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I’m not sure if you’re the kind of person who likes to hear when people find products that really work for them, but IF YOU ARE…

Well. I found some. Seriously. I did. I don’t even know.

(No, I wasn’t asked to endorse these, and no one’s paying me to do so. Unless you want to. Link to your right. Ha!)

Here’s a list:

Weleda Skin Food. Okay, if you look at the website, it’s all USE IT ON YOUR ELBOWS, IT’S SUPER RICH.

Well.

I use it on my face. The reason I use it on my face is because I saw Charlie Green and Pat Wexler recommend it in a magazine as a rich solution for weird, dry facial skin.

I didn’t know I had weird, dry facial skin until I got my first facial in November and she told me I was not, as I had believed from the dawn of time, Oily. Well, my nose was. But you shouldn’t moisturize based on your nose, apparently. Let it be what it is. Worry about your cheeks.

Ahem.

This stuff is for dry skin, absolutely, and it’s quite thick, almost like an ointment. I warm it up in my hands and pat it on my cheeks, eyes, forehead and chin. (My nose can go fly a kite.)

I get less breakouts (the pansy in it — heh heh heh — works beautifully on any complications), I stay glowy all day, and it smells like fresh oranges.

Woo! I’m a big fan of things that smell good, and I’ll stop using a product if it bugs me in some aesthetic sense.

But Skin Food has me for life! And it’s cheaper than the Origins and Mac and Clinique stuff I was using before. MUCH cheaper.

Boots No. 7 Restore and Renew Beauty Serum. This stuff is sold out in the UK, and I haven’t even SEEN it in Canada, though people claim it’s here. Women are going bonkers for it because it works like a dream on fine lines and unevenness, and FAST.

Not that I have fine lines. STOP STARING AT MY PHOTO.

(Hey, I’m 33, and worked outside in the sun for three months a year from the time I was 15, on top of skiing in the winter. It’s bound to happen.)

(I’m also mildly neurotic about my skin.)

Now, you may have noticed that I live in Canada, and may be wondering how I got my hands on this stuff. The answer is Eric.

Dear, sweet Eric, who is enough of a man to stand in CVS in San Diego talking on his phone about the various serum options in front of him until he and I figured out which one was the jackpot. And then to bring two tubes of magic to me in December. That’s right, he’s practically a saint. And he was already most of the way there when he switched to a Mac this year.

There are many reasons to love this kid. He is our Friend for the Ages. But I digress.

This STUFF WORKS. I look more even, more fresh, more smooth… and not just in a Billy Dee Williams kind of way.

It’s also not too pricey, especially compared to the serums marketed by the Big Kids on the skincare block.

L’Oreal Vive Pro Nutri-Gloss Shampoo/Conditioner. I have a small issue with expensive shampoo. Not as in, I OBJECT, but more along the lines of I BOUGHT TOO MUCH OF IT FROM 1987 to 2008.

That’s right.

21 years of Bumble and Bumble and Phytologie and Kerastase and Joico and Redken and on and on and on.

Yeah, I did some Neutrogena and Pantene and (so help me) Pert Plus in there, too, but I was pretty stuck on the pricey stuff because it makes your hair feel like buttah.

Then I came across this stuff and WHOA. In one use, the state of my medium-long, superfine, colour-treated hair was more shiny, more soft, and more manageable. Unreal.

Catherine is also using it on her super-thick, colour-treated blonde hair, and it’s doing the same things (she uses a slightly different formulation.)

I’m totally impressed. And it’s cheap like BORSCHT!

Well, that’s what I’ve got for you today.

Buy these things, change your head.

Wow, pharmaceutical companies should buy that slogan from me tout de suite!

Ah, yes. It’s that time of year again.

Remember?

The water is growing in turbidity rather quickly. NTUs of less than 1 are the goal, at least.

Our reservoir has 37 NTU. Ack.

That’s not so much okay.

As soon as we noticed the brown water coming out of the tap, we made sure to stop by the market and pick up a couple of cases of water tonight. We didn’t want to be left without drinking water — or with nasty brown boiled water outside of campsite livin’ — if we could help it.

After all, the last time Vancouver went into a tizzy like this, we saw more than a few dust-ups over the Precious Bottles of Health as stores ran out of stock.

(I’ve got a mean right hook… but you know, the manicure.)

We also went to Whole Foods, because the market didn’t sell my favourite bottled water, Fiji.

(I know… I’m embarassed by that sentence, too.)

While I was buying Fiji, I decided to buy a few other kinds, too, to see if there wasn’t a flavour (WHAT? THEY HAVE FLAVOUR) I liked better. And that’s when we decided to have a taste test.

I know.

I know.

Total geeks.

But we did a blind taste test. And that’s scientific.

The cases of water we got were Dasani, so that was the first on the list.

The kinds I bought were Ty Nant, Penta, Volvic, and Fiji.

Here are our notes and our taste guesses:

Turns out:

Dasani sucks.

Volvic sucks.

Fiji is my favourite, Penta is Cat’s favourite.

But anything is better than brown water.

A haiku to finish:

turbidity is
a quick trip to tummy pain
light a match, okay?

A few weeks ago, I was going to post my own little online shopping guide full of links to things I love — not just for gifts, but for YOU! Then it occurred to me that this was an area WELL realized by about a MILLION AND A HALF other bloggers and sites and web magazines.

So I didn’t do it.

Then it occurred to me — because that’s what I do, I sit around and wait for stuff to occur to me — that none of them would be MY little shopping/lusting guide, and even if I coincided up the wazoo with other sites or my links were dopey or I ended up suggesting things that somehow offended my mother, to thine own self be true, mmm?

So here we go!

I’ll be posting under “Girly Thingies”, “House and Life Thingies”. Because it’s not a gift guide… it’s just stuff I like. And I didn’t really feel like organizing it much.

You’ll see clearly here how eclectic my tastes are, too. Which I think is either a good quality of mine, or evidence of multiple personalities. Either way, it makes me fun at parties.

Enjoy!

GIRLY THINGIES

Jennifer Meyer Jewelry – As with any time of year, I would take ANYTHING from her collection. Gorgeous.

France Luxe Italian Headbands – Perfect width, perfect “holdback”.

Havis — WHY DON’T YOU OWN A MILLION JILLION PAIRS LIKE I DO??

Soia & Kyo Coat — How CUTE IS THAT.

Benefit Powder Pop! — These powders warm and glow like none other.

NARS Night Palette — Love these colours. Perfect winter shades for making eyes come alive.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler — The one. The best. The only.

Oscar Blandi Olio di Jasmine — Fantastic-smelling, and lush for winter hair.

Theory Sweater Coat — I can’t even handle the cozy.

Coach Bleeker – I have an odd lust for this bag.

Alessi White Mariposa Watch — Love it. So sleek.

MoonVenom — “Celestial” lip gloss? Maybe not, BUT… this stuff has a great opalescent party sheen and a warm cinnamon-y tingle that I love. It’s the perfect “re-apply” at a party when you don’t want to do the whole lipstick rigamarole, because it brings out the natural colour of your lips. Which is probably better at 2 am than Candy Apple Red, yes? But if you really want big lips, try…

TooFaced Lip Injection Extreme — For Angelina’s lips without all the kids.

Orange Button Wood Bangles — I love the tone of these. So warm.

MAC Sheerspark Pressed Powder — Holiday Glow 101. Sparkle without sparkle. Could I be more vague? And I love the sassy compact.

BR Pendant Necklace — So simple, but I love the personal, yet unassuming look of the pendant. Nice with a white shirt or v-neck sweater. And cheap!

Stila Lip Shines — Nice and natural… like lips, but shimmery-better.

Winifred Grace Nesting Dome Earrings — These earrings have the perfect shape to elongate necks like mine (what neck?) and the perfect tone to warm up winter skin. A little (a lot!) pricey, but they’re definitely not earrings you’ll see on everyone else. You can dress them up or down, too, which is something I require in my pieces.

Frederic Fekkai Mini Glossing Kit — Traveling during the holidays? This is your best take-along to keep winter-dry or (in my climate) winter-frizzy hair in shiny, happy condition. I have baby-fine hair, and the Glossing Creme is light enough to keep it in check without greasing it down — but I also know crazy curly-heads who find it works well for them, too. And the best part? It smells like magic.

Marc Jacobs Hobo Bag — I know. Dream on.

Origins SHEdonism Set — I love the warm, soothing fragrance, and this stuff is incredibly moisturizing.

Isaac Mizrahi for Target Shawl-Collar Cashmere Sweater — Isaac! Target! Cashmere! WIN WIN!

Bloodwood Dome Ring from Studio AMF — I love wooden rings. The natural texture and warm feel are perfect for sweater-and-jeans days, and the shape and colour of them is modified over time by your skin and the shape of your finger. I also love BIG rings (since, you know, my fingers are about an inch long and clearly I need something giant) and this fits the bill. Perfect statement for tanned summer hands or lotion-covered winter hands.

Philosophy Coconut Scrub — Pretend it’s summertime. Just do it.

Origins NoPuffery Eye Gel — Post-party perfection.

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Candles — Magical in the bedroom or bathroom. Like me.

Weleda Skin Food — Smells so good, and is a cure-all for dryness in general.

HOUSE AND LIFE THINGIES

cb2 Phantom Table Lamp – I love the simplicity of the design and the round, organic shape. Perfect for a low-key bedroom.

C&B Bamboo Dinnerware — Great for kids or outdoors.

KitchenAid Tool Set — I love the colour, I love the design, and I love the price!

Bodum 32-Ounce Stainless Coffee Press — Because you need a LOT OF COFFEE.

Pottery Barn Great White Dinnerware – I love white dishes. Food just looks better on them.

Pikku Papers — Just really lovely little designs and whimsical details.

Bed, Bath & Beyond Chevron Throws — The design of this throw adds great texture to a plain chair or couch.

1000 Gram Turkish Towels — Yeeeeeeah.

cb2 Acacia Thick Wood Mirror — I love wood. I love mirrors.

Origo Dinner Plates — Simple design, but a lovely hit of colour for a basic table.

Frette Sheets — This is my favourite set. Goooorgeous.

ThinkGeek SunJars — Store a little sunshine for later.

Tiffin Lunch Box Sets — Cool enough to make me want to bring a lunch to work.

Riedel Stemless Glasses — I really like stemless wineglasses… fingerprints be damned!

cb2 comma plates — Perfect for messy appies at a party.

Jiti Branches Bedding — 100% dupioni silk with a muted pattern that would fit into a ton of different decorating schemes. A bit of luxury, no?

cb2 peace dove ornaments — A little tree decorated with shiny birds? Yes, please.

notNeutral Outdoor Metal Lantern — Very chic around your deck or patio!

Soleus Halogen Heater with Remote — Know any chilly souls? This fan-shaped heater fires up fast and runs safely.

Elum Cards — I love good stationery. Love it. And this stuff has such a lovely look and feel. Done your Christmas cards yet?

Campfire Votive — AAAAAA THE CUTE!!!

Well, hello there!

My body continues to fall apart rather charmingly, but I’ve decided to say FINITO! to complaining about it or dwelling on the fact that my $#%@stomach@#$&$knee@#*&$lungs@#&$head hurts.

Pain is a part of life, right? If we never hurt, we’d never know the sweet relief when that hurt passes away.

Yeeeeah. Uh huh.

But enough of the whining. Moving along.

Today is a glooooooriously sunny day.

And when I say gloooooriously, I like to use a different amount of ‘o’s every time.

I love it when Vancouver spends a few days being crisp and cool like my home of yesteryear, the Canadian Prairie.

(Cue noble, sweeping music and an aerial shot of snowy fields…)

Now, when I say that I lived on the Prairie, it sounds like I was all Laura Ingalls Wilder in a dugout in the middle of nowhere, when really, I lived in actual towns and cities. With running water and electricity and nary a wall constructed from sod. And cable. But no internet, since there was no internet yet. At least not an internet for everyone. It was just for geeks back then.

Mmm, geeks.

I’m getting off track here.

Clear and cold weather is my favourite kind of weather, in a near tie with clear and warm weather, which is kind of ironic, since I live in the Clouds (I’m enjoying capitalization today!)

The Clouds have lifted for now, though. I celebrated the Lifting (see?) with a Peppermint Mocha (now it’s just getting out of hand) which thrills me with After Eightish deliciousness (why is there a Wikipedia entry about mints?)

I’m also thinking about all things Christmassy, including the Christmas Train (I HAVE TO GO THIS YEAR, DAMMIT) and my work Christmas party (I’m trying to think up something to wear. I’m not big on buying some spectacular new dress, since all the rest of my holiday parties are of the jeans-heels-pretty shirt-giant earrings variety, rather than the cocktail variety. You feel me? Okay, maybe you don’t, but any suggestions for how to work up the same black, v-neck, mildly cleavage-y, sleeveless, knee length little black dress? I’m thinking a cute red wrap and some heels and an ostentatious piece of jewelery… and also thinking this is much too long for a parenthetical remark.)

If I could be doing ANYTHING today, I’d be on a sleigh ride somewhere snowy, wrapped in blankets and all cozed in behind horses puffing steam out of their noses. HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE? I love that stuff.

The last “ride” I was on was on a cardboard box behind my grandfather’s LeBaron on country roads outside of Devon, AB. He attached it to the car with luggage straps and whee! we were on our way.

To this day, I have no idea why my mother was okay with this. I mean, one sudden brake and I’d have been one with the undercarriage of his car. But I think he was careful. Maybe? A little?

At least until he threw me off the box into a ditch full of brambles on a sharp turn. Did I mention I was six? Yeah.

My parents were watching from the front window of my grandparents’ home and were ready to run out and get me, but then they saw my little snowsuited body emerge from the ditch, running at a full clip. My grandfather spotted me in his rearview and slowed down (how kind!), at which point I hopped back on the box and rode for another half hour. Awesome.

Well, awesome until I walked into the house and the hot air hit my scratched-up, frozen little face. Then I was a scene from Carrie (I was going to link to an image there, but EW. EW.)

Really, I’ve always been this way.

I was putting together a Holiday Online Shopping Guide for my blog, since I am the shopping link queen on Facebook, but then it occurred to me that EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING THAT, TOO. Meh. We’d probably all end up linking to the same things, right? And I don’t shop much online… I just BROWSE LIKE A PRO.

But if you want some holiday shopping links, I’ll post them later today.

This mocha is still awesome.

Love to all!

While I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed or anything — shut up! I’m not! — I do have a love for “product” and beauty rituals and treatments. There’s just something appealing about the way the lotions and potions smell and feel… and how they feel on me.

Not to mention that I usually end up looking at least a little bit better for the time I spend. Usually.

(We won’t get into that one masque I tried that turned my face green. Or, uh, the wax that left giant welts on my… legs.)

(Ahem.)

The funny thing is, for a girl who loves treatments, there’s a heck of a lot of treatments I’ve never had, or had with such infrequency that it surprises my like-minded (like-treated?) friends.

The only things I’ve really done routinely are brow waxes (I do love my brows) and manicure-pedicures (which would seem silly, given my lack of toenails and my stupid fingernails, but walking around barefoot and typing all day take their toll.)

But.

Massages? One in my whole life. Which is actually impressive for a girl who breaks herself as often as I do. And it was a nice massage, don’t get me wrong. But hello? 80 bucks to make me feel less wonky for about a day? Riiiiight.

Arcrylic/gel nails? Well, a) they scare me, and b) my nails are shaped like tiny ski ramps. You can’t even GLUE a good nail onto those suckers. And they scare me a little anyway, like clowns do.

Makeup application? No one but me has ever done my makeup. Not even at some beauty counter. Not at a salon. Not for an event. Nada. I have no idea why, but I just don’t like people touching my face unless they’re planning to kiss me. And if you’re gonna kiss me, you should probably stop applying my lip gloss, yeah?

I’ve had maybe six salon haircuts in my whole life. And I’ve never had a salon updo (oy, they can go wrong SO fast) or a perm or whatnot. I’m actually a little scared of hairdressers. And the highlights I got? Turned green. Huzzah!

So.

Facials were another pool into which I had never dipped my toe. I think it had something to do with the “Don’t touch my face!” thing, as well as the “I’m not paying you $80 bucks to touch my face!” thing. I can do most of this stuff myself, you know?

I’ve been reading how to’s and trying vials and vats of stuff for 20 years. I ran spa nights for groups of women. Why would I shell out for that?

But, as with all things in my life, eventually I look my choices in the eye and go, “Eh. Try it once.”

So I did. With my dear Catherine. We went to get facials (and our eyebrows done) as a part of her Christmas/Birthday present (since they happen awfully close together, in about a month.)

I think it’s funny I got myself her birthday present, too, but hey… it was a fun shared experience, right?

And an illuminating experience.

(I’m not even talking about the shockingly bright light she shone onto my shameful pores, though I wouldn’t have wanted to see myself like that, no way, no how.)

It was pretty good, I’ll admit. Except for when she kept massaging over my nose and cutting off my one good nasal passage, which would lead me to open my mouth to breathe… and then she’d massage that part of my face so I’d have to close my mouth. I would get half breaths and no more, which isn’t super relaxing.

But I did learn a lot.

Apparently, the following is true of my skin:

1. It’s not oily, it’s dry. Everything I use on it? WRONG. WRONG, I TELL YOU. WRONG. Which sounded like a complete load of crap until she asked me all sorts of questions about how my skin behaves and lo… she was right.

2. Blemishes I get are from a) hormones (out of my control as a function of my disorder… and apparently out of control in general) and b) me stripping the crap out of my (it’s oily! I thought!) face. Well. And she’s like, “Sorry, do you have any?” Well, I THOUGHT I DID.

3. I have giant pores. Wait, I knew that. But! They were not all clogged. Not even most! Granted, she reefed the HELL out of the ones that were, but apparently? Good skin. Not even 33 year-old skin. And minimal sun damage? What? Seriously? That’s just dumb luck at this point.

4. My eyebrows? Wickedly resistant to plucking. Which I always thought. I mean, you have to really PLUCK to get those suckers out. She says it’s the dark hair. I say they are Follicles of Satan.

So. I have to buy new products.

I am grinning. Woohoo!

Dry skin products always seemed more lovely and soothing and intense and squooshy than the oily skin products, which feel kind of like Lysol combined with dish soap and a little bit of sand.

Even if you put the words “refreshing” and “clarifying” all over them — as though you were taking a mini-vacation of some sort, a vacation of clean — they’re still pretty fierce.

So bring on the love!

Any recommendations?

It’s that time again.

The annual MegFowler.com Beauty Survey!

I can call it annual because this is the second time we’re doing it. In two years.

That’s annual, right? YEAH.

It was great fun to read the responses last year for two reasons:

1. Some of you are product freaks like me, so I discovered some VERY fun new things, and…
2. Some of you just mocked the hell out of the whole thing, and I enjoyed that, too.

So, do tell:

1. Your all-time favourite shampoo and conditioner:
2. Your all-time favourite face wash:
3. Your all-time favourite moisturizer (face):
4. Your all-time favourite moisturizer (body):
5. Your all-time favourite sunscreen (face):
6. Your all-time favourite sunscreen (body):
7. Your all-time favourite fragrance:
8. Your all-time favourite masque/face treatment:
9. Your all-time favourite shower gel/body wash:
10. Your all-time favourite foundation:
11. Your all-time favourite bronzer:
12. Your all-time favourite mascara:
13. Your all-time favourite blush:
14. Your all-time favourite lipstick:
15. Your all-time favourite lipgloss:
16. Your all-time favourite hairspray:
17. Your all-time favourite hair product:
18. Any products you love that don’t fit the list:

If you have a question about someone else’s recommendation, you can ask it down there, and hopefully they’ll come back to tell you about it. If I give them a cookie.

And yes, men are welcome, too… just skip the makeup questions. Or, you know… don’t.

GO!

… because MAN ALIVE, do you people know how to bring out the trash!

I love it. I love it so much.

And so does my faithful roommate and heterolifemate, Catherine, who phoned me from work to relive a few of the best comments. Honestly, folks — the best way to realize you’re not all that weird is to look around you and SEE THE MAGIC.

You are all magic.

And should keep being magic, if you haven’t posted your weird/trashy/awkward/problematic confessions yet below.

Here are three more of mine:

I own a Diana, Princess of Wales paper doll kit where her base outfit is royal underwear. I have no idea where it is (I’ve moved too many times, and so have my parents…) but I find it kind of creepy at this point. Granted, I got it in 1982 (were some of you people even alive yet?), but still.

I really, really, really enjoy the skin on KFC chicken. No, I don’t find it too salty or greasy or SKINNISH… I just love it. Mmm. And the more gross you think it is, the more left for me! Woo!

I sing into my thumb in the car like it was a microphone. And in grocery stores. And pretty much anywhere.

Anyway. Do share. Do tell. We can’t wait to learn more.

In other news, I am buying actual shoes next week — maybe even three pairs! Which would bring my non-heel shoe total to… five pairs! — and need to think of a decent flat shoe that is not a boot or a running shoe or a walking shoe or a nurse shoe or a mom shoe.

I love ballet flats, but can’t seem to find a pair that don’t fall apart or give me the mother of all blisters on my heel. Which heals eventually (HEEL HEAL HEEL HEAL), but still.

Any suggestions?

OH! And…

If you could choose a category as yet uncategorized and unwritten at MegFowler.com, what would it be?

OH! And…

The Canucks lost by six points last night. I don’t expect anything as devastating as this to happen again, but I feel terrible for the guys. The fan bashing afterwards can’t be doing them much good in prepping for the next two games, either.

Let’s not decide we’re going to lose all season because of a couple bad contests. That’s like ending your marriage because you fight over whether to have the toilet paper roll over or under (over, by the way.) JUST MOVE ON.

And I hate “stat hexes”, too. Who cares if we lose to a team all the time? That doesn’t mean we can’t nail them now.

One more thing: Jesse Boulerice? You think you’re awesome railing on our Kes when you’re 5 points in the lead? Yeah. Meet me in the alley behind my house and I’ll give you the cross-checking of your LIFE.

OH! And…

WHAT THE FREAK! I see her going both ways. Alternately. Randomly. I keep thinking that shouldn’t work because of the lines of her body and anatomy but it HAPPENS! AAAA!!

Just a question.

In order to answer this question, you must:

1. Be a girl (Well, you can be a guy and recommend shoes, but only if they make a girl version)
2. Over-pronate when you run
3. Own running shoes

I’m looking to buy a good, solid pair of running shoes for my upcoming fitness kick (who knows how long it will last? WHO CAN EVER KNOW?!) and I’m considering Mizuno Alchemy shoes right now (for some reason, I can’t get images to load on that site, but you can read the description. They might load on the American site.)

What do you wear? Do you like them? What shoes HAVEN’T worked for you?

I’ve had bad experiences with New Balance shoes, and Saucony shoes. Nikes have fit well. I LOATHE UGLY SHOES. I know, I know.

Go!