Perfect Organics Lip Balm

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , ,
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photo credit: Perfect Organics

photo credit: Perfect Organics

I am absolutely loving Alice.com‘s giveaways.  I mentioned the site before on a previous product they were giving away, which I actually won, so I’m thrilled to try it out.  Now they’re on to their next one (gosh, who knew they’d be so generous?) and I want to win again!  This time it’s another wonderful product (though I must admit I’d say that for all their items, since it seems they are all environmentally responsible) – Perfect Organics Shea Butter Lip Balm!!!  There are three flavors: Citrus Orange, Vanilla Twist, and Fresh Mint.

My preference is for the light, refreshing Citrus Orange, which also fits perfectly with their springtime theme.  And take a look at their ingredients for that flavor: Organic Shea Butter, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Hazelnut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Orange Essential Oil, and Non-GMO Vitamin E.  Seriously, that’s just amazing.  I’m really loving this company and all that it has to offer.  I’d love to see how such an organic product compares with the other stuff in the market.  I can just imagine how the crisp smell will liven up my day whenever I open up the lip balm for some serious moisturizing.  I sure hope I’m that lucky again!  🙂

Well, for this one they’re asking what springtime beauty rituals I have.  Being a person who doesn’t use makeup as much as possible and pretty much sticks to some foundation and mascara, there’s not much I change seasonally in terms of beauty.  However, I find that spring makes me want to feel clean and fresh, so I wish my skin was better and I didn’t use anything to try to even out the blemishes.  I guess the one thing I do do is become more conscious of is lotioning, since the shorts don’t hide your dry legs and kneecaps quite like a trusty pair of jeans!  I’m not sure if that is considered “beauty” so much as general maintenance, but it does have to do with bringing out the springwear!

So if you’re ready for spring to get into full swing, why wait?  Go check out this awesome giveaway and we can both have luscious lips.

Taste and smell, poor overlooked senses

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Oh yes, the smell is only the beginning...

Oh yes, the smell is only the beginning...

As I was doing research today about learning methods and styles, it occurred to me that again and again people would mention visuals, sounds, and physically doing to learn.  It could range from seeing a chart or drawing a picture to hearing a speech or talking to yourself, but never once did the sense of taste or smell get brought up.  I guess it’s because people can’t really fathom eating an apple and remembering a piece of knowledge, or suddenly remembering a fact or equation from smelling a certain flower.  So I’d like to ask, why not?  Tastes and smells are just as evocative as the other senses and often a particular scent can trigger far more vivid and emotional memories than any other form of primer.  And because of that, it can greatly affect our mood, whether we realize it or not.  As for taste, doesn’t just the thought of something succulent make you salivate?  And if you’re reacting so strongly physically, surely a specific memory can be conditioned to be associated with a taste.

When thinking about this, I suddenly had this vision of using these strong triggers to enhance learning.  Imagine walking into a final and smelling the must of the seat, which reminds you of the answer for that question on neural circuits.  Then the person next to you, who always sits next to you, moves and wafts some of his cologne at you, which triggers a memory to that question about the frontal lobe’s functions.  Your hand starts to get tired from writing and you reach into your bag for your lotion to help relax  your muscles a bit and that scent brings up memories of that lecture on how the two hemispheres differ.  Next you reach for your water, which has just a hint of sweet that helps you recall how male and female brains are activated differently in doing tasks.  Finally, you pop a few jelly beans in your mouth for a pick-me-up before lunch and that leads you to the answer for the last question.  You then check over your answers, pleased, and go turn in your exam.

Not being able to taste this anymore?!  Noooo...

Not being able to taste this anymore?! Noooo...

Unfortunately, the above scenario is not plausible, since it is far more difficult to incorporate tastes and smells into learning.  Because in the end, you taste and smell so many arbitrary things that you can hardly control what you do come into contact with during a test or otherwise, when you’re trying to evoke a memory.  However, sight and sound are easier to replicate anywhere, anytime.  Additionally, we can reenact scenes by will (even if it’s not that well) just by using our imaginations.  I guess that’s what makes seeing and hearing things such common memory aid techniques – they lend themselves to creation on demand.  However, who can make themselves smell or taste something?  It’s pretty much limited to your own body odor (if you can even smell that… we’re so well conditioned to our own smell we mostly don’t) and maybe some bile.  Even then, it takes a lot of effort for a not very pleasant sensation.

Additionally, these two senses are less commonly lost than sight or hearing, so they’re more taken for granted.  When they are lost, it can really affect your mood negatively.  In fact, it’s been found that people who are depressed have a duller sense of smell (this is the opposite effect, but you can see there’s a correlation here).  Can you imagine never tasting food again?  Never smelling it?  That would be terrible.  People often don’t realize how strongly smells affect our perception of taste, so losing either would be quite miserable.  Hmm seems like there’s a huge connection to food and its enjoyment here.  But really, these are important senses that protect you not from predators, but from those nasty poisonous foods and substances!  If you couldn’t taste or smell, you’d need a taste tester to make sure your food wasn’t spoiled or toxic.  In an evolutionary sense, what use is it to see and hear predators coming if you just ate a deadly plant and essentially killed yourself?

Yeah, I know, really random thoughts.  Seriously though, value all the senses you have and relish in what joy they can bring you.  Oh, and this subject reminds me of the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, which uses scents during its ride/tour to give you a better idea of what life was like back then.

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