Sociables.

Do they still make those crackers? Anyhoot, I thought I'd hip yall to a running column from Jezebel called, Social Minefield. It pretty much helps you make your way through this thing called life, or rather how to always appropriately handle a variety of social or life situations. Maybe this is "whatever" for those who might have life on lock, but for those of you who, like me, find yourselves overthinking and just generally being way too neurotic, then maybe this column can be of service. Granted I don't always agree with every single piece of advice, but I don't necessarily disagree with any of it either. Overall, it's all pretty sound.

So yeah...wondering how to be a well-behaved drunk? Or how to quit your job? Or how to give the perfect gift? Go here .

I love this idea.

It's no surprise that Gwyneth and her e-newsletter, GOOP, get poked fun at quite a bit. I personally cringe over the name. Obviously not everyone can afford to live exactly as she does, but many can choose one thing here or there to embrace the same message she purports - healthy, stylish, mindful, simple, inspired, and good, whether it be where you go on vacation, what books you read, what culture's medicine you consider for your ailments, how you stay active, or what food you eat.

This week's newsletter mentioned an olive grove, Nudo, where you can either purchase their olive oils or you can, wait for it...adopt an olive oil tree for one year. They support small farming, cutting out the big mechanical processes wherever possible that lead to soil erosion and blander flavors. They don't use pesticides, either. To adopt a tree you start out by identifying which of the ten groves you'd like to adopt within, or you let them pick one for you. Throughout the year you receive two separate packages made from the fruit of your tree (and technically blended with it's nearby neighbors in the same grove). And they even allow people to visit their groves, even see their adopted tree, if they'd like. How freakin' cool is that? Receiving this awesome oil from a grove that you hand-picked and then taking a trip to Italy to see the grove?! Yes, please! While it is a bit pricey, at $105, I think this is such a neat concept! It would make a great gift for the spouse or significant other who's a foodie or amateur gourmet chef. Or a gift to oneself, even. A gal can dream, can't she?




- d.

it's like starting over.

Good morning! Today is my, ehem, 31st birthday. And since I've yet to post on our little "collective" here, I thought today should be the day! Since, I'm another year older today, this is about skin care products. Now, I'm not a member of that beauty review site, so I'm not sure if these get a good grade or not, but here are some pros and cons I've found. I swear this isn't a promo for St. Ives.

First up we have the St. Ives Renewing Collagen Elastin body lotion. It's nearly fragrance free, which I like, it's got some good minimal ingredients and the bottle states "not tested on animals"* I've only been using this for a week or so, but I like it, I can tell a difference in the feel of my skin, not only smooth but in the "bounce back test" it passes, with flying colors!

Next up, we have the St. Ives Daily Microdermabrasion. This little gem was actually brought to my attention by Dana a while back. The ingredients are not as minimal as I'd like, and the bottle does state "not tested on animals"*. First off let me state that I do NOT use this daily, my skin cannot handle anything other than daily face washing, therefore I cannot attest to the daily powers it may or may not offer. I use this product about three times a week, usually after I run outside to assist in removing any outside dirt and bacteria. The first thing one will notice about this product is the fineness of the "scrubbers", its very fine and for those with sensitive skin, that is a good thing, the smaller they are the less harsh they are on your face! I can immediately tell a difference on the feel and see a more youthfulness look to my skin after I use this. Does this offer the same type of long-term effects of an actual microdermabrasion treatment at your local spa, obviously not, but it's a great, cheap way to get you through.

* This is a bit of a side bar on the whole "Not Tested on Animals" I truly do try and look for these on products I purchase, as do I also try to purchase products from the ever-growing list of companies that DO NOT test on animals. But I'd like to point out something on this statement, as it can be slightly misleading. The "Not Tested on Animals" label only means that that product, that is bottled/packed up nice and neat as is for you was not tested on animals. It does not mean that some of the ingredients (of which the majority of animal testing occurs) used in the product were not tested on animals, nor does it mean that previous versions of the product were not tested on animals. The only way to be sure a product is totally cruelty free is to look for this label or purchase products from the companies listed on the those that do not test list, better yet are vegan products which not only are not tested on animals, but use no animal ingredients (I'm well aware of the price of these things though, and for those of us on a budget it may not be an option) but this label is! (I'm removing myself from the soap box now!)