New finds...

I 1st want to thank those who have listened, learned, & either understood or are trying to understand what I am going through.  I am amazed at the amount of people that have gone through it at least once in their lives.  For those of you who have, you can understand how awful it is to go through daily.  Thank you for being true friends.  It is because of friends like you, I will get through this.

Today's bath consisted of:

• Cherry Bomb bath bomb and
• Chocolate Blackberry soap by Wick-edly Sent
• Wild Berry Tulips shower gel by Bath & Body Works
• mixed with a bit of Sugar Cookie shower gel by Philosophy
• Raspberry Puree lotion from The Body Shop
• Wild Berry Tulips fragrance mist

Sorry for the hiatus as I have been going through a lot, but working on making this better.  Hopefully this will be soon.  Of course, my bathing, love for body products and scents has not been on hiatus. B&BW has come out with a lot of new, amazing fragrances.  TBS is expanding their product line though the fragrances are pretty much all the same.  Still always looking for good deals online.

Which comes to my new fun of online window shopping... & sometimes buying.

The site I really have been loving lately is Fab.com.  This site has a lot of eco-friendly items, art, cool design items, jewelry, high end things you probably never would have looked for on your own or have thought of, food, children & pet items (etc.) all at discounted prices.  You can get credits for different things & use them toward future purchases & "socially" shop.  See what other people "like" and are purchasing.  I have it linked up to my Facebook account so others can see what I like there.

This isn't junk.  I have noticed a slight inconsistency w/the prices they say the items are at normal retail rate & what they are offering them at.  Usually by cents to just a few dollars.  So sometimes the deals are worth it, & sometimes not really.  Always do your research.

I've only placed 3 orders through them so far & really, my only complaint is how long it takes to get the item shipped out.  It can take anywhere up to a month for you to get it.  It is shipped via UPS or FedEx (or their White Glove service.)  Shipping cost depends on the amount you are spending, not the size of the product, & there will be tax added on.  Sometimes the companies of the products ship the item directly to you but most of the time they send it directly to Fab.com & from there they send it off to you.

One item I got from Fab.com was a bar of Lavender Lemon soap from Meow Meow Tweet, a Brooklyn, NY based, certified organic body products & candle company.  The paper the bar soaps are wrapped in come from 75% post-consumer waste & 25% hemp & other products of theirs use unbleached paper & recycled plastic.  *Follow Meow Meow Tweet on Facebook and also on Twitter.

The only thing I was disappointed in was the fact the lavender was so overpowering.  I was really hoping for the lemon to stand out because when you put those 2 scents together it can be amazing.  That doesn't make it a bad soap though.  I always say a good bar of soap is one that you can feel stick to your skin & these usually are the bars that are oil based.  This one does & the lavender buds give a light exfoliation.  Even though the bar itself has a strong lavender scent, it doesn't leave an extreme scent of it on the skin, which is nice.

So I like it a lot and I would love to try their other soaps and products.  Maybe someday in the future.

Please push my addiction.

By giving me bath products.  Most stuff I want or need is too big to gift me, like a kitchen & bathroom remodel, or new doors & floors & blinds.  So, usually I get bath products as gifts for Christmas, my birthday, or just because.  Of course, I have so much already but I always welcome stuff, especially new stuff that I have not tried before!  It also keeps my baths interesting because I love to mix & match.

Sometimes the mixing & matching doesn't always go too well.  Like, a few weeks ago I mixed Deep Sleep Comforting Milk Bath Float from The Body Shop with Sleep Night Time Tea body wash from Bath & Body Works.  I didn't really think about it before using the 2 of these products but they didn't mesh well at all.  The milk bath was more floral and the body wash had more of a fruit scent to it.  Cedarwood, orange, & a milky chamomile didn't really do it for me, though the sound of it seems like it could work.

The other day I got a small package from my friend Andrea with some goodies.  Andrea is a licensed massage therapist who runs the blog Confident Massage.  She has written a book with advice for the, "budding massage therapist," and she knows a lot about your skin & products that are good for it. 

Since I have been on a eucalyptus kick the past few months, for Festivus she had gotten me some amazing dōTERRA essential oils in Breathe, and of course, eucalyptus.  You put around 5 drops in the bath, use as a (non-burning or low heat) diffuser or use them directly on the skin.  Since these are so concentrated, topical use is best used with a base oil or they can irritate your skin.  Andrea had sent me some coconut oil of theirs where I mix 5 drops of the coconut oil & 1 drop of the Breathe oil & rub it on my neck & chest.  It has been very helpful the times I have used it.  She also advised you can use a topical jojoba oil.  The initial application is a bit oily but then it just becomes very softening to the skin.  Some oils stay oily & sticky so I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  It also leaves a nice cool sensation.

So in my gift from her there was the coconut oil & then some bath herb sachets from Bloomin' Desert Herb Farm.*  The name pretty much explains the company.  They specialize in organic fresh or dried herbs for culinary or medicinal use.

I have 2 pictures because I really want to give you all an idea on how packed their sachets are with their herbs.  This is the Relaxation Bath which is full of lavender and oatstraw.  On the package it advises to drop into a hot bath or hang in the shower.  I think I have mentioned before I have a love-hate relationship w/lavender & so I think this product helped me determine the specifics of what it is I like about lavender & also what I hate about it.  This is a good thing though.

Lavender can have a fresh sweetness to it, or a pungent floral.  I have found when using more natural products that I get the fresh sweetness of lavender from them & that is what I love about lavender.  The pungent floral is more artificial & it has caused me headaches before.

So, back to the product.  This definitely had the sweet lavender scent, light & not overpowering.  When placed in the bath it did kind of just float around so I squished it a few times to get the air out & some of the goodness into the bath.  It is sealed very well & only a very teeny tiny bit of the product escaped from the sachet.  Just as it said, it was a very relaxing & comforting bath.

Andrea had also gotten me a foot bath from them, which I have not tried yet.  That one advises it can be used up to 4 times.  The other one didn't mention that but I bet I can get a few more lovely baths out of it.

I actually haven't taken my daily bath yet.  The time change has been exhausting me & I think the weather has been making my asthma pretty bad the last week.  Working on these things though.  Overall feeling quite content right now though still trying to control my breathing a bit.  Think I may try to use the relaxation bath sachet again tonight.

Thanks again Andrea! XO 

*If you would like to contact Bloomin' Desert Herb Farm, visit their facebook page; e-mail them at bloomindesert1@yahoo.com; write to them at 208 Trenier Sr, Henderson, NV 89002; or call them at 1-702-301-8996.

Just can't hide it!

I'm so excited!  I have a bunch of new products I need to try & post about.  There's so much I want to write about but I don't want to overload & then have nothing to write about later.  With the amount of stuff I have, I don't think that could possibly happen. :)  Tomorrow I have taxes & time with the rents & manpanion but I hope I can squeeze in a good amount of time to update more.

Lemony goodness bath tonight that included:

• Lemon sugar bath cubes from Fresh
• Sweet Lemon shower gel from The Body Shop
• Lemongrass sugar soap scrub cube from eBay seller evanest

Tonight I wanted to write about my experience w/the sugar soap scrub I used.  When I initially saw the listing I was intrigued by the scents that were listed & the fact it was listed as a sugar "soap."  I have noticed a trend w/a lot of people who are making bath products just doing sugar scrub cubes but these seemed more interesting & at a fair price so I purchased them.  You get 24 for $15 & you can pick the scents so I picked 3 of each of these scents: Peppermint; Lemongrass; Raspberry; Chocolate Coffee; Fresh Bamboo; Anise; Red Wine; Mango.

I got the package today & I could smell them through the envelope & I got excited!  They each smell great individually & I even had Chris sniffing them.  When I initially took the one cube from its cellophane wrapping it felt rather oily.  Upon using it (I used it just like a piece of soap) the sugar was very fine granulation & there is very little to none of lather.  This is not a bad thing!  I could feel the oils on my skin &, now that I have been out of the bath for a bit, I smell wonderful & my skin is very soft!  These will last also.  I'm sure I will be using this for a few baths before it completely dissolves.  It also stuck well together, not dissolving quickly or crumbling.  Depending on your preference, you could mush it to make it more like a scrub ( they do have a soft consistency to them) but the way I was using it worked great for me.   I can't wait to use the other ones!

These are made with a soap base, shea butter, sugar, sweet almond oil, & fragrance oils.  She also sells soaps, which I was tempted to get, but after recently going through my soap stash, I really need to use more up.  Maybe later.

Now I am going to go back a bit & just post my stashes I got from The Body Shop and also Bath & Body Works.  I just missed a 2 for $20 on B&BW's large candles sale.  I'm kind of proud because I have so many tarts, samps, & candles already but some of their new scents are really good!  Anyhoo, this is what I ended up getting.

Chocomania mini shower & moisture set gift cracker;  Chocomania body butter; Chocomania heart shaped soap; a bar of Divine dark chocolate that they use in their products; Orange 100% natural lip roll-on; Earth Lovers Cucumber Mint shower gel; and a sample pack.

The sample pack included Chocomania body butter; Tea Tree skin clearing facial wash; Natrulift firming day cream; Nutriganics smoothing serum; Nutriganics smoothing day cream; Vitamin E moisture cream; White Musk Libertine Eau de Parfum; White Musk Eau de Toilette.

Winter Night candle; Polka dot promotional bag; Energy Lemon Zest body mist; Japanese Cherry Blossom mini body cream; Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint salts; Stress Relief Vanilla Verbena salts; Sleep Lavender Vanilla salts; Pink Chiffon fine fragrance mist.

Pink Chiffon body lotion; Pink Chiffon shower gel; Ocean for men shower gel (because my man needs to smell good too!); Rio Rumberry glowing body scrub; Rio Rumberry mini body lotion.

Well, I am tired of typing & linking everything, but now you know where to get most of the stuff.  I hope I have time tomorrow to post about some gifts I got & my new attempt w/essential oils!

Broken thoughts.

I keep starting posts & never finishing them.  So, for this one I am going to start off w/my bath for tonight & then get into a product I tried a few days ago.

• Two Timing Tart bubble bar &
• Porridge soap from Lush
• Cherry Vanilla body wash from Bath & Body Works

I read on Facebook that B&BW is going to be bringing back their summer vanilla line for a limited time.  They are having a Fresh Picked party at their stores 10am-4pm on March 17th & also online.  On that day they are going to bring back the summer vanilla products & w/any home fragrance purchase you get a free gift.  I am not sure if the vanilla line will be for that day only or what, so be sure to check it out if you want to get your hands on some.

Now onto a bath I had a few days ago.  Target had some of these 1x use bath products on sale by Que Bella & the line looked interesting.  They were selling them in store for a bit over $2 for just one packet & so I was able to get their chocolate foaming bath syrup for around $1.

I like how it listed it was 80% natural ingredients.  Unfortunately, the packaging is not biodegradable & the fact they just sell these as 1x use packets kind of sucks because it creates a lot of waste.

What it looks like going into the bath.

Yay!  Bubbles!

Where'd all the bubbles go?

After the shot of it drizzling into the bath I put it directly into the running water so I could get my, what they say on the packaging, "loads of bubbles."  They dissipated extremely quickly & the scent was extremely faint.

So, to make up for it (since I wanted a chocolatey bath darn it!) I used chocolate frosting shower gel by Philosophy & then lathered on some of The Body Shop's new chocomania body butter.

So a big thumbs down on the Que Bella product I tried.  This doesn't necessarily mean their other products aren't good & maybe I will try some of the other ones out... only if on sale.  Glad I didn't stock up on the bath syrup.

Ready to fall asleep... & some FREE & fun stuff.

I really am.  I did nothing today.  I woke up & felt awful again w/the chills & feeling feverish.  I was on the couch most of the time sleeping & drinking grapefruit juice, occasionally up checking my games on Facebook then feeling exhausted again, maybe a short trip to the bathroom or kitchen, then back to the couch.  Good thing is that I feel like the fever has broke.

So for my bath tonight:

• Sleep - Lavender Vanilla bath salts from Bath & Body Works
• Oatmeal & Lavender soap my friend Kym made me
• Calm Me (lavender) shower gel by Philosophy
• Vanilla body mist from The Body Shop

Now before I konk out I want to post a few fun things.

Crabtree & Evelyn is having a few things going on.  1st, here's a link to win a 3 night spa getaway for 2.  Also, once they reach 50,000 fans on Facebook, you can sign up to get a free 50ml lotion or bath & shower gel.

Cardstore.com is letting you get a free personalized card from them!  I took advantage of this & got a really nice card made up for Valentine's Day. (I'll post a pic later.)  This expires on Feb 29, 2012 & you need to sign up, create your card, then checkout using promotional code: MCSFC0212.  The shipping is free also though near the end it may look like it will want you to pay shipping or tax.  Those will fall off & you do not need to enter any credit card information.

Chirply is also giving you a free card, free shipping, no credit card information needed.  This is a bit more limited in selection but has some cool designs.  All you need to do is sign up, share the free card promo on Facebook & Twitter, then click the link below to finish the process.

Finally, it worked for Betty White, so why not George Takei?  Can we get this around to enough people so he will host SNL?

Head cold yuck.

No sooner after I posted yesterday I started feeling worse.  My nose got so stuffy & congested and I started getting chills so I had my heated blanket turned way up.  Chris came home & I felt bad because I felt awful.  He got me a Tumbles the pink cat Ty Beanie Ballz, some peanut butter Twix (yum!) & a heart shaped pizza from Just Pizza.  Of course he got me a very nice card also.  I only got him a card.

OMG SO CUTE!

He went out & got me some meds which knocked me out not long after taking them.  Didn't use the CPAP because it only covers my nose & I couldn't breathe in/out of it enough.  More chills & night sweats.  When the alarm went off this morning I felt cold but could also feel the heat radiating off me me against the blankets.  Couldn't fall back asleep so I was on the computer for a few min, then parked myself on the couch for, well, the majority of the day.

So tonight's bath consisted of:

• Orange & Grapefruit bath salts from Village Naturals
• Cucumber & Mint body wash from The Body Shop
• Orange & Grapefruit body spray also from Village Naturals

I have the Orange Grapefruit body wash from Village Naturals also & I'm not sure why I just didn't use that because the Cucumber Mint was a bit sweeter than I had wanted for the bath.  The salts are pretty potent & have a kick of peppermint.  Not a sweet kind of peppermint though.  My sinuses seem to have cleared up (for now) but I do know I need to take more medicine soon because my ears feel like they are plugging up now.

I don't think Village Naturals is making these particular salts anymore.  They have a newer product line out & I had bought 3 bottles of the salts at Target 1/2 off.  Glad I did, but I know I'll be upset when I run out.

I really should make a specific post that lists companies, their sites & maybe put little bullets to links of favorite products of theirs & where you can buy them.  Unfortunately, a lot of companies seem to have quick turnover of products & are always changing their lines every few years.

Well, back to the couch for another nap.  Hope everyone reading this is well!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone is having a nice Valentine's Day.  Regardless if you have a partner or not, it's just another Christian holiday ruined by consumerism.  So, don't get down, upset, sad or depressed by it.  I sent my Betties & besties Valentine cards and we even did an exchange at work.  I got these super cute Valentine cards from Target that had these layered stickers.  They were a bit pricey but I'm a sucker for cute stuff.  Wish I had a picture of them & I couldn't find one online.

I had a terrible time with the CPAP machine & sleeping last night.  Since I have been home I feel like I have been sneezing way too much also.  A lot personally has been going on that has been bringing me down & things have been really tough lately but I am starting therapy again & taking things day by day.

So for my bath tonight:

• Conversation Candies bath bomb from Jody's Candles Soaps & Such
• Pink Cotton Confection shower gel from Philosophy
• Pink Chiffon lotion from Bath & Body Works

I'm hoping Chris will be home soon.  I am so tired I am ready for a nap on the couch.  Hope you are all feeling wonderful & happy bathing!

It's not easy being green.

I got some amazing stashes from The Body Shop and Bath & Body works this Saturday.  Coupons + Sales = ♥ & more bath products I don't need. Ha!  I so want to post about it all but I have pictures & it's a lot & just right now I do not have the time.  I promise I will get to them.  I am excited thinking about it.  Funny that I also have not used a single product of everything I bought yet.

Tonight my bath consisted of:

• Green Bubbleroon bubble bar &
• Grass shower gel from Lush
• Oatmeal lavender soap my friend Kym made me

I have been kind of on an earthy scent kick as of late & so a few of my baths have been with those products the last few days.

Tomorrow I have a special Conversation Hearts bath bomb I am going to use to celebrate my Valentine's day.  In a relationship or not, I'll be honest that I've never really cared for the holiday.  Chris & I usually exchange cards & he usually gets me something extra.  Like, last year I got some awesome sweets from the Dessert Deli & a panda pillow pet!

Jody's Candles Soaps & Such is now on Etsy also!  Check it out & buy some stuff!  Of course she's on eBay also & it looks like there's some cute heart shaped bath bombs up for bidding right now.

SPEAKING OF... last night my bath consisted of a Lick Me All Over (base notes of raspberry, cantaloupe, and watermelon, middle notes of jasmine and violet, and fresh top notes of grapefruit and kumquat.) bath bomb of hers. I used this in conjunction with a Bath & Body Works cherry vanilla shower gel & OMG I smelled amazing!  I did not want to get out of that bath.

Before I go today, if any of you have a moment I would LOVE for you to vote a 5 star rating for me on Facebook under Xyron's Spring Layout Contest.  This was a deco page that I had done.

Back to the house of pain!

So I was up for about an hour around 2-3AM.  Went back to sleep w/my CPAP & then woke up around 9.  Tried to nap through the day as I've been exhausted but I was in a lot of pain this morning & on/off migraines & headaches all day that made it difficult.  Broke down and took Excedrin Migraine after my bath & so now I am doing a bit better.

I was still waking up a lot last night, not as much as I remember from before.  The mask is still annoying but it's more comfortable than the initial one they gave me.  So my craptastic feeling put me behind on doing some decos I wanted to & I also didn't go anywhere with my mom.  I promised to go shopping with her tomorrow.  Even if I have to drug myself up.

I will not be watching the Super Bowl.  Getting frustrated with my Buffalo Sabres hockey also.  2 goals in a row by the NY Islanders making the game 3-1 made me turn it off & watch My Cat From Hell.

So for my bath tonight I used:

• Green Tea & Chamomile epsom salt by CVS
• Hair Biscuit shampoo bar from One Bath & Body
• Ocean Breeze soap by Brandon Essentials

Yes, I have purple walls & towels!

The epsom salt was CVS brand that I found one day there & it looked interesting.  It's very lightly scented & I can barely pick up the green tea while in the bath & no chamomile at all.  I didn't see it on their website so it may be in stores only.

I'm pretty excited also because I got a small package of a new bath bomb from a company I have purchased from in the past to try out.  I am not going to go into too much detail because I don't know if, after trying it, they just want my opinion or if they want me to post about it here, considering it's not for sale on the company's site yet.  So, I sent an e-mail asking if it's ok to blog about it or not.  I can't wait to try it out but I am holding off because I want some of my aches to go away 1st.  I want to enjoy it, though I know I will regardless.

Well, I am going to make some tea & get some mail ready for Monday, while I am feeling up to it.  Today I'll leave with a picture of my baby who made a nook for himself of bedding that was bundled up to be washed.  Can you see him?  He got really mad when we moved him but actually let him be for a good while because he was happy there.

Shoulda Coulda Woulda

I was just thinking how I should have used epsom salts in my bath tonight.  This all goes into a new adventure of mine with sleep apnea.  I know I have trouble sleeping, wake up all the time, am exhausted all day.  I was diagnosed with a mild form of it last year so we decided to start off with a mouthpiece for it.  The dentist I was seeing kept acting like I would get used to the mouthpiece & that it also helped with TMJ, another awful condition I have.  See, I have 1 jaw joint larger than the other (picture in previous post) & the mouthpiece was trying to pull my teeth together evenly & I knew it was pulling the jaw out of the joint.  I would wake up in so much pain when I used it & with migraines.  So forget that.

I had another sleep study done.  This one I used my mouthpiece that I have for my TMJ (not the sleep apnea one), still coming back that my breathing gets shallow or stops, my brain goes into panic mode & goes into a wake up state but it could be for minutes or seconds.  It's doing this consistently all night & I get very little REM sleep.  So onto the CPAP machine.

I'm rooting for this to work & I know I have only had it for 3 days but the 3 days has been killing me.  I have one that just goes over the nose only & at 1st the humidifier was collecting water in the chamber so if I moved in bed, the water would go all over my nose & face & it would wake me up.  Also the nasal chamber seemed a bit big so I would wake up to air leaking out in annoyance.  I think when that happened I was over correcting myself with how I sleep, tensing up & pulling my neck back.  So now I have terrible pain in my neck, back, shoulders & head.

I went back to my sleep doctor today & got a new chamber.  A bit smaller.  I am also not going to put any heat on the humidifier tonight to see how it works. Good luck me!

So my head is a but clearer now but on the verge of a migraine again.  Muscles are super sore.  Sore to the point it feels like I am coming down with a cold but I know I am not.  I should have used epsom salts for my muscles as it probably would have given me a bit more comfort from the state I am in right now. 

Onto the bath details:

• Eucalyptus bath bomb by Swanky Bath & Body
• A Day At The Spa soap by Wick-edly Sent
• Narcotic body wash by Lush

My mom wanted to go to Canandaigua tomorrow but I know if I do I would end up spending more than I should at Wick-edly Sent.  Maybe later in the year.  If I feel well, we'll probably hit up craft store in the area where I'll probably spend more than I should.  Also considering I have a few good recommendations of new companies (to me) I should check out to supply me with my obsession of bath products & spend more than I should.

I will also leave you with a picture that I took of the REAL Soap Lady in ACTUAL body soap form.  My friend Andrea got this for me when she visited the Mütter Museum.  She smells like lavender & is happily displayed in my bathroom.