Hermmmmm...perhaps I have found thee...after randomly searching for a non-aluminum-containing deodorant for years. I mean I haven't been all-out searching—not allergic to conventional deodorants, and my Nivea Black and White stick deo, layered over one of those ubiquitous deo crystals, has been working quite well.
So why the deodorant curiosity? well, Nivea still does contain aluminum, and a parcel of other rather chemical-sounding ingredients. If someone were to come along with a more natural alternative, and in the convenient form of a stick (Soapwalla's deodorant cream works pretty well, but takes dedication to apply—I'm not a morning person), I'd be up to try it.
Today my Sandalwood Petal Pusher arrived (from Smallflower, which has also video-reviewed this product), and hey, it is the weekend. Who cares if it fails? go home, put something else on? and so, steady the Buffs!
First impressions: dry sandalwood, a tad sharp. Smooth and easy to apply (was fearing a stiff chalky granola-esque experience, but no). Smells good, unisex enough. Slightly tacky, in positive way—folks who've endeavored finding a non-aluminum-containing deodorant which does anything about wetness know what I mean—tacky? could it mean...?
Test drive: inland road trip, into the gorgeous desert heat without air-conditioning. Hm. No evil smell and minimal wetness, easily comparable to Right Guard. I still love the brown hills of California btw...amazing....
Random shopping, longish drive home, and then a one-mile hike uphill. I'll have to say this did commence to degrade after all that abuse, but subtly and reasonably so. I smell okay now, in fact, closing in on midnight.
So far a total thumbs-up. I will be trying out the Neroli version as well (not tempted by Steam River Rum or Cavendish).
I've been using the above deo since April-Mayish of this year; plenty of time to ascertain whether or not it works. It does. I can frankly claim to have less of the annoying "yellow deo marks on white shirts" issue. Worth the minor hassle of finding it here (seems pretty cheap and available in Europe).
i Profumi di Firenze, Violetta di Bosco
Been playing with this, in sample form. I was never a "frag hag," exactly, and so missed this line altogether even when I was sampling perfumes. Italian fragrances imo tend to be iffy, unless you're heavily into citrus (there always seems to be something citrusy there, and it can be done well, but it has to be your thing).
Not so with this scent. Violets...when did I last smell one? over twenty-eight years past, that's for sure, when some randomly sprouted between our house and the next. I don't recall a heady scent, but as I say there were the few soldier-violets, not a whole bed of them.
So, I'll take it on faith this is what violets smell like. I loathe samples (well, love/hate, of course) in that you're stuck without a sprayer; this is potent nevertheless.
First impressions...too sweet, overly floral (doh), too...virtuous? Not something toward which I tend to gravitate. A candied sensation. Bleh. Then...perfume settles in...must apply more...this is great! Dabbled the dinky plastic wand around—oh, I know, I could do something more creative, like dab it properly from the vial...
Even with my violet ignorance, I could say this is a fresh and complex scent. There's more in it than essence of violets, which would be simplistic at best, cloying at worst. For someone who spent many summers at an organic vegetable/fruit farm (me), there are subtle elements of moss, dried grass, ferns, hints of water...all that's needed to conjure up the outdoors, interwoven with the sweet layer of blooms.
Full-bottle-worthy? I don't know yet. It's a bit spendy (not worse than Montale, which is still my house of choice), but again with the frag-hag-lessness—I don't own tons of perfumes, so the ones I do have need to be special.
You know how it's easy to complain about what's wrong, whilst overlooking what is working?
I haven't bought a Jackie in...hermmm...a bit, actually. Some of the recent colorways bewitched me, and then they marked them down, and then I tried them on...heheh
The "newer" Jackies are noticeably less boxy than before (as I say, I don't know when they made this change). I used to get an XL just to get it to button in front, and then the rest of it was really too bulky. The superior colors, fabric and style made it all worthwhile, but with these newfangled Jackies I can get a Large and have it button up a treat. And it's more hourglassy.
Slight criticism: they should QA these better (I know, the price was good, yadda yadda). A button popped off of one I tried on, and I spied a small loose thread within the fabric of another. Not the end of the universe, I'm pretty handy at mending stuff, even if I'm a sewing tard...just saying.
Despite its purple-sounding name, "Warm Orchid" is as much blue as plum. Good thing, as I have several purple-flavored Jackies from J.Crew past—crocus tone, grey-purple fusion, random true orchid I got on sale... There was a lovely garnet shade which wasn't on the site, and I got that as well (color code PNO—pinot?).
* Should I crop the left-hand sliver of She Got a Wiggle? Partly I was bored (how many Jackie screenshots do I have on this blog?), partly wondered if the image would be indexed with the sliver, partly felt the video illustrated the hourglassy concept to a T...
Been using this for about a month now. I got it from Alpine Village Cosmetics (as Smallflower was sold-out at the time). Delivery for Alpine... was quite swift; seemed like only a few days before I had this deo in my hand (along with a nice note in the package).
For about the first week I used it, I found it somewhat irritating actually. Not to the point of stopping, but I was speculating whether it would work out. Subsequent to that though, it's been fine. It smells pleasant, in a rather elegant-soap fashion (not overly strong), and applies smoothly. A bit softer than other deo-sticks I've tried...I've checked the container a few times to see if it's going quickly, but it doesn't appear to be.
Now the selling point here is its "black and white" compatibility. I don't wear a lot of black (haven't noticed deo marks on the darker shirts I have worn); the attraction for me is the thought of no yellow deo marks on white shirts. I Oxi-Cleaned my Oxi-Cleanable shirts prior to beginning this deo regime, and, at this early point, it does seem to reduce this.
Dryness: Nivea Invisible... doesn't offer the same arid 'pits as, say, Right Guard, but then that's not a big deal for me. I just want to smell nice and be comfortably dry.
Overall—it's good. I'll post an updated review later on (wondering just how no-deo-mark this stuff is over time).
As I survey this derelict blog, the thought occurs...I could have been a contender, if I weren't, ah, a bum.
Been meaning to try the above deodorant. It purports to reduce both yellow deo marks on white clothing, and white deo marks on black. Ludicrously difficult to acquire here, but it is on my wishlist. There are men's versions as well, of the stick, roll-on, and spray.
Nars And God Created the Woman palette: Alhambra II, Bellissima II, Kalahari I, Galapagos, Coconut Grove, Night Clubbing
Yo Brigitte!
Much as I dislike palettes...with the nagging sensation of shades you don't want, or shades you already own...this pulled me in. I'd intended to try their eyeshadow base, they tossed in a brush, and some of the shadows, such as Galapagos and Kalahari, had been languishing on my wishlist.
Been fiddling around with Galapagos as a crease shade, playing with Alhambra and Kalahari as lid shades/washes...hmmm...pretty good, though the sole temptation for full size thus far is Bellissima II. It is the most angelic taupe, and I don't gravitate generally towards taupe. The pans are kinda doll-sized, you can just dip your brush in, but it is reasonably priced considering all you get to sample. I haven't tried the two darker shades—from sheer sloth, since I'd have to dig out a push brush and use them as liners, or else engineer them into crease shades (which does work on me with fairly dark eyeshadows, if I blend with a finger instead of a brush).
The primer is full-bottle-worthy imo. Yes, I can recall when you didn't really "need" primer, but you do now, or at least I do. Application is impressively quick and easy with the wand applicator, and you can always blend it out with your finger if you've glopped it.
The brush has already been claimed by my daughter, but it did seem nicely substantial and I'll probably borrow it at some time to review it. I've been soldiering along with my Sonia Kashuk large eyeshadow brush, which has yet to shed a hair (knock wood) after eight and a half years or so of use.
Hola! I've been checking out this...unspectacular-looking turtleneck.
What makes this blog-worthy, is its "Heattech" technology: uniqlo.com. I tried one on the other day; it's quite reasonably-priced, so I figured, even if Heattech was a dud, it could function as a turtleneck. In a pinch, it could hide under a sweater, should it prove fugtastic.
If you'd like to sample Heattech, I'd recommend you try a Heattech-ified item on when you're about to knock the thermostat up and/or pile on a bunch of wool sweaters. You won't want to take it off—try it on in the morning! :) Where in the spectrum of "I'm wearing an electric blanket" and "this is a total rip" does this fall...hmmm...I want to buy more.
I got the off-white shade, on the logic: a) could definitely hide under a sweater, and b) if it did work as a top, it'd go with everything. I have turtlenecks in jewel tones for winter, yet am ever on the lookout for an ivory/cream model. You'll need a good nude bra if you want to go that route...the fabric is thin, and the top runs small (I sized up)...which makes sense, since it could be viewed as a simple base layer. I feel fine wearing this as a stand-alone top; the sleeves just fit (this would not work for long arms).
Been trying this out over the past six days, as a potential substitute for traditional anti-perspirant (the aluminum and paraben in which have been associated with cancer).
I'm super-picky about this sort of thing, and have tried alternatives such as the crystal:
...which is great for prohibiting odor—better imo than commercial anti-perspirants, for this function—but useless for wetness.
Hm. So far, Soapwalla's deo rocks. I've had a few slightly clammy moments, and for super stressful days I would probably fall back on my traditional anti-perspirant (at least I think I would). I've worn this exercising (no stink...amazing). This is a cold-weather trial; no idea how well it holds out in high temps.
Overall, I feel totally dry with this stuff, to the point I forget I'm wearing a non-aluminum-containing product.
It's a slight extra step applying it, because it's a cream. You are to thinly apply it all over your armpit. It's smooth even on chilly mornings (yeah!), smells nice (lavendery-herbal, with a skosh of mint); the scent is not too strong.
It will be interesting to try this out in summer; another gripe I have with traditional anti-perspirant is its tendency to leave difficult-to-remove stains on shirts—there's even a product for that (scroll down to Deo-Go, which I haven't tried).
I found out about Soapwalla Kitchen from this post: Pretty in Green.
They opened a b & m Peruvian Connection recently, on Fillmore. PC is one of those etailers I've perused, on and off, for years probably. I did get one of their silk half-slips a while back (it's held up well over many washings, and is a handy length), and tried a discounted bias pima cotton skirt—like this, but in a muted grey-blue tone:
I can't carp about the color or fabric (beautiful, and fairly luxe, respectively) but the length was too great even after a hearty spin in a hot dryer. Had it shrunk further...hmmm...maybe I should try that again. It's been sort of sitting there in my weekend pile, awaiting cooler weather. Wish they offered the skirts in a shorter length—this would be work-friendly—I do like that they always have matching tops (pima cowl necks, and long- and short-sleeved scoop necks).
Anyhow, I did make it out to the b & m shortly after it had opened. I'll have to admit it was cool seeing the stuff in person, after puzzling over it online...take the Extreme Turtleneck:
This is less extreme than it sounds; the neck is long, but fits comfortably (I'd dreaded a giant tube o' fabric, suitable only for those with swan necks). Fabric: silken pima cotton, with a twist of lycra—seemingly durable and a bit stretchy.
The colors differ from how the swatches appear on my monitor, sorta...Umber is browner (gorgeous, but useless for my wardrobe), Glacier greyer, basically grey with a slight blue cast. They didn't have Navy, and Eggshell...can you go wrong with that? it's ivory. Tuscan Red is not red, but rather red-orange with a bit of brown. Pesto iirc is quite brown, a fatigue color. Port looks drab in the swatch, but is the most transcendent shade of red wine.
These run in size similarly to J.Crew, or "smallish" (I tried medium and large, and preferred the large).
Another item I'd come to see was the pima cotton layering tee:
These seemed less useful to me than the Extreme T-necks, since they are after all tee shirts, but I was after something like it if the color was right (a plain tee shirt can look quite pretty in a nice fabric and color). I ended up getting the Tearose shade pictured above, but it's more a terra cotta flowerpot color, with a rosy cast. (Sizing is about the same as the Extreme T-neck.)
Overall, well worth the trip. PC offers a lot more than basic items, but it's the basics in which I was interested; something versatile, easy to wash and dry, handy to grab when you've no time to iron, and in subtle and unusual hues.
J.Crew Camden leather brogues in light ginger, nutmeg and black
I bought these a while back, actually, during one of J.Crew's discount-on-top-of-sale things, and I've worn them several times now—I got the black ones, despite the allure of the other tasty tones, on the notion they would be far more useful. (Don't you often find yourself gravitating towards your black shoes?)
There was advice to go up half a size for these, which I did initially, but it didn't work. 8-1/2 was too long on my foot; the heel slipped off. My regular size 8 fit fine and didn't feel overly narrow on (I have wide feet too).
I can admit these aren't exactly the best quality shoes I own. My Cydwoqs are better made, as are my Cole Haans. But they are undeniably cute, and are decently-enough made. They are a perfect small replica of a man's oxford shoe, but somehow don't look masculine on. Perhaps it's the plethora of perforations and the neat streamlined shape. They're also quite comfortable as you would imagine.
Now, what do you do with them; they seem to look best with textured hose or tights of some sort, although I have worn them with regular stockings. The rest of the outfit could be a work skirt and a button-down shirt, and a cardigan, which is what I've been wearing a lot of, lately.
In summation, I'm not sure these would have been worth the FP. And I would hate to have to buy on Final Sale (I would've been stuck with long shoes). But for sale price, so far these have been rather nifty.
Top: J.Crew Lace-stripe tissue tee in Buff Cardigan: J.Crew Jackie in Dark Charcoal Sunnies: gifted Earrings: made by me (grey freshwater pearls with small aquamarines) Skirt: gifted (denim) Textured navy blue stockings Boots: Cydwoq Extreme
Been meaning for a while to take a "fashion blogger sunglasses pic." :)
I've now tried Leather Honey on shoe soles. It works fine on soles which have already been scuffed some, but makes virgin soles a tad slippery. Scuff first.
On the shoes themselves: it loosens up shoes which have already fully stretched out...which can be good (my Cole Haans used to feel a bit tight at day's end).
I've also tossed my first pair of Summer Soles, meaning they lasted over nine months. I do make a point of rotating my shoes to let them dry out, but the 'Soles were getting kinda raggy. They pretty much peeled right out, leaving a slight tackiness in the heel, which disappeared when I cleaned the inside of the shoe. Much impressed...but why don't they make some with anti-microbial properties?
ETA: I did get to tuck the Lace-stripe tee into something, finally: a high-waisted skirt (same one here but in taupe).
I got to try this (wouldn't you know it?) pretty much right away, when one of my stockings showed a pull—not yet a run, nor quite a hole, but sure to develop into one or the other.
This product smells strongly of chemicals when wet, but dries quickly. It's easy to use (as easy as clear nail polish would be). The advantages of this over clear nail polish are supposed to be: it won't stick to your skin, and won't dry hard. It did stick a bit to my skin (nothing a brief tug didn't fix). As promised, the product was perfectly flexible when dry.
Interestingly, it didn't quite dry clear. The area where I'd applied it showed a wee bit lighter than the stocking itself. It occurred to me perhaps I'd used too much. It just sort of melds with the stocking fabric, so you'd need only enough to cover the hole and ring of stitches surrounding it.
So far, I'm quite pleased. My next tests would be: a.) see how it fares after laundering the stocking; b.) try it proactively on not-yet-worn-out stocking toes; c.) see if I can use it to "glue" a fancy stocking in which I'd popped a stitch.
T-shirt: gifted Jacket: C&C California Skirt: Velvet by Graham and Spencer Boots: Cydwoq Deck
Hope your Memorial Day went well.
Would I have worn this shirt back home? smirks I was feeling sentimental, thinking about my math tutor today. He was a Vietnam veteran, and one of the nicest people I can remember from Norfolk. Always wondered what happened to him.
I tried the Leather Honey out, on the above boots and on Cydwoq Art, and the soles of my Cydwoq Extreme boots. I didn't do the entire Extreme boot because, ah, they were just polished.
Hm. First of all, it does darken the leather some. It showed more on the Art shoes, which went from a sort of greyish brownish green, to a deep rich greenish brown. I can admit I like the new color better. The Deck boots went slightly deeper...they'd already darkened some the first time I started messing around with some Meltonian shoe cream. Can I confess I like playing around with this stuff? If you've got black shoes, it's fine if they look new, but brown shoes are far more elegant aged.
I poked at the shoes after the requisite two hours had passed, wasn't particularly impressed...the real beauty appeared the following day. By then the Leather Honey had softened the leather. Ah...and if you'd applied gobs of it, supposedly your shoes would ooze Leather Honey, but these poor desiccated babies had drunk it right up. Only a slight bit of residue, to buff off with a cloth.
The Deck boots had always been kind of stiff, to the point I disliked walking in them for any appreciable length of time, but now they feel much more flexible. The Art shoes are softer now as well.
Which is great...and it's supposed to be water-resistant, but not water-proof...my remaining question has to do with extending the wear of leather soles. If this stuff can do that, it will have more than paid for itself.
Top: cotton, made in the Philippines (also worn here) Jacket: C & C California Skirt: Velvet by Graham and Spencer Sandals: Cydwoq Bare
I haven't bothered putting on makeup today, but did don my new Paul and Joe lipstick to show you what it looks like on me.
Hermmm... Pretty much as I'd expected, from reading other bloggers' reviews; one of those natural, "your lips but better" shades. Nicely moisturizing, without flavor or much in the way of scent, pleasant texture on lips—ever so slightly tacky, actually, reminiscent of a good sticky pot lipgloss—but requiring more frequent touching up than my regular Dr. Hauschka.
I rather like it, but can't see a tremendous investment in P & J lippies coming on. Thank G-d. lol #14 is deep pink and warm in tone; no shimmer that I can detect, glossy finish (as I say, feels a bit like a pot gloss on the surface).
Top: Eddie Bauer black turtleneck Cardigan: J.Crew Jackie in Wild Mushroom Pendant: Red glass, made by my daughter :) Skirt: J.Crew Cord pencil skirt in Golden Wood Shoes: Cydwoq Recess
J.Crew Cord pencil skirt in Golden Wood
I caved and got this, when 'Crew had their 30% off sale items coupon. Even though 'Crew moved this shade from the sale to the regular-priced section, right in the middle of the sale. hmph
I couldn't wait to try it, so wore it today. Hmmm...it's not lined, which would have been a nice touch, but then its regular price is pretty reasonable. And the material is lovely, soft and fine-waled—not as sublimely so as my red cord skirt, where you can hardly see the wales—but sufficiently so the skirt looks more formal than a regular ol' corduroy skirt would.
It was a bit trippy walking in it, as it's more pencil-shaped than any other skirt I own, but it was fun (though I ignored my own advice—"When in doubt, wear the slip, you can always take it off and stash it in your bag"). Worn with tights, I wouldn't have had a choice; it would have been un-walkable without a slip.
The color is why I bought it. On offer was Shadow, which I'd gotten all wrong (see how nice it looks on Shopping with M), and Rich Brown, which was the dark brown color I'd normally have bought.
But I feel rather strongly that wardrobe items have their own, ah, gestalt of sorts. When you see it, you know it's right for you. One handy aspect of taking outfit of the day pics, is you can scroll through them later on when you want to buy something, and get an idea whether the potential new item would work with the pieces you already own.
Cord pencil skirt fits "true to J.Crew skirt size"; mine's an 8. I line-dry stuff like this, otherwise I'd consider going up a size, even though this one is pretty relaxed-fitting.
Yes! I tried the Summer Soles, using the particularly brutal "stockings and Cole Haan flats" test.
These were impressively easy to trim and install. I knocked a bit off the outer upper edges, and about half an inch off the bottoms. They are sticky, but not dreadfully so; you can easily lift them out as you're trying to position them.
The Absorbent Fragrant Footings are felted synthetic material, to wick moisture away from your feet and dissipate it. I got Jasmine (there's a Mint, as well). They smell of natural flowers, but I'll guess the effect is more dramatic with sandals. With closed shoes, you don't smell them at all unless you take off your shoes.
Hmmm... Definitely an improvement. I don't get massively sweaty feet, but stockings and closed shoes are not good for your feet. My feet remained quite dry. The Footings are sufficiently thin not to squeeze your feet against the tops of your shoes, but do provide a bit of cushioning.
I also like the idea of extending the life of the shoe. You're supposed to swap these out; how frequently, I've no idea at this point. I almost always rotate my shoes (trying to prolong their lifespan) so I'm hoping to extend the wear of the Footings too.
I got some regular non-scented Summer Soles; the more expensive Fragrant Footings were for the Cole Haans and my waterproof boots. (The regular ones are cheaper bought in bulk.)
Hmmm...I had to start thinking about custom-made clothing. Actually it wouldn't even have to be custom-made; it could be produced on a small scale. Why not? We don't have dirt-cheap labor. What we do have is innovation.
(About Dave Allen, I really could not resist.)
The most cursory web search nets this beautiful skirt, in the same price range as J.Crew's. The piece is made by hand in the U.S. Like 'Crew, as I say, it's not cheap. But, should it be? I like it.
This is what caught my eye initially, for the orange hue, boat neckline and--best of all--the triangles.
This ranks pretty high on my drool list though it is spendy. It's hand-knit in Italy, and comes in a potential of 23 colors and four sizes.
You must be tired. You've been running through my mind all day. Actually this is not the song that's been running through my mind--that would be "Taxi," from the same Bryan Ferry record. But I like this cover as well.
It's occurred to me Pacifica's Tahitian Gardenia soap smells quite similar to a perfume I've thought about, on and off, for a couple of years: Diptyque's Do Son.
Google Street View of the Diptyque shop on Maiden Lane
Tahitian Gardenia is not as complex as Do Son--you wouldn't expect it to be, soap not being perfume--but this is one type of scent to which I return, time and again.
Do Son was almost freakishly realistic--along with the Tahitian Gardenia slew of white flowers and a fresh green note out of nowhere, it featured a slight bitter edge (as actual flowers possess) and what I swear smelled like running water and a smidge of sunlight. The deal-breaker--like the other Diptyque eau de toilettes I sampled back then (2007, the same time I took a screenshot of the shop), it had no staying power. You'd be like some kind of a nut, spraying it every half hour or so.
So the question--and it's a beauty blog question--would be, how does Pacifica's perfume version of Tahitian Gardenia compare to Diptyque's Do Son? I'll have to look more closely next time I visit Whole Foods; maybe they have Pacifica scents out?
I chanced upon this tasty soap at Whole Foods in Berkeley, from the standard wall of scented soaps each health food store seems to possess these days. The Pacifica soaps were not the most economical--I get my bath soap at health food stores; less drying, superior quality--yet were reasonably priced, and smelled nothing short of divine.
So, along with my Whole Foods store-brand soaps ($3.99 for a honking 8-ounce bar), I chunked in a Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia soap ($5 for 6 oz.).
I was in no hurry to try it. A confirmed cheapskate, I was content to have the soap function as a sachet for a while; its white-flower scent could infuse my clothing with intense tropical goodness. (I'd never forgotten how flowers smelled in the South. They don't, out here, in our parched Western air.)
When the Whole Foods soaps had been consumed, it was time to unveil the Pacifica model. I somehow expected a neat white bar, like a Lever 2000, the kind of soap sold in the actual tropics, but the Pacifica bar was beauteous--a slightly translucent block, with softened corners and edges, a freckling of what appeared to be crumbled dried flower petals, beneath a thin layer of more translucent soap, so the whole was smooth and silky, yet angular enough to be interesting.
Soap-wise...good, but then good soap is good soap. A Trader Joe's shea butter soap is as good...the outstanding features here were the fragrance and lovely look and feel.
To me, Tahitian Gardenia didn't smell purely, nor even mainly, of gardenia; rather of a blend of white tropical flowers and lilies. To me the lily note was as strong as anything tropical or gardenia. On the Pacifica site, this soap is described as follows:
Pacifica's Tahitian Gardenia Natural Soap is handmade using a proprietary biodegradable, vegan, vegetable oil and glycerin soap base, ground almond meal, and Pacifica's own fragrance blend with ylang ylang, osmanthus and jasmine essential oils. No parabens, animal testing, animal ingredients or artificial colors. 100% VEGAN and Gluten-free.
Sweet! Oh, and I had to replenish my stock of Whole Foods soaps tonight; I added in another Pacifica soap--French Lilac--mmmmm....
Odds and sods, part 4
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Sunday, December 27, 2009
at 7:28 PM (Pacific)
Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Oil review
Hermmm...I see this sample pack is a bit over two years old. I've been using up each item slowly--the three creams are gone, the kids got into the Lavender bath oil; the Blackthorn body oil is something no one seems to want to use, so it's slated to be next on my list. I've just shaken out the last drops of the Rose Body Oil.
I wasn't particularly into body oils; they appeared simply a messier alternative to lotion, and the inner cheapskate scowled that a mixture of oils and fragrances had got to be more economical to make yourself. But, hey. The Hauschka rep was nice enough to send a plethora of samples, and I've liked just about all of them--the products are, in a word, engineered.
Rose Body Oil is no exception; you need a mere drop or two of this delicately scented oil to moisturize an area of dry skin. It produces a silkier effect than lotion, and doesn't feel greasy on. As evidenced by my poky use of the product, it keeps at least two years. A full-sized bottle could be a negligible expense.
On second thought, I've decided to replace my current Salux Beauty Skin cloth. Its lifespan would appear to be about a year and nine months. Its scratchiness had diminished over time--it never frayed nor developed a hole, making it a bit awkward to throw away, but it is noticeably less abrasive (this is the thing for keratosis pilaris, ingrown hairs, and even some prevention of acne).
"Fixing" a zipper
I had a horrific experience: the zipper on my handbag ceased to zip. It'd started out getting sticky; crossed my mind it would need some kind of lubrication, like graphite for a keyhole, but one day the pull simply wouldn't lock the teeth. You'd yank the pull all the way over, and the zipper would gape open.
Sometimes the teeth at the base of the zipper would lock for about an inch and a half; I theorized one of the teeth beyond that point was bent, throwing off the remainder of the teeth. Got out my chain-nose pliers, and looked for something to bend back...but after a close examination, I couldn't find any bent or otherwise damaged teeth.
Finally I googled to get some ideas. One article stated you should lubricate your zipper by rubbing a piece of beeswax on it. I actually owned a piece of beeswax, from way back when, so I got that out and started rubbing it along each side of the zipper. You need to do this several times to make zipping nice and smooth.
Weirdly enough, the zipper works now. It wasn't really damaged; it was the stress of sticky zipping that kept the teeth from aligning.
The morale to this story is--if you can't find broken teeth on the zipper, and the pull starts out working (isn't out of sync at the base), why not try this method?
Edited to add: I'm also not unzipping it quite all the way.
Odds and sods, part 3
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
at 10:26 PM (Pacific)
Eh...tired. House cleaning, laundry, mending, yadda yadda...
Which brings us to:
Tide Coldwater detergent. I've used this for several rounds o' clothes; so far, it's good. It cleans as well in cold water as regular Tide would in warm. Possibly too soon to say, but it also appears to fade colors less quickly than regular Tide would in cold.
In 2010, I'm planning to get some black dye from Dharma Trading Company, and toss all my fading black cottons and linens into a ginormous dye vat. The site is a trip: four kinds of black dye (Black, Jet Black, Better Black, New Black), half a page of advice specifically on black dye, plus an entire small-print page of instructions on how to do it.
And finally--given this blog still touts itself as a beauty blog, despite the fact I seldom if ever post about beauty products any more--a passage about makeup.
My beloved Nars Jezebel duo eyeshadow has bitten the dust:
It's still in the "Vintage" section (which is polite, apparently, for "discontinued")... And there is a 20% off $60 coupon code, CP9H1211, good through December 31, 2009, at narscosmetics.com, and free shipping for $25 orders--et cetera.
Buying a back-up copy of Jezebel, and tossing in some other Nars-a-licious product to get the discount, would appear a cosmetiholic no-brainer.
But...do I really want a back-up copy of Jezebel in the first place? It's my favorite eyeshadow--the lilac side features a good-sized dent, whilst the coppery side can't, since it requires a light touch. The duo goes with just about everything...but it'll be months, if not years, before the thing gets used up. I bought it July 2007, and Nars eyeshadows keep for years, without the tragic hardening of, say, MAC eyeshadows, or anything weird and crumbly happening.
I'd much rather wait longer and visit a b & m Sephora and just fiddle around with whatever's on offer at the time.
