August 2016, Fix-It With Fran: All Things Faith, Family, Food, Fun and more!

Ladies– Have you ever noticed how much better your legs feel after a fresh shave?

Yes, you’ve removed any hairs/stubble, but do you know what you’ve also done?

YOU EXFOLIATED!

Did you already know that? COOL! That’s why we’re friends. 😀

Did I lose you? Let me break it down a little bit more:

When you shave, you remove a layer of dead skin.

I know, I’m a nerd, so I’ll try to keep myself from getting too technical.

We shed thousands of skin cells every day; but, without some “extra scrubbing,” these dead cells may stick around until some outside force assists their removal.

Think of those times when you’ve seen your own “ashy” or dry and flaking skin and gone to grab some lotion. The reality is– you should have been doing something to remove this dead skin in advance– like scrubbing with a loofah or sponge or a sugar scrub, but not everyone does that (#shade #noshade #alittleshady #movingon).

Some dermatologists go so far as to even suggest shaving one’s face to obtain a facial glow. I’m not lying (check the link), but I’ll stick to just exfoliating. #ImGood.

Long story short, part of the reason your legs “feel so good” is because you’ve removed all of that dead skin…. It’s enough to make a girl want to shave every day…. butterah, I’m not doing that either, so the Leedgetool is one of my new skincare faves!

You’ve exfoliated, now what?

Time to moisturize!

I love my Oil of Olay in shower lotion, but I can go through it rather quickly, so I also like to have a steady line-up of after shower lotions.

This, Pardon My Pretty Lotion, combines a Super Fruit Blend of antioxidant-strong and fatty acid-rich blueberry, acai, cranberry and goji berry, creating a wholesome treat to boost hydration and improve skin texture and tone.

I love the smell of this lotion and I can be very particular when it comes to my perfumes and lotions. I don’t like any lotion that smells too fruity or that will conflict with my perfumes. Most of all, I despise any lotions that leaves me feeling sticky or that I feel the need to wipe off before getting dressed for the day.

This lotion is lightweight, but very moisturizing and is the perfect way to pamper your skin after you’ve completed a session of exfoliating.

Never shave or exfoliate your legs (or any other area) without then following that activity with the application of a high quality moisturizer. That newly exposed skin is nice and fresh, but it is also more vulnerable to the external environment and needs to be taken care of (Don’t make all of your hard work be short-lived!).

That’s for today’s Fix-It With Fran Skin Care Tips. I’ll be back tomorrow with another update! 😉

Relaxation is such a big focus for me right now. Truth be told, I do too much, far too often and end up with occasions (like this past week) where my body will let me know, “Enough is Enough” and it forces me to take a break. I really don’t like getting sick, so I’ve learned to slow down and take time for myself (Although, I can be honest and admit that I still have a good ways to go with perfecting this behavior).

Despite my tendency to be on the go, I really do enjoy taking time to sit and be still. Sometimes, I listen to the quiet and other times, I like to have instrumental music playing in the background. I’m also an ocean lover, so I have several playlists of nature sounds and oceans (especially beach thunderstorms).

This 60 minute, Tranquil Guitar CD made me feel like a kid in a candy store. I really felt like I’d hit the jackpot when I did my first listen through– there are ocean sounds and soft guitar– all of my favorite memories of North Carolina.

The CD was actually composed and recorded by a board certified music therapist with a master’s degree in psychology. The guitar medleys play over ocean sounds that continue throughout the entire CD and between tracks so there aren’t any breaks or silence between songs. For added relaxation, all of the tracks are played at the rhythm of the resting heart rate.

This CD is made for rest! If you love relaxing music – or if you simply crave peace and calm, you should consider adding this CD to your collection.