01/28/2010 Winter's Cruelty- aka, the hotter the shower, the drier the skin
I have the winter itch. The colder the temps, the more I itch. The colder I feel, the longer I stand in a steamy hot shower. And the longer and hotter the shower, the more I itch. How is this fair?
In our new apartment, we have one of the most amazing showers I have ever seen in my life. Do you see all those shower heads? When our lease is up, I may handcuff myself to the towel bar. I love me a hot shower or bath. Sometimes during the day when I am cold, I imagine myself walking around wearing a large box full of hot water. An opaque portable bath of sorts. To be totally honest, my wish for this portable bath was a desire of yesterday.
In actuality, I really haven't been very cold during the day recently, mainly because I am now addicted to my long johns. I bought a pair of long underwear from REI last year, and it was probably the best $30 I've ever spent. They are thin and breathable and the best accessory ever invented. I've become so addicted, that even after the temps creep back up into the 20's and 30's, I can't take them off. If I leave without them, it feels like the tundra. I almost accidentally wore them to my pedicure last Saturday.
So, back to dry skin. When we were at Ikea last month, we were surprised to see that they have come out with a line of toiletries- body and hand lotion, and shampoo and conditioner. Having left my chapstick at home, I had hoped with all my might that there was new Ikea chapstick, but I was not that lucky! All of their products seemed to be very decently priced at less than $3. We bought a body lotion to try out, and I have to say that we've been very pleased with it. It is pretty thick and is fairly quick-drying. I would definitely buy some more in the future, but Jim and I have forbidden ourselves to return to Ikea for at least a few months! While I love finding nice lotions and other toiletries for cheap, I've also discovered a deep down desire to splurge every so often.
We took a Chicago staycation last spring and stayed at the Hotel Monaco downtown. If I could, I'd say that it's the best hotel in Chicago. But I am far from having been in every hotel in the city, so therefore this is a claim I cannot support. You get the idea though, I loved this hotel. The soap freebies at this place were L'Occitane products, the verbena scent. Oh they were just lovely. The scent is so fresh and lemon-y. I happened to have a ziploc bag with us and actually brought home the used soap that we had used while at the hotel because I could not BEAR the thought that it'd be thrown away (ARGH I'M MY MOTHER! !)! As for the other unused L'Occitane travel products that we brought home from that stay, I found myself using them slowly over the next few months when I really needed something nice. Since I loved them so much, when it came time to ask for things for Christmas, I put it down on my list. I received L'Occitane bar soaps, lotions, shower gels, and shampoo and conditioner. Oh, happiness.
Let me finish by sharing a really nice website, Real Food Rehab. I saw Dana Joy Altma on our local news a few months ago, and really like her message. She is all about promoting healthy living through eating good, pure foods and practicing self-care. I particularly liked her blog post from after the New Year, Ten Ideas to Make Your Life Better in 2010. Quality trumps quantity. After I run out of my L'Occitane Christmas gifts, I may actually head out and buy some for MYSELF! Shocker!
