Essential puppy kit
A year ago, a small, white fluffy furball landed in our lives. “People” had warned us that getting a puppy was like having a baby. Well, I’ve done both now and I would say “people” are wrong. Getting a puppy is like having an incontinent nappy-free toddler on acid dropped in your house. I’d taken guidance both from books and dog trainers and all of them said that in order to housetrain a puppy you need to take them out to the garden regularly. Like every half hour to hour or so. Which meant that I, the ultimate indoors sofa hugger was outside about 8 times a day, in the cold and dark, shining a torch at a puppy’s bum to see if they were producing as required. Nice.
As you can imagine, this played havoc with my skin. These were my lifesavers.
1. Lanolips. I bunged this on my lips morning and night and whenever I need to in-between. I also found the skin round my nose was getting very dry, especially when I picked up a cold and was blowing my nose repeatedly. I applied some Lanolips round the nostril area too – possibly not the best of looks, but it saved me days of red, sore peeling skin afterwards.
2. Lipstick. I moved to richer formulations like my Chantecaille Lip Chic (I have the one, I would have to sell the puppy to get more). The new Clarins Rouge Eclat formulation would also be good here, although not quite as nourishing as the Lip Chic. Basically you want a really nourishing formula, the richer the better.
3. Skin care. Bump it up. I have combination skin (which I hated in my twenties but am totally seeing the benefit of in my forties). But even I was struggling with dryness. Temporarily you might need to ramp things up a bit and go for something a little richer.
4. Perfume. You will be knackered, grumpy, and walking round with a mop in your hand. Buy yourself something very lovely, you might as well smell nice.
If you have got a puppy recently, or are thinking of one, the very best of luck and I hope the above advice helps. And be reassured – it does all pass, and as I quickly opened the door this morning and shooed the dog out for his ablutions, the acid toddler phase was but a distant memory.
