Fall Musings

Fall Musings

Saturday, September 8, 2012

My Use It Up List for September 2012 with Product Reviews

For the month of September, I plan to keep a log of what products I use up and include reviews after finishing each item.

The Body Shop Pumpkin Nectarine HFO
Dove Go Fresh Cool Moisture Body Wash with NutrimuesMoisture - Sample
Ponds Cold cream with the green lid - Full size (6 oz)
Jaqua Passion Fruit Cocktail Hydrating Shower Syrup (8 oz)
Nivea Smooth Sensation Lotion sample
Lasting Scent Candles Tart in Voodoo Doll
BBW Simply Divine Cherry Pie HFO
Jaqua Pink Champagne Shower Syrup (4oz)
BBW Pumpkin Pie Scrub
Trapp Rain Candle
C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Cream - Sample


Reviews:


TBS Pumpkin Nectarine HFO is a nice refreshing Fall and even as a Winter scent.  It has a good balance between the pumpkin and nectarine scents.  I would use it during Spring as it is a refreshing fragrance.  I would purchase this HFO again.

Dove Go Fresh Cool Moisture Body Wash with Nutrimmoisture is an ok product.  It smells refreshing but with the lotion included in the body wash it doesn't lather at all.  I prefer my soap and body washes to lather. My skin was somewhat softer when I got out of the shower.  The last thing I do in the shower is wash my body.  I prefer to put lotion on after I dry off.  I don't see myself using this product int he future.  If you don't care if a body wash lathers and you need moisture for dry skin then this product would be great for you.

Ponds Cold Cream with the green lid is a fantastic product!  When I purchased this one I also got a bonus of a second container of it.  This stuff is awesome.  I have oily skin and wondered if using an oil base cleanser would help stay hydrated and be less oily.  It worked!  My skin looks plump and hydrated and I have very little oily days.

Jaqua Passion Fruit Cocktail Hydrating Shower Syrup smells so good.  I would definitely purchase this scent again!  It is a thick body wash that lathers well and is moisturizing.  My dry skin soaks up the moisturizers that are in this body wash.  The scent alone is worth the price you pay for a bottle of this pure heaven in a bottle.  It has a true passion fruit scent.

Nivea Smooth Sensation Lotion sample feels nice on the skin.  I would consider purchasing this lotion in the future.  It is absorbed quickly into the skin.  It has a gentle scent and nice texture.  I wish the sample was more than a few ml in a packet.  It would of been better to give it a better try in a small tube or container.  I keep a list of lotions that I like for after I use up my stash of lotions and creams.  I have severe dry skin, esp on my hands, elbows and legs.  When applied to my hands at bedtime I instantly felt them softer and moisturized.  When I woke up in the morning my hands were still soft and moisturized.  This is a huge deal to me.  I want to be able to feel the softness the next morning.

Lasting Scent Candles Tart in Voodoo is a good sized tart in a circular dixie cup with a lid.  Sometimes the lids come off or the fragrance oil leaks out of the tart.  LSC tarts are very strong in scent and have an awesome throw.  You need less than a quarter of a tart in a tart warmer to scent a small room like a bathroom.  As this was my first LSC tart I was impressed by the throw and strength of scent.  However, I did not like this spicy kind of scent.  I have other LSC tarts and look forward to melting them.

BBW Simply Divine Cherry Pie HFO is awesome!  I am not big on cherry scents but this scent is simply divine.  It smells exactly like cheery pie.  You can smell the pie crust scent in this HFO.  The lingering note is the baked cherry.  It smells tart and sweetened by the pie crust scent.  I wish I was able to buy this HFO still but BBW hasn't carried this scent in years.  I got it at the bi-annual sale five years ago.  I didn't think I would like it so I only purchased one bottle. It did not give me a headache.  When I purchased this HFO I also purchased HFO in Pumpkin Pie Paradise, I got 5 or 6 of them as the body products in this scent was awesome but unfortunately the Pumpkin Pie Paradise HFO gives me an awful headache.  I now wish I had purchased 1 of those and 5 or 6 in the Simply Divine Cherry Pie scent.

Jaqua Pink Champagne Shower Syrup (4oz)

BBW Pumpkin Pie Scrub

Trapp Rain Candle

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Cream - Sample smells absolutely delicious.  I love citrus scents and this cream fits that bill.  It is thick and luxurious.   


Friday, September 7, 2012

How to get the BEST and CHEAPEST Shave

How to get the best shave for the cheapest amount of money. After many many years of shaving my legs I have finally come up with the best shave for my busk. I have dry skin and if I shave too often my legs get itchy and scaly. It's hard to fight this problem when you want to wear shorts everyday in the summer. I am very light skinned and have dark leg hair. So I show a shadow after 12 hours.
What I have found that works for an awesome and long lasting cheap shave is:
1.  Exfoliate with a good scrub infused with moisturizing oils and ground up apricot seed - I was given a tub of Orgins' scrub as a gift and been using it up (it's not cheap) but I will return to my regular homemade salt or sugar scrub.
2.  Use a 3 blade razor - I only purchase Schick Xtreme 3 for Women Sensitive. It has 3 blades, so enough for a close shave but not so many to irritate the skin.  The razor has a strip with Aloe, Vitamin E and Shea Butter to give you a comfortable shave. I buy the all pink Schick Xtreme3 razor in the plastic bag with pink writing that are cheaper. They are the same razor but without the plush handle. You get more razors for less.
3.  I quit using shaving cream - Instead I use a moisturizing hair conditioner. I have been buying Tresseme for $3.99 for a huge bottle. I put a layer on my leg and let it sit for 30 - 60 seconds for it to condition my hair and skin then I start to shave.
4.  After I shave I pat dry and apply a layer of Degree Body Responsive Deodorant in Fresh Oxygen - The deodorant keeps the skin from drying, becoming itchy and moisturizes.
I have found this to be the best shave that doesn't irritate my skin.


Thursday, September 6, 2012

How to Build a Chicken Coop

Have you ever wondered how to build a chicken coop?  My friend moved up to the country and it came with chickens and a few other farm animals.  The chicken coop was almost falling down after so many terrible storms the area recently had experienced.  My friend had never built a chicken coop and wanted to build one that would withstand the storms in her area.  While browsing the internet for helpful ideas we came across this great book:  Building a Chicken Coop  This book even tells you how to keep your chickens happy and their home in perfect shape.  There is yearly maintenance necessary that new owners to chickens might not know about.  Many different coop styles are includes in the book for all sizes.


My friend purchased this book and she has a well made chicken coop and lots of other chicken oriented information.  Her chickens are safe from storms and warm in the winter.  She knows how to take care of them properly.  This book includes all the information needed.

You can have a chicken run attached to the coop or just leave the door open and let them roam your yard.  A warm coop and open area to rn around keep the chickens happy and egg laying.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Forest Apprentices Arthritis Anti-Inflammatory and Golden Salves Order Review

I made a purchase from Forest Apprentices, From the Forest they also are called, a couple of weeks ago. TAT was fast and I got my items from the US to Canada in about 10 days. That is a record for Canada Post these days. My husband has problems with his back and the doctor told him it was arthritis. I did a quick search and found this fabulous store and made a purchase of 1 each of the Arthritis Anti-Inflammatory Salve and Golden Salve. My entire order came to $14.20 including shipping to Canada.
Product Info and Reviews:

Arthritis Anti-Inflammatory Salve
Arthritis Anti-Inflammatory Salve 1oz plastic jar $ 5.00
(Populus balsamifera & Capsicum sp.). For topical use on arthritic and stiff joints. Do not use on broken skin. Due to the Cayenne used in the salve, this product burns when it comes into contact with mucus membranes. Due to it's capsaicin, Cayenne help to relieve the pain of arthritis and other forms of joint inflammation when gently massaged onto the affected area. Cottonwood reduces pain and eases inflammations due to rheumatism and arthritis.
Review:
After rubbing this salve on my husband's entire back the first night he was able to sleep more than 3 hours all night. Closer to 4 hours. Usually he only sleep off and on for three hours and ends up getting up because he is in so much pain. After three nights of rubbing it into his entire back he is able to sleep closer to 5-6 hours. This is a huge change for him. I will continue to purchase this salve for him. It is a good price and arrives quickly.
Golden Salve 1oz plastic jar $ 5.50
Golden Salve
(Curcuma longa & Abies balsamea). This golden colored salve is excellent for reducing scarring, preventing infection in open sores and as a follow-up after using an escharotic product. This product has a tropical ingredient, Tumeric (Curcuma longa).
Review:
I was bit a few times in the garage by a spider and the bites became itchy. That night after my shower I rubbed this Golden Salve on the 5 different bites. They instantly became non itchy. The bites are healing quickly and it has now been four days and they are still not itchy after only two application of this salve. My one issue with this salve is that it turns your skin yellow for a week and that is with daily washing in the shower. It works but it makes you yellow.

Shop Review:
I will be purchasing from this shop again. I know that the Arthritis Anti-Inflammatory Salve will get used up as they only come in 1oz jars. I will see if the shop owner will make a larger batch for me. She has other great items that I want to try.
I have found that this store sells on various sites, including the big auction site.



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