I was approached this afternoon to do a 2-day free sample of Arbonne skincare products. This company seems to be in the typical Tupperware/Avon/Mary Kay family of businesses - sales parties, sales reps/consultants who get their cut/discounts, etc. I'm a little wary of the company itself after reading a few reviews and articles online, plus the prices are astronomical relative to our tiny budget. But I thought, hey it's a free sample, why the hell not.
This blog, by the way, isn't part of the trial itself. It just occurred to me while I was starting my trial that it would be an interesting blog post, plus it's been a couple weeks since I've blogged. My bad.
Let me point out that "my daily skincare routine" is, at best, a slight misrepresentation. As in, I don't always clean my face every single day. So, uh, don't ever look too closely at my face. It's mostly because I honestly can't be arsed. When I first began to take care of my skin properly (in college), I used the traditional three-step process: cleanser, toner, moisturiser. Over time I've used such brands as Clean & Clear, Dove, Avon and Aveda, but these days I'm Team Oil of Olay. I love their affordability, their universal availability (basically they were the first brand I saw and recognised when I moved to the States), and their efficiency. I have combination skin (dry patches, mild oiliness at times, but generally pretty good) and it has never gone berserk on me. These days I just use a cleanser (usually a gentle exfoliating cleanser because I feel it does a more thorough job - and actually at the moment I'm using a Nivea Visage that I bought in Australia - Team Oil of Olay FAIL) and the basic $6 Oil of Olay cream. Toner is an extra step that I can't be arsed dealing with (or paying for - even though it's like $2, that could buy me a coffee and a doughnut at The World's Best Coffee Shop.)
So to this free sample trial. Not two steps, not three steps, but FIVE steps in this thing. I'm sampling the RE9 Advanced range, touted for increased skin firmness, texture refinement and reduction in the appearance of fine lines. It's basically an anti-ageing thing (the person who gave me the free sample claims that women in their late 20s are really getting into this kind of stuff. I'm 26. I sit firmly in the mid-20s camp, and already feel old enough, so that did not really make me feel very happy).
We start with the Smoothing Facial Cleanser. Once I figure out how to use the dang stuff (whaddya know, it's just like every other cleanser I've used!), it actually feels and smells pretty good. Lemony. Despite its lack of exfoliant (I'm kinda anal about exfoliant), it feels like it's cleaning really deep.
The Toner is next (which was applied with toilet paper, due to lack of cotton swabs - w00t!), which I haven't used in a long time. Being in one of those little ketchup-y style sample packs, it was hard to get enough toner on the "Cotton Swab" to do what I would think is a sufficient job, but I do okay.
Step 3 is something referred to as Intensive Renewal Serum. I know, I'm just as terrified as you are. It's applied like a lotion I guess, and it really does feel amazing. While I'm applying this, Aaron comes into the bathroom and we're having a general end-of-the-day chat about stuff and I have to interrupt myself to rave about how awesome my face is feeling already.
Next we come to Corrective Eye Creme. See, my eyes need correction, but on the inside. Fun Fact: Susan got contacts again and is in the process of getting used to them again. I think I've deduced I have horrible dry eyes because after 4 hours I feel like I'm under water and I can't see a dag blasted thing. Anyhoo, so needless to say this is the first time I've used an eye cream (or an eye creme, for that matter). Thinking back to TV commercials, I dot it under my eyes (along the giant purple bags - hooray for toddlers) and gently massage it in, possibly giving my sinuses more of a massage than reducing crow's feet or whatever this is meant to do. But again I have to admit, I'm enjoying how smooth my face is feeling. Even the eyes, and they're notorious for being pathologically lumpy.
Last but not least, we have Night Repair Creme. Apparently my face is its own worst enemy, who waits until the cover of night to attack and generally undo everything I've just spent the past 10 minutes doing. So we have to build up our defenses. This creme feels a little thicker than the others, but it's still feeling awesome.
And finally I'm done. Right now, it's been a good twenty minutes since I finished, and I keep touching my face to make sure it still feels awesome. Check. It sure does. Even my lotion-and-creme-applying fingers feel amazing. I still have another day or two for this trial so we'll see if I a) keep it up, b) fall hard in love with it, and c) decide it's worth taking 10 minutes at the beginning and end of every day to repeat this process.
Mar 30, 2010
Mar 20, 2010
So I haven't blogged much...
...a fact pointed out to me by a very good friend of mine ;) (Warning, this entry may be a total teal deer)
So what's been going on? Well, not a whole lot. The winter whizzed by, praise the Lord, and now spring is well on its way.
We had a blast visiting Australia for December, and were very reluctant to leave. Adelaide gained many friends and admirers during our trip, and now loves to talk to our faraway loved ones on the phone - her especial favorites are "Gammy", "Gampy", "Sholl" and "Rodyn" (you all know who you are ;P) We got sunburnt several times, had a few interesting adventures (don't ask Aaron about walking from Mundulla to Bordertown because his version of the story makes me look like the bad guy), and made some wonderful memories with wonderful people! Hopefully it won't be too long before we all get to see each other again.
Adelaide is now two years old, if you can believe that, and boy is she zooming along. She seems to talk non-stop these days - her favorite phrases are "what you doing", "read book" and "apple-nah-butt" (apple with peanut butter - guess her favorite food!). She's becoming more and more of a wonder every day, and often surprises us with her astute observations or statements.
As for life in general, well, the economy has been less than helpful. We've been living with Aaron's folks for almost two years now, and while we will always be grateful for their amazing hospitality and generosity, I think we all feel it's time for something different. The kind of wages we need can't seem to be found here in the Brainerd Lakes region, despite constant job-hunting by Aaron - and more lately by me. We've had a few interviews and possible opportunities pop up in the cities, so we're setting our search engines for the Minneapolis region.
The job hunt has been hard for both of us, and it's something I'm sure millions of Americans can relate to on some level or another. Apply for a job, get an interview, get a callback, wait a few weeks... and nothing. Repeat ad nauseum. Every time, I find myself getting overly excited about an interview or a call-back, only to have my hopes dashed at the last second with "sorry, we decided to go with someone else". And that's with Aaron's interviews - it must be a hundred times worse for him (though he shows it differently). We try to stick together and keep encouraging each other, though, and he has been fantastic despite the disappointments. As always, please keep praying for us. We have one particular opportunity about which Mary and I both have that "this is IT" feeling... Aaron had a call-back earlier this week, and he also seems optimistic (which is saying a lot!). I'll keep you posted about it.
Spiritually things are going well. :) I'm helping out with the dramas for Kidstuff, the Wednesday night kids' service my church does, and I really enjoy it. I know God has given me a passion for drama, especially when used in church situations, so I'm humbled that He has given me this opportunity to use it almost every week. The end results are never perfect, lines are often forgotten and props left at home or improvised at the last minute, but we always say that as long as the general message gets across and we have fun, that's what matters. :) I've found myself really having to step forward in the Kidstuff drama arena since Carrie, Ben and Jake moved to Colorado (three wonderful, amazing people whose skills at the performing arts are just mind-bogglingly awesome - I believe Darth Vader made an appearance at the Christmas sketch in 2008?), and I've enjoyed the challenge. I find myself relying more on God for help during the performances, which is how it should be. :)
Aside from Kidstuff, well I just gotta keep reminding myself that God is in control. That's really my main thing. Any time I find myself freaking out about something, or frustrated about an interview, or frustrated about our living situation or my job, I realise that the things I'm actually freaking out about or frustrated at are things that are not in my control. They're in God's control. And He knows what He's doing - He has plans for a hope and a future for us, and I just need to remember that. :)
So what's been going on? Well, not a whole lot. The winter whizzed by, praise the Lord, and now spring is well on its way.
We had a blast visiting Australia for December, and were very reluctant to leave. Adelaide gained many friends and admirers during our trip, and now loves to talk to our faraway loved ones on the phone - her especial favorites are "Gammy", "Gampy", "Sholl" and "Rodyn" (you all know who you are ;P) We got sunburnt several times, had a few interesting adventures (don't ask Aaron about walking from Mundulla to Bordertown because his version of the story makes me look like the bad guy), and made some wonderful memories with wonderful people! Hopefully it won't be too long before we all get to see each other again.
Adelaide is now two years old, if you can believe that, and boy is she zooming along. She seems to talk non-stop these days - her favorite phrases are "what you doing", "read book" and "apple-nah-butt" (apple with peanut butter - guess her favorite food!). She's becoming more and more of a wonder every day, and often surprises us with her astute observations or statements.
As for life in general, well, the economy has been less than helpful. We've been living with Aaron's folks for almost two years now, and while we will always be grateful for their amazing hospitality and generosity, I think we all feel it's time for something different. The kind of wages we need can't seem to be found here in the Brainerd Lakes region, despite constant job-hunting by Aaron - and more lately by me. We've had a few interviews and possible opportunities pop up in the cities, so we're setting our search engines for the Minneapolis region.
The job hunt has been hard for both of us, and it's something I'm sure millions of Americans can relate to on some level or another. Apply for a job, get an interview, get a callback, wait a few weeks... and nothing. Repeat ad nauseum. Every time, I find myself getting overly excited about an interview or a call-back, only to have my hopes dashed at the last second with "sorry, we decided to go with someone else". And that's with Aaron's interviews - it must be a hundred times worse for him (though he shows it differently). We try to stick together and keep encouraging each other, though, and he has been fantastic despite the disappointments. As always, please keep praying for us. We have one particular opportunity about which Mary and I both have that "this is IT" feeling... Aaron had a call-back earlier this week, and he also seems optimistic (which is saying a lot!). I'll keep you posted about it.
Spiritually things are going well. :) I'm helping out with the dramas for Kidstuff, the Wednesday night kids' service my church does, and I really enjoy it. I know God has given me a passion for drama, especially when used in church situations, so I'm humbled that He has given me this opportunity to use it almost every week. The end results are never perfect, lines are often forgotten and props left at home or improvised at the last minute, but we always say that as long as the general message gets across and we have fun, that's what matters. :) I've found myself really having to step forward in the Kidstuff drama arena since Carrie, Ben and Jake moved to Colorado (three wonderful, amazing people whose skills at the performing arts are just mind-bogglingly awesome - I believe Darth Vader made an appearance at the Christmas sketch in 2008?), and I've enjoyed the challenge. I find myself relying more on God for help during the performances, which is how it should be. :)
Aside from Kidstuff, well I just gotta keep reminding myself that God is in control. That's really my main thing. Any time I find myself freaking out about something, or frustrated about an interview, or frustrated about our living situation or my job, I realise that the things I'm actually freaking out about or frustrated at are things that are not in my control. They're in God's control. And He knows what He's doing - He has plans for a hope and a future for us, and I just need to remember that. :)
Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies
I just made the most delicious cookies tonight - Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies (as you may have been able to ascertain from my post title. Maybe. If you're clever.)
They are, without doubt, the tastiest oatmeal cookies I've ever had. Mmm. And really, they weren't any more difficult than any other cookie I've made either, and I'm a four-step-max recipe kinda gal. I got the recipe here.
Adelaide didn't seem too excited about them, surprisingly. She was much more into the ice-cream I served it with. Sigh. This kid is a cold-food freak. She's begged for a block of ice on sub-zero days before, and I'm all "WHY!!"
They are, without doubt, the tastiest oatmeal cookies I've ever had. Mmm. And really, they weren't any more difficult than any other cookie I've made either, and I'm a four-step-max recipe kinda gal. I got the recipe here.
Adelaide didn't seem too excited about them, surprisingly. She was much more into the ice-cream I served it with. Sigh. This kid is a cold-food freak. She's begged for a block of ice on sub-zero days before, and I'm all "WHY!!"
Jan 18, 2010
Craft Challenge #2 and #3
Well, Craft Challenge #2 kinda whizzed right by me - we were too busy having fun in Australia!! But I realised afterwards that I *did* actually complete the challenge subconsciously!
Craft Challenge #2 was "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas".
The day before Christmas, I settled down on the armchair in Mum and Dad's living room, a lovely day in the high 90s, and made six little Christmas stocking ornaments with the bits of scrap yarn I'd brought on the trip. My Gran and Lala had little Christmas stocking ornaments on their tree (albeit sewn) with a roll of Lifesavers stuck in them - one for each grandkid. They were very special, and so I wanted to create a new set for our family. And as I finished the sixth, I went "...hey! I just did the Craft Challenge!" Haha - see Megan, even without realising you were totally on my mind!! ;)
They didn't take very long at all to do - I found a pattern online, and hunkered down with my hook. The first one seemed weird until I actually folded it in half and saw what it was meant to look like. I had one of those "...oooooooooh!" moments.
Well here's some photos of the finished products - be warned the colors aren't terribly Christmasy!
Craft Challenge #3 is "It's All About Momma". I don't know what I'm going to do for this!! I might try something aside from crocheting, since that does seem to be the only thing I'm doing. And "challenge" usually implies some kind of, oh I dunno, challenge. ;) I'll be back to post about it soon - watch this space!
Craft Challenge #2 was "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas".
The day before Christmas, I settled down on the armchair in Mum and Dad's living room, a lovely day in the high 90s, and made six little Christmas stocking ornaments with the bits of scrap yarn I'd brought on the trip. My Gran and Lala had little Christmas stocking ornaments on their tree (albeit sewn) with a roll of Lifesavers stuck in them - one for each grandkid. They were very special, and so I wanted to create a new set for our family. And as I finished the sixth, I went "...hey! I just did the Craft Challenge!" Haha - see Megan, even without realising you were totally on my mind!! ;)
They didn't take very long at all to do - I found a pattern online, and hunkered down with my hook. The first one seemed weird until I actually folded it in half and saw what it was meant to look like. I had one of those "...oooooooooh!" moments.
Well here's some photos of the finished products - be warned the colors aren't terribly Christmasy!
Craft Challenge #3 is "It's All About Momma". I don't know what I'm going to do for this!! I might try something aside from crocheting, since that does seem to be the only thing I'm doing. And "challenge" usually implies some kind of, oh I dunno, challenge. ;) I'll be back to post about it soon - watch this space!
Dec 3, 2009
Craft Challenge #1 - COMPLETE!
I did it! :D I've been crocheting like a mad woman this month, and I managed to complete the challenge! Hooray!
As my previous post said, I decided my "Let's Hear It For The Boy" boy would be three boys - Dougie, Curt and Sean. I apologise for the horrible lighting conditions in the photos!
Firstly, meet my hat model, Joe:
Joe is a Rigadoon doll that I got for Christmas when I was 5. He's obviously not in his original outfit (I believe he had a striped teeshirt and jeans), but he's a very special toy to me. And he's the only one I could find that has a head suitable for modeling!
Here's Sean's hat...
I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn (easily my favorite brand), though I don't remember the color name or whatever. It's just the one yarn, the type that changes color as it goes. This hat was very simple to make - increasing double-crochet stitches to get the desired size, then double-crochet stitch some more til it's long enough!
And here's Dougie's hat...
The yarn I used for this one is called Caron SimplySoft Eco - the yarn itself is polyester, made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, but it is easily as soft or softer than the "babyweight" yarns out there. Plus it's eco-friendly! I did find this yarn doesn't have as much "give" to it as the Red Heart, so it's not my favorite, but it sure made a nice hat.
And this one is Curt's...
I didn't mean for it to turn out so... "girly"! I just thought "rainbows, cute!" and went to work. But it's turned out to have a real Rastafarian-Rainbow feel to it LOL! It's Peaches & Creme yarn, another favorite brand (it's almost twine-y), just the one skein. Hopefully he'll like it!
So yes! This is my Challenge Completed post - hooray! I'll post some photos of the boys wearing them for Christmas and do an update ;)
As my previous post said, I decided my "Let's Hear It For The Boy" boy would be three boys - Dougie, Curt and Sean. I apologise for the horrible lighting conditions in the photos!
Firstly, meet my hat model, Joe:
Joe is a Rigadoon doll that I got for Christmas when I was 5. He's obviously not in his original outfit (I believe he had a striped teeshirt and jeans), but he's a very special toy to me. And he's the only one I could find that has a head suitable for modeling!
Here's Sean's hat...
I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn (easily my favorite brand), though I don't remember the color name or whatever. It's just the one yarn, the type that changes color as it goes. This hat was very simple to make - increasing double-crochet stitches to get the desired size, then double-crochet stitch some more til it's long enough!
And here's Dougie's hat...
The yarn I used for this one is called Caron SimplySoft Eco - the yarn itself is polyester, made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, but it is easily as soft or softer than the "babyweight" yarns out there. Plus it's eco-friendly! I did find this yarn doesn't have as much "give" to it as the Red Heart, so it's not my favorite, but it sure made a nice hat.
And this one is Curt's...
I didn't mean for it to turn out so... "girly"! I just thought "rainbows, cute!" and went to work. But it's turned out to have a real Rastafarian-Rainbow feel to it LOL! It's Peaches & Creme yarn, another favorite brand (it's almost twine-y), just the one skein. Hopefully he'll like it!
So yes! This is my Challenge Completed post - hooray! I'll post some photos of the boys wearing them for Christmas and do an update ;)
Nov 8, 2009
Craft Challenge #1
A very good friend of mine had a very good idea to get people motivated to do more craft stuff! It's called the Craft Challenge, and every month we'll be doing a different challenge (well it's all explained in her blog that I linked, so I guess I don't need to go into great detail). This month's challenge is LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY! Our challenge is to make something for a special boy in our life - husband, boyfriend, son, father, etc. We can use our choice of medium, and we have a month to do it -- during which time we should be blogging our progress!
This is a wonderful chance to get me blogging again... sorry to all you faithful readers who, y'know, are sick of seeing the same dang entry over and over. *blush* Susy Blog FAIL.
Anyway! I'm pretty excited about this particular challenge, because Christmas is only seven weeks away. And this Christmas I've made the decision to make as many of my gifts as I can! We're not doing a lot of gift-giving this year, on account of things are going to be tight (plus being in Australia is going to be a great gift for our family and friends back home anyway!), but I have been making... well I don't want to go spoil any surprises! ;)
My chosen medium at this point is crocheting. I learnt how to crochet while bored at work in 2007 - true story! I was pregnant and wanted to make a baby blanket, and my boss Geraldine said she'd show me. And to her credit, she did - not only how to make the stitches but also how to hold the hook and loop the yarn, etc. I don't think she realised how hard I would fall for this art form!!
I'm still fairly inexperienced - I've attempted a few "intermediate"-level patterns in the past few months, and have learnt some new stitches and techniques. I've also "winged it" on more than one occasion to join things together, and have been kinda surprised that nothing's fallen apart yet!
Anyway, enough blabbering. Onto the Challenge.
Who will the special boy in my life be? Honestly, I don't think it will be Aaron. He's not the knitted-hat-or-scarf type. Because Christmas is coming, and since I haven't started anything for them yet, I think I will have three Specials Boys in my life - Sean Patrick, Curtis William and Douglas M. Royal -- my nephews!
I trawled some online yarn craft pattern sites last night, and found quite a few good ideas there. Since I'm still fairly beginner-level, like I mentioned before, I don't want to try anything too fancy. I think the fact that my challenge response includes three separate items is fancy enough!
I have a big bag full of different colors/textures/weights of yarn, but not really any "manly" colors. I'm thinking about a soft greyish-purple for Dougie (he just turned 1), maybe orange for Curt (he's 3.5) and blue for Sean (to go with his other gift I've already begun - he's 12). I actually just last night began making a hat for, er, someone who may or may not be reading this blog ;) in a pattern that is super-easy to follow, but doesn't take forever to see results -- that's the problem with one of the first hats I tried, it was a very simple formula but it was single-stitch the whole way round, so it seemed to take forever just to take shape.
And maybe on Christmas morning, when they've received their pressies, I'll post photos of each of them wearing their hats!
Now, in spite of being required to blog my progress, I don't think I'll be blogging every day. I doubt I'll even be working on the hats every day. I'll get started later today, since the image in my head of Doug-alicious wearing a fuzzy purple cap is just killing me with cuteness.
Stay tuned, faithful readers!
This is a wonderful chance to get me blogging again... sorry to all you faithful readers who, y'know, are sick of seeing the same dang entry over and over. *blush* Susy Blog FAIL.
Anyway! I'm pretty excited about this particular challenge, because Christmas is only seven weeks away. And this Christmas I've made the decision to make as many of my gifts as I can! We're not doing a lot of gift-giving this year, on account of things are going to be tight (plus being in Australia is going to be a great gift for our family and friends back home anyway!), but I have been making... well I don't want to go spoil any surprises! ;)
My chosen medium at this point is crocheting. I learnt how to crochet while bored at work in 2007 - true story! I was pregnant and wanted to make a baby blanket, and my boss Geraldine said she'd show me. And to her credit, she did - not only how to make the stitches but also how to hold the hook and loop the yarn, etc. I don't think she realised how hard I would fall for this art form!!
I'm still fairly inexperienced - I've attempted a few "intermediate"-level patterns in the past few months, and have learnt some new stitches and techniques. I've also "winged it" on more than one occasion to join things together, and have been kinda surprised that nothing's fallen apart yet!
Anyway, enough blabbering. Onto the Challenge.
Who will the special boy in my life be? Honestly, I don't think it will be Aaron. He's not the knitted-hat-or-scarf type. Because Christmas is coming, and since I haven't started anything for them yet, I think I will have three Specials Boys in my life - Sean Patrick, Curtis William and Douglas M. Royal -- my nephews!
Three childrens' hats, one for each of my nephews.
I trawled some online yarn craft pattern sites last night, and found quite a few good ideas there. Since I'm still fairly beginner-level, like I mentioned before, I don't want to try anything too fancy. I think the fact that my challenge response includes three separate items is fancy enough!
I have a big bag full of different colors/textures/weights of yarn, but not really any "manly" colors. I'm thinking about a soft greyish-purple for Dougie (he just turned 1), maybe orange for Curt (he's 3.5) and blue for Sean (to go with his other gift I've already begun - he's 12). I actually just last night began making a hat for, er, someone who may or may not be reading this blog ;) in a pattern that is super-easy to follow, but doesn't take forever to see results -- that's the problem with one of the first hats I tried, it was a very simple formula but it was single-stitch the whole way round, so it seemed to take forever just to take shape.
And maybe on Christmas morning, when they've received their pressies, I'll post photos of each of them wearing their hats!
Now, in spite of being required to blog my progress, I don't think I'll be blogging every day. I doubt I'll even be working on the hats every day. I'll get started later today, since the image in my head of Doug-alicious wearing a fuzzy purple cap is just killing me with cuteness.
Stay tuned, faithful readers!
Aug 1, 2009
"Breastfeeding Is Offensive"?
Check out this awesome blog post. I found myself cheering along as I read it!
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