Escents Aromatherapy Moisturizing Butter

I picked this up on a whim a couple weeks ago from Escents Aromatherapy on Main. I have a very minor case of eczema on my upper arms (I have many patches of extremely dry, itchy and, literally, scaly looking skin). My doctor prescribed a cream he deemed very strong and would solve the problem, but it didn't work at all for me. The results were the same as when I had been using regular body lotion. I've tried a few products from Kiehl's, The Body Shop Body Butter (which I love for using on my body), good old Vaseline, Nivea, but none of them were able to moisten my dry spots.

Well, I am now dry-free and wonderfully moisturized after using Escents Moisturising Butter (Eczema Care). This product is also available as a Skin Repair Moisturizing Butter, which I have yet to try but has rave reviews! Escents products are proudly manufactured in British Columbia (hooray) and strive to be "born from nature". The ingredients in my moisturizing butter totally makes my skin hungry: Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Cocoa Butter, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Blend of Pure Essential Oils, Vitamin E oil and Carrot Oil ♥

The texture of this butter took me by surprise as it is definitely not lotion-creamy. It's almost like an oily and grainy spread. The grains slowly melt into your skin as you apply it. It's a bit on the oily side and takes a bit of time to dry, but I don't find it messy. It doesn't smell bad, but to me it doesn't smell good either. It's the smell of...well a mix of essential oils! Some might love the smell, while for others it might take a bit of getting used to - but all in all it does not smell bad.

 This is what it looks like straight out of its container. It kind of grossed me out at first.

 After a bit of rubbing and smoothing into my skin the little "grains" begin to melt.

 Ta-da! Now you see nothing - just happy, moisturized skin ♥

The instructions indicate to apply up to 4 times daily - I actually apply just once straight out of the shower and after 4 days I was already seeing a difference in my skin. I'm thinking because it's a thicker oily butter it is able to penetrate and sink into my skin better than a lotion or cream. It's a bit on the pricey side, almost $20 for less than half the size of a regular Body Shop body butter. But because I use it for spot treatment (and I'm guessing others would too) it'll last a long time. Don't forget - a little bit goes a long way.

For all you out there with dry skin or minor eczema like me - you should visit an Escents and try the Moisturizing Butter (for eczema care or skin repair)! I definitely recommend it ♥

xo
Lori

Etsy & All Wired Up Jewelry Designs

I am an Etsy fanatic.

I could spend hours and hours browsing on etsy from one handmade gem to another and forget about sleep, work, food (well everything except my cup of chap or tea or coffee that I`m having while etsying)...yes I can get carried away. If your hobby includes anything related to art and creation or you have a love for anything vintage, etsy may come to be your best interweb friend. It's like ebay, but handmade. The shops don't feel commercial-like or have a marketplace atmosphere, but rather like you're peeking into someone's amazing tumblr photos, or a scrapbook collection of treasure. I love etsy (and you should too).

Some of my etsy favs:

 

Le Muse Asymmetric Top

Scout & Catalogue Scarf

Silk Tee By Rachel Rose

Light Texture Dest Lamp

So many items on etsy just take my breath away. I`m constantly amazed at what people can create today.

I stumbled upon Pennee, a couple months ago while browsing etsy for the perfect handmade gem stack rings. After long hours of jumping from shop to shop and getting frustrated because everything I wanted was totally out of my budget range - a collection of stack rings met my eyes and I fell in love. Then I looked at the price and bingo! Pennee makes a beautiful assortment of precious metal and gemstone jewelry for very affordable prices. And if you think not expensive means not high quality, you'll only be more surprised when opening the tiny parcel in your mailbox to a stack of well-crafted rings (or necklaces or pendants or earrings or bangles - she makes them all).

She also loves custom orders - so if there's something you want (specific style of ring, specific gemstone) that you can't find, send her a message on her etsy page and magic can be made. She also has her own little space on blogger -> All Wired Up Jewelry Designs and she is doing her first blog giveaway. All you have to do is put a hand in spreading the word about her amazing jewelry and you could win one of her most popular bangles - the Floral Pattern Bangle. Check out her blog for contest details.

I purchased a sterling silver stack ring set. It included an Aquamarine stack ring, Iolite stack ring, Burmese ruby stack ring, and a simple twisted wire band ring. I love mixing and matching for a different combination of rings everyday, sometimes I wear them all, sometimes 2 or 3, or sometimes just a single ring. They go well with all the other rings in my personal collection and are a great way to add a bit of sparkle to an outfit or magic to your fingers. I just never want to be without a ring on my finger ♥

xo

Lori