Re: Working Towards Wellness: February 2026
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Going with a floral theme for this month's stampers, to honor (i) 100 years of Black history commemorations, (ii) Valentine's Day,
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Going with a floral theme for this month's stampers, to honor (i) 100 years of Black history commemorations, (ii) Valentine's Day, (ii) the Lunar New Year, and (iv) the Winter Olympics / Paralympics. Music-therapy: I spent a lot of time learning the lyrics to the songs nominated for Song of the Year for this year's Grammy Awards while putting together this month's wellness board, but I didn't actually watch the Grammy's or its red carpet arrivals when it aired. I've been watching clips of a few of the performances here and there this week. So far, I've watched:Olivia Dean's "Man I Need"Lauryn Hill's tribute to D'Angelo and Roberta FlackLola Young's "Messy"Neuvo para ti (New to you): I've tried a few new things this first week of February, but the most recent that folks here would probably find of interest is the Roz hair oil and Laneige lip stains. RŌZ Santa Lucia Heat Protectant Styling Hair Oil 2 oz / 60 ml SpoilerThis mini was a promo gwp and it is absolutely darlin' - yes, I'm someone who gets drawn in by cute packaging and this is super cute. But, it can't be about the packaging alone - there's gotta be some substance to the thing. And, is there?I think so, at least based on my initial use. I will say that this hair oil is very lightweight and watery. I was in store yesterday, picking up a gift card, looking into a shade match and seeing about getting some samples of said shade match, doing some swatching, which subsequently lead to some unplanned purchases, but not for me ... yet. A rep for the brand was in store so I took the opportunity to ask her a little about the oil and learned (1) to not be fooled by how light and thin the formula was and (2) that with my hair type (fine strands, just a lot of strands), one pump would likely be plenty and that I should start with no more than one pump and really work the product into my hair. That turned out to be very helpful to know.This cute little mini does not come with a pump, which make sense given the size and that it's a promo. So I tried to pour out just a teensy bit - ummm, easier said than done, but I did my best. I understand what the rep meant by a little goes a long way. It leaves my hair with a bit of shine, not greasy. I like that it acts as a heat protectant as well.The scent has been described as that of an "untamed California garden." Ummmm .... as a born and bred Californian, I will say that it is not a flower garden. I would describe the scent as having a fresh, ever so slightly sweet, clean, green (but not leafy), woody quality to it. It's pleasant; I'll pick up remnants of the scent here and there while my hair is damp but it disappears completely once my hair is dry. Still too early to tell whether this is something I'd eventually purchase as a full size but so far, so good. This mini was a promo gwp and it is absolutely darlin' - yes, I'm someone who gets drawn in by cute packaging and this is super cute. But, it can't be about the packaging alone - there's gotta be some substance to the thing. And, is there?I think so, at least based on my initial use. I will say that this hair oil is very lightweight and watery. I was in store yesterday, picking up a gift card, looking into a shade match and seeing about getting some samples of said shade match, doing some swatching, which subsequently lead to some unplanned purchases, but not for me ... yet. A rep for the brand was in store so I took the opportunity to ask her a little about the oil and learned (1) to not be fooled by how light and thin the formula was and (2) that with my hair type (fine strands, just a lot of strands), one pump would likely be plenty and that I should start with no more than one pump and really work the product into my hair. That turned out to be very helpful to know.This cute little mini does not come with a pump, which make sense given the size and that it's a promo. So I tried to pour out just a teensy bit - ummm, easier said than done, but I did my best. I understand what the rep meant by a little goes a long way. It leaves my hair with a bit of shine, not greasy. I like that it acts as a heat protectant as well.The scent has been described as that of an "untamed California garden." Ummmm .... as a born and bred Californian, I will say that it is not a flower garden. I would describe the scent as having a fresh, ever so slightly sweet, clean, green (but not leafy), woody quality to it. It's pleasant; I'll pick up remnants of the scent here and there while my hair is damp but it disappears completely once my hair is dry. Still too early to tell whether this is something I'd eventually purchase as a full size but so far, so good. LANEIGE JuicePop Box Lip Oil Stain 12HR Hydrating Tint SpoilerAlso new-to-me, did some swatching of the new Laneige lip stains and ended up getting these two as gifts and then treating myself to a salted caramel soft serve at a new-to-me pizza place a few doors down from a new remodeled Sephora near me. I've never had salted caramel soft-serve. 😋 There are about 8 shades in the new Laneige lip stain series; 4 caught my eye online, the swatches of about 6 of the 8 made me go "ohhhh!" Everyone got soft serve and a couple of folks got their own lip stains and pizzas. I will get lip stains of my own once I narrow down what shades I want (read: I can't get 6 of them 😆).Also new-to-me, did some swatching of the new Laneige lip stains and ended up getting these two as gifts and then treating myself to a salted caramel soft serve at a new-to-me pizza place a few doors down from a new remodeled Sephora near me. I've never had salted caramel soft-serve. There are about 8 shades in the new Laneige lip stain series; 4 caught my eye online, the swatches of about 6 of the 8 made me go "ohhhh!" Everyone got soft serve and a couple of folks got their own lip stains and pizzas. I will get lip stains of my own once I narrow down what shades I want (read: I can't get 6 of them ).Social Wellness: Met up for coffee with a friend and it was needed more than I knew. I was looking forward to it because on some level I knew having some time to just chat and laugh would be good for the soul; it was even better than I could have expected.