Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment

This stuff sucks.

I don't think I've ever been quite so disappointed in a product.  Ever.  If you're just dying to spend 12 bucks on something that sits on your lips and feels greasy, just go buy 6 tubs of Vaseline.  It'll last a lot longer, and I'm betting it'll work better.  If you're wanting something, though, that lives up to the promise that Clinique makes about their lip treatment, ("Deeply hydrating balm that helps to repair distressed lips and replenishes moisture loss.") then skip the Clinique counter and head over to Philosophy for their Hope in a Tube Eye & Lip Cream.  As an added bonus, it fights wrinkles, too.

REN Skincare

I've been using these products for quite a few months now, and I was reserving judgment until I was certain, one way or another, how I felt about them.  Now, I can comfortably say that I love them.  I have "problem skin," and though I'm reluctant to admit that my skin is high-maintenance, I don't know why I should be surprised.  I mean, everything about me is high-maintenance, right?

The products are made using organic, natural ingredients and fewer chemicals.  There are no sulfates, no fragrances, no parabens, dyes, or animal byproducts.  Every ingredient is plant-derived.  Also, the company is green and they not only recycle, but they also donate a portion of the proceeds to promote a healthier environment.

So, yeah, the products are touchy-feely, and you get sorta' warm and fuzzy when you think about all the good you're doing by buying them.  That's nice, right, but do they work?  YES.

My favorite product is my cleanser:  Mayblossom Balancing Cleanser Gel.  I use it along with my Clarisonic, and I love that after I wash my face, my skin feels completely clean, but not at all dry or tight.

I'm also a big fan of the F10 Enzymatic Smooth Radiance Facial Mask.  It promises to exfoliate and detoxify, and leave your complexion smoother...and guess what?  It does.  The mask also contains Vitamin C, which is super good for your skin because it apparently combats free radicals (I don't even know what those are, but they just sound dangerous).

I've used so many skincare lines through the years, and the one thing that they all seem to have in common is inconsistency.  Maybe one will work for a few days, or even a whole month or so, but inevitably, I begin to have the same problems I've always had:  enlarged pores, sporadic break-outs, and dry spots around eyes and below my nose.  I haven't had a break-out in months, and I'm definitely starting to notice a real difference in my pores.  My laugh lines and crow's feet are diminishing, too.  I think the key, though, is the combo of REN's products with the Clarisonic.  REN works alright by itself, but alone, the results are nothing like what they are when I use them with the Clarisonic.

There are several other products that I'm dying to try, so I'll report back when I do.

I'm declaring blog bankruptcy.

Sorry, for those of you who were waiting patiently on me to update you on the remainder of my trip to Alabama.  I got sidetracked by work and about 100 other things, so now it's clear that it's simply not going to happen.  Most of the people who read this blog were there anyway, so y'all all know what happened.

Moving on...

Thanksgiving!

Lucky me, I spent Thanksgiving with The Lambs, one of my favorite families. Mark is a police officer at Salt River, and Janel does my hair. Janel and I always talk cooking while my color is...coloring, or whatever, so I was really excited to have Thanksgiving at her house! She is Superwoman:  five kids, and she somehow finds the time to sew adorable aprons (like the one I used at home during Christmas last year) and lots of other cuteness, make gourmet popcorn, work at her dad's business, do hair, and make GORGEOUS cakes, plus tons of other stuff that I'm sure I'm leaving out.

I didn't think people decorated with plates anywhere except the South.  Imagine how happy I was to see Janel's Thanksgiving tablescape and the matching plates!

Janel made the table runner...out of BURLAP and CORN HUSKS.
Told y'all she was talented.

Needless to say, we had a blast! I arrived in time to watch some of the last of the cooking, and then we had lunch. Afterwards, Janel and I messed around with Mark's new camera. It's fancy and has loads of different settings, and it makes really great pictures.  We even brought out the tripod and the detachable flash, and then we really got creative!

For Thanksgiving dinner, there was turkey, spiral ham, stuffing and dressing, two kinds of sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, jello salad, and homemade rolls (Mark's sister grinds her own wheat...my, oh my):

Janel's spiral ham

Janel's dressing

And the cranberry sauce (yuu-uum!)

I was in charge of desserts, so I made Italian Cream Cake, Mrs. Nina's lemon squares, and a chocolate chess pie.  The pie wasn't feeling photogenic, but...

the Lemon Squares were...

as was the Italian Cream Cake
(recipe is in the previous post, if you're interested)

After cleaning up, we sat down to watch the Saints game.  Y'all know that I'm not much into pro football (Bama and LSU monopolize my football-watching time), but because the Lambs were cheering for the Saints, so was I.  We were all happy when they pulled off a win in the last seconds of the game!

I hope y'all had as great a Thanksgiving as I did!