Random thoughts on a big day...It's wedding day! Is anyone out there, or are you all watching the festivities? I'm watching the royal wedding as I write, and I'll have one eye on it until I have to leave for work. I'll see if anyone is livecasting it when I get into my office. Fortunately, there will be specials on television tonight, so I'll have an opportunity to see everything I miss.
It's Kate's day, but, like many, I am thinking about Diana - how young, innocent, hopeful, and beautiful she was the day she got married, how poorly she was treated, and how sadly her life ended. Can't help it!
I want to say how much sympathy I feel for everyone in the South affected by the tornadoes - lives, family and friends, animals, homes, possessions, neighborhoods - life as they knew it. It's staggering to contemplate the numbers: at least 300 people dead from one romp by Mother Nature as the storm system moved across the South. My heart is with them.
Space Shuttle Endeavour will launch for the last time today, with Rep. Gabby Giffords in attendance. It's so heartening to know that she was well enough to travel and be there. There is nothing quite like standing close to a shuttle launch. It's awesome. I'll never forget the energy that coursed though my body as I watched the majestic shuttle launch I attended. Godspeed, Endeavour!
What's going on here? Late April and early May bring a riot of color to our area. The azaleas, even the common old ones like my neighbor's hot pink above, are a welcome spring sight. This is a perfect locale for azaleas. Believe it or not, many years ago, when I was trying to decide whether I would move to the West Coast to take an offered job at UCLA's medical school in the department of pharmacology, the dogwoods and azaleas were blooming. I decided that our area - my home - was too pretty to leave. That wasn't the only factor, but it made a difference. Had I made the decision in mid-winter, it might have been different.
Have you ever burned your lips with a beauty product? I did this week. I'm not dead-sure what, but I think I might have applied a glycolic acid serum too quickly and wiped it across my lips, hitting my lower lip the most heavily. I get moisturizer all over my lips often, so it's my best guess. My lips are so "ouchy," as Laurie at Product Girl called it on Twitter! They are red, painful, and feel like they are being stretched apart. Since I'm careful to avoid retinol, the product that will burn me, the serum is my best guess at what left me hurting. My advice to everyone is to read directions. If the label says to avoid the eye and mouth area, pay attention!
It's time for The Friday Forum. We use the forum to share information and chat. Did you find any deals you couldn't resist this week? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By Monday, most readers have moved on.
Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway contest for a bareMinerals Faux & Foxy set! A Sephora exclusive, it's a nice bronzer/lip gloss duo, and it comes with a brush. The colors are nice for any skin tone.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch more wedding arrivals.
Photo by BTiB