Review

Worth it? Foreo Issa Mini

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issamini_pkgForeo Issa Mini

Last year after this post, I purchased a Foreo Issa Mini. I did not purchase the curious toothbrush for myself, but for my husband who happens to have unreasonably sensitive gums. Although his dentist tells him his gums are healthy, they bleed every time he brushes (even using the softest-bristled toothbrush).

Can you imagine? That’s REALLY unpleasant!

The Purchase

After I read that some people with sensitive mouths were having good luck with the Issa, I decided to go for it when Sephora had their Spring BI sale. This purchase is what made me VIB, so at the time I only managed to snag 10% off plus whatever eBates was offering at the time.

I ordered the Issa Mini ($119) because functionally, there’s no difference between it and the full-size. The main differences are length of the handle and size of the silicone ‘brush’ head…we checked them out together and decided the Mini would be fine. If anything, a slightly smaller brush head is easier to use; it offers greater maneuverability around your teeth, particularly in the back of your mouth. (If you’ve ever used an Oral-B or Sonicare electric with the petite heads, you know this!)

I interviewed my husband who has used it for coming up on a year to capture his opinions on the device and whether he thinks the Foreo Issa Mini was worth it.

His Thoughts

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Sephora Rouge Infusion Lip Stain

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Sephora Rouge Infusion Lip Stain
Sephora Rouge Infusion Lip Stain

Three areas my collection is really wants for are lips, blush, and highlight. A few months ago, Sephora had their Rouge Infusion Lip Stain available as a BI point reward, so I picked one up. I like the idea of stains because although I love makeup, I’m hilariously lazy when it comes to reapplication. Peony was the available shade, and I was delighted – it seemed like it would be somewhat MLBB, maybe with a touch more pink, but still very like that.

The Rouge Infusion Lip Stain tube is cute and reminds me of a vial, but it may suck to store if you keep all your lip products in an organizer in which they are intended to stand up. The Peony shade is pretty.

…and that’s where the good ends.

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Simple Micellar Wipes

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Simple Micellar WipesSimple Micellar Wipes

I 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!

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Kirkland Signature Makeup Wipes

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Kirkland Signature makeup wipesKirkland Signature makeup wipes

A 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.

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Remington WDF4840 Smooth and Silky Foil Shaver

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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.

Remington WDF4840 Smooth and Silky Foil Shaver
Remington WDF4840 Smooth and Silky Foil Shaver

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.

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Plus White Gel – Inexpensive, EFFECTIVE Teeth Whitening

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Plus White Whitening GelPlus 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.

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