Semester end.

School has made it impossible to keep up on my blogging. I'm going to try to keep it together around here.

Right now, the thing that is making me feel the most beautiful is exercise. It's incredibly hard to come by these days. I teach and go to school full time and this is the time of the semester where I realize I haven't seen the gym in about a month and have been cooped up in my school or home office for far too long.

Walks around the lake with the dogs are making up (some) for my missed gym time... And that lake is pretty gorgeous, right?



Of course, if you're going to go do outdoor activities it's absolutely imperative that you wear sunscreen. Our culture places an unnatural amount of pressure on you to look young and sun damage will only age you. More importantly, skin cancer is a real pain in the ass. So when you get out there slather some sunscreen on. Please.
This is my favorite sunscreen for my face. I'm a total Clinique junkie because I have sensitive skin. This sunscreen is magic, though. Not only is it busy protecting your skin from harmful UV rays, but it has these really subtle light diffusers that give you an amazing glow. I kid you not, I've had some really crappy, tired skin days and people have complemented my on how healthy I look. I attribute it all to this stuff.

My advice for myself and my stressed out comrades is that you slick some of this stuff on and get out there. Nothing says beauty like a clean face, exercise and getting back in touch with nature.

Beauty vs. Feminism

So, I've been having some guilt about my feminism and writing a blog (even if I'm the only one reading it) about liking beauty products. I'm going to attempt to work some of it out here. Let no one be mistaken, I am a feminist.

I feel rather conflicted about the entire issue. I like to feel pretty (obviously), I don't like to feel objectified and I certainly don't appreciate feeling bad about my body, how I look or anything else. So where am I at in all this? It's so hard to say. Do I have to pick between loving beauty products and fashion and loving feminism?

On the one hand: I feel that the fashion industry controls a lot of how women think about their bodies. It's not just that models are stick thin, it's that often, they are still children. They don't have women's bodies yet and over-sexualizing child-like forms is always wrong, in my book. I realize that some women are very thin, naturally and we should appreciate that, but most are not. These issues worry the crap out of my feminist self.


On the other: There's a lot of feminist rhetoric that seems to claim that liking beauty products and fashion disqualifies you from being a good feminist. While I understand that point of view, I also think that acceptance is the answer. Women who don't want to wear makeup are fine and beautiful and so are the ones who do -as long as we all feel good about ourselves. It's when we want to do these things to change ourselves into something we aren't or can't be that I feel afraid for women -including myself. Wishing to adorn ourselves doesn't have to be about objectification, it can be about celebration, instead. I especially appreciate when I see women creating, when fashion becomes art for everyday use. I don't like seeing fashion making women feel terrible and a lot of times it does.

So how does this problem resolve itself?

I can only say that I think what we all need is more love. It would be interesting to know what people would do if we agreed that healthiness all around is what we need. We need to take good care of ourselves inside our minds and bodies.

I believe a feminist can wear heels and lipstick. I also believe that if she doesn't want to, nothing should make her feel bad about it.

Additionally, I think knowledge is one of the most attractive features of all. So if you're interested in reading some killer stuff about the beauty industry and/or beauty products from any side of the issue, here are some reads I recommend:

Backlash, by Susan Faludi
The Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolf
The Goddess Guide, by Gisele Scanlon
Stitched Up, by Stephanie Vermeulen
Fresh Lipstick, Linda M. Scott
My Mother's Wedding Dress, by Justine Picardie
Women Who Run With the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Spinning Straw Into Gold, by Joan Gould


The last two are not about beauty, specifically, but I think they're amazing books about how women form perceptions about themselves. Empowering stuff. If you really enjoy the last two books you might consider The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter.

So I guess my promise is that I'll keep thinking about all of it. I hope we all will.

Tired Eyes

I suffer from allergies so from May to October, so there's a good chance I'll wake up with puffy eyes. There are lots of tips and tricks out there that will help, if you too suffer from bloated eyes. I like to drink a glass of cold water then splash my face with it until my face feels refreshed. Tea bags work ok, but they need to be steeped in hot water and then chilled to really work and that takes time.

However, Clinique's "all about eyes" cream really does the trick. It reduces the appearance of dark circles. Then it gives eyes a quick de-puff and leaves them silky smooth and ready for makeup. I love to call it "nap in a bottle," even though it is clearly in a little tub, "nap in a little tub" doesn't sound as fresh. It's a little pricey, but it lasts forever, you don't need too much. If you time things right you can get the Clinique bonus gifts at almost any department store. Presents are always nice.

I won't rhapsodize about how wonderful it is for pages and pages, though I'm sure I could. Today, I have reading that goes on forever (a 900 page book and several critical articles) and my alma mater is playing our biggest "rivals" which only means that I get to dig out my cute, girly jersey and lounge around the house in that instead of my other pajamas. There's student work that needs to be graded and my office is a mess. I wanted to go on a hike... Anyway, you get the gist.

Sales by Email

I am a huge fan of any kind of sale.

One tip for smart, savvy shoppers is that (mostly) all of the sale items in your favorite shops are located at the back of the store. Know where the sale rack is in your favorite stores in advance, then head there first.

If you are an avid online shopper you should sign up for Shop it To Me. The site will email you items with sale items in your size and favorite brands. Pretty cool stuff.

Also, TJ Maxx and Marshalls are great for tops and purses and Ross (dress for less) has amazing dresses... All for cheaper than the department store. No online shopping though. Sad.

Fitflops

I decided to make the Fitflop my first post because mine are some of the best shoes I've ever had. If you haven't heard, the Fitflop claims to be a workout in a shoe. The microwobbleboard technology is supposed to help all manner of back and foot problems, in addition to making your legs look fantastic. While I'm not sure that my legs look any better for wearing my Fitflops around the country this summer, I do think they're about the most comfortable shoes in the world. I've had problems with my lower back since I was a high-school cheerleader and got injured within the same six months as two car accidents. These shoes almost guarantee that I don't have problems with my knees or back. I try to wear them around the house and when I run errands as much as I possibly can. Don't get me wrong, my shoe wardrobe consists of high heels, gladiator sandals and about every kind of boot possible - and I'll get to talking about all of those things in good time -but these shoes are seriously awesome.

I got my Fitflops in May. My husband and I got married last November and as we are both still in school we couldn't swing a honeymoon until this summer. So we made some plans, agreed to be poor for the entire summer because we wouldn't have jobs and embarked on a six-week road-trip around the West. We had a fantastic time. You'd think after seven years together we wouldn't have anything to say to each other in the car for six weeks, but we talked non-stop, it was great.

I digress.

The Fitflops were purchased as something of an impulse buy while we were visiting D's parents in Wisconsin. D needed new hiking boots and put buying them off until we were already on our trip. So while he was trying on numerous pairs of expensive boots I wandered around the store with the promise of getting a second pair of shoes half off. If I could remember the name of the store, I'd link it... Maybe later. Anyway, I spotted the Fitflops at the front of the store and was intrigued. I'd heard of the Fitflop before, but avoided buying them because I was skeptical about their claims of "workout in a shoe." I'd also never seen them in an actual store, where I could try them on. I went for it and they felt pretty comfortable and since I was getting half off anyway I decided to give them a shot.

Something you should know about me, because it will probably come up a million times, is that while in my last year of my undergraduate degree I started to pack on the pounds. I'm lucky, I'm 5'10'' and have always been in pretty good shape, but that last year in college really got to me. I was taking 18 hours of classes and my dad had terminal brain cancer. Stress city, completely. After my dad died I pretty much stopped doing anything that was healthy and since I'd hit the dreaded 22 year-old metabolism slump the weight just piled on. When I got to grad school the stress didn't stop (of course) and while I was sort of successful at losing some weight I've never had a ton of success. So, now my usual size 12 frame is wearing a 16. Not so bad, really, but I'm really trying to lose the weight now. Between our trip full of hiking and the Fitflops I figured I was making a good start. I didn't manage to lose too much weight on the trip. Neither D nor I calculated the amount of time we'd actually spend in the car. I am, however, in much better shape than I was at the start of the summer and my eating habits are back in check. I lost 4 pounds last week, which is very good. I owe at least part of it to the Fitflop.

The Fitflop and I had a reunion this week after being separated for almost a month. Somehow, they got lost. I finally found them under the bed, in the same place I'd looked about 40 times. Such is the Sock and Shoe Stealing Gnomes sense of humor. I'd forgotten how my calves and butt really do feel like they're getting a workout. So I'm back with the Fitflop, Walkstar I (pictured above) until the end of the warm weather. When I checked up on the website I was overjoyed to find that they now have winter shoes. While the most expensive of their fuzzy boot line run at almost 200 bucks, which seems ridiculous, they do have clogs that seemed to be priced at around 80. This is a little more than I'd normally consider paying, but the Fitflops really are that good. I'm saving my pennies already. At the very least, when it starts to snow (because that is when I give up on sandals), I can wear my Fitflops around the house.

Visit the Fitflop website and draw your own conclusions.

I give them two thumbs (and ten toes) up.