I am so glad that I am over it....and the weird thing, is that I had a flu shot earlier this year.
If you had told me that having a week "off" with nothing much to do but lay in bed would be "productive" I would have shrugged and shaken my head. I am not accustomed to lying around and find it quite a challenge.
Drowsy from cough and cold medication I managed to leaf through many magazines reading articles on everything from lingerie, lotions, sunscreen and shoes. My husband was willing to pop over to the market at my request and buy food, boxes of Kleenex and fashion magazines. Thank you Honey!
I discovered, as many of you already know, is that sunscreen is the most important anti aging product on the market. I have never found a sunscreen that worked well under my foundation and the brands that I tried were thick and often left a white residue...until now.
This formula is light and blends easily so there is no excuse not to use it every day.
Good 'cuz anti aging skin care is now up there on my radar.
I read that the second most important ant aging product is Retinol...
it has been scientifically proven to minimize wrinkles.
I thought that Retinol was too harsh for my skin until I read the latest Allure magazine.
ROC make a Retinol cream for night
(which apparently is the best time to use it)
the ROC formulation has some "buffers" which make it gentle to use on the skin.
I am following the directions and using it every other night for 2 weeks to make sure my skin will not over react.
This is the extent of my invasive skin care action...no fillers, or Botox for the Hostess.
(I have had some IPL treatments for my rosacea in the past but they are expensive.)
I plan to book a microdermabrasion treatment in the next couple of weeks..
Moisturizer and hydration are both very important and I have always focused on these habits.
Drinking lots of water and using an emollient cream or serum to plump up the skin just seems like common sense.
I've just received L'Occitane's Divine Cream in the post, just in time as I am scraping the jar to get the last bit out!
I had lots of time to mull over focusing on a healthier regime.
There is always room to tweak one's diet, amp up weekly activity and add a new proven skin care product.
Eating. walking and skincare all things that I try to be mindful of and embrace.
The downside of being out of commission is that my stamina for walking the 5 K and 10 K routes have been reduced and so my pace is much slower and I am much more aware of fatigue.
Fortunately my walking partner is understanding so we are working up to my former speed.
So that's about it on the health front...
I like lists and use them regularly...
what I really love is crossing off the things as I complete them.
Not bad work!
Our mushroom coloured coverlet looks so shabby it's actually embarrassing.
How can things like this hover just under the radar without getting noticed?
I zipped off to the newly opened Marshalls and found a suitable replacement.
The white towels were purchased online from Lands End at 30% off and will be arriving shortly.
The new shower curtains are installed and the old ones were bleached and will be ready when it is time to launder the new ones.
The Gap denim jacket should be here any day now and I need to spend a few moments on the phone with my day book so I can book those appointments.
The de-cluttering has started and I took a bag of things to Good Things Consignment in Oak Bay.
Stuff that just collects dust and offers no Joy is on it's way out of The Humble Bungalow!
I've declared war on dust.
Makes it easier to keep on top of the house work with fewer knick knacks.
Mr. HB likes it better this way too.
Re-arranging is a Spring time activity...
Our Pacific Northwest First Nations Baskets were moved about.
I've washed a few of the windows and am working in one room at a time.
But not trying to overdo things ~ I am pacing myself.
Going through my book shelf looking for titles to donate.
If I don't plan to re-read a book it needs to go to a new home.
I'm excited just thinking about how good it is going to feel to have reduced the clutter in The Humble Bungalow.
What Spring things are you doing in your home?
Are you doing a major clean or a total purge?
Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.
Hostess
XO
38 comments:
So glad you are feeling better. I'm always a bit surprised at how long it takes to recover full energy after an illness.
Skin care is so important. I've been using the Vichy products for a couple of years and am very pleased with them.
Have fun with your list. I was at Marshall's today for the first time and picked up two new beach towels (serviettes de plage). Then to the market for vegetables and now to do a little puttering around the house.
I'm so happy you are feeling better. It sounds like it was such a productive time and don't we appreciate our health while we plan for all of the things we'll do when we are better: it's a renewed mental energy. I hope you take it easy physically as the flu takes a toll, well I don't have to tell you!
Your list is very inspiring. I've just replaced our bedding and it is a great fresh spring thing to do. I'm trying to get through the house before June as we have our Swedish friends staying here while we go to England! But it is a busy time with family and we have a surprise trip next week to meet my newborn nephew... in Victoria! I'm very excited, it is my brother's first child, I'm over the moon to have a baby in the family again.
Please rest up and take it easy on those walks, it sounds like you have an excellent walking partner who is looking after you.xox
Happy to hear you are well again. I have heard that La Roche Posey makes the best sun screen I haven't tried it, but I should. I have used Neutrogen for so long it might be nice to make a change. I totally agree about Retin A and have used the prescription grade for decades, but it might be to harsh for delicate skins. I am trying to de-clutter too...there is just something about Spring...
I am on my 4th or 5th bottle of La Roche Posay sunscreen. (Mine is labeled "Anthelios 60 Ultra-Light", but the bottle looks about the same.) Like you, I found that it is one of the very few that don't feel heavy or greasy and doesn't clog my pores. And it is also the only one that doesn't leave a white cast on my skin.
I have got the spring cleaning bug, too. I'm having to do a little at a time due to time constraints. But it feels so good to make things bright and clean.
I'm trying to get rid of 100 things per month. Big or little and so far this year I've gotten rid of 351 things -- only 49 more to go for April! It's amazing how much better I feel without that "clutter"!
Oh how exciting Dani! I am going to email you and see if you have any time during your visit to get together. I would love to meet you!
I think the prescription grade is serious stuff and probably a bit too harsh for my rosacea. Doesn't it feel good to get on top of all that extra stuff?
Ooh you are way ahead of me! Good for you...it must feel very cathartic.
You have such nice handwriting!
Spring de-cluttering is on my list too. I have to add a First Nation basket to my "buy"list after seeing your's.
I was also going to comment on your nice handwriting! Great minds . . . I just bought the very same sunscreen. They have other ones that are too thick. I like the liquid feel of this one. and I also use the ROC night cream. You certainly have been busy after having been sick! I need to get motivated to do a spring clean -- I have decluttered, but really need to dust and scrub.
I have never had a microdermabrasion. How often do you have them?
Lists are great, aren't they? I am sitting at CDG airport and know that I have done everything that I needed to do. I have the same sunscreen at home. Do you ever use the Optimum card at Shopper's. I have been able pick up some of my Roche-Posay cheaply with my points. However, Pharmacare has recently disallowed points for prescriptions but I still have bad enough points to make it worth my while. They also have a senior's day once a month that 60+
can take advantage of. Good luck with your decluttering.
Hostess,
I'm going to try that sunscreen. It sounds wonderful. I, too, have rosacea. Those IPL treatments are not only pricey, they leave you looking pretty awful and bruised for a couple of weeks.
Kathleen
So glad you are feeling better and what better season to be out and about getting stronger. I have an attic that is chock full of clutter. It is daunting and literally "weighs heavily on my head." Every time I attempt to tackle it, I walk away. But I am trying again. This weekend there is a recycling fair in our town where you can bring electronics to discard and boxes of personal paperwork to shred. So this will be a start. Do you have any good advice for cleaning windows? I love to do this, but seem to leave streaks no matter what I do.
I loved that sunscreen when I tried it last summer. Unfortunately, for some mysterious reason it turns yellow on my skin within a couple of hours. It's a bizarre reaction I haven't heard duplicated with anyone else. It figures!
I highly recommend Trader Joe's moisturizer with SPF 15 - $3.99 US and light/protective and no smell.
Oops - of course I meant to say "Glad to hear you're feeling better" - most important.
Glad you are feeling better. I need to try that sunscreen. I have to wear it but hate sunscreen texture. You have the most beautiful handwriting! I always envy people who do.
Hey Hostess,
Before you get rid of those books maybe we should meet and do some trades. I'm sure I have a few you might like.
Lisa
P.S. Did you get the Paris book I left in your mailbox a few weeks ago?
http://www.drbaileyskincare.com/blog/how-high-of-an-spf-does-your-sunscreen-need-to-have/
One doesn't need an SPF of over 30 really Hostess.
Hi,
My dermatologist advises against anything over 30 SPF. Also, the La Roche-Posay sunscreen contains oxybenzone, which is problematic. Toxicology experts believe that oxybenzone is linked to hormone disruption and potentially to cell damage that may lead to skin cancer. The FDA has approved it, but I've never had a dermatologist who suggested I do anything but avoid it.
I rely on hats with very broad brims and sunscreens that don't contain any of the ingredients believed to cause harm.
Oh I LOVE Anthelios sunscreen and just went to a L'Oreal warehaouse sale that sold it for $11.
Glad you are better.
Oh too late...I dropped the books off this afternoon and your Paris book was placed in your mail box before 3:00 today. Thank you.
I have a weakness for these baskets...I hope you find one that is to your liking.
Not very often...maybe once or twice a year although the thought is that one benefits from having them regularly...I think after winter and summer are enough for me.
I do use the Optimum card....I am almost a senior and that might make it worthwhile making a list of all the things one might need and buying it all on senior's day!
Yikes! I have never had any bruising...a few tiny marks where blood vessels have been zapped and they disappear in a couple of days...if it left me bruised for two weeks I would not do it!
Never clean windows on a sunny day for starters...I use windex and paper towels.
My neighbour swears by vinegar and newspaper. Our window washer whi maintains the outside uses washing soda dissolved in water and squeegees.
I find that boating requires stronger sunscreen as we get the rays from above and then the reflected rays off the water...I burn easily and rosacea does not like the sun so I always look for a higher rated sunscreen.
I use hats too...I appreciate what you are saying about the ingredients and know that we can opt for healthier versions which I have tried...Green Beaver was the one that I have been using for quite awhile but it is thick and white almost like zinc oxide and so instead of using it regularly I let myself burn doing more damage so I figure it is a compromise.
Oh that is a great price! Living in a cosmopolitan city like Montreal has it's benefits...I think I paid almost 3 times that price!
My dermatologist uses a Candela VBeam laser. Maybe your doctor uses something less punishing. I had my face veins zapped in January and it really did take two weeks to look normal again. Embarrassing. My skin does look better though. Not so red. Kathleen
I use ecloths for cleaning windows. There is a regular microfiber cloth, which I wring out after rinsing with hot water - I scrub the window and then use their window/mirror polishing cloth to wipe dry. Works great, windows clean and no chemicals - just water.
Oh girl, I swear by retin-a nightly routine. My Mother has been using it since the 70's and she is 72 and her skin is divine! Love your lists, I am a list girl too. French lessons, seeker of knowledge. My cup of tea. Your right, how is it that all of sudden one day we notice the drab around us when the day before it went unnoticed. Funny how that happens.
Coco
The NYT did a big story a few years ago about the dangerous ingredients in some sunscreens. Sunscreens that rely on chemical sunblocks penetrate the skin and disrupt hormones. Oxybenzone has been found in breast milk. There are sunscreens that use nano particles of zinc or titanium dioxide so the sunscreen is clear. I tossed out all my sunscreens after doing a bit of research. I just began using Acure, which uses nano particles of titanium dioxide. SuperGoop is good, as long as it doesn't have retinyl palmitate.
The Environmental Working Group's website has suggestions for good sunscreens and also provides information about the potentially dangerous ingredients.
Try one of the new sunscreens with nano particles of titanium dioxide; they're just like a lovely moisturizer---no white goopy mess and no funny scent.
I never think to use sunscreen unless I'm sun bathing (terrible I know; but summer is so short) because some of my face products contain SPF.
I have used some retina A creme; but they say it thins your skin, so I haven't used it in a while.
I don't use fillers, after having a bad experience with them years ago. I hate that chipmunk cheek look, and it takes ages for your body to get rid of it.
I get Botox injections on my crows feet; but hate it between my eyes, so I'm stuck with those horizontal frown lines.
I had my upper eyes done as well as a subtle face lift, when I was fifty. My friends (the ones who don't see me every week) didn't even notice! lol
I have used the RoC deep wrinkle serum every morning for over a month now and it has worked like magic!
Post a Comment