PHILIPS NORELCO POWERTOUCH WITH AQUATEC

I was lucky enough to receive the Powertouch for free through bzzagent to give to one of my teens to try.

Features:
Can use wet or dry
Rechargeable
Built in sideburn trimmer
Easy to clean
Completely waterproof
Can get for under $60

I was so excited! When it finally came, I couldn't open it fast enough and made my 16 year old try it that day. The first time he used it, he used it dry just like the booklet says that you can. It gave him horrible razor burn and even caused some little scabs and bleeding.
I figured that maybe he wasn't doing it right so I cleaned it really well and asked my hubby to try it, (after all, he had much more experience). Pretty close to the same result. Razor burn, especially the neck area. Not a close shave.
Well, my husband has sensitive skin so I figured I'd have my 17 year old try it, with shaving gel, in the shower. Better results. Some burning, not as close as a razor. The booklet does say to take the "21 day challenge". It says that your skin has to get used to it so we'll see.
I did try it once dry on my legs and it didn't cause any irritation at all, again, not a close shave. I also tried it bikini area and armpits...YEOOWWWW!!! Worst razor burn of my life. PLEASE DO NOT USE IN THESE AREAS!! lol I couldn't sit or put my arms down for a week!

More Comic Book Decoupage

Here are a few more things that I have done with comic books in the past. I thought I'd post them as a follow up to the previous entry. Enjoy.

Superman side table. The white is just my flash.

Spider man on canvas. 11x18. Has a thick brush stroke finish so it almost looks like a painting.

Decoupage with Comic Books

I've finished another comic table and thought I would share it. I think the hardest part of these sort of projects are cutting out the comics. This one was a little harder because A. the table is round B. the table is not symmetrical. Both of which lead me to having a hard time keeping the horizontal lines straight. This post will be just a mini tutorial since I always seem to go overboard on instructions.

This is a coffee table from Ikea that I picked up at a yard sale for $3. In order to give it a makeover, the 1st thing I did was spend a few hours carefully cutting Spider Man from several comic books. I positioned the cutouts a bunch of times to make sure I had enough, then I started modge podge-ing (I'm pretty sure I just made that word up) around the outside edges making sure to go all the way down the sides with the strips. I didn't want any of the table exposed except for the legs. Here's a pic to show you what I mean. (This is after I trimmed it up).

It's important to remember not to wrap the paper under the table, just press it straight down the side and let the rest hang off. Once it dries, you'll be able to trim along the edge with a sharp razor blade.
As you can see, I tried, and failed to keep the lines of the comics perfectly straight across the table but it still looks good. It's ok to cover up comics as you go along. It's better to have things covered then to have the table showing through. (you can click any of the pics for larger versions)

After I covered the table I decoupaged a big Spider Man onto it. This came from one of those rolls of removable wall stickers that you can buy at places like Walmart.

Make sure that when you're done with your project you give it several coats of polycrylic to give it a nice smooth feel and make it durable and waterproof. I'll post pictures of other comic book projects I have done in the next few days. Remember, practice makes perfect! Good Luck!

April Beauty Army Box

I received my first Beauty Army sample box last week and I have to tell you that I am so obsessed with this whole idea of beautiful little boxes full of surprises and fun! You can sign up here and for 12 bucks a month you can pick up to 6 nice-sized samples of exquisite beauty products to try. The thing I like about Beauty Army is that you know what's coming in the mail.
So here's a quick rundown of what I got and how I liked it:

1. Aquolina Pink Sugar Eau De Toillette
My favorite thing in the box! It smells sweet and fresh and delicious. This smells exactly like Sugar from Scentsy. I ordered a bottle from amazon two days after I tried it.

2. Karuna Brightening Treatment MaskKaruna
This is a nice soft cloth mask that is full of gooey goodness. It was kind of a pain to get this over my face without getting it in my eyes, but once I got it on it felt pretty good. I didn't notice any dramatic results after using so even though it felt nice and smelled good, I probably won't spend the $28 for 4 masks.

3. MyFace Cosmetics Mymix Foundation (Fair 02)
Tried this a couple of times and didn't really care for it. My B.B. Cream has more coverage than this stuff. It's very light weight and probably better for people who already have pretty great skin.

4. Mama Mio Boob Tube
I was pretty skeptical of this product based on what it says it can do. I mean, really? A lotion that you rub on your boobs to make them stop sagging? lol Anyways, I've been using this once a day for four days and although I haven't noticed a difference in sag, (one of my girls points a little more South than the other), I did notice a difference in the feel of my skin and the stuff smells really good. I'll keep using it for a while and see what happens.

5. MAD Skincare Redness Rescue
Didn't have a real need for this one but it's supposed to help people who get redness or blotchiness from things like rosacea (sp) or excema or whatever. I do get some redness on my chest and I tried it there and it seemed to work ok. There are great reviews about it online.

Freeman Beauty Pssssst Instant Dry Shampoo
Didn't get to use this one because you have to spray it on then brush it out which I normally can't do because I have super curly hair and if I brushed it out it would be a giant afro! I will try it on day 2 after flat ironing and we'll see. It got pretty great reviews though. Also, I noticed that the brand makes this for curly hair that doesn't need to be brushed out...I wonder why they didn't send me that one??

All in all, great box! I'm already looking forward to May. It's a good thing I get a BirchBox every month too! :)

GARNIER MIRACLE SKIN PERFECTOR B.B. CREAM

I got B.B. Cream for free through bzzagent, (a word of mouth, product review company). First let's talk about the facts:

HOW IT WORKS
A combination of Hyaluronic Acid, Lipidure Microspheres + Glycerin retains water in the skin, allowing it to maintain superior moisture levels and improve softness and suppleness of skin for 24hours.

Vitamin C provides antioxidant properties, boosts radiance and luminosity of skin.

Mineral Pigments delicately and immediately beautiful skin. The rich pigments instantly melt and spread flawlessly over skin.

Available in 2 shades : Light/Medium & Medium/Deep

WHAT IT CLAIMS TO DO
Instantly: Skin looks naturally more even, radiant and smooth.
After just one use:
96% of women reported instantly smoothed skin upon application
90% noticed a more even complexion
93% said that their skin had a healthy glow after use

So I've been using this stuff for about three weeks now and I LOVE IT! No, I don't get anything for saying that lol! (You'll see in one of my next posts that I don't love all of the products that I review.)
Anyway, It's almost like putting lotion on your face. It took me a couple of times to really figure out how much to put on to get the right coverage. It makes my skin glow and look almost dewey. It protects my skin from the sun and it covers all of those broken blood vessels around my nose.

What is the difference between this and a good foundation, you ask? Well, it's noncomedogenic so it's not going to block your pores or cause ugly blemishes if you forget to take it off before bed. Also, it's a moisturizer and I've noticed that it doesn't give you that cake-y look that some foundations do.
Overall, it's a great product and although it may seem a little pricey at around 10 bucks a bottle, that little bottle will last you a very long time. Mine is still 3/4 full after three weeks.