Things I tried in May
If I'm being honest, the month in the "Things I Tried" series is completely meaningless. I just wait until I have enough to talk about for a post and then I group them together. So you'll never really know if I actually discovered and tried these products or services last month or not. *cue sinister laughter* And just so you know, I bought each and everything I'm reviewing with my own hard earned cash; none of this is sponsored or paid.
Align Probiotics / $36.21
I have been interested in trying a probiotic for some time because I've had a long and storied history of digestive problems. It's been a fight to keep my frequent heartburn, sour stomach and intestinal pain to a minimum. A battle so epic, it may as well have it's own chapter in the Iliad. The catalyst for trying this was a sudden increase in issues so I finally decided to take the probiotic plunge. My mom actually recommended this brand to me. Mother like daughter, I guess. So I found a 56 day supply on Amazon for $36, which works out to about $20 a month. I know it's not the most exciting thing to spend $240 a year on but it's such a small price to pay for the amount of relief I've gotten from these tiny, magical pills. In about four to five days I noticed a difference. That being said, my system is super sensitive to medicines, so you might not see results as quickly as I did. What I found was a dramatic decrease in all the issues that had been plaguing me. And the most unexpected yet delightful part? I noticed a big difference in my mood. I'm talking a serious mood boost. So if you suffer from anxiety and/or depression like I do, it might be worth trying this just for that. I've read that doctors say there is evidence to support the "gut brain connection" and for me, my experience with Align probiotics supports that. The Wet Brush / $13.99
Anyone that does vintage hairstyles can tell you how much brushing out backcombing sucks. In the past I always used my regular brush but I had to do it carefully and slowly to not break my hair. Several friends had told me about the Wet brush but because of the slightly misleading name I thought it was only for detangling wet hair. After I found out it could be used on dry hair as well, I snatched one up to try it out. And I have to say, this thing rocks. This brush detangles backcombing so effortlessly and it surprisingly takes very few passes to get sections detangled. I haven't noticed any hair breakage either since I began using it. I'm not actually sure what kind of sorcery is behind it because it looks just like a regular brush. And for my tender headed ladies, it doesn't hurt at all. I also heard it can be used on a variety of hair textures and even hair extensions too. But the most important part? They come in a variety of fun colors; I have the pink one pictured. Because life is too short to having a boring looking brush. Am I right or am I right? Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush - $29
Ok, here's the thing — not all blushes are created equal. Some fade really quickly, some aren't pigmented enough and then there's the ones that are unnecessarily smelly. You know the ones I'm talking about. We've all been there. After several disappointing blush purchases, I was in the market for something with great pigmentation, staying power and little to no smell. So I headed to Sephora on a Sarah Connor-style mission to make my blush dreams come true. That's when I discovered Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-Hour blush. According to Tarte, this blush contains natural clay that is harvested from the banks of the Amazon River. I was kind of surprised because clay seems like the last thing you'd want to put on your face. It just screams clogged pore city to me. But hey, I'm not an esthetician. I visited Tarte's website to read more and apparently the clay helps minimize oil for oily skin or add hydration for dry skin. There were 15 different shades to choose from but because I was looking for a shade that would mimic a natural flush (like Snow White) I ended up choosing "Blushing Bride" (pictured above). It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, even though it was a little more expensive than any other blush I've tried before. When I'm shopping for beauty products, I try to pay attention to the quality of the ingredients and whether or not it is cruelty free. I'm pleased that Tarte is both cruelty free and they don't put junky ingredients in their makeup. Oh, and it hasn't broken apart in my travel makeup bag like other powder blushes I've used before which is a definite bonus jonas in my book.
Rockin' Rollers - $22.95
I know there's the saying that every woman wants the hair she doesn't have and I hate to say it but I totally perpetuate that stereotype. I have pin straight hair but have always longed to have curly hair like a Botticelli girl. And to add insult to injury, a lot of great vintage hairstyles call for waves or curls so I have to set my hair for those looks. Here's the snag — I'm not a morning person at all. There's no way I'm getting up early enough to do my hair during the work week. I had been using foam curlers to set my hair at night because they take less time to do than rag or pin curls. The only thing is I find them more difficult to sleep in. So when I came across these pillow rollers, I decided to try them. And y'all — these are probably the most comfortable rollers I've ever tried. I can easily fall asleep with them in and they stay put overnight when you secure them with a scarf.
As a nice added touch, they come in plastic zip bag which is helpful for keeping track of all of the individual rollers. And it comes with a little instructional booklet featuring styles you can create with the rollers. As I perused the booklet, I discovered these bad boys have a double function — you can use them as hair fillers too. So I attempted bumper bangs with these and it turned out pretty great. And if your hair is stubbornly straight like mine, it helps to use a setting lotion to beat it into submission. But it's important not to get your hair too damp, because then your hair won't dry overnight and your curls won't take. I've had that happen before and I have to eat carbs afterwards to console myself. Amazon Prime - $99/year
Ok, I know I'm really late to the game with this one and I'm probably not going to tell you anything you don't already know but I recently signed up for Amazon Prime and I'm in love. I've been taking major advantage of the free two day shipping. Anything that I need, I order on Amazon now. Actually, my neighbors are probably sick of all my Amazon Prime boxes showing up. We have a little system in the building where I live regarding packages. Our mail boxes are too tiny for anything larger than letter size envelopes, so the mailman routinely leaves packages in the lobby area for us. The only problem is, our lobby is not locked to the outside world. So if one of us comes in when there are packages in the lobby, we'll take them inside with us and drop them by the person's door that they belong to. Otherwise, they just sit in the lobby where anyone can come in and take them. So quite often I'll come home to packages sitting by my door. The second best thing about the Prime membership? Prime Video. I don't find it as user friendly as Netflix or Hulu and hopefully that's not just because I'm getting old. They have a good selection of free movies and TV shows. Plus, another cool thing about Prime Video is that you can rent or buy movies. That's great if you enjoy older movies like I do. I believe it costs around $3.99 to rent and the price to purchase varies depending on what it is. I have yet to explore Amazon Music or some of the other features that come with the membership but the free shipping and Amazon Video are enough to warrant the yearly subscription.