Musings - February 2017

Books: Traveled this month! And so, on the plane I finished Not in Kansas Any More by Christine Wicker and started Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser. (Oddly both were from 2005. Apparently I'm living in a time warp.) Also discovered a new Social Media app for me "Quotle" which lets you capture and share great quotes from books. 

Gratitude: Walks with kidlets and puppy. (He's a fan of being first to make sure there are no "dinosaurs" and that we are all very safe. It involves a lot of barking.) Quiet nights of planning the next move. Fun with friends. The gorgeous amenities of a luxury hotel for business. 

Listening: Radical Condor podcast, The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show podcast, Clients from Hell podcast and lots of The Pretty Reckless and Elle King. 

Perfume: I forgot my Library of Flowers  Kirimashi Air for travel! So I went without. But while I was actually at the event, I started using a small sample my mother gave me from La Gram Russe's collection, Modern Muse. 

Random: Fun! Went with Roxanne to a painting class one Sunday. There was wine and snacks. And using the same materials, we created completely different pieces. (Mine is the one on the pale background; hers is the one with the dark background.)  

Stress: Work stress - trip to Orlando for a few days. Fantastic room. Good trip. But out of town for days with the Herd in others' care. I missed them!

Watching: Emerald City. (Newest binge). Shadowhunters. (Apparently reading about magic makes me watch it.

Take-away - Enjoy where you are, even if it's not Kansas, because you may not ever be there again.

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - January 2017

- Currently, October 2016

- Message in a Bottle (2016)
- Currently, July 2016
- Currently, June 2016
- Currently, May 2016
- Currently, April 2016
- Currently, March 2016
- Currently, February 2016
- Currently, January 2016

---As usual, pictures by me (unless cited otherwise) and you can tell!---


If you need some journaling prompters, you may like my book - 52 quotes with 3 journal questions paired to beautiful imagery. Seasonally grouped but you can start anywhere, anytime.

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Scrubbed up

Clean up on Aisle 5! I love soap. Seriously. Soapy Gnome. Old Forte Soap. Zum Bar. (The pound bag is my favorite indulgence but I'm never quite sure which scents I get!) If there were a reason for me to scrub up 6x a day, without completely drying out my skin - I'd do it. 

Washing my face is a close second. And I do like to try new skin stuff! Unfortunately, my skin is a little sensitive and a bit dry - so I need to be careful which things I try. Over the last 18 months, I've been trying lots of new skin cleansing combinations. (And we all know that although this is not a beauty blog, I'm a serial sharer!) I experiment most with my evening cleansing routine. For me, they can be split into two groups - cleansers and exfoliants. 

When cleansing, prep/make-up removal is important. For years my evening standard has been DHC Skincare's Deep Cleansing Oil. It's a highly purified olive oil. Cleansing and skin friendly. (Tip: if you decide to try supermarket olive oil - it works although it doesn't rinse as clean. But use the yellowest one. Green is too acidic and will sting the eyes.)  It lifts the make-up right off and rinses away. About 18 months ago, I tried Thesis Beauty's Rosemary Citrus Make-up Remover, which is jojoba oil-based. I enjoyed the scent and how it cleared off tough to remove mascara and lipstick. You do need a cleanser after to lift away the oily residue. 

After prep, next up is cleansing. The Thesis line includes a nice cleanser, the Tender as Petals cleanser. I tried. I love the gentleness of it - but somehow, my skin doesn't feel clean to me after using it. A toner helps. DHC Skincare's Face Wash Powder is my go-to standard. Papaya extract helps with gentle exfoliation. It is the slightest touch drying on my skin - a tightness around the eyes - so good moisturizer is required.

My skin enjoys being scuffed, as I like to call exfoliants. I use them most often as a supplement with quick cleansing options. For quick cleansing, I've been trying Alba's Hawaiian 3-in Clean Towelettes and Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water. The Alba towelettes are a great quick clean. I do find my skin is happier if I use an exfoliant the next morning; BareMinerals has a new one which is lovely - gentle and very effective. I like to use a combo of the micellar cleansing water followed by Thesis Beauty's Poppyseed Face Scrub, a toner, and then moisturizer. After which, my skin feels completely fresh and clean. The Poppyseed Face Scrub ingredients include clove which helps keep the skin clear. But I do find the micellar cleansing water a bit drying. I can't use it more than 2 days in a row. And, yes, I've tried it without the exfoliant - still drying.

(Mornings are much simpler. The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash in the shower.)

In all truth, I think face cleansing is a self-care ritual. It's a good way to slow down the mind and set up the quiet of the evening. After washing my face, I tend to not engage with electronics. Washing my face is like a signal to my brain that it's time to rest.  

Take-away - Take care of yourself in the small ways. It matters.


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Photos by moi! (As usual and you can tell.) 

Other posts on self-care you might enjoy:

• Coming Clean
• Is it Kismet? 
• Scent and Memory