Comforting Books - What to Read During {Insert Chaos Here}

I’ve hesitated writing this blog post because when the COVID19 pandemic started, I wasn’t sure anyone wanted to hear from me.

What do I have to tell people? I have no medical recommendations, I’m a mom who’s pretty darn happy letting her kids watch TV, and…. well, I’ve been figuring all this out, same as everyone.

But I’ve had many of you asking for book recommendations right now, so…. yeah. I’m pretty good at that. That’s what I have to give to my country so, that’s what you’ll get!

Here are my ultimate comfort book recommendations to help you get through a time when you need an escape…

Mysteries

Because nothing gets your mind off your problems like someone else’s fictional problem of a dead body…

Her Royal Spyness series - Rhys Bowen - Set in the 1930s, a distant cousin to the Queen solves mysteries. Lighthearted, cozy historical mysteries with just enough royalty and romance to keep it escapism. If you like the first, there are 13 more books in the series to keep you engaged!

The Kit Holloway Series - Jennifer Ashley - Another historical mystery series set in England (this one in Queen Victoria’s day), the main character is a cook so you not only get a mystery, another century, a pinch of romance but you also get lots of comforting cooking scenes and comfort food. A four (soon to be five) book series for you to dive into.

Rom -Coms

These were very hard to narrow down, but I’ll explain…

Who Rescued Who -Victoria Schade- There are SO MANY good rom-coms out right now! But I picked this one because it has the ultimate feel-good ingredients (for me, at least)- England and dogs.

Hear me talk to Victoria on Women With Books podcast.

Waiting For Tom Hanks - Kerry Winfrey - And this one because we were ALL waiting for Tom Hanks to recover from COVID-19. In his honor, read this sweet, funny rom-com.
Also, at the time of this blog, this e-book is $2.99

Hear me talk to Kerry on Women With Books podcast.

The Royal Runaway -  Lindsay Emory

And if you want the ULTIMATE ESCAPE, try my book! A princess who gets left at the altar on her royal wedding day goes on an adventure to uncover what happened to her groom with a spy who has secrets of his own…

Women’s Fiction

Also very hard to narrow down, but I have my reasons…

Things You Save in a Fire - Katherine Center - I just discovered this book last month and honestly, if I could rewind time and save this book for my shelter in place time, I would. You can read my thoughts on it here.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake - Amy E. Reichert - Okay. This book has a failing restaurant in it. I felt I should say that up front. BUT - it’s a great, cozy book that reminds us of the things that hold us together - and sometimes that’s food and cake and stuff, okay? Don’t judge.
Hear me talk to Amy E. Reichert on my podcast Women With Books, here.

Coming Home - Rosamunde Pilcher - OH. What can I say that hasn’t been said about Rosamunde Pilcher books when the world is nothing but a huge dumpster fire. I love love love The Shell Seekers, I’m currently re-reading September, but Coming Home is my ultimate comfort read recommendation. It always makes me cry and it’s set during World War II but you can escape into 1940’s Cornwall and that’s an awesome place to be.

Urban Fantasy

Um, Lindsay. Hold up. You call these comforting??? You know these have vampires, monsters and bloody fight scenes, right?

Sure, but as I explained in a recent Best Books to Read Now blog post, Urban Fantasy novels can still be comfort reads. I picked both of these for the same reasons. Alternate time-lines, magic and paranormal creatures can take you out of this world and mentally drop you into another one. But these specific series stand out for me as comfort reads because of the strong (reassuring) relationships between family and friends.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a completely unrealistic other-world but they are also filled with tight bonds and passionate relationships and maybe that’s exactly the recipe some of us need to read right now.

Burn For Me - Ilona Andrews (Book 1 of the Hidden Legacies Series)

Dark Lover - Book 1 of the Black Daggerhood Series by JR Ward

Those are my recommendations for comfort reads, but I’m well aware that my favorite ingredients may not be yours. The good news is, I’ve been doing this awhile. If nothing on the above list strikes your fancy, here are some other lists I’ve compiled. Go explore and see what you find!

Royal Book Recommendations

Nonfiction/ Writing/ Creativity Book Recommendations

Favorite Swoony Historical Romance Books

Favorite Mystery Series

Are You Ready for some Football Romances!

BUT WAIT! There’s MORE!

If you sign up for my newsletter, there are TWO freebies waiting for you.
1) A link to the free Drieden Christmas story that was exclusive to my newsletter in 2020, and
2) A handy dandy list of ALLLLLLLLLL the books I recommended in 2019 (with buy links, of course.)

Now. You have no excuse. Go forth and get lost in a book.

Let's Talk Skin Care - Part 4 -Skin Care Extras & Additions

Part One Here

Part Two Here

Part Three Here

Alright, are we ready for this? Let’s go.

Moisturizers

I’ve teased this enough but yes, I stand by my statements that a moisturizer is NOT a skin care essential.

WHY?

Because your skin’s moisture might be just fine without it.

Or, your skin’s moisture might be just fine after you’ve started taking care of it correctly, using ingredients and products that protect and repair the barrier, that encourage healthy skin growth, etc.  

That is to say, all too often, I have people asking me for a moisturizer recommendation but that’s a question I can’t really answer without knowing if you’re already exfoliating (and doing so in a way that’s proper for your skin type) or if you’re using a retinol or doing any of the steps I’ve outlined in Part One, Part Two, or Part Three.

Further, what season is it? What kind of climate do you live in? How much water do you drink? All these things can factor into you needing a moisturizer or… not. It all depends.

ALSO, many of those skin care products already have some type of emollient in them. So you may find, after you’ve been cleansing and exfoliating and protecting your skin well, that the right routine and the emollients already in those products are sufficient for your individual needs.  For instance, your retinol may also have hyaluronic acid. Your choice of vitamin C may also have a peptide/ vitamin E mix.  In the last part of this series, I recommended a solid facial cleanser, the Woodlot Nourishing Cleansing Balm. This balm contains olive oil, shea butter and jojoba oil. If I take this with me on a trip, I will not need a separate night moisturizer because that is quite a lot of moisturizing ingredients…. for me.

Get it?

And THAT is why I don’t think a moisturizer constitutes a “skin care essential.” Because it DEPENDS. And anything that DEPENDS cannot, by definition, be essential.

However… (you knew this was coming, right?)

There will be times when you are doing everything right and still you feel dry or itchy. Then you have the delightful experience of picking out light or heavy, fragrant or organic, or whatever type of moisturizer you need for YOUR FACE.

For me, in the winter, I love a good oil (but only certain types because other types clog me up.) I love the luxurious feel and putting a nice healthy barrier on top of any active ingredients I’m wearing that day. For several years, my go-to has been the Boscia Tsubaki Oil which seems pricey but a bottle lasts a long time (until my sensitive skinned teen got a hold of it – but hey! It works for her too!)

Another quasi-moisturizer I like to put on after using chemical exfoliants at night especially is the Scinic Honey Ampoule. It feels thick and sticky when it goes on but in the morning my skin feels soft like a baby’s behind!

Hyaluronic Acid

This is an ingredient that is everywhere and can be found in a lot of skin care products. It’s cheap and effective and I don’t think you can overdose on it, so pile it on! 

I personally use this Hado Labo one and it’s the complete opposite of the Honey Ampoule. It almost feels like water when you apply it, it’s so light and, well, watery. Obviously, I use this on days when I just feel the need to put a little something extra on top of active ingredients or if I’ve had a bit too much sun or wind exposure.

Peptides And Collagen

Two other buzz words in skin care lately and yes, they’re important but again, probably not as essential as all the other stuff. Once again, you’ll probably already see these ingredients pop up in your Vitamin C, retinoid, etc.  If you are doing the other things and you do NOT have any peptides and collagen, these would probably be the next best thing to add to your routine.

Personally, I like The Ordinary’s Buffet (which, LOOK! Also has hyaluronic acid!) but I also prefer to add collagen to my diet, not just topically, because then I get the benefits throughout my aging and decrepit body. I add a collagen powder to my morning coffee and like the way this one dissolves: Collagen Peptides.

Snail Mucin

Now you’re really starting to look at me funny… if you’re American.  If you’re in Asia, you’ve already heard of Snail Mucin because it is ubiquitous in skin care and for good reason. Because it is a freaking miracle ingredient. Here’s an article about it which says that it’s basically a nice organic moisturizer but there’s still something really magical about snail mucin.

If you’re dipping your toe into this area, just go straight to the Mizon products, like the All in One Repair Cream or the Intensive Ampoule. I think either one would be great for all types of skin.


Other things you can use: Masks, Spritzes, Toners, Oh MY!

At this point, let’s be honest. A sheet mask is probably not going to change your skin tone and erase twenty years of sun damage if that’s ALL you’re doing. But if it feels good and makes you happy, experiment! Have fun!  Use what feels good to you! I don’t personally love putting slimy cold paper towels on my face, but you do you! Once you’ve got the basics down, there’s a beautiful, fun world of skin care to explore that won’t hurt anyone, might boost your self-confidence and distract you from the dumpster fire that exists in the real world.

So go. Be Beautiful.

ONE LAST WORD….

OKAY, A FEW MORE WORDS.

WATER.

SLEEP.

DAIRY / SUGAR.

If, after trying all the products and routines, you still are not happy with your skin, you’ll have to take a good hard look at your lifestyle and what you’re willing to change. For some people, you might be willing to drink three gallons of water a day before you’ll give up cream in your coffee. Other people might do the opposite. For me, my skin blows up when I consume dairy, liquids especially. Giving up sugar also helps me get *that* glow.

But it might not work for you. That’s okay. At the end of the day (and this blog series *WHEW*) that’s what it’s all about. Figuring out what works for YOUR LIFE and what is going to make you feel your best.

For helping me learn more about what works for me, hat tip to The Ordinary Regimen Guide: https://theordinary.com/regimenguide

One more gif because when I searched “pretty” Nikolaj Coster-Waldau kept coming up and so… I agree. ;-)

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Let's Talk Skin Care - Part 3 - The Essentials Continued

Review the previous parts and catch up on my skin care manifesto, won’t you?

Part I here (Includes an overview of the essentials and my suggested routine)

Part II here (Includes nothing but sunscreen)

Once again, it was when I started cleaning, exfoliating, using Vitamin C and Retinol on a consistent basis that my skin finally became pretty damn good. That doesn’t mean I don’t get acne (I do, on a monthly basis!) or that it’s never dry or dull, but if I keep up the essentials, it looks good 95% of the time.

I’m going to go through each of the remaining essential categories (Remember I did a whole post on sunscreen in Part II) and give my best recommendations, but you’ll soon start to see why this might get long (or complicated.)

Cleansers

Why use them: Because you get makeup and gook and pollution on your face. Clean that crap off!

My current lineup:

(Something organic and sustainable) Seed Gentle Face Wash

Hado Labo Foaming (super gentle and moisturizing)

This is the best AHA BHA exfoliating cleanser.  My dermatologist recommended it and sells it at her office and I love it.

Drugstore fave: Aveeno Foaming – either the calming or clearing ones. I’ve also used these for years and currently they’ve been stolen by the pre-teens in the house.

In the winter I also will sometimes use an oil cleanser, especially if I don’t have too much makeup to take off (but I’m never going to be one of those double cleanser people) and I really like this solid cleanser for travel: Woodlot Nourishing Cleansing Balm

A few skin care essentials that really work!

Exfoliation

Why exfoliate?
Because you have dead skin cells on your face and when you get rid of them, it makes you look fresher and brighter.
It also makes your skin keep working to make new cells.
It also removes the dead stuff on top so that your topicals (Your Retinoids, Vitamins, etc.) can get down in there and actually make a difference.

This explains it pretty well and this.

How often you exfoliate depends on you and how well your skin can handle it. My skin can handle gentle chemical exfoliation every other day at least.

Once again, you can simply use an AHA BHA exfoliating cleanser, like the one I recommended above.

For a gentle serum, I like this Lactic Acid - Or this AHA (with a very cool bottle) Mizon 8% AHA.

For a once a week (or even once a month) heavy duty mama jama, I’ve got The Ordinary AHA BHA Peeling Solution.  This is serious stuff. You will feel a burn. And please, slather on the sunscreen the next day.

I do like a physical exfoliant occasionally, too. Like I said, my skin can handle it and sometimes, if my face is feeling a little rough, I go ahead and use one of these:

Tony Moly Brightening Peeling Gel I know this says ‘peeling’ but it’s super duper gentle and is not nearly as serious as the Peeling Solution.

Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Scrub 

A few skin care essentials that I can’t live without.

Vitamin C

Why use it: It’s a powerful ingredient to stop aging and fight free radicals. More here: https://www.byrdie.com/vitamin-c-benefits

As I said in Part I, my go-to basic Vitamin C serum is the CSI one. I’ve gone through at least 5 bottles at this point.

I’ve also used The Ordinary 12% Vitamin C. I’m sure it did something but for whatever reason I went back to the first one when I was done.
 
I’ve also heard good things about this set of serums on Amazon that has Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol all in one package.

Retinol
Why Use it: It’s a superhero ingredient that fights wrinkles AND acne, stimulates collagen and more. More info here.

I’ve used a prescription retinoid for years now so this is one area that I don’t actually have a personal recommendation for. BUT. If my prescription ran out tomorrow and I couldn’t renew it, then I would try one of these.

LilyAna Natural

The Ordinary 2% Emulsion

Neutrogena

OKAY. I know that’s a LOT of information and it may seem like a LOT of products (and it’s one reason why I personally try to find the most effective products at the most reasonable price – which I’ve shared with you!)  But once you get the essentials down, it’s pretty easy:

1. Cleanser

2. Vitamin C

3. Sunscreen

4. Exfoliant

5. Retinoid

Also, PLEASE remember that as you start to use or boost your frequency with these active ingredients, sunscreen becomes MORE important. So please don’t skip that step.

That’s pretty much all I have to say about all the Essential steps I talked about in Part I.

But I hear some of you still yelling at me:

But what about MOISTURIZER?!?!

I know, I know. I really haven’t forgotten it.

But it’s not an essential.

(I’ve shocked you, haven’t I?)

I’ll go into WHY I believe that moisturizer is NOT a skin care essential (and we’ll start to play with things like masks, snail mucin, collagen and more) in Part Four of this series, here.

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