A Few of My Favorites

I have a handful of "things" that I truly love and thought I would share them with you. 

 

To begin, I LOVE my Clarisonic skin cleansing brush!!!  It's a faint pink!  I know that my skin both feels and is cleaner on the nights when I use it, over just washing with my hands.   I first splash my face with water and then wash and rinse off my eye makeup.  I then lather up my face with the specific face wash I select (I usually have a benzoyl peroxide, a salicylic acid and a neutral), get a bit of water on my Clarisonic brush, turn it on and enjoy 2 minutes of massage-like pulsing, as I run the brush head all around my face and neck.

 

I have a battery-operated Olay cleansing brush that I use in the shower, too. 

 

Keeping with the electric theme, I also love using an electric toothbrush!  I switch out between manual and electric.  After brushing with our Braun Oral B, tho, my choppers feel clean and smooth, almost like leaving the dentist after a hygiene appointment!

 

We recently decided to give Colgate's Optic White toothpaste a try.  After seeing the commercials where they dunk the sand dollar into wine, I was sold!  I drink a lot of coffee and have had my teeth professionally whitened, so I want to keep my whites as pearly as I can on my own (I'm not big on using my fitted whitening trays b/c that means I have to lay off the java for several days!!).  In my opinion, this toothpaste does the trick!! 

 

A few years ago, while visiting my family in Florida, I used my youngest sister's lighted makeup mirror.  When I returned home, I sought out my own!  I used it when we lived in Indiana, but not while in Longmont (simply b/c it wouldn't fit on the bathroom sink and I was okay with the lighting and mirrors in there).  Our apartment, here in Denver, doesn't get a lot of natural light in our bedroom, so I am happily back to using my makeup mirror!!!  It has a magnified side, which is perfect for plucking and the up-close eye stuff...especially for those of us who use glasses for the small and close-up stuff these days!  ;)

 

I have had acne since middle school, but now I have the double "pleasure" of fighting aging!  I have tried so many products, OTC and Rx, over the almost 30 years of skincare and have found a few things that really work.

 

I like to use straight apple cider vinegar as a toner.  It is an acid, so it's like a light peel and it makes my skin feel smooth.

 

I ADORE (and usually buy them two at a time) Avon's Anew Advanced Clinical Retexurizing Peel.  It is a pad, like Stridex, with glycolic acid.  It is the perfect delivery system for an at-home peel!!!

 

I love the anti-aging benefits of Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is awesome at fighting hyperpigmentation, too, which I had from a birth control pill I took because it fought acne!!!  I used to use a serum overnight from Avon, but find that for my oily skin, I need a lotion.  I had purchased a scrub back in 2011 (during our trip to Colorado and a visit to Celestial Seasonings), but can no longer find it!  Bummer!!  I found a lotion by Jason at Sprouts last year and gave it a try!  Winner!!!  It is lightweight and absorbs right into my face!  I use it immediately after showering.  (It does not have SPF, so I layer an Olay lotion over the Jason.)  They have an entire line of Vitamin C skincare, called C-Effects, so you can get cleanser, toner, lotion, serum!! 

 

A library card!!!!  Yep, here is a free one for you!!  We have had library cards since our home in Hobart!  I love to read, Chris loves CD's and DVD's! 

 

I was an optician during and after college, so I feel pretty confident that I know how to shop for glasses.  I also know how much money I am willing to spend for them!  To that end, we have purchased a number of glasses online from Zenni Optical.  Will they match the quality you will get directly from a private optometrist?  No.  The quality from a Sears Optical, Walmart Vision or LensCrafters?  Probably not.  BUT, they have worked for us quite well and, at their prices, you can buy a set of eyeglasses for each of your wardrobe moods! 

 

 Refillable water bottles!  Get yourself one!  Drink more water!!!

 

Quinoa ~ pronounced keen-wah, for those who have yet to meet this versatile food staple.  We use it in place of rice.  I add it to my oats, both hot and overnight.  We bulk up our tuna salad with it.  It is full of essential amino acids, plus calcium, phosphorous and iron.  It is high in protein, too!! 

 

Last, but in no way least, canned pumpkin (just puree, not pumpkin pie)!  I love the flavors, the colors, the scents of fall!  I love to cook with pumpkin: breads, muffins, cookies.  I also add it to my oats and my smoothies.  I make pumpkin yogurt with plain Greek yogurt, pumpkin, spices and a touch of honey!!  I have also made chicken pumpkin enchiladas!  (Come to think of it, I need to bring that recipe out soon!!)

 

So, there you go!  A few of my favorite things.  In no particular order.  For no particular reason, I guess, other than sharing information with you and hoping it enriches your life in some small way!  If you have some favorites you don't mind sharing, please leave me a comment.