We Covet | Better Living Through Consumerism

Bastille Day Parfum We Covet

My sis-in-law introduced me to Fragonard Parfum Solids when she returned from teaching in Europe.  And like my SIL, these babies are both chic and practical.

The inch-and-a-half round little pots pack all the punch of a big atomizer and are ideal for travel.  I love all the classic scents that are made from French flowers and herbs.

I also like buying a six pack, breaking it open and sticking one or two in a birthday card to a gal pal because I'm cool like that.

Set of 6 parfum solids $36 @ Fragonard

We Covet Haute, Hot Shower Gel

My dude and I went away for the weekend a few months ago while my mom watched the kids.  Yup, it was romantic, we bonded, yadda yadda but the part that pertains to YOU is thus:  we stayed at the Fairmont and this hotel chain provides for guests the BEST bath and body products.  Ever. 

They're by Miller Harris (you must pronounce it with a Colin Firth-esque posh Brit accent - say it again "MEH-luh HEIR-us.")  This super schmancy London company only sells their wares in the States at Saks or at the Fairmont's own online store.  The shampoos, conditioners and body lotions are divine, but what I really adore is the Miller Harris shower gel.  The consistency of the body wash and its light but lingering scent are pure heaven.   

I grabbed as many shower gel samples as the well-tipped housekeeper allowed from her cart, and when they were cashed resorted to purchasing hotel room swag from other cheap asses on eBay.  This is how I've tried both the delicious Citron Citron and Fleur Oriental shower gels.  I love them both with a passion that is insane, but I lean towards the freshly-peeled goodness of the Citron versus the mysterious spicy swank of the Oriental.   The black pen-and-ink chrysanthemum on the packaging is beautifully minimalist and modern. The scents are stronger than regular shower gel and last all day, but are not as potent as those clouds of parfum of old ladies in elevators.

I covet this shower gel every morning, and it has ruined me forever for the grocery store jugs of Dove I used to squirt onto my puff.

Miller Harris Citron Citron Fragrant Shower Wash $60 @ Fairmont Store   

Geographically-specific Soaps We Covet

Ain't nobody dope as you, you look so fresh and so clean!

Or at least you will with these awesome city map soaps, available with Detroit, Chicago, New York and  Brooklyn maps (what, no Baltimore? HOLLA!).

each soap is handmade from a vegan base, scented with all-natural scents, and tinted with natural, vibrant colors. the map image is embedded in the center of the bar and will stay until the soap is gone.

So fresh and so clean clean!

City Map Soap, $6.00 @ citybird

Coveting Wacky Ways to Keep Our Hands Clean

Originally designed for French public school washrooms, these Soap hooks are made by Pro Ven Di and feature a super solid chrome bracket that allows the soap to be screwed on, where it spins as you use it.

The soap is lightly scented, vegetable based French soap. Refills available.  No more goopy soap dish and a nice alternative to liquid soap dispensers. 

I have never seen anything like this soap on a hook.  It would be great for a rustic look or to entice your kids to wash their hands in a creative way.  What will those Frenchies think up next?

Vintage French Soap Hook, $40.00 @  Apartment Therapy

Contact Lens Cases We Can SEE We Covet

If you're like me, at least with regard to misplacing and losing small yet necessary objects, then you will be as excited as I was to find these inexpensive (and of course CUTE!) contact lens cases.

These lens cases are in bright colors and offer a distinctive and stylish way to store lenses. Ideal for anytime you are transporting or storing your contacts, they are leak-proof and made of durable polypropylene.

Bright hued Contact Lens Cases, $7.00 MoMa.com

Beach Towel We Covet

What could be handier (or cuter) than this backpack beach towel from Paul Frank?

Unfolds to full beach towel size, then folds back up tight when you're sunburned to a crisp and ready to bolt.

Beach towel technology, people! Catch it!

Scurvy Towel Bag, $30.00 @ Karma Loop

We Covet Rich Vocabularies

Yeah, okay, so we're kind of word nerds ourselves here at We Covet, but that doesn't make this SAT Words Shower Curtain any less awesome.

Stay fresh, clean, and wordy, my friends.

Vinyl, with reinforced holes for your hanging pleasure.

SAT Words Shower Curtain, $26.00 @ Urban Outfitters

We Covet Stuff That Makes Our Feets Feel Good

I'm sorta undecided about the aesthetics of this foot massage rug. I mean, the pebbles are pretty, but if you squint a bit it could look like some kind of, um, unpleasant mess on your floor. But that's probably just me. I live in world of too much toddler puke and cat barf. You see pretty stone mosaic, I see upchuck.

Anyhoo. You could always just put in your bathroom where, really, the benefits of a foot massage rug could really be maximized (getting out of shower onto warm pebbles? Niiiiiiiice.) Or right beside your bed, where those pretty pebbles could be the first and last things that your footsies feel in the day.

Because, really, if you've ever walked over warm smooth pebbles at a beach, you know how good that feels on the foots. So just don't squint at the thing, and I'm betting that you'll love it.

(Also? Eco-friendly! Made from  hemp and hand-woven by fair-trade rock-loving river nymphs Thai artisans! AWESOME.)

Foot Massage Rug, $195 @ GiggleFish

Kid's Toiletries We Covet

Since I'm apparently on the subject of cleaning products today, howsabout getting that kid of yours de-grimed, huh?

This 3-in-one shampoo from Method will do the trick -- along with their whole new line of kids & baby products (have we mentioned lately how much we LOVE Method? BECAUSE WE DO):

The gentle cleaners and in this body wash, shampoo and conditioner are made from natural materials like sunflower seed oil, coconut oil and corn sugars, and combined with moisturizing extracts of rice milk, mallow and olive oil ensure tear free and hypoallergenic cleaning without any dirty ingredients like numbing agents, pthalates or parabens.

What more could you ask for? I mean other than a magical, flying umbrella nanny to come in and do the actual scrubbing for you. You're on your own with that one, bucko.

Squeaky Green Kids 3-in-1 Shampoo, $7.00 @ method.com

Bizarre Stuff We Covet: Spazzstick Caffeinated Lip Balm

This product was, apparently, invented by an Alaskan police officer who was worried about staying awake during long shifts, and also about chapped lips. Which, I don't know, seems a bit too metrosexual for men who patrol the snowy tundra of the continental north. Alaskan cops should have chapped lips, to go with their wind-burned cheeks and polar bear pelt coats. I can't really visualize an Alaskan cop with a perfectly moisturized smile, which, when you think about it, is really only a few tiny steps away from the slippery slope to waxed man-brows.

The coffee thing, though, I get. There's only so much coffee you can drink before your bladder starts bursting, and I imagine that in Alaska the outhouses are pretty cold and uncomfortable. For me personally, though, the advantage of replacing coffee with lip balm has less to do with the temperature of the outhouses in my 'hood than it does with my inability, as a pregnant woman, to hold my bladder long enough to waddle quickly enough, after a few coffees, to said outhouses. So, sure, alternate means of caffeine-intake? Always good.

Spazzstick Lip Balm, $2.99 @ ThinkGeek