Men's Dollar Shave Club

Last week my husband randomly started telling me about this "Dollar Shave Club" that he wanted to sign up for.  He had seen it advertised on twitter by someone he follows. I'm assuming some sports-talk person because those are the people he tends to follow. I was a bit confused because my husband isn't the subscription type of person.  He explained it was a service that would send him new blades every month or every two months (depending on the service you select).  We both agreed this would solve the problem of him using my blade for shaving his beard, though.  Mine always become dull very fast, and I pay good money for my Gillette Venus & Olay razors/refills.  They cost me around $14.00 for only 3 blade replacements.  :-(

They were quite quick about getting his first package out to him.  It arrived yesterday in the mail.   It was packaged very simply, in a thick brown envelope from their company.  I burst into it while he was at work (HA!) and inside was the razor handle and a pack of four replacement blades.  This cost us $9.00.  (shipping & handling already included in that price)

There are three different blades you can select from.  You can get one that is only $1.00 (very basic, minimal number of blades per head), one that is $6.00 (a bit more fancy, couple more blades per head), or one that is $9.00 (fanciest, most number of blades per head, and the most guard protection on either side of the blade head).  We (I say we, but he) selected the "top of the line" that they offer.  Also, we he chose to have his new blades delivered every two months instead of each month.  He said he decided to do it this way because he won't go through four blades in a month's time.   He is a scruffy guy, not someone who shaves his face bare, so he really just cleans up the edges and such.  If you are someone who does a lot of shaving (ie: every day) to keep your face extremely clean shaven or completely bare, then perhaps you would go through a blade per week, making it necessary to sign up for a package each month.  But, for my husband, every two months is perfect.

I love their humor.  If you take a look at the cards received in his package, they're comical.  The whole site is like that.  Take a peek, it made me laugh.  Also, you can find out more about each blade they offer (all the specs and such), the packages, how to sign up, etc.  

I'm not at all affiliated, being sponsored, etc. by them.  They don't even know who I am.  I simply thought this was a cool subscription service that guys can actually use and might appreciate.  (heck, I told my husband when the razor arrived that I was a bit jealous because his razor is all fancy looking and I want to pay that little for my razor refills!)  If you are a male reader of my blog or a female (OR a guy) with a husband or boyfriend...  perhaps this is something you find interesting and would like to receive for yourself (or for your partner).  

So we're on the same page....

I pay $14-$15 for three blades

He pays $9 for four blades

yeah, he is getting the better deal, haha!

Spring Lip Picks

I decided it would be fun to lay out the colors I will be reaching for this Spring.  Some of these have already found their way into my purse to keep on me while I am out.  With the exception of one, they are all drugstore.  Thus, they are quite affordable!  YAY!

I'm not a huge gloss person, but I LOVE these Revlon glosses.  I wore them a lot last summer, too.  The two I prefer for the warmer weather are Coral Reef and Pink Pop.

These next two are new(ish) in my collection.  Even though Spring just hit, I've already been wearing them a lot.  They are the Maybelline Color Whispers in the colors Pink Up Peach and Coral Ambition.

Next up are a couple of L'Oreal lipsticks.  They are Cotton Pink and Sunset Angora.  I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull off such a pale pink like Cotton Pink but WOW it is amazing and beautiful!

I'm still over the m oon about the Revlon Balm Stains.  I often find myself reaching for all of the colors I own.  The two I feel I'll be reaching for most often this spring are Cherish and Rendezvous. 

These two aren't from the same brand, but I didn't have two from the same collection to pair....so I just put them together.  Revlon Strawberry Shortcake (another pale pink that is quite wearable) and L'Oreal Summer Rose.  I wore Summer Rose a lot at the end of summer last year.  It lasts nicely on the lips.

These are two more not from the same brand.  They are Maybelline Coral Carnation and Lorac It Girl.  Coral Carnation is that fantastic pop of orange (without being clownish) that is stunning in the spring and It Girl is a long standing favorite of mine.  

None of these are "neutrals" but when I think of spring I think of finally pulling out brighter clothes and makeup and getting away with wearing pops of color on the lips.  All of these are fantastic for that, without being over the top. 

Google Reader Going Away-Follow With Bloglovin!

Hey, everyone

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the fiasco involving Google reader.  Apparently, it will be going away within the next couple of months.  :-(  In order to continue keeping up with the blogs you follow, you may need to find a new avenue.  I've now included an option to follow my blog through bloglovin.  The button is on the right hand side of the main page of my blog.  If you want to keep updated with my blog, go ahead and  click!  You'll get all updates from this blog just as you have.  You can also search the name of either of my blogs (theswatchingsprite and sprites vanity) on the bloglovin site.

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!  OH, and Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Jack Black Lip Balms (Vanilla & Lavender)

Ever since I first tried the Jack Black Balms, I have been hooked.  I really do think they are the very best lip balm I have come across.  For a long time I only used the Lemon & Chamomile.  I have finally tried another "flavor."  This one is the Vanilla & Lavender.

I know a lot of people love the one with mint, but I have sensitive lips and products with mint, camphor, or menthol ingredients cause me to have an allergic reaction.  So, as you might have guessed, I'm hesitant to even attempt wearing the Jack Black Mint & Shea Butter lip balm.   However, they have a decent amount of other flavors for me to work  my way through.  They have Shea Butter & Vitamin E, Mango & Mandarin, Black Tea & Blackberry, Grapefruit & Ginger, Lemon & Chamomile, Natural Mint & Shea Butter, and Vanilla & Lavender,

They are made with natural ingredients and are mixed with skin conditioners and antioxidants.  They glide on so easily and have a cushy feel to them.  I don't find them to be sticky and uncomfortable.  I love the way they feel on the lips.  Immediately after application my lips feel hydrated and soothed.

I have come to look at these balms as a must-have item in the winter.  I keep one in my purse so I'm not without one while out.  I have another in my lip product drawer for home use.   If you haven't tried these, give one a go and I think you'll be converted too!

You can buy these online through several etailers.  I've ordered mine through Apothica.com for $7.50.  It does seem like a high dollar amount for a balm when you stop and think a single tube of Chapstick can be purchased for just around $1.00, but a little goes a long way and the ingredients are superior.  The moisturizing Chapsticks do feel nice and protect, but the Jack Black Balms (I feel) help to heal my chapped lips plus protect and moisturize.  And the flavors they come in smell very, very good.

Speaking of the scent.   The Vanilla & Lavender is stronger on the lavender.  This isn't a bad thing, for me. I don't pick up on much vanilla but since I enjoy the smell of lavender, I'm still a fan.  It has a true straight-from-your-garden floral yet medicinal scent. Don't let me saying "medicinal" scare you off.  If you have smelled a real lavender plant, it has a natural herbal smell to it.  It's earthy and amazing.

All around, two thumbs up from me.  If you struggle with chapped lips (any time of year), give these a whirl.   Within a few days you'll see massive improvements.

DIY Drop Cloth Curtains

Admittedly, this has nothing to do with "beauty" but I was pleased with the turn out of one of my home projects so I thought I'd share.  I decided to create some drop cloth curtains.  This is nothing new, especially in the DIY home makeover blog circles.  Every blogger I had seen do this had beautiful results and it is so cheap!  To purchase this amount of fabric (especially in a length that would go from ceiling to floor) would cost you significantly more than it does if you use drop cloths.  I mentioned to my mother in law, as well as my own parents, that I was going to create curtains from a drop cloth and I'm fairly certain I got some unusual looks (the conversations were over the phone).

If I remember correctly, I bought the larger sized drop cloth (9 ft x 12 ft).  It comes in two panels sewn together.  My plans were to rip the seam and use each panel to cover one window.  They were large enough to do this and I like the look of one over-sized panel pulled to one side. <--if you have two windows in a room. One single window might look odd.  But, two windows, each with the curtain pulled to the farthest outside edge, I think looks nice. Well, I didn't anticipate just how much these would shrink.  I assumed I'd lose a few inches, but holy moly!  I'll get to that in a minute....

So, I separated the two panels.  A good thing about drop cloths is they already come with the edges finished. I took the panels and put them through a bleaching process.  I didn't hate the color they come naturally, but the beige was a bit too dusty and just didn't look right with the coloring of the rest of my home furnishings. They ended up in 2 bleach baths.  The first time I used 2 cups of bleach to a full washing machine filled with hot water. I let the washing machine agitate for about 2 minutes just to make sure the bleach was fully mixed in.  Then, I turned it off and let it sit for about 4 - 4.5 hours. Then, I completed the wash cycle.  I thought this might be enough, but upon drying, they were still a bit dark.  Soooo, I did the whole bleach process again.  However, the second time I used 2.5 cups of bleach and let it sit for about 7 hours.  yup!  I was happy with the color after that.  So, I went ahead and washed with detergent and then dried them in my machine. I should have air dried them to prevent the amount of shrinkage, but I honestly didn't think I'd lose as much as I did.  It shrunk down in width only to just over half its original size. WHAAAAAT?!  

Somewhere in my stubborn mind I figured I could still use one panel per window, but cut it in half to create 2 smaller panels (yes, don't bother trying to follow the logic...  it isn't there. You'd think I'd realize if I already lost width, it makes zero sense cutting that shortened panel in half again.... )  So...  now I had four panels from one drop cloth.  I stitched up all the raw edges, created the casing for the pole at the top and then it hit me that cutting each panel in half wasn't so brilliant.   I tested two panels on a window and it looked far too stretched.  There was no ruffling, which looked tacky.  Soooo, I used all four panels on one window.  That doesn't bother me so much because we've always used four store bought panels for larger windows to create extra ruffling.

What you see on the window is the four panels all together.  I had a TON of length left, which I knew I'd have to cut away, but I didn't want to do that until I drilled up my curtain pole and could visually see how much needed to come off.  I sat on the floor pinning where I wanted to hem.  At this point, I pulled the curtains back down and stitched up the hem. Voila!  

I chose to have these curtains start almost at the ceiling and come down just at the point of touching our baseboards.   Well, I chose the ceiling and my husband chose the baseboard.  I wanted them to almost touch the floor but my husband thought that would look strange visually cutting off a section of baseboard.  He was unsure of hanging them so high.  Sooo, compromise!   I prefer the look of curtains hung high.  It makes your ceilings look higher and I think there is something more elegant about it. 

So, that's it.  My drop cloth curtains that I'm very pleased with.  I don't think anyone would ever guess they were made from drop cloths, had I not mentioned it.  They look like expensive linen fabric.  They're nice and thick, durable, let in lovely glowy light, yet offer complete privacy (if you don't have blinds behind them...which I do have.)

The only thing I would currently do to them is iron them a bit.  You won't ever get all of the wrinkling out of them, that is just the nature of the fabric, but it would reduce some of them that I see. I'm not too bothered by it, though, because they have a sort of rustic elegance about them that I quite enjoy.   I think I just might redo all of my curtains like this!

*side note: These didn't end up in the original room I had planned on.  When the shrinkage and the needless panel cutting started, it forced me to take them to a room with one window.  I'm going back to my original plan for the original set of windows...but now that I know the fabric is temperamental and prone to extreme shrinkage, I'll be better prepared. :-)  These now live in my dining room.

Close up image of the fabric. You can see the mix of colors and the texture of the fabric here.

Pretty ruffles!  I just love 'em!

UPDATE!!!!!!!!

So, I have finished the curtains.   I now have my dining room and living room done with the drop cloth curtains.  Though I have multiple windows, I'll just show you one from each.   

sorry for the glare!  I really should have photographed at night 

This is the original window from the beginning of this project. (dining room)  In the day, I pull the curtains to either side (2 panels to each tie).  I fussed a lot with what I was going to use to tie back the panels.  I started by cutting and sewing strips from the scrap fabric but I didn't care for the look.  Even though they are drop cloth, they have ruffles!  They need something lovely.  I had some white lace ribbon in my craft stuff so I cut strips, heat sealed the ends, and voila!  Dainty, but simple, ties. 

I was able to still do the single panel for the living room like I wanted.  However, instead of pulling it completely to one side and letting it just hang straight down, I went with a draped tie.  I felt that this would mesh with the look of the curtains in the dining room.  Though tied in a different fashion, it is still tied with the same fabric, the curtain is the same fabric, and the point at which it is tied is high up like in the dining room.

I'm sitting here looking at the photos, and it really does them no justice.  In person they look so nice.  They have a laid back feel yet have an air of grace and personality.  Yes, I know...they're just curtains. Whatever, I love 'em!