Another Failed Experiment

Being of descent from a variety of races that boast dark features (French, Czech and Native American to name a few), I am constantly battling with unwanted dark hair. I tried Nad's when it first came out but realized I couldn't put myself through the pain nearly weekly to keep up with the growth of the hair on my arms. The wax certainly wasn't strong enough for my leg hair. I picked up a bottle of Jolen's, which is still sitting in my drawer. I fear that going from dark hair to bleach blonde will be a bit too much of a contrast against my skin.

I was curious when I saw the commercials for Smooth Away. I decided to try it out after reading a review in Glamour magazine (or was it InStyle?) that recommened it for use on arm hair.

The texture of the pads are very similar to a nail file, and that's what it smells like as you buff away your hair, and some skin. I saw no immediate results but after a few minutes of intensive swirling, I finally began to see the hair disappearing. I must say it did remove a great amount of hair from my arms, much easier than using a razor that is quickly clogged up. But I soon realized that there were some spots that would just not go away, no matter if I used the large or small pad (the box comes with both). Eventually I decided to just go over those spots with a razor, which left my skin raw in some places. I tried it out on my upper lip with the smaller pad and saw pretty good results there with minimal pain.

In the end, I will probably continue to use this product on my arms and face, but I was not as pleased with the results as I would have hoped. The amount of effort required to actual remove hair should lead this product to have a name like "Scrub Away".
*Note: I bought mine at Ace Hardware for $9.99 but it did not come with the lotion. Any lotion could work as a substitute.

Stocking Up

Currently I am isolated in the middle of fashion nowhere, otherwise known as Eastern Washington, but I will be headed back over to the westside in a week. While in college I have little time to seek out my favorite beauty products, let alone be able to find them for a reasonable price, so I always stock up when I'm back home. I've been doing my research so I'm prepared for the kamikazee shopping sprees I will be experiencing for the two weeks at home and one week in Cali! As you know, Cali means Carlsbad Premium Outlets, where I will be focusing on fashion rather than beauty products.

So here is the list of items I'm planning on picking up when I'm back home. Those with a star are items I currently use that I need to stock back up while I can. The others were chosen based on advice from InStyle or Glamour, my favorite fashion mags! Please weigh in if you have any personal experience with any of the below brands. I still have stubborn acne that I'm constantly fighting and always looking for new tips!

• Q-tips *A must-have!
  
• Sonia Kashuk Hairbrush
• Band-aid Friction Block
• Dove Gentle Exfoliating soap bars *
  
• Tweezerman Pedro Too callus remover
• Sally Hansen Salon Healing cuticle oil
• Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub-(I used this a long time ago, it received top marks for oily skin exfoliators in the Glamour Beauty Buys)
  
• Olay Spa Exfoliating Ribbons
• Loofah *Bacteria builds up on these quickly!
  
• Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock *
  
• Toner/astringent-Witch Hazel