The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It sure feels like the end of December, because:

• Everyone around me seems to be operating in a friendly, half-assed manner. People are staying home from work. No one's scheduling meetings. We've collectively decided to phone it in.
• With no one going to work, rush hour traffic is a breeze.
• Stuff's on sale.
• Basically, after a shitty year, folks seem to be taking it down a notch for one week. 

I think this, the week between the excitement of Christmas and New Years, might truly be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. This is the time when we get to bask in the glow of Christmas without stressing or rushing to the next relative's house. The decorations are up, deadlines were met one way or another, and all our presents still seem new and exciting. I truly feel like I have everything I need.

This holiday season, I spent time with my favorite people and animals, gave some presents I was really excited about, got some presents I was overjoyed about (like my long-lusted after honeybee flatware from Billy), collected donations for people in need, slept a lot, made my home extra cozy, and tried to enjoy each of my moments.

 

Part of me can't wait for next year. The other part of me knows that we can't know how this year will go and who will still be here next year. So until then, I'll be holding tight to all the cheer in my heart. 

Let's Make Hateful Behavior Burn Itself Out

There's a concept in behavioral therapy known as the extinction burst:

When you're trying to remove a behavior, whether it's a toddler's tantrums, or, let's say, xenophobia or misogyny, often you will actually see an increase in that behavior before it dies.

This morning, reflecting on the concept of the extinction burst has brought my only flicker of hope. 

We have witnessed the most vile side of American behavior. Voters screaming "Hang the n*gger. Men shouting "Grab her by the p*ssy" as though it's a slogan for empowerment. A female presidential candidate being subjected to double standards I once would have considered laughable. 

But something else is happening. People -- vulnerable people -- are talking about this. We are finding support among each other. We are emboldened by each other.

You may see this as a far stretch, but I have seen the extinction burst in action. When Michael Vick was busted for hanging, drowning, electrocuting, and shooting dogs, I worked for an animal welfare organization. 

We'd spent decades trying to, among other things, bust dog fighting rings and educate the public about pit bulls. It took Michael Vick to get the media on our side. Immediately after his ugly deeds came to light, the news, and the public, turned to us with questions and sympathy for these dogs. TV, radio, newspapers and magazines turned to us. We finally got to speak for misunderstood dogs, and in their spotlight, the dogs positively shined. There were animal abusers, yes, but there were also people who came forward to heal and love the victims. 

Our humane officer, who had seen the most violent side of dog fighting, suggested that Vick, a criminal and a bully, might have been the best thing to happen to pit bulls. 

Let this horrible election empower vulnerable people the same way. Let's have important conversations now.

Let us find our voices the way the bullies have. Let's be brave enough to stop hate in its tracks. Voting was not enough. Let us stand up for ourselves and each other. 

It is my greatest hope today.




From the bottom of my heart, thank you Amanda in Hawaii for the wise Facebook post that inspired this post. You were my bright spot in a dismal morning.

I Married an iPod: Marriage and Comfortable Chatter

-->

We just can't stop talking.

I cannot read a book around my husband. I can hold a book open, and look at it, but every few sentences, Billy will have something new to tell me.  After he interrupts me enough times, I give up and chat with him instead. I don’t mind.

Billy would tell this story the other way around, and that’s fair. I’m usually bursting with things to tell him, too. This is most evident in the morning. I wake up before he does, and somehow, I’m always dying to tell him about my dreams, how I slept, and everything I have to do that day.

I try my hardest not to unload my thoughts on Billy until he’s ready. I wait until he initiates conversation with me. This is what I call “opening the floodgates.”

“Morning,” he’ll mumble from his pillow.

This is my cue to tell him all the thoughts I’ve been holding in since we went to bed.

Even when we’re apart, Billy and I tend to tell each other everything. We text each other — a lot. Friends are used to watching me send him pictures of my food and updates about where I am and what's going on. I try to be discreet about it, but if something funny happens, I can’t resist texting Billy the play-by-play.

To be honest, this is what I love most about him. I love his earnest, undivided attention. And I love being the person who gets an unfiltered gaze into his wondrous brain. I was lucky to marry a man who is smart, funny, creative, and wildly unpredictable. His train of thought blazes like wildfire, moving from topic to topic and veering into unexpected directions. Or maybe he’s more like an iPod on shuffle — constantly streaming new songs and new ideas into my eager ears.

I like to think that I keep him on track. When he careens down a path of self-doubt, I reel him back in. And when I need reassurance, a laugh, a fresh perspective, or just a place to put my wandering thoughts, he never leaves me hanging.

Some couples have comfortable silence. Billy and I have comfortable incessant chatter.

May he never run out of things to tell me.

The Time a Stranger Grabbed Me Between My Legs

Thirteen years ago, I was riding the bus home from work. I sat near the front of the bus on a bench seat facing the aisle. I read a book.

Suddenly, a man grabbed my thigh. I flinched. He moved his hand into my crotch.

I slapped his hand. He kept touching me. I clenched my legs together. He forced his hand harder between them while I pushed his arm, helplessly.

He grinned.

I don't think I made a sound. I was so stunned, part of me didn't believe it was happening. I looked up and realized that several people, directly across from me, were watching in surprised silence while I tried to push a much-stronger man off of me.

Finally, an older woman came to my rescue. She was small but stern, and had the air of a schoolteacher. She sat down on the other side of me and scolded the man. He reached for me one last time, and she scolded him again. He laughed, then got up and exited the bus.

I only remember one thing about the rest of that humiliating ride home.

A man, directly across from me, grinned at me. I thought he felt embarrassed for not standing up for me. But then he said these words to me: "Come on, honey. Smile."

He told me I should smile.

--

I felt helpless and scared when that happened. But most of all, I was mad. No one should have to worry about protecting their private parts while they sit on a bus. I knew that man's behavior wasn't normal.

That should never be normal. 

And the thing is, I really thought my fellow women agreed with me on that.

--

Last week, we watched a presidential candidate talk about grabbing women between their legs. He called it "locker room talk," even though he wasn't in a locker room. He dismissed it.

And his supporters, blinded by devotion, or more likely, hatred, dismissed it too.

They compared his behavior to movies, books, and rap songs -- all forms of entertainment. But running the country isn't entertainment. Not even if you put a reality TV star on the job.

I am ashamed of all of these people.

--

When a man talks dirty about a woman's body, that's vulgar. When he talks about grabbing her private parts without consent, that is violent.

Next month, we get to make a choice. We get to decide what we tolerate. We get to choose what is normal.

What you condone, you accept as normal.

If you tell me that sexual assault is normal -- that it's just part of being a man, then I am deeply afraid.

I am afraid to work for you.

I am afraid to ride the bus with you. 

I am afraid of your sons.

I am afraid to live in the country you made.

And I am ashamed for you.

Why I'm Tired

Midnight: Dog can not find suitable position on humans' expensive Tempurpedic bed. After much flailing, decides to sleep sideways across the middle. Growls when we try to move her.

1am: Cat has decided to grace us with her presence. Snuggles under the covers, but gets mad and stomps around every time I stop petting her.

3am: Dog is dreaming. Kicks wildly. Emits muffled barks until soothed back to sleep.

4am: Cat, fed up with lack of attention, storms off in a huff.

5:50am: Cat, sensing that the alarm will go off soon, jumps the gun and announces to all that it's time for breakfast.
Dog cannot be roused.

10:19am, at my desk: Zzzzzzzzz.

The Secret Truth I Wish I Had Known When I Was Looking For Love

I fell in love a bunch of times, in my life.

And then, one day, I fell in love for real.

Oh, it always seemed real at the time. Like when my long-term boyfriend and I decided to move in together. And when I vowed to help my next boyfriend overcome his pain and addiction. Or that time I got dumped and sank into the depths of despair, certain that part of me had died.

I loved with all my heart! This is why, when friends tell me that they love their inattentive, cheating, lying, or just plain disappointing partners, I believe them.

Sometimes, you find yourself in a complicated love story. I have, too.

---------

Then one day, I met my husband.

It felt different right away, and it felt exciting. I'm a lifelong music fan and he's a musician. Suddenly, I was going backstage at concerts and going home with the hot guitar player. Everyone who knew me -- the person who keeps a passport just to follow my favorite band -- said we were perfect together. I was breathless with delight when I told my parents that I was in love.

 

My dad said something I didn't understand at the time. "Maybe you're in love," he said. "But you'll know it when it gets boring."

I couldn't imagine this hot, exciting relationship ever getting boring. And, I thought my dad was just being a dad ... telling me to play it safe, when all I wanted to do was dive head-first into a fit of passion. Who wanted boring?

But now, whenever I watch people I care about rake their hearts over the coals of bad love, I see what my dad meant.

Good love can be exciting, sure. But more than anything else, good love is easy.

---------

By the time Billy proposed to me, I was madly in love with him. Our courtship and wedding were a dream. Billy was -- and still is -- unlike anyone I'd ever dated, for a million different reasons.

But to my surprise, that became even more clear after we were married. When the excitement became routine, and suddenly, we were faced with:

A mortgage. Taxes. Chores. A tragic accident that killed our dog. Grief. Ailing parents. Work. Traffic and brutal commutes. Bad days. PMS. Stress. Surgery. Anxiety. Mistakes. Shitty moods. More bad days.

Our love was this naked, vulnerable thing that could only crumble under the weight of it all ... or ... shine brighter than everything else.

It was when I was at my worst that Billy showed me true love.

---------

I thought I was good at loving because I was so used to offering up my heart. But Billy taught me about good love.

Good love is when making your partner happy makes you happy.

Good love is when you trust your partner to do the right thing for you -- and your family -- every time.

Good love is comfortable. 

Good love is mutual.

Good love is something you protect and honor. And when times are tough, you draw strength from it.

Good love makes a murky situation clear: you do right by your partner, and everything else falls into place. 

---------

When I look back on past loves, they feel very, very different. I had love that made me feel comfortable (like a bad habit). I had love that made me feel excited (sometimes, despite my best judgement).

But those love stories came with twists and turns and false starts. They were difficult. They weren't right. I wish I could have seen it at the time:

Good love is easy.

Life is hard enough. Good love makes it easier.

If you haven't found good love, get out! Keep looking!

---------

Maybe your love story got off to a rocky start. Maybe it came with divorce, depression, debt, a disapproving parent, a bitter ex. Whatever you're coping with, I'm not here to tell you that your love story isn't real. Maybe it is.

But I do hope your love makes it easy. Good love makes a complicated situation so much simpler.

Good love makes you put each other's needs first. So if your so-called soulmate is in the midst of a great battle, I hope love drives them to make the right choices: to pick you, and your well-being, over everything else.

If they love you, it will be easy to do.


I wish you love.

How I Know I'm Not Young Anymore: 15 Ways

1. I can remember things that seem impossible now, like how restaurants and airplanes used to be sectioned into "smoking" and "non-smoking" seating. For that reason, I hated being friends with smokers. Sometimes the salad bar would be too close to the smoking section in a restaurant and it would make the food taste bad.

2. I still remember sharing one rotary phone with everyone in my house. You had to stand next to the wall, attached by a cord, to talk on it. If you were upstairs when your phone rang, you had to run downstairs really fast. If you missed the call, there was no way to know who'd been trying to reach you. You might literally never find out.  

We had this phone.

3. I remember what a big deal it was when we got an answering machine. It was exciting when you came home to see a blinking light.

4. I have owned a pager.

5. I once said I'd never own a cell phone, because I "just didn't need one." 

6. All of the celebrities I think are cool are old people.

Is that Eddie Vedder, or someone's cheesy dad? Oh wait it's both.

7. When my husband and I hear new rock songs on the radio, we exclaim, "This isn't rock music!" We shake our heads and feel disgusted.

8. I found myself "resting my eyes" at a concert last night. 😁

9. When anyone in my first grade class had a birthday, our teacher made the birthday kid go to the front of the room, where she paddled the kid one time for each year he or she had been alive.
My teacher did not get fired for this.
It was a different time.

10. After my dog passed away, I was so upset all the time, I got a wrinkle between my eyes and it never went away.  

11. I hate my chair at work because it lacks lumbar support.

12. I am about to take out a loan to buy a shit-ton of windows. I am excited about this.

13. Some of the smartest people at my job are younger than me.

14. My proximity to a rest room is a real concern I have to plan around. I just can't hold it all day anymore.

15. I am still sensitive, but I don't really care what you think of me anymore.

So at least there's that.
:)



 

Dear Mr. Somebody, the Substitute Teacher Who Told Me Not to Be a Writer

Future writer

Dear Mr. Somebody, the Substitute Teacher:

I never knew your name. You covered my study hall one day in 11^th grade when our regular teacher was out.

You were not a convincing teacher. You were much older than our other subs, who were usually fresh-faced college graduates. You were small and sheepish, like a boy.  You had no control over our study hall, and the kids, sensing this immediately, seized the chance to misbehave.

You knew who I was. You walked right over to me with a copy of our school newspaper in your hand. You pointed to my picture, which was in every issue, because I was its reporter, columnist, and editor. It was my paper, my pride and joy.

“Let me guess. You think you’re a writer,” you sneered.

I was proud. I said yes.

You laughed. And you said:

“Let me set you straight. You don’t get to be a writer in the real world. Enjoy it now, because you’re never gonna make it. “

I told you I would make it. I would be a writer.  

“Good luck!” you said, like it was some kind of punch line, and you walked away, still sneering and shaking your head at me. Then you pitched my newspaper into the trash.

…

Lucky for me, I was smart enough to know a couple things. I knew that “You’re never gonna make it” is not something teachers are supposed to say.

And I knew that something else had just happened, between the lines of our conversation. You had recognized me as a writer. My articles were good enough that you knew I was the real thing.

So why am I writing to you now? It’s not because I’m bitter. I haven’t thought of you in about 18 years. But recently, as my husband and I were going over our budget and finding that we are doing just fine, you popped into my mind.

And I want to tell you this.

I kept writing, buddy. I kept writing and writing for the sheer joy of it. I write because, as Joan Didion said, "I don't know what I think until I write it down." And also, I write to earn a paycheck. A really lovely paycheck. Because guess what: every industry needs writers. I learned that in writing school.

And I’m telling you this because I want to tell others writers — young writers and old writers and budding writers and frustrated writers — that assholes like you have no idea what you’re talking about.

I don’t know where you are now, but unfortunately, your type is probably still out there, telling kids not to write, or draw, or dream. I hope that those kids have — like I did —  other teachers whose voices are louder and more supportive.  And I hope — like I didn’t — that those kids

tell you to shut the fuck up.

And I hope those kids write on.

 

These are the Things We Fight About

 

Billy's band plays Cleveland tonight. I'm going to miss him!

Cleveland is a 2.5 hour drive, so I told him he should trade cars with me this weekend. My car is newer, can hold more guitars, and is more reliable. He said we'd discuss that idea later.

So, this morning, I kissed him goodbye and started to leave for the day -- in his car.

Billy wouldn't hear of it. His car, he said, wasn't reliable enough for me to drive to work.

I fought back. "But I'd rather have it break down for me, here in Pittsburgh, than for you, far away in Cleveland. You can't put all your guitars and amps on a tow truck!"

But Billy wouldn't budge. He wasn't going to drive my new car.

We fought about it for a while.

Eventually, I gave in. I knew that there was zero chance that my husband would ever, EVER, let me drive away in an unreliable car.

That's just the kind of man he is.

It's the same way he refuses to eat the last serving of food -- ever. We'll fight about how full we are and who should finish dinner, until he finally packs up the leftovers for me to eat for lunch the next day.

Billy is steadfast. He always puts me first.

I dated enough men to know how very, very rare this quality is. And now, I appreciate it with all my heart. Maybe best of all, it makes me take a critical eye to my own actions. Would I do the same for him? I think I would. I hope so.

But just to make sure, I make his coffee every day, and I have his breakfast ready for him, and I do whatever else I can think of in an earnest attempt to even the score.

May neither of us ever win.

Confession: My House Scares the Crap Out of Me

These are things people say to you when you rent your home:

• You're throwing money away.
• Your home never really feels like it's yours.
• There's no security in renting.
• Your rent costs more than my mortgage!!!!

Yeah, I know. I heard it all. I rented for 11 years. Because renting enabled me to set a fixed budget and live somewhat high on the hog while I socked money away. Instead of buying a modest starter home, I moved into a big, fancy apartment. Unburdened by a leaking roof or failing gutters, I always had money for vacations and happy hour.

My rent did cost more than some people's mortgage. But I didn't pay for gas, water, sewage, taxes, home insurance, loan interest, garbage, appliances, maintenance, repairs, or things like a lawnmower/shovel/rake, windows, furnaces, air conditioners, emergency plumber visits, and lots of other seriously expensive stuff.

And, I never once shoveled a snowy sidewalk, raked a pile of leaves, or unclogged a drain. I worried not about hot water heaters or burst pipes. Who cared if there was only one dirty dish in the dishwasher? I ran the whole cycle! That's the wonderful freedom I paid for.

But eventually, it was time to move. I married a wonderful man. He came with lots of stuff. We adopted a very noisy Beagle. We hated Mozart Management, our landlords. So after a long search, we found the perfect house. Since we'd always lived on a budget, we had a nice down payment. We bought that house, and we love it.



So ... where's this sense of security everyone kept talking about?

Home ownership is the scariest thing I've ever done.

Here are the things I worry about every single day:

• Did I lock the doors before I left home today?
• What about the garage door? Oh my god. I might have left it open.
• Did I turn everything off? I bet I didn't. Something's going to start a fire. The house has probably already burned down.
• Speaking of ... how old is our wiring? How much does wiring cost?  
• Houses get older every day. It is DETERIORATING AS I TYPE THIS. I need to do ... things ... to it!
• The upstairs is hot but the downstairs is freezing and the gas bill is going to be huge.  
• Probably because we need new windows. And a new furnace. Oh, god.
• And I DEFINITELY shouldn't take such long, luxurious showers.
• NEW THIS WINTER! Did snow fall on our sidewalk? If someone slips and falls on it, can they really sue us? Did we buy enough salt?
• ALSO NEW: So what does this mean, "burst pipe?" 
• And so on.  

 ........

Anxiety aside, I do love our house. It is so pretty. It is just right for us.

And I do like the feeling that if we want to stay there forever, we can.

My husband can play guitar as loud as he wants. And our dog can bark as ferociously (and incessantly) as she wants.

I don't have to hide my cat  from the landlord anymore (eff you, Mozart!). In fact, we can consider more cats or more Beagles if we want!

This will never happen to me again:

Housekeeping Inspection from Mozart Management. This is no joke.

-- and -- this is big -- I love my laundry chute! (I don't know why we, as a people, decided to start carrying our laundry down stairs in modern times. This was a terrible mistake.)

We really bought a house.

So tomorrow, when I get home, it will happen again. I will stand in front of my house, the biggest thing we ever bought, the biggest responsibility we ever took on, and I will fill with sheer panic.

But also pride. And love. Because fears aside, it is our best adventure yet.

Or at least, that is what I will say if you ask me. Because I do love our house.

Moving Away From Animal Testing: A Cruelty-Free Morning Routine

 

Recently, I stepped up my efforts to create a cruelty-free home. I wanted to see if it was possible to switch all of my products to brands that don't test on animals.

I'm really excited to report that:

• It's easier than I thought it would be! I realized that there are plenty of cruelty-free products at normal stores that perform just as well as the products I used to buy.
• It's cheaper than I thought it would be.
  Some of my new favorite brands are saving me money.

I'd like to help you create a cruelty-free home, too. So, here's a blog about my new morning routine and the great products you can turn to. Next time, I'll post a cruelty-free cleaning routine.

But first, here's why you should care about animal testing:

• It's unnecessary.
  There are plenty of safe, cruelty-free brands that prove this.
• It inflicts unthinkable torture on animals -- even dogs and cats. Test animals are forced to live in cages. Chemicals are dripped into their eyes, injected into their bodies, or forced up their noses or down their throats. They suffer burns, infections, blindness, pain, and loneliness. Laws that protect pets do not apply to them -- although beloved breeds like Beagles are used for animal testing!

 

You don't have to take part in this. But unfortunately, if you're not paying attention, you probably are funding the cruelty, because the most popular brands tend to test on animals.

Make the switch.

Here's an easy and affordable cruelty-free morning.

NOTE: There are PLENTY more cruelty-free products on the market. If you download the free Cruelty Cutter app, you can scan products at the store to see whether or not their brand tests on animals. These are just the ones I've tested and recommended for you! If you have other recommendations, post them in the comments!


Shower

• Body Wash: Alba Botanica Very Emollient smells great and is super creamy for dry skin. If you like a bubbly lather better than a creamy mousse, try Jason brand. I like the apricot. You can get these at most grocery stores, Amazon, and sometimes TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
  
  
• Face: I love Alba Botanica's face washes. I'm using their Acnedote Deep Pore Wash, which is slightly minty and has a refreshing zing! It smells great.
  Update! I've had some break-outs since writing this blog, so I've sprung for Humane Benzoyl Peroxide 10% Acne Treatment, which is like an animal-friendly Proactiv.
  Also, my friend Amy sells Rodan and Fields, which is cruelty-free.
  
  
• Shampoo and Conditioner: My husband (who has amazing, luxurious, long curly hair) turned me on to sexyhair. Now we both have nice hair. :)  Sometimes, I like to switch to Bliss Supershine Shampoo because it smells delicious, like real lemons.
  UPDATE: I  started using Shea Moisture Curl & Shine and it is giving me seriously good hair days. 



• Shaving: Dollar Shave Club ships cruelty-free blades to my house every month, and they're WAY cheaper than the grocery store brands! Check them out by using my personal referral link, please! Blades start at $3 per month. I spring for the Executive blades, which are still cheap at $9 per month. They sell products like creams and gels, too.

Personal Care

• Deodorant: When it comes to deodorant, I'm also concerned about toxic ingredients. I like Crystal Essence brand because it's clear. Tom's of Maine has an antiperspirant and a deodorant that work for me, too. UPDATE: A friend who is an avid runner and attends spin classes recommends Schmidt's Naturals and says it keeps her dry! She likes the bergamot-lime scent.
  
  
• Toothpaste and Tooth Brush: I been using Tom's of Maine toothpaste for at least 15 years, and I've never had a single cavity. (I'll note here that Tom's is owned by Colgate, which does test on animals. As a consumer, I feel like I'm creating a market for cruelty-free by shopping Colgate's cruelty-free line, but you can decide how you feel about that.)
  Don't forget to make sure your toothbrush is cruelty-free, too. I like the Preserve toothbrush, which is made of recycled plastic and is available at Trader Joe's and some grocery stores.
  UPDATE: I started using Dr. Bronner's toothpaste instead of Tom's and I love it. Check it out here.
  
• Tampons: Natracare and Seventh Generation are great. I just learned about Lola, which ships cotton tampons to your house every month and doesn't use animal testing. I'm going to check them out!
  
  
• Lotions and Hand Cream: There are tons of options if you look. Right now I'm using Alba Botanica, and a great pomegranate body butter by Trader Joe's! They have lots of great cruelty-free products for your face, skin, and hair. I found a purse-sized bottle of Shea Moisture Brightening Body Lotion at Target. It's thick and creamy, has lots of organic ingredients (including mushroom extract!) and works great.
  
  
• Contact Lenses: I just ordered my first box of Clear Conscience contact solution. It has great reviews, so I have high hopes for it.
  UPDATE: Clear Conscience did not work well for me. But since then, I realized that Top Care, which is available at Giant Eagle, and Equate, available at Wal-Mart, make inexpensive and cruelty-free contact solutions!
  
  

Hair and Make-Up

• Styling Products: I use TRENDStarter styling paste. It's cheaper than the salon version and it works. TRENDStarter has lots of cruelty-free products.
  Update: Now I use Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, available at Giant Eagle, Ulta, and TJ Maxx, because I want to avoid parabens. Check it out!
  
  
• Hairspray: Try TRENDStarter or splurge on the more expensive sexyhair.
  
  
• Face: ULTA's house brand doesn't test on animals! I've been using their foundation stick to cover under-eye circles.
  Update: I've been treating myself to nice powder and concealer from Younique, and I really like it. Check it out!
  
• Eyes: I've been using ULTA's house brand, especially the eyeshadow cream because it goes on like a stain and lasts all day. You need to try the eyeshadow primer by Elf, which you can grab for a dollar at Target.
  
  
• Nails: My search for cruelty-free lead me to my two favorite kinds of nail polish! Remember Wet n Wild, from when you were little? It turns out their nail polish lasts a really long time without chipping, costs a buck or two, and doesn't test on animals!
  I also like Julep, although their bottles are very tiny. They have really pretty colors.
  
  
• Lips: I'm completely obsessed with lip gloss. Right now my favorites are this chocolate lavender balm by Dagoba/Eco Lips and anything by Alaffia. Una Biologicals is a Pittsburgh-based line with lots of wonderful stuff, especially their smooth and glossy Chocolicious lip balm with a hit of mint. I wear Lip Smacker every day too. I used to like the little round EOS pods, but I'm sad to learn that they test on animals so that they can sell their products in China. Shame on them.

 

One more note: Brands change their stance on animal testing all the time. Lots of products I used to use in high school now test on animals, and some brands I used to boycott are now cruelty-free. It's a good idea to scan products with the Cruelty Cutter app for the latest info, even if I've suggested them in this blog.

I've purposely posted photos that aren't too hard to look at. If you do your research, you'll see examples of HORRIFIC torture on animals. Please join me and go cruelty-free! It's easy!