Charles Worthington Big Waves Enhance Spray, 8 fl. oz.

Charles Worthington Big Waves Enhance Spray is a product that I loathe. To me, the only good thing about this product is that it smells really good (which is one of the main reasons why I bought it, in addition to the claims on the label).

Product fail.

I am always looking for hair products that will make my wavy hair look good, but this spray is a complete failure. It is sticky on my hair and hands after I've sprayed it and scrunched it in, and when it dries it mattes my hair (on the underside; thankfully you can't see the mattes). It's like I have dreadlocks going on, and those mattes are so painful to brush out (I have to try to brush them out when my hair is dry, because when I've tried to wash them out in the shower it makes the dreads worse and then I have to try to get them out of my wet hair, which breaks more easily). I've tried using it a few times on the off-chance that it was a one-time thing, but no such luck;  I get the same bad result every time.

Overall: This is an awful product that will suck you in with its great smell and spit you out with dreads.

Re-buy?: No, not in a million years!

Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream, 10.2 fl.oz.

I discovered Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream while attempting to learn how to curl my hair using a straightener via a YouTube video - it must have been fate because I can't seem to find the same video now. Anyway, the girl in the video said she used this product to set the curl because when you use it you doesn't need to use hairspray or anything, and since it's a leave-in conditioner, it's good for your hair. Even though this product sounded too good to be true, I saw it work in the video so I decided to go out and get some for myself (no joke; I went out and got some that very night). Once I got a hold of it, I saw that this leave-in conditioner is actually for "frizzy, dry, unmanageable hair," which I have been known to have. Lo and behold, it works! I put this product in my hair when I want to define my waves, and it doesn't leave my hair looking and feeling greasy like so many other "anti-frizz" products do, plus it smells great. I even used it when I curled my own hair with a flat iron for my wedding (well, a friend helped me curl my hair in the back).

The magic bottle

Check out my hair on my wedding day

This product is not only great for curling your hair with a straightener, it's great for those days when you want to define your waves and give your hair some body without much effort. Here's how I do that:


Step 1: Work a quarter-sized dollop (depending on your hair's length) into your hair and dry your hair for about 5 minutes with a diffuser attached to your blow dryer until it's mostly dry but still slightly damp (most blow dryers I've seen come with a diffuser, so hopefully you still have it). Make sure to blow dry upside-down for at least half the time. If you don't have your diffuser, just blow dry on a lower setting and keep the blow dryer farther from your hair than usual (you should also blow dry upside-down at least half the time). When you're about done blow drying, finish it off by using the "cool" setting all over until your hair feels, well, cool (or at least not hot anymore) - this'll help set the style.

Diffuser on my blow dryer

Step 2: Work another dollop into your damp hair (I usually apply it to my hair upside-down) and put it up in one of those messy ponytail/bun-type things. Leave your hair this way for as long as you can while you continue to get ready (the longer you leave it, the more pronounced your waves).

Messy ponytail/bun-type thing

Step 3: Take the ponytail thing out and fluff your hair a bit by gently putting your fingers through your hair and taking them out again starting at the roots while your head is upside-down (hopefully that makes sense!). If it doesn't look de-frizzed enough, or defined enough, just use more product - seriously, I've never used too much of this stuff and some days I use a lot. After you like the way your hair looks, you can set it with a hairspray or finishing spray if you want; I usually will if it's going to be a long day.

Voilà! Wavy hair with minimal effort

If you want to learn how to curl your hair with a straightener, check out YouTube - I can't vouch for any of those videos because I haven't tried them, but I can recommend using Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream in place of whatever product they use!

Overall: This is a great product, and you get a lot for your money (I think it was only $3 or $4). It smells nice and doesn't leave my hair looking and feeling greasy like a lot of other "anti-frizz" products do, and it's versatile - I can use it to curl my hair with a flat iron, to give my wavy hair some definition, or even in place of a rinse-off conditioner in the shower when I use Neutrogena Anti-residue Shampoo (review for that coming soon). And honestly, you can't use too much of this stuff. If your dollop wasn't big enough the first time, try again with more. Some days I use more than others, but have never felt like I've used too much. It's awesome.

Re-buy?: Yes! I love this hair product.

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation, .28 oz (Fairly Light)

I've been using Bare Minerals loose powder foundation since 2008 and I love it! I bought one of the "starter sets" on a whim after seeing one of its infomercials on late-night TV and I am so glad I did. Although I'll occasionally experiment with other foundations to make sure I'm not missing out on something better (Clinique Redness Solutions liquid foundation, for example), this has been my go-to face makeup for years because it works the best for my skin.

 

At first I wasn't sure if it would work for me because I have dry skin and this is a loose powder; I thought might dry out my skin more. But it doesn't! It kind of absorbs into my skin and gives it a nice matte look. I apply it with the Bare Minerals Handy Buki brush, which does the job perfectly. The kit also came with Mineral Veil loose powder which you're supposed to apply after the foundation to "set" the look, but I've used it and haven't noticed a difference between when I apply the Mineral Veil and when I don't, so I don't think it's necessary. 

I also have a very red complexion and this makeup covers it right up. I've heard mixed reviews for people with serious acne, but if you just need to cover redness and a pimple or two this makeup does the job. The best part is, one canister of this stuff lasts me about 6-7 months with everyday wear, and I've gone more than a year without buying a new one if I only wear it a few days a week (sometimes when I'm especially poor I'll brave the world without makeup to conserve money). Here are some before and after pics for comparison:

Without makeup; redness galore

Wearing Bare Minerals in Fairly Light

(Note: I'm only showing half of my face because the other half is being used for the Clinique Redness Solutions review)

Overall: I love this makeup. It's been my go-to foundation for the last three years and I've yet to find something better, although I occasionally try new products just in case. It doesn't dry out my skin, it covers my redness, it lasts all day, and one canister gets me through at least 6 months.

Re-buy?: I've been re-buying it since 2008 and I haven't found any reason to stop yet!

*** Success! Based on this review, a friend of mine was interested in this product and went out and got herself a starter kit from Sephora. Read her reaction (and her friend's) on our Facebook page. ***

Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15, 1 fl. oz. (Calming Fair)

When I got married, I went to the Macy's Clinque counter earlier that day to get my makeup done; I was out of town and on a budget so it seemed like the easiest and most cost effective thing to do (if you buy a product, they'll do your makeup for free - since I got a product for my money, not just the makeup job, I liked this plan).  The woman who did my makeup used Redness Solutions liquid foundation on my face, because my complexion has a lot of redness. Even though I am usually a Bare Minerals fan, I decided to buy this Redness Solutions makeup as my "product."

I bought it in "Calming Fair," which seems to be an OK color on me, although I've noticed sometimes when it's really hot it tends to look orangeish (note: this is definitely a product you need to apply all the way down your neck in order to look flawless, or else the color difference will be very apparent). I've also noticed that it glistens on my skin - I know I could solve that problem with a little powder, but to be honest that's just one more step (and product to buy) and I don't like to wear a lot of makeup anyway, so I prefer makeup that I can just apply and wear as-is. In addition, I've noticed that it doesn't last all day - at the end of the day it'll look kind of streaky on my skin if I've touched my face anywhere throughout the day, and I don't like that (this problem would probably also be solved with powder, but you know my stance on that). Here are a few photos, before and after:

Yikes! No makeup

Wearing Clinique Redness Solutions in Calming Fair

(Note: I'm only showing half of my face because the other half is being used for the Bare Minerals review)

It doesn't look bad, but it's just not as good as my Bare Minerals.

Overall: This product does a good job covering up my redness, but it kind of sits on my skin and doesn't absorb, giving it a bit of a glistened effect. It also doesn't last all day without a powder over it. Lastly, it can tend to look orangey in hot weather, when my body temperature is up.

Re-buy?: Probably not. This isn't a bad product, I'm just fortunate that Bare Minerals works better for me.

Dude Review: Roku XD Streaming Player (From Guest Blogger Ethan Fox)

Even though I very badly want a decent 32" LCD for our bedroom that has the Netflix app built in, Larissa and I just don't have the funds and I'm not sure when we will. Did I mention it's dangerous to have a Best Buy credit card?? Well, it is! Anyway, we've been watching a lot of Netflix in our bedroom before we go to sleep, King of the Hill to be exact, and the way I was doing that is I brought my Blu-ray player into the bedroom (because it has the Netflix app) from the living room and I'd temporarily leave it there until we wanna watch a DVD or Blu-ray in the living room again. This got frustrating really fast because the way I have my gear setup, it's not easy to disconnect the Blu-ray player and hook it back up again.

You'd think since I work in the Audio Video industry, I would have thought of this sooner but I totally forgot about the Roku box. You can get them at Best Buy for $79.99 and it plays Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and a bunch of "internet channels." Since Larissa and I have a Hulu Plus account now (our Dish Network got shut off because we can't afford the bill), the Roku box made perfect sense. Of course I did the dumb thing and put it on my Best Buy credit card, but I had no other choice because I'm brokety broke.

They also sell a $59.99 version on Amazon but I don't think it has Hulu Plus. If you want something very small that streams all the good internet based apps, the Roku box is the way to go! This is of course if you haven't just hooked up your computer to your TV. I did exactly that in my living room. I got a dedicated desktop PC that I use for torrents, Hulu, web surfing etc. I recommend doing that because there is no limit to the content you can watch on your TV. Why buy "Google TV" or "Apple TV" when you can just have a full blown PC or Mac dedicated to your TV!? Think about it.

The Roku box has a really nice interface and remote as well. It even loads quickly and has a fast Netflix interface, which is a big deal! The picture is really good, and I'm not even using HDMI, which it has, I'm just using composite! That's right, our bedroom TV is super old school and doesn't even have inputs. I had to get an RF converter just to hook up ANYTHING to it, haha. The picture is actually better on the Roku than it was on my Blu-ray player, which actually makes sense because the Blu-ray player is meant for watching Blu-rays...

So, do I recommend the Roku box? Absolutely!! If you wanna be able to watch Netflix and Hulu Plus on ANY television in your house, or even take it to a friends house (it's tiny and easy to take anywhere), it's perfect! It can be hooked up WIRELESS OR WIRED!! I ran an ethernet cable to our bedroom for it though because it's definitely faster with it wired, but the wireless option is nice!

Essie Quick-E Drying Drops (.5 oz)

If you paint your own nails, you know that it sucks waiting for your nail polish to dry. Personally, I always end up smudging them because I thought I'd waited long enough to do something, but apparently didn't - and that is the worst! If I have time I'll take the polish off and do the nail(s) over again, but more often than not I have a few ugly smudgy nails.

This happens far less often now that I found Essie Quick-E Drying Drops at Target - they are seriously amazing. All you do is fill the dropper with the liquid and give your nails a drop or two each and wait a minute, and you're good! I've only smudged 2 nails using this product, and I think it was because I had too much nail polish on them so the formula couldn't do its job correctly.

Essie Quick-E Drying Drops

I've had this bottle for a couple of months and have used it for about 5 home manicures, so a little goes a long way. It has no smell, and it feels slightly oily if you get it on your fingers, but that goes away quickly. So far, it hasn't stained any of my clothes or hurt any furniture or anything so I think it's safe. Then again, I haven't specifically tested it on clothes or furniture either, so take normal manicure precautions with it.

Overall: I really like the Essie brand in general and have quite a few of their nail polishes, so I was pleased to find that these drops do exactly as advertised and do so effectively. For $7.99 plus tax, this product is worth the money.

Re-buy?: If I ever get through my current bottle, I'd definitely buy this product again!

Kindle 3 (Latest Generation), Wi-Fi, Free 3G, Graphite, 6" Display

I received my Kindle as a birthday gift from my fantastic husband, but later went to the different bookstores in my area and checked out the other e-readers on the market. Thankfully, I decided afterwards that my Kindle was the best e-reader for me. I am not a huge touchscreen person (my cell phone still has buttons and numbers), so what stood out most to me about the Kindle was the full keypad. The next thing that stood out to me was the texture quality of the "pages" - Amazon uses e-ink technology for these babies, so it really looks like I am reading a page from a book! As such, it works great in direct sunlight. Now, color would be great if I were reading a lot of illustrated children's books, but I read novels that don't have pictures so I am fine with the black ink-only situation. I didn't really care for the color display of some e-readers anyway, because then it's more like a tablet and less like a book, and I wanted my e-reader to stay as close to a book as possible (I hate that LED glare you see on the color devices). If I wanted a tablet, I'd just get an iPad or something (which has e-reader apps); why limit myself to just reading on a device like that?

Full Keyboard - yay, buttons!

E-ink handles black/white illustrations well

Okay. So I like how the Kindle looks (except the boring graphite - I jazzed that up with a skin showcasing Vincent Van Gogh's "Almond Branches"), but how do I feel about how it actually works? I love it!


* I love that I can read in direct sunlight without a glare.
* I love that I can adjust the font and size to match my preferences (I like my fonts slightly larger and sans-serif).
* I love that I can access the Amazon store and download books anywhere with the 3G capability, and I love how easy it is to search for books because of that full keypad. I love that it recommends other books by that author when I am finished with a book, which is quite handy when reading a series. 
* I love that I can highlight phrases that I like and store them for later reference (ahem, Facebook statuses?)
* I love the built-in dictionary - I never realized all the little details I was missing out on when I skimmed over a word I didn't truly have a grasp on and just tried to place it within context. And it's so easy to use! Just use the cursor to highlight the word you want to look up, and the definition pops up at the top or bottom of the page, depending on where the word is.
* I love that I can easily hold it in one hand - it's really lightweight! The one-handed thing is especially great when I think back to reading those 500+ page books and how tired my hand used to get after reading for 3+ hours. 
* I love that I can download free games! Sometimes I don't have a lot of time to read but I want to stay busy, so I'll play a little blackjack or a word game or two - it's so great.  
* I love that it holds up to 3,500 books (not that I'm anywhere close to filling it up).
* I love that the battery life is fantastic (I usually go a month or two without charging, depending on how often I turn on the 3G; I usually turn 3G off while reading to conserve the battery), and it only takes an hour or so to charge. 
* I love that it has experimental features such as music playback, web browser, and text-to-speech audio book listening. 

Thin/lightweight

Easy to hold in one hand

Speakers for music or audiobooks

While I love the music playback and web browser features, I haven't really taken advantage of the text-to-speech yet other than to make sure it works (it does). But just because I love these experimental features doesn't mean they're perfect. Here are some of my issues:

Music:
* There is no way to go back to a track, only skip forward. It would be immensely better to be able to use the page forward and back arrows to go from track to track, rather than only moving forward by pressing alt + F.
* It would be great if a menu containing our songs came up, similar to novels listed on the home page. 


Web browser:
* When I use the web browser on Facebook, 7/10 times it will freeze up, and the only way to fix it is to put it to “sleep” and wake it up again to make the Kindle work. None of the other buttons will de-freeze it.

Here are some issues that I have with the Kindle in general:
* I wish I could pick and choose which images I want to come up as screensavers. I LOVE the birds and fish (they make me happy), but could do without some of the author portraits.
* I would love to be able to delete books right from the home page, rather than having to plug the Kindle it into my computer to archive.
* It would be amazing if the screen could be gently backlit (with more of a golden light, not LED lighting). I am not sure if the e-ink technology would allow it though. I have a reader light, but still have trouble getting lighting just right at night. I know this is something an update couldn’t fix, but maybe something to hope for with Kindle 4?

Yes, that's right - the Kindle is so true to a book that you need a booklight to read at night! That is maybe a little too bookish for me - I kind of expected the e-reader to be backlit, because it's electronic. But then the accessories people would be out of a job, right? Oh, business politics. Anyway, maybe they'll incorporate backlighting someday. Either way, it's not a deal-breaker for me, just a (slight) disappointment.

Overall: I love my Kindle! After experimenting with other e-readers out there, this was definitely the one for me. I love the full keypad, I love the e-ink that gives it that "real book" look, and I love the features and ease of use. I do have a few suggestions (see above), but these are issues I can overlook because they don't compromise the functionality of my reading, which is what I primarily use my Kindle for.

Re-buy?: I hope that my Kindle 3 doesn't become obsolete almost immediately like many cell phones and other electronics tend to, but when it does, I will definitely upgrade (funds pending).