Fighting the Humidity, One Product at a Time

As previously mentioned, my move to a more humid climate is creating changes in my beauty habits.  I love the heat and even kind of love the humidity, one thing I don't like? The pools of sweat that form on my skin after just five minutes outside. 

A wise dance instructor once told me which lotion to use to combat this, and now I pass the knowledge to you.  Once you get over the stereotype of the product, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it in sweltery, sweaty summers!  It's cheap, easy to find (can be found really any where lotion is sold), and you'll thank me just as I still thank that wonderful teacher.

Jergens Age Defying Lotion

Dear Delta Airlines,

I wanted to take a minute and thank you for making my life easier with your phone app.  In my fast paced world, I do not always get a chance to sit at a computer and print my boarding pass.  This app solves that!  The app push notifies me when it's time to check in, I simply check in via the app and it issues me my digital boarding pass right there. I can look up my itineraries, flight times, and it notifies me of gates and gate changes.  Some may think that this small little post was solicited, it wasn't.  It's just nice to have a corporate entity have an app that works (looking at you HHonors) and makes my life so much simpler!

Sincerely,
Grateful Business Traveler

Welcome to the South! Here's a Mint Julep.

As mentioned, I recently moved from the Rocky Mountains to the Ozark Mountains.  Many people, myself included, consider this new neck of the woods to be the South.  It's a little bit of a culture shock, however, I'm already enjoying it!  We found a little 1200sqft house to rent versus an apartment and it's already making a huge difference.  He's excited he finally has a garage and the liberty to paint the walls, work on his car, sit on the porch, not have nosy upstairs/downstairs neighbors, etc.  I'm excited, with my new found interest in cooking, that there's a garden plot!  I have big plans for this including growing cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil (excited for those salads!). However, there's already something growing in it:  Mint.  That weed of a plant mint that is taking up 1/4 of the garden plot.  However, I thought I'd take advantage of it by welcoming myself to the South and enjoy a little drink on my new lawn.

Mint Julep

Ingredients:

• Simple Syrup
• Fresh Mint Leaves
• Bourbon (recommendation from a friend:  Four Roses Small Batch)
• Ice
• Water

Instructions:

1. To make simple syrup:  Bring water to a boil, add in equal part sugar (example: 1 cup water to 1 cup sugar), stir together until sugar is dissolved.  Set aside until cool.
2. To make Julep:  In glass, muddle (aka smash) mint leaves, fill glass half full with ice, pour in two shots Bourbon.  Add water and simple syrup to taste.  Garnish with mint leaves.
3. Enjoy!

Total Time: 5 minutes

Must Have: Dry Shampoo

CVS Pharmacy Brand Dry Shampoo
(compare to TRESemme)

I recently moved from the Rocky Mountains to the Ozark Mountains and therefore to what the locals call the "Mid-South."  Let me tell you, the hardest thing to get used to is the humidity! I also conveniently forgot from my time in the Upper Midwest what humidity did to my hair (read:  made it flat and oily.  Yuck.)  However, on a two week business trip to Atlanta I found my solution!  Dry Shampoo.

Now, to be honest, I sort of stumbled across this product when shopping for hairspray (for those of you reading along, you might have caught on to the container not being 3oz or under, but I go through a lot of hairspray and still refuse to check a bag.  This manifests itself in with these longer trips buying cheaper hairspray locally).   I'm really not picky on trips what kind of hair products I use; I even use the free products in the hotel.  And yes, honestly, I did think I was buying hairspray (I never had this hair issue at an altitude a mile above sea level!) but it's a mistake I'm now grateful for.  My hair tends on the oilier side in the summer with the humidity, but no longer!  Just spray it on in the morning or as a touch up during the day, and hair looks less oily and less flat. 

I will definitely be buying one of the brands when I return home.  Like this one: TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo.