Pampering Favorites

of my more recent pampering favorites:

Fall is here and one of my favorite things about fall is the scents associated with the season - baked goods, spices, etc.  I don't always have time to be baking (and I'd weigh about a million pounds if I did!), so I like burning candles to get those yummy-smelling aromas in my house.  At a local craft shop, I found a really neat brand of candles that are poured in regular canning jars - what's neat about them is that they all look the same - the jars are covered with a bumpy brownish paint, some gauzy fabric, and a brown paper label.  This is cool because you don't have to buy candles based on color anymore - these fit any decor and you don't even see the candle inside.  Plus, they are long-burning.  Alas, I don't see a brand name listed on it anywhere, so I can't share a link with you (if I had a camera, I'd take a picture).

Another great candle product that I've been enjoying is the Sugar Cookie Soywax pint-sized candle by Homestead Originals.  These are available in various sizes and fragrances, are hand-poured by my friend and co-worker, Lisa Barthuly, and smell awesome! 

Another awesome product from Homestead Originals is their Handmade Lavender Wheatberry Heating Pad.  I ordered mine without the lavender because I'm not a fan of the flowery fragrances, but this thing is just so wonderful!  Lately, I've  been having a good deal of back pain and this feels so good when I heat it up and put it behind my lower back on the couch.  Also, after a long and tiring day, this feels great around my neck!  The website recommends using it as a bed-warmer, and I am SO going to be trying that this winter.  Talk about some major pampering!

With the cooler weather, comes  dry skin.  I haven't had much trouble in the past, but this year my hands have been unusually dry (right around the knuckles).  Just when I thought I was going to have to break down and purchase an expensive lotion, they started getting better.  I had recently opened a new container of dish soap - and it's been a lifesaver.  Dawn Hand Renewal has been surprisingly effective. The bottle  says that it improves the look and feel of your hands in just 5 days, and I'm here to attest to that fact.  It sounds kinda silly to consider dish soap something of a pampering product, but I'm sold on this stuff - it's a miracle worker.  On Wednesday, my knuckles were like sandpaper; today they're soft and smooth. 

Winter is the time for long, hot bubble baths, so I also ordered some of my favorite bubble bath from Avon.  Curling up in a hot tub filled with bubbles, reading a good book, and smelling a yummy candle - sounds pretty great to me.

What are you doing to pamper yourself?  Any great products you can recommend to me?