SOS: EMERGENCY HAND RESCUE.



after returning to work for the week, my day was running pretty smoothly for a monday morning. i'd somehow forced myself out of bed, slapped some makeup across my face, put together an outfit that covered the necessary areas and stumbled my way to the bus stop in a sleepy haze. arriving at work, things were good early on. as i served and placed items in a bag for a customer, we chatted about her plans for the day but i became suddenly confused when i proceeded to pass the kind lady her bag. it appeared it wasn't my hands passing it over, but the severely aged and dry hands of perhaps a ninety year old grandmother who hasn't seen the need to use moisturiser for the past ten years. i panicked even further when i realised these were in fact my own hands and although mine have never been close to hand model standards, i could not believe how much i'd neglected them. my hands have a tendency to completely dry out during the colder weather, while my cuticles seem to enjoy encroaching upon my nails personal space bubble and my nails themselves like to break, peel and show off all signs of weakness.

 

although the entire rest of the day i so desperately desired to stash these 'old lady' hands out of sight (perhaps into a nice pair of woollen gloves), that was unfortunately not appropriate nor practical. i have a feeling wrapping gifts would have proved much more challenging and probably would have tested the patience of many customers. fortunately for me, no one appeared to notice (or felt comfortable enough to point out my mitts needed some serious tlc), so that afternoon i scurried home to give them the love that they truly deserved. after all, the least i could do was primp, preen and polish them so they could face the public eye with a little confidence. they do enough for me, don't they?

 

want some ideas for your own emergency hand rescue? read below.

EMERGENCY HAND RESCUE: for your neglected mitts.

 

1. rescue those nails from encroaching cuticles and tiny bits of skin (the ones that hurt like hell and enjoy bleeding when you pull them). i usually just press the cuticles down with my own nails or 'cuticle pushers' and trim them with nail clippers.

 

2. don't let those nails think they're escaping a little snip here and there. trim into your desired shape. feel free to use nail files but they make me shiver (nails on a blackboard anyone?).

 

3. plop a nice twenty cent piece size of l'occitane one minute hand scrub onto the palm of one hand. get imaginative and pretend those hands are having hanky panky, so rub them together close and vigorously for, oh i don't know, probably a minute or so. once done, rinse and dry those now substantially smoother mitts.

 

4. massage some l'occitane cuticle and nail cream into and around your nails. this is your way to apologise for trimming their unruly 'locks' without their permission.

 

5. encourage those nails to grow long and stronger with some help from butter london's - horse power nail fertiliser. one coat should do the trick (for best results continue to use as the bottle directs).

 

6. once those babies are dry, smother them with love in the form of body shop spa wisdom africa hand and foot butter.

 

7. if you do this a while before bed, before your slumber you can apply l'occitane shea butter hand cream for some extra goodness and if you desire, a pair of moisture gloves to soften those hands all night long.

 

i'll be doing a product review on these products, including prices, over the next few days. until then, i hope you keep your mitts in better condition than i have and if not, that my ideas might give them some much needed relief.

 

 

much love, t&e.


* please note that i am NOT in any way, shape or form connected to any business or company. all products are purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own.

current jewellery crush: chunky & chained.

sometimes i follow trends, sometimes i don't. more accurately, sometimes i like things when they happen to be in trend, and the rest of the time i just like whatever the hell i like. however you want to put it, right now i'd like some chunk mixed with chain, please.

 

brand exploring: lush cosmetics.

 

lush. the word itself promotes a feeling of abundance and sensual thriving. just reading descriptions of 'lush cosmetic' products makes my skin crave some serious tlc, thanks to the almost orgasmic way they can talk about avocados and seaweed (it just sounds so damn good!). i've always called myself a lover of 'lush', however recently i have rather naively based this adoration solely on the company values (such as their anti animal testing and environmental campaigns), rather than the products in funky packaging they continuously give birth to. after having a scrumptious brunch with a friend who works at my local lush store, i realised how long it has been since i purchased one of their products, which i really don't have an excuse for as their shop front is directly opposite my own workplace. i was suddenly embarrassed. how could i proudly profess my love without being able to remember the last time i set foot in the store, let alone brought a product.

and so it was decided. on my way to work this morning i set off early and eagerly, ready to do my research in that 'store across the road,' before it was too late and i sooner or later exposed myself for the fraud that i really am. i must credit my cheerful experience to the lovely lass working today who constantly chatted too me as i strolled bug-eyed around the store, trying to take in each texture, colour and smell from the many cosmetics covering the tables and shelves. at the end of my visit, she offered me a copy of 'lush times' which i happily skipped away with and spent all day longing to get home, just so i could delve into its pages and see what else my inspiring visit could potentially offer me.

as soon as dinner was over, i spent the next hour browsing 'lush times' page by page, creating a continually growing list of the many products i'd like to try for myself. i figure many of my current beauty products are starting to run out, so this is the perfect opportunity to swap things up and try some new, crazily scented goodies (never mind my prevelant lack of money, we'll just have to work around that). hopefully over the next few weeks i will be able to start bringing some 'lush' product reviews to you, once i can find enough loose change around the house and in the bottom of handbags to support my new endevour.

have you guys used many lush products? do you have favourites you'd recommend or ones that you wouldn't?

cheers, t&e. x

 

p.s. as of today i am now the (both proud and slightly embarrassed) owner of a 'peter alexander' two piece, black velour tracksuit. i've always wanted one so i'm rather excited, however it's a very early birthday pressie so i have to wait another sixish weeks to wear it. boo you whore!

tv show of the month: the following.

 

unlike people such as my sister, who have seen every tv series released in the last ten years, i myself have difficulty finding time to watch tv quite so religiously. almost every female i know in the 15 to 25 year old age bracket has watched all seasons of gossip girl about three times a pop, while i'm yet to move on from the first. it's not that i don't want to watch tv, i just seem to struggle to find the time or i'll start a season and never get to finish it, therefore forgetting what happened in previous episodes and finding story lines all over the place. i do have a few exceptions which i shall perhaps share with you on another occasion.
however, i thought it only fitting that for my first 'proper' post i'd share with you my new absolute FUCKING FAVOURITE tv show (& possible favourite tv show of the year). anyone who has not heard of or seen 'the following,' i am officially taking it upon myself to give you homework for the week and watch it. i stumbled upon this gem by complete chance and have been absolutely addicted, watching almost all twelve (so far released) episodes back to back. it was a pleasent surprise, as the description i read worded it like your typical crime/thriller/police chasing bad guy kind of series which didn't sound all too exciting or different from the hundreds of others out there. 'the following' brings a whole new oomph to this 'typical' genre by adding some super story lines and character twists (think 'pretty little liars' or 'revenge'). is is more graphic than most tv shows, so if you're a squeemish kind of person, it might be worth steering clear or at least having hands at the ready to sheild your eyes in any vomit inducing moments.
i must make request to anyone who does decide to watch and that would be PLEASE watch the unscencered version. australian tv is currently playing the censored version which is the biggest piece of crapola i have ever seen and really doesn't give you the full effect of its amazingness!
if anyone does decide to check it out, comment and let me know what you think. do you agree with me or not? also, what are your favourite tv shows? i'm always on the look out for more.
cheers, t&e.

welcome to thoughts and encounters.

hello blog world.
this blog is about anything and everything. it's a place to share my interests, likes, dislikes and opinions. somewhere to share things i find on the internet, in magazines or in books. i'll share funny things, sad things, thought provokers and yummy things to make and nibble on. if you like to be crafty like me, i'll share those things with you. fashion, music, beauty? i can do that too. if enough people enjoy my life musings, i might even let you guys choose some subjects. if you don't, please tell me to stop clogging up the internet and go back to spending my life eating nutella and wishing i had money so i could afford more than $10  bottles of champagne.
but for now, let's see where this journey takes us.

to blog or not to blog?

well i guess we have our answer.