Monday, April 7, 2008

Routine Maintenance

Routine

by Arthur Guiterman

No matter what we are and who,
Some duties everyone must do:

A Poet puts aside his wreath
To wash his face and brush his teeth,

And even Earls
Must comb their curls,

And even Kings
Have underthings.


Age is wreaking havoc on my skin! It is a constant battle to fight
the dryness, especially through the winter months. (The odd thing
is, my face still has oily patches and blemishes along with wrinkles,
which is ever so lovely.) And my heals and elbows have taken on
the strange consistency of pumice. What is this? The curse of
everyone over 50? Spring has arrived and my feet need extra
attention, in order to become sandal worthy. Help!! One product
that really has made a difference is Kroger Gentle Skin Cream,
for dry sensitive skin. (Walmart has a similar Equate product, the
generic form of Cetaphil Skin Cream.) It is fragrance free and
just the right luxurious, creamy consistency. The best thing is that
it's so inexpensive, I can slather it on and not feel guilty. I have
used various high end skin products and this little cheap one wins,
hands down! It has become one of those little things in life that
I can’t live without.

18 comments:

  1. Most intriguing! I shall have to try this one out. My skin is very grateful these days for Kalaya's Emu Oil Moisturizing lotion. But it's pricey. So I shall look up yours and give it a go. Thank you for sharing!

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  2. Willow, when I was in Connecticut recently I was delighted to find myself in a CVS pharmacy. I'm a drugstore junkie and love to wander up and down the aisle, wasting time and looking at all the various products...something new, something different usually catches my eye. Anyway, it was great to see all the U.S. products that aren't available here in Canada. I wonder if your skin cream is sold at the Walmarts up here....I'll have my sister keep an eye out, (Walmart is her second home!).

    Anyway, my feet are one of the things I am fanatical about keeping pretty, and I was thrilled to come across something called 'Miracle Foot Repair Cream'. It smells minty cooling fresh, and absorbs very easily, and has aloe in it. I love this product and wish I had bought more tubes. I also put it on my elbows from time to time.

    P.S. Putting socks on after slathering cream on the tootsies is an old trick that really works. No need for any panic as sandal weather approaches.

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  3. Willow--had my brother over for a little birthday visit last night and I gave him some of the mexican chicken casserole to try. He loved it...ate the last four pieces and he wasn't even hungry! One of the things I loved about this casserole was how the soft tacos in it took on the texture of lasagna pasta...in fact my brother thought it was a mexican 'lasagna'!

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  4. Just put this on my shopping list....my hands, knees, elbows and feet need all the springtime help they can get! :)

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  5. I am fastidious about my feet, too. And I am happy to say that, after about an hour of care, they are now very sandal worthy...soft and with a shiny bright new coat of red nail polish! (now it needs to warm up a bit)

    Glad to hear your brother enjoyed the dish! Yes, isn't it amazing how those tortillas take on the texture of pasta? Ours was gobbled up faster than I imagined!! :)

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  6. ps~~LL..was this little visit for your birthday??

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  7. Loved the poem.
    I like Nivea ( an ancient standby)
    Argan nut cream -you can only get it in Morocco -where it is cheap -or absurdly expensive places in Italy).
    I also like the L'Occitane Immortelle cream in the wonderful blue jar.
    Am I just a sucker for the jar???
    Apparently, according to scientists who aren't tied to cosmetic companies, we might as well just use butter or anything... but dreams live on.......

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  8. Willow, yes, it was a little 'birthday' visit by him. My sister came by too and we gave him our gifts. What a difference it has made, having him move back to our area, now we are all less than 10 minutes from each other...:)

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  9. That is so nice that you have each other nearby. Happy birthday to your sweet brother! (wanted to make sure this was not your birthday celebration...it couldn't go unnoticed by your blog family!) :)

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  10. Elizabeth, I agree...there are some things that I MUST have just because of the scent or the look of the wonderful jar!! :)

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  11. Well...I suppose we are all thinking along the same line with sandal weather around the corner..It's a constant "lady thing" almost a weekly ritual. I have found it sweet as well as entertaining to read all the little comments from everyone...A very informative post..Dee Dee

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  12. Cetaphil is great. So is Oil of Olay, I've been using it since I was thirteen. It's a big thing in my family, along with Noxzema.
    You should try Johnson's Lavender Baby Lotion, it's cheaper if you get it in the baby section. I love the smell of it, and it leaves my skin soft, fresh, and not greasy.
    I'm not a fan of the pricey stuff either. Last time I spent money on expensive moisterizure for my face, I looked like a freakin' grease ball, so I ended up giving it away. I stick with the cheap stuff to. Always does the trick!!

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  13. I was in Kroger this a.m. and found myself looking for your facial cream. Thanks for the review -- I love finding out about inexpensive alternatives that work just as well (if not better).

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  14. I have so many allergies as does The Professor, but I've found that I can use Mary Kay products.

    And lotion with spf 15 is wonderful!

    I'm reminded that all men, great and small, put their pants on the same way, one foot at a time. :)

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  15. Oh yes, the ravages of age! I'm a big fan of Cetaphil, which is the only thing I can wash my face with, and then moisterize it with the cream. Have you ever tried Bag Balm for your feet? It comes in a little square green metal box, from New Jersey I think. Originally formulated to keep cows' udders from chapping in wintertime, or so it says. Rub it into your feet at night and wear socks to bed....it really helps.

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  16. Sara, would you believe I actually DO use Bag Balm? I almost took a picture of the cute little green metal box for my blog, too. It is fantastic for the feet!! (I buy it at Tractor Supply...tee hee...a very chic retail spot here in the midwest!) ;)

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  17. My over 50 skin just kills me. My arms look all wrinkly in the right light just like my grandmother's did. And my feet, yuck!

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  18. I happened upon this today while on my daily Kroger run. The wonderful part is, it was on sale a two for one. It was under $6.00 for both jars, that is the Cincy area price. Thank you for the little secret. I have enjoyed all the treasures you pass along.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)