February 12, 2021
HUM supplements for inner calm, a sheet mask made for "down there" and the exfoliating bath mitt that will forever have a place in my shower.
As sweet way to reduce stress
Despite having a more optimistic outlook for 2021, my “stress list” seems to have no end. (The two are completely unrelated.) Occupying the current top spots this week are the school calendar for next year, how that’s going to affect camp, what camp is going to look like in general, and keeping up with my work to-do list that never seems to get shorter no matter how much time I put in. (Oh yeah, and COVID and my fear of civil unrest, and all that stuff, too.)
I’ll stop because I don’t want to stress you out—and because it’s obviously time for my daily dose of Hum Nutrition’s Calm Sweet Calm. I’d eat these amazing sour-cherry flavored gummies all day if I could (alas, it’s two a day max) because even just the idea of its blend of adaptogenic ashwagandha (which I’ll never be able to spell correctly the first time around) and L-theanine (an amino acid found in green tea) chills me out ever so slightly.
Designed to reduce cortisol and symptoms of stress like fatigue and lack of focus while boosting your mood and promoting relaxation, Hum says it can take four to six weeks to reap the optimal benefits—but a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (i.e. legit) clinical study did find that 125mg of Calm Sweet Calm’s patented ashwagandha extract reduced stress symptom scores by 62% and cortisol levels by 14.5% in 60 days.
So the way I look at it, I’m about 40 to 45 days away from Zen—and it’s a good thing Hum sent me enough to last until I start shopping and packing for camp.
The mask I never imagined I'd need
If there’s one item that sums up the pandemic, it would be a mask (of the facial covering variety). In my world (and perhaps yours), skincare masks could also be considered an acceptable alternative since I’ve never used them more than I have since last March. This is obviously because I’ve pressed pause on all of my personal grooming outsourcing (the one exception being my hair color), including my bikini waxes. But before your imagination runs wild, let it be known that I have been keeping everything neat and tidy, especially since I wear a tennis skirt (around other people) at least three times a week.
Although I’m not happy about this shift to shaving my bikini line, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do—and this girl has found herself dealing with ingrown hairs and irritation from time to time. Then something amazing happened earlier this week… LAPCOS launched a calming Bikini Mask!
This antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, 100%-cotton sheet mask for “down there” is infused with soothing ingredients like hemp seed oil, aloe vera and grapefruit help alleviate and shaving side effects—and it will come in handy when I get back to Marta for my monthly waxes again. My only concern is finding a good time to use it considering my son is home 24/7—and I certainly wouldn’t want him to be scarred for life if he witnessed me giving this sheet mask a try.
I can't stop thinking about this bath mitt
You know how sometimes you get a song in your head, and no matter what you do, it just won’t go away? I experience a similar situation with beauty products from time to time, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Supracor’s Stimulate Bath Mitt since last week (especially when I’ve been in the shower).
I’ve been using my Baiden Mitten for the past few months, but I fear I’m not getting the most out of it since you’re supposed to soak in a tub before using it to slough away dead skin (which has not been happening on a regular basis). The Stimulate mitt appeals to me because it can be used dry (similar to dry-brushing) upon stepping into the shower or wet once I’m in there—and apparently just a little soap or shower gel yields a nice lather. Best of all, the mitt itself is naturally antimicrobial and antibacterial so it won’t add to my cleaning burden. P.S. I just ordered one in black.