Tomorrow, I board a plane to the other side of the country for a business trip. Being as that I have not been on a plane for something like eight years and I’ve never traveled for business, I’m left a bit reeling. The trip is short, so everything’s coming as a carry-on.
And having a carry-on means analyzing what liquids you need and stuffing the most important ones into a TSA approved quart bag to follow their 3-1-1 rule.
Simple Micellar WipesI haven’t forsaken the Kirkland Makeup Wipes I’ve been buying from Costco, but I’ve seen some positive chatter about the new Simple Micellar Wipes ($6 for 25). Since I enjoyed the previous Simple Makeup Wipes I had, I decided to take advantage of a coupon, Target Cartwheel offer, and an iBotta rebate and try them for science.
I like them – and I like them better than the original ones I had tried from Simple!
Kirkland Signature makeup wipesA few months ago I shared that I bought a gigantic pack of Kirkland Signature makeup wipes. I’m a good way into the pack by now and feel like I’ve used them enough to speak to them.
First, the packaging. The thickness of the Kirkland Signature makeup wipes’ packaging isn’t quite as substantial as some other wipe brands, but that doesn’t bother me – it still retains moisture in the wipes. It is slightly more convenient to open and close the full sized packs (as compared to the Ponds and Simple wipes I used previously) because it has a hard plastic lid.
Hair removal is neither a glamorous topic nor a task many of us relish – even being a fan of the results, the process (and, occasionally, side-effects) can be tedious. Although I’m using the Silk’n Flash and Go Freedom to minimize growth elsewhere, I have yet to start using it on my legs. I haven’t forsaken conventional razors for this purpose, but using them too often wreaks utter havoc on my skin. Needing something that didn’t make my skin hate me, I picked up the Remington WDF4840 Smooth and Silky Foil Shaver a little over a year ago to replace a basic Panasonic model that much to be desired.
Two years ago, I didn’t know much about these. I didn’t know any ladies who used them! So here’s the run down: Electric foil shavers work by drawing hairs into small holes in the foil as you guide it over the surface from which hair is to be removed. Those hairs, momentarily secured by the foil, are then sliced by a blade that shimmies back and forth. To achieve a close shave with such a device each area usually requires multiple passes; with the Remington WDF4840, I find 2-4 passes sufficient to shave my legs, with the final pass being the firmest pressure I apply.
If you’re new to devices like this, there may be a bit of a learning curve for you. In addition to the foil, the Remington WDF4840 features (in the housing as the foil) a metal trimmer to trim hairs that are too long to be caught in the foil; you should use the trimmer before the foil if it’s been more than a few days since your previous shave. In all, it’s easy enough to use.
Plus White Whitening Gel ($5)You don’t need to spend hundreds on teeth whitening with a dentist, or with Dial-a-Smile gimmicks, or famously sensitivity-inducing, hard-to-use strips; instead, Plus White gel is inexpensive, easy to get your hands on, and works for those of us with less than perfect smiles. Heavens – I’m in rare form, I’m pretty sure Plus White was featured as an As Seen on TV item; I never actually saw it on TV myself, but this is one of those things, like the Turbie Twist, that works.
Eons ago, I used Crest Whitestrips. They worked well enough on superficial staining from dark beverages, but when used as directed, they left my teeth (which were not as fussy, then) sensitive; cold things were occasionally intolerable. On top of that, I admittedly have what I snarkily refer to as a, “creatively arranged,” smile (read: my teeth aren’t straight. Most people’s aren’t. I’m not losing sleep over it). Unfortunately, strip-based whitening products (not just Crest’s – Rembrandt has a few, there are some private label ones, etc) aren’t ideal for people whose teeth don’t line up like they’re answering to a drill sargeant; although they can be folded in and pressed to the surface of the tooth, it isn’t as easy as it sounds, and adhesion isn’t as consistent to those uh, “nonconformists,” as is needed. Therefore, my results were uneven and inconsistent.
Before my wedding two summers ago, I revisited Crest; I specifically got the Crest 3D White Luxe Whitestrips ($35+)…but remembering my experience with them, I decided to seek a backup option in the form of Plus White Gel (only $5 at Wal-Mart). I gave Crest a shot and found that it is definitely better than it was, doing better job with my staining and with strip adhesion than their decade-old counterparts, but I still have the issue of incongruity of my teeth.
Okay, one month down. Three until pleasant weather. Here’s what I distracted myself with through the bleary first month of 2016; my January 2016 favorites!