Our Cosmetic Experience

I am going to come back to our ancestry stories soon, right now I need to catch up with my other series posts.

Here is another entry on the cosmetics we tried. I am planning to write about a product/cosmetic once only, even if we like it and buy it more often.

Body care
The cleansing liquid by Cetaphil is fragrance-free and did not cause any skin irritations. However, it is not my favorite body cleanser as it makes my skin feel the same as if I used regular soap - dry and stripped of lipid surface. On the other hand, that cleanser is a good option if you need to replace soap with a milder product considering washing some more delicate body parts or just hand and face.

Would we buy it again? Maybe

Bath salt
The size of the Epsom salt bag was very convenient and pouring the right amount of the salt into the bath was very easy.
Epsom salt makes a bath a relaxing experience. It helps to relax tired muscles and refreshes the skin. Another factor which I find very important is: the salt does not affect the PH of the skin and the intimate body parts as many bubble bath liquids do. Epsom salt cannot be used by everybody - always read the about the product provided by the manufacturer.

More about Epsom salt in my other post.

Would we buy it again? 👍

Body wash by Rossmann
When I lived in Poland, I often purchased cosmetics at Rossmann drug stores. I liked the store brands, its quality and the prices at the store as well. Isana is of their brands too. I got the body wash during our last visit in Poland. It was great - creamy and of rather thick consistency (which made it very efficient). And it smelled so nice - like a bunch of flowers. I liked the flowery pattern on the bottle as well. If I could, I would have bought more cosmetics at Rossmann. Unfortunately, it was not possible - when we were coming back home, my suitcase was filled up to its limits and nothing more could be possibly packed in it.

The body wash by Isana contains Magnolia Liliflora extract.

Would we buy it again? 👍

Leg care

My calves love that horse-chestnut based gel. It improves the blood circulation in varicose veins, makes them less visible. The gel relaxes the tired legs as well. Its fragrance is delicate yet pleasant. When I lived in Poland I always applied some gel with horse-chestnut extract on my calves - morning and evenings.  My legs were fine as my calves did not hurt thanks to the treatment. The thing is this kind of gel is very popular in Poland, available in different versions by different brands.

When I moved to Texas, I tried to find a similar product but, regrettably, nothing like that chestnut extract based gel was available here. That was one of the things on my shopping list when we were in Poland again. I am glad I finally got it! The box was quite big (it contained320g of the product - which was a lot). Wish it had been bigger and lasted much longer than four months.

Besides horse-chestnut extract, rutin is one of the gel ingredients.

Would we buy it again? 👍

Our Cosmetic Experience: January and February

In January and February, we emptied quite a few cosmetic containers.

⓵ Body care: Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Body Lotion - another body lotion by Dermasil.

I really liked it. It has a pleasant, light scent (vanilla + Rosa Damascena?). The lotion formula is creamy and rich, rather thick but not greasy at all. It spreads on the skin evenly. I used the product after showering - the moisturizing agents of the lotion made the skin of my body finely hydrated. I also applied it to my feet and I loved how soft and gentle they felt then.

The lotion ingredients which I liked best:

• Sunflower seed oil,
• Aloe Vera leaf juice,
• Borago officinalis seed oil,
• Sweet almond oil,
• Sandalwood oil,
• Rosa Damascena extract,
• Vanilla Planifolia fruit extract.

Our Pros:
- fast absorbing moistens dry skin well,
- pleasant scent,
- non-greasy,
- paraben free,
- not tested on animals,
- affordable price

The tube contained 10z / 296 ml of the lotion. Quite a lot of good stuff for a low price.

Would we buy it again? Yes 👍

⓶ Body care: Oil of Life Sensitive Skin Body Wash - rather creamy but a bit watery at the same time. The latter was rather disappointing and made the wash not efficient. It did not foam much but cleaned my skin well. A positive thing was that the body wash did not dry my skin, the creamy side of the formula seemed to give the skin a kind of moisturizing protection.

My favorite ingredients of the Oil of Life Sensitive Body Wash:

• Soybean oil,
• Shea butter.

The bottle contained 15 oz/444 ml of the body wash.

⓷ Hair care: Herbal Essences Color Me Happy Hair Conditioner

My favorite ingredients of the conditioner:

• Rosa Centifolia flower extract,
• Passiflora fruit extract,
• Corn Silk extract.

I used to have the shampoo from the same Herbal Essences series. I loved the rosy scent of both products. The conditioner made my hair soft and fluffy. After the hair wash + using the conditioner + drying my hair with a towel, I was able to comb and style my hair easily The strands were soft,  fluffy and they looked fresh. All in all, it made me and my colored hair happy.

Would I buy it again? Yes 👍

⓸ Face care: Daily facial Moisturizer by Cetaphil 👍

It is a very light face cream with SPF 15. It is fragrance-free which is a reason my damaged facial nerve tolerates it *. The cream does not clog pores, it slightly hydrates the skin. However, sometimes it seemed the moisturizing effect was not long lasting enough for my dry skin. I think the cream will be a good summer face care option. On hot days my face needs much lighter creams than in the wintertime. The face cream worked well as a makeup base. Since it is one of the very few face care products which I can actually use on my entire face, I am certainly going to buy it and use it again

* It means I can apply the cream to both sides of my face and no painful reaction to the cosmetic.

⓹ Hand care: Udderly Smooth Hand Cream

I wrote about it in that post. A good hand care product, improving the condition of the dry skin

⓺ Body care: Belle D'Opium perfumed body lotion was part of a cosmetic set, accompanied by body wash and Belle D'Opium Eau de parfum.

The lotion was light but it nourished/moistened the body really well. The fragrance, when spread all over my body was strong enough not to use the regular Eau de parfum afterward.

 ⓻ Foot care: Gold Bond Ultimate Softening Foot Cream

We bought the cream being encouraged by a sample of another Gold Bond product which we had happened to receive.
The cream softens and nourishes the skin = improves its condition. It enveloped my feet like a soft shawl. Pleasant scent.

My favorite ingredients:

• matricaria flower extract,
• lavender extract,
• acacia flower extract,
• rosemary leaf extract,
• urea,
• panthenol

Would we buy it again? Yes 👍

⓼ Face care accessory: Clarisse Cotton Rounds made of 100% cotton. 

This kind of product is something which I use almost every day - a little but necessary item. I must admit, the rounds helped remove eye and face makeup very efficiently. They absorbed the makeup removal products and tonic well enough to finely support the skin cleansing. All in all, good quality product.

Would I buy it again? Yes 👍

⓽ Hand care: Oriflame Diamonds & Pearls Hand Soap

The soap was a gift from my dear friend in Poland. When I lived in the country, I used to purchase Oriflame cosmetics (they originate in Sweden). I liked their face care and makeup items.

The soap bar smelled nice and felt very creamy on hands during washing them. It seemed more like a balm than a soap. Tiny pieces of mica were part of the soap formula. Although it did not foam much, it cleansed the hands well. I liked washing my hands with the soap bar. I wish the Oriflame products were available here (for the same price/prices as in Europe).

⓾ Expired -Throw Away Item

When I bought the hair conditioner, I was pleased with its quality and hair volumizing properties. I wrote more about the product here. I used it from time to time but the size of the bottle appeared to be too big for me and my short/medium length hair. The conditioner expired and became not good before I managed to reach the bottom of the container (20 oz/ 591ml).

Would I buy it again? Yes, but then I would need to use it very regularly to avoid the throwaway option.

My Cosmetic Side: Feet & Pedicure

I take care of my feet quite frequently as I believe they deserve to be pampered no less than the hand or other parts of the body. Especially, that the feet do such a tremendous job - they carry us here and there every day. Having had a shower or a bath, I put some foot cream or body balm on the feet. From time to time (once a week during the summer) I also treat them with a 'feet grater', and then with some foot scrub, to remove the rough and calloused skin and make it smooth.

Some time ago, I decided to have a special pedi treatment done at a beauty place. When in the salon, first I was placed in a big massaging chair where I enjoyed a warm, fragrant and bubbly foot bath. At the same time, the chair was massaging the back of my neck. Soft and calm music was coming from some hidden speakers. I must admit, t was all very relaxing.

After about a quarter (or so) the beautician came to take care of my feet. She was surprised how soft my feet were. Well, I did not know what she had expected. I told her that I took care of my feet at home and I did not neglect them. The lady praised my personal beauty care and said my feet did not need any extra salon treatment.

When I asked the beautician what were the worst feet she had ever dealt with, she replied that  Swedish men/customers tended to have the hardest and the roughest feet. Maybe because they had not worn socks in the summer? I do not know why.

Anyway, I had the calloused skin removed then and had the nails done as well. I loved the bright pink shade of the nail color!

I was so very pleased with the service at that beauty parlor that before I left, I bought a gift coupon for a pedicure treatment for my mom. It was my Mother's Day present for her. And she did enjoy the visit (and its results) at the salon too!

And what about you?
How often do you take care of your feet?
What do you do?

My Cosmetic Side: Inner Beauty

If you were to name a beautiful person, whom would you think about? Would it be a model, an actress or another celebrity?

Some time ago, we watched a movie in which its main character, a man, had an unusual ability. Thanks to some spell, he could see all the people according to what their personalities were. Good people appeared to him as extremely beautiful and attractive physically. He simply did not see their real bodies or any imperfections on their faces. He saw what was hidden - their inner selves. At the same time, all the men and women who were bad or dishonest looked ugly in his perception.

There is an old Polish saying 'jak cię widzą, tak cię piszą', which means, more or less, what you look like is what people think of you. There is much truth in it - appearance most often determines how other people see us and what they think about us/ what they think we are. Obviously, such generalization may be misleading and unfair. Well, logic - the science - says: generalization is an error of logical thinking. Not all men who wear suits and are handsome are good persons. Not all women who are well-groomed and wear nice clothes are empty-headed. We could see quite an example of such misjudgment in 'Legally blond' for example. And I also have happened to experience similar underestimation as well.

I like wearing elegant clothes. On my blog, I sometimes write about beauty products - according to myself looking good means feeling good. That is why, in my opinion, we need to take care of ourselves - meaning body and general look. However, it is not the only thing which matters to me. Being a good person is of equal importance.

One may say, it is hard to find good men/women or that there are few good people. Maybe a reason why they are not recognized easily is that a good person does not brag: look at me, how good I am. They simply keep it to themselves.

What I have learned in my life:

1. The ones who tend to talk a lot about how hard they work, how great they are - although they usually do little or nothing at all - are often regarded as better workers and are more recognized/appreciated by others. The ones who really work hard and are honest but do not talk about it are not noticed. Most often they are underestimated - which is rather sad.
2. Some people chose to surround themselves with such talkers mentioned above and/or with people of certain status. Why? To be able to brag and impress others: I know X, he/she is a writer/a son of a popular actress/ manager of company Y/ a wealthy executive/ an artist and so on. Nobody is interested/would be impressed with: I know X, she/he is such a good person.

Regrettably, being decent and kind does not make a person socially attractive. Does it mean, it does not pay off to be good ad honest? I believe it does. The good/evil we do, good or evil thoughts we send 'in space', toward other people come back to us in one way or another.

Anyhow, I neither care for guys #1 (talkers) nor #2 and I do not enjoy being around them. Actually, I avoid such contacts if I can.

Someone may be a very pretty fashion model and it is OK - the outer beauty is what matters in such a job. However, a tidy look and well-groomed appearance - despite any physical imperfections + being good, sincere and upright - this is what beautiful means to me. I am not perfect, well, nobody is, but I try to improve myself. Meaning my inside also not my look only. Not popular? Naive? Boring? Maybe but I do believe a nice face and smart clothes is not enough to make someone truly attractive/interesting. Beauty comes from within as well. And the greatest of all is when the two - inside and outside beauty are combined together. Unfortunately, it is much easier to hide an ugly personality than physical defects. Unfortunately, because we do not have that ability to see the real beauty of a person as the movie character (mentioned at the beginning of this post) could.

Let's be beautiful - not only outside but inside as well.

My Long Flight Essentials

Last week we came back from our November trip. The travel itself was very long - it took us 24 hours and three plane connections to get from Texas to my home place in Poland. Therefore, I am going to tell you what items helped me survive such a long journey.

First of all, no makeup (besides some bronzer and a little of powder, to avoid the shiny nose effect). During the long travel, spending hours at the airports and on the planes there would have been no time - and no mood - to remove the makeup and do my usual face care routine.

The air conditioned environment (planes and airports again) made my skin dry, that was why I was carrying my first aid moisturizing kit.

The containers were small enough to have them in the carry on luggage.

1. Vitamin face mist (paraben free and alcohol free) by Yves Rocher.

After about five-six hours since our travel started, the skin on my face started 'shrinking'. I could feel it needed some support. The pink grapefruit mist refreshed it and provided an instant revitalizing moisture.

2. My regular under-eye cream. Yes! The under eye areas were crying for help too!

3. A small box of Nivea cream - classic moisturizer brought a relief to my face during the 10-hour flight. One application on my cheeks and my face skin needed no more till the end of our journey.

A few minutes after spraying my face with the vitamin mist, I applied the under eye cream _ The Nivea cream - cheeks and forehead. It felt really good and prevented the face skin from the return of the 'dry-shrinking' feel.

There was something more, not for my face, though...

For my feet and legs comfort.
When we got to our seats on the plane (the longest flight), it was so good to be able to take off my boots and wear the comfy home shoes. At least during those 24 hours of travel, my legs/feet could rest too and I did not have to wear boots all the time.

To sum up, if you ever happen to travel for hours/spend so many hours on the plane, make sure you have your travel essentials in your carry on luggage. They do not take much space but may help to make your trip more enjoyable and easier.

My Cosmetic Side: Hair

Clean, neat hair and hairstyle can make the look. And the opposite. Greasy and untidy hair spoils it totally - unwashed and neglected hair says more than any fancy attire. At least, I think so.

My hair has always been straight and rather fine - it has never been thick at all. When I was in my teens, it also was more on the greasy side. Therefore, in my senior year, I had it permed (slightly) by my mom. My permed hair looked thicker and fluffier. The perm made it drier too so I was not bothered with the 'greasy again' problem.

When I got older, at some point, I started coloring my hair and I always did it at home. At first, I used some shades by L'Oreal only. Later I switched to Wella and Londa, which became my favorite brands as well.

When I moved to Texas, I was trying to find a similar hair dye shade which I used in Poland.
Unfortunately, neither Wella nor Londa coloring products are available in the local stores. For that reason, it took me almost two years to discover which brand and color would be the best for me and my hair. During that time, I experimented a lot - trying to get what I needed, I was buying a different hair dye every month. At the beginning, most of the time, the results were poor. Firstly, it was a grayish shade on my head - despite dying the hair with a blond, not gray hair color. The gray hair made me look older and feel bad/frustrated.

To make matters worse, after a few months, the hair endings felt as if they had been made of rubber. Of course, I knew it was bad, so I tried to treat my hair with some conditioners to improve its appearance and shape. From time to time, I also had my hair shortened and then, the bad endings were gone. Till the next hair coloring time, more or less.

I used two hair color brands once only and I knew I would never put those products on my hair  again. They either stung and burned my scalp horribly or caused my hair much thinner. I am not going to give the name of those items/brands here because I am aware, they may work perfectly well for somebody else.

Anyway, one day, about a week after using a certain hair dye, I needed to call a plumber to have the bathtub drained. When he came to fix the problem, it appeared the pipe had been blocked with bunches of my hair. Needless to say, I also noticed a dramatic change in the thickness of my hair. Disaster! I got scared but it also reminded me the time in my life, when due to totally different reasons, I lost a lot of hair as well. To stop the hair loss, many years ago, I used to make a mixture of raw egg yolk, grated onion, and castor oil. I cannot recall what the proportions of those ingredients were, but I do remember I put the mixture on my scalp, then I covered it with a piece of foil, and fixed a towel on my head/over it all. I did that twice a week for a few months. Every time, I kept the 'conditioner' on my head for about 15 to 20 minutes, then I shampooed the hair twice. It was a necessity because the onion smell was quite strong + the castor oil made the hair extra greasy as well. It was all a kind of nasty, but it did warm up my scalp and, somehow it worked. My hair grew back. It was nice to feel the new growing hairs, which were so soft and seemed like fluff when I brushed my hair with my fingers. I continued the treatment and my hair regular thickness got back. There was no more bold spaces/clearance on my scalp. Not to mention I was much happier too.

Nevertheless, that was why I thought about castor oil again. I looked for it in local stores but I was unsuccessful - no pure castor oil was available. Luckily, I found conditioners which had castor oil as one of their components. And I did apply such a  product on my hair two or three times a week, before hair washing time. Besides that, to strengthen my hair, I was also taking a vitamin supplement once a day.

My scalp saver :-)

I think I should have used the conditioner longer but, inconveniently, castor oil causes slight hair discoloration (it was eating my hair color), so I stopped that part of the treatment.

Well, in the meantime, I finally came across the right hair color taht makes my hair look and feel good. It is the L'Oreal Excellence series which I am content with. What I like about it is that, besides the coloring kit and regular conditioner, every LE box also contains hair endings protector, and it is to be applied 5 minutes before the hair dying itself.

All in all, my hair is in a much a better shape now. More over, despite using a hair color from time to time, the rubber-like endings have not come back.

Regular hair care & styling

1. Shampoos and conditioners
The ones which are best for my strands are meant for fine and colored hair or very gentle ones - for babies. I have been told by a dermatologist that it is not good to use the same kind of hair care products for a long time (it can be compared to a monotonous or one-sided diet), that is why I change them now and then.

2. The hair dryer with a diffuser which helps to dry the hair faster and, at the same time, protects it from overheating. After washing my hair and drying it gently with a towel, I use the hair dryer for a few minutes only. I stop when the hair is slightly damp.

3. The hot air brush is great for styling shorter and medium length hair. The styling works better if the hair is not totally dry. In the case of the long hair, the hot air brush is good only to style the hair endings - it can get stuck in the strands when you try to use it similarly to a curling iron.

Having been advised by a hairstylist, I also used a hair volumizing product while doing it. However, I noticed that it made the strands of my heavier which resulted in an increase of hair loss, comparing to the time when I did not use that volumizer. So I quit applying it. Moreover, to let my scalp 'breath', I stopped treating it with hair spray as well. Without it all, my hair is soft and seems so light and it does feel really good. And it looks natural too - no 'crash helmet' effect anymore!

Take good care of your scalp and hair, and do not make the mistakes I did. :-)

PS
L'Oreal Excellence is for (originally) dark hair.

My Cosmetic Side: Epilation

If somebody asked me who started 'hairless woman's skin' trend, I would say it must have been a man. Possibly, a man/men involved in shaving business. Maybe some guys related to shaving devices manufacturing, who knows. The point is, I do not know any woman who enjoys the tortures of epilation. At least the ones I have known did not. Including myself. On the other hand, I am not a fan of 'the hairier, the hotter' either. In my opinion, a girl/lady needs to take care of herself to look and feel good.

Nevertheless, no matter how important the epilation routine I find, considering both the aesthetic and hygienic reasons, I truly dislike it. Why? Well, if you are a woman, you probably know why: skin irritation, possible cuts, stingy pain, delicate skin of some body areas and more. If you still do not understand why epilation care is not my favorite activity, you can try it on your own body and possibly, you will know what I mean. Recently, I watched a movie “What Women Want” in which the main male character tried wax epilation on his legs. He certainly found out the answer to that 'Why?'

Some advertisements try to convince consumers that using their stuff such as creams, shavers or epilators/depilatories will make your body hair free for a month. Well, I would say it is not entirely true. I have observed that the hair on the body does not grow simultaneously - all of them at the same time. The epilated hairs may not regrow for a few days, but still, after a week you can notice your skin needs to be taken care of again.

When I was in my twenties, I thought I would go to a beautician's studio, to have my face attended - meaning epilation of course. The beautician did a very good job. However painful the treatment was, I was pleased with its results. That is why repeated the visit a few times. Once, when I came out of the studio, due to the cold weather, the spots on my face which had been taken care of got red. It was embarrassing as everybody could see and guess what place I had been to and what for. Since then, I have been my own beautician and skin carer.

Some time ago, I happened to visit Italy. In local cosmetic stores, I came across the biggest collection of epilation products I had ever seen. Meaning non-razor or electric and battery operated devices. They had entire sections dedicated to 'ladies hair removal care'. Everything was there: sugar based balls, wax and whatever you wanted. I did not buy anything then, I was just amazed at the selection which was on offer.

My personal favorite ever was the face wax epilation kit which I got from a friend. The lady received it from her sister in Canada. Since my friend was not convinced the kit would work for her, she gave it to me. The set included a small pot, which contained little drops of colorful wax and a wooden spatula. I just needed to heat the pot on the stove for a short time - the wax melted and was ready to be spread on the skin. It was easy to remove it and it took care of all the unwanted hairs very quickly.
A second product which I found good as well was face wax strips by Isana - unfortunately available in Europe (Rossmann stores) only.

As for the electric devices, I think the best are the ones which have two heads: a razor and an epilator. You can use them interchangeably, depending which part of your body you need to take care of. In my opinion, a razor is better while dealing with more sensitive areas. It is good if you have the option to switch then, using the same device.

No matter what you used to epilate the body, it is important to take care of the irritated skin afterward. Some sets available in stores include an 'after' cream or balm. Not all of them are good for my skin - some caused pimples and additional irritation. My choice is a regular face cream (for face areas of course) and Gigi Post Epilation Lotion (I wrote more about it here).

Epilation pros and contras seem to be obvious. As my mom says: 'one must not neglect themselves'. A very subjective opinion, but it is enough for me. You just need to take care of yourself and your body to feel good. And you do not have to spend much money on it at all.

My Cosmetic Side: Creams

One of my cousins has always used one cream only, to treat her entire face. Well, most of my life it has not worked for me. Whenever I used a face cream in the under eye area, my eyes were bugging me terribly. Besides, make up does not look too good when you apply some rich stuff near the eyelids. That is why this part of my face, the thinner and more delicate skin, requires special care, meaning eye cream.

Moisturizing, besides cleaning and toning,  is a vital part of my everyday face care routine. I still remember my very first face product, which I started using when I was about sixteen. The cream name was Juvilla. It was very light, had a pleasant, delicate and quite distinguish smell. I loved it. I can also recall, it was packed in a bluish tube with a white cap.
Later, in my early twenties, the time came when I first bought an eye cream. And has been using under eye care products since then.
Thorough all those years, I have tried many creams/brands. One of the best was an evening primrose facial cream. I had it a long time ago, so I do not know what or who the manufacturer was.But I do remember the elegant and rather heavy, glass jar with a cork top.

Nowadays, due to a damaged facial nerve, buying face care product is a kind of roulette to me. The point is: what half of my face likes, the other one most often hates. The nerve, which has been fixed, is very picky and does not tolerate most face creams. How do I know that? It simply announces the dislike with a terrible pain. The level of such pain is not funny at all, I can assure you. That is why the buying part is so difficult. I very often end up with a care item/moisturizer which I can use on one side of my face only, since the other side says painful 'no' to it. This makes the cream/lotion  application a bit complicated.

All in all, I have had some facial and eye cream which were gentle enough to be used on my entire face / under both eyes. It makes me happy when I come across such an item and can take care of the skin on my face with no pain effects.

What has worked best for me so far (meaning all my face needs)?

Eye cream

All About Eyes by Clinique
Renergie Eye by Lancome

Both products improve the condition of the delicate skin around/under eyes, in different ways though. The first one is good for puffiness and dark circles, the second one works more on the anti-wrinkle side.

I also quite liked the eye contour gel by Clarins. However, I used it as a moisturizing support only. The gel formula was good to be applied on make up as well. It was not rich enough to be used on its own.
Anyway, a kind of disadvantage of the above products is that they are rather pricey.

A cheaper option was something by Yves Rocher. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued.

Recently, I have 'discovered' Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream. Although it is too light for my face, it is a perfect under-eye cream considering my facial nerve requirements - does not sting my eyes either.
Another item on my list was ender-eye cream Alterra for mature skin - great moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin. I used to buy it when in Europe - it is available in Rossmann stores only.

Face cream/care

• Dramatically Different Moisturizing gel for dry skin by Clinique - that was truly great indeed. 
• Day Wear Plus by Estee Lauder - I am not sure whether this version of Deay Wear morning/evening cream is still available. The one which I had was wonderful and smelled like cucumbers.

• I still use the Velvety Facial Moisturizer by Yves Rocher. It is one of my most favorite products which contains natural ingredients mainly - I wrote more bout it here.
•  If you have Rossmann stores where you live (Europe), I recommend Alterra Orchid face cream for mature skin. It has its morning and evening version and it contains coenzym Q + vitamin E (among others), moisturizes well and smells nice. Another plus is that it does not cost much.
• Right now, I am testing Equate face cream for dry skin. It seems to be something I have been looking for - replenishes my skin, makes it looks smother and, what is most important - it works well on my entire face, including the under-eye area. I bought it as I was tired with all the more expensive facial products which disappointed me considering my face special needs. I thought to myself then: 'if I buy this inexpensive cream and it does not work for me, at least I do not waste much money again'. Happy to say, it does work and my face likes it a lot! Besides, it is a type of day and night care thing in one. Well, I know that day and night creams are not the same, as they support the skin in different ways. Having had all the problems with the creams, I come to the point, I would want to use one only (like my cousin) and call it good. Anyway, next time, I will try the original formula of the face cream which is made by Ponds.

Not only the products which we use to treat our face matter, it is also important how we apply them. I usually spread a cream on my fingertips and tap it gently on my skin, including the eye area. To relax the muscles between the eyes, where two vertical lines often appear, I put the cream on my forehead and massage it at the same time (moving eg. two middle fingers - both hands - simultaneously/ see the picture below).

And what is your favorite face care product?

My Cosmetic Side: Body

It is said that the body is the temple of the soul. That is why, in my opinion, we need to take care of our body - just to feel and look good. In this post on My Cosmetic Side, I am sharing how I mind my body.

BODY BALM
The easiest thing which we can do for ourselves is moisturizing the skin with a lotion or body balm. After having a shower and drying the body with a towel, I always use one of them. Applying a lotion to the skin when the skin is saturated, helps to lock the moisture in its cells.
There are many body care products which I have tried, some of them I liked more, some less. However, I have found most body balms really fine too. As far as I know, baby cosmetics formulas are usually more restrictive, considering their (more delicate) ingredients. Therefore, I think - if a balm is good for a baby, it is good for my skin as well.

SUN-CARE
My skin is pale and sensitive to sunlight. That is why I use sunscreen with high SPF number in the summer. I also cover my arms and wear hats to avoid sunburn. As for the sunbeds and solarium - I do not do it, I know my skin would not like it either. I used to work with a lady who was a kind of sunbathing and sunbed addict. She was not very much older than me, but the skin of her decolletage area looked like the soil in a desert - dry and cracked. It looked awful not only according to me but also to the lady's doctor. She told me the physician advised her not to sunbathe anymore but she did not care about that at all. Well, the look of her skin aged her a lot. I do not know how she is doing and how she looks now as I have not seen her for a very long time.

FOOD
'The beauty comes from within' - it is well known that eating habits and what we eat are important to us and our bodies. Personally, I believe that most our food likes and dislikes are connected with our childhood experiences. There are certain things which I did not eat when I was little and nowadays, being an adult, I do not care much for those food items. When I was growing up, there were no fast food places in Poland, no hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizzas - they appeared on our menus much later,  when I was older. And even then I did not eat them often. We always had a salad or vegetables as a side dish for dinner. The main meals were also accompanied by homemade fruit drinks cooked by my mom. Breakfast was always quite light - as a child, I often had milk based soups, later mostly dairy products and jam sandwiches. At primary school, I had lunch at school canteen - it was always a meal cooked by school cooks - no junk food was served. I remember the time when students could get hot milk (it was a cold season - winter or autumn maybe) during a recess, I often put a little piece of chocolate in my hot milk. It was so good!

These days I tend to like eating similar kinds of meals as well. Of course, my menu is not entirely the same as it used to be in the past, but I usually have one big meal a day only. I do enjoy a pizza or a hamburger from time to time, it is not my favorite food, though. I prefer an apple or some other fruit to sweets. Moreover, I try not eat anything late in the evening, before going to sleep.
There are times than I happen to pack myself with food and have more sweets and cookies than I usually do (especially around holidays), but later I check my weight, cut down on candies and come back to my everyday eating routine. Although we do have a dessert almost every day, we do not eat it straight after dinner, just some time later. Besides, when I make a cake, I add a bit less sugar than a recipe calls for.
Of course, a proper diet may mean something different, considering particular people, and may depend on their personal health needs. If you do not know what is good for you, perhaps you can consult a dietitian or a doctor on that matter.

EXERCISING
'Move yourself' is our family motto. It is not easy to follow it as, presently, we all tend to sit a lot during the day. Walking is not always possible and not everybody is a gym person. I am certainly not. Nevertheless, there are different groups you can join to make your body move. Some friends of mine like Zumba classes for example. As for ourselves, we do walking and dancing (no, not Zumba). In my opinion, it is not important what you do, the more important is whether you enjoy it. If you do not, you will not fancy doing it and, very likely, you will quit it soon. If you do like some activities, you will be more into them and, at the same time,  you will exercise more effectively.

SUPPLEMENTS
If you think you need any dietary supplements, I advise you to consult a doctor first (on what to use, how long and when). Some of them - their ingredients - may not be good for you and/or may make you feel unwell. It happened to me, so to avoid my mistake ask your GP about it all.

HEALTH CHECK UPS
Whatever you put on the skin, no matter what you eat, how many times a week you jump or jog, it is not enough. Some time ago, having had a routine check up appointment, I received a reminder from my health care provider. I found the message quite interesting as it contained the information on  suggested screening tests for women - how often and when we should have them done.
To find out more on this topic, visit the womenshealth.gov website.

Take good care of yourself and your body!

More on My Cosmetic Side:

Aroma & Aromatherapy

My Cosmetic Side: Aroma & Aromatherapy

I have always been interested in many different things considering the outside world and lifestyle. One of them is beauty and cosmetics in general, which is obviously quite a common interest for a woman (and not only). A reason why I started this blog was a thought, it would be my beauty related posts space. And at the beginning I was writing about my favorite cosmetics mostly. Nevertheless, after some time I got bored with the topic, mainly because my interests are so much wider than the beauty stuff. Do not get me wrong, there are specialists in the field which share very interesting information about e.g. makeup brands and their products, and I find reading their articles quite involving too. On the other hand, in my opinion, life, the world, means loads more things to learn, discover and experience. That is why I skipped writing on beauty items for quite a long time as it became too monotonous and one sided.
However tiresome it got then, it did not change the fact that the beauty routine and all the items connected with it are quite an important part of my life. I do not spend all day long in front of the mirror (maybe a few hours ;-)) but I would be incredibly miserable if I was not able to take care of my skin, hair and body as I am used to - which leads to the cosmetics world again.
That is why, every now and then, I am going to write about 'My Cosmetic Side' - including my favorite items and certain products I have been using. I will keep the alphabet pattern but, very likely I will not limit myself to this frame only.

Here is the entry for today:

Aroma & Aromatherapy

Since my nose is rather picky considering choosing the scents it tolerates, I associate aromatherapy with the distinctive aroma which is pleasant according to myself. And I do not mean any special kind of  healing treatment. Just a nice, scented bath can be a relaxing experience, especially when we can enjoy it after a long day. Read more about it in the post I wrote some time ago.

Talking about aroma and aromatherapy - the use and meaning of it may be quite unexpected. A couple of years ago, in the summer, we happened to have a biting flies season in our area. They were tiny and quite annoying, especially that the little creatures seemed to choose me mostly as the most interesting object to bite. It resulted in the big, red, itching spots on my skin which did not go out for weeks. I tried to use some insect repellents but they did not help much. That was why I finally decided to use the natural carnation oil which I had brought from Poland. I rubbed it all over myself - mainly the legs and arms as, due to summer temperatures, they were uncovered and most exposed to biting flies attacks. I smelled like a carnation field. The flowery aroma was quite strong but, luckily, I was not allergic to the oil. It did not irritate my skin, it must have irritated the nasty flies, though, as they stopped bugging me. I was really glad then. The carnation oil saved me.