Would you light my candle?

Not only is this blog post a reference to one of my favorite musicals of all time, RENT, it's also a true question I would ask if they're aren't any Zippos around. I have a somewhat irrational fear of using matches and I never have even tried. The sound of a match being lit makes me cringe. I'm terrified I'll burn my fingers. But, I love candles. So if that situation ever arises, let's just hope there's someone around to light my candle.

I walked around our apartment this morning and counted how many candles we currently have out: 7, plus tealights and an extra scented pillar candle waiting in the wings, and 3 "holiday" candles. This is actually a surprisingly low number for me. My love of candles undoubtedly started with my mother (like a lot of things) who always has a candle in every room of the house and goes around and lights them after she's done with her Saturday top-to-bottom, no-surface-left-unscrubbed cleaning. To this day I always light them when I'm cleaning or done cleaning. It makes everything somehow seem cleaner and more serene, and I love that.

The difference between my love of candles and my mother's is that my mother had no choice but to love candles. As an elementary school secretary for almost 20 years, she has gotten hundreds of candles as gifts from students. Like me, she hates waste, so she uses them. Open the cabinets in the bathroom and laundry and what will you find -- more candles. What usually gets regifted -- candles. I have taken a couple of hers over the years, but, as you would expect, the candles she gets are a mixed bag. 90% of Yankee Candle's scents make me gag. If the packaging is ugly and it can't be removed, I'll say no thanks, even if it has a redeeming scent.

I spend my hard-earned money on fancy candles. Granted, I have learned to say no at times when a $42 organic soy candle at a boutique in wine country just isn't in the budget, but it's hard. I go back and forth regretting the decision. I write blog posts like this one to help me cope.

Voluspa is one of my favorite brands (gorgeous packaging and scents), but if you're looking to NOT spend the majority of your paycheck on candles, Target actually has an impressive selection to choose from. A friend and I recently spent a good 20 minutes in the candle aisle, sniffing and selecting, and I bought just two and was very proud of myself. Be forewarned that they have some duds in there, but if you allow yourself enough time to really sniff through them and choose wisely, you'll be a satisfied candle shopper.

Scent-wise I tend to lean towards light, clean, floral scents, but I also like a bit of a musk every now and then. I light my patchouli pillar candle from Pier 1 when I do yoga. Voluspa has a scent called Moso Bamboo that's dark and earthy but it makes my heart sing when I'm in the right mood. Nothing signals the start of the holiday season for me like breaking out the heavy evergreen and pine candles.

I realize that a lot of people might think that candles are a frivolous thing to spend your money on. But when you consider the atmosphere they create, that elevated feeling of "clean" and "home," plus the number of burning hours, with a scent you enjoy and something pretty to look at, I don't think you can go wrong.

The Routine

It's been over a month since my last post, and, believe it or not, over a month since I bought my last beauty product. I have realized that I have enough stock at home to last me through a zombie apocalypse and am determined to use what I can rather than buying more to replace something that I feel "eh" about. I've also been feeling like my wallet's a little tight lately, so that probably has something to do with it, but I also just hate waste of any kind, whether it's products, food, clothing, or just leaving the lights on when you leave a room.

I thought this would be a good time to share my current beauty routine with you. One thing that has noticably improved in the past month is my skin. I can't remember the last time I had a pimple that stood out on my face or dry flakiness, and I think a few new products that I have added to my routine have something to do with it.

Morning:
-Wash face with Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser (this is an example of a product I've had for a while and am trying to use up; the bottle seems bottomless. It works well as a cleanser and makeup remover, but I don't think it does much on its own for acne and it's slightly drying)
-Moisturize with Weleda Almond Lotion
-SPF it up with Dermalogica Ultra Calming Super Sensitive Shield SPF 30 (good for sun protection and doesn't make my skin break out or have an allergic reaction, but does zilch for moisturizing) 
-L'Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm

Morning makeup:
-Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer under my eyes
-Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation, spot applied on any blemishes with my fingertip or a brush
-bareMinerals Original Foundation, followed by Mineral Veil
-Eyelashes curled and Benefit They're Real! Mascara applied
-Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment applied in a color, topped with Smith's Rosebud Salve or a Buxom gloss if desired (or a different gloss I'm trying to use up)

That's it! I only put eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, etc. on if I'm going out.

Evening:
-Wash face with Peaches Skin Care Blueberry Coffee Bean Exfoliating Cleanser (another cleanup item from a facial over a year ago, smells yummy but other than that it's "eh")
-Exfoliate with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (only every other day, LOVE this stuff)
-Weleda Iris Hydrating Night Cream
-Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Eye Cream
-Badger Sleep Balm on lips

Shower:
-Shampoo twice with L'Occitane Aromachologie Soothing Shampoo (another never-empty bottle)
-Aveda Be Curly Conditioner
-Philosophy Field of Flowers Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath in Peony Blossom. I only use it as a shower gel, but have used other scents of this product in the past and it is OK for shampoo in a pinch, doesn't create nearly enough bubbles as bubble bath. I loved the Peony Blossom scent at first, it's an extremely strong floral that conjured up some nostalgia for me, but I'm getting a little sick of it and I have a giant 16 oz bottle to use up :(
-Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

The Acne Post

I've been battling acne since I was 15. And while it comes and goes in hormonal waves and is not half as bad as it was in high school, it's still the bane of my existence. I have tried literally hundreds of acne products. In high school I mainly used Clean & Clear and then Proactiv, followed by a more aggressive approach recommended by a dermatologist that involved some kind of oral medication I can't remember  combined with 2 creams I can't remember. More than one dermatologist has prescribed Ziana gel for me. I've switched birth control pills more than once. And then I've tried the natural approach with tea tree oil and also dabbing on a spot of toothpaste. And nothing, NOTHING has been effective over the long run. 

It's a minor health problem, but it has majorly effected my self esteem over the years. In high school it was mainly why I didn't talk to boys. Post-high school I can think of several occasions on which I've rearranged my schedule because I was having a bad skin day. I even had a pimple on my wedding day, and acne is something I never thought I would have to be dealing with at this time of my life, at 26. The bottom line is that it sucks. There is no "cure." And for many people, it doesn't stop when you leave your teens. 

There are products that can help, and the point of this post is to tell you about two of them: Boscia Willow Bark Breakout Treatment and Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment. I've been using the Boscia treatment for about a year now and it's gentle, unscented, and goes on clear (pretty much the opposite of the Kate Somerville product). It's effectiveness varies, but with smaller pimples it has made a noticeable difference overnight. For bigger pimples I reach for the EradiKate. This stuff is potent. It's Pepto Bismol pink, with a sticker on the top telling you "DO NOT SHAKE," and it smells very strongly of sulfur, its primary blemish-fighting ingredient. Be forewarned that this stuff is a man-repellant, so be choosy with which nights you apply it. The pink sediment will separate from the clear oil in the bottle, and you're supposed to stick a cotton swab directly into it all the way to the sediment at the bottom. I usually do this but add in a swirl with the q-tip, to make sure you get the sediment and not just the clear stuff, which does nada. You want to make sure the pimple is completely covered in pink after you apply it. It usually stings a tiny bit when you first put it on, but that quickly fades.

I would estimate that my success rate with EradiKate is 90%. It almost always reduces pimple size. It's more effective on the over-the-skin pimples like whiteheads than the more frustrating under-the-skin pimples. But, I'll take it. 

Sunday Night Hair Woes

I'm very curious how long it takes most women (or well-coiffed men with long hair) to use up an entire bottle of conditioner. I have only used up a bottle of conditioner to the very last drop once in my life, and it took almost two years. It never made sense to me why they sell conditioner in the same size bottles as shampoo, since you use less than half the amount of conditioner than shampoo every time you wash your hair (at least I do?). The only plausible reason I can fathom is, as likely is the case, the greed of cosmetics companies. Because of convincing marketing campaigns, most women think that shampoo and conditioner have to go together, and you can't use one without the other (I say most women because my husband says he has never used conditioner and stubbornly refuses to try mine).  Shampoo companies tout, "Use together for best results" in the marketing copy on the back of shampoo & conditioner bottles (I read every single word on any beauty product I buy, in case that was ever unclear). Why spend $22.99 on some Bumble & Bumble shampoo when you can drop another $20 for the "best" experience? After all, if you just buy one, your hair will undoubtedly be inferior. 

Which brings me to my latest hair conditioner purchase: Aveda Be Curly. A new hair stylist suggested this to me after a recent hair trim, saying something about it being a "protein" moisturizing conditioner, and since my hair seemed a little dry she thought it would help. (She wasn't at all pushing products and actually only suggested this after I asked, which as a side note is a very refreshing experience at a spa or salon and I wrote her a glowing online review later.) I've been using the conditioner for about two weeks every time I shampoo (which is usually every other day) and it does seem to make my hair softer and less "dry" feeling. I had been using Lush's American Cream, which was the weakest excuse for a conditioner I've ever tried, but on the plus side it smelled nice. Be Curly also smells nice, in a clean, mild grass-like kind of way.

I also don't have just one, but TWO bottles of shampoo in my shower currently. And that's not all -- I have two more bottles waiting patiently in line in my bathroom closet just waiting for their chance in the spotlight. (Do you see now why I started this blog?) In my shower is Lush's Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo and L'Occitane's Aromachologie Soothing Shampoo. I am underwhelmed by both, but determined to not be wasteful and use them up. The Lush shampoo I think might be partially responsible for my dryness (but it is cool that it's made with beer), and the L'Occitane one doesn't lather AT ALL, which is frustrating, since I feel like I always miss spots. A couple of times after drying my hair, I've noticed that the underside of my hair, closest to my scalp towards the back, is greasy, like it was never shampooed. Has anyone else had this problem? The only method I've found to ensure it doesn't happen is to flip my head over and put some shampoo directly on the back of my scalp, lather it and then rinse it thoroughly. I suppose this would only be a problem for people with long hair, but it drives me crazy. Sigh. First world problems. 

I've clearly been ranting about shampoo for long enough. If you've made it this far and could let me know if I'm not the only person who has a beef with conditioner and misses spots when they shampoo their hair, my sanity will thank you.

Weleda

It's been an insanely busy week. A huge part of my job over the past 3 months has been planning for a big conference that just took place on May 1 & 2.  I also had two smaller events on the days before and after. Everything went smoothly over all but working 12 hour days really took its toll on me. I didn't eat right, didn't get enough sleep, and didn't work out. I did yoga for the first time since last weekend this morning and I was shocked at how stiff my limbs left. Poses that were usually easy were surprisingly challenging. It reminded me of the importance of having a daily yoga practice, even if it's just 10 minutes, something to get your muscles working. I'm going to try harder to do that, even on days when it seems like there's no time for anything other than vegging on the couch and eating some takeout.

But on to one of my favorite natural brands: Weleda. Like another one of my favorite natural brands, Dr. Hauschka, Weleda is a German brand, and their products are made with ingredients that are sustainably farmed. While still on the pricey side, they're more affordable than Dr. Hauschka, and with very similar ingredients. I'm currently using their Almond Facial Cream, Iris Hydrating Night Cream, and Wild Rose Smoothing Eye Cream, and I love them all. I have a bad track record with having allergic reactions to almost all of the eye creams I've tried, and this one is lovely. The night cream is super hydrating on my parched skin, and I alternate between Almond Facial Cream and Almond Facial Lotion during the day, using the cream when my skin is feeling drier, and then top it off with an SPF not from Weleda (they don't make any sun protection products). 

Weleda is also well known for Skin Food, an all-purpose rich moisturizer, which I have not yet tried. They also have an extensive line of natural baby products, which I have also not yet tried but I'm sure I will at some point in the future! As I was cruising around their website earlier I also noticed they have a "Medicines" section with both OTC and prescription medicines. I'm certainly intrigued. 

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

I've been having mixed feelings about this post. Dermalogica isn't a "natural" brand, nor does it claim to be. It's developed by the The International Dermal Institute and while the ingredient lists are long with mostly names you can't pronounce, the difference to me is that 99% of those ingredients are high quality (or so my trusty esthetician and the Internet tells me). I've tested several of their products for an allergic reaction, and their Age Smart line is the only one that doesn't like me (which is OK with me for now, since my battle is mainly with acne and sensitivity and wrinkle prevention is merely a dot on the horizon). 

Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant is one of the products I purchased after my most recent facial. The $52 price tag was a little hard to swallow, but my esthetician assured me that if I was going to splurge on a product, this should be it. So far, I'm not disappointed. This is one of those products that wows after one use. It's a powder that you dispense into your palm, rub around with a wet hand to make into a thick paste, and slather all over your skin. I like to use it in the shower and leave it on my face while I'm doing something else to give it some extra time to sink in. After you rinse it off, your skin will be super soft and smooth. And the more I've used it, the softer and smoother it seems to be getting. Although "daily" is in its name, I use it every other day since I'm a bit cautious about over-exfoliating, and so far I'm seeing great results. My skin is overall looking clearer and more even.

My one complaint is that the small holes in the top to dispense the powder make it challenging to put some of it back in if you pour out too much, which I almost always do. At least it's a small complaint. I wouldn't be complaining at all if it was less that $52, which truly makes every ounce count. 

Something else that's cool about Dermalogica: they have fun how-to videos on their website for most of their products, so if you're not sure you're using something correctly, you can just watch the video! I actually watched the video for their Special Cleansing Gel and realized that I had been lathering up incorrectly, putting the product directly on my face rather than lathering a small amount up on my fingertips first. The More You Know. 

The "Describe Your Skin" Question

I'm always perplexed by how much to go into detail on that question on those forms they make you fill out when you're a new client at a spa. Often, I find myself fibbing ever so slightly, mainly for the sake of brevity. After all, they only give you two lines, if that. I most recently put "sensitive, combination to dry, acne-prone." 

Let's start with the first one: sensitive. My skin is not sensitive in the traditional sense. I have not always had sensitive skin. As far as I can remember, up through the end of high school when I went on the pill, I could put just about anything on my skin and be fine. This had led me to ask more than one doctor if going on the pill could have something to do with it, and they usually respond, "well, it's unlikely, but maybe, the pill can really change your body." No shit. 

Another doctor randomly scratched my arm with his pen cap during the middle of an examination. Because it wasn't still red a few minutes later, he ruled out hypersensitive skin, then proceeded to talk about some extremely rare type of cancer that I might have simply because I was turning red because I was nervous and didn't like the way the examination was going. Needless to say I never saw him again.

Products labeled "sensitive skin" 99% of the time do not work for me. It could just be that "sensitive skin" products generally contain harsh chemicals despite their misleading labeling. 

Moving on to "combination to dry."  My skin is dry and flaky, pretty much everywhere. But, I still get shiny fairly easily (lucky me). Two estheticians within the past few years have told me that my skin is "dehydrated." One offered no explanation, but the more recent one blamed my cleanser, a lack of proper exfoliation and dead skin building up, which can also cause acne. I guess that's plausible. I bought the exfoliant she suggested and we'll see if there's any changes in my skin over the next few weeks.

And finally, the dreaded acne, which I am still getting at the ripe old age of 26. I've been told that what I have is hormonal acne, since it's mainly around my mouth and chin, and that switching to a different pill or going off it completely would probably make a big difference. Well, I kind of love being on the pill. What's a girl to do? Try every skincare product out there for acne -- check.

All that said, I feel like my esthetician never really gets an accurate picture of my skin because there's only so much I can fit on that card and I don't want to scare them away. But then again, maybe that's all they need. It's not like I'm expecting them to "cure" my skin. I'd rather save my miracles for the bigger fish to fry, anyway.