OK, I'm going to step out on a limb and make a confession: I still use small amounts of salicylic acid in my facial cleansers, despite being pregnant.
Since becoming pregnant, it's no surprise that my skin has gone a little whacko. I'd never in my entire life had acne -- in fact, you could probably count the total sum of my pimples on two hands and only two hands.
But during the last few months especially, my skin went crazy. And while I tried to track down some cleansers and acne-solutions that did not contain the oft-forbidden salicylic acid, I had no luck whatsoever.
So I turned to an old friend and favorite -- Neutrogena's Complete Acne Therapy System. The amounts of salicylic acid are very faint -- only .5 percent, compared with the 2 percent contained in most other cleansers.
It works incredibly quickly: I saw a difference after just a couple of days. By the end of a week, my skin had almost entirely cleared up. And, unlike other acne cleansers, this system is comparatively very gentle. Despite small amounts of acne, I've always had very dry skin. But with this product, the peeling is minimal, the results are quick, and my skin even looks more even-toned and healthy.
One bit of advice: Because it can be slightly drying, I recommend throwing in an extra moisturizer, like Pond's Cold Cream, to balance out the effects of the benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, which are the main ingredients of the Complete Acne Therapy System.
I usually buy my Neutrogena CATS from the local drugstore or Target, but it's also available through several online stores. The price is generally around $27 to $30, depending on where you buy.
So, in decorating our son's nursery, I knew I wanted to choose items that could translate throughout our house once he's old enough to start getting tired of nursery room decor. At the same time, I didn't want to spend too much money, because after all, it's for a child who won't fully appreciate nice things (I hope) for some long while.
While shopping in a store in Saint Michael's, Md., I came across these pictures, which at the time I thought were posters. Recently, however, I learned that they're actually upscale wrapping paper! (Which explains why I was having so much difficulty finding frames to fit their irregular sizes.)
The papers are made by Cavallini & Co., and are available at several online stores. If you live in Baltimore, you can also find them at Su Casa in Fells Point. For wrapping paper they're expensive -- $4.50 -- but for a great poster/print, they're a steal! If you want to find a ready-made frame to fit, try Ikea. They sell frames in irregular sizes, and that's where I found the frames I'm using for these pictures in my son's nursery!
Enjoy!
