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the Rite of Aging…early

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the Rite of Aging…early

Tag Archives: St. Ives

October Favorites (Caution: Word-Heavy)

07 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Reviews

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C.O. Bigelow, Gillette, Johnson's, Purpose, review, St. Ives, TopShop

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When the weather gets cold I cover my head. Hats are my thing. I bought quite a few in my favorite cut? from TopShop. They are thick, warm, soft, and so cute with the little bobble at the top. I already look very young. People think I am 15 years old and these hats just fit: my style, my personality, my look. People always laugh and say “Monica, if anyone could pull off the puff, it’d be you!”

Strangely enough, I hate gloves. I do not like covering my fingers, but my hands get super cold and dry. My happy medium is the fingerless glove! Love love love it! On top of that, my nails always look cool so why cover them up! I only have one pair right now but I ordered a few more and I hope they are what dreams are made of.

My eye make-up remover is Johnson’s Baby Oil with Aloe and Vitamin E. I prefer it over the original formula because of the aloe. It is harder to find as I only get it at Giant Food Store. Before, I applied it to a cotton round and gently rubbed the eyeliner/mascara diagonally down towards my cheekbones. There was too much tugging and I was not removing the eyeliner wedged between the lashes. This technique made my eyes puffier. Now, I apply the oil directly to my fingers and, in a circular motion, rub until all the makeup has run down. There is more slip and my fingers do not tug at the skin.  My eyes are less puffy in the morning, they are less dry and I have no residual makeup! The condition of my eyelashes and skin are better since I am rubbing the oil into that area.

Purpose Cleanser is my in-shower face wash. Whenever I take a shower I always remove my make-up and wash my face. I just want a general plain cleanser to take care of “day-dirt”. I use this on my eyes without stinging but it is not great at removing makeup. I have turned quite a few people on to this cleanser. It is the definition of “non-irritating”.

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub is part of my routine. I use this for body exfoliation every four to seven days. I love this scrub. It is simple and effective. I only need a little amount per limb. If I use too much product it scratches at my skin but the ratio of cream to scrubbing grains is good. I do not care for the smell but it does not linger. I love the idea of fancy scrubs but for a product that stays on for a couple of minutes, it just seems a waste.

There was a sale at Rite Aid so I decided to try Gillette Satin Care with a Touch of Olay. W.O.W.!! My legs are soft and smooth, even without moisturizer afterwards. I can barely see my pores! It foams nicely and I do not need a lot to cover my legs! The smell is non-offensive as well, very fresh. I do not need to press hard for a close shave and older razors do not drag!

Even before I go outside, my first clue to topsy-turvy weather are my lips. In one night alone they crack, peel and harden (Is it sad the first thing I thought about was the Pokemon, Kakuna???). Nothing fixes them and I have to wear Aquaphor like a second skin to keep them from bleeding. I slather on C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint and it not only protects my lips but repairs them as well! It is a life-saver at work (the climbing gym is not ventilated and the massive amount of hand chalk zaps all moisture as well). The tints come in different colors but there is very little difference between them. However, the lighter color (Magenta Mint) seems brighter when on. The balm is very sticky but does not budge. It is also amazingly shiny and I do not need a lot to coat my lips. By the way, it smells and TASTES awesome. Most of the time I am licking this stuff right off. Beware, there is a bitter aftertaste!

A lot of these favorites are part of my regular routine. I just re-kindled my love for them in new ways!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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You’re Ill? Part One: Lotions

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by MonicawithRA in Skincare

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Aquaphor, Aveeno, body lotion, c.Booth, La Mer, La Roche-Posay, Neutrogena, Nivea Soft, No7, Organix, skincare, St. Ives, Vaseline

The comment I hear the most after I tell someone I have RA is “You’re ill? But you look so healthy!”. I know. If you look at me, you would never think I am fighting an autoimmune disease. I spent a year hiding the fact I had Rheumatoid Arthritis. When I started telling people. It always came as a surprise. I loved that.

When I first started all my medications, I broke out, my skin paled, dried out, oiled out, my eyes burned, my hands cracked, my hair fell out and lost its shine. I was a mess. I looked ill. I hated it. I couldn’t keep it from work, as hard as I tried, but they could tell there was a change.

I’ve always prided myself on my health, except for the occasional flu or allergy I was always healthy. So, one day when I looked in the mirror and I saw that I looked sick I knew something had to change. I embarked on a mission to look healthy and I knew it started with my skincare.

I realized that the first thing I needed to do was start wearing sunscreen. I know, I know, I should have been wearing sunscreen already. It’s never too late to start. I don’t know if there is actual science behind this but I found that within weeks of wearing sunscreen on every exposed part of my body, my skin seemed to repair itself more quickly. I like to think that it’s because when I am not wearing protection my skin has to protect and repair. With the addition of sunscreen, my skin only needs to repair. With sunscreen alone, my skin already looked healthier.

My favorites: Neutrogena Ultimate Sport, La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral Tinted Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid, La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk.

Neutrogena and La Roche-Posay

I use La Roche-Posay only on my face when I know I will be outside for a long period of time. It is expensive so I want it to last for the entire summer months. I love Neutrogena for my body and I am a huge fan of their spray sunscreens as well. I found that the Ultimate Sport brand has a better consistency and doesn’t leave a white cast like the Ultra Sheer does. As an daily facial moisturizer I use Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15. I have darker skin and I found that the added soy complex has evened out any subtle hyperpigmentation I had from the years of not wearing sunscreen.

Aveeno, No7, St. Ives

Depending on my shower schedule, instead of re-applying the Aveeno lotion, I may use Boots UK brand “No7” – Protect & Perfect Day Cream SPF 15. I don’t use it every day because I find it a little greasy, but I only need a little bit to cover my entire face and neck.   During the day when I am inside or before bed I slather on non-SPF lotions like it’s my second job. My favorites: c.Booth Egyptian Argan Oil Body Butter, Organix hydrating Moroccan Argan Oil Lotion, and Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.

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Before bed, after my nightly face-washing routine, I slather on a thin layer of Nivea Soft. I absolutely love the consistency of this. It warms right down to an oil in my hands and I can pat it onto my skin. This was my splurge of the year but I absolutely adore the La Mer The Eye Concentrate. I know I can’t see the anti-aging properties of the cream right now but it is the only cream that doesn’t break me out around the eyes. That’s right, my skin is so oily that I sometimes break out right under my eyes. I slather on Dior Crème de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm with Aquaphor right on top. Aquaphor is one of those amazing miracle products that everyone talks about. I know why. It really works.

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I eliminate this one step during the summer because my skin is so oily, but during the colder months of the year I will gently apply Vaseline (after my nightly moisturizer) under my eyes, around the corners of my nose, across my forehead and on the smile lines around my lips.

Within weeks of starting this routine, which I have spent months perfecting, I noticed a huge change in the condition of my skin. Even when during a flare, I could hide it better because I looked healthy. My skin was glowing and had gotten most of its color and smoothness back. Nobody would guess that my immune system was trying to attack itself.

Hi, I’m Monica and I have RA.

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