Shoot, people. I’ve missed you.
Before I get all explainy, let me say a belated-ish Happy Holidays to you all.
Happy Holidays to you all!
Now – what happened to me?
Well, it’s a long, sordid story that starts out with a tearful reunion and ends two weeks later with falling asleep while waiting in LAX for 8 hours for a late plane. Long story short, we were pretty stranded there for an extra week. But we made it home, limbs and love intact. At some point a jar of pumpkin butter exploded in my luggage, leaving it the only thing worse for wear.
Well, that and our bank account. Have you SEEN the price of food in airports lately? For what we paid for nachos and a burrito, I expect Gordon Ramsay made baby pilots cry golden tears into the refried beans.
And while I was gone, I fell off every wagon imaginable:
Homemade deodorant wouldn’t fit in my luggage, and my natural deodorant was leaving me a little … offish … after a few hours. So, shamefully, I used Secret for a week.
The unseasonably wet air and Burbank tap water did horrid things to my hair, and I just stopped having the energy to try to fix it with the no ‘poo method. Eventually, I got tired of looking like Medusa the Mophead.
I am shampooing again. For now.
Lastly, I think I went almost four days without washing my face at all.
I wasn’t pretty, there at the end.
But there was one thing I did right in all of this. I visited Lather.
My Lather Story
We gave Fiance’s sister some breathing room and stayed a few nights in the Beverly Garland Hotel. The first morning there, we were watching quality hotel television programming and a spot came on for this little shop called Lather.
I whined. I wiggled. I gave Fiance puppy-dog eyes.
Two hours later, we were in Pasadena, skipping into Lather.
Hana, the helpful shopgirl, was waiting at the counter when we walked in.
She was an absolutely magnificent babysitter. She kept Fiance busy while I ran around the shop, trying every skincare product they had out for testing.
Had I thought about it, I would have taken a picture of myself afterward. Have you ever seen anyone glow? Literally? That’s what I was doing.
Anyway, Lather specializes in healthy, holistic skincare and they have things like Sea Kelp Body Oil, Cucumber Milk facial cleanser (which smells super cucumbery), and this Coconut Creme body whip that sinks into your skin and melts your heart.
Their stuff was so unique and fun, I knew I had to share it with y’all, so I started snapping pictures.
On the wall, they display their mission statement proudly. That’s what really got me. It says:
Since LATHER’s inception in 1999, we’ve strived to inspire a healthier, more radiant life. By taking a holistic approach to skin care, placing our focus on sourcing natural ingredients and essential oils, as well as drawing upon the benefits of aromatherapy, we provide high quality products that care for the skin as well as the mind.
As our brand continues to grow, we aim to take this holistic vision to a higher level, seeking out opportunities to give back to the community, educate our customers, sustain the environment, and support endeavors that help others lead a more radiant life.
Dreamy. I was smitten.
Meanwhile …
Hana took a break from babysitting Fiance, and before I knew it, he was rushing up to me, arms full of product, saying “Let’s get this for your mom. Let’s get this for me. Let’s get this for your son. Maybe you want this?!?!?!?”
Never take a man shopping in a natural beauty store. He’s either going to hate you for it … or bankrupt you.
So with a bag full of gifts for family and ourselves, we left Lather cleaner, healthier and better smelling than we came in.
In closing: If you’re ever in the Pasadena area, stop in and say hi to Hana. There are also Lather locations in Scottsdale, Arizona and the Atlanta airport (which makes it maybe the only reason I’ll ever fly again). If you’re nearby, visit!
But leave your significant other at home.
And if you’re not in the area … well … there’s always the internet. (My recommendation: The bamboo face scrub or the sweet almond face moisturizer.)
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What fun things did you do while I was gone?
What’d you get for Christmas or Hannukah?
Yay! I’m so happy to be back!
I just happened to be in Altadena visiting friends when I read this posting. Pasadena is the next town over so we went to check the place out. Very cool. I got some great soaps and some samples when I told them that I had come in because I had heard about Lather from your blog. 🙂
Welcome Home, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!! I love LATHER!! luckily we have one here…and one of my good friends gave me a sweet package from there for my birthday…I love the items so much that I use them so sparingly as I want them to last. So glad you’re spreading the word on their goodies!!
Hope you’re well…sending lots of happy new year energy your way!
Glad you’re back… missed you bunches! Don’t sweat the whole “falling off the wagon” thing, you’re human after all… we’ll just love you all the more for being (and keeping it) really really real!
My mom and sister were both impressed with how great my formerly zit covered face looked when they saw me over the holidays, so I had the opportunity to tell them about the oil cleanse method. Yay! New recruits!
BTW, my next endeavor in homemade body care will be something along the lines of a cloth diaper friendly diaper lotion/creme thing.
OH you evil devil! Just when I thought I would be able to stay away from pasadena you go and plant a sirens call. Fortunately I live close enough to indulge. I’ll have to make a trip over there soonishly.
Glad you’re back, I’ve missed reading your stuff!
Yay you’re back! I miss reading about your awesome crunchy recipes : ). If only I lived a little further south I could visit the Lather in Pasadena, it looks like a place I could spend a lot of time (and money) in! I wanted to say I bought some of your face scrub and I’m so crazy about it, it makes my skin feel so nice and soft! Thanks for putting such a great scrub together for us.
Welcome back! We’ve missed you! (we = the internets and I)
Glad you’re back again! I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place. Hana will be getting a visit from me in the new year. 🙂
As I was reading this I felt a great sadness that there wasn’t a store like this anywhere near me…
….Until I read that there is one in Scottsdale. I let out quite a loud and elated gasp. Guess where I’m going to drag my dear husband sometime this week? 😉 But my husband won’t be as good as your fiance. He’ll probably whine the whole time. So maybe it’s better that he doesn’t go. And then he won’t ever know if I do end up spending a fortune there. Yes. I like this idea better….
It’s ok about you falling off the deodorant wagon- I gave it to everyone for Christmas. And I am pestering my mom and sisters daily to make sure they use it. Including me, I’ve recruited 5 pit sniffers. It all balances out.
I am a sucker for a nice body scrub. Might have to visit the online store.
Welcome back! That place looks uber cool. I used to live in Scottsdale, now I’m sad I never happened upon this place!
Well, you know about my swanky new lens…
And Himself got a mandolin.
And now I’m suddenly hungry for cucumber cleanser.
wait, literally hungry for cucumber cleanser?
Thanks for visiting and spreading the word! Glad you got home safe!