like to be able to continue product discussions and open the floor to new ideas so we can't wait to hear from you!

Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets

Has anyone seen this or tried it? This advertisement blew my mind today at the dentist's office. Purex has a new product that is "a load’s worth of detergent, softener and anti-static all in one powerful sheet". I'm intrigued and skeptical. I like choosing different laundry scents so to be tied down to one sheet for everything is a little bit of a commitment. Scent would be a major consideration in this purchase without question. I haven't ever used Purex, but my roommate has the Apple & Melon detergent and it smells great. Also, there wasn't a price on the web site, but I'm thinking it has to be more then Tide???