New in 2018 - December and Wrap-up

Well it has certainly been awhile since I last graced your presence, eh?  A lot has been going on in my personal and professional life.  I won't bore you with all of the details, but suffice it to say that I am very busy and important.  Let's talk espionage...

...or not, because that has nothing to do with it.

It seems that 2018 ended without much of a bang in my household.  Don't get me wrong, it was a great year!  We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, went to Disney World, ate at a few fancy restaurants, et cetera.

Yes, et cetera.  (You want more, look up the month-by-month.)

However I still owe you for new things in December.  Honestly, I didn't keep track much.  I was too busy enjoying the holidays the way we were are meant to enjoy them!

The first new thing to enter my stratosphere in December was Mrs. Meyer's Orange Clove Dish Soap. Try to hearken all the way back to November (would have been December when I reported it here) when I tried Mrs. Meyer's Apple Cider Dish Soap.  Man oh man!  This Mrs. Meyer broad really knows her smells!

I could wash dishes for an eternity -yes, DISHES!!!- with this stuff.  It's like crack.  A party in your nose.  And all you have to do is the worst chore on earth!  Too bad it's only seasonal.  I'm back to hating dish duty.

The other thing I tried at the end of 2018 was a new face wash: La Roche-Posay.  They make a really nice, lightweight, non-comedogenic facial cleanser.

I know it sounds fancy, but La Roche-Posay is just a subcompany of L'Oreal, and you can get their products at Target.  Here's what I learned: I'm frustrated.  Most results of a Google search on "La Roche-Posay animal testing" will be conflicting.  The majority of sites state that this company does engage in animal testing when it is "required by law".  However, La Roche-Posay says this (copied/pasted directly from their site):

What about Animal Testing?

La Roche-Posay does not test any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world nor does La Roche-Posay delegate this task to others. The only possible exception is if regulatory authorities required it for safety or regulatory purposes. To learn more about animal testing please click here.

So, it's sort of a crap shoot.  On the one hand, it sounds like L'Oreal/La Roche-Posay is trying to do it the right way.  (No thanks to China.)  On the other hand, they still engage in animal testing, instead of pulling their company out of China altogether...which would be the right thing to do if they wanted to send a message to the Chinese government and consumers about their commitment to ethical practices.  Ultimately, WHY IS THIS STILL AN ISSUE IN 2019?!?!?!?!  STOP TESTING ON ANIMALS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!  It is archaic.  And lame.

Here is a picture I took outside a tourist shop in Scottsdale, Arizona over a decade ago: