Influenster: St. Ives

Influenster sent me products from one of my favorite companies in my most recent Voxbox! I got St. Ives new Oatmeal Scrub, Even and Bright Pink Lemon and Mandarin Exfoliating Body Wash, and Refresh and Revive Pear Nectar and Soy Body Lotion.

I've used St. Ives off and on for years (I love their Apricot Scrub), so I was excited to give these products a try!

Oatmeal Scrub

I love the Oatmeal Scrub. One thing I've loved about St. Ives' Apricot Scrub is how smooth my skin feels after using it, without feeling dried out. The Oatmeal Scrub has similar results. The exfoliation isn't as harsh and the product is creamier, leaving your skin feeling moisturized.

Even and Bright Exfoliating Body Wash

The Pink Lemon and Mandarin scent is amazing. I also loved how my skin felt silky after using the body wash. My only problem is I don't really use body wash very often, I prefer bar soap. So despite using this a couple of times, I haven't enjoyed it as much as the Oatmeal Scrub.

Refresh and Revive Body Lotion

I also really enjoyed the Pear Nectar and Soy scent. That said, this lotion doesn't cut it for my skin during the winter. Heaters really dry my skin out and I need something that really moisturizes to keep up. However, I'm looking forward to trying this again this summer. Both the scent and the consistency of the lotion should be perfect once the heaters are off and my skin isn't so dry. I'm considering taking it to the office to share with my co-workers!

What are your favorite skincare products?

A Chilly Breeze

You may remember a while back when I had Mullin Plumbing out to repair the faucet handles in my tub. In order to do the work the plumber had to remove the panel accessing the pipes to the tub. Since removing the panel messed up the paint job around the edges I told him not to replace the panel since I wanted to touch up the paint first.

Of course, that was when the weather was warm.

Getting the insulation ready to put in.

Weeks later I still hadn't found the time to fix the panel and I started noticing a chilly breeze in the restroom. Replacing the panel quickly became a priority. That's also around the time that I remembered to check the vents to my crawl space. Every single one was open. Oops. Once I closed all the vents the chill in my bathroom was noticeably less, but I still needed to get the panel in place so I could stop heating my crawl space.

I borrowed my dad's drill and some extra insulation he had so that even once the panel was back in place the breeze wouldn't get in. I cut a section of the insulation, fitted it into the opening (paper side out) and put the panel in place. The tricky part was that the frame didn't offer much for the screws to grab hold to and the insulation was thick enough that trying to hold the panel in place until the screws were in place was frustrating. It also didn't help that the panel is so close to the toilet that I couldn't use the drill for the screws on the left. I had to track down my screwdriver.

It always amazes me how a project you put off for ages can take less than 10 minutes once you take the time to get started.

The job all finished!

Storm Door Safety

The finished product. I think the big pots are
new since my last post about the front entry way.

A couple weekends ago my dad and I installed my new storm door. I decided to buy a storm door to help with my air conditioning and heating bills, plus the added security of having the glass door that locks. Now I can open my front door without immediately giving people access to the house. In theory I should have time to slam the door shut again if I opened it to find someone scary on the other side (not that a glass door is perfectly secure of course).

My door before the storm door was installed.

Keeping it Simple
The door came in three parts. The frame, the glass/screen and the door handle. I purchased the door from Lowe's, you're able to mix and match the three parts. I kept it pretty basic with clear glass, a white frame and the same brass hardware that was on my front door.

Installing the pressure
pump that controls how
fast the door closes.

The main reason I wanted to stay simple with the storm door was the fact that my front door is so pretty. I didn't want anything that would hide the door. If I didn't love the front door I might have gone with one of the etched glass options or gotten a storm door with the iron designs. Although all of those options also cost more. I chose white because all the trim on my house is already white, so it just blended right in.

Lowe's had an installation option that cost just under $100, but my dad said that we would be able to install it ourselves. I mean we did build a deck all on our own!

The only real problem we ran into was that Dad's drill bits apparently got taken out of his tool bucket and didn't make it to my house. He sent me to the store for some (like I know what a drill bit is!). I managed to find a set with the size he needed and then we were in business.

Most of the actual installation Dad did, I helped hold the glass in place and get the edging into place. Meanwhile I got some yard work done, cleaned the garage, vacuumed my car and cleaned off my step aerobics equipment so that I could bring it inside and USE it. Call me crazy, but letting it sit in the garage covered in spider eggs wasn't getting me in shape. Now its clean, in the house and I actually used it today!

Finished Product

Ollie likes the new view!

So far I love the door. I've also been leaving the main door open sometimes when I'm home during the day. Ollie really likes that, he'll sit there for hours watching birds, neighbors, even the wind. He's always liked looking out the front windows, but his view is more limited since he has to perch on the furniture to see out.

I haven't been able to compare my utility bills yet to see if the storm door has made a difference, but I can't hear the wind whistling through the hairline cracks in the front door anymore, which is a good sign. The door is gorgeous, but not very well sealed. Between each of those panels is a miniscule opening that I could hear the air coming through. Dad and I tried to seal it at one point, but the tube exploded before we made any significant progress.

So far this was a great purchase!