Weekend Retreat

You can barely see the bathroom in this picture. But the most important thing is that it's in Jamaica. I know we're all dreaming of warm weather right about now.

From Elements of Style

I hope you all have a warm, relaxing and bath-filled weekend.

Lazy Day Links

Hope you're having a great week. Here are some of the things that caught my eye this week.

• West Elm River Rock shower curtain at Everything Turquoise.
• Comparison of gel manicures vs. regular manicures at A Girl's Gotta Spa.
• Spa home treatments at Ulta.
• Maybe if I use all of the products that PR executive and restaurant owner Kerry Diamond does, I will look like her. Check out her beauty tips on Into the Gloss. 
• Some great nail colors for your winter pedicure at Vogue.com.I want Essie Dive Bar.
• And a little online therapy about dealing with in-laws from the Huffington Post. Too bad I didn't see this until after the holidays.

Until tomorrow. Happy browsing!

Getting Through the Winter

I live in the Midwest, which means cold and dry winters. This winter has been a little weird, and we've actually had some pretty mild weather. But it's still really dry. So it's time to talk about some not very glamorous stuff. How do you deal with the dry, itchy skin that comes with this time of year?

Here are some of the products I use to survive:

To deal with constant hand-washing, I go straight for the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. This stuff is basically like petroleum jelly except not so greasy. As the container says, "just a dab heals dry skin." I keep this stuff in my desk at work, and I use it every time I wash my hands. It really works. But now someone needs to invent lotion that doesn't have to be reapplied after each hand washing.

Before I go to bed each night, I smother my feet, hands and any other particularly itchy body part with Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Original Moisturizing Creme. I first discovered this when my pediatrician recommended it for my kids' itchy skin. It comes in a big tub and is super thick. You have to really work to rub it in, but it's worth it. My manicurist has even commented on how good my hands and cuticles look and wanted to know what I used.

I fluctuate between different moisturizing shower gels. Right now I'm using Dove Sensitive Skin. It's unscented, which I like because it doesn't compete with my perfume. And it seems to do the trick.

Also, I take a ton of baths in the winter to try and stay warm, which is terrible for dry skin. To somewhat counteract that, I use Neutrogena Body Oil, which I've rhapsodized about before. It's definitely a year round staple.

I told you this wasn't going to be a glamorous post. But these products will make you winter much more bearable, and you can pick them up on your next trip to Target.

So how about you? Any winter weather bath and body products that keep you from wanting to rip your skin off? Let me know.

Do You Birchbox?

Have you heard of Birchbox? Birchbox is a cosmetic subscription service. For $10 a month you can receive a box of beauty samples in the mail.

I love it. It's always fun to get a package in the mail, and it's really fun to get a box full of surprise beauty samples. Each month I get fun samples from brands like Jouer, Redkin, philosophy, Stila and much more. Plus, each month they add in a fun non-cosmetic gift, like a Kind bar or a cool ponytail holder. There are other subscriber benefits, such as free shipping on full-size version and Birchbox points when you buy products.

I highly recommend you try it out. I gave a subscription to my sister for her birthday. She loved it so much, she got a subscription for our cousin.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Weekend Retreat

This bathroom makes me want to paint my bathroom black.

I hope you all have a warm, relaxing and bath-filled weekend.

Travelling in Style

Since yesterday's post was about travel toiletry basics. I thought it would be fun to look at some luxury travel items. Sometimes when I go on trips for work, I try to schedule a little bit of time (maybe one evening) for myself. With a full-time job, two young kids, a husband and a cast vying for my time, downtime is hard to come by. So I like to order room service, rent a chick flick and relax. It's also a perfect time for a little pampering action. Here are some great pampering products:

• Aveda Balancing Ritual.This contains Sandalwood Single Note (essential oil), Chakra Balancing Body Mist,  Foot Relief, and a Chakra Ritual Card.I love that this set comes with instructions! I think most of us could use some instructions on how to relax.

• Bond No.9 New York Gift Collection The Voyage Travel Candle Set: These candles are beautiful. They are a little pricey, but they would certainly make me feel like I was having a luxurious vacation even if I was staying at the Holiday Inn.
  

• vbeaute It Kit: I also picked this kit because of how cool it looks. I don't usually go for really expensive skincare, and I don't think I'm the only one because I couldn't find any review of this brand. (Anyone out there tried it?). It includes Undercover Agent serum, Rub Off exfoliater, Evidence Eraser cleanser, Buying Time moisturizer and Eye Never cream. 

So, what about you? Do you like to take some "spa time" when you travel? What are your guilty pleasures?

A Moveable Spa

I love travel kits. I know they are sort of wasteful, and I should just dispense my full-size products into reusable travel container. But that's no fun! Plus I always forget what I put in the containers. Is that conditioner or body lotion? And how long has it been in there?!?

One of the best things about travel kits is trying out new products. I am planning a trip to Las Vegas in about a month, so I might need (OK, want) to buy some new fun things.

I really want a kit that has shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion. Let's check out some options:

• philosophy The Travel Agent: This looks promising. It includes Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser, Hope in a Jar Moisturizer, Amazing Grace Shampoo, Bath and Shower Gel, Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion and a Amazing Grace Hair Conditioner. This has everything I need plus face cleanser and moisturizer. I love the Amazing Grace fragrance, so this would definitely work for me. 

• Westin White Tea Aloe Travel Set: I recently stayed at a Westin hotel, and I loved the scent of the in-room toiletries. I am thinking that when I run out of the bottles I took from the room, I may have to order some more. It's so great they have a Westin store online called Westin at Home. Since I have always wanted to live in a hotel, now I can pretend that I do. I would also like to try the other Westin scents, which include green tea grapefruit and chamomile lavender.

• Malin + Goetz Essential Kit: I haven't tried out Malin + Goetz products yet, but I hear good things about them. I found this kit, which includes grapefruit cleanser, vitamin e face moisturizer, bergamot body wash, peppermint shampoo, cilantro hair conditioner and b5 body moistiurizer, on 3floz.com. Their motto is "for those who travel, those who are curious and those who can't commit." That pretty much sums me up, which is also why I love Birchbox (post coming soon).

So what do you think? Do you like to try out new products when you travel? Next time I'll look at some travel kits that are a little more fun and less utilitarian. So let me know if you know of any brands that do travel sizes and travel kits well.