Mid-Winter Update

Happy 2010! Here's what's new for me product-wise this January:

Laundry - I'm digging the new Cheer brightClean formulas. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like my whites are whiter and my colors brighter. Good job guys! As for dryer sheets, I'm in a bit of a bind. Downy stopped making the lemon verbena soothing sheets, and I was forced to pick up some Bounce sheets at Target. Bounce has never appealed to me as a brand, so we'll see how it goes. So far, the scent is more obnoxious in the box than it has been on my clothes so I will be using all 40 sheets.

Side note - Why doesn't Target stock more diverse brands? The dryer sheet selection was limited to 2394872384 Bounce and 2 Downy scents. What gives? I feel like Target is creating a monopoly with select lines and it's affecting my selection.

Shampoo - On a whim I purchased Nature's Gate Herbal Daily Cleansing shampoo last week. I really wanted to like it but the scent! The scent kills me. I felt like I had washed my hair in my grandfather's old spice. It is just too much for me to have to smell all day. I like Nature's Gate though so I'll give them another chance with another formula.

I'm also looking for suggestions on where to get a good brush. My trusty old cheap-y Revlon one from the last 5 years is basically RIP. Any ideas/suggestions where to go? I'm trying to avoid Target/Wal-Mart in the hope of a more substantial investment.

Soap - During the recent cold snap, my skin could have been in real trouble. Lucky for it, I use Johnson & Johnson's 24 hour Moisturizing Body Wash during the winter. This stuff is a life saver. It's just like the package says - all day moisture without being greasy. I've been using this for the past 3 winters and the smell is forever tied to this time of year. Also of note was a new find this year - Irish Spring's Moisture Blast bar soap. I like this variation because the smell is great. Aren't all Irish Spring smells great though?? I really like the zest it can put into a shower. Moisture Blast is a nice winter substitute for the regular formula.

Tea - Just because. I've really been enjoying Bigelow's Lemon Lift this month. It was good for my throat when I was getting sick.

My picks

Lips: This week I found Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick in an old purse. I can't remember why I stopped using this. For now, this is what I'm loving again. Most lip balms tend to dry out my lips after I get used to them.

Hands: Neutrogena Hand Cream works the best for me. It goes on pretty thick and doesn't absorb right away. However, it will stay on after multiple hand washings and my hands are always back to being soft after wearing this to bed.

Hair: Infusium 23's Frizzologie line is hard to find, but really does the job for protecting hair as it gets colder...and all year round but especially in winter when hair can get really dry.

QuEsTiOnS....I wonder about eye creams. Does anyone in their 20's use them and are they helpful? I'm also thinking of trying RoC's Multi-Correxion Night Treatment because I've read favorable reviews.

Fall

Another season. I like how they're just long enough for everyone to be excited about a new one. It does mean a change in routines. I can feel my hands already starting to reach their winter dry phase. Gotta stay healthy!

Here's what some of the offerings are for this season:

Philosophy "I Love Candy Corn" 3 in 1 shower gel: Candy corn does have a shelf life for me, but this product would make a nice addition to the shower. Sometimes Philosophy can veer too sweet with these products, so I'm thinking this is no different. I wonder if the gel stays separated in the correct color formation over time? Or is that just the bottle??

Sidenote: Thoughts about Trends...It's hard to really understand all the emphasis placed on "trends". In large part I feel like it's the creation of the fashion magazines in order to promote certain brands and certain magazine issues season after season. (That being said - I love the Allure Best of Beauty List issue every year. I love to see what products I already own/have thought about owning.) After reading Fall is about "earth tones" and rich "purples" year after year or Spring is about "pink" and "corals", I just think it becomes cyclical and not really worth putting stock in. I think most are pretty standard, no one wants overdone makeup unless you're going to the Oscars. The basics seem to be dark eyes, light lips or vice versa. Or are these just my thoughts??

With that said, apparently bold lips are in again for fall. Reds, dark reds, purples, etc. It's interesting because I've thought red lipsticks have been making a comeback for awhile. Especially with certain age groups. Aka mine. I'll admit to buying a few reds to try on, but I can never find the right color. MAC's Ruby Woo shade gets a lot of buzz, but I haven't purchased it yet. Also, their Dazzleglass Creme looks cool...like an extra wattage lip gloss with MAC colour.

Metallics and shimmers are big again. I'm a Nars fan and I love their Indian Summer Duo Eyeshadow color. Also, the Brumes duo looks good if you want something a little darker and not metallic.

Nars has also made me want to break out of my OPI rut. Check out their new Tokaido Express Nail Polish. Apparently it's named after Japan's most popular high-speed rail route. It's a great color and a part of the purple trend.

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.

Spring Finds

Temperatures here this weekend were:

Besides washing my car, I took the time to return my last Christmas gift. It was some Sapphire/ Amethyst/Moonbeam shower gel from Bath & Body Works. I mean a nice gift, but I just will never use it and I'd rather take a look at some new products. I hadn't been there lately - but did you know Valentine's Day is coming up? Look out rose/candlelight shower gel displays! I knew I wanted something from the C.O. Bigelow line because I like the packaging and it will look good in my bathroom. I like their Mentha line, but I thought I'd think "outside of the box" and get a new scent. I'm usually a Rosemary Mint/Lavender person, but nothing really caught my attention from that area. Instead, I went with the Lime & Coriander Body Cleanser. What a great scent! I love it! It's going to be great for when spring actually gets here.

Another thing about it - and I don't know if I'm just weird about these things, but I like how it smells with my body lotion. Right now I'm using St. Ives Collagen Elastin because it's a subtle scent and moisturizes well. I've had bad experiences in the past where a shower gel and a body lotion smell great separately but when they mix - sick! The #1 culprit lotion for me was always the Olay Quench Body Lotion. Something about it just always made a good shower gel smell awful. But I can safely safe the Lime & Coriander does not present this problem.

Fall Foundation

So, I'm on the lookout for a good foundation for fall. Any ideas? I've been using Benefit's Some Kind-a Gorgeous for over a year now and I think it's time to try something new.

Turn The Beat Around

Excellent question. I think there is a big difference between summer day perfumes and summer night perfumes. And even beginning-of-summer perfumes and end-of-summer back-to-school perfumes. But sticking to the topic of the poll, I would say that my summer night perfume is now Burberry's The Beat. Lindsey got it for me for my birthday, and I was very pleased with it. It's a nice solid scent that tends to have some tropical-smelling undertones which keeps it summery. But not like a straight-up coconut, there's a big difference. Just potent tropical flowers/light suncreen. The Burberry website says woody and floral. I think all perfumes are some ratio of floral/woody so that wasn't totally helpful. Sephora.com says bluebells in a dense forest - I like that! But take a sniff for yourself. I think it's great!

Wednesday POLL

It's almost the end of the week (I can dream!), and I'm in a real bind. I'm looking for a new summer scent - for crazy summer nights!

I really love Dior's J'adore and Versace Bright Crystal. They just go well with the season and I usually can't get enough of them. But this year I want to switch it up. Suggestions welcome!!

Summer Mocktails

I was looking for a gift a few weeks ago and came across this set of Korres Summer Cocktail Shower Gels. The set includes Ginger Cosmopolitan, Melon Mojito, and Vanilla Daiquiri. I enjoy the Korres line, but I have to say the only one that smelled great was the Melon Mojito. Granted I didn't buy it and haven't used it, but I will say that the overall idea appealed to me for new summer gels.

Spring Hand Soap

I wash my hands a lot during the day - 3 times just today from the subway commute! Usually I stick with Dial, but I couldn't find the White tea & Pearl kind I wanted for the spring. So I picked up this Burt's Bees Green Tea & Lemongrass soap for the smell and because I like the Burt's Bees products. It reminds me of this old face wash I used to have, so I really love it. The scent stays with me long after I wash with it, and I really like it for this time of year. It makes me feel like I have a backyard even if all I have is an infested raccoon lot next door.