Worst Products I've Ever Tried

In honour of Things I Hate Tuesday, I'm publishing this article I've been thinking about for a while. May add to it as my attempts at consumerism continue to disappoint me, and I know I have stuff missing from this list.



• TRESemme No Frizz Shine Spray - I try to support TRESemme as much as possible because they do not test on animals and that means a lot to me. This product did up the shine in my hair immediately and with just a few sprays all over, I will give it that much. But this product does absolutely nothing for frizz control. I used this product on my hair before and after I straightened it on a misty day and by the time I got to work I had Botticelli curls all over. Disappointing.



• Purely Cosmetics - I feel bad writing this, as I like to support independent businesses. And keep in mind my skin is horrible- with acne scars, uneven texture, mild rosacea, and it is sensitive and acne-prone. But their foundation made me break out immediately and while it provided decent coverage it also caked very much, everywhere. It sunk into my tiny under-eye wrinkles and enlarged them dramatically. By the end of the day I was pooling in oil and my entire face was burning, waiting to be washed off. It made me sad, since their makeup is hailed as being best for sensitive skin since it had "no bismuth, talc, micronized minerals, and other skin irritants." Perhaps their eye-makeup is worth trying, as most reviews of that brand online hailed it, which I probably should have heeded a bit more.



• Moom - This was another product I was very eager to try since I heard mostly good things about it; good for sensitive skin and completely organic. I don't mind waxing but hate paying for it, and needing to shave very often gets tiresome. I tried this on my bikini area first and not only did it not get much hair off but it bruised my skin! I gave it a second try a few days later on my arm. It got a little of the hair off, but not much that time, either. Luckily it didn't bruise, but both times I did get red bumps (that didn't surprise me, however, but did add to my annoyance with this product as I was already short with it). I guess it's back to blades for me!



• Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer - Again, my skin is horrible. And I haven't tried this product in a while, maybe it would work better now, who knows. But I'm willing to bet it won't. Aveeno pretty much sucks in general. For being "organic" their products sure have a lot of ingredients. Almost everything, even the stuff for sensitive skin, still has fragrance in it, and they test on animals. Yuck. That being said, this did absolutely nothing to "calm" the red in my face.



• Preparation H as under-eye cream - This may be another product where I didn't use it long enough to see results (I did it for about a week), but I would think this is one of those things where you are supposed to see immediate results. I didn't notice any difference with my under-eye circles or tightening of the skin.

Things I Love Thursday - 08.20.09

 

• crocheted stockings - Perfect tights for it's-kinda-chilly-but-I'm-not-ready-to-wear-tights-yet weather. Tights shown from left to right Sock Dreams, Shoewawa.

• fashion tape - This stuff is amazing and has saved me from buying a new bra for every weird top and dress I own.

• Ulta - As far as I am concerned, this is the best cosmetics/hair store there is. The items they have range from drug store cheapies like New York Color and Maybelline to higher end brands like Smashbox and Bare Escentuals. They have an extensive fragrance selection, hair accessories and dyes (including Feria colors I've never even seen before), and a pretty decent brand of their own. I am quite fond of their eyeshadows; they last forever and come in a wide variety of colors. They have tons of freebies both in-store and online, and a free rewards program. The only thing Sephora has on it is a free birthday gift. ulta.com



• the well-fitted, solid coloured dress - Doesn't have to be black. I'm pretty partial to a dark charcoal myself. I have a dress in the shape I like (see black and white dress in previous post) but its pattern makes it just a hair too casual. Both of these dresses are from Forever 21 and I love the subtle and flattering waist detail on each.

• fall shows - The non-sequitor of this list, I suppose. I have tickets for Fever Ray and Decemberists in October, and my dad told me that the theatre by my house will have a Chromeo/Crystal Castles show coming up, as well. Maybe one day I'll pass on my concert-going tips and tricks!

Things I Love Thursday

Sorry blogiverse, I know it has been a while (a week is eons on these Intertubes). I was in Lawrence visiting my gent until Tuesday night (so the only thing I was hating Tuesday was leaving...and my wicked caffeine headache, but I digress). In general, though, I have a bunch of ideas for articles for this thing, and I'm going to try to be more diligent about writing them up. I often think of these things while in my hair/makeup zone-out time or riding the train/walking around zone-out time and then once I get to a computer it's all gone.



• EZ Combs - I saw a woman on the train wearing one of these about a month ago and thought: Oh my god, how neat! It's like a comb and a snood combined! I debated asking her where she got it but didn't; luckily it turned up on a google search for "double combs" (which is also the name of a similar product. Basically you put one comb in your hair and stretch the other side around your loose/bunned/twisted hair, and ta-da. I have a glamourous hairdo in seconds, and thank god for these because my hair looks like shit down lately cos I need a haircut!

• summer drinks - On the alcoholic side I have my constant companion- Vodka tonic, the sweet Tom Collins, and the delightful $3.99 Trader Joe's Vinho Verde Espiral. It's a Portuguese green wine- a white wine with immature ("green") grapes that give it a light yet dry taste, but sweeter than other dry whites. Normally I'm a sweet Reisling fan, but I am liking the taste of this with and without food. And at that price, why not? As for non-alcoholic, if you can get thineself to a Sonic, please drink a Cherry Limeade for me.

• my shows, my precious shows - Now that I am finally all caught up with Weeds, and it seems it should be ending its 5th season in a few weeks, I am running out of things to watch...and just in time! August 16 is the premiere of Mad Men's third season, the 20th is the premiere of Project Runway's sixth season, and a hop, skip and a jump away on September 17th is the premiere of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's fifth season. Good thing I renewed my Rapidshare account!

• assembling furniture - While in Lawrence I talked my guy into getting a desk, and then I promptly (well over the course of two days, but not my fault) put the entire thing together. And, as far as I know, it has not collapsed so I think I did a pretty good job IIMSSM. Also, since I am in a tiny tiny bedroom I have wall shelves all over, and I put them all up myself- and again, no collapsing, whoopie. I recently bought myself an electric drill/screwdriver and am itching for more things to put together. Know anyone in need of a handybird? By the way if you share my love, or at least a passing fancy, in furniture construction you must read one of my fave blogs, ikea hacker, hours of entertainment and good ideas.

• free stuff - Who doesn't love free stuff? I've been haunting Allure because of their month of free giveaways, and just poked the head in at Bionic Beauty for the first time today and got some coupons for freebies. Also my Seattle's Best Coffee coupon for a free cookie is burning a hole in my bag. Man, I'm hungry.

Things I Love Thursday

First TILT post! I plan to cap myself at 5 so as to be consistent and not blather on and on some week I am in love with the world. If it's that great it'll be it's own post, right?

• good hair days I wish I had these more often! Nothing so good as knowing your bangs are perfect just so.

• Berlin When I was having freakout "I'll never find a job so I'll have to move" times in January, I was totally checking the job and apartment listings for Berlin. I think it's been embedded in the back of my brain ever since. Visiting there last year I was surprised at what it was like. Every depiction I've had of it has been pre-WWII (Cabaret) or East Berlin after the wall was up (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). To my surprise, it was like the best parts of a big American city (new stuff, big parks, big in general, bit of a melting pot, plenty of nightspots/museums/stores, fab zoo, most people spoke English [I'm not a douche but it helped!]) and the best parts of a big European city (tons of history, old buildings, great public transportation) but not too touristy. While there I regretted not being able to spend more time at various museums, art galleries, and just walking around. German culture, all around, just fascinates me. Its history is varied and eclectic. I feel like, as a people, it is a culture I would feel most comfortable being a part of the population. I have been tossing the idea around to some of my closest darlings and I'm hoping one day we can uproot and ship off!

(Also I broke my own rule here about blathering...deal with it.)

• the library Even though the ones I go to in Chicago have some idiotic people working there, and some very douchey "customer service" from a few librarians, I can't beat free fucking books! And I'm saying this the one time in months the book I'm currently reading is not from the library!

• red nailpolish Like, really red. The best red I have found, which I caved and bought today, is Milani's Ready To Wear Red. There's no weird pink or orange undertones, and it's not maroon. It's just. RED. I may even paint my fingers, which I rarely do, since I don't work for the next few days and this is definitely my favourite colour in who-knows-how-long.

• writing in a blog again I had various livejournals from 2001-present, but around late 2008 I stopped writing in mine. I have my photography blog, which just turned into a depressing memorial of my Not Doing Anything. Then it took me ages to actually just start this one up. I'm not the biggest fan of writing anymore, but it is nice to have a solid place to put all my thoughts/opinions/ideas.