Category: Reviews

Playing Chemist Today & the Man Who Thought He Tasted Good

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I’m still impatiently waiting the day I get my hair colored and I have to admit, I don’t like waiting for things that I can do myself. Since last night, I’ve snipped a swatch of my hair and have taken the liberty to bleach and color it since I have a whole stash of hair color and lighteners in my bathroom. I like the results considering I started off with black hair (which was coarse and very-resistant) and now it’s a nice snip of light golden blonde with a few strands of bright golden blonde. I used 7th Stage Lightener with 30 volume cream developer as well as the bleach activator (ratio of 2:1:2) and it took about 45 minutes for it to lift from level 1 (black) to level 8 (light blonde). There were a lot of yellow undertones to it, but since I didn’t have any toner on me last night, I decided to lift it with a high lift blonde hair color that used blue and violet tones to counteract the yellow. The hair color has a nice consistency and I haven’t found any breakage or profound damage. I could add some copper brown lowlights and etc and I’m pretty sure I’ll definitely finish it off with toner but can’t do that now. So the swatch isn’t perfected yet. (yeah, I got lazy with lighting today so this photo will have to do.) Almost! Now, the hardest part is just deciding whether I should go ahead and do it myself or wait it out. Sigh … decisions, decisions.

I went and got my make up done this past weekend and so far so good. I swapped out my Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation for the Silk Creme one since the Creme Smooth gave me a bit of an orange, ashy tone which didn’t work out so well since I like everything done to my chest to match. So I’m a Sand Beige in Silk Creme and that stuff really goes a long way because for the past few days, I’ve only had to use pea-sized drops. I left after my hour and a half make up session and I ended up going back to purchase the Flawless Skin Mega Moisturizer also from LM.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that my moisturizer was for normal/combination skin. I honestly hate going back and forth to the same places but the normal/dry skin version was definitely worth it. It has a light peppercorn scent. I don’t know why but no one seems to mind so far. It moisturizes all day and even if I start flaking, the cream does its job by keeping it all together and virtually unnoticeable. The cream has sunscreen infused in it as well as the Silk Cream Foundation so it’s a plus when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun. Yay, great skin until 65! It’s a 1.7 oz. pot of wonders and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to continue saying good things about it a few weeks from now.

I got a gift from the Laura Mercier counter and it was a make up bag full of everything I would’ve wanted from the collection such as tightliner, flawless skin repair serum, loose setting powder and so much more. I’ve been using the repair serum in the morning and evening after I cleanse my face and follow with a nickel-sized amount of the moisturizer. The serum works wonders and I can already see that it brightens the darker patches on my face and it’s only been four days! I’ll be hoping to purchase it soon when I have $95 to spare (yes, it’s great but a bit steep).

Nothing much has been going on except for that guy who went and cut his finger off to cook it with veggies last week. It’s pretty rare to find a cannibal let alone a self-cannibal.

The man from New Zealand reportedly consumed his finger after giving it a good saute with some peas and carrots. The 28-year-old was not under any kind of influences and after visiting the hospital do they diagnose him as moderately depressed. Crazy, huh? I guess we all wonder what we taste like ourselves at some point in our lives. I just hope he’s done after this.

Look out for my upcoming post this Friday on hair stylist etiquette and how to get the most out of your hair salon visit!

Don’t be a Detergent Fiend. Less is MORE!!!

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“You see, this detergent doesn’t work! It doesn’t sud or soap up at all and there’s no fragrance to it!”

I swear, Pete is a very interesting male specimen. Actually, they all are except I happened to end up with the old-fashioned clean freak.

We’ve recently run out of laundry detergent and we ventured out to find something better on the market. I don’t believe in everything a label states but I read them nevertheless and leave the end product as the deciding factor. As you may know, I have sensitive skin and Pete has severe allergies to just about everything. So, we decide on All’s 3x Concentrated Small & Mighty. It’s the free and clear one and since I’ve used the powdered version before a few years back, I have good faith in All. We got it for $4.25 and the 32 ounce bottle states that it’ll last for up to 32 loads, meaning, a good ounce per load. It’s safe for all types of washing machines and the good thing about it is that it’s a liquid detergent.

Pete, apparently, does not fancy liquid too much. He thinks that powder detergent cleans better. If you think about it, the powders have to actually dissolve into the water with more force than needed for a liquid. It’s a common knowledge and to prove it, I’ve never had “liquid” residue after a wash yet I have had powder residue sticking to my washed clothes … a big no-no because that could potentially irritate your skin leading to rashes and whatnot.

And of all things, it’s the 21st century. Why the hell do things need to foam or suds up in order for us to feel the “cleaning power”? I’m pretty sure it’s purely psychological and very much old-fashioned. A lot of people will say that they prefer that clean feeling or that sudsing is some kind of proof of working chemical agents. I can tell you that this is bullshit. From the toothpastes, to your laundry detergent and your bathroom cleaners … there is nothing that proves sudsing action is better. In reality, it’s a hindrance because toothpastes that foam are actually harmful to your teeth and health. High sudsing cleaners in detergents require more work and action in order for it to be rid of. So instead of your machines focusing on cleaning your clothes, it’s trying to get rid of the suds instead. Comet doesn’t sud as an abrasive cleaner and it’s one of the best products on the market.

Yes, we all like for our laundry to smell damn good and All free and clear won’t give you that. If you ever think about it, most fragrances will irritate your skin in one way or another. For example, a lot of good cosmetic skin products do not include fragrances or perfumes and they are usually the ones that are more expensive. If you want nice smelling clothes, try liquid fabric softener. The smell actually stays and fluffs up your clothes while fragrance in your laundry detergent does nothing but perfume your clothing.

It is a common misconception that more detergent equals cleaner clothes.

According to Good Housekeeping, doing this does quite the opposite and by the rinse cycle, you’ll still have suds in your clothing. Suds damage your clothing and takes away the performance of your laundry detergent. And even if you don’t do it, think about your (future) kids. Wouldn’t it be great to measure exactly to the line and save yourself the heartbreak (and financial hole in your pocket) when you have to take your kids to the doctor who prescribes them an $80 dollar skin irritation cream.

Don’t be a suds fiend because you’re only hurting yourself. I hope this sheds light on such a weird, mundane topic.