It's Here: Liquid Spanx!

Day 19: Regeneration Tight, Firm & Fill Age-Defying Moisture Veil for Body

STORY TIME!!! I LOVE stories! Happy stories, sad stories, funny stories, dramatic stories, and love stories. Not so much scary stories since I'm prone to nightmares, but I deal with those when I have to. Better get yourself  a tea, a coffee, or whatever else pleases you to sit with for a while (I have a hot cocoa. And I do mean cocoa and not hot chocolate, since mine is homemade. With cocoa. And marshmallows on top).

Today's story is about a fairy princess. 

Once upon a time (more like last summer), in a land far, far, away (named Ottawa), there was a fairy princess (that's me! And I don't know why I said fairy princess. I much prefer to be a legit Disney princess. Nobody really loves Tinkerbell. Even though she's a pixie, not a fairie). Anyways, this princess had a pile of new products to try from her favourite spa, skincare, and image company (aka BeautiControl) that had just been released for all to see at a Celebration (see what I did there?!). The princess thought "Meh, I don't care about anti-aging for my body, since I'm a young and young-looking princess, but whatever. I'll try it so I can say that I did. And at least I'll know what it smells like. Because I always like to know what products smell like." So off she went for her sacred morning shower.

Our princess made sure to have everything close by so that not a step would be missed. It may not seem complicated, since she was only testing 2 products that day, but when it comes to our princess' sacred shower routine that she loves oh-SO-much, any change is a big change. After doing her shower-y thing and remembering to include the MicrodermApeel for Body (more on that in a later post!), the princess towelled off and almost forget her next step! Instead of moisturizing as usual, the princess spritzed the TFF Moisture Veil for Body everywhere & rubbed it in.

Since the princess didn't have any royal engagements (read: work, errands, meetings, Bible studies, or spas) to worry about that day, she just threw on jeans (although it was summer, the weather was unseasonably cool throughout the kingdom) and a t-shirt before going on with doing nothing around the house (aka laundry, dishes, cleaning 3 bathrooms, vacuuming everything in sight, dusting, and probably too many hours on Pinterest - you know, just regular it's-a-Saturday princess things).

A couple hours later, as our princess was lazing around with a book (hahaha ok, probably her iPad & Pinterest), she thought to herself "Wow, I really love when I have skinny days - my Spanx are just so much more comfortable! Which is saying something, because I LOVE wearing Spanx, it feels so good to fit nicely in my clothes! Especially jeans. It's unusual to sit SO long in jeans and still feel this good unless I'm having a REALLY skinny day. And right after eating breakfast is never a skinny time, no matter how skinny of a day I'm having! But...wait...? I don't wear Spanx under my jeans. Ever. Let's be honest, I rarely wear them, since they only go with skirts and dresses. So why do I feel like I'm wearing them???"

Our princess is really NOT a morning person (try as I might!), and she's done some pretty stupid things when still half-asleep. She's not grumpy in the morning, just totally NOT with it until a couple hours after she's rolled out of bed. Even 4 years of a high school home room that started at 7:50am and a school bus that arrived at 6:50am to her there one time couldn't change this fact, so she's embraced her "morning stupid" with a sense of humour and loving acceptance. 

Which is why she promptly took herself to the bathroom (no need to make a scene with the new neighbours right outside the living room window!) and checked to see if, in fact, she was asleep enough to put Spanx on under her jeans today. Nope. Phew! But she felt awesome even with her jeans off, so what was the deal? "Meh!" She thought. "I can totally use a skinny day to boost my self-esteem, so I will take it!" And off she went to make a very caffeinated tea (just to make sure she wasn't still sleepy-stupid) and continue re-pinning (what seemed like) everything in her news feed. 

After the caffeine kicked in, the princess realised that the Spanx-like experience was actually because of the TFF Body Veil, and instantly dubbed it "Liquid Spanx" - then made sure to text her director/recruiter about this awesome discovery, even though her director was the one who already told her how awesome it was.

The End!

Oh, and I like that it smells like orange-y-ness. That's the best smell description I can give you. In the summer, I don't need to use a moisturizer with it, in the winter I do because it's so dryyyyy and coooooold and snowyyyyy here. Not like Florida, California, or Texas' idea of cold and snowy (sorry guys, although yours is pretty monumental - it was on the news here!), but like true Canadian awfulness. Except not today! Today there's snow on the ground, but it's not snowing, and it's not BRUTALLY cold, and it was sunny! Today was beautiful. It's supposed to snow again tomorrow though. Seriously, always on the weekend. Whatever.

But TFF Body Veil! Have you tried it? What did you think - is it worthy of the title "Liquid Spanx"? Let me know, I love to hear your stories too!

4 Easy Steps to a Beach Ready Body in 4 Weeks

Day 18: Spa Solutions Sculpt & Firm Body Contouring Moisturizer

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. A bold statement, I know. And usually I don't like to speak so absolutely (especially in the negative) about something, but this is one that I feel strongly about. Probably because it goes something like this: person with bad habit makes vague last-minute resolution with the best intentions, but in the back of their mind they know that they won't stick to it because nobody really keeps new year's resolutions, right? They sort-of try for a few hours/days/weeks/months (circle appropriate response), but by the time 11:30pm of that December 31st comes around and they're trying to make a resolution for next year, they can't even remember what they decided to do this year. Lather, rinse, repeat.

A little over 10 years ago now, a friend and I started a new trend. It comes with a different outlook right from the beginning, but it's so easy that anyone can do it. The first year it was sort of last-minute (I think we started about dinner time on December 31st), but over the years I have planned more & more in advance. Some years I didn't, and some years I did, but I can honestly say that the years I did this are not only the years that I measure as the most successful, but also the most fulfilling.

It goes like this: we make/write down a list of 10 measurable goals for the year, and throughout the year we try to check off as many as possible. Easier said than done, yes, but anyone can understand how it works. First, you have to write them down. If you don't write them, then you either won't remember them or you will try to make excuses about how it's "done" when really you're cheating. Write. Them. Down!

Second, it's important that someone else know about your goals. Someone to hold you accountable. When my friend & I started as teenagers, we both had the same 10 goals. Even if it wasn't something that one of us absolutely wanted to do, if it was important to the other then it went on the list and we both did it. Nowadays I make my own list, but my husband and my youngest sister were not only told about the list, but I showed them the physical copy so they could read it themselves. If someone's there to hold you accountable, then you're more likely to get it done.

Third, make them measurable. Not "I will get fit." How will you get fit? How do you define fit? Guaranteed how you define fit now is not how you will define fit once you reach that goal. Make. It. Attainable! A better example is "I will complete all of the workouts in the C210K app by September 1st." There is a date, and there is a finish line. 

Fourth, make sure there are 10 things on your list, no matter how big or small. Why 10? Because it's a nice number. More than 10 is unrealistic (you do only have a year, after all!) and less than 10 is easy (at least up to 7 usually is). If it's too easy, it won't require self-reflection. Don't be afraid to look at yourself and see areas that (realistically) need improving. 

While we're being realistic, here's a truth that you will need to accept: most years, you won't complete all 10 goals. Like a resolution, you're setting yourself up to fail; this is all that they have in common. But then how do you define fail? Because unlike a resolution, you will accomplish more than 1 of these goals. Over the years I have gone 365 days with ice cream, stopped chewing my fingernails for good, and trained to run a 5k race in under 35 minutes. None of those really sound like "fail" to me.

That brings us to this year's goals. When I showed sister M my list, she commented on my training for a 10k by September, and asked when I plan on starting. I expected her to look at me like I had 3 eyeballs when I answered "January" but she just shrugged and said "summer bodies are made in the winter." (She told me it was something she read on Tumblr. Now THERE'S an addiction to talk about!) To be honest, my 10k goal had more to do with lung capacity (it helps keep my asthma under control/I get to be off all inhalers if I keep it up), endurance, and improving my 5k time than getting ready to hit the beach, but her comment made me stop and think. 

Too often we look for solutions to the problems we have only when they become an inconvenient embarrassment/problem. We spend so much time catching up that we don't spend enough time thinking & planning for prevention. Like anti-aging solutions after we already see wrinkles, instead of before. And in the summer, or during the holiday season, this is one of our best recommendations. So here is my tip to all of you who want to look your absolute best this summer: start now, and start with this product!

Here's what I know from my personal use: it smells like delicious, mild citrus. It goes on nicely (I especially like the roller balls to massage it in!), and it works REALLY well. The most common questions that clients ask me about this product are "will I see results" and "do I have to use it forever?" The answers are yes, and only as long as you want to see results. It's not a medical procedure, like removing your appendix, that will last forever, so as long as you want it to work then you have to use it. (Note: it's also not going to work by sitting on your nightstand staring back at you. Intentions are great, but you're not going to see result by staring at the bottle or sleeping with it under your pillow). 

Now my question to you: do you REALLY want to know if it's working? I know a few women who used it, as directed, on only 1 leg for a few weeks. One woman was so embarrassed at the obvious contrast that she refused to show anyone the results! 

Bonus: I have heard that some women apply the product & then wrap themselves in seran wrap to intensify the process. This also stops your clothes from absorbing any of the product & & makes sure that your skin gets it all. Have you tried this? I'd love to hear about your experience!

There are only a few short weeks until spring break, so you better get started on this one!!!

Heaven in a Bath

Day 17: Spa Body Bath Soak

Just thinking about today's product makes me smile. Literally. Every time I told myself "if I finish my chores I can write a blog post" I smiled. It's a good thing that nobody else is home today, I don't need any witnesses! Really, I'm not exciting about the writing of the blog - more about the using of the product. 

Bath soak & I first met where you would expect us to: in the bath. And believe me, there's nothing this mint addict loves more than a bath, except maybe a peppermint bath. Enter bath soak. *sigh* I read on some of Gary's old blogs that the bath soak used to be less minty, but after clients and consultants complained that it wasn't enough, BC re-formulated it to increase the peppermint. Bless each and every one of your complaining hearts! 

Not only does this smell like peppermint, it's actually useful too. The spa body line (as it's called in Canada) has a little secret: it's also what our American friends call the "detox" line. What does that mean for you? It's magic: TA-DA! It's going to help take the toxins out of your skin, and the oils will help infuse moisture in their place. Win-win! In the same way that the Clay Masque sucks all the gross stuff out of pimples, this will do the same for the gross stuff everywhere else. 

As a hurts-herself-by-existing kind of person, I've noticed that this also means any cuts, scrapes, and bruises heal faster. And the muscles! The muscle pain is definitely made better by using this too. Take it from the girl with a bruise on the back of her hand because she hit it on a piano when walking past, because she didn't give the piano enough clearance - I KNOW! (And yes, it really did happen & I really am bruised. No, I don't want to talk about it. All you need to know is bath soak makes it better).

After a few months, bath soak & I became better acquainted when, one fall day, my head was very itchy. Having a former PTA/lice-check mom, I knew I could ask her to check, and I did, but I already knew what the answer would be: I was lice-free, but I had a ton of mosquito & blackfly bites on my scalp that I had scratched A LOT in my sleep. Making them extra yucky. Probably from playing soccer in a very rural/wooded area, twice a week, every week since May. Add to that  allergy season and drier weather since it was getting colder out, and I was the definition of a walking disaster. More so than usual. 

I remember on my drive back to my home wishing that I could just soak my head in a tub of bath soak to take away the itchiness. And then I thought, why can't I? Already a fan of oil soaks to help my hair after a dye-disaster of my teenage years was still haunting me, I knew that it couldn't hurt. So I did it! How? 

I took a bottle of bath soak & made sure to wear clothes I didn't like in case the oil ruined them (note: the oil washed out, but it was 100% cotton - I wouldn't take a chance on other clothes so I still use the same shirt when I do it). Pour a bit of the soak in your hands, rub them together, massage into scalp. Repeat until desired amount of bath soak has been massaged onto scalp/into hair (depends what you're treating). Wrap with hair-sized towel (use a clip to hold in place if you need to), and relax for 15-30 minutes. Or if you're me, watch an entire episode of Heartland (gosh it's SO good!!! And from CBC. Who knew?!?!). Then go shower. Wash your hair as normal, and carry on with your day. 

Note: this took the itching away, but I had to re-do it about a week later, since I wasn't going to give up outdoor soccer with just 2 weeks left of the season, and try as I might my body refused to give up my allergies. It also meant I couldn't see my mom the day that I used it or the next day, though, since I smelled so (minty) awesome! It's not her fault she's allergic to the most delicious herb of all-time, after all, but still no need to send her to the hospital with a used-up Epi pen & the excuse "my daughter did it."

After my scalp healed (aka after I stopped making myself into a blood-sucking buffet/colder fall temperatures arrived), I missed my weekly rendezvous with bath soak. After all, we had become good friends and we had been through a lot together. I also noticed that fall allergies outlast mosquito season. Yikes. Now that I had beautiful hair (the bath soak actually helped to restore it to its pre-dyed glory!) and my scalp was healed, I didn't need to soak my entire head in it, and it was too much to take a bath every time my allergies bothered me (bath soak or no, my skin can't handle one daily!). 

My solution was to take a bowl, fill it with hot water & bath soak, and add as many facecloths that it could hold. I let them soak until the water was cold, wrung them out, rolled them up, and stored them in a ziploc freezer bag in the fridge. Whenever my allergies got really bad I would pull one out, microwave it for a bit, and then lay back to cover my face with the cloth while bath soak worked its magic. And I could breathe again!

Our most recent escapade was to make my entire house smell delicious! (Read: your entire house will smell like bath soak. And for a while. Think long and hard if you really want this. I, or course, was all over it!). I was given an oil burner-thingy (descriptive, I know! Think Scentsy, but with a candle instead of a lightbulb) many years ago, but ran out of essential oils to put in it & didn't bother to get more. (I was always so bad at leaving it unattended for hours, the oil would evaporate/burn down to nothing, and I was scared I would forget one day and actually burn the house down). So this time, I put bath soak in there, with the intention to come back & blow out the candle later to avoid the burn-to-nothing fire hazard.

As it turns out, the bath soak doesn't evaporate! I used the same bath soak, but went through 4 tea lights, and still the amount of bath soak was the same! (Maybe a teensy bit less, but not enough for me to really notice). In fact, that same bath soak was used for a month straight before I wanted to wash out the oil burner so I dumped the bath soak. Realistically, I'm sure it could go much longer.

Thanks for listening to my adventures with bath soak, I would love to hear how you use it too - make sure to leave your comments below!

Canada's "Zit Stick" Alternative

Day 16: BC Spa Body Clay Masque

Alright, I have had many of you ask (clients and consultants alike, via email, comments, Facebook, texts, and calls!) what I do for pimples. I always tell you how gross my face is if I don't use anything, and how even then it sometimes breaks out. I tell you all about how no other products, in my nearly 30 years, have kept my face as clear as BeautiControl has. Not Clearasil, or Clean & Clear, or Noxema, and don't even get me started on ProActiv (the only thing that it cleared was the dye from all of my linens & pj shirts!).

It's simple, really. Follow your SPA Facial regimen, and spot treat (or if you like the luxury of a full-face masque then go to town!) with the BC Spa Body Clay Masque. It's designed to use anywhere on your body, but by far the most common is the face. I will be honest and say I've never used it below my neckline, so if anyone else has I would love to hear about your experience!

Personally, I love the smell and wish to have a food that smells just like it, so that I don't have to wish I could eat something that's not edible. Or maybe a candle. On second thought, probably a candle would be better. So what do I do? There's not exactly a magic recipe, you wash your face, dry your face, apply the masque (I like to apply my lip Apeel here, because it reminds me that I have a masque on my face & not to go outside since I'll likely scare the neighbours), leave on as long as I like/can stand, rinse with help of a facecloth so I don't drip water down my sleeves (since at this point I'm probably dressed, and there's nothing I hate more than wet sleeves. I swear it happens at least once a day anyways, but why invite disaster?). Follow-up with tonic & the rest of your spa facial bliss. Continue day. If I have a bad pimple, I will do this twice a day until it's gone (usually only 3 treatments required before a giant mothership has turned into what can be mistaken for a freckle (God bless red-headed parents and their dominant freckles - I don't have a lot of them, but I'm sure it's the only red-headed gene that the Middle Eastern half of my DNA couldn't override!).

I've had many consultants and clients give me with the "Riiiight...sure it was a unicorn that pulled the dogs tail..." look when I tell them this is what I use and that it works, but really it does. Unfortunately I can't have you all here when I get a major pimple, but lucky for me they do come by frequently enough (and for the silliest reasons!) that I actually had a chance to demo this to my director last fall. I did a 3-day BeautiYOU training extravaganza across Ontario (Ottawa to Sturgeon Falls on Friday, with BeautiYOU Friday night; Sturgeon to Kitchener on Saturday with BeautiYOU in the afternoon and a spa party at night, Kitchener to Cobourg on Sunday with BeautiYOU in the afternoon, then dinner, then home to Ottawa on Sunday night. You obviously have the Internet, Google map it yourself if you're lost) with my director and another director from the Ottawa-area. 

Since I forgot my pillow in the car on Friday night and was way too exhausted to even care, I slept with the hotel pillow. Which is feathers. Which I I haven't had in my pillows since I was 4. Never mind that I'm allergic to the world around me (not to any foods, but to the world in general) and should probably live in a bubble, let's not even talk about the sinus issues the next morning. But I woke up with the world's biggest zit you've ever seen, right on my jaw line where it's super obvious. The kind that hurts if the skin around it moves, but there's no way to pop it because it's just not ready. And it's hard to speak without moving your jaw. And the rest of my face was red & itchy too. And I was supposed to demo the 5-minute face at BeautiYOU that afternoon. Thank-you Big Bird. 

The great news is that I was stuck in the back seat of a minivan for the next few hours, I had only washed my face before leaving the hotel & had planned to do the rest in the car, and my director's life supply of BeautiControl products were (mostly) within arm's reach. Hellll-llllloooo opportunity! (Not to demo anything, just to get rid of the pimple. Obviously.) So with my director in the driver's seat trying to watch me in the rear view while and make sure I don't go searching the wrong bags or mess anything up, while still staying on the highway (can you tell she has twin boys who usually sit back there? She was a pro!), and another director wondering what the heck I was doing and when the next smoke break would be (another allergy of mine. I don't want to talk about it), I found the Clay Masque and went to work! 

Courtesy of McDonald's napkins and my trusty water bottle I was able to rinse it off before our next pit stop (I definitely didn't want to be Ontario's most interesting Saturday morning roadside attraction!) and go on to a few more mind-numbing hours of Tetris. It wasn't until my director stopped driving, we finished setting up BeautiYOU, and we were introducing ourselves & our favourite product (guess what mine was that day?!) when she realised the giant cherry tomato that had been on my face was almost entirely gone. A little wet/dry & concealer on top, and it was like nothing was ever there! The end! Don't you just love a good fairy tale? Me too! Try it, I'm telling you it's like magic!

There are other products that help with maintenance & prevention, but today is about the "pimple stick" replacement that, actually, I can honestly say I enjoy more than our American counterparts' quick-fix. And how cool is it that you're actually helping to get all of the toxins out of your skin, rather than just focusing on pimple-causing bacteria? Alright, I know it's a little too school for cool, but I can't help it!

BeautiControl's Best-Kept Secret

Day 15: Nail Lacquer

Today is confession time from each of you! Be honest now: when have you ever tried a BeautiControl nail lacquer? In any colour, really. Great, for those of you who are feeling a bit indignant that I would dare even ask that question, or proud as a peacock because you can say yes you have, when is the last time you chose to commit and wear one on all of your nails? I mean not just trying it at a spa, but bringing it home & loving it like it deserves?

I find that these products are the ones most often overlooked, and yet our greatest opportunity to try something new and exciting without an expensive, long-term commitment. Because they're seasonal, and therefore "limited edition" products, consultants sort of brush them off, or put them out & hope that someone asks about them but do nothing else to promote them. The truth is that the BeautiControl nail polish is actually the best that I've ever tried. I've tried a lot, and I do mean ever.

Rumour on the street says that our formula is manufactured by the same company that owns OPI. I don't know how much stock I'd put in that rumour, since I know how proud BC is of researching & manufacturing their own products, but I will tell you that the quality is definitely comparable. I'm hard on my hands/nails/polish, so for me with a proper base & top coat, regular nail polish lasts just over 24 hours. That's a lot of effort for a little payout. With OPI, it lasts about 3 days, and BeautiControl polish is more or less the same. If I bother to take care of my hands/nails (like not doing dishes - without gloves - at least 3 times a day, for starters), then it will last a lot longer. 

Even if it is going to last only a few days, sometimes I find that it's worth the effort to do them because I like to be girly. Add other times, I find that I need the reminder that I'm a girl (or woman, but that's kind of scary since women have children and I am definitely NOT that yet!). Sometimes life just gets so overwhelming and asks so much of us that et need the reminder. We need to be forced to sit and treat ourselves for the time that it will take to do our nails, and we need to feel a bit more feminine as we go through the dreary, exhausting days that make you feel more like an amoeba than a person, never mind a female person.

So no matter how you're feeling today, do yourself a favour. Pull out your favourite shade, give yourself 25 minutes (maybe an episode of Modern Family, Big Bang, or your other fave sit-com?), and get painting!

Side note: for those of you wondering how a base coat, top coat, and 2 coats of polish can be dry in 25 minutes, check out the magic quick-dry serum that OPI makes. Just a couple drops on each nail & you're good to go in no time! I like to dream that one day, when they launch their next polish colours, BeautiControl will have one of these beauties to go with them. In that same dream, clients buy so much of this polish that they become a permanent addition instead of limited time. A girl can dream, can't she?

An Oil by Any Other Name...

Day 14: Tierra Azul Exotic Infusion Beauty Oil

Just a heads up, this is a long one. So put on you pj's, grab a tea, warm up your neck wrap, cover with a blanket and get comfy. A versatile product like this one deserves a novel-length post...

It's confession time again!!! Here it is: I have been dying to write about this product since it first came out. Every time I start a new post, I always think "ooh, but I'd rather do it on the beauty oil..." But then I realize that there are SO many more ways to use it that I haven't tried yet, and I want to have done as many of them as possible before I write about it. Then Gary published his blog, and I nearly peed my pants I was SOOOOOO excited he chose this product too!!! So I couldn't wait any longer, here it is!

In my (ever-so-humble) opinion, this product didn't receive the fanfare reception that it deserved for a few reasons. And yes I really do mean fanfare, as in when you watch a Disney princess movie and the handsome prince/royal couple/other dignitary walks on screen. Trumpets, fireworks, curtsies & bows, formal attire, and that he's-mine-no-he's-mine quarelling attitude because it's SO awesomely spectacular that everyone should be climbing over each other trying to get one first. Like soccer hooligans, at a game anywhere but in North America. Or parents at Christmas the first year Furbees came out. Or Americans on Black Friday (what is it about Canadians that we REALLY don't grasp that concept??? Another reason to love the States, obviously). I actually squeeled like a little girl meeting Cinderella when I saw that BeautiControl was releasing a Beauti Oil. "Why" you ask? Let me count the ways...

In the last year, I have lost countless sales because BC doesn't have anything for hair. I kid you not, late November I got a text from my mom asking if we had anything she could use since the product she had was running low. After shamefully answering no, I told her what I use hoping to at least help her find a really great product that would work for her. Like I've done for very client who asked this question before her. As it turns out, we used the exact same thing: Moroccan Oil. Literally, we have tried everything under the sun for frizzy hair, and nothing does the trick quite like a small serving of M Oil. Unfortunately it is INSANELY expensive, and so I buy mine once a year at the National Women's Show, because they always have a show special that puts it around the $40 mark. That said, I would never use it on my face or body, and never do more than tame fly-always after styling (I find it's just too heavy to do anything else). This sucks especially for my mint-will-kill-her mom, since the fall women's show already passed, and the spring one isn't until April. No cheap M Oil for you! (Come back 1 year?)

So now, I've told my mom "no" to face wash for combination skin, any foot creme, bath soak, refreshing mist, classic instant manicure, intensive foot salve, cuticle oil, foot spray (really anything with the word "foot" in it), and hair products. Thank goodness she's in love with anything Dark Brown Sugar and SPF20 lip balm or we'd really have a problem! (I mean it's bad enough I can't even recommend some of my favourite products - at least the makeup isn't minty, she likes that too!)

Enter December 1st and Tierra Azul Beauti Oil to the rescue! Of course I didn't tell mom about this right away, since I didn't want to get her hopes up. As anyone who lives with a family of allergies knows, you always need to read the label! And in my case, test test test too! Remember super-skeptic over here? Hi, that's me. Yeah, there's NO way this oil was ever going to replace my M Oil. It just couldn't compare. If Frizz-Ease can't work, nothing else can either (obviously, right???). 

Have I mentioned that BC sets impossibly high standards? Like the day that they launch a product that doesn't do what it claims, I might actually eat my own shorts. So 3 weeks later (I had to make sure it worked consistently, you know!) I told my mom, and a sale was born. When she runs out of her current product, of course. But remember that (incomplete) list of products that have mint? Notice anything else on there? If you guessed cuticle oil, you're right - mom can use this as cuticle oil too, since she can't use the minty one!!! Does anyone else love a product that does double-duty? It's pretty much what I live for - if I could have one soap do everything, I would!

Next use? I always loved using baby oil after a shower in the winter (it helps your skin retain more moisture, you dry off faster which means less time cold and wet, and helps prevent ingrown hairs. Says my esthician. Her word is law when it comes to my hair removal process, I just go with it). But as you know, I also hate the smell of baby. Oil. Baby oil. And babies. Never mind. Enter TA Beauti Oil to the rescue! Now I smell like a lovely spa escape, which is SOOOO much more enjoyable. Obviously. I still put lotion on after I towel dry, but I find I stay moisturized all day this way. If I use just lotion, or just the oil, it's not enough. But the two combined makes for the perfect winter barrier. Now you're ready for anything that a deep-freeze will throw at you! (Literally, it might throw something at you. The wind sounds like it's going to rip off the side of my house right now. Maybe it will throw that at you. Wind chill. Pffft.)

Now I know you're thinking "WOW!" but don't worry, it does more. Just a couple weeks ago I was laying in bed thinking "Man, my scalp is so dry and itchy but my hair is happy with the shampoo I've been using for the last year and a half, I can't switch now! What's a girl to do???" Right, obviously I was asleep & forgot who I am and what I do, since I found a solution to this problem last winter about the same time (I also had mono last winter this time, so I was feeling especially miserable. Did you know you can only get mono once in your life? And once you've had it, you're always a carrier? What a sadistic disease. Like the chickenpox. And yeah, I kind of wish I'd had it in high school the same time a bunch of my friends did. We shared food & drinks so it's a miracle I didn't catch it. Instead here I was in my late 20s, getting mono because I was overworked, overtired, already sick from strep so my immune system was compromised, and I caught it from my husband. Who like the rest of the world, had it ages ago. Lamesauce). 

Anyways, last winter's remedy was the bath soak. I massaged it into my scalp, wrapped it in a towel, and sat around the house thinking how it was the first time in 4 weeks that I could fully inhale. Refreshing for the sinuses & the scalp! Since I didn't need a sinus refresher this time around, I decided to give the Beauti Oil its true test. I call it the "How Happy Do You Make My Scalp Without Weighing Down My Fine Hair" Test. It blew the test out of the water. It's been a few weeks, and last night was the first time I felt like I needed to do it again. 

This time, I took Gary's advice from his blog, and left it on overnight. Confession time again: I don't own a shower cap. We don't get along, especially since I have to wash my hair every day or it gets really greasy by hour 34 (I can't make it the full 48 hours). Instead, I dampened my hair (no need to get worked up about running it under the tap ladies, that is soaking your hair. Since I also don't live in a hair salon & therefore don't own a spray bottle, I ran my brush under the tap & brushed my hair. Repeat until hair is damp, about 3-4 times. Easy peasy.), worked in 2 pumps of the Beauti Oil, and started my genius idea. 

Remember when you were a kid and you would get your head stuck in your shirt when you took it off? That's the idea we're going for here. I grabbed a comfy old shirt (important: it can't be too big or it won't work, since your head needs to get "stuck" in the neck hole) that I've had since high school, I wear it when painting or when dying my hair. Put it on over your head & pull up until your head is "stuck" in the neck hole. Make sure your ears aren't folded, or they will hurt in the morning! I have long hair, so I pulled the body of the shirt straight so that it covered all of my hair. Wrap loosely. Secure by pulling the sleeves together & securing with the hair elastic. TA-DA! It doesn't crinkle like a shower cap, it's as comfy to sleep with as the t-shirt that you use (since mine's ancient, it's really comfy!), and it keeps your pillowcase/bed sheets/face/husband/pyjamas/pets & children who sleep in your bed from getting all oily too! 

The next morning shower & shampoo out as usual, and DO NOT USE CONDITIONER. I was super sketched out by this step, since my hair doesn't live without conditioner. I heat style it (almost) every day and there's no way this was going to work for me. But I did it anyways just so I could say so. Joke's on me, since my hair is happier than a pig in mud & it's been hours since I blow-dried it! (Note: I didn't use any product after my shower either, not even more Beauti Oil for the flyaways!). The real test will be what happens when I do it for a week straight? I'll report back & let you know.

Even though it's a lot, this is nowhere near a complete list of every way that you can use this product. So be sure to spread the news! It's so versatile, even though when it first came out most people had no idea the potential it has! That's one reason it didn't get such a warm welcome. Other reasons include, but are not limited to, the fact that it was December )I don't know about you, but I hardly worked at all after Black Friday), and the fact that people are trained to distrust anything that says "oil". Here's a tip from someone with an "oily" face: oil is great! Olive oil, coconut oil, cuticle oil, and Beauti Oil. Just beware of anything "greasy" - yes, even bacon grease, no matter how much we love it, needs to be limited. So really I don't mind when my face is oily, but I can't stand it when I start to feel greasy (like 34 hours without washing my hair. Ugh). 

What ways have you tried to use this product so far? What's your favourite? Leave your comments on the blog below so that everyone can see it, rather than commenting on the link where you found it (Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook are likely) where only the people in that group or on that page can see it. I try to love all of my followers equally, no matter how you found me! This is our neutral ground, so leave some love in return!

XOXO. (Yes, more Gossip Girl. Guilty as charged).

The Product Everyone Will be Buzzing About in 2014

Day 13: BC SPA Facial Ultra-Rich Night Creme

Happy New Year spa friends, and welcome back!

I trust everyone had a lovely holiday & has started gearing back up for 2014. For everyone, everywhere, (and not just limited to our Canadian & northern US friends for once!) I hope that the particularly brutal temperatures have warmed up at least a bit for you. Although if you're in the Ottawa area like me, you will know that sometimes warm temperatures in the winter are an even worse curse. And I rhymed, good grief! I think it's from the countless Gossip Girl marathons that I had over the holidays. I know it's awful but I love that show! I'm on season 4 right now, no spoilers please...

Today is all about a product that, I'm going to be honest, I've never tried. Everyone tells me how lovely it is, and how luxurious it feels, and I'm a bit jealous. But then I remember that us oily-faced people have always had an awesome night creme, and it's only fair to allow our drier-skinned friends the same. So today, it is all about you! 

As with every product in the Spa Facial line, this newer addition is also gluten, paraben, sulphate, phosphate, artificial dye & fragrance free. Read: awesome for everyone who says "I have allergies." Well, most everyone. My mom's horribly allergic to mint, so she's used to a long list of things to avoid. Like toothpaste. Yeah, it sucks. Always read the label just to make sure!

The ultra-rich night creme is designed to be used in place of the regular night creme for anyone with dry or normal skin. It's thicker because your skin can absorb it, and because you need more moisture than someone with oily or combination skin. (This means most of you should be using it!!!) Don't forget that you can already absorb more moisture from your night creme than your day creme since your cells regenerate at night, so this is a HUGE plus for you guys! (And I'm super jealous. I know it's wrong to covet someone else's night creme, but this one sounds SOOOO good that it's so hard not to!). 

Check out my post on the regular night creme to see why it's so important to use a different night & day creme, and what your night creme can do for you! Any other ultra-rich users? Be sure to share your comments below so that everyone can know about this product that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves!

XOXO!