My holy trinity (part 3)

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Body Oil ($6) - I discovered this product in 2003. I LOVE the smell of cocoa butter, especially in the winter. To me, it just smells so warm and rich, and if I have a bad cold or the chills, the scent of it instantly warms me up. I love to take a hot shower in the winter before bed and put this on from my neck to my legs, and then wrap myself up in flannel PJs. It instantly soaks into the skin, leaving it soft and moisturized. You can even add it to your bath water! You know how in the winter, you feel like your skin looks all creepy, with no color and no firmness? 2 nights with this product and you'll feel like a new person. I swear that it makes the skin look instantly healthy. And the smell is incredible, especially at night. It has that warm scent that makes you want to crawl into bed and sleep forever.

www.drugstore.com

www.etbrowne.com

(image taken from www.drugstore.com )

My holy trinity (part 2)

Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($6) - The next part of the moisture trinity. Confession: I suffer from horribly dry feet. Dry to the point that my heels used to split in the winter and were so painful that I could only wear flip-flops. And I tried virtually everything, including prescription lotions, ointments, etc. They were softer, but still painful. Then, I discovered Aquaphor. It has the consistency of Vaseline, but it nurtures more. I'd say that I apply it religiously throughout the winter, but it has helped my feet so much that I no longer require daily treatments. It's almost as if it has penetrated my heels and allows them to hold onto moisture. This is how I got the best results. I soaked my feet in a warm bath and washed them really well. I then towel-dried my feet but left them a little damp. I put on a generous layer of the Aquaphor ointment. I wrapped my feet in Saran Wrap. I put on thick white athletic socks. And then I kept them on for as long as possible. Amazingly, I was able to sleep with them on, and I was rewarded when I woke up - my feet were finally starting to heal (no pun intended)!

www.drugstore.com

http://www.eucerinus.com

(image taken from www.drugstore.com )

My holy trinity (part 1)

Winter has officially arrived in New York City. Don't get me wrong, I love the fresh crisp air (I just prefer it while under our down comforter), but I hate what the winter does to "my poor skin". Every morning, I have a 15-minute walk to the subway station that leaves my face frigid and chapped. When I come home, I face an apartment with heat that can't be adjusted and no humidity. Needless to say, I'm dry, itchy, and overly sensitive.

It's officially time to go back to "old faithfuls". Despite the (over)abundance of grooming products in my bathroom, bedroom, closet, hall closet, medicine cabinet, shower...there are a few products that I always come back to - the holy trinity. And the holy trinity costs less than $20!

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 ($5) - Seriously, it's the #1 product on my "If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have 3 things" list. It will cure virtually any dry skin-related ailment. In the winter, I slather it on my lips. But I also put it under and around my nose when it gets chapped. I put it on my eyebrows to keep them in line and well groomed. I put it on the tops of my ears where they get dry from the wind. I put it on my nailbeds to prevent hangnails. In a pinch, it even works as eye cream. It has a thick consistency, but not in a dirty/greasy sort of way. It goes on in a "feel how soothing I am" way. It's no surprise that it wins so many awards, because it does what it promises.

www.kiehls.com

(image of Lip Balm #1 taken from www.kiehls.com )

Burn Baby Burn

I got out of work early the Friday before Labor Day weekend last year. My usual custom when I get out of work early is to hop on the R/W train from City Hall and take it 2 stops to Prince Street - deep in the heart of SoHo. But instead of walking downtown on Broadway, I walked uptown on Broadway, made a right turn onto Bond Street and found myself in front of Number 9. As in the fragrance company Bond No. 9. I'll admit, it was the 50% off all Creed fragrances sign displayed prominently in the window that brought me into the store. However, after smelling the Bond wares, I quickly realized that I could never again wear "ordinary" perfume. Instantly, I was transformed into a Bond girl. Instantly, I had a new addiction to hide from my husband. Instantly, I vowed to tell only a select few people what fragrance I was wearing!

I'd never smelled scents like these before. I'd never seen bottles like these before. I quickly plucked down my American Express card and snatched up 2 bottles. I scurried home from Bond in an attempt to get in the door before my husband. I hid the 2 new boxes in my closet, safe from his peering eyes. But 2 days later, we were back again, buying a bottle of Nuits de Noho for my sister. And then in November, I discovered the candles.

I've never been a candle person. I've been invited to so many of those "Candle Parties" given by some friend who is eager for all of us to buy overpriced candles, holders, sconces, and display pieces so that she can get a a big discount at the end of the night. I can't stand the smell of those candle stores in the mall. But at Bond...much like their fragrances, even the candles were different. They burn FOREVER. They are made in the matching scents to their incredible perfumes. And the consistency of the candle wax...it melts on the skin acting like a solid perfume. I told my husband that it was 2 products in 1, thus cutting the price by 50% (he humors this logic at times). Granted, $78 for a candle seems a little ridiculous in hindsight, but every time it burns, our apartment smells SO good, and I'm telling you, it's worth every penny.

www.bondno9.com

(image taken from www.lusciouscargo.com - candle featured is Chinatown)

IS Fabulous

Flashback to October 2006. Traveling through California with my husband and we FINALLY arrive in LA. The long drive from San Fransisco to LA had definitely created a precarious situation with my complexion (or so it appeared in the magnifying mirrors in the hotel). We stumble down Robertson Blvd. in West Hollywood and into a little boutique called Kalologie. It's apparently some super posh spa/skincare store. They're having this event for a line called IS Clinical and pushing this product called "Active Serum". I'll admit that I was kinda sold the second they told me that Halle Berry is a devoted user of the line. But when the sales rep told me that it was an anti-acnegenic, anti-aging, and lightening agent, I was definitely hooked. All you need is 1 dropperful of the Serum and you put it on your entire face. You get this awesome warm tingly sensation about 20 seconds after you put it on and it feels like it is totally reshaping your complexion. IS Clinicial - I IS hooked!

It's easy to find online, but most websites will not ship it without speaking with you first. It's worth the phone call (and the $120)!

www.isclinical.com

(image taken from www.isclinical.com)

Brush with Greatness

Well, I spoke with my husband and it seems highly unlikely that a $400 Lavish Lashes eyelash extension is in my immediate future. Oh well...it seems like I'll have to settle for volume and length the old-fashioned way with mascara and patience.

Despite the plethora of mascaras in my makeup arsenal, I always come back to CoverGirl Lash Exact and now, their new Volume Exact. The best part about the mascara is definitely the price, although I LOVE the wand that acts just like the Chanel Inimitable wand (at least on my lashes) but at a fraction of the price ($7.00 versus $25.00). And since I only need 3 swipes of the wand, it's on in a fraction of the time of eyelash extensions with the added bonus of being able to use my eyemakeup remover without worry!

http://www.covergirl.com/

(image taken from http://www.covergirl.com/)

New Skin

It comes as no secret that I LOVE to wash my face with the next "miracle" product. I love the thought that one day, I'll be the girl with the beautiful glowing skin. I recently started using the new Olay Definity Pore Refining Scrub. And even though I'm only 28, and I don't have any noticeable signs of aging (thanks to a fanatical application of SPF 30 on my face every single day, rain, shine, snow...I'm like the postal service when it comes to SPF - it's always on), I'm really pleasantly surprised with this product. Making a claim of "eliminates visible pores, oiliness, dullness, or uneveness, instantly redefining skin" is fairly lofty. However, looking in the mirror, I feel clean, not overly stripped, and dare I say it...I think I'm glowing a little!

http://www.olaydefinity.com/

(image taken from www.healthylivingatlanta.com)

I smell pretty

It's funny, I really don't love the scent of Patchouli. I really don't love the scent of Lavender. And amazingly, I can live without the scent of Vanilla. But I can't get ENOUGH of Sabon "Patchouli Lavender Vanilla" Shower Oil.

First of all, the packaging is super beautiful. Heavy glass bottle with a screw top cap (although it comes with a pump for ease of dispensing). Second of all, you have the price - $18 for 17.6 fl. oz. Then, there is the way is performs - foams up nicely, but moisturizes really well. And the scent...it just radiates clean and pretty, especially in the winter.

I'll readily admit that I really don't love getting up in the morning to shower for work...but somehow, this makes it a teensy bit easier.

Sabon

(image taken from http://www.sabonnyc.com/)