30 Days Of Thanks - Mom Treats

I'm really late to the self-care/treat-yo-self game. Long years of caring for babies and running a household on a (tight) budget, it is so ingrained in me to put everyone else's needs or wants before mine. I hold no grudge when I say that.  Parenthood makes servants of us all. It stretches our hearts to the point of self-neglect sometimes. When I see young parents in the trenches, I marvel at how they are doing it and how I survived it. My husband and I were discussing how sometimes we just want to scoop up those fussy babies during Mass to give their stressed-out, sleep-deprived parents a break. I think we need to start a ministry of baby soothers in the back of church for these young parents. Anyhow, the nature of the trench I am in is different now. There's a lot more time for self-reflection, more time to pray, more time to nap (!!!) and a bit more room in the budget for treats. 

One of my new splurges is an Ipsy subscription.  I don't remember how it crossed my radar but remember thinking I wanted a special treat for my forty-ninth birthday.  Ipsy is a monthly beauty product subscription. There are different membership tiers, the cheapest of which is $12.  That tier gets you five high-end, trial-sized beauty products.  I'm also subscribed to the $25 bag but I opted to get that every other month. That bag contains full-sized products. You can customize your profile to reflect your product preferences. The first few months, I customized to get mostly make-up but recently switched it so I am currently getting mostly skincare products.  After almost a year of being subscribed, I don't think I can ever go back to drugstore brands. So far, I haven't had any issues despite my ultra-sensitive skin. My current favorites are the Illamasqua hydra veil, It CC cream, Murad AHA, and Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion. I was so excited to get the super-expensive 111Skin serum one month but it did nothing for my skin. It retails for almost a hundred dollars so I'm thankful for the opportunity to try it without the sticker shock. I share this subscription with my daughter so it is turning out to be a good deal for both of us.

Another birthday splurge was Colorstreet nail strips.  My dear friend Sara introduced me to this product and I have not bought a single jar of nail polish ever since. Even my Ipsy profile is set so that I will not get nail polish! I love that there's no drying time, there's a wide selection to choose from (I favor mostly the glitters), and the durability.  I, however, do not like how they discontinued a lot of my favorites without notice.  I'm still crying about Belize Bellini. Like Ipsy, I share this treat with my daughter. I don't love a lot of things enough to want to sell them myself but I'm seriously considering selling these if only to get a discount!

 


New to my self-care splurge are hand soaps and candles.  My faves are sold at Bath and Body Works. As often as I wash my hands, their soap is the only one that does not aggravate my eczema. Their candles have amazing "throw" (how fragrance fills a room). Both products tend to be expensive and as someone who has worked in retail, I do my best not to pay retail if I have don't have to.  I usually stock up when there's a big sale.  My current favorite soap scent is frosted cranberry.  As for the candles, my favorite fall scent is Gather.  For Christmas, I can't say I have a favorite but we do have Winter Candy Apple, Merry Cookie, and Vanilla Noel on rotation.  

For this season in my life when I can allow myself some treats, I am so very thankful.