Hair Wars: Chapter 4--continued

Emjoi Chic Epilator
I have found that the process gets less painful. I guess you start going numb?
Love that I don't have to shave the arm-pits everyday!
Legs seem to be dryer than usual...

Hair Wars: Chapter IV: A New Hope

Emjoi Chic Epilator
Their description:
Virtually painless hair removal from the root. 21 extra gentle tweezers remove hair quickly...
I would really like to know their definition of "painless."
Here's the real story: You will be yanking your hair out of your body, roots & all. There may indeed be some drug that makes this act painless, but I'm not familiar with it.
That said, this is about as comfortable as you can get while a machine rips out your hair. The No!No! hurt less during the process, but there was the whole burn factor + the smell of frying hair.
Huge Warning--if you use this on your armpits, give yourself a full day to recover before using deodorant. Unless, of course, you are into the chemical burn.
I will update with re-growth prognosis!

Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste

Click Here

I'm a bit of a teeth nut. I bleach at least one a month so anything that promises to remove up to 80% of surface stains is right up my alley. It's a bit grainy, which I love. It's almost like a face scrub for teeth-making it feel like it's really doing something. The taste is minty but more spearmint than that super strong mint that almost burns your tongue. I've been using it for more than a week and I must say I haven't noticed much change in teeth color though.

Odd side note- love the tube because the cap is big and flat. The tube can stand up in my medicine cabinet.

Naieme - Makeup Brush Set

Naieme
Leatherette Brush Set

I am always trying out new makeup brushes. Sometimes I watch makeover shows on TV and go and buy the brushes that they use for makeup (I am addicted to What Not to Wear). Let me say that these brushes are the best thing since sliced bread. I am not kidding. There are 5 brushes in this set. All neatly arranged in a sassy gold case with an extra zipped pocket for storage. All 5 brushes are colored and labeled. The blush/powder brush is a nice size for me. Not too big, not too small. Blush goes on evenly and the brush is soft. Next is the blender/lid brush. I have been using this brush to apply eyeshadow on my lids. Everything gets covered evenly and easily. The next brush is the crease/smoke brush. It is amazing. This brush makes it SO easy to give your eyes that smoky look. I LOVE it. I can't believe how easy it makes applying dark colors to the creases. It is like a little masterpiece paintbrush for my eyes. There is also a concealer/foundation brush. I have found this one useful when trying to cover a blemish or dark spot on my face. Concealer goes on easily and covers well. The last brush may be my favorite. It is a brow/liner brush. I have only used it as a liner brush so far, but it is crazy how great it works. I instantly threw away all of my pencil eyeliners (ok, I didn't throw them away, I just moved them out of my every day makeup bag). All of the girls at my friend's wedding last weekend used the liner brush and asked how and where to get one. I directed them (as I am now directing you) to the emmett cooper HAIRCARE & the naieme collection website. Go and buy this set now. http://emmettcooperhaircare.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=33

Just In Case

Better safe than sorry.
Always be Prepared.
Now, Just In Case.
Just In Case makes lovely mirrored compacts.
Their compacts have a secret compartment for holding condoms, keeping them from getting mashed & torn in your purse/luggage/nightstand. No one likes a hole-riddled condom.
Help protect yourself from disease & pregnancy, but in a stylish manner. Very classy.
Right now, Just In Case has a special red case. Buy it & 10% of the purchase will be donated directly to YouthAIDS, a global initiative dedicated to the fight against AIDS. That's helping locally & globally!

No! No! The Chronicles of Hair Removal, Part 3

To say I was excited to receive this is a huge understatement. I hate to shave, and having 40 " legs doesn't help. I read the booklet quickly, plopped myself down on the edge of my tub and rolled up my sweats. The first pass on my skin burned and made me jump. It reminded me of the Epilady. After I got over the initial fear, I noticed the singed hair smell that has been talked about so much. Sick! After I got used to the smell I got to work. When used properly, it is effective. Thing is, I'd have to sit for about 45 minutes to an hour to shave both legs. Who has that kind of time? And a regular electric razor will give you the same results without the burning or the smelling. I was very disappointed with this as the ladies in Asia have been loving this for a while. Boohoo.

GoSMILE Advanced Formula B1

The GoSMILE teeth whitening system seemed like a new cool application. The 3 step process of "flip, pop, whiten" was easy to understand and perform. I squeezed the tiny tube and brushed my teeth with the clear gel until it was empty. There are no trays, or strips involved so nothing sits on your teeth making you talk oddly or salivate like a bulldog. The taste is like most whiteners but not overpowering. You are not supposed to rinse it off, drink or eat for 20 minutes. That was easy enough. After 2 applications I saw no results. When I use Crest Whitestrips, I see results just after one use. GoSmile is a great idea in neat packaging but it falls short for sure.

Thermaclear

Thermaclear is literally a zit zapper! It emits a warm electric pulse/shock to your zit. But, not just any old zit will do. It has to be a red bump (no whiteheads or blackheads allowed) and not cystic acne. I had a contender, right on the side of my nose, up near the bridge. Thermaclear has 2 settings - I like to call them 'high voltage' and 'low voltage'. They recommend that you use the high setting. I decided to be a daredevil. On high, the sensation is like a really strong static electric shock. It wasn't too bad on high, but since my bump was close to my sensitive undereye skin, I decided to take it down a notch after the first two zappings. According to the instructions, you can zap up to 3 times per day. But, I have a job. So, I zapped twice a day on the low setting for 4 days. My red bump is still there. I honestly didn't notice a change - which means it halted the progression, but didn't clear up my bump. I'm hoping my Rx acne gel with take care of it.

From Kate: I did try this on one of the "wrong" zits! I have these little white bumps on my chin. I zapped the crap out of them. It didn't magically remove them, but they did start clearing up a week later. Coincidence? I don't care, I'm just happy they cleared up for a bit.

TWEEZERMAN Go green mini slant tweezer

I consider myself somewhat of a tweezing aficionado. I tweeze my eyebrows everyday. Yes, everyday. So when I got the chance to use the much talked about TWEEZERMAN tweezers, I was more than happy. I normally use Revlon pointy tweezers so the slant that has become the TWEEZERMAN trademark was a little strange to maneuver at first. Yet after a few plucks, I loved them. They get even the tiniest little hair that is just coming to the surface. You see a hair once, go for it and you get it. No two or three tries to get that nasty little bugger.

Oh and a new tree is planted for every Go green tweezer purchased.

I think I'm a convert!

No! No! The Chronicles of Hair Removal, Part 2

So, I saved up a week's worth of leg hair (on my legs), and set out for North Myrtle Beach, SC. The night I arrived, I thought - okay, let's get ready for the beach and try out the No! No!
Well, with rain every day of my vacation, and the highest temp barely over 70 degrees, my beach dreams were a bust, and so was the No! No! I think I could deal with the singed hair smell, but I couldn't deal with the thought of purposely burning myself. Mind you, the No! No! doesn't actually burn your skin...it just feels like it! I only got in 3 brief passes before deciding that I am not as stoic as I thought. I just couldn't get good with the sensation of burning my own skin.
Back to the razor, shaving cream, and a 1/2 dozen knicks per leg. There must be something better than faux electric burn, ripping out hair by its roots (what sadist thought that one up?!?!), running sharp metal against your skin, and chemical burns for removing unwanted leg hair, but damned if I've found it yet!
The No! No! does work, but it's only for the brave (or masochistic) at heart. I'll stick to scraping metal across my skin.

Combs: My search

I have hair that breaks things.
Hair bands, brushes, and, especially COMBS.
[There is a LOT of hair on my head. Each strand is about the same thickness as sewing thread. And there are tons of that. I donated hair last year, the woman had to package it in 3 bundles.]
I comb my hair after washing. It doesn't matter how much conditioner I use, it's a tough job. I've come to terms with that.
What I can't stand is when combs snap in my hair!
I've tried the cheap, bendy-plastic drugstore combs (imagine hair laughing), and the fancy salon combs (took a year, but my hair won).
The only comb I have yet to break is this immense, thick-toothed, white plastic handled comb. It came free in a Clinique bonus.
I am down to the Clinique comb for wet hair & a Phillips Light Touch brush for dry hair. The brush does not consistently reach my scalp through my hair. I could press harder, but I don't want to break the brush & have to go buy another. The Phillips brush works to smooth the mess.
I would like to think that there are others in the same boat. Any recommendations???

No! No! : The Chronicles of Hair Removal, Part 1

no!no!
Hair Removal System

Okay, I admit being a hairy beast. Add that to being a little (chalky white) pale with dark hair, you can see the hair under the skin when I shave. Just try to imagine how much I love that. I have tried waxing (painful, doesn't always work, messy), those hair removal creams (smelly, messy, & ineffectual)... I've even plucked (time-consuming and unpleasant): Therefore, I keep returning to the razor. Sometimes it works well, most times I have a nick or two, and, on occasion, my bathtub looks like someone should call a CSI Unit. When I heard about this No!No! system, I was, understandably, excited. I will continue to update this blog thread : The Chronicles of Hair Removal.

1st try: Arrives with booklet & DVD/CD-Rom. Hindsight being 20/20, I see where just reading the booklet is not enough. The little machine (think 2 razers closed & stuck back-to-back) works by burning & shaving, but in a very fancy way.

TIP # 1: When using, set it down on skin VERY lightly. If you just plunk the thing down, it burns. The blade burns (small) do clear up quickly, but burning yourself is not fun.

There is definitely a singed-hair smell, but it is fleeting. Except for the initial placement injuries (see Tip # 1), the no!no! is easy to use-- the indicator light tells you if you are doing it wrong. Not at all uncomfortable. 2 days later, there is a little growth, but it is not as pokey-hard as shaving stubble. I want to try the long hair blade & using on underarms, but that seems a little too advanced for me. Until next time!