Matrix Total Results Curl Super Defrizzer Gel

Okay. I don't normally piss away money on expensive hair products because I simply can't afford it. I should though, since my hair is an unruly, frizzy, mess of fried straw after years of dyeing it. However, I've bought just about every cheapo product out there that says it tames frizz, and haven't found anything I'm in love with yet.

My hair is mostly straight, dyed blonde with highlights. It has a natural very slight wave and tends to get frizzy. I wish I had that super straight sleek look that some lucky girls have. But, I have to play the hand I was dealt. I take my showers at night and go to bed with wet hair. I'm sure that's 90% of my problem. I do not have time to shower, blow dry, and style in the morning. So I try to make sense of the mess quickly before I head to work by brushing and rubbing in a serum of some sort and maybe spraying some shine spray on it. Nothing really helps and by midday, you can't really tell I've done anything. So I just brush it frequently or pull it back into a ponytail.

While at the hairdresser one day getting my routine highlights done, I noticed she was using a new product. It was called Matrix Total Results Curl Super Defrizzer Gel. The smell was what really made me notice. It was the best smelling hair product I've ever smelled. The scent was crisp, clean, and not overpowering or fruity/flowery. I told myself I don't care if it worked or not, I loved the smell and had to have it. So I forked over $16 for a tube, quite the splurge for me since I normally settle for Suave or Tresseme.

The directions say to use it on damp hair and to diffuse dry or air dry. Well, since I always let my hair air dry and never blowdry, I thought it would be perfect. I was impatient and decided to try it immediately on my dry hair, hoping it would at least tame the flyaways and frizzies. EPIC FAIL. It seemed to make my hair frizzier and even a bit crusty! Okay okay.... follow the directions and use it on damp hair. Fine. So that's what I did. The next morning I wet down my hair with a spray bottle and then used the product. I couldn't really tell until my hair had dried some if it was working or not. You can imagine my disappointment when I looked in the mirror at work and realized my hair was frizzier than ever. What the hell!?

I really wanted this product to work. But after a few days of the same terrible results, I gave up and gave it to a friend who has naturally curly hair. She absolutely loves it and her hair looks fabulous! Since my hair is not curly, just barely wavy (if you can even call it that), I guess I need something different and not something intended for curly hair. It was more like hair gel than a defrizzer.

So, I still haven't found anything that works like a miracle. People tell me of their miracle products all the time and I rush out to the store to try them, and I'm just not impressed. The only thing that even comes close to "sort of" working is Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. Still, even that doesn't do the best job in the world and I'm brushing like crazy by noon. Sigh.....

I'm not saying this is a terrible product. My friend still loves it and her curly hair looks great every day. So if you have curly hair, by all means give this a try. But if your hair is wavy or you'd just like it more straight, don't get this.

Naturale Beauty Mineral Face Makeup Set

Years ago, I was watching an infomercial for Sheer Cover mineral makeup. Being the infomercial sucker that I am, I hastily purchased it. Although it was overpriced and I forgot several times to cancel their silly membership and was charged an arm and a leg, I actually found the product to be wonderful. The mineral makeup felt great on my face and covered imperfections better than any other makeup I've ever tried, and it didn't feel like "paint" on my face.

Unfortunately, Sheer Cover was too expensive for me to keep purchasing. (Pssst.... want to know WHY stuff is so expensive? They have to pay for those expensive infomercials that cost a fortune! If a product rarely advertises, it will cost less. If they advertise frequently and you see ads for it everywhere, it will be more money. Just look around and see for yourself!). But I really liked the mineral makeup, and wanted to buy it again.

I headed over to Amazon and did a search for "Mineral Makeup." The first result was for Naturale Beauty Mineral Makeup, and it was only $10! I thought Ten dollars? It can't possibly be good. I mean, just a bottle of foundation at the drugstore is $8-$12! But it had good reviews, so I gave it a whirl. I figured I'd only be out $10 if it didn't work, so why not? I was a little concerned when one of the reviews mentioned that this company is the same company that makes the ELF makeup you see in dollar stores. I've tried that stuff, and it SUCKS. But again, it was only $10.

It came, and I quickly tried it out, not having high expectations. It came with three little jars, a face brush, and a teeny concealer brush. Of the three jars, there was one for foundation, one foundation booster (whatever that is), and one for blush. I remember from having Sheer Cover that you dip the brush into the makeup, swirl it around in the cap, then tap off the excess. To apply to your face, you use a circular motion with the brush, reapplying the powder to the brush as necessary. The instructions for this was pretty much the same.

I applied the foundation, the booster, and the blush per instruction. I was actually very impressed! It covered just as well as the more expensive Sheer Cover. I try to steer clear of blush, since my face gets red easily throughout the day, but the blush in this kit was very subtle and gave my cheeks a healthy, natural glow, not a clown look. Throughout the day, my makeup stayed flawless. I tend to have oily skin and even that seemed to be at bay with the help of this makeup.

I noticed this company also makes mineral eye makeup, and I may purchase that at some point, too. I'm very happy with this inexpensive yet marvelous product! Finally, something as good as the name brand without the infomercial price. Don't bother with Bare Minerals or Sheer Cover. Try this first and save yourself some money! It comes in three kit choices for fair, medium, and warm skin. I tried the warm and was very happy. Even if you bought all three color kits, you'd still be paying less money than for one kit of Sheer Cover.

If you are a fan of mineral makeup, or are thinking of trying it for the first time, I truly believe you will not be disappointed with this product. Follow the directions and you'll have a flawless look all day, and you won't be broke!

Orgreenic Cookware

I am a sucker for infomercials. I'm often seduced by their too-good-to-be true claims. I've bought so many As Seen On TV items and 99% of them don't live up to their promises. (The only two that actually did were the Swivel Sweeper and the Nicer Dicer. I still love and use those two items frequently.)

So I should have known better when I saw the commercial for Orgreenic nonstick cookware. It claimed that this was the revolution in nonstick cooking, and that nothing would stick to it. No need for cooking oil, butter, or grease! The egg they cooked just slid around the pan like it was on ice. I must have watched the commercial half a dozen times. I almost ordered it, but talked myself out of it. My subconscious screamed at me, "Haven't you learned your lesson about ASOTV items? Don't even think about it!" So I actually listened to her for once.

Then one day at Price Chopper, I passed an aisle with a bunch of ASOTV items. The Orgreenic pan was there, and my subconscious was nowhere to be seen, so into the cart it went.

At home, I couldn't wait to try it out. The pan needed to be "seasoned" first, which meant I had to coat it in vegetable oil and heat it until it smoked, then let it cool and wipe it out. Simple enough. Did that, then tried an egg. I'm not sure what they did in the commercial to get the egg to slide around like it was on ice, but that's not what happened. It didn't really stick, but it wasn't "on ice" either.

Fast forward, after months of using this pan, I give it a B grade. It's not spectacular but it's still a nice, heavy-duty pan that we use daily. However, I'm old school and just can't grasp the idea of not using any cooking spray in a pan. I still use PAM with this pan and it does make it work better. I have used it without PAM, but food sticks more. It says to re-season the pan every 2 years, but it should say more like every month. Eh. It's okay. I do like how you can go from range to oven, although I've never tried it yet. I also like how the green stuff won't chip off like an normal aged nonstick pan. I hated seeing black flakes in my food and I'm sure it's not good for you!

So overall, it's a nice pan but nothing I've found so far will give you that miraculous "on ice" slide. If that's what you're expecting, don't bother getting this pan.

Sabra Hummus & Pretzels To Go

While browsing the store one day for a quick and easy lunch at work, I came across this little container just peeking out between the cheese and butter in the dairy aisle. (Dairy? Okay.....) Anyway, despite the price tag of almost three bucks, I decided to give it a whirl. Pretzels with hummus. Sounds good since I love hummus and it's fairly good for you.

Back at the office, I tear into it. The plastic outerwrap was a bitch to get off but once you do, it releases two individual cups. One for the hummus, and one for the pretzels, each with its own tear-off foil top. First thing I noticed is most of the pretzels were broken. They are more like round pretzel "chips" which makes scooping the hummus easier, but not when they're broken! Second thing I noticed was they give you a ton of hummus! Each pretzel piece can get a generous scoop of hummus without fear of running out. I always have hummus left at the end, which I usually just eat with my finger. Either that or I pour in the remaining broken pretzel pieces and go at it with a spoon.

It's very good. My favorite is the Roasted Garlic flavor. There's also Classic and Roasted Red Pepper. I buy it quite often now.

My sister thinks anyone who eats hummus is a hippie. She was horrified when I told her I was eating this and said that I was eating "hippie armpit hair." However, I assure you, I am not a hippie and hummus is not made of hippie armpit hair. It's made of ground-up chickpeas. It's good for you. You can see by the label it has 0 grams cholesterol and 0 trans fat. The worst part is the pretzels, which aren't even that bad.

But uh oh. Weight watchers disagrees. When I was counting points on Weight Watchers, I thought this must be a decent snack and can't be that many points. I began counting up the fat, protein, fiber, and carbs that make up the points value. I almost died when I saw it added up to 10 points! Doesn't sound like a lot but when Weight Watchers only gives you 25 points to stick to, that is a big chunk. Technically, you could eat two and a half of these a day and you'd be at your points limit. What the heck?! Boo Weight Watchers, boo.

But overall I love these and they do make a yummy, healthy snack. And I haven't seen one armpit hair in it, at least not yet.....

Blueberry White Tea

I am a tea connoisseur. I love me a good tea and drink it every day. My favorite is Southern Sweet Tea, and Arizona makes a mean sweet tea. McDonald's doesn't have a bad one, either. But usually I just make my own at home which is so much easier and cheaper. The Lipton Cold Brew bags are great for that!

So I was at the store yesterday looking for my usual Arizona Sweet Tea, and saw this beautiful bottle sitting beside it in the cooler. Hmmmm....... blueberry white tea? Well the bottle sure is pretty enough. They claim the blue bottle helps protect the natural antioxidants in the tea. Who cares? It looks cool and caught my eye. Clever, Arizona. Clever.

I decided to give it a try. I love blueberries and tea, so why not blueberry tea? Wow. Move over sweet tea. This just may be my new favorite! The flavor is crisp, light, not overpowering. It's delicious. Like the Sweet Tea, it does have "high fructose corn syrup" which is not my poison of choice, but whatever. What doesn't have HFCS in it these days?

Try it. I can't imagine anyone not liking it. So good! Now I need to figure out a way to make it at home.

Swaddle Strap

When my daughter was a baby, she needed to be swaddled at night and during naps because she would constantly wake herself up with her arms that had a mind of their own. We were having great luck with the Miracle Blanket, but it was becoming summer and getting very hot out. She would be soaking wet with sweat at night. How uncomfortable would that be? There had to be something cooler. I kept thinking there needs to be a "swaddle strap" that just holds her arms down. I headed to Google to seek it out, and lo and behold, there actually is an item called Swaddle Strap!

The company was just starting up. They also had a baby in a similar situation and felt the need for a cooler swaddle. They are very nice people who answered my questions promptly and courteously. I bought two Swaddle Straps immediately. The proof is in the picture. Kinlee slept like, well, a baby! And she stayed cool and comfy. It also made for super easy diaper changes in the middle of the night, because the legs and feet are free. She barely noticed.

Unfortunately, we only used it for about two weeks before we felt we needed to wean her of the swaddle. She was about five and a half months old, and it was time. I wanted to swaddle her until she was in college, that's how well it worked. But nothing is forever. She was also getting too big for it, and at the time, the Swaddle Strap only came in one size. Now the company has expanded and offer a few different sizes.

I highly recommend Swaddle Strap for swaddling babies in the summer months! They are reasonably priced and would make a great shower gift. And they work. Bottom line!

FlopTopz

First, I have this thing about icky, dirty feet. I cannot stand the feel of sand in my shoes or between my toes. When I'm outside wearing my flip flops, dirt and sand will inevitably hitch a ride. I hate the feeling so much that I often have to run inside to wash off my feet, or book it to the hose to rid the hitchhiking sand and dirt off my feet.

Second, I recently purchased a pair of cheap-o flip flops from Old Navy. They are just plain jane flip flops but they work well. However, after a few uses I noticed the bottoms of my feet turning black and I soon realized it was the color of the sandal rubbing off on my foot! It made my feet look like I had been walking in tar all day. SICK! I retired them, thinking there was no hope. That's just disgusting.

Third, I have an expensive pair of Merrell slides that I bought years ago and I just love them. They fit my feet like a glove. I was devastated to come home from work one day to find that my pit bull had begun using them as his next victim. I was able to rescue them in time, but the footbed of the slide had some chew marks. The sandals were still usable, but those chew marks felt uncomfortable on the bottom of my foot. Still, I continued to wear them. Grin and bear it, right?

The icky feet, black marking flip flops, and chewed up Merrells made me think that there had to be a way to resurrect and fix these imperfections. So I googled "Sandal Insoles" not expecting much (after all, how can you put an insole on a sandal?) and was relieved to find FlopTopz.

FlopTopz had great reviews on Amazon, much to my surprise. They have an adhesive backing that keeps them on your shoe. They say they are for flip flops, and even have a groove to accommodate the thong toe thingy, but I bought them in hopes of healing my poor, chewed up Merrells. So, I said what the heck, and purchased them.

When they arrived I promptly inserted them into my Merrells. The size fit perfectly with no trimming needed. The adhesive stuck perfectly and is still sticking almost a week later. They have a satiny soft cover and are slightly padded. And they don't make my Merrells feel any tighter on my foot.

I am extremely pleased with these insoles. I am going to buy a pair for the tar flip flops as well. What a great way to make a $5 pair of flip flops feel like a million bucks! I no longer feel the need to throw out my Merrells either, and I expect a few more years use out of them now thanks to the FlopTopz.

The pair I purchased were black, around $12. Well worth every penny in my opinion. These are unnoticeable in my sandals which is great, but they also come in some funky patterns and colors if you want to stand out. Ha.....no pun intended.

Resurrect your sandals with FlopTopz!