Best Idea ever! Fully Absorbent Dish Drying Pad

You can get one for $4.99 here! This was a random purchase I made a few weeks ago and seriously, I think it was the best investment I have made as far as kitchen products go! Our dishwasher has been broken so we have been washing and drying the good old-fashioned way, and this pad absorbs every drop of water! It never leaks through, and doesn't leave your counter with wet residue!

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Weekly HW Product Favs!

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse: My new FAV product! Goes on like oil, dries in a instant!!!!

Reve de Miel Body Cream

La Mer:

Refining Facial - this stuff really give a healthy glow!        

Creme de la Mer takes the  Cake again this week, as people are starting to comment on how glowing my skin is.  This stuff is worth its weight in gold.

Delicious and Purely Decadent Coconut or Soy Based Products 

MEK Tibette Cigarette Jeans

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New Canon T1i

I have had some questions about the kind of camera I use, and up until now, I was switching between the Nikon PowerShot (not the best quality) and Canon Digital Rebel (older model)  But now, I will be using the Canon T1i, and the most recent posts reflect some shots I took in auto mode.  I am an amateur! Time willing, will hopefully learn more tips and techniques! I love shooting! And the T1i has HD video capabilities as well!

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Home Dye Experiment

In an last-minute effort to save money and time, I thought it would be a good idea to try out a do-it-yourself home hair coloring kit. (See above, No ammonia, I went with Shade 3).  Like most ideas that come to me on a whim, this experiment managed to effectively waste a large amount of time while also causing wreaking havoc throughout my bathroom, kitchen and on my hands.

Allow me to explain, I am always up to save a pretty penny, and even more valuable to me than saving a buck, is the chance to save TIME.  Time is money right? So I figured - how hard could it be to simply dye my own hair, touch up the roots, from a dye-in-a-box? Women have been home dye-ing for years...
I bought a box of Loreal Hair Dye, and crossed my fingers the mixture I shook up matched my strands.
While removing the items from the box, I frantically searched for the gloves which Loreal promised were included within.  Applicator bottle, check.  Solution, check.  After-dye conditioner, check.  Gloves, no where to be found.  I stared at the instructions, including the promised contents, and shook the box feverishly to no avail.  So I turned the house upside down looking for a glove.  Ah ha! I found a black, work out glove which belongs to my beloved.  I thought, it's black, this should work.

I started the process, and began to realize that I couldn't see the back of my head, and my arms contorted around as I tried to minimize the splatter.  A few drops landed on my shoulders, then the sink, and by the time my head was coated, I had streaks of Darkest Brown all over the white wood trim of our sink and counter.  While I was processing, I began to make Mac n Cheese, and took the black glove off.  I had stains all over my fingers! Ugh. Can I save the glove? Then, the thought occurred to me - my dish washing rubber gloves! Why didn't I think of that sooner? So I strapped my pink rubber gloves on to finish the job up.  After I had cooked for about 20 minutes, I left the Mac n Cheese on the stove and got in the shower to rinse out the dye and see what damage I had done.  Luckily, I had the fortune of knowing to put some kind of barrier around my hairline and neck, (I used Vaseline) which kept the skin stains at bay.

After a LONG shower, and lots of rinsing, I towel dried and was rather impressed.  True, my bathroom may have looked like a paint can exploded inside, and my dinner was now cool and thoroughly pasted to the stainless steel pan, but I had roots no more!

I have to say, after a few rounds of practice, I have a feeling I will be skipping the salon for budget saving purposes and learning to perfect my technique at home!

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Up for #1, Down for #2

How awesome is this handle I saw in the TJ Maxx in Santa Monica?  It got me thinking, whoever invented this came must have studied these porcelain machines in form and function, head-to-the-bowl, constantly testing by providing "samples." And then I thought, it must have been a man who invented this.  Why? Just because it's a toilet? YES.

Is that sexist of me?  I just don't see a woman doing such things with their time.  I mean if there is one thing for sure that I have learned in the first 4 months of being a newlywed, it is that men cherish their precious bathroom time.  They will hold it (I'm using pronouns because I don't want to get too personal here) just so that they can get home to enjoy and take their time, and then sometimes they even snap a shot and send it to their friends! Yes, it's true.  Which is why I assumed the individual who put in the time and effort to come up with this flashy eco friendly dual flush had to have been a man!

Press up for #1.  Press down for #2.  Genius.

PS.  A man had to have also invented the "XLERATOR" hand blower.  If not, then at least came up with the name! HA.  I hate these things! After washing, I turned this bad boy on and the skin on the top of my hand was flapping like a dogs jowls when they stick their head out of the car window!

What happened to soft, plush towels? OR the nice really thick napkins at places like Maggianos! More bathrooms need those!

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Tomatoes and Wax?

I am confused....is this a fresh fruit and vegetable stand sign, or a beauty supply store? OR, do they put the tomatoes on your legs and then wax them? Ugh.  This store needs PR!

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Creme de la Diaper Rash?

La Mer skin products may or may not be an excessive indulgence, depending on who you are talking to.  The magical sea-kelp and fermented underwater creams will cost you on average $300 +.   But because I am a recent devoted fan, I attended a La Mer Facial Event this past weekend where the company flew in an East Coast Sales Rep to assist with La Mer's promotional event.   I booked an appointment a week out to receive some form of a "waterless" facial (read: product demo) in the middle of the mall, with hundreds of passer-byers who could peer at my bare face as their form of free entertainment for the afternoon.   Anyway, I show up for my appointment excited and ready to glow. I introduce myself to the Sales Rep. Allow me to paint a picture of this East Coast Sales Rep woman: she is tall, thin, has extremely masculine shaped brows, sharp features and a perfectly made-up face; she is wearing an equally perfect tailored black short-sleeved blazer and pencil skirt and mile-high stilettos, which caused her to reach well above Amazon Goddess in stature.

She stood a few feet from me pressing the miracle concentrate broth into a young, porcelain-faced Asian woman who did not need any arm-twisting to purchase the $375 bottle of broth that promises nothing shy of an all-out miracle. 

As Amazon de La Mer boasted about the wonders of this amazing product that inspires a celebrity cult-like following, I listened discreetly to her sales pitch.  Then, as if she had said it a million times before, she causally, yet empathetically, made the following statement causing me to nearly fall out of my bar stool.  

Creme de la Amazon: "Also, this creme is just really great to put on babies' bottoms when they have diaper rashes; it just zap, clears it right up."

OK.  I can't even make this stuff up. Here I am, seriously pondering whether my husband will perform another audit on our joint account when he notices another $75 missing for my weekly facial scrub, and this woman is advertising Creme de La Mer as a baby butt cream!

I will say this, you gotta hand it to the woman.  She obviously makes enough money, that should she be blessed with children (I have no idea whether she does or does not), she can afford to use $250 creme on those tiny tots' bums.  I am not sure how you recover from being raised with a crease-less, rash-less, ageless, spot-less, high-priced baby backside! Try teaching that kid to be frugal when the economy takes it's next dive!  Johnson and Johnson will be just fine for my future fetus' bum, thank you very much.

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Makin' Waves

What the Code says about:

Ceramic Wands.  First of all, I caution the validity of any product that must be sold with an accompanying thermal protectant glove.  However, I must say that wrapping your hair around these little wands does create the waves seen below (me on my wedding day channeling Kate Beckinsale's gorgeous strands) My hair was wrapped around a wand seen to the right, alternating each strand. The curls stay a long time and you get a beachy wavy look!

Another one of my all-time favorite ways to rock the curls is by using good 'ol fashion hot rollers! The large 1 1/2 inch rollers (shown right) don't really do much by way of curl, they mainly give your hair body, if anything. But get the set with 3 different sized rollers.  This way, you can create a natural bouncy look, with some large curls and some smaller ones woven throughout.  And, if you are like me, you can roll your hair on your way out the door, set the curls on your commute into work, and remove as you arrive! If you are hitting up Starbucks though, you may want to opt for a drive-through.  I'm undecided still on the social acceptability of rocking hot rollers in public.  I am leaning towards, things one should not do.

Roll the hair back over the curlers, away from your face for the look above.  Role them under for a more sleek and 40's style look.  Spray hair before rolling with styling spray or heat setter, and when you unroll, do NOT shake the curls out, twist them around your fingers. 

If you want to shake the curls out, you have to be careful and it will be a totally different look! It depends on your hair type, but if you have thinner hair and you want more body, you can shake it. :)

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July Birchbox...Bet you can't guess what random item was included!

Ok I'll tell you.  Birchbox included a granola bar in this months "beauty box." Why? One can only speculate.  What happened to the travel size lipgloss, or hand and nail lotion???  This is the "premier" mail system providing monthly sampling and direct access to cutting edge high-quality beauty buys.  Apparently they took a hike down the Fruit & Grain Express Trail this month and in the spirit of the summer, choose to reach out to those natural and organic tree loving vanity goddesses

But Birch did pull through, so far 2 for 2.  And heck, I think I even figured out why they put that granola snack in there...after sampling all those products I was famished!

REVIEW:
I do like the Redken Shine Spray - not too greasy, and provides subtle shine with an aerosol cap which is nice because you don't have to get your hands all lubed up.

Philosophy facial cleanser I have used before, but I guess Birch does get it's value, since the travel size Purity is about $10 itself at Sephora.

Then there is some Korres shower gel I have yet to try, and Pur mineral powder which has SPF 15! The little brush that came with it thought must be made for 4 year olds, because I have to swirl that thing like 400 times to cover my left side!

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Creme de la Creme

What the Code says about: La Mer

I used to think La Mer was only for the elite crest of fresh faced females who have so much money they don't know what else to do with it other than spend it on ridiculously expensive face cream.  However, awhile back I had asked a defense attorney, who had really porcelain, wrinkle-free skin, what secret she was keeping from the rest of us smooth skin seekers.  To my surprise, she replied "La Mer!" I almost peed my pants when she told me her age.  She was at least 15 years older than she looked! One of the main reasons I was surprised she used La Mer was because she was a county employee, which, let's be honest, removes her from my stereotypical category of La Mer purchasers.  She explained that it was the only product she had found that kept her skin looking great, feeling great, and rid of rosacea.  

Now I have tried my fair share of facial creams, cleansers, toners, masks, exfoliants, from Neutrogena and various drug store brands all the way to high-end dermatologist brands.  But I always wanted to try La Mer, to see if it really was worth its weight in seaweed (or kelp; you can read about the magic of La Mer here.)  

One of the benefits of being a lawyer is that I can talk myself into pretty much anything, talk my way out of a lot of things, and also, rationalize the hell out of most things.  And if you think about it, if you use the product sparingly, and it lasts a period of 6 months, then you are probably SAVING money in the long run my not trying and buying various other products which promise flawless subtle glowing complexions.  And so I found myself purchasing the 3 part set (and it came with a sample size cleanser, serum, eye concentrate and creme!)  But it was still a chunk of change, and I'm not gonna lie, I felt a little queasy, a little foolish, giddy, and a tad prideful as I brought my sparkling green box home and carefully unwrapped its contents.  The Cream comes with it's own spoon (much like the taster spoons at Baskin Robbins) so as to not waste the cream under your fingernails.

So far, this stuff is like liquid platinum for your face.  It's only been 2 days so I don't yet know the full and true effects of this stuff.  But so far, I think I am well on my way to being a fan for life.  

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Birch Box Redeems It's Value!

 It is exciting to get any kind of mail that does not include a small window in the left bottom corner...but when you subscribe to BirchBox, you not only get mail, you get a monthly present! Delicately wrapped in hot pink tissue paper and full of beauty samples! June's sample surprise delivered.  My favorites were Twirl perfume by Kate Spade, Nuxe Reve de Miel hand and body lotion (super smooth and silky, not greasy with a light citrusy-fresh scent) and Pureology Finishing Hair Spray perfect to throw in your purse on the go!

Can't wait for July's shipment! It should be coming soon!

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Birch Smirtch!

And I am so annoyed! My Birch Box was supposed to be here by now! To make matters worse, I can only equate what I'm feeling to finding out Santa Clause isn't real, or ruining a birthday or engagement surprise by sneaking around in the closet or under the bed...they sent me an email of what's in the BIRCH BOX! WTH? I can't even talk about it right now I'm too upset. On a more positive note, I did receive InStyle the other day and though I have not had time to read it, I am very much looking forward to scoring over each page in a lounge chair with a skinny margarita in hand...oh wait, now I'm back to dreaming....

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Pregnancy Mask? Or Just Too Much Vitamin D?

Pregnancy Mask. I don't know about you, but whether you're pregnant or not, you certainly dont need a hormonal mask plastered above your upper lip.  My hyperpigmentation that I have experienced I believe is a combination of hormones + sun discoloration.   A myth I sqiftly needed to debunk, therefore, I used and continue to use, when I need it, this stuff.  Pigment Gel®  It works.  I haven't tried any other products, but bleaching products scare me in general, RIP Michael.  The ADDED BONUS to this product is that it keeps breakouts from recurring because there is AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) in it and gets rid of old acne scarring! SO be careful and word to the wise, wear sunscreen when using this product.  

Midnight Recovery Complex

Full of essential oils, this stuff is light, smells amazing, and does magic while you sleep.  It does not I repeat does NOT clog pores.

In fact, you wake up and your skin is exfoliated.  Weird, I know.  Maybe they put a secret ingredient specifically activated to remove impurties from late night wine/cookie fests.

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FACE & BODY PRODUCTS TO GET WHILE YOU ARE GROCERY SHOPPING!!

These products are available at your local Mother's Market, among a plethora of other fantastic products!

Jason Ester C Vita C Max
Not sure how much vitamin C is actually in here, but who cares, it gently exfoliates and leaves your skin feeling and looking fresh and glowing.  I use in the while I am in the shower, rub it all over your face and then let it soak in for a couple minutes.  Then rinse off with a wash cloth or with your hands really well. 

 

Next product- do you ever wonder why the FDA allows us to use products on our skin that read: FOR TOPICAL USE ONLY.  DO NOT INGEST.  I don't know about you, but am baffled and amazed by our skin today....it's a freaking miracle how human skin is porous from the inside - out. If it where the other way (outside-in), we would drown when taking a bath or swimming. (This was quoted from a doctor on Yahoo Answers... I can;t even make this stuff up! So, the porous condition allows our body to regulate internal heat, expressed in swet glands. Now, some skin products do actually penetrate the skin onto the blood stream, but this is after prolonged processess. 

UM.  Hey Mr. I'm a Dr., could you please elaborate on what you mean by PROLONGED PROCESSESS? Do you mean if I put this on my face every morning and every night for most of my twenties, does that qualify as "prolonged processess?" Or does prolonged processess mean I have to lather, absorb, repeat until I turn into a gel-based mutation? Hence, my next favorite product you can get at Mother's....honey girl organics night creme

smooth, organic, natural, so good you can eat! I wouldn't recommend it, but it is good to know, especially considering there are doctors out there who say things like "Human skin is a living organ, not upholstery."  There are no words.

Moving on, you can also purchase Moisturising shave gel, lavender salt scrub, and lavendar oil spray.

Which leads me to my next point -lavendar oil spray (or any oil spray for that matter) should automatically come with a manufacturers warning on it that says DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR HARDWOOD FLOORS.  (or vegetabke oil for that matter, see this interesting question and answer by a contractor - I love his final completely irrelevant comment about what kind of dressing he likes on his salad) I can smell the product liability through the hint of lavendar as I spray my arms and legs after a nice shower where I just scrubbed with it's sister salt scrub.

Because the LAST thing you want as you are trying to relax and detox after your long day at work is to turn the corner to plop into bed and near fall on your a** because the your lavendar oil spray is now an accelerant to make a fool out of yourself.

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Welcome to the Brotherhood of Shaving

At a recent outing to South Coast Plaza with my brother, Matt, it occurred to me how dramatically the men's fashion and grooming industry has evolved. Gone are the days of marketing campaigns targeted towards the blue collar, beer drinking, pizza eating, dirt under the fingernails demographic. The new target demographic is clear and simple.  Men may not be complex as their double X chromosome counterparts, but they are equally deserving of top of the line cosmetic regimes.And the consumer who will fall prey to this seductive lathery appeal is US...the wives of our wonderfully simple men.  Because when we need or want to get our honeys a lil somethin somethin, it's always good to have a go-to gift. And when you are dealing with hygiene...you can't go wrong.

Case in point:

Obviously...women are not the only ones who deserve a top of the line product-filled sink routine, right? 

Enter...the art of shaving.  And so we did.  In just a few minutes of meeting the perfectly well-groomed salesman with a purposeful five o'clock shadow, the artful yet testosterone-infused propaganda had even me believing I was shorting my dear husband by assuming all his manly skin required was a bar of soap, some Gillette shaving cream and a bic razor!

Matt and I had entered the monochromatic barber boutique in search of a comparison between purchasing disposable razers (which gets annoying and costly) vs. the straight razor which never goes bad.  You can purchase a hand crafted horn handled straight razer like the one below for only $260.  Just please don't attempt to travel the friendly skies with this bad boy, TSA will confiscate that concealed weapon before you can say badger brush.  Speaking of badgers...
If you are wishing to compliment your man's 4 step silky epidermis routine with a classy 40's inspired lathering component you could select from the variety of fine feathered badger brushes... or perhaps accessorize your bathroom with a vintage flair by perching your hunk's razor in a chrome razor stand.

Either way, I felt compelled to at least purchase a starter kit for Bryan.  I went with the lemon scent, which smells amazing.  He hasn't been too impressed with it, and i think more than anything, this marketing appeals to the women who are in the malls more than men to begin with! Not that there is anything wrong with that...it's nice to be able to buy a gift for your man that he can use everyday...I'm just not sure mine would.  He prefers the scruffy look...and I don't mind it.  But, beware, too much kissy face with a grunged up hottie can cause your skin around your moth to break out as the oils produced from his skin get trapped in his beard and then rub against our pores.  Kinda gross, but back to the Art of Shaving...

So although the majority of the world categorizes shaving as a mundande daily task, it obviously is not.  It's not only an ART, it's a cash cow niche!! Had founders and creators Myriam and Eric not sold their $12,000 car in 1995 and followed their dream of the impossibly smooth shave, this cash cow Proctor and Gamble recently ate up over would have never actualized. And the fact of the matter is, selling the classic, clean shaven image that the good ol boys represented is priceless isn't it?

Carey Grant

Ask yourselves this...is YOUR man in the brotherhood?

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fabulous housewife fav's

This weeks beauty favorites list:

secret camouflage covers everything and anything, and the transcluscent powder sets the moisturising foundation flawlessly- or for summer opt for a light sheer tinted moisturizer

i never used foundation primer before but now i am a believer

  

Dior Lip Serums - creamy and smooth and moisturizing! truly luxurious - and the solid weight to the tube just makes me feel classy, and reminds me of the 60's

-
anything that makes O's list is fabulous.  But personally, the mello yello body whip is my favorite and smells so good - right before bedtime my hubby says I smell like a lemon cupcake - yummy!
and also making the list is whipped honey body scrub!

and for the finale! the adorable bag these FHF products come in!

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