Well, I've finally resurfaced from my post-op Vicodin haze, and I'm ready to start posting again! I had a titanium plate implanted in my wrist last Tuesday and spent the following days sleeping, drinking Vitamin Water, sleeping, taking pills, sleeping, watching TV and, uh...sleeping.

First off, I can't thank you enough for all the well wishes in the comments section! I'm happy to report that it all went well. Eventually I'll be posting a full account of what happened, from the cause of the fracture to the surgery and recovery details. I spent a good amount of the last 4 weeks googling "distal radius fracture," "distal radius ORIF" and various other terms, just to see if I could find a good, honest patient story of what it's like. There wasn't too much, so I figured I'd post my own story here. I hope you'll excuse the fact that it's not exactly beauty related.

Anyhow, I thought I'd start off the post-op-posting with a little list of the beauty products I found indispensable during the recovery period. Many were old favorites that I rediscovered along the way!

• elizabethW Bath Oil, a longtime Beauty Addict favorite! After surgery, my hand swelled up like an inflated latex glove...and as the swelling went down, my hand became dry and wrinkly. I used the bath oil to keep it moisturized and smooth (it worked!). My old favorite was Violet, but since it's no longer available I suggest Sweet Tea or Magnolia.
  
• Bond No. 9 West Side has been my ultimate comfort scent. I've written before about this delicious vanilla rose scent - I just adore it. My fab godmother S picked up a bottle for me as a most excellent get-well gift (N.B. for Jersey girls, she bought it at Wisteria in Red Bank).


• Smashbox Blending Brush #3, which somehow allowed for foolproof eyeshadow application, even with my left hand! The Double-Ended Smudger Brush #20 then did an excellent job evening out the edges and smudging my favorite Becca shadow into my lashlines.

• Frederic Fekkai Summer Hair Wash and Wear. Eventually I got around to washing my own hair (after the era of the professional blowouts!), but doing it every day was too daunting a task for my overworked left arm. So I "cheated" in between washings with this "instant shampoo" spray; just spritz a few times at the roots, brush through, and blast with the blow dryer for a few seconds. I was skeptical at first, but it works! It's not a total replacement for shampooing, but it does refresh your style and prolong a good blowout. I prefer it hands down over the more popular Bumble & bumble Hair Powder. Note: Wash and Wear is a limited edition summer product and can still be found on most Sephora shelves!
  
  
• Estee Lauder Idealist, as previously mentioned. Couldn't have done without it for even, glowing skin without scrubbing!

• Saran Wrap, to cover my cast in the shower. Heh.