coming up roses

As I get older, it’s interesting to see how I’ve moved from tomboy rage to dainty time. When I was a little girl I ran screaming from the color pink & only wanted train sets, as a young woman I wore combat boots, shaved my head, pierced my face. I wanted a wall between myself and people. At age 17 when I moved to Philadelphia to start college, my baby face and long red curls meant that total strangers had no problem getting grabby. So, out came the hair dye, the spikes, the army pants. But now, I’m ready for soft and sweet to temper the lines of age, thanks.

Coco Shine lipstick in Aventure & polish in Morning Rose – the prettiest gold-dusted pink. I can’t resist pink & gold, sorry past-self.

& this one’s for Jen, who recently said on twitter “I never want to see contents of anyone’s nightstand or medicine cabinet.” Well, this is what you get!! Many of these addictions can be traced to Charlie & her incredible sample generosity, the rest can only be blamed on my own bizarre fetish for beauty products.

My old-lady musts: Mario Badescu Healing CreamWeleda Wildrose DeodorantLa Roche-Posay SPF 60 for Face, Evian Mineral Water Spray. Other people are probably not product hoarders. Or maybe you are?

{Edit!!! I tossed the Kiehl’s because it contains parabens. Actually, I tossed a bunch of stuff. Sticking to the all-natural from here on out!!!}

35 Comments

  1. Don’t forget the Moroccan Oil… I can’t live without it. Since turning 30, I’ve been trying samples of expensive skin products but have to admit I haven’t noticed much difference between those and something like Kiehls.

  2. Oh yes. When I finally started to dress with feminine flair (after my defiantly tomboy high school and college years), I had no idea what I was doing but I stayed away from pink. Now… I admit I like the fresh pinky dewy look. I am a makeup hoarder. I like looking like a pretty pretty girl, possibly because I know I’m still hardcore underneath.

    Also, now I want to run and try all these products. I usually have a product binge once a year that ends badly, with actual benefit from just one or two items. But those one or two items are heavenly. Ahhh.

  3. That Skin Trip lotion! I have never seen anyone else who uses that…what a surprise to see it in your cabinet. Maybe I am weird and nosy, but I actually love seeing things like this!

    I would not say I am a product “hoarder”, per se…unless something is going to be discontinued or their is a limited run of it. I bought 10 pots of C.O. Bigelow’s My Favourite Lip Balm because it was the only non-minty one I could find (minty things taste like toothpaste and I do not want to smear toothpaste on my lips, urgh). Also Arcana’s “Holy Terror” soap, that only comes ’round during Halloween time!

  4. Yep, Skin Trip is totally my summer lotion… Reminds me, I need to grab a bottle! I recently was feeling the pink lipstick urge, so I randomly bought a drugstore Rimmel tube, but it smells like cherry chapstick, ew! Maybe you can help me find a nice Chanel shade that would suit me, lipstick queenie?

  5. Count me in on the Skin Trip love as well! After a recent perusal of the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Database, I was surprised to see so many of my favourite so-called natural products rated badly. After overhauling my own cabinet, I’ve settled on some Pangea products (particularly these velvety ones: http://www.amazon.com/Pangea-Organics-Chilean-Geranium-Grapefruit/dp/B001R4CLD2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=beauty&qid=1305141999&sr=8-1, http://www.amazon.com/Pangea-Organics-Facial-Cream-Chamomile/dp/B001AZNADS/ref=sr_1_3?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1305142044&sr=1-3 and curious about the white sage and rose geranium body oil!)
    For hyaluronic serum, have you tried this one? http://www.amazon.com/Source-Naturals-Eternal-Hyaluronic-Serum/dp/B000GFJJMO/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1305142098&sr=1-1. Smells like a weird coconut explosion and really seems to work.

    1. Oh dear! Well, clearing out the bathroom was on the weekend chore list anyway – will definitely check these out! I had a sample of the Pangea eye cream and LOVED it, but not for $55 a bottle :(

      1. That rating is so high because fragrance is the third ingredient, and fragrance is usually packed with toxins. I’d be interested in hearing from Weleda whether their fragrance is naturally sourced… if so, the product might not deserve that rating.

    2. Hey hey! Just noticed a big Pangea sale on Amazon!! & I just tossed basically EVERYTHING, so um, good. Not that I need that much, just the eye cream & moisturizer, & some soap! But still, awesome.

  6. Oh, us ex-tomboys and our love of fancy and hippie potions! Curious about the other handmade-looking treats.

    Pangea seems to have some crazy sales on their website and I have been super-happy with them so far, especially with those scammed samples of the rose eye cream! Plus, still haven’t found much better than jojoba oil for make-up removal, but I’ll keep poking back into comments to see if anything else comes up. :>

    1. For reals! Weleda was one of the worst let-downs. Not Skin Drink! Say it isn’t so. It seems like the fragrances really up the numbers. It is amazing to consider what kind of crap they slip into our products.

  7. OMG. OK. I am fine with looking in your medicine cabinet. I was happy to see that we use the same deodorant. I’ve been using it for years and love it and now you find a link saying it is killing us?? WAAAAHHHH!!!

    Tell me more about the Evian. I’ve stared at it enough times, but was hesitant because A. I thought the water tasted like baby oil and B. Evian always makes me think of how Shannon Dougherty was rich enough to talk about how it is the water she always used to wash her hair.

    I wish I could smell all of these things. Maybe once Anna figures out how to make my website smell like saltwater she can add scents to your internet medicine cabinet.

    Are all my Weleda products killing me? Hauschka? I should do one of these posts… but then everyone would know I was batshit crazy.

    1. Evian: it just keeps pressed powder from looking powdery. I only use pressed powder, no foundation or anything, so I finish with a spritz and it’s all dewy and nice. I started using it when I flew a lot for work and it kept me feeling mermaidy even mid-air.

      Weleda: ugh, I dunno. EVERYTHING IS KILLING US I CAN’T TAKE IT. & there’s a rose dr hauschka lotion hiding back there, too!

      Do the possttttt.

      1. Also, you wouldn’t be able to tell from my blog, but I would still MUCH rather play with Lincoln Logs than Barbie dolls.

        Also, also, I wish I could wear pink lipstick. It makes me look like a weird doll or, alternately, like I have rigor mortis if it is very light.

        Also, also, also, I am super tired of the being killed by bananas, cake and deodorant.

  8. This is wonderful! I love seeing what ladies with covetous beautiful skin use. I am a huge Kiehl’s fan, their Midnight Recovery Concentrate is heavenly.

    1. I have samples! But I haven’t stuck with it enough to see if it really works. I’m going to a dermatologist next week and I’m going to Ask Her Things.

  9. Another tomboy turned girly girl here. Why does that happen? For me it was around 25. I heard so many great things about the Badescu cleanser and moisturizer but it made me break out horribly. I also have picky picky skin. I’ve recently overhauled my products with all natural stuff from Spirit Beauty Lounge and am in love. The best my skin has looked in years.

  10. That pink lipstick is such a pretty shade. I definitely wear my share of black and masculine inspired things, but sometimes pink and flirty is so fun to do.

  11. I’m eyeing up those Kiehls and La Roche-Posay moisturizers. Thanks for those recommendations. I’ve always been one of those minimalists with face stuff, but now I’m 35 and the little lines are starting to set in I figure I should pay more attention. I’ve been wearing a lot more make up lately too. Mostly just foundation for covering up the dark eyes. (Eeek!)

    I’m still a pink hater. There’s maybe one item of clothing I have that’s pink. I’m ok with doing blush toned lipsticks or stains though. Pink is still on my banned list…. for now.

  12. Oh yes – I’m such the product hoarder and recovering tomboy.

    In related, unrelated news – I’ve decided that Chanel’s Rouge Mademoiselle is the perfect lip color.

  13. How’s that La Roche-Posay sunscreen fluid? I’ve been eying it for a while – as well as another version of it sold internationally that has ‘mexoryl’as the active ingredient, which has not yet been approved by the FDA for unknown reasons, even though European safety standards are far more stringent than ours. I have oily skin and I need a sunscreen that’s as light as possible.

    1. Oh for gods sake, am I going to die from that too? I got this in a Parisian pharmacy after the insane lady convinced me to buy 243798327 things. It’s good, I mean – I wore it in the 95 degree Paris summer and did not get burned or feel gross? It’s very liquid-y.

      1. Haha no I mean to say that the mexoryl is supposed to be safe and extremely effective. U.S. just hasn’t gotten around to approving it yet. I hate greasy sunscreen and that ultralight fluid sounds appealing.

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