Single and Skin Care

Recently Erin, a good friend of mine asked me for some advice on skin care products. I don't really think of myself as an expert, but I have tried excessive amounts of products. And these are some of my top picks.

Although my first beauty tip to anyone is sunglasses. Have them with you always and wear them every time its even a little sunny outside. One of the main contributing factors to declining vision as you age is damage done by the sun's rays. Also, sunny days make you squint, the more you squint the more eye wrinkles your inviting on your face.

First off, I use am-lactin lotion to smooth out my rough skin, I have tried probably 30 different types of lotion for dry skin and it by far works the best, but I still have to use it almost every day or it gets rough again, I have a skin condition called Keratosis Pilaris (KP), its also what people call chicken skin, hard bumps on the backs of my arms and legs. It is medicated and a little pricey, but it works. I actually have two different types. the first is a regular lotion I use on my arms and legs after showering. the seconf is Am-Lactin XL which is a thick cream that I put on my feet and hands. with in days all the dry cracking on my heels will disappear. My mom suffered from terribly dry feet my whole life. after i discovered this miracle cream really works I gave her half a bottle to try. now she is on the subscribe and save program with amazon.

Another beauty secret of mine is sugar "scrubs" I put a tablespoon of sugar in my face or body soap in my hand and wash my face or body like normal. The sugar is good for your skin, and dissolves quickly, its just abrasive enough to remove dead skin. I do this maybe once a week. I keep a little container with sugar in my shower so I can do it when ever I want.

Every evening (and sometimes morning) I use toner. I use the CVS brand of this Loreal one since its cheaper. You just put some on a cotton ball and wipe down your face. it smells yummy, and leaves you feeling refreshed. It's also great at getting off make-up on your face.

If you were going to only do one thing for your I would get a Mint Julep Masque, I love this and it is cheap. At the drug store it is like 3-4 bucks, its really thick. You leave it on for 20-30 minutes and when you take it off your skin feels tight your pores look smaller and it feels really refreshing. I probably do this once a week. the effects only last about 24 hours, but it does remove all the dirt and stuff, really well. Also I will spot treat any zits I see coming on with this, it pulls all the nasty out of your skin, and clears it right up.

For facial hair you could try bleaching agents, my skin is way to sensitive for that, but I have heard alot of people soak a cotton ball in peroxide and wipe down their face. I go for hair removal. I use one of these. It really hurts when you start doing it, but after a few times its just is uncomfortable, not painful. you don't need a mirror, you just can do it while you watch tv or something so your distracted. To start its best if you get your whole face waxed, or you shave all the areas you want to remove hair from, then you want to use the spring often, like every few hours since your hair follicles grow at different rates. the goal is not to remove all the hair at once, just a little at a time. since all at once hurts way more. Once you have removed all the hair, it will start growing back slower and softer.

and my last beauty tip much like my first, is sunscreen. I use a daily moisturizer with spf 15. I am currently using Avon's Mark line 'for goodness face" I like it alot and it hasn't made me break out. I am not sure I will buy it again when I run out, but well see how it goes. Don't forget the chap stick to protect your lips! Gotta be prepared to kiss lovers and owies at a moments notice!

How does this relate to being single? Well do really think I'm going to run around in a robe and hair wrap with green mud all over my face, with a man in my house?

Single and Hair Stylin'

Singlehood Day 3

Yay! We made it to the weekend.

Friday was fairly uneventful. I did request vacation time off to go to Belize and my boss approved it right away! So that is wonderful. After I got the time off approved I called the tour company on a break, and asked about the ages of the people on the tour. They said there were 2 others in there 20’s and 15 or so in there 30’s. That’s not so bad. I was a little worried it would be me and a bunch of retiree’s. I put down my $200 deposit, and am hoping for the best! All but $50 is refundable until 90 days before the trip, and then its $150 til 30 days before the trip. So if something happens and I can’t go, not too much will be lost.

Afterwork I went out with 6 other ladies from Thoughtworks, and we talked about Women in Technology, since they are a bit of a minority. I always feel a bit odd going to these things, because I don’t think of myself as in technology. I coordinate all the office stuff. Women have been office managers for ages, and I don’t know much about technology and coding and Agile. They seem to think since I work for a technology company, I am a woman in technology. So, you want to know what one of my favorite parts about it is? The bathroom situation. Our women’s restroom at work has two stalls, and two sinks. When I need the loo, I am almost always the only one in the restroom. Early this week there was a line of 4 men waiting outside the men’s. From my understanding there is one toilet, one urinal and one sink in there. It’s like karmic payback for all the bathroom lines I have to wait in everywhere else.

Today is pretty open for me. I woke up and watched Private Practice. I really enjoy that show, but they need to give poor Addison a baby already. I Youtube’d a cute messy bun up-do and attempted it. The first attempt, wasn’t good, I took it out and retried it a second time, and decided to keep the results for the day. Although 30 minutes in and I am already rethinking it. My hair is really heavy and I feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. You can see the pictures of finished product :)

Well it’s time to leave the house and see what this day holds!

Single and Dreamin'

My last relationship lasted 4 years, 1 week, 6 days. It spanned Seattle to Chicago to San Francisco. We had some great times.

Current Days of Singlehood -1

Oddly, or not so oddly, today did not feel terribly different than yesterday. The relationship had declined at a slow pace, because of distance, and our lives just grew apart. It’s a dull ache in the back of my mind. It’s like exercise that makes you so sore you hurt, but you know you’re getting stronger. Better times are ahead.

So what did I do on my first day of reclaimed freedom? I planned a dream vacation. I researched all the fun things I would like to do with imaginary money, and then I tried to scale it back to a more manageable amount, that could with work become my reality. And after not a terrible amount of thought, I have picked my next big adventure.

Dani takes on Belize and Guatemala. Before today I did not even know Belize existed. Turns out it’s smooshed between the southern tip of Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean ocean. It is also the only country in South America that has English as its national language. It is also on the top 10 list of budget vacations for 2012. Perfect. Destination – check.

Now how am I going to go with? Well strangers of course. At 26 and single, my friends are all married with babies; Or working diligently towards marriage and babies. That’s correct, they chose husbands and procreating and I choose, Mexico, Australia, Fiji, Ireland, Scottland, and a weekend in Canada. In the last 9 years, I have lived in 5 major cities. The people who knew me back in the day, they knew I was destined for more that what the quaint town of Atascadero could show me.

I digress, I need strangers to take my maybe not so imaginary trip with me. I should take another backpackers tour! Google, google google… There are none? Okay I can fly there and find some hostels plan some outings on my own… but I need people! Google: Single in Belize vacation. After a lot of no’s I hit the jackpot. Now what does this tour do? What make me excited about it? “…innertube through 7 miles of underground river caves with only your headlamp to light your way. It’s one of the coolest tours you will ever take.” And there’s already 33 single people signed up. Travel Companions – Check. Flights, hotels, daily activity’s – Double Check.

Still to do –Save up $2500 (the tour costs $1700) that’s $800 left for upgrading tours, the few meals that aren’t covered, souvenirs and alcohol. Also, need get 8 days off of work in a row.

I’m going to need a cute beach body to go in the new bikini I am now asking for, for my birthday in June. I also will be asking for a waterproof digital camera. Conveniently enough, I take a tumbling class on Thursday nights so I spent two hours doing cartwheels and round-offs (much improved from last class) on the gym floor, and front hand springs and almost landed front tucks on the tumble track. In 6 weeks I have gained so much strength, that I think this is the strongest I have been since the effects of mandatory PE in high school wore off. I was skinny in college, but I wasn’t strong. Better watch out, after a tumble class I feel like I can take on the world.

So day one of the return to single, wasn’t so bad. I ached a little, planned a vacation, and tumbled.

Will this crazy vacation happen? I hope so, but it doesn't really matter, the dream got me through today. And I am taking things one day at a time.

What will Day 2 hold? Stay tuned.