Pics from India

Good morning ( afternoon )from India

Hi everyone ! Sorry it's taken me so long to get an update on here. We were kind of cut off from the outside world and it felt good :) what an incredible week it has been.
We arrived in the state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday afternoon . It was definitely a culture shock , it's not everyday you see a cow blocking traffic . Traffic is a whole other blog , lol . Our hotel was exactly as Barbara described . Take a Motel 6 , send it back to 1974 and take it down 2 stars. Got settled and then went to see the kids and that is when I will look back and say my life changed . They greeted us with drums , dancing , fire crackers and hugs . It hit me so hard , I guess I was expecting sadness in this place but it was full of joy and love . These kids were happy and that happiness came from deep within them. We danced , we tried to learn names lol , we just played like kids . We stayed until 9 and got in the auto to drive back to the hotel . I was sitting in the back , legs hanging out and looking at the lightning in the distance and thinking I really don't remember a better day than this one .
I'll be posting some pics in a few , as soon as I can figure out how :(

Find It In Whole Body Bethesda: The Perfect Eye Cream

The aisles of any Whole Body Department can be a little overwhelming, many of you have told me as much. And I completely understand, it is a lot of product in one place, each one a little different. The sheer number of options boggles the mind! In a new feature called Find It In Whole Body Bethesda, I am here to help! With almost seven years of Whole Body experience and a lifetime of being a product junkie, I love trying all of the body care products that we sell here at Bethesda. And talking about them. And writing about them. And being honest about them! (Of course, these reviews are done entirely from my perspective! What works (or doesn't work) for me may have a different outcome for you!) 

This week, in the first Find It in Whole Body Bethesda, I review five different eye creams to give you a little assistance in finding the perfect eye cream in our Whole Body Department here in Bethesda.

Eye cream and sunscreen are the two facial products I will not face the day without. I try to do everything in my power to avoid eye wrinkles and overcome any sun damage I did in my teen years and I think eye cream is my best weapon in this respect. A few years ago, an esthetician at a spa told me I should have started using eye cream at age 18. I know that I when I was 18 I was more worried about college applications than I was about eye cream applications. But in retrospect, I probably should have been worried about both.

I am all about keeping that sensitive eye area well hydrated.  My daily routine involves two eye creams: one in the morning for light moisturizing and reducing puffiness and another in the evening for more intense moisturizing. Many different eye creams are available in the Bethesda Whole Body Department, here are my thoughts on five that I tried. 

Dr. Hauschka Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream ($51.99)

Starting off with the cream de la cream of natural eye creams. I know you all love your Dr. Hauschka eye creams! I have watched you all stock up on it when it goes on sale. But the truth of the matter is that it works. The thinness of the cream belies the rich hydrating power of the eye cream. And a tiny drop goes a long way. And trust me, at this price, I use EVERY drop in the tube.  The only negative with the Hauschka eye cream is that which I take issue with nearly every Hauschka product: the scent. It is very earthy and strong. I can smell it on myself all day long and it just is not a scent that I love smelling all day long. 

Acure Superfruit + Chlorella Eye Cream ($18.99, on sale for $15.99 through October 30th)

This cream is super thin and unlike the Hauschka cream, the thinness did not translate well when it came to hydration. I used this product for a few weeks and noticed no changes or improvement in the skin around my eyes. And with trendy ingredients like argan oil, pomegranate, and acai, I was expecting to see some results and was a little bit sad about that. This might be a good eye cream for summers in DC when Mother Nature's humidity keeps our skin well hydrated or for someone who only needs a light moisturizer. Or for someone who wants to support a great company. Acure was founded to honor the founder's grandmother who had died of breast cancer.

Desert Essence Daily Essential De-Puffing Eye Cream ($15.99)

Along with a cup of coffee, this eye cream is an essential part of my every morning. I keep the tube in my refrigerator and apply it while I stand in my kitchen willing my coffee maker to brew faster. The eye cream depuffs any puffiness that had settled in overnight and the jojoba oil adds a light moisturizing element. This is truly one of my most beloved facial care products. 

Hard Night, Good Morning: The Only Eye Cream in a Little Black Box ($38.99)

When this little black box arrived on our shelves last year, I remember thinking that it seemed very posh, like a fancy department store product. But honestly, it is even better than many of the department store eye cream because it is natural and it works!  This eye cream is my second favorite eye cream in the department. The cream is thicker and always leaves the area around my eyes so soft and glowy. All of the Hard Night, Good Morning products are aloe vera based and I think that is the key to its moisturizing powers.

Representatives from the company stop by our store fairly often to demo their products; I highly recommend stopping by to visit them and try the products, they are really nice and knowledgeable people to chat with! 

Burt's Bee's Intense Hydration Eye Cream ($17.99)

Say hello to my new favorite product in our Whole Body department. Burt's Bees, a brand beloved by so many of you, has recently unveiled a new line of natural face solutions. With the moisture-sapping winter ahead of us, I went with the intense hydration portion of the line. The eye cream is thicker but absorbs well. I apply this one in the evening as part of my bedtime skin care routine and the skin around my eye has been so soft lately. And while I usually prefer unscented products, this eye cream has a lovely, and (very, very, very) light scent. So light that I never notice it when I am applying it. But later when I am sitting and reading before bed, I catch a tiny whiff of it and love it. It must be the clary sage? Though I must confess, I am not entirely sure what clary sage smells like. This product will be hitting the shelves of Whole Body Bethesda very soon and I encourage you to try it out. 

Have you found a perfect eye cream in Whole Body Bethesda? Share in the comments!

Rebecca is the store blogger for Whole Foods Market Bethesda and is also the blogger behind I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess. A self-proclaimed product junkie, she owns more beauty care products than any one person probably should and can chat endlessly about all of them.

WFM Thanksgiving 2012 Menu is now available!

It is only October 1st but we already have turkey on our minds. And stuffing. And mashed potatoes. And pie.  The Whole Foods Market 2012 Thanksgiving Menu is now available for viewing!

You can access the menu via the Catering Page of the WFM Bethesda website {here}.

You can also access the new menu directly {here}.

Start planning your Thanksgiving menu and we will start taking your orders on November 1st!  

Rebecca is the store blogger for Whole Foods Market Bethesda and is also the blogger behind I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess. 

New WFM Bethesda Website Tip #2: Accessing All Things Catering

The Catering Team here at Bethesda is always happy to help create beautiful displays of delicious foods for any event you may be hosting.

New WFM Bethesda Website Tip #2: To make the ordering process even easier, all of our catering menus are accessible online so you can do all of your menu planning ahead of time. 

Open up the Whole Foods Market Bethesda home page {link}.

Scroll down until you see in the Unique To Your Store heading in the middle column.

Under that heading, find and click on the Catering at WFM Bethesda link.

The Catering page contains all of the info you will need to place the order!

Visit the store today to place your catering order! We are so happy to help you!

New WFM Bethesda Website Tip #1: How to make WFM Bethesda your default store

If you are a visitor to the Whole Foods Market website, you probably have noticed that it has had a serious makeover in the past month or two.

In the process of that makeover, the Whole Foods Market Bethesda website also had a total makeover.

Change is always a little overwhelming and even I am still getting used to the new website. And since I am learning the website right along with you, I thought I would share a few new website tips.

New WFM Bethesda Website Tip #1: In order to get WFM Bethesda specific information, create an account on the website and set Bethesda as your store. Setting Bethesda to your store means that your default WFM store will be Bethesda and Bethesda deals and store information and events will load when you log into the website.

Create an account using the "Create Account" link on the home page. 

Your account can be created using an existing Twitter, Facebook, Google, or Yahoo! account or by using an email/password combination. 

Select whichever of these methods your prefer. I will use the email/password option. If you use the email option, you will receive a confirmation email that you will require your to verify your email. You must do this in order to access your account on the website. 

You will notice that whatever name you chose as your screen name now appears in the upper left corner. Click on the Find a Store.

On the Store Finder pop-up screen, type Bethesda in the search bar.

Click on Make This My Store under the Bethesda name and store picture.

WFM Bethesda is now set as your store!

The direct link to the WFM Bethesda website is http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/bethesda.  Bookmark it for quick access! 

Check back for more tips on how to use the new WFM Bethesda website!

Rebecca is the store blogger for Whole Foods Market Bethesda and is also the blogger behind I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess. 

Welcome!

Over the past few months, the Whole Foods Market website has undergone some changes. And while we wait for the store blog portion of the website to be completed and go live, we have set up this temporary store blog.

We hope you will visit this new home for all of the great features that we loved publishing on our old store blog (which has temporarily disappeared into an Internet black hole).