THE BEST OF 2008

Ok, so I've gone back through all of my 2008 reviews and made a list of what I feel are the best products of 2008. And, here they are in no particular order.



The Ped Egg: If you don't have one, get one. This is perhaps one of the only "As Seen on TV" products that I've bought that is great. I hate my feet and hate the way they get all dry and peely in the winter. The Ped Egg works at getting all that off plus any calluses.
You can easily find it for $9.99 and they sell extra blades too.

100% Pure Organic Peppermint & Green Tea Toner:
All natural/organic ingredients in this baby. Following my Skin expert's advice, this stuff has great things for your skin. Put it in a small spray bottle and use that instead of a cotton ball. I've tried both of 100% Pure's toners and this one is the best by far. No alcohol or anything that will dry out your skin. Plus, it smells good too. $15 a bottle just about everywhere I looked online.

Dancing Dingo's Shea Butter Hand Cream:
One of the best hand creams I've come across. Mine was the basic lavender fragrance but it smelled divine. This kept my hands soft and moisturized for a long time. I usually only had to apply once or twice a day. $12 for 4 ounces at dancingdingo.com

Kelp & Sea Clay Mask from Manor Hall Soap Company:
Manor Hall always has great products. I love the Kelp & Sea clay mask and so does my skin expert at my spa. Everything it contains is excellent for your skin. Use after you exfoliate, and no more than once/twice per week. $9.35 per jar and a little goes a long way.

FLUID Swimmer's Salve Lip Balm from Epli:
One of the first place winners in my Best of Lip Balms contest from the summer. This lip balm goes on smooth and lasts for hours. All natural ingredients, no petrolatum or mineral oil here. Swimmer's doesn't really have a "flavor" per se, but for me it's a little minty, a little bubblegummy..hard to pin point it but I like it. $5 at Epli.

The Plaid Mushroom Original Lip Balm:
The Plaid Mushroom also won first place in my Best of Lip Balm contest. I tried both the cherry and the original flavor and they both were great. My preference is for the original flavor but your preference is your preference. But there are other flavors like Bubble gum, root beer and there are VEGAN choices there too. The Plaid Mushroom's lip balm held itself together even in the summer (no melting) and application was smooth as silk. Also lasted several hours. Prices range from $3 - $3.50 at The Plaid Mushroom.

Crater Lake Flutter Butter:
I will say it again, this is one of the best body butters that I have tried. It went on easily, absorbed easily and kept my skin moisturized all day. Plus there's tons of good scents including some great Pink Sugar blends (you ought to know me by now). And, you have several fragrance intensities to choose from too. I highly recommend the Flutter Butter. $10.45 for a 4 ounce jar at Crater Lake.

Barack Barrettes from One Plaid Aunt:
Ok, onto novelty items. I got a pair of Barack Obama barrettes before the election. I got so many comments on them..people were constantly asking where I got them. You can also get Michelle Obama barrettes, Obama ponytail holders, ornaments and calendars now. $10 for the barrettes at One Plaid Aunt.

Butt Freckles from Butt Freckle:
Ok, my favorite novelty item of 2008, the Butt Freckle. No real purpose but they are just so dam cute. Plus each butt freckle has it's own butt freckle on it's butt. Your average Butt Freckle is $6 but you can get a humongous one for $22. And, with names like Crusty Playdoh Butt Freckle, Grandpa's Pipe Smoke butt freckle and Swedish Meatball Butt Freckle..how can you resist.

Jewelry by UnderGlass:
Underglass on Etsy is one of my new favorite jewelry artists. I discovered her work via the Saturday Night Specials thread on Etsy and I now have several pieces plus I bought some for gifts. She has just so many unique pieces that you will only find here. From the snowflake necklaces to the Guitar Hero collection, there really is something for everyone here. Prices range from $5 (clearance) to $37.

So, there it is, my favorite products of 2008. Now I can start on 2009 :-)

Face the Facts Part 2

I realized after I completed my last post that I completely forgot to talk about toner. So, I will fix my mistake right now.


The toner I've been using is an Organic Peppermint and Green Tea toner from 100% Pure. I've been very impressed with this toner (as was Lisa at the spa). There is nothing but good good stuff in here. Here's the ingredients list from the 100% Pure website:



Organic Infusions of Green Tea, Peppermint, Spearmint, Eucalyptus, Pomegranate, Lemon and Orange Peels, Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate), Vitamin E (a-tocopherol)extracts of raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry and grapefruit seed, Peppermint Essential Oil, Natural Food Preservatives from Cranberries and Salt (less than 0.1% of Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate).





No alcohol to dry your skin (there's many a toner out there that has alcohol).



I was using this the normal way, with a cotton round. I found the Peppermint to be really invigorating on the skin. But, Lisa told me to stop using the cotton rounds/cotton balls. She told me this because most of the toner gets sucked into the cotton round/ball and doesn't get absorbed into your skin. Lisa told me to get a small spray bottle (I found mine in the travel size section at Target for 99 cents). I was like, "spray bottle?" and she said yes. By spraying the toner on your face instead of using the cotton round/ball, your skin gets all the good stuff. She told me that other clients of hers started doing this and their other skin care products started working much better.



This toner from 100% Pure will run you $15 for an 8.6 ounce bottle. I know, I know..it's pricey but sometimes you gotta give something a try to see if it's good for you. I have felt such a difference in my skin from using this toner and using it w/the spray bottle. When I used the cotton round, it felt like it just say on my skin and evaporated..it never felt like it went anywhere. When I use the spray bottle...bam...my skin just absorbs it like crazy. I find that my face serum and moisturizer go on easier and really sink into my skin better.


100% Pure has all kinds of facial products from cleansers to toners to peels to eye cream...as well as many other products..even fruit pigmented cosmetics (that means no artificial coloring folks!).



I've also tried their lotion. So, just a little of the topic...Now, I was skeptical about the actually scent of the lotion. Most lotions have fragrance oils in them, even the "fruity" ones. 100% Pure uses pure fruit aromas in their lotion. I bought the Blueberry and wow it smells great. It smells like true blueberry..no overly fruity smell. They sent me some samples of other lotions and shower gels and they all smelled fantastic. I am very impressed by their products. The lotion runsd $17 in a 7.5 ounce pump container.


If you'd like to skip the shipping and handling..and I wish I had known this before I bought from the website...if there's one of those upscale Bath & Body Works near you..check there. After I had gotten my order I was at the mall getting a birthday gift for a friend and found 100% Pure products at Bath & Body Works. And, they started out as an Indie etailer too :-)