Happy Holidays everyone!

I was out shopping for the holidays, and have tried some new fabulous products lately-and I also have a few beauty products/remedies/treatments that I have always used and probably always will...the "I can't live without" sort of stuff. It got me thinking...wondering what you all have discovered and use...maybe things that I have not tried yet.

Here are my favorites-old and new:

OLD FAVORITES I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:

~Proactiv Solution~ Yeah...the infomercial stuff. It is the only stuff I can use on my face to keep it clear. Don't even bother with the knock offs of it that you can now get at the drugstore or Wal-Mart-they are NOT the same. (Yeah...I'm almost 30 years old...you think I wouldn't have to worry about that any longer... )

~Bath and Body Works Moisturizing Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap~ B&B carries two kinds of anti-bacterial hand soap-the regular (looks like gel) and the moisturizing (looks opaque like lotion with little dark dots in it) the moisturizing is the BEST. My hands and cuticles get really dry in the fall/winter-and this is the best solution I have ever found. It is like washing your hands and putting lotion on them-but in a single step. They often have sales in the store on their anti-bacterial products 3/$10 or 4/$10-and that is when I stock up. Yummy scents and colors too...color coordinate easily with your bathroom decor.

~Burt's Bees lip balm~the best for chapped lips...and natural too!

~Infusium Leave In Treatment~I color my hair and blow dry often...and I put this in an empty spray bottle and spray a little through my hair after washing it. It detangles, conditions, and keeps my hair from split ends or that "fried" look from too much heat and processing. Great stuff-a classic.

~Nivea Firming Lotion~The scent...so-so...the results after a couple weeks... Makes my flab look less "flab".

NEW DISCOVERY:

~"Tutti Dolci" products~ These are a new line offered at Bath & Body Works...and they are fabulous. They are body creams (the consistency and feel of PUDDING) in flavors/scents like Chocolate Fondue, Sugar Cookie, Creme Brulee...it is like rubbing pudding all over your body. They have the scents in cologne/eau de toilette as well...and I had to recently indulge in the chocolate fondue scent. If I can't eat it all I want...I might as well get to smell it.

Ellis makes a fabulous lavender ointment. I wonder if she'll share the recipe!

Oooh....what is it used for?

My wintertime fav- Johnson's Baby Oil -lavender scent, after showering but before drying off. Keeps the skin looking and feeling nice.

Tiki

Oooh...I used to use Neutrogena Sesame Oil the exact same way...and I used to love how my skin felt. I may have to try that again...why did I ever stop using it?

Oil of Olay facial cleansing cloths - this one little cloth takes off makeup (even mascara), cleans, moisturizes and one side you can use as a gentle facial scrub. I don't wear that much makeup so I cut the cloths in half and make my $ stretch a little further

Oil of Olay- SPF 15 daily moisturizer - I never leave home without it.

Herbacin Kamille glycerine hand creme - great for dry winter skin on your hands.

Ombrelle 30+ sunscreen - one of the best on the market, I use it all year round.

Bath bombs from Lush - anykind!

Are the bath bombs the little "fizzy" things? if so...I LOVE those too.

Yep - they are those little fizzy things that smell divine and soften your skin

That sesame oil sounds nice.....

Anyone tried the Neutrogena hair products or the Aveeno skin care products?

I like the Neutrogena shampoo...the original one that is not supposed to leave build up on your hair. I also LOVE the Neutrogena hand cream. It is texture-wise more like Vaseline but it absorbs all the way in...I used to keep it on the nightstand and put it on right before I went to sleep as a night treatment. Worked great.


I have not tried any of the Aveeno products for adults...but when the kids were little I bought the Aveeno baby rash ointment for diapering. I liked it so much better than Balmex/Desitin and all the "mediciny" smelling ones. The texture was smoother...did not have the medicine scent...and it had oatmeal and more natural ingredients in it...so I would imagine the adult products would be worth a shot!

Mauvais-I also love the Bath and Body Works "Shea It Isn't So" foot cream. It is very rich and a little oily like "body butter" type creams. It is perfect for the night before I have a dancer performance-I slather it on my feet before bed, and put on thick socks for sort of a "deep feet conditioning" overnight. Good stuff.

I'm a big fan of glycerin soaps in the winter - they don't dry my skin as much as regular soap.

Oddly, I cleanse my face with plain yogurt, olive oil and oatmeal with a drop or two of lavender oil. It's really mild, moisturizes and exfoliates. Take 1 Tbsp rolled oats, pulverize in a food processor or coffee grinder. Mix 2 Tbsp yogurt to 1/2 tsp olive oil and 2 drops lavender oil. Mix in the oatmeal, let stand ten minutes or longer. That makes enough for a few days and I refrigerate it.

I love The Body Shop products - I don't know if they still have stores these days, but my SIL was an in-home rep for them for a while. I'm still working on my stash of body butters (nut is the bomb - smells just like chocolate!) and the absolute fave in the world: Satsuma lotion and shower gel. Smells like you are peeling a fresh orange in your shower or when you put on your lotion.

For lip balm I've got a vegan balm that I use almost more for the naughty factor than the balm - it's called P*ssy Pucker Pots, flavor "Nice Melons." Smells nice, good for animals, keeps the lips soft and hey, a little saucy!

Just my two... more.
Solarmama

Tiki, Aphil -

Looking at your posts I'll probably be trying the "oil after shower, before drying off" method too - I always get the "all over dry itchies" this time of year.

Do you just massage it on, like tanning oil? Or use a washcloth, or how does that go? I wonder if that would make me glisten all day, like a body builder?

What's your experience been?
Thanks, Solarmama

Thanks for the info Aphil!

With the winter weather here my hair gets dried out very easily and I am looking for something to help.

I also have a couple of really bad ecxema flare ups on my hands over the winter so I am always on the lookout for good handcreams that don't have added perfumes or dyes in them.

The body oil (baby oil or Neutrogena sesame oil) you turn off your shower like normal-and rub the oil on your body while you are still dripping wet. Then you take your towel and dry your body. What happens is that the oil will hold some of the water into your skin. Oil goes a VERY long way...you don't need much (bodybuilders use a lot of self tanners and oils on their skin-but not near the edges of their suits-you can't have suit stains )
After you dry-some of the oil will obviously come off onto the towel-but a lot of the oil and water will be retained in the skin.
Yes-there are still Body Shop stores. Our local mall has one. I am a fan of the "butters" as well. Ours has perfume oils where you can blend your own custom scents.

Another beaty secret of mine? I buy the "housework gloves" that are usually bright yellow-and rubbery feeling in the cleaning supplies section-and I slather a nice hand cream thickly over my hands. Do your dishes in hot water with those gloves on. The heat will penetrate the cream into your hands and cuticles nicely-and you won't have the drying effect from the dish soap and too hot water.

Thanks for the glove tip aphil!

Which reminds me....once or twice month I put 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a microwaveable bowl and heat it in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds and then mix in 1/4 cup granulated sugar to create a paste. I then gently rub the paste onto both of my hands for a nice exfoiliation treatment. I do this for a few minutes then rinse of the paste in lukewarm water and pat dry and put on some moisturizing cream.

mauv - have you tried cetaphil for your excema. my hubbys doctor suggested it, and it seems to work pretty well. it comes in a bar or in a liquid, it's pricey but nice. you can either put it on and leave it or you can use it as a wash. it's with the facial cleansers. he's using it combined with a perscription because his is pretty bad.

my favorites are banana boats after sun lotion. i use it for everything, facial moisurizer down, lip lotion, body lotion. it's my favorite, it's not greasy and it doesn't reek. and it makes you very soft.

for an indulgence i like the bath & body works aromatherapy eucalyptus & spearmint. i've used the lotion, body wash and the sugar scrub. The sugar scrub is amazing! I've tried to make my own but it's not the same.

i also use the baby oil trick, it works so well and in the summer when you're wearing shorts it lmakes your skin look more moisturized than lotion does. but be careful in sunny areas because it will attract the sun.

the best shampoo i've found is actually in the pet department. it's horse shampoo actually, they have conditioner too. it makes your hair very soft and shiny and works on all hair types. i have very fine and flat hair and it even works for mine.