Gillette Venus Embrace Razor

good, not the closest shave though

Just when you thought that it was impossible to fit any more blades onto a razor, along comes the Venus Embrace. 5 blades, baby! And they really provide for an easy shave! At first I was skeptical, because, let’s face it, after a certain point the number of blades on a razor will officially be ridiculous (14 blades, anyone?) but this is great. The shave was really very smooth, much smoother than any single, double, triple or quad blade razor I’ve tried. This razor really glides over the skin so well, especially the oblong spots like ankles, knees and other nooks. I ended up with absolutely no nicks or scrapes, which is terrific because I usually manage to injure myself somehow while shaving, which is never fun. :( My only gripe is that the shave isn’t the closest or the smoothest. Maybe in making sure that us consumers don’t get sliced to bits by those 5 blades, the good folks at Gillette had to sacrifice the closeness of the shave? Who knows? My hair grows back amazingly fast, so this stood out to me, but if you're a slow-grower then you'll be ok. But, check this razor out, it’s definitely a good buy.

May 6, 2013

Chapstick True Shimmer

Drugstore Shimmer

Hey Beauties, It’s been a while, so please pardon the cobwebs! Anyway, here goes… If you like shimmer, you’ll love ChapStick’s True Shimmer ($3) lip balms… I happen to not like lip shimmer at all, but that’s another story… Not only are these little guys cheap, they moisturize quite well (lasting, yet never greasy just like regular ChapStick) and they come in 4 different flavors – Botanical Berry, Tropical, Blended Fruit Sherbet and Peppermint Rush. The sparkles in these balms are teeny and on the tame side of the shimmer spectrum but still plentiful. Hey, if you are even remotely open to the idea of shimmer, then give these a try for sure – for $3, you really can’t lose! Stay Beautiful!

September 15, 2009

Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Revitalizing - Skin Polishing Ritual

fun spa experience at home, can get messy though

I must admit, I was pretty excited to try out the Aromatherapy Distillations Revitalizing Skin Polishing Ritual by Crabtree & Evelyn. I immediately thought about the mini spa treatments I’d give myself with it on a regular basis. Ahh… good thoughts, indeed! This set comes with the Ultra Moisturizing Body Butter, Exfoliating Spice Medley, a cute little Clay Mixing Bowl and a handy little wooden mixer thingie. So, the idea here is to mix some of the Body Butter with the Spice Medley and end up with your own custom blended exfoliating treatment. But, I did end up a bit let down after using it. The Ultra Moisturizing Body Butter was great. It's a rich and thick butter (reminiscent of the texture of cocoa butter) that's solid in the tub. Once you warm it in your hands, it softens and rubs in to the skin very well. On a side note, I will definitely use this product on my pitifully dry winter feet for an extra burst of moisture. Now, the Exfoliating Spice Medley was where I started to run into problems. It smells fine, kind of like nutmeg and cinnamon, but very faint. But, this part of the routine can get quite messy! I’m a bit clumsy at times, so I ended up with more of this stuff on my bathroom floor than in the clay mixing bowl. The Exfoliating Spice Medley is a deep brown in color and has, for lack of a better description, the texture of soft dried moss. The particles are difficult to mix well with the Ultra Moisturizing Butter and ended up sticking mostly to the outside of the clump of Butter I had in my bowl. After getting past all that, the exfoliation provided was nice and gentle. My skin was also left very moisturized afterwards. So, if you’ve got a little more elbow grease and coordination than I do, then check this product out!

March 18, 2009

Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Conditioner

not a great conditioner for dry and highly textured hair...

Aveda! What high hopes I had for the new Dry Remedy collection! I recently checked out all three components of this line, the Moisturizing Shampoo, the Moisturizing Conditioner and the Moisturizing Treatment Masque and was actually a little let down. My hair is about as dry as it comes and it’s also highly textured (I guess that’s what we’re calling it these days). If you still use Andre Walker’s curl pattern classification system , I’d be a 4B – with pretty acute tenderheadedness to boot. That said, I am constantly on the hunt for a super rich, creamy and moisturizing weekly conditioner and the Moisturizing Conditioner component of this trio didn’t quite cut it. It was a little watery and I didn’t feel like I was using a super moisturizing product. If your hair is similar to mine, you can definitely skip this part. On a brighter note, the shampoo was fab! You can’t really go wrong with a shampoo. It’s creamy, it foams and it’s moisturizing. No complaints! The Moisturizing Treatment Masque was not bad. I found that this intensive treatment provided my hair with a better fit for a weekly conditioner than the Moisturizing Conditioner. All three products in this line are scented with Aveda’s Own Pure-Fume ™, a blend of certified organic palmarosa, ylang ylang and rose geranium. They also feature Aveda’s patent pending Deep Moisture Complex, a conditioning blend that features the exotic buriti oil . Have any of you guys had a chance to try this line out?

December 2, 2008

Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Treatment Masque

good as a weekly conditioner, not so deeply moisturizing, though...

Aveda! What high hopes I had for the new Dry Remedy collection! I recently checked out all three components of this line, the Moisturizing Shampoo, the Moisturizing Conditioner and the Moisturizing Treatment Masque and was actually a little let down. My hair is about as dry as it comes and it’s also highly textured (I guess that’s what we’re calling it these days). If you still use Andre Walker’s curl pattern classification system , I’d be a 4B – with pretty acute tenderheadedness to boot. That said, I am constantly on the hunt for a super rich, creamy and moisturizing weekly conditioner and the Moisturizing Conditioner component of this trio didn’t quite cut it. It was a little watery and I didn’t feel like I was using a super moisturizing product. If your hair is similar to mine, you can definitely skip this part. On a brighter note, the shampoo was fab! You can’t really go wrong with a shampoo. It’s creamy, it foams and it’s moisturizing. No complaints! The Moisturizing Treatment Masque was not bad. I found that this intensive treatment provided my hair with a better fit for a weekly conditioner than the Moisturizing Conditioner. All three products in this line are scented with Aveda’s Own Pure-Fume ™, a blend of certified organic palmarosa, ylang ylang and rose geranium. They also feature Aveda’s patent pending Deep Moisture Complex, a conditioning blend that features the exotic buriti oil . Have any of you guys had a chance to try this line out?

December 2, 2008

Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Shampoo

good shampoo...

Aveda! What high hopes I had for the new Dry Remedy collection! I recently checked out all three components of this line, the Moisturizing Shampoo, the Moisturizing Conditioner and the Moisturizing Treatment Masque and was actually a little let down. My hair is about as dry as it comes and it’s also highly textured (I guess that’s what we’re calling it these days). If you still use Andre Walker’s curl pattern classification system , I’d be a 4B – with pretty acute tenderheadedness to boot. That said, I am constantly on the hunt for a super rich, creamy and moisturizing weekly conditioner and the Moisturizing Conditioner component of this trio didn’t quite cut it. It was a little watery and I didn’t feel like I was using a super moisturizing product. If your hair is similar to mine, you can definitely skip this part. On a brighter note, the shampoo was fab! You can’t really go wrong with a shampoo. It’s creamy, it foams and it’s moisturizing. No complaints! The Moisturizing Treatment Masque was not bad. I found that this intensive treatment provided my hair with a better fit for a weekly conditioner than the Moisturizing Conditioner. All three products in this line are scented with Aveda’s Own Pure-Fume ™, a blend of certified organic palmarosa, ylang ylang and rose geranium. They also feature Aveda’s patent pending Deep Moisture Complex, a conditioning blend that features the exotic buriti oil . Have any of you guys had a chance to try this line out?

December 2, 2008

Bliss Triple Oxygen Self-Activating Facial With O2 Molecules

Yay for bubbles!

Bliss’ Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask is one of the most entertaining skin care products that I have tested to date. I was a huge fan of bubbles as a kid (still am, actually!) and this mask made me feel really happy. :) The folks at Bliss are convinced that our skin needs extra oxygen since the levels naturally present in the skin decrease with age. Soooo…if you use this product (which is actually a sort of at-home version of their famed Triple Oxygen Treatment facials) you’ll be giving your cells the energy they need to perform their “youth-inducing” tasks at optimal levels… Err…well…it feels really good! Bliss’ Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask dispenses as a gel that’s a clear grapefruit-y color. Once you apply it to your damp face, the magic begins as a fluffy foam starts bubbling up. 5 minutes of effervescence later and voila…sort of. I’ll admit, my face felt fresh, clean, and pretty supple but, it also feels that way after I wash my face like normal. Needless to say, I surely wasn’t shouting from the rooftops. So, do you need this stuff? If you have $52 to spare, sure give it a shot. It’s a fun product. But otherwise, continue caring for your skin as usual!

October 7, 2008