Saturday, February 21, 2009

Confessions of a Product Whore: My Clean Little Secret

At first the word whore seemed a little harsh and then a second glance in my bathroom cabinets and shower floor proved me wrong, junkie was hardly harsh enough, whore was just right.

I have always loved products. Lotions, creams, perfumes, face wash, make up, shampoos, pretty much anything that is sticky and/or creamy, smells good and promises to smooth, clear and clean my skin, hair, nails. One key ingredient...price. Did I also mention I take two showers a day? These two facts I am realizing go hand in hand.

The ironic thing is that although I like to read product labels (I'm weird) and peruse the aisles and magazine pages for new items, I'm becoming more loyal to certain brands. It's like I finally realized what works and what doesn't and have decided to stick with those (cough) few products. Well so I thought.

While showering this morning I took inventory of all of the things in the shower with me. Razors (2), loofah, Kiehls Amino Acid Shampoo, Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner, Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner, Trader Joe's Tea Tree Shampoo, Dove bar soap, Johnson and Johnson's Baby Wash in Regular and Shea Butter and last but not least my favorite product line...Organix. I have the Pomegranate and Green Tea Shampoo, Coconut Milk Conditioner and the most recent addition to their family and mine, Mandarin Olive Oil Shampoo. With all of this in the shower, I wonder how I am able to clean myself, much less throw my leg up on the wall (standing shower) and shave my legs. It's a wonder I tell you.

The thing is that I know what all of these products do and I don't want to phase them out of the shower and out of my life. When my hair needs a little extra moisture, Pantene. When I feel like it needs a good clarifying treatment, Tea Tree Shampoo. When I want it to have extra life and lift, Kiehls. And like I said my go-to always makes my hair wonderful and smells delicious, Organix. So what is a girl to do? I am the go-to for my friends to ask about products and I am the girl who recently filled in an online poll on Allure to suggest the Best of the Best Products of 2008. I have a responsibility!! So with this I humbly say, "Hi my name is Brandee and I am a Product Whore."

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Shake, Shake What Yo Mama Gave Yaaa

I love Zumba. It's a class I take at the gym that combines salsa, hip hop and belly dancing into one fabulous hour of cardio/dance drama. I used to cheer and dance for 14 years, but nothing prepares you for being in the spotlight like a room full of woman shaking their stuff and another room full of men close by breaking their necks to see us break it down. The first time I carefully tried to follow the instructor, step for step, wiggle by wiggle. Now I know the routines and am able to throw it around a little more confidently. Then I brought my friend Faith into the equation...

Do you all have that one friend that always makes you laugh? That's Faith. She is from the heart of Georgia and is possibly the craziest, silliest girl I know. I love her for it. We met in college and have remained close friends. Just recently she and her husband moved to the QC so we are enjoying hanging out more. Last night she joined me for class and turned the whole experience upside down. She was flailing around, singing with the music yelling things like, “Ohhh shake it sistas,” and “Stir it up, stir it up.” When she missed a step (which was often) she let out a huge laugh and whooped and hollered all the way through the hour. When the instructor told us to shake our butts, she responded with a squeal, “What if you don't have one, is there an alternative move?” What was fabulous is that it made everyone loosen up. She said what everyone else was thinking. She free-styled when she couldn't catch up or catch on and it encouraged others to follow. She was just being herself. I love friends that help you loosen up. As the oldest child I am a little more type A than I would like to be, so friends like Faith are a blessing. They help you come out of the box a little. By the end of the night we were all free-styling well after class was over.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Don't Say I Never Told Ya...

Don't wear a thong to Pilates. It will inevitably get lodged in all of the wrong places. Somewhere between Downward Dog and Tree Pose for me this morning, things got twisted.

Don't go to the tanning bed and then go to a party. ALL of the pictures will turn out with you looking like a little salmon. The color, not the fish.

What are your "Don't Say I Never Told Ya's?"