I ran out of my beloved cold creams about a month ago.  Can you believe I went a month without cold cream?  I can, but that’s because I am witnessing the dull, dry skin first hand.  I made the herculean effort to drag my tired body through Target for the 2nd time today and left with what might be a winner.  It’s too soon to tell if this will be a long term commitment, but I am definitely making googley eyes at the Burt’s Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream.

Pros:

• Squeeze/tube dispenser, as opposed to less hygienic cold cream jars
• Mild, pleasant odor
• Goes on super thick and stays in place (almost like zinc oxide)
• Wipes off easily (it says to rinse, but I don’t)
• Tingly, tingly, tingly skin

Cons:

• That remains to be seen, although some people say it’s not a good cleanser if you wear a lot of makeup (I don’t).

Coupled with my rose petal witch hazel, I left the bathroom feeling prettier than a sparkly dinosaur.

This commercial from the early 80s is the reason I have used Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Oil after my showers for the last twenty five years.  And, still, twenties years later my eyes goe immediately to the rogue drop of water shooting off her shoulder.

For summer, I like to use my Johnson’s baby oil and then roll on some of Tristan’s Coquette. The combination is very tropical on me, and reminds me of summers by the pool with nothing more than an icy diet coke and a good book.

No loyalty, I tell you.  Brands be damned, the only thing I insist upon is the type of cleanser.  It must be cold cream.  No exceptions.  Cold cream and witch hazel is a classic combo in use since the 1800s, but up until recently, not very popular in the United States.  This type of cleanser seems far more popular in Great Britain and Japan, but I refuse to pay the shipping for a product I know nothing about.  So, I’ve stuck with Ponds.  But, lately I am seeing a change in attitude.  Perhaps America is joining me in adopting Victorian sensibilities when it comes to beauty?  Welcome to the geriatric side, ladies.  Look what I picked up just now at Target:

I’ve already tried it, and so far like it better than Ponds.  So far.  I will go through the entire bottle before I make my final decision.  The fact the glass packaging is positively irresistible and it smells slightly of roses will not factor into my review.  Maybe.  Probably it will count for 50%.

I was also trolling some make up boards, and it looks like the C.O. Bigelow line for Bath and Body has a cold cream, too.  I’ll be trying this one out, too.  Like I said–selective loyalty.  Sorry, Ponds.

Let me just start this post off by saying I feel slightly stupid writing about what I use on my face, despite a few comments and emails asking me exactly that.  And the funny thing is that I love to read beauty regimen posts on other blogs.  In fact, Tristan’s beauty posts are always my favorites, as are Anna’s.  My hesitation could lie in the fact that both of these bloggers are prettier, thinner, and more knowledgeable than I am on the subject.  But, in truth, my hesitation lies in the fact that you are about to get the same advice your 78 year old grandmother could give you the next time she has you over for casserole and jello salad.

I am fickle.  I show absolutely no brand loyalty, and have no qualms trying something new–which I do regularly.  However, there are three products that I have used religiously, in between bouts of experimentation, for the last 20 years.  Time and time again, these are the products I weigh against anything new I bring home.  They are old fashioned, unglamorous, far from hip, and dirt cheap to boot.  In fact, you can buy all three at the supermarket.

Ponds Cold Cream. Yes, the same stuff your grandmother and strippers in Vegas slather on to remove heavy makeup. I love it. I love the grandma smell (many don’t), I love the way it removes all my makeup (except mascara–I don’t use it around my eyes), and I love how smooth my dry skin feels afterward.  To use it, I just rub it all over my face for a minute or so.  Then, I wet one of the boys’ old washcloths in warm water and wipe it all off.  I have been using it religiously the last couple of months (and off an on for 20 years), and I have seen an appreciable difference in my complexion.  My skin is clearer and my pores look slightly smaller.  I attribute this to technique.  When I use soap or rinseable products, I find that some gets left behind in the rinsing process (and the sink and the front of your shirt get annoyingly wet), leaving me prone to hairline bumps.

After I wash my face with grandma cream, I follow it up with prairie toner.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you about my old lady tendencies.  I have used Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel, which has been around since the 1800s, since I was 15 years old.  To put it in perspective, this product had been around a good twenty-thirty years by the time Laura Ingalls Wilder was born.  James Madison was president and California was, truly, the Wild West.  But, hey, 200 hundred years on the market–you don’t need me to tell you it works. (I can never find the witch hazel formulated for the face and use the one above, which is more for first aid.  Totally gentle, and my sensitive skin has never had a problem.)

I then follow it up with lotion and eye cream.  Again, I use a brand that has been around for 50 years: Oil of Olay.  I’m not joking, and I’m not cheap!  Trust me, I have no problem dropping serious cash on beauty products–and when I was working I did just that.  But, at the end of the day, I found that most expensive products aren’t any better than what you can find for much less elsewhere.  Right now, I am working my way through Oil of Olay’s new Professional line, and I have been very pleased with the reduction of fine lines and crepe paper skin under my eyes.

So that’s it.  My Grandma Chic Beauty Regime for all the world to mock.  Or see.  But most likely mock.  Not that I can blame you for chuckling–two out of three products are so old the companies offer product renderings instead of images.  Drawings!  Colored pencil sketches, no doubt so their loyal customers, not yet accustomed to color photography, don’t get the vapors at the sight of that sexy toner bottle in the flesh.

You have to love a friend with connections; Tristan always has the latest and greatest stuff. Except, since I’m her friend, I rarely get the stuff! Instead, she gives it away on her blog, and unless it’s something I really, really want, I feel weird vying with other people for her goodies. So, my loss is the internet’s gain because she is, again, having an ENTIRE MONTH OF GIVEAWAYS!

March kicks off the second round of The Bright Side Project, an idea Tristan hatched to make people happy, all while bringing attention to emerging artists and designers, which, as a publicist, is her true passion and what she is really, really good at. This month the giveaways are all accessories: hats, purses, jewelry, and any other finishing touch to a smashing outfit you can think of. Comment (and answer the featured artist’s question) to win on the first two days HERE and HERE.

Tristan has put her heart and soul into this project, and she is thinking BIG. She wants to be able to give away furniture, vacations, and other big ticket items. But, you know the rules. Big companies won’t bite unless the bait is big. This means she needs a lot of people participating, and a lot of people telling other people to participate so when a certain company selling cruises takes a gander at the site, all the old men in pinstriped suits can understand the concept.

Poor little old men in pin striped suits. Let’s show them how women shop in the 21st century, shall we?

I live in a historically dry area of southern California, so my polka dot rain boots seemed like a frivolous purchase to my family and friends.  As luck would have it, this year has seen heavy rainfall and my boots, plenty of wear.  Clearly, then, my rain boots brought on the rain.  If a new pair of rain boots can bring rain, surely a new wallet can bring money.  I’m looking for a new wallet, and the money to go along with it, too.

I’ve owned two wallets in 17 years.  When I was 19, I  bought a  Coach zip around wallet at an outlet store.  It was similar in style to this one, but in plain, red leather.  I carried that wallet for 12 years until the Mister bought me a new wallet, also by Coach, in the popular Signature pattern.  The wallet is similar in style to this one.  I wrongly assumed it would last me another 12 years, but the zipper has failed to stay on track for 4 out of the last 5 years, and the snap refuses to stay closed.

The wallet has a lifetime warranty, but I am ready to move on to something new.  I liked the Coach brand back when it wasn’t so popular and heavily marketed.  Now, dripping with Cs and logos on all sides, it just smacks of excessive consumerism. Besides, when you see a 16-year-old girl carrying the same bag as you on the way to her job at Hot Dog on a Stick, it’s time to move on.

I don’t want anything heavily labeled, which is almost impossible since that remains the rage.  I don’t like chains or whips or fluorescent patent leather that, I’m sorry, to me screams, Look at me!  I’m a mom and still hip! I’m wild, really.  So totally wild.  Rawrrr.

I’m trying desperately not to like this wallet by Dooney & Burke.  I know this brand is not “cool,” but that is actually part of the allure.  I admit zebra has been done to death, but I love high contrast color combinations like this.  The red trim positively slays me.  It’s preppy and modern and classic, which sums up my personal style perfectly.  It’s also $195, which turns my stomach.  I am not afraid to spend good money on a quality product, but this is more than I am able to spend with the Mister looking for work and me trying to start a law practice.

Any suggestions?  What has been your favorite wallet?  I am open to any brand, large, small, or indie.  I don’t want something cheap if it means I will replace it in less than a year.  I’ve tried Target and Nordstroms, but didn’t find anything nearly as enchanting as that striped number up above.  Maybe that’s my problem–I’m looking only in polar opposite price points and need to start shopping somewhere in the middle.

I found a new product that works so (surprisingly) well for such a low price point that I had to share it with anyone else who straightens wavy, frizzy hair on a regular basis. The other day I remembered I needed conditioner while at Target. The salon I switched to last year doesn’t sell hair products, and since I am too busy [re: lazy] to go to the beauty supply store, I’ve been shopping for hair care at The Bull’s Eye. If you have ever tried to buy hair product at a store like this, you know the sea of products can be overwhelming. Instead of putting conditioners with conditioners and shampoos with shampoos, everything is lumped according to brand. That’s all fine and dandy, but it seems like packaging changes ever other month, and I wind up buying the first thing I find that meets my needs. That’s exactly what happened last week, but for once it worked in my favor!

The first bottle to read ‘conditioner’ was Herbal Essences Pin Straight from their Dangerously Straight line. I almost put it back because I (wrongly) figured a conditioner from the supermarket geared for hair straightening–if it even worked–would be heavy and leave my hair limp and greasy. Not so!

I love this conditioner. It’s only been two weeks, but I have no complaints. And trust me: I always have a complaint when it comes to beauty products. It leaves my hair silky, smooth and so, so, so shiny. And, as for those pin straight claims? For once, there is truth in advertising. My hair dries so much straighter than before! I am even able to subdue the curly hair at my temples. Phenomenal! Even better, I only have to use one pass with my “I-should-have-bought-the-more-expensive-one” flat iron, and only to tame the straggler frizzies at the top of my head.

Let’s review:

• Inexpensive
• Readily available
• Non greasy
• Easy to use
• Makes you feel better about buying the cheaper flat iron

There you have it.  A product that works effectively while coddling your ego.  What’s not to love?