I still hate winter… but at least I smell good!

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I still hate winter. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this a time or two. I always hate it. Every year. Bleah. Stupid winter. Stupid cold.

But I do smell like a margarita! Which makes me feel more summery, even if I don’t actually *feel* more summery.

I usually shower at night, particularly in the cold months. It helps to warm me up so I can get to sleep. Otherwise, if I’m too chilly, I can lay there for what feels like forever not sleeping. My feet suffer the most. It feels like the blankets insulate, holding in the cold. Awful! So I take my shower and then go straight to bed. And the warmth of my skin warms up the blankets and they hold it in.

Maybe I should just get an electric blanket. I’m considering it. It will be even colder next month.

So last night when I showered, I used my margarita 3-in-1 gel for my hair and body, then exfoliated and moisturized with a margarita scrub. I particularly love the scrub. The scent lingers for a long time and I keep sniffing myself and wishing I had a real margarita.

Are there other bath/body products out there that have a good authentic margarita scent?

my facial care routine

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It has taken years, but I have finally mostly made peace with my skin. I’ve gotten to know what it likes, what it doesn’t, what it will tolerate and what it really, definitely won’t. I have a pretty strict routine but I modify it as I find things that work better for me. This is my current product list:

Coal Face (Lush) – This is a cleanser that comes in the form of a black bar like a bar of soap. It uses charcoal, licorice, and sandalwood oil and has a fresh almost citrusy scent. My skin really digs it. The charcoal grit sticks in my buf-puf but it doesn’t really bother me. If that’s the kind of thing that would bother you, perhaps it would be best to avoid. Or not, really you’ll like it. Try it anyway.

Buf-Puf – It’s an exfoliating sponge. They make them in varying degrees of scrubby-ness. I use this pretty much every time I wash my face. I like and need a lot of exfoliation or my skin really shows it. Sometimes I skip the buf-puf in the shower but only if I’m following up with my home-made skin scrub.

Scrub recipe: Honey, sugar. Use more sugar if you like more scrub, less if you like less. This is sticky, so I usually only use this in the shower. The sugar helps to exfoliate and clean out your pores and the honey has natural moisturizing and anti-bacterial properties. Yay!

Aveeno SPF 15 Positively Radiant Moisturizer – I first tried this facial moisturizer because I love the Aveeno daily body moisturizer so much. Here at chez product whore we seriously refer to this stuff as “magic lotion” because it’s that good. Usually lotions will claim to moisturize for 24 hours but don’t. This stuff does. So I figured if the body lotion is so great maybe the face lotion will be great too! I do like it but it’s not *as* good. It’s not even that there’s anything bad about it. It’s just not as spectacular as the body lotion. It’s not greasy and has a bit of highlighting shimmer, but not in a bad way. You wouldn’t notice it unless you were looking really closely at your fingertips after applying.

Sometimes I break this up with Ultralight from Lush. I think it’s getting discontinued but they have a few new moisturizers to take its place so I’m sure I’ll still be happy.

I follow my moisturizer with an acne treating cream. You’re supposed to apply them under your moisturizer but I’m a rebel and do it after. It works for me! I’m not brand loyal when it comes to this. Usually I pick up whatever 10% Benzoyl Peroxide cream is cheapest. I think I’m currently using the WalMart brand but in the past I’ve used Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, and AcneFree.

At night I use Imperialis moisturizer (Lush) and sometimes I’ll dab a little tea tree oil on problem spots. This, strangely, makes me irresistible to Biscuit. He has to be physically restrained or he will attack me and start licking my face like mad. It’s toxic though, thus the restraint.

What are your must have products?

Guest Post: Lubriderm SPF 15

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Lubriderm SPF 15

Today I bring you a guest post from my friend The Underachiever. She’s awesome and funny and interesting and you should go add her to your feed reader RIGHT NOW! Wait, not right now. After you read her review here. THEN GO! –ProductWhore

I tried this moisturizer/sunscreen combo while attending a late afternoon baseball game. I applied it to my arms, face and neck. It did not feel greasy or sticky going on, which was great. It absorbed quickly and didn’t leave my skin tacky. I actually forgot I had it on, a great bonus for any skincare product.

Unfortunately, it still smelled like sunscreen. The odor wasn’t overpowering, but it was present. I think this product could benefit from more fragrance. Nothing heavy, just something to offset the typical sunscreen smell.

As for its moisturizing benefits, it definitely helped soften my scratchy elbows. As a light, everyday moisturizer, I think it would work well.

I didn’t get any sunburn or tan during the game, which was the point. I came out just as pasty white as when I went in. But since I do burn easily, I would need a lot more protection than SPF 15 in the midday sun. For non-peak sun times of the day, this suited me perfectly.

Though the lotion didn’t feel greasy on my skin, I am still leery of using it on my face. I have oily skin and am picky about what I put on it. I’d prefer to use a face-specific product for that area.

Verdict: If you use a moisturizer every day, switch to this. You’ll get the same nourishing benefits with some added protection. I wouldn’t use this as a replacement for traditional sunscreen for a day at the beach, but for everyday sun exposure on skin that doesn’t burn at the first ray of sun, it can do the job.

Would I buy this? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being I’m racing to the store to buy this product, I would give it a 6. Since I’d use this cream primarily for the sun protection, not its softening properties, SPF 15 isn’t strong enough for my fragile skin. But if the company offered a version with the SPF bumped up to 30, I’d bump up my rating to an 8.

(Lubriderm SPF 15 review)