I'm worth it

This has been the summer of renovation at my house – and it’s not over next (yikes — stay tuned!). A friend asked the other day how I had managed to get through it without cracking under the pressure. I answered that, to be sure, renovation is stressful, but that I had help. My husband John sawed, nailed, sand-papered, painted and generally worked his butt off without complaint. My kids Emma and James helped by carrying sheets of drywall, washing paint brushes and not laughing when I agonized over ice blue or pure silver on the walls. (The dog, however, was decidedly unhelpful – barking at workmen, snarling at power saws and gnawing on flooring samples.) I have to admit, though, the reno was pretty hard on my delicate skin. Working with one’s hands, and being constantly exposed to dust and rubble can wreak havoc on an aging very experienced epidermis like my own. But I had help with that too, and in the interest of letting readers know that great products – be they home related or personal — don’t have to cost a bomb, I want to share. It so happened that at the beginning of the summer, I was sent a basket of samples of new moisturizers from St. Ives. I stashed one in every room, and ended up using them a couple of times a day as an antidote to punishment of the rough work I was doing. My fave is the Mineral Therapy lotion, which contains potassium and iron that’s supposed soothe dried skin  and protect against future moisture loss. And get this – it’s about $7 for a 600-millilitre pump bottle  (although I saw it this weekend in No Frills for $3.97 - yowzer!) I kid you not. Unbelievably good value. I also got sent a sample of Bio-Oil, a product that’s generally marketed as a scar and stretch mark solution. I’m here to tell you, though, that it’s also a marvelous facial moisturizer, and works wonderfully as a body lotion – especially if you apply it after a shower or bath when your skin is still damp. It’s also affordable — 60 millilitres sell for about $13, and because you don’t use much, it lasts a long time. What has all this got to do with home improvement? Nothing, I suppose, unless you agree that your body is a temple!!!