End of Vacation and Neela Vermeire Pichola Review

I am finishing up the last day of my vacation and I don't want to go back to work. Who really wants to go back to work after vacation? Sydney is doing better but we still need to take her to the vet on Friday to see if we keep her on antibiotics, add a new one or keep her on what she is now. When the appointment was made, I had to call my manager to see if I could switch days with someone. I work retail and finding someone to switch shifts is akin to finding a unicorn. The only person that might have been able to do it, wasn't able to. I was asked if there was any way that I could work, even a short shift. Things were worked out and my folks had said that they didn't really want me to miss work and to just go to work. This is just a vacation that really sucks. I wasn't able to burn a candle and the only thing that I did that was fun was the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame on Tuesday before Sydney got sick.

 Earlier this year, I was poking around Luckyscent and was looking at their sale stuff. The only reason why I was doing that was because they had sent me an e-mail about the sale stuff. It's a rarity that I order from Luckyscent anymore. No funds, things are a little too expensive (I'm looking at you, Diaghilev) and my collection is big enough as it is without adding more. I am still on my travel spray kick. Now imagine my luck to find the travel spray of Pichola. Twenty milliliters for $96 is pretty much a steal in niche perfume. For the price, I wasn't going to complain.

The first time I wore Pichola, I could have sworn that this was Serge Lutens' A la Nuit. That kind of clean jasmine with boatloads of greens that kept the jasmine from going full on skank. Then I got something akin to tangerine. I do have a difficult relationship when it comes to citrus in perfume. I either love it or I get queasy and with Pichola, I am not queasy but not full on loving it. I kind of like the citrus in this. Besides the jasmine, I am getting a pretty hefty dose of tuberose and my love for tuberose is pretty new. There was always something about tuberose that seemed to be a little too much for me for the longest time. So I think with trying and loving Nassomatto Nuda and then Narcotic V, I think that I was able to understand tuberose and fall in love with tuberose. I'm not getting a whole lot else in terms of notes that I can discern but Pichola has a sunny, tropical vibe to it and it's in a good way. Pichola isn't for teen girls or young women, she is for a woman who has grown up. The grown up woman that knows what she wants and knows how to get it.

I applied Pichola at noon and it's a little after 11pm and I am in probably the extreme dry down. I am not sure that I will get a full bottle but I love it enough to keep a travel spray on hand. I just might fall in love with Pichola to get a bottle, eventually.

This Vacation Sucks

I don't exactly know what happened to this vacation but it sucks.It's been a combination of things that has made it suck.

Didn't do a whole lot Sunday or Monday. That dresser should have been moved into my room by now but it's been a little too hot to really be moving furniture. Tuesday was the day that I went to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I haven't been there since I was a sophomore in high school and that was over 20 years ago. Truth be told, I remember that the Rock Hall seemed to have more stuff and more interesting stuff when I went over 20 years ago. I personally think that when they made the gift shop a little bigger and added a little food court, they made the thing much smaller. I know that they are in the process of making it bigger but it is such a tiny museum that costs big bucks for admission. So it's going to be quite a while before I visit again.

But yesterday was a freaking adventure though. My eldest Lab (pictured), Sydney, spent most of the night not feeling good and spitting up. So that meant that my dad and I spent a good chunk of Wednesday afternoon at the vet. With a partially wooded lot, she could have eaten anything in the yard. We have bird feeders, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels and whatever else lives in the back yard. The vet was asking a lot of questions to see what could be ruled out. Diabetes and some kind of obstruction was ruled out. After x-rays and blood work, it turns out Sydney has only 1 kidney and it's a kidney infection. The vet is just waiting for some cultures to see what other antibiotics need to be added but she has been started on one to start to get it under control or just to not make it worse. Sometime Monday we will take her to the vet and I hope that she will be a bit better. I don't want her to be alone in case something happens. We are trying to have her drink as many fluids as we can and have her on a bland diet. With tons of fluid intake means she has to go out ever hour or two so someone has to stay with her to make sure she is drinking and going to the bathroom.

Since it has been so hot and with the house being closed up, I haven't been able to burn any candles so far. With some thunderstorms coming this way, it looks like I will probably be starting a candle and this is the candle I picked out on either last Friday or Saturday. With thunderstorms, who knows if I am going to lose electricity.
 

It's Been Two Years

It's been two years that Jake has been gone and the grief hasn't lessened too much. In some ways, I can't believe that Jake has died. I am still waiting to hear him "talk" to me about feeding him his dinner a little earlier than normal. There are so many things that I did with Jake that miss terribly. The funny thing is the last few days that Jake was still alive, we had a pretty big snow storm and we just got through one yesterday. Every night, I still have to wish Jake goodnight before I fall asleep. I still remember how his coat felt under my hands when I would pet him and the look he would give when I stopped petting him. I still do not regret taking those calling off work for those two days to spend that time with Jake. It was extra time with Jake. What I miss the most is just being with him. Even when we were not doing anything, it was the being together that meant the most. I have been trying to keep myself busy the past few days to keep from not stewing about the things that I might have been able to do differently the last couple months that Jake was alive. At the end of the day, I don't think that it would have bought me extra time with Jake or improved his quality of life. The most important thing is that Jake was loved all of those eleven years that I had with him and we gave him the best quality of life we could give him.

I am just two payments away from paying off my Afterpay balance. I am debating on if I should keep my account frozen for a couple weeks after it's paid off or unfreeze it and make a Luckyscent order. I keep window shopping Luckyscent website and I have taken to window shopping the Nordstrom website. I keep promising myself that I wouldn't go and buy more than 2 full bottles of perfume this year. With that resolution, even though I haven't bought any new bottles of perfume, I am wavering on it. I want the back up bottle of the Chanel no 5 parfum. I doubt that it's going to discontinued any time soon but with Afterpay, I have the "funds" to get a bottle. My whole New Year's resolution is mainly to spend less money and not be living paycheck to paycheck so much. I am seeing some results of not spending so much. I am not quite as worried about being so thin on funds by Monday. I might have hiccups along the way but I really want to work on building a better relationship with money and shopping. I would love to  be able to take a short trip in the next year or two and if I can build a better way to spend money, a short trip is possible.
 

Is it Spring Yet?

Sunny has taken to letting me sleep a little later. Sleeping in with a puppy is great but it doesn't change the fact that having a puppy that's only 3 months old is still exhausting. Too many late nights with super early mornings.

I think that spring is slowly coming but I really want spring to arrive right now. Cleveland is starting to get some warmer temperatures but it's either full of rain or windy but it's starting to warm up.  

With spring coming and all, that means that I can start pulling out my spring summer offerings. I don't have tons of them but I do have some. But naturally, Sunny's crate in my bedroom is blocking the area to were I keep most of my perfumes. I can move it but I am not so interested in rearranging stuff to even attempt to get them. So right now, I have to make due with just having Courtesan, no 19 and some Deneuve. I am okay with having just three out right now. I want to start really using that leaky bottle of Courtesan and I am still not happy with Worth for discontinuing Courtesan. I used to be able to get Courtesan for a reasonable price but I can rarely find it now. Deneuve is long discontinued and has gotten horribly expensive, even for minis and I'm probably not going to be wearing that tons but when you have a nice stock of it already, so I don't want to go hoarding it either.

Still waiting for my tax refund to arrive in my bank account so I can get ahead of some things. That is what I am really waiting for. Yeah, I am looking forward to the Sephora sale but I want to go and get ahead of some stuff. When I always file my taxes and get a refund, I get impatient with the IRS. The refund is money I actually earned and I am not too thrilled with the whole interest free loan thing. The IRS is pretty quick to demand payment if you owe but takes forever if you are owed some money. Now let's see what happens Monday to see if I can get a date on when I can get ahead of some stuff.

Meet Sunny

Yesterday was a month since Jake has died. Parts of me are still looking for Jake. There are moments where I think that he is still alive and I start looking for him and remember that he has died. It's still tough not having Jake around. I wonder often enough if things will get any easier. I still have to say good night to Jake every night and wish that he was still here.

On Tuesday, it was supposed to be just looking at a Lab puppy but I wasn't aware of the fact that it wasn't just looking but taking one home. Yes, I have a new puppy and her name is Sunny. I know Sunny isn't a replacement for Jake but it does in some ways feel like a replacement. I am exhausted at this point. 

Tuesday night through Thursday night were pretty rough. Sunny has a crate in my bedroom and is in it at night. She is too little and I can be a sound sleeper so having her sleep on my bed just isn't possible right now. It was an hour of her whimpering and a little bit of howling before she slept and then up at 4:30 for a potty break and to eat. I get it because she is an itty bitty puppy and she is in a brand new place with all new people and a new dog buddy. Last night was a little easier since it was a couple minutes of whimpering but she settled down and fell asleep. Lack of sleep wasn't made any easier with my work schedule since I do work in the afternoons. I was lucky this morning when she wanted to eat and a potty break at a little after 5. When that was over, she seemed to be a little more ready to head back up stairs and take a nap. After getting up at 4:30 in the morning for the past 3 days and Sunny not wanting to go back to sleep, it was a blessing to have the ability to doze for at least an hour and a half afterwards. I was lucky last night because I was off work today and tomorrow. Maybe the next two days will be a little easier still. I think when she gets to be 5 months old, she will be a little more trust worthy and will be able to sleep on my bed. I do have technology in my room and I can't really trust her at night not to go chewing on wires when I am sleeping and she is supposed to be sleeping.

When I was setting up the dog crate when Sunny came home, I was having a talk with Jake. I was letting  him know that I miss him horribly, I cry at least once a week due to missing him and Sunny wasn't replacing him. How can she replace Jake? Jake was my buddy and I had a strong bond with Jake. I don't recall having such a strong bond with any other of the dogs that I have had.
 

Estee Lauder and Dogs

On Wednesday, we put in an application for a lab puppy to adopt. Found out on Saturday that we didn't get the puppy. The reason is that we didn't have a fenced in yard. We live in a rural area and there are tons of places where have a visible fenced yard. In a rural area, visible fenced yards are not the most feasible thing and invisible fenced yards are more of an option. Every rescue that we have tried thus far want fenced yards (no visible). What is also driving me batty as well is the amount of cash rescues want. Around $500 for a puppy, $400 for an adult and $200 for a senior. I don't ever recall rescue places wanting major money to adopt a dog and a massive application process. If people are willing to shell out at least $200 or more to adopt a dog, why such an application process? So my family and I are going to go the breeder route again. We would have loved to adopt a dog but all the hoops that need to be jumped through isn't for us.

I tried really hard to refrain from buying new bottles of perfume and did fail at it. I was poking around the internet to see if Estee Lauder had some bath stuff that went along with Pleasures. The only thing that I could find was a body lotion. I sprung for the body lotion and a 1.7 ounce bottle of Pleasures along with it. The Estee Lauder website gave me 15% for creating an account and I was sold. I'm not the type that really wants to pay full price if I don't need to. I might have gotten another 5 ounce bottle but apparently that size sells out quickly. 

I have always adored Pleasures for women. Pleasures for women was probably my first big perfume love. Yes, I wore Clinique Happy and Cucumber Melon but I loved Pleasures more. Back in the later  90's, when Pleasures came out, I was in high school and working a part time minimum wage job. I couldn't afford Pleasures on a regular basis. When I could afford a bottle, I went with the largest sized bottle that I could get and didn't wear it a lot. Most of the time, I wore either Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon and Happy. Clinique Happy wasn't purchased as often as Cucumber Melon because a $5 an hour job didn't get you very far so I have to be cautious with my bottles of Pleasures and to a lesser degree of Happy.
 

Pandemic Shopping

January has been a long month. The holidays are over, a silver alert was issued for a family member and Jake passing away has taken it's toll, It's taken a toll physically and emotionally. Now my bank account has taken the biggest hit.

The pandemic has changed my shopping habits even more. Most of my shopping has always been online but it has gotten even worse. Outside of grocery shopping, it was always rare that I went to a physical store to buy anything. But the option was always there, if I wanted to get out of the house. When there was that lock down for two months, the only places that people could go was to a gas station or a grocery store. If you wanted to buy anything that wasn't groceries, the only option was shopping online. And I have been buying even more online.

For the longest time during the pandemic, groceries went up a little bit but nothing too horrible. Now the price of food has gone up but my paycheck has remained the same. What's good at this point, I haven't added any new candles to my candle collection or any new perfumes. It's amazing on how bad the supply chains have gotten and how expensive everything has gotten after 2 years. I'm still on for the Sephora VIB sale in April and I am hoping that from now until April, things will improve for me. All it can take is for one lousy paycheck and a unanticipated event can screw things up for a while.

Today was the day that I went to the vet's office to pick up Jake's ashes. Jake's ashes was another reminder that Jake had died and was coming home in an urn. On the way home, I was trying not to cry and it was the first time in over 20 years that I had to only get one dog license. I loathed the fact that I needed to run to the store to pick up a couple things for dinner. I just wanted to get Jake home and try not to think about  a lot of things. I would never be able to take Jake to the park for a walk and it would be his last car ride home and he wasn't in the land of the living anymore. The park that I've always taken Jake to was right next door to where I got Sydney's license. Even though Jake has been gone for 11 days, I still say good night to him and when I wake up, I still look for him to give him his good morning kiss and cuddle. I still look for him when I come home from work and but I know he's gone and 13 years of habit don't change overnight. A couple days ago, I picked up his food and water dish and put his bedding in the family room away. I still haven't picked up his bedding in my room and I don't think I am quite ready for that yet. Packing up Jake's belongings and putting them away, along with picking up his ashes makes everything so final. I'm not sure I am ready yet to put away his bedding from my bedroom. The bedding is probably going to be staying for a while.

My Heart is Still Broken and Chanel Coco

It's still incredibly hard since Jake's permanent goodbye. Sydney is still looking for Jake and I don't know how to tell her that Jake isn't coming home alive. He is coming home in an urn and I wish that he was still alive in my arms. I'm having a very hard time sleeping, eating is a chore due to no appetite and I am dreading going back to work tomorrow. My first shift back at work since Jake died and I won't be able to hear him bark at me when I come home. He would bark at me because he would want to go outside and do his business. That barking was also a joyful bark because I was home. Never again will I hear the sound of Jake's voice in the land of the living. That bark is only a memory now. I finished that Midnight Snow candle and that is part of the little memorial that I am currently making for Jake. Lighting a Winter candle was a little rough. The first brand new candle that I lit and Jake is gone. My parents and I went out to dinner tonight and we were putting away any kind of food thing out of habit and remembered that Jake is gone and there wasn't much of a need anymore. Sydney was never a counter surfer but Jake always was. There are 13 years on ingrained habits that are very hard to break. It's always the final goodbye that is the hardest when you lose a pet. We tried to extend Jake's life with that thyroid surgery and fatty tumor surgery and give him a better quality of life.

A couple people that I know have dismissed my grief over Jake and got on my case about blogging about it. Jake has more than earned a place on my blog, all my dogs earned a place on this blog. This is my blog, my dogs and I will blog on what I want. They think that pets are a waste of time and money. I had to go nuclear on one person and make him reassess a lot of things. Having a dog can make a person less self absorbed. A dog teaches you about love, about loss and joy. They help you learn to live in the moment. With Jake's last few days, it was hard to live in the moment knowing that his time on earth was really finite instead of infinite. I made sure to tell him that he was an awesome buddy and I loved him very much. I asked him to say hi to Annie, Bailey and Charlie for me and I hope when I die, I will get to see them again. 

Today was the first day that I was looking forward to wearing perfume. Saturday through Wednesday was remnants of whatever I had on my sleeves or like yesterday, Shalimar. Shalimar was part comfort and part honoring my time with Jake. Today, I broke out my new bottle of the original Coco (not the flankers). Still smells like 80's work and still smells like what I remember from that decant that I had. Back when STC and TPC had Chanel decants, I had gotten a ton of Chanel decants. Then the Chanel company really cracked down of decanters and you can't really find anyone that decants Chanel perfumes anymore. But Coco smells a little less dated or they might have changed some things around but it still smells like Coco.

The First Full Day

 This is the first full day that I don't have Jake with me. I am still crying and trying to cope. Today is the first time I woke up and Jake wasn't there. The first day that I wasn't able to give him his good morning kiss and cuddle and last night was the first night that I wasn't able to give him a good night kiss and cuddle. I had a doctor's appointment today and it was the first time in almost 13 years he wasn't there to run up and greet me when I came home. Today is the first time that a Barkbox will come and he won't be there to tear open. I was hoping that this month's Barkbox would come earlier for him and Sydney to tear open. It will be Sydney's first Barkbox to open alone. As I am typing this, the Barkbox has arrived and I am sobbing. Sydney is confused but she knew Jake was sick and she was there when we put down Jake. I wanted Sydney to say good bye and I am happy that we took Sydney along with us. We took her with us and thought she could say good bye to Jake and maybe understand the process and that Jake had died. Death might be a part of life but losing Jake doesn't make that fact any easier. Jake was my buddy and it's going to be even harder tonight when Sydney and I go on our walk at night. Jake won't be there and I won't get to walk him anymore.Some time next week, I will be picking up his ashes and paw prints. I am not sure how I will be able to face that fact. Today is the first full day that wasn't spent giving Jake his medication in globs of peanut butter. My appetite is pretty much shot where all I want is a mouthful of food and don't want anymore food. Watching Dr Pol on TV brings me no joy it's not a whole lot brings me joy at this point. Looking at Jake's leash, I know that I will never be able to take him to the park again for even more walks. Jake really did love going to the park.

When I first got Jake, I wore Shalimar and I am trying to honor our time together with Shalimar today. Is it bringing me comfort? Not really. I just want Jake here with me and alive.I might still have Sydney but she is just as lost as I am and she is confused on why Jake isn't here. She doesn't quite understand that Jake isn't coming home alive but in an urn. I know that Jake was sick and his quality of life wasn't good and putting him down was the only option left but it wasn't what I wanted.

Jake Had Died

After a long, hard weekend, the hardest decision a pet owner faces was made. Jake has passed away. We had a vet appointment this afternoon for a couple x-rays and there was a confirmation on end stage cancer. I'm a mess right now. Everywhere I look, there is a reminder of Jake. His blanket bed thing by the television, his food and water dish still in the same spot and dog toys everywhere. I don't have the heart to pick any of that stuff up at the moment. Just like I didn't want to put on perfume today, today felt like a day where perfume just didn't suit. 

After Jake was put to sleep, I didn't want to leave him there, cold and alone. Yes, I will be getting a paw print and his ashes in a week. It was going to the vet today with 2 living dogs but leaving with only 1 living dog was a horrible feeling.

Yes, this morning's walk was the last walk I was able to take with Jake. There were so many lasts with Jake today. The last day that he got a car ride, the last time he had his favorite treats. I will never again hear him snore, have a puppy dream, nor will I hear him bark at me for a walk. I won't smell his horrible gas or listen to him "talk" when we are cuddling. I didn't want it to be the end of the road with Jake but today was the end of the road. My eyes are red and swollen and I feel like shit. One of the things that I will miss the most is opening a Barkbox every month with Jake.

Jake had always gotten the biggest kick out of Barkbox. A package that came every month and he knew that it was for him. I know that I am going to set aside the Gordon the Giant Sloth toy along with the video game controller toy. The Barkweiser Clydesdale toy is getting set aside as well. Those were his 3 favorite Barkbox toys. It's hard to accept that Jake isn't alive anymore and I will never see him play with those 3 toys or play with his little sister, Sydney.

I am thinking of the day around 11 years ago, Pilots and Paws brought Jake to us. At the time, he was about 2 years old and looked like Santa's Little Helper. I was at work when my parents brought him home. When I had arrived home, Jake came racing right up to me, tail wagging and leaned right up against my legs wanting cuddles. In that nano second, I seemed to be his special person and was until he took his last breath. It won't be an easy few days for Sydney, my parent and I.

Right now, I have a Bath and Body Works Midnight Snow candle going in remembrance of Jake. I am currently hoping that he is at peace and playing with Bailey and Charlie over the Rainbow Bridge.

It Pours

When it rains, it pours. Jake seems to be rallying but we just got a call from the vet. There might be some cancer that's on his liver. We go tomorrow afternoon for some x-rays. This is news that I don't want to hear. It means no matter whatever we do now with Jake in terms of treatment, it's going to be just a band aid. It might buy a couple weeks but the end result is going to be the same. 

Truth be told, I am exhausted. Too many late nights and early mornings combined with not being able to sleep in my bed. Jake is too week right now to climb 13 stairs to and go to bed. So it's sleeping on the couch in our family room. Since there are others around right now, I might sneak away for a nap in my own bed. Perfume and candles are not really on my mind is because I am more focused on keeping Jake hydrated and see what kind of food he will eat.

Last night was our first major snow storm/event type of deal. Much to my surprise, our electricity has stayed on. I didn't want a repeat of November 2020's snow storm. The one that left me without electricity and water for a week. The only difference is that I have an ailing dog and it's January. This year so far has been pretty crappy for me so far.
 

Worried

Right now, I am a little worried about one of my dogs. Jake hasn't been eating all that well for about 3 weeks. When Jake didn't want to eat his normal dry dog food, we switched to canned dog food. After a week, he wouldn't touch canned dog food. Then, we started to make our own dog food and the past few days, he wouldn't really touch it. He is drinking and taking treats but that's not enough. Coupled with what looks like sun downing and some mobility issues.

I am hoping that when we take Jake and Sydney to the vet tomorrow, I come home with two dogs and not one. I am hoping that it is something simple like a bad tooth or two or maybe some kind of simple infection. We are looking for a simple fix where Jake comes home alive. He is still wagging his tail and looking for love and affection.

I don't want tonight to be the last night for a lot of things for Jake. Don't want it to be the last time I take him for his nightly walk, the last time I take him upstairs to sleep, the last time he gets to rough house with Sydney. There will be the last time and I am hoping that it is not tonight. That day always comes and it's unavoidable and we never seem to have as much time as we think we do. I'm hoping that I do have a little more time with Jake and that time doesn't come to an end tomorrow.

Springtime and Rambling

Cleveland is getting into warmer weather and it's sticking around a little longer than a day or two. I don't think short sleeved shirts and shorts weather but we are starting to get into short sleeved shirt weather on a more consistent basis.Wearing shorts might be a late May/early June is possible. Last night, we had our spring peepers and the Great Horned Owls hooting. I was just starting to fall asleep, the puppy, Sydney, starts her baying/barking thing. Since she got all excited, our other dog did too. Jake and Sydney got all bent out of shape because the owls were hooting. Good thing that I had leashes on when I took them to pee. Yes, my dogs are insane.

I still haven't come onto a concrete solution to my perfume organization plan. Let's just say that 98% of my perfume collection is still in Amazon boxes and somehow got moved to a spot elsewhere that is difficult to get to. Right now, I have 8 full bottles and a few worn and reviewed decants. So I am a little limited on what I have.

The good thing about the weather being warmer, I can wear my lighter scents. Out of the bottles that I do have on my nightstand is a vintage bottle of no 19 EDP and the current version of the EDP version of no 19. Out of all of the concentrations of no 19, the EDP is my favorite. I love the green rose and iris of the EDP better than the extrait and the EDT. I also managed to snag my bottles of Zagorsk and Kyoto for spring/summer. I think that I might be able to finish more than two bottles this year if I just limit the bottles I have on my nightstand. One can only hope.

Spring is Coming

Okay, the little "pupsqueak", Sydney is a year old and she is still as crazy as ever. I thought that BarkBox would really be a big help. Even though the BarkBox subscription we have goes back before Sydney, it's still strange to have two dogs with two different needs. Jake likes plush, squeaky toys to whip around or just carry around. Sydney on the other hand, needs Nylabone type toys. Kong toys won't work with Sydney, she chews right through them. So I can't quite find the right combination of Barkbox that fits the both of them. The Deystroyer's toys or regular toys are a fit for Jake but not Sydney. The Super Chewers don't fit Jake and half the time, are too big for Sydney. So the search continues for something that suits. I like the fact that BarkBox makes every effort to help, it's just having two dogs with two different toy requirements that's the problem.

So spring is supposed to be on it's way. I'm waiting for warm weather, wearing short sleeves again, not needing to wear a coat every time I am outside. I am waiting most of all to break out all of my spring/summer scents. I don't have loads of spring/summer scents but I still can't wait to break them out. No 19, no matter what the concentration, En Passant, Courtesan, Deneuve, and Un Coeur en Mai. Thus far, I can't place Noontide Petals except in the late winter, very early spring where it is still cold.

Here is Jake:

Here is Sydney: Sydney on her 1st birthday, look at how big she has grown from puppy hood.

Sydney, when we first brought her home.----->

Dry Skin

Well, on Tuesday, Sydney (the puppy) has gotten spayed and she is now back to being her normal terrorizing self. She is very sweet and affectionate but into everything. Somehow, she had gotten into my Christmas gift bag and killed off a cheapo Sephora lip gloss that I was going to use as a stocking stuffer and almost destroyed an iTunes gift card meant for a friend. Luckily, I managed to save the actual gift card itself with the redemption code. Luckily, she didn't grab a hold of the Amouage Honour bar of soap that I have gotten for my mother, otherwise I would have been screwed because Amouage ain't cheap.

It's now winter here in Cleveland, well not officially according to the calender. That means dry skin city. This time of the year is more than a little rough on my skin. It always is pretty difficult to find a lotion that will help with my dry skin. Many lotions that I have tried have either been too light, too heavy or caused some sort of reaction for my skin. It's not just dry skin, it's dry lips too. I have had cracks in the corners of my lips for the past few years. I attribute some of those cracks to the fact that I have lost teeth and can't eat as well as I could but winters are the worst.

Finding a good moisturizer has always been a problem for me. It's either too thick, too thin or causes irritation. I don't always use the Amouage body stuff that I have. Part of the reason is that Amouage is usually pretty expensive and it's rare that I find anything that is in my price range. Like yesterday, while poking around Amazon before work, I had found Jubilation 25 body milk (lotion) for $58. That was something that I couldn't refuse and naturally I snapped it up. Hey, when am I going to find a deal like that. I am still waiting on a good deal for the Epic body butter or lotion.