The Mother of Product Reviews

 Firstly, let me say that it's been quite a while. And I just re-read my post about being an at home mother, and it's all still true. I *do* miss the things I knew I would. Thankfully, I'm not at Stop 'n' Shop, but like I said then, everything has it's good and bad.  Chaim is trying to get into nursing school, and the kids are registered for UPK in the fall.  :)  On to the reviews!

Ok, this is mostly a short, yes or no with pictures, thought I did explain some reasons as to why I did or didn't like certain products. Enjoy!

Mascara, my most tested subject:


*For the record, NO mascara works like the ads say. Kind of obvious, but man, it sure is a far cry.

You, I love.

You, I love even more.

You, I don't like so much. :\

I like about half of Maybelline's Mascara. I do like this one.

I DO NOT like this one. AT ALL. It makes a few lashes long and weird.

My 

sister loves it. I don't get it.

I also returned this one.

I didn't like L'Oreals Collagen Mascara, as I said, but this one is back to basics. Nice job L'Oreal! :) 

Skin, my nemesis!

This. Woman. Deserves. A Metal. Best cleanser I have EVER used. I almost don't have bad skin. She deserves that mansion. I tried this one and the detox but felt this zapped my problem areas more. This one has tea tree oil, so if you love what that does for your skin, and need it clear, I would DEFINITELY recommend this. Everything she has is amazing.This runs about $30.

This is a splurge, but worth it. Actually, I haven't even paid for it yet. I got samples from Sephora and so far I'm still using those. This is an exfoliater/peel. You leave it on for a few minutes. And it smells like cinnamon. :) This little bad boy is about $80! But she's good....she's realllllyyyy realllyyy good!

I got this as a gift and I *love* it. I don't know if the Clarisonic is any much better, but this works just fine for me.

This is one of the best creams I've tried. It's Garnier's Overnight Regenerating Cream. I don't even know if it's still sold, but I get it at Amazing Savings for about $6 instead of $12. I LOVE it. I've tried a few other creams, samples from high end Sephora, some L'Oreals and none compare.  On the plus side of creams, I liked Mario Badescu's Collagen cream and Eye Gel that I tried, but not the cleansers so much. It wasn't strong enough for me.

This is INGENIOUS.  You hook it in the shower and put it on while you are wet, then rinse off. They aren't kidding when they say "Ultra Moisture".  This, also a gift, simply amazing. Could be made of pig fat for all I know, I just know that I don't care, as long as it keeps doing what it does!

Tried and true, lasts forever. I love this as a body wash because it suds up heavenly, smells wonderful, isn't made of animal products (like the tons of Dove bars I have that I bought this to replace. I still have them.) and it doesn't dry my skin. I also use it to clean the floors! :)

I love Tea Tree Oil. My husband hates the smell (I love it). It has anti-fungal properties and I find it helps dry out pimples.  Make sure you moisturize (if you use all over, since it is drying) or dilute if you are sensitive.

Additionally, any lotion with coco butter or Shea.

Like this. Everyday. Love. Lips, even eyelashes.

Hair:

This is supposed to actually mend split ends. It has good reviews, and is supposed to be left in overnight, with the option to wash out in the am or not. I didn't, and I actually thought this ounce might be worth the $14. A few days later it seemed to be back to how it was, but I'm going to keep this around a little and see what happens.  Plus, I think I ditched the receipt and packaging....

One of my favorite things has to be Suave Professionals. I can't believe the prices on these things, because I think they are A-MAZ-ING. The packaging changes a lot though, but most of the products stay. I've tried a decent few of them, and I like them all.

This one has to be my favorite of the bunch so far. Anything Shea. My least favorite was the Brilliant Brunette Knock Off, and not because of how my hair felt. It felt amazing, but the next day needed to be washed, and I'm a twice a week kind of gal.

I'm right now post-Keratin Infusion Suave. We'll see how that goes. So far it seems pretty good. I still have frizzy hair, but its just shampoo and conditioner. I was worried it would be intense, as real Keratin treatments permanently change your hair and the way it grows and some have formaldehyde in them.  I'm not interested in doing any really crazy process, so to find a good shampoo and conditioner that's affordable is important.

Pretty decent in my deep condition search.

This is "ok".

Standard. Everyday. This is pretty much the only product I'll use post-shower and I haven't bought it since College. So that gives you an idea of how long it last!

Makeup:

As I've said way back when, I really like Body Shop's All-in-One Face Base. Since then, I've tried:

the Lightening Touch Concealer. Pretty sweet.

 

And Extra Virgin Minerals face makeup. This is supposed to be cream to powder, but I feel its a little greasy. It's ok, but not a total favorite.

I don't know HOW, but this Almay Smart Shade actually does turn from white with black spots to your shade. It's pretty neat, but I'm not a huge fan of liquid foundations. Also, it doesn't have the coverage that I look for, so I stick to concealers and my L'Oreal Bare Natural Powder Foundation, which I've blogged about before (and their blush! I now use three different shades of the True Match, the Precious Peach which is the lightest neutral, and now the first and second lightest shades of warm, Bare Honey and Barely Blushing. All of these I use for a natural/peach look instead of pink/cool look.) The funny thing about this product is, that I bought it right after my $5 coupon from Almay expired. Figures!!

Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Cream Shadow. I have the bottom 3 colors (of course) and I do like how they look. They do NOT crease, I am not sure how they bribed the gods on that one... But it does take some layering to get the desired intensity, and the blending is tricky when you have more than one color.

I like Maybellline's Gel Eyeliner a lot. The brush is pretty good, and it seems to dry out less than more expensive versions I've tried. It has good control and decent staying power, though the purple one is lacking in intensity. Again, the ads always make it more than it is.

I am *not* a lipstick gal, but DAMN CoverGirl, you have this RIGHT! This stuff lasts, and I just couldn't resist the color "Divine".

I also just tried Revlons Lip Butter in Cotton Candy. As I said, I hate lipstick, but this is just the right amount of color and it does soften lips! Win!

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzer. I have Miami Strip, which has a tad more pink and I like it a lot. I had gotten Vegas Strip first, which was a bit dark for me, but I can't tell you how many times I've used it as shadow. I love Physicians Formula for their versatility like that.  I also like their Powder Palette Blush in Blushing Rose when I'm feeling the need for pink.

 I think that's about it for now. Hope you guys found something useful! Keep me posted with any comments or opinions!

I didn't plant them, but I'll enjoy them!

I'm writing this, sitting outside on a gorgeous day; not really able to see the screen, but my reflection instead. I'm amazed I have wireless out here, nonetheless, because it's gorgeous and the kids never want to be inside. Really, I'm thankful for that.

In any case, there are some gorgeous flowers that have been around the house since early spring, and some I took pictures of and put online, but there are just so many nice ones I wanted to share them here.

Meanwhile, Z is my official compost dumper. She takes it outside for me and puts it in the "new" compost. We have one that's more turned over than the other one, so she knows where to put it. :) I also made the older one smaller, since it's more broken down, and the new one bigger.

Enjoy! :)

These are from early spring, when it was cooler out.

Idk what they are, but they are doing great!


The mystery sprout V 2.0! Ok, I did plant this, rather, I transported it. ;)


Mystery Sprout V 3.0! This is actually growing in the compost.


Violets!


I love these!

I caught a bumblebee! Do you see it?

Stay-At-Home-Mom

So ever since I started blogging, I've gone through many waves of insanity and a level of comfort with that insanity. I know there are harder things than having two kids so close together, but I'm definitely not the type of person who can handle much more! So, often, I feel a lot of stress about parenting, being stuck at home, and not having 'adult time'. A lot of things have helped this, like belly dancing, nicer weather, and most importantly, the kids getting older and listening somewhat more and growing into little people with a schedule (somewhat) and conversation skills. It's actually sort of neat. :)

But I know I have to work. If I want to or not. Chaim's unemployment did end, and while he's still a student right now and I have to be home to watch the kids while he studies, we do need to make ends meet. Chaim has a summer semester to do, and I don't know how much we can really work during that time, but once that is over with we'll have a year of no-school to make some money. After that, hopefully, he'll get into a nursing school for fall 2012.

The thing is, I do want to make money and not be paranoid about needing it, and some jobs even seem a little fun, though I'm not planning on getting a dream job anytime soon, just something for now. Another big milestone happened, I registered Zalah for nursery school. She's so smart, and definitely needs it, but it was scary to think of paying anything extra. So of course if she's away all day there's even less of a reason not to work. The hope is that I'll do mornings for example, and Chaim will do nights. We'll never see each other, but Lyla will be home with us and we'll save on babysitting costs. Then next year we hope to get a UPK program which is half off regular price for a full day so both kids will definitely go, and by that point they'll really need it with the way today's kindergartens are set up in the city.

But I think I'll actually miss being home. Part of me got used to making things at home from scratch and gardening and being able to be green and go out with the kids. During the winter it's just so easy to take being home for granted, because it almost feels like prison. But with the ever impending idea that I may have to spend 40 hours a week at a Stop n' Shop cash register is really starting to bum me out. I guess I should be thankful for all the small blessings we're able to have when we have them.

Plant Death and Rebirth

Ah the cycle of our garden. The tomatoes (round 2, or three?) were looking really nice. Basil 2.0 and parsley. The dirt wasn't great but it was happening. But then we went away for a week and they just didn't survive. We have one tomato left and he's still a small little bugger. :( The herbs we can always try again round the year, with better soil. And thanks to Sarah's mom for giving us a grow lamp and a seed starter box, next year looks more promising. That's something at least.

I've been pretty bummed that I can't grow A THING. :( I also didn't see the cucumber's sprouting, but lo! They were. That was one nice thing we noticed before we went away. But just to balance that out, when I came back the second compost was way moldy and infested. This was my fault, since I forgot to add the dry leaves to it. Gah. Oh well.

So lets pick ourselves up just a little. There is hope. I've actually been finding a lot of sprouts in the compost. How silly is that?! I mean, I know that they grow there, but it's funny that dirt and death can grow better than I can when I try. >:| Anyway, I see it as a special treat. So we planted them! I have absolutely no idea what they are. :D

Chaim is also excited because he spread a bunch of wildflower mix and he thinks it is starting to sprout too!

It's possible that this is apple. But who knows!


No idea.


These I noticed when I was going to plant a carrot top, but I don't know what they are or how they even got there!


Carrot top


This is a nice little row of cucumbers! Yay!! Finally! :D


Annndddd the garlic! It looks great, especially since we planted out of season..we'll see how that goes...


This is what my kids do for fun... Saying "Ee-ah poo poo pee pee".


We didn't plat this, there are a bunch of flowers that just come. The purple and yellow ones and the bell flowers died, then came these (on their way out) and small little white stars.


These are also all over now. I don't know what kind they are but they are big and creepy. Another great thing is that I found a macro mode on my camera and I'm liking how these pics are coming out!