warts and all

And I don't mean this figuratively.

Fifteen years ago I took a warty-looking mark on my foot to my (former) doctor who told me it was a pressure point. So I ignored it.  Then about five years ago my "pressure point" sprouted numerous warty-looking babies.  My new (and obviously superior) doctor confirmed that they were in fact warts, all off-spring from the now very well-established Mother of All Warts.

We froze.  We Compound-W-ed. We injected bug venom. We froze and Compound-W-ed some more.  Last spring, we cut them all out. I had FIVE huge wounds in my foot, which I will not describe in detail. Just use your imagination and then some.

They came back and brought some babies with them.  Apparently all that fresh tissue is the perfect thing in which to grow new warts.

You are wondering, about now, why I am sharing this obnoxious information with you.  I'm wondering this too.  But since we got this far . . .


Last week I saw a dermatologist who prescribed Fluorouracil -- a topical chemotherapy -- and duct tape.  Weird huh?

Guess who has 3 fewer warts this week? 

And I suppose that is why I am sharing it.  If you are anyone you know is suffering from persistent reoccurring warts and you are not afraid of a tube of chemotherapy and a roll of duct tape, this post is for you!

But you will want to know that you won't be able to walk properly, as instead of getting better each day, the pain gets worse, as the treatment is basically to put on your body some goopus that eats holes in whatever it touches.

favorite elf products + coupon code

The elf visited my mailbox today so I get to tell you about my two new favs, each $1.00.

Shielding Hydro Tint SPF 15 - Tone 1: a colored moisturizer, perfect for after the pool.

Moisture Care Lip Color - Baby Lips: super tidy super gloss. Love it.

and some coupons:
EGRESCT - free $25 gift card from restaurant.com
EGHYDAR - free Shielding Hydro Tint with SPF 15 with any $20 purchase before August 1st.
EGANNIVDS - 10% purchase of $20.00
more e.l.f. coupons

e.l.f. (with coupon codes)

One of my lovely nieces came to dinner last night and told me about e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face): Fun make-up for $1.00. Even I can afford that!

It gets even better. Use one of these e.l.f. coupons at checkout:

• ECTAPAY (Buy 2 Get 1)or
• CAROLINA (50% off first $15.00)or
• RADIO (50% off first $15.00)
• ECHYPAY (free lipgloss)
  

Head-to-Toe Beauty Secrets: Pedicure

Back when we had two incomes and no kids I would occasionally go get a real pedicure. Oh what fun it was to have cute toes. But the new reality does not allow for such things. No matter, I'm a DIY kind of gal.

Home Pedicure How To: cheap, easy, and fun. I do mine while I listen to the children read to me. I use:

Pedicure Secret #1: Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover ~ put this onto your cuticles and around the edges of the nails if you have dead skin piling up there. EEEEwwww. That just looks terrible in print. Anyway, wait a minute and then rub it off with a soft brush.

Pedicure Secret #2: The HoMedics JetSpa Deluxe Foot Bath with Super Quiet Bubbles, 4 Powerful Jets, Spinning Pedicure and 3 Attachments which My Gift gave me several years ago and I thought it rather dorky at the time, but this was before I spent hours each day listening to small children read to me.

Pedicure Secret #3: After your feet have been dried off, it's time for Sally Hansen's Color Quick Nail Pen in Sheer Pink if you like tame toes or in Hot Pink for bold toes. I use the sheer pink on my hands and the hot pink for perky toes.

Either way, nail pens are the way to go. No more bottles to spill or brushes to drip from. You use a nail pen as you would a marker. Super easy.

Pedicure Secret #4: Now if you are feeling especially frivolous, you'll want to either paint a little flower on your toe (tedious and nearly impossible to do well) or cheat with a little sticker.

Pedicure Secret #6: Then you'll apply a Top Coat to glue your sticker on and you're all set.

Pedicure Secret #7: Try to resist peeking at your cute toes while you drive. Don't ask me why I mention that.

Head-to-Toe Beauty Secrets: Face

Facial Beauty Secret #1: Eyebrows ~ go pay to have someone do them right and then, every morning after you brush your teeth, pluck out 2 encroaching offenders. You can handle two plucks a morning and if you keep up with it, you won't lose the line that was properly selected by someone who knew what they are doing. Anyway, if your eyebrows are tidy, you look well-groomed.

Facial Beauty Secret #2: Smile ~ Forget the fancy-dancy whitening strips and toothpastes. Just grab your Baking Soda, dip your brush in, and brush your teeth for that just-polished feeling and a natural whitening.

(Just leave a box in the bathroom. If you notice the sink needs scouring, just shake some baking soda in, scrub it a bit with your washcloth that was heading for the laundry anyway, and rinse. How easy is that?)

Facial Beauty Secret #3: Make-up ~ if you wear it, wear a quality foundation and bargain everything else. Get your mascara cheaply enough that you can toss it every 3 months for hygiene reasons. In case you really want to know, I wear Lancome Photogenic Ultra-Comfort Skin-Illuminating Makeup for foundation and whatever drug store color (mascara, blush, lipstick, etc.) catches my fancy. Currently I'm liking Almay's i-color Bring out the Green Line and Burt's Bees Coffee Lip Shimmer.

Head-to-Toe Beauty Secrets: Skin

Beautiful Skin Secret #1: Top secret to great skin? WATER ~ drink it up!

Did you know that:

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain or up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a ! printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

~ shamelessly lifted from Bits & Pieces

Beautiful Skin Secret #2: sleep ~'tis called beauty sleep for a reason. Turn the computer off and go to bed.

Beautiful Skin Secret#3: Remember how amazingly light and pretty your windows were after you washed them? It's the same with your skin after you exfoliate. Get that dead skin out of here! You know, don't you, that dust is mostly dead skin? If you don't want it sitting around your house, why on earth would you leave it clinging to your skin? There are a zillion products to try. I recommend using something mild enough to use daily. Because an exfoliant does not stay on your skin long enough to be absorbed -- as compared to lotions -- you should use the cheapest one you are happy with. Just use one.

In case you care, I use LUSH's Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser, but as we are on a real tight budget right now I probably will replace it with a drug store product when I run out. I use it every day or two.

Beautiful Skin Secret #4: lotions and potions ~ buy the cheapest make-up (except foundation) you can get away with and the best skin-care you can afford. Lotions, creams, and foundations are absorbed into your body and you don't want junk in there. I used Clinque until I was 30, Lancome until I was in my early 40s, and LUSH for the last few years. I'm pretty happy with my skin. I switched over to LUSH from Lancome because it was cheaper and the ingredient list is more wholesome and I like the results better. I use these: Mirror Mirror, Gorgeous, and Skin's Shangri La Moisturizer.

Beautiful Skin Secret #5: If I could only have one beauty product it would be Dream Cream Body Cream. It is hands-down the best body cream I have ever used. It soothes bug bites and sunburns and miscellaneous rashes that I am prone to, softens crusty feet, makes sun & chlorine dried skin look glowy, and can be used as a make-up remover in a pinch. I can never have too many little pots of dream cream (hinty-hint-hint).