Aloe Vera: The Wonder Plant Goo

Remember when I was in San Diego, and I got burnt so bad it was hard for me to walk?  One good thing came out of that experience, and that’s my recent obsession with aloe vera.

You guys, I’m BURNT. To a freakin’ crisp.  No matter how much sunblock I apply, and believe me, I apply every hour (SPF 55), I’m still rocking the lobster look.  And like all sunburns, it HURTS.  The tops of my legs are burnt so bad that it hurts to walk because the skin stretches over my shins.  So, after every shower I take (which is about 2 a day now), I apply the aloe vera generously.  I picked mine up at Rite-Aid for about $4.00, and it’s the clear gel.  I love the clean smell, and I love that it makes everything so soft.  I’ve been using it all over my body, even my face, and my skin (the parts that aren’t burnt) is looking amazing.  It soothes the burns, too.

Now, I use it EVERY DAY, and my skin looks awesome.  But I don’t stop with using it on my skin alone, I use this miracle plant everywhere.

The first time I used it, I slathered it all over my body like a lotion.  But because I’m a girl who loves nice smelling things (obsessed with them, really), I needed a way to make the aloe last longer and smell more girly.  I started mixing it half and half with my lotion, and I’m never going back to straight lotion again.

This trick makes my skin glow, and it stays glowy all day.  It also gives me tons of moisture, and again, that effect lasts all day, as well.  Not only do I use this trick with body lotion; I also mix some in with my face lotion.  Doesn’t make me greasy, and soaks in wonderfully.

Another place I use aloe is my hair.  After curling my hair, I squeeze a bit in the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and scrunch the curls.  It gives them shine, acts sort of like a hair gel (keeping my curls from going frizzy), and doesn’t weigh my hair down.

The last place I use aloe I just discovered a few nights ago.  For all of you who use pigments (loose eyeshadows), you know what a mess they make, and how hard that makes them to work with.  I’ve been searching for something to hold the shadow on without making my shadow look messy.  Enter aloe.  I dab a bit on my eyelid and press shadow on top.  Keeps it in place, and makes it a snap to wash off when I’m heading to bed.

I suggest all of you try some of these tricks out; aloe isn’t expensive, and if they don’t work for you, you can just store the bottle away for any future sunburns. :)

Weekend Send Off

It’s been a very long week, over here in my world, and a very productive one as well!  Here’s the things I was loving this week:

1. Chipotle.  Yes!  I got the job!  After three interviews, I was finally informed that they thought I was the best addition to the crew, and they couldn’t wait to work with me!  My mind has been totally changed after some research on the food, and after getting a few free meals, I’m glad I work there.  My go to burrito?  Chicken with cilantro lime rice, sour cream, cheese and lettuce (I love their lettuce!  It’s super crispy and adds a great texture to the burrito).  It’s simple and way delicious.

2. My Sleep Mask.  When I ordered from drugstore.com (which is where I usually order vitamins and misc. beauty things for cheap), I needed an extra $2 to get free shipping, so I headed over to look at sleep masks.  The blinds in this room leave some of the light out, but right where my head is, there’s a shaft of light every single morning that ends up waking me up around 8.  So, when I use the mask, I am able to sleep later in the day (and I don’t wake up as much during the night, either).

3. Knitting.  I had tried to knit this summer, but it was so humid and so hot that the yarn felt gross on my fingers, and I was miserable.  Now that I can control the air in my room, it’s always cool enough to knit while I’m covered with blankets (seriously, I put the air at 70 and it’s a freezer, I bump it up to 75 and I’m roasting).  I’m working on a few projects right now; something that I started over the summer but was too hot to pick up again, and a gift for someone.  The best thing ever is to sit wrapped in blankets with a movie on my computer (it’s best when its a Disney movie, but any works; last year, I would watch “Planet Earth” and knit hats) and just knit.  Or, like last night, I took a melatonin, climbed into bed and just sat and knit.  The pattern is complex enough that I don’t get bored, but easy enough that I don’t get frustrated with it.  My head was free to wander, and when my eyes started aching, I put the knitting down, scooted down into my blankets, and fell asleep.

So, those are the things I was loving this week, what were your favorites?  Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and tune in on Monday for a post about Aloe Vera!

Project Product For Short

Okay, so I have a secret (which isn’t all that secret if you live with me, but because most of you haven’t and probably won’t, it remains hidden, until now, of course).  I have hoarding tendencies.  And I have MAJOR hoarding tendencies towards beauty products.  Lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, etc.  I have BOXES of them.

No…seriously.  BOXES of them.

Oh, and this drawer.  But when I remove all of these, they fill a box.

That’s THREE BOXES of products when a normal person could probably fill half a box with all they have.  It’s a problem, and it’s also a major money suck.  When Bath and Body Works has a sale, I pretty much buy the store out (see second box…I bought SIX full-sized products, because they were “Buy One, Get One 50% off”).  It’s ridiculous how many travel sized lotions and soaps I have!  Hell, it’s ridiculous how many FULL SIZED shampoos and conditioners I have (let alone the lotions and body washes).  (Also, I’d like to add that this is all stuff I’ve bought since I moved to Naperville.  I’ve used everything I brought with me from home.)

So, because I’m on a mission to try to save money whenever possible (hair color is another ball-game…gotta upkeep this crazy color), I’m doing a Project Pan (but, for my purposes, I’m renaming it to “Project Use All These Damn Products Before You Buy Anything New And Waste Money You Don’t Have”, or “Project Product” for short), and I’m not buying ANY NEW PRODUCTS until I use some of the things I have.  (By the way, for those of you who don’t know what a Project Pan is, it’s a promise to not buy anything new until you’ve used a certain number of products.  The reason it’s called “Project Pan” is because it’s mostly makeup related, and “hitting pan” is a sign that you’re down to the last dredges of that eyeshadow or whatever.)

Sure, I’ve done this before, but it was all in my head, and when I caved and bought something, nobody knew except for me, and I was so happy with my new stuff that I didn’t feel any shame.  (Now that I’ve told you that, I feel some shame.)  I figure if I post this and publicly renounce my hoarding, you guys will keep me on track (and if I delete this post, you’ll never know I caved!).  Now, for the rules (because all projects have to have rules) :

1. I’m making this a 22 Project.  That means I have to use 22 products (oh my GAH) before I can buy anything new. (At first, I put 25, but that seemed extreme to me.  Then I changed it to 20, and that didn’t seem like enough.  22 is a pretty good number, right?)
2. I have several bottles of things I use on a daily basis, and a brand new back-up bottle.  The bottle that is almost gone (that’s you, face lotion!) doesn’t count.  After I’ve used the NEW bottle, that one can go on the list.
3. Everything counts; lotion, soap, face wash, shampoo, makeup and even toothpaste.
4. Those little mini bottles I told you about?  It’s only fair that because they’re half-size, I have to use TWO of them to count for ONE on the list.
5. I’m making exceptions to what I CAN buy.  When I’m out of face lotion, I’m OUT, so I’ll need to get some more when I run out of that brand new bottle I have chilling in the box.  Things that are absolutely essential (like Aloe Vera, stick around to see how I’ve been using it on Monday), I will drop the cash to buy, because they’ve become part of my routine, and skipping them isn’t something I want to do.

Okay, so that seems like I’ve got everything covered.  I hope you guys will keep me on track, and if I end up buying something, I hope you all chew me out GOOD.  But, because I’ve been trying to save money for more important things (oh hey, tuition!), I think I’ll stay on track.  Does anyone else want to do a Project Pan?

P.S.  You can check my progress in the sidebar under “Project Product”.  Every 5 products that I use up, I’ll dedicate a Thursday to reviewing/complaining about them.