MoMA Sky Umbrella

I have/love this umbrella and I just broke it. With that starting sentence, perhaps you think I will go on to berate this item, BUT YOU WOULD BE WRONG. I love this guy, and tomorrow I’m going out to buy a new one that is exactly the same. It was my own stupid fault for breaking it (I was leaning on it excessively out of boredom at the Apple store and the handle broke off, if you must know). BUT the point is - I’ve had this umbrella for eight years. EIGHT YEARS OF STURDINESS! Mind you, it’s a little costly for something that most people lose constantly ($48), but if you’re a little less scatterbrained than the average adult, then I suggest you get one of these. It’s probably lame to state, but the sky underneath literally makes me happier on days that are pure trash. 

You can purchase this beauty here or by going to one of the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) stores in New York. 

Bath & Body Works - Foam Soaps

I first tried this soap when I got one as a gift from my friend Marla’s wedding shower. Since that time (it was April of 2012), I haven’t washed my hands with anything else. There are a billion flavors/scents and all of the ones I’ve tried are lovely. 

Plus, the foaming aspect makes it just a small delight in an otherwise grotesque room. They have seasonal ones as well, and they’re festive as hell. They usually have deals on how much they cost, depending on how many you purchase. I’ve even found some (same brand and all) cheaper ones at a few dollar stores if you look hard enough.

That’s the “Sea Island Cotton” scent up there. I mostly chose to show that one ‘cause of how ridiculous the name is. Ridiculous and so fun. 

SOAP!

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Products

All right, I use all these guys. I’m not gonna go really deep into why they’re great to use, but here are a few tiny points:

• they’re relatively inexpensive
• I can understand every ingredient written on the back labels
• smells amazing
• it just feels cleaner than using other stuff from a drugstore

All right, that last point wasn’t terribly scientific. But honestly, the best part of using this stuff is when you leave it on for a little bit (I’m only speaking about the shampoo and the body wash right now) longer than you’re supposed to — there’s this tingling sensation that happens that just sort makes your shower seem more fun? If that makes any sense? If you’re intrigued by that statement, then perhaps you should just buy some (or visit me and try some) to see what I mean. 

If you’re in New York, you can obviously get them at Trader Joe’s and you can get them online at Amazon. Fantastic products. 

Tee Tree Oil - The Body Shop

I am a grown-ass woman. And maybe I’m not supposed to still get blemishes or pimples at my age, but sometimes I do. Now if you’ve already stopped wanting to read this post ‘cause you’re a man and/or you never get pimples - get over yourself. Every idiot gets them at some point, you are no better. This tea tree oil from The Body Shop (it’s $9) is the only thing I use when it’s that before-a-zit stage that happens when you can feel a pimple’s presence but it hasn’t arrived yet. You just put some of this on wherever you feel it coming on (like once in the morning and once at night, for example) and I swear to you - it’ll completely disappear. I’ve been using this stuff for about two years and if you’ve seen me within that time - I’ve got a pretty all right face. Zit-wise, anyway. 

Forewarning: I will be recommending more tea tree related products in future posts because, quite honestly, that junk is magic.