My (Newest) Favorite Skincare Line

I don't think its going to come as any big surprise that I'm the type of girl that likes all sorts of fun skincare products. The fruitier smelling and pinker the bottle the better!

I can spend hours at the makeup counter and as a stay at home mom I don't even wear makeup regularly. That is with the exception of lipgloss. Cause that totally makes up for no makeup, not blowdrying my hair and the fact that I'm usually in jeans and a tee shirt.

Yes my lovely readers, here's a secret Ouiser tip~ quality lipgloss and a statement worthy necklace can make any scruffy looking gal fabulously stylish, or at least that's what I tell myself, so please don't burst the bubble.

One of my favorite people in the world (and not just because she was the third person to read my blog after Mamere & DMIL) is the fabulously stylish Ms. Marilyn. She is my mommy role model! She's a CEO, a mom to three precious angels AND she has time to feed my reading obsession ~ both high and low brow. Can you guess which I prefer?

So when I was looking for a new moisturizer of course she came to my rescue and suggested I check out Garden Girl, a natural skin care line for all types of skin. I have moderately sensitive (and very fare) skin so I usually need something that isn't too greasy or has too many scents.

Once on their site I decided to try out a few of their products...

No Worries, Night Cream for Sensitive Skin ~ I love this product!!! It's thick which is exactly what I want in a night cream but isn't greasy at all. Plus it doesn't irritate the skin around my eyes, like so many other night creams do. I kinda-sorta feel like my face has a bit more of a glow but that might be the fact that our new baby is finally sleeping through the night. And I mean really, it's not a magic potion, it's just a moisturizer people.

Zippity Do Dah Peppermint Foot Cream ~ Also LOVING this one!! I don't know about you but my feet always have a rough (tee hee hee) time in the winter. And now's the time I'm constantly moisturizing my feet and sleeping in socks. Most of the pepermint foot creams I've tried seem way too intense, to the point that I have a hard time sleeping because my feet are all tingly (and not in a good way). This cream is still pepperminty but not so overpowering and again it's not greasy, which I think I've establish how I feel about greasy lotions.

Pucker Up Exfoliating Sugar Scrub ~ So, I'm a huge fan of smell good exfoliants and this one has it all! From the time I was 12 and bought my first St. Ives Apricot exfoliant (you know you had it too) I've been a sucker for them. I must say that the pucker up scrub rivals my all time favorite, Kiels' honey almond exfoliant.

They also threw in a travel size sample of their face wash, which I'll be honest I haven't tried yet. At first I thought it'd be perfect to take with me on my next business trip. And then I remembered I haven't taken a business trip since February of 2008.

So if you're in need of some new skincare products or just looking to mix things up a bit I highly recommend these products. Either way, you should check out their website as they have lots of other girly, smell-good, pink products. YUM!

Happy Pampering!

Cheers,
Ouiser

Obligatory Valentine's Day Post

Whether your tastes run toward the sappy and sentimental...

or to the sarcastic and sardonic...







Remember the day is about celebrating those you love!

Valentine's Day is one of those holidays I appreciate but have never relished. I mean for a number of my adult years I spent the evening with my very best girlfriends drinking wine, snacking on cheese and laughing... belly laughing. It's pretty hard to top that in my book, no matter what the people at Hallmark tell you.

So once DH and I started dating it wasn't as if I expected flowers (Note: flowers are always appreciated~ not just on holidays and special occasions) chocolate and smaltzy poetry. In fact I prefer to skip the overcrowded restaurant scene on Valentine's Day and instead have DH make dinner that night. He really is an amazing cook, slow and methodical but amazing nonetheless. He has the patience to make things I'd never attempt.

I thought I'd share a few fun gift ideas for your special someone or heck for yourself! When I was in college I instituted a rule that I always gave myself a special gift if I was single on Valentines Day. One year it was a pair of Feragamo heels, another year a David Yurman ring. Both of which I loved and clearly still remember even if I did leave the ring in a woman's restroom counter years later. Arrg!

Okay, so a leather bound book of love letters might be a weird gift to give one of your girlfriends but I am a sucker for Smythons and I thought this was so pretty and romantic. I wish I knew what letters it includes but nevertheless I think it's adorable and would make a really really sweet gift! Just imagine snuggling up to your special someone and reading to each other. Click here to purchase.


A day at a nice spa will certainly make that special someone glow inside and out!  A gift certificate to a nearby spa is a fun idea but if you want to go that extra mile, try booking the day for your sweetheart. You don't have to know what her favorite treatment is, just the fact that you took the time to pick a few treatments for her and scheduled them is a gift in itself! If you're in the DC area I highly recommend checking out Sugar House Day Spa. They are located in a beautiful old townhouse in the heart of old town and offer a wide aray of ways to pamper!

And if you allow for a little shopping afterwards check out Bellacara for fabulous makeup, skincare and candles and then stroll on down to Bloomers, an adorable little shop that sells underware, sleepware and loungeware. All of which is cute and flirty without being overly sexed-up (not that there's anything wrong with that). All three shops are within two blocks of each other.

If you're planning to spend the evening at home (like I am) why not pick up a special bottle of wine. Do you have a particular wine that you both love? Or had on a special occasion? DH and I do and I always gush when he surprises me with a bottle of ... mmmm, I'm not going to tell you. Some things just shouldn't be shared. :) But if you are in the Del Ray area, I implore you to stop by Daily Planet Wine. The staff is very friendly without being pushy and they are always up for talking wine and giving great recommendations.

And what is a Valentines Day with out dinner? Try taking a cooking class together! Sur La Table offers several different courses. I think the Southeast Asian Street Food Favorites looks delish! DH and I took the "Baby It's Cold Outside" class several years ago and I loved it! Not only did we have a great time it also showed me how much I enjoy cooking with DH ~ and a bottle of wine, natch.

I hope you've got a few good gift ideas from this post. And boys, (cause I like to pretend that boys sometime read this blog.. ha ha ha) girls like to know you put in some real thought and perhaps even a little effort. That matters much more than the amount of money you spend!

Happy Shopping!

Cheers, 
Ouiser

Sugar & Spice and All Things Nice...

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails, and puppy-dogs tails,

And such are little boys made of.

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and all things nice,

And such are little girls are made of.

I've always liked this section of "What Folks Are Made Of", mostly because I revel in the idea of being sweet with a bit of a bite. As far as boys being made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails... I might have disagreed with this premise until having boys of mine own. Granted they are both little ones who mostly smell like the Mustela wash I bath them in but I'm beginning to glean my future and it's not pretty. In fact its filled with dirt and sand and trucks and poop. All of which my oldest son is interested in playing with and in some cases eating (not the poop, God, please say not the poop!)

So, when it all becomes too much I book an appointment for some girly pampering. Alas I can no longer spend all day at the salon or spa in this case but I can get away for an hour or two thanks to DH.

During the last couple of months I've spent a number of blissful hours at Sugar House Spa. Located in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Sugar House offers a wide range of services that you can read about here. If you live in the area or are just visiting and looking for a little (or a lot of) pampering please call and book your appointments now!

I usually don't get mani/pedis at nice spa/salons because in my experience they are at best the same as the cheap places and at worst much much worse. In fact the worst mani/pedi I've ever gotten was at Elizabeth Arden in Chevy Chase. (sorry I hate to name names but it's true) For the most part I go to Eastern Market Nails on Capitol Hill. Tina and the other ladies are wonderful!! However, my experience at Sugar House was pure unadulterated bliss. From the moment I walked into the second floor nail room and met Monique, my nail technician I was pampered. I settled into the ultra comfy chair, flipped on the vibrating back, pulled out my book and ipod and sighed deeply. By the time I left, an hour and a half later I was practically jello. Kudo's to you Monique, I will be scheduling with you in the future!

I have had my hair cut and styled here, although it was at least five years ago. To be honest I thought it was just okay. I'm sure there are wonderful and talented stylists but I've long since fallen in love... head over heels kind of love with Kym, co-owner of Aquilano. As a girl who's seen the inside of a lot of salons in her 30+ years Kym is the best I've ever known. She gets my hair, knows what it can and can't (or shouldn't) do and her cuts and color are exceptional.

But back to Sugar House...

Okay, lets get personal... waxing. I know some of you love it, some hate it and some simply tolerate it. Now, I'm no waxing expert but my time with Timmy (Yes it's a woman!) was as painless as a girl could hope for given the purpose of the visit. Thats about as detailed as I'm getting for this PG rated post. The point being, she's the best. Oh and book now, she's clearly got a following!

I wanted to add a review of their massages, I mean doesn't just the idea of a massage relax you?  Alas, I couldn't get an appointment until Feb. 13th and since I am including Sugar House on my list of Valentine's Day gift ideas (a work in progress) I wanted to get in the overall review before then. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's spectacular!

Since I can't speak to the massages at Sugar House I will share another gem, Fountains Day Spa, also in Old Town on South Washington. I've been going there for years for facials and massages and I can attest they are fabulous! It's less frilly girl spa and more European health spa. And their line of Guinot skin care products are phenomenal!! I particularly adore their moisturizer and exfoliating wash.

Hope you spend time pampering yourself sometime soon! And if you are at Sugar House be sure to stroll around the corner after your treatments for a sweet treat at Bittersweet. They have to die for cupcakes, cookies and cakes as well as savory fare.

Cheers, 
Ouiser

My (not so) Secret Love ~ Drug Store Shopping

Good Morning peeps...


I'm on a high this morning and not just because it's only 9am and I've already had three large cups of coffee. As I mentioned before DH is out of town on business (in Vegas no less!) so last night I was on my own with the two kiddies. I was nervous, like really nervous.


Baby Deux was a rockstar! He let me sleep from around midnight till almost 5am! Frankly this is a longer stretch than I get on a normal night. And not to be outdone, our older son slept through the night as well. Recently he's been waking up around 3am, nothing too serious, just needing some parental reassurance.


Obviously I'm mommy extrodinare! Of course you just know that tonight is going to be a total mess with tears, spit up and poo. 


Anyway, last night as I was trawling twitter while sipping on a great red wine and reading, reading, reading I stumbled upon this little post "10 (more) Best Drug Store Beauty Finds". After actually letting out a squeal I hurriedly clicked on the link. How did I miss the first 10? 


And then a warm feeling of realization washed over me... I'm not alone ... there are clearly others out there that LOVE to shop at the drugstore. 


Now don't get me wrong, you all know I love me some Neimans but I also adore wandering through the aisles of my local CVS browsing the makeup, nail care, hair care, lotions and especially the magazine sections. In fact I was just thinking the other day what a luxury it is when I can make a drugstore run with out the kids. Sadly when they are with me there is absolutely zero "browsing". It's more like a precise military mission... get in, get the absolute necessities and get out. A successful mission involves no blood loss, not having to pay for something "we've" broken and getting out with at least half of the items on my list. 


I'm already planning a Saturday morning at Sugar House, my neighborhood spa for some lady pampering once DH gets home. Did I mention I got an obscene amount of gift cards for Sugar House this Christmas. Is it that obvious?


So, I'm thinking I'll have to build in some time for a leisurely browse through my neighborhood CVS to check out all these suggested "Best Beauty Finds. You know for "research" purposes. ;) 


These lists were put together by the writers at The Frisky- Life. Love. Stars. Style. I thought it was a website but I think it's a blog. You can visit their site by clicking here and you can follow them on twitter (as I do) by clicking here. 

Okay enough with the credit.... Check out the first top ten list of beauty finds here and the second top ten list here. I can tell you that I've been using Rosebud Salve for more years than I can count. I think Mamere turned me on to it but I'm not totally sure.  Of course when in doubt its never a bad idea to credit ones mother for all the good things in your life!


Happy Browsing!


Cheers, 
Ousier

Town & Country ~ My Favorite Magazine

When girls my age were all drooling over Tiger Beat, Teen Bop or even Seventeen magazine, I was  perusing Town & Country. Yes, I know I was an odd child.

Never the less I've had a subscription to Town and Country on and off since about age 10... that's 23 years for those of you counting and I'm still just as enamored with the publication now as I was then. There is something otherworldly about this magazine. As a kid I must admit that I was more enthralled by the wedding and party pictures... oh and those Ralph Lauren ads, mmmmm. I didn't have pictures of Kirk Cameron or Johnny Depp covering my bedroom walls as a tween.  Instead, I had the boys of Ralph Lauren pasted all over my wall in all their polo playing, garden strolling glory. Somehow they always seemed to have a gatsbyesque quality to them. And for those tweens today... think Chuck Bass!



As I got into high school I started noticing a few of the articles, especially "Social Graces". It was about that time I received my first Emily Post's Etiquette book. I was enthralled instantly and began what has been a lifelong interest in historical and present day etiquette. So, as you might imagine the "social graces" editorial quickly became a favorite. I can't be the only one that finds it fascinating that at one time the dimensions of one's calling cards denoted that person's age and if they were single or married. Okay, maybe its a very small pool of people but I know you're out there! And for years I kept an enormous folder filled with my favorite wedding invitations I'd received. At the time I justified it as planning for my own wedding but now, I'm not sure what my excuse is other than the fact that I love looking at beautiful calligraphy.

And now that I'm a bit older I still appreciate the party pictures ~ think"where did she find that dress and where can I get one too! ~ and look fondly on the wedding photos, remembering my own special day with DH. Hard to believe we will celebrate our sixth anniversary in a couple of months. And I still read the social graces column and chuckle. It is really very well written.

But now my favorite articles are those on travel. How did I miss these in years past?! Oh to be a travel writer for Town and Country! Well a girl can dream right? As I am a travel junkie, there is hardly a place on the globe I wouldn't want to go assuming they have indoor plumbing. I said travel junkie not adventure junkie. I can't tell you how many folders I have in our filing cabinet that are over flowing with torn out pages from past T&C's with all sorts of travel tidbits and recommendations for the classics ~ NYC, London and Paris to the more obscure ~ Croatia, Honk Kong and St. Petersburg. I may never get to some of these places and thats okay, I can still enjoy learning about them and for that I have Town and Country to thank.

I could go on and on and on... I haven't even mentioned their annual Bridal Issue -- really does any woman get tired of looking at bridal magazines? I don't think so. Their Green Issue, Philanthropy Issue, Home Issue & Fall Fashion (ahhhh two of my absolute favorites) and so on.

So, if you aren't familiar with the magazine I implore you to please pick up a copy or if you've been thinking about getting a subscription, do so!

For me, I'm going to re-read my January issue again as I eagerly await the arrival of my February issue.


Cheers, 
Ousier

Amazing Beauty Deals ~ Thanks Alpha Mom

You're Welcome! Yes, that's right I said it, you're welcome... for not posting any of the things I've written over the past 72 hours. Just re-reading some of my would be posts and they are god awful!

I know you don't care about the crazy number of dirty diapers I've changed on a daily basis. Who knew newborns went through so many? Clearly I had forgotten. Nor are you interested in how brilliant I think my newborn son is for being able to slightly hold his head up for a second or two. Amazing right?! I'm already convinced that our older son is going to be the next Mozart but that's another post you'll never have to read. Again, you're welcome!

So what is a blogger to do when all she does is change diapers, feed her children and clean & sterilize bottles all day (and ALL night)? Well thank the good Lord for other MUCH more talented bloggers whom I can poach err, promote!

I was browsing through my favorite blogs this morning...after watching KStew on Regis & Kelly of course. Cute sweater and she sounded so great when talking about the process of acting and digging into the character but the rest of the interview seemed a little awkward. Of course I'm sure she's already tired of answering the same questions over and over again. And she's only 19 after all. I'm sure at her age I wouldn't have been half as polished. I probably would have said "umm" and "like" about a million times in a 10 minute interview. And God only knows what I would have worn. At 19 I was pretty much wearing Harold's exclusively. For those that don't remember this semi-preppy and more than a bit matronly clothing chain they went out of business a few years ago. But I donned quite a few denim vests and paisley velvet pants with my jon hart purses over the years. Okay enough about me.

Where was I?

Oh yes, "sharing" the sage advice from one of my all time favorite bloggers, Amalah. In addition to her own blog, she also blogs on Alpha Mom and today's post is PERFECT for all you ladies who are looking for some fun new beauty finds. Or for those out there that are trying to think of great gifts to give your girlfriends, nieces, mothers, sisters...or even your metrosexual male friend who cares as much about keeping his skin fresh and well moisturized as you do!

For my money, I plan to try out the Tarte Treasure Chest as well as the World of Kiehl's Holiday Gift Set. And I can think of at least three ladies on my Christmas list that I can take care of from this post. I don't want to name names or products though since there is a very good chance they are reading this!

Take a peek and discover some great new beauty products. Oh, and I can attest I LOVE the Laura Mercier line-- Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer (with SPF) is awesome as is their loose powder and I'm totally hooked on their line of lip gloss. And if you've read some of my previous posts you know I'm a stickler when it comes to good lip gloss.

So enough of my ramblings, please check out Amalah's The Advice Smackdown Holiday Beauty Gift Guide post today on Alpha Mom!! And perhaps I'll have something worthwhile to share in the next day or two.

Cheers,
Ouiser

Twilight Makeup ~ Luna Lip gloss

Gooooood Thursday Morning all! I'm hoping to post something a bit longer later today but it's going to be a very busy day in my household so I can't promise anything more than this...

As if it was destined I received an email from Twilight Beauty saying they'd shipped my lip gloss (FINALLY) about 10 hours after I blogged about my disappointment with their entire ordering process last week. No no I'm not arrogant enough to think they saw or even cared about my negative review but it was a funny coincidence.

Anyway, just as DH and I were sitting down to dinner last night there was a knock at our door. DH came back with a smirk on his face saying he didn't even want to ask what was in the small package and that I was officially obsessed. I was very curious since I hadn't done any online shopping in weeks. I looked at the package and realized immediately where his amusement came from---my obsession with Twilight. I guess he isn't reading the blog as much as he used to or he'd know about my frustration with Twilight Beauty.

I was just barely able to wait till after dinner to try out the lip gloss, although I did unwrap it and admire the packaging before I started eating. I must say the packaging is great, very sleek and the color looks fabulous as well. As you may recall from my original post, I went with "Myth" which is a burgundy red with just a hint of sparkle.

However that's where my praise stops. The applicator is a very thin little brush. I'm not really a fan of the gloss brushes because I don't think they apply the gloss very well and frankly in my experience they tend to sorta poop out before you've gotten to the bottom of the tube. I could have gotten over the brush but here's the real problem, the gloss is simply too sticky for my taste and although the smell is great, sort of a raspberry scent it's just not worth it in my opinion.

A final thought on this (oh so very) important topic. I realize that I may not exactly be the target audience for this product. I do have to remind myself that the "Twilight Market" is mostly made up of teens and as I recall when I was that age I LOVED flavored lip gloss. Anyone else remember bonne bell's dr. pepper lip smacker??? Anyone?

So I'll give Twilight Beauty a little slack. I still think their ordering and shipping is an embarrassment. And although I will likely stay away from their product line, I sincerely hope that it's perfect for some other twilight obsessed young ladies.

Cheers,

Ouiser