my toiletry tuesday base layer post is in need of an update! here’s what i’ve been using recently. maybe it’s the pregnancy. maybe it’s the nightly clarisonic deep clean. but either way, i am loving what is happening with my skin lately and i’m certain the above products contribute to it.
- r.l. linden & co. thousand petal beautifying mist || i spray this all over my face first thing when i get out of the shower (i also use this if i need a refresher during the day).
- arcona eye dew
|| gives a nice dewy look to the eyes but also, after consistent use, works to brighten and plump skin. i don’t know if it’s actually plumping my skin but my eyes, which are naturally dark and a bit sunken, have never looked more awake.
- r.l. linden & co coffee & tea facial serum || this is still in the beta testing stages but i am already begging them to make it a permanent part of their line. it makes my face tingle and adds a nice, natural, moisturizing oil to my skin.
- tilvee argan & sea buckthorn age-defying cream || i’ve been using this almost three years now and i have no intention of stopping. it’s a nice heavy cream, perfect for morning and night, that settles into the skin nicely and works its magic. ideal for dry weather climates.
- r.l. linden & co. la balmba rose healing balm || used on my lips and any random dry patches on my face (corners of mouth, edge of nose, even my forehead!).
- tom’s deodorant || what’s there to say about deodorant? besides: stop using the stuff with aluminum in it!
- kiehl’s creme de corps || i like it but i don’t LOVE it. suggestions for a good all-over body cream are currently being accepted. i’m looking for something without a ton of ingredients (i use coconut oil from time to time but am not sold on that either).
- egyptian magic all purpose skin cream
|| i use this on my growing belly, stretch marks (frowny face), and dry patches on elbows or knees. it took me a while to warm up to it but i love love love this heavy lotion.
- jenna hipp essential nail & hand cream
|| i fell in love with jenna hipp’s products at base coat nail salon. i have always been on the search for the perfect hand cream and this is where i got to stop looking.
oh hi! you remember r.l. linden? they are my new favorite skincare line and they just keep concocting and producing the absolute best products. and they’re from denver! stay tuned for an updated toiletry tuesday on how i use some of their items. but for now, let’s welcome them as new sponsors on A Denver Home Companion! we’re celebrating with a giveaway of their roll-on unisex perfume, ironwood no. 1. this was a collaboration with the denver store ironwood and features the amazing scent of palo santo, which just makes me swoon. so it’s a bonus that my love, jp, likes to wear it (and this says a lot bc he has never worn a scent before).
to be entered to win, please visit r.l. linden and tell me what product you’d be interested in trying. for more entries, share this giveaway, like them on facebook and twitter. and for even MORE entries, like me on facebook! make sure to leave an extra comment for each additional entry. (if you already follow us on other social platforms, that counts too!) i’ll contact the winner this friday, on valentine’s day.
ever since she’s been taking weekly ballet/tap classes and we’ve been jamming to all sorts of music (we’ve been listening to devotchka, katy perry, whitney houston, grandchildren, lorde, and the wizard of oz album all thanks to rdio [sign up for it. it will change your music listening, seriously]) ramona cannot stop moving her body.
“watch my move!” she commands. “watch me, mama! do you like my move?” and she shakes her booty and flips her hands and shuffles her feet and throws in some plies and passes and releves (all those french ballet words should have accents on them somewhere but i’m not going to bother) followed up with some twerking. yes, you read that right.
it’s our new favorite way to spend our morning: jp and i on the couch with our coffee, watching ramona bust a move or two or five on the living room floor. usually she prefers to dance on her own. until she doesn’t. then you betcha she’s dragging us out there and bossing us around: “no! move your head like this! you stand there. now bend down. move like this. my turn. SPIN ME!” not sure i would usually condone this attitude but her being a little dancing maestro really kills me.
and i love to see her discovering how she can use her body movement to express herself. she gets this look in her eyes (you can see it in the photos) and she gets into her own world and gets so so serious about what she’s doing. even though she demands an audience, this little lady is not hamming it up. no sir-ee. she is straight up all business.
now, when she’s sad, we talk about dancing as a way to cheer her up. it usually works. goodness, if we all had a coping mechanism like that.
i keep a glass amber bottle next to my bedside that’s water and lavender essential oil. i cannot get enough of the fresh, soothing scent right before bedtime. it helps prepare me mentally for sleep. but lavender, rightly so, can be an easy scent to turn to in eco-friendly products for home. so i looked up ways i could spice up my scents for other rooms, while still maintaining the calm of lavender. my first search led me to a mixture of essential oils i already had (bonus!): sandalwood
in a 4 oz glass spray bottle, fill with water and add equal parts sandalwood, lavender, chamomile. adding a bit of vodka can help emulsify the concoction, allowing the oils and water to mix evenly. shake it up and spray around. inhale. relax. repeat. enjoy.
life is going to change dramatically when little bug arrives. i can anticipate and foresee some of these changes but others are going to take jp and i (and ramona!) by storm. before life gets rocked and we’re juggling a toddler and a helpless newborn and patio season opening up at the populist (which makes for an increasingly busy hubby) jp and i set aside a long weekend to spend some time with just the two of us. our intention was to slow down, be a pair free of our daily commitments and distractions, and reconnect with each other. so off to a ranch in hye, texas (that’s hill country, y’all) owned by jp’s aunt and uncle.
we were blessed with great weather, free and spacious accommodations, beautiful sunsets, wonky wi-fi that forced us –even more– to be present with each other, and a golf cart that enabled me to explore the land freely (this belly doesn’t get me too far these days). i understand a baby moon is a luxury that many people can’t find the time or finances for and i do not take it for granted we were able to steal away for these handful of precious days.
jp is the most important person in my life. he is my lover, my rock, my best friend, my confidant, my reason, my chosen one. he is steadfast, kind, humble and pretty much your poster-child of patience. living and learning and loving with him has taught me much about being grounded, listening well, and constructively and respectfully agreeing to disagree. at the risk of sounding cheesy, being his partner has made me a much better person than before i met him. and he also loves and embraces all my quirks and who i am at my core!
i gush about all of this bc, while i LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mother and that will always be a part of who i am, my partnership with my husband is the most important relationship i will cultivate on this earth. we are a team. and i want to continue to work on our marriage and our union so that when ramona and little bug watch us, it will be so evident to them how we are able to love them so well: bc jp and i love each other as best and as selflessly as we humanly can. jp and i working on a strong, healthy, loving, respectful marriage is, perhaps, one of the most essential things we can give to our children (that and the freedom for them to be themselves… but that’s another post). my hope is that a strong marriage will set them up to love themselves and to expect and give good, honest, respectful love from and to their future significant others.
furthermore, if we do things right, ramona and little bug will be leaving the nest around the time they turn 18. and i shudder to think that jp and i will have not made the effort and taken the time to grow our love and connection with each other and, instead, feel like strangers bc we don’t know what the hell to do w the other now that we don’t have such an active role as parents.
parenthood, especially the early years, is hard. when ramona was first born i had awful thoughts about jp and our marriage. some of these were fueled by crazy hormonal changes going on in my body, and others were caused by the great shift that had happened in our family. in the beginning, with all this newness, we didn’t always adjust as well or as quickly as our emotions needed. and there are, of course, still days every so often where we completely miss each other. and having young (basically helpless) children compounds this. and it can be lonely and frustrating. but, i will tell you this: it is a season. and it too shall pass. especially if both you and your partner are on board w working your darndest to communicate honestly and respect the other (even if biting, nasty words get hissed in the heat of the moment) and are open to being humble and asking for forgiveness and giving it freely.
this post didn’t quite go the direction i had originally planned: but marriage is hard and i think struggles like how babies can totally knock your marriage on its head need to be talked about more openly so that others don’t feel they’re all alone. that, and how important it is to set aside the craziness of life and find time to connect with your lover. the payoff, when the chicks have flown the coop and it’s the two of you old birds wondering what to do with your empty nest, will be well worth it.
thought you’d be getting more of texas hill country? below is my list of suggested things to do (besides soaking up the open space, wide skies, and drinking on the porch) if you find yourself one hour west of austin, texas, in what people are calling the napa of texas (i know, 30 weeks pregnant is prime time to go wine tasting. ha!)
welcome
