a few of my favorite things

ok, before someone throws something at their computer screen and starts mumbling profanities at me, i am only doing this because i thought someone out there might care...

over the past 2 weeks, i have had numerous comments both about how young i look, (i believe it was meant in a good way) and how nice my skin was. and while any woman out there knows, we as women are our worst critic, i still do not believe the "nice skin" comments, but i digress. so if you have ever wondered just how i work my magic, let me tell you, it is no easy feat...

to begin with, anyone who knows me or has ever worked with me can testify to the gallons and gallons of water i drink. seriously. i drink an average of about 140 oz a day. not including anything except water, and not including the water i drink while or after working out. which brings me to the second comment. i have probably spent more weeks of my life, over all, very actively than not actively. and not just my crazy ADHD spazzing always moving or bouncing kind of activity. as in i ran on a city track team from about 4th grade on, ran numerous races before that, grew up running around (literally) to my friends houses, to the grocery store, to school, and riding my bike where ever my feet wouldn't take me. i played basketball in middle school and freshman year. i rode horses for years, and i ran cross country and track in high school. i kept active in college too and have become much more of a runner in the past few years. all this to say that i firmly believe that activity helps cleanse your soul and your system, and i think it has help me stay "young".

i went to undergraduate in arizona, at arizona state, which brings me to my third point. i wear sunscreen and lotion RELIGIOUSLY. not just like "oh i don't want to burn i will put on sun screen" but as in when i get out of the shower, i put lotion on my face THAT HAS SUNSCREEN IN IT. EVERY DAY. i still get a tan with it, and i use spf 30. in fact here is where i start the plugs... i use aveeno daily sunscreen . i have also been using clinique all about eyes for as long as i can remember - like since high school at least. i don't know if it has made a difference in fine line and such for me but i can say that i don't have a lot of them, so it might just be working. i occasionally (as in maybe 1 time a month, maybe 2 depending on how my skin feels) will also use a night cream, either clinique or aveeno. the clinique is technically not a night cream but i have always used it like that. they make a night version as well but i have never used that one. the aveeno does tingle a bit, especially if you get it on chapped lips, but i really like the results. speaking of chapped lips, i use this from kiehl's. i slather it on at night and by morning even the most parched lips are soft again. and i use a stick moisturizer during the day, WITH SPF... (gee, your shocked, right?) one other thing i realize that is great, since i have a lot left over, is the lanolin i have from breast feeding. put that on your lips and it works wonders as well. and if you have a chapped nose from blowing it too much, slather that on your nose (or the kheils works well too!) and it will stop the peeling in its tracks! (which if you look at the ingredients for the kiehl's lip balm, it is basically petroleum jelly and lanolin...)

i do use mostly clinique makeup as well, however all my most recently received comments, i was wearing no makeup at all so that doesn't really matter...

the greatest thing i think i have noticed a difference with recently are two similar products from clean and clear. they have a facial scrub that i use every other day and the "off days" i use their daily facial wash. if i were totally honest i might admit that if you really wanted to try any of this stuff, that you ignore every other paragraph on here except this one and go try this. except that i think there is something to be said for all these products. and the water is a big deal too i think.

as long as we are talking about me being in the shower, let me give you the whole picture. i also have one of those puffy exfoliating things, you know exactly what i am talking about, and have recently found this body wash from kiehl's to be the best. but once again, i also put lotion on after i shower, so that helps my skin a lot too.

the last thing i would say that makes a difference is sleep, and that is what i am off to do now!