Janurary's Used

......A.K.A To Love or Not to Love L'Occitane?

 {Starting from far back upper left corner: L'Occitane Citrus Verbena Daily Use Shampoo, L'Occitane Precious Cleansing foam, L'Occitane Bonne Mère Creamy Honey Hand Wash, L'Occitane Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for Sensitive Scalp, L'Occitane Divine Cream, L'Occitane Repairing Mask; image source: me}

This bizarre hodge podge assortment of stuff from L'Occitane has come from my crazy obsessive compulsive behaviour. It all started with a bit of dry skin from this crazy winter weather we've been having. I hunted down some of the top recommended moisturisers out there and this is where I started.

L'Occitane Divine Cream

If you can get over the heart attack inducing sticker shock, the cream's quite nice. It's light, seems to be saving my winter ravished skin, and doesn't seem to be breaking me out despite it's near velvety texture. On a plus note, I predict this cream will last me many months. Is it worth the hefty price? I'm going to go with "Maybe". Helpful, right? Here's my reasoning. The price is heavy but I have more confidence that what I'm putting on my skin, isn't as toxic as some other products. Plus, it's so nourishing. I can get away with using very little and my skin feels nicely hydrated. I figure that defuses the cost a fair bit. If I'm honest though, I can see this lasting me so long that the novelty will wear off and I will want to try some other new luxury item to pamper myself with. I don't do a lot to pamper myself so I figure I can get away with having a nice moisturiser.

L'Occitane's Citrus Verbena Daily Use Shampoo

I really like this shampoo. This is probably a keeper for me. Well, unless I find something else to tempt me away. My hair truly feels soft and shiny after using this. 

L'Occitane's Precious Cleansing Foam

My skin feels really clean after using this product. That's a bonus but I have to say this one is kind of a miss for me. While my skin feels really clean, it gets a bit dry and tight as well. Not really what I'm looking for in winter. Perhaps this is something I'd go back to in a really hot summer and I found myself getting on the oily side of things. As far as a year round cleanser, I'd have to say I'd pass.

L'Occitane Bonne Mère Creamy Honey Hand Wash

This is another product that falls into the "Maybe" pile for me. I don't hate it or love it. The price is off-putting unless it's on sale. I don't notice that it does anything particularly spectacular for my hands but it doesn't seem to trash them either. I have fairly sensitive skin and a poor quality soap will make my cuticles completely dry up and fall apart. So I guess I have to give this one kudo's for that.

L'Occitane Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for Sensitive Scalp

We're back to that embarrassing dry skin thing again. Every now and then in this wicked winter wonderland, I'm finding my scalp gets a bit dry. This shampoo is NOT the solution. If anything, I find this shampoo makes it worse. Big bummer.

L'Occitane Repairing Mask

This is another "No" for me. It's just not worth the money. I have to work very hard not to put too much of this in my hair. The slightest miscalculation and I can't get it out. Then my hair won't dry. It just ends up looking like a stringy gross mess. And I have slightly curly coarse hair that needs an extra bit of moisture so that's an impressive feat for a mask to swing. If I manage to estimate just the right amount so that my hair doesn't look stringy, I don't notice any improvement in it's texture or appearance. If you have a hair repair mask you love, give me a shout! I'm going to force my way through this one and keep looking for a better answer. 

Because It's Important

This is a post with a serious subject. I won't judge anyone for bailing on this post if you don't follow me for serious subject matter. Fair enough and all that. Ready for the heavy stuff? Then let's take the jump together...

Because Summer Is For Road Trips

Summers go by so fast for me. Keeping kids engaged and occupied is paramount. It can be exhausting because no matter how much energy I seem to have, they have more. Way.way.WAY.more. That's why I've begun strapping them in the car and hitting the roads. If there aren't pictures, there's no proof. So here they are...

Not A Real Blog Post...Just A Bunch Of The Random

Ok so there are a ton of things that I appreciate in the world but then there's the crazy. Just flat out crazy. And I feel compelled to share all the crazy, both the real and the stuff that's just in my head, with all of you. Aren't you thrilled?

I have been having some amazing dreams. AMAZING I tell ya'. I hate talking about dreams. What's more, I hate listening to other people's dreams. They're often just weird, nonsensical and often disturbing jibber. And yet these were awesome for me. Two nights ago, I had a dream that I was Audrey Hepburn, being asked to wear a Prada original to my latest movie premiere. Not bad right? I mean I can see how it'd be bad if I was some sort of homophobic, extreme-introverted, male jock in real life. But I'm not. I'm a woman who loves fashion, vintage, and has a love for the Arts. That was great.

And then today while I was napping, (Yeah, my life is hard. I know.) I dreamt I was in a competition to be an assistant stylist that works with Garance Doré. The unfortunate part, was that I was trying to put together my entry for submission, while staying at a ski lodge as part of a security detail for a vampire couple who I was somehow related to. My current duty was to dog sit but someone at the lodge kept trying to set the place on fire. Yeah. See what I mean? Weird, nonsensical and even a bit disturbing. I was actually bummed when I woke up and discovered the stylist competition wasn't real. I blame the Vampire bit on a series I just finished called "Elemental Mysteries".

For my readers, I recommend a pass on this one. That's why I'm not going to even include a link to the series. I don't like to dash people's bubbles and I won't provide any spoilers in case any of you do decide to venture into them. I will however be honest and say, I literally felt myself get dumber from reading them. I was sucked in by 100's of 5 star reviews. The readers had to have been on crack. There's no other explanation. I only finished the series because I'm neurotic enough that I HAD to see what happened to the bad guy in the end. I can be big enough to at least say, "thank you" to the author for touching on enough subjects that I know nothing about, to light my intellectual curiosity. I have to redeem myself somehow. I have to learn something to compensate for the brain cells the series killed off.

Remember the real-life cray cray I mentioned? This isn't the actual text convo I had with my husband but it's the general gist:

Me: "I was just at the Farmers market stall, picking out items from the stall. An old couple just about attacked me over a chicken."

Him: "What? Why?"

Me: "I don't know. They weren't near it. They were standing back from the stall talking to each other when I approached. I couldn't understand a word they were saying but then there was spitting and hands flailing in my direction."

Him: "What did you do?"

Me: "I made devil horns with my fingers and stuck my tongue out at them. What do you think I did? I smiled at them, rolled my eyes at the cashier when I turned my back on them, bought my chicken and ran."

Him: "Oh. Well, at least you're away from them now right?"

Me: "True. But now, there's a flock of shoplifters being chased around me by a security guard."

Him: "Where the hell are you?!"

Me: "The grocery store. I have no idea what's going on. I just want to get my groceries and go home now."


And ladies and gentlemen, that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's a crazy world out there. Please tell me I'm not the only person this stuff happens to.