Glee

I read an article in Entertainment Weekly about a new show on Fox called "Glee". Ken Tucker gave a glowing review of the pilot and awarded it an overall A grade. It's about a group of mostly unpopular kids that are in glee club in high school and the teacher that leads them. I thought it sounded pretty good, so I DVR'ed it and watched it last night.

It was fantastic! I laughed, I cried and then I laughed again. The glee club is made up of a a bossy girl that is a good singer, a flamboyant gay boy (he asks the class bullies to let him take off his Marc Jacobs jacket before they throw him in the dumpster), a boy in a wheelchair, an African America girl with a lot of attitude, an Asian girl that stutters and football player that likes to sing Journey songs (Their teacher kind of conned him into joining glee club).


Their teacher is Mr. Schuester (but they call him Mr. Schu) and he is sweet and funny and used to be in glee club when he was in high school. His wife is a shrew and works 12 hours a week at store called Sheets n' Things.

The other teachers are pretty amusing, too. There is the nutrition teacher, who is a germ phobe. The PE teacher is a stocky guy that is hot for the nutrition teacher. And then there's the cheerleading coach, who is bossy and big headed because the cheerleaders were featured on FOX news.

It's a great show with high school bitchiness, cliques, wonderfully performed songs (like "Don't Stop Believing" and "Rehab"), characters that you love, characters that you hate and lots of jazz hands.

I guess it's not going to be on again until this Fall. I don't know if it will appeal to wide range of people, but I really hope it makes it. I know I'll be watching.

T3 Evolution

After purchasing the T3 Featherweight and returning it, I was disappointed and disillusioned about high end hair dryers. I thought my Conair that I had since college was just fine, thank you very much. But then, it up and died. It just wouldn't turn on, kind of like a car with a dead battery. To make matters worse, it didn't just happen on a weekend day, when I have the luxury of time to get ready. Nope. It happened on a weekday, when I had about 10 minutes before I had to leave for work. Thankfully, I have a hairdryer/round brush styler thing that ended up working in a pinch.

But, I needed a new hairdryer - stat! So, I bought a cheapie Conair one at Bartell's. It was an IonShine model and I thought it would probably be fine. Well, at first it seemed ok. It dried my hair in an unremarkable fashion. No major shine, but what do you want for $15? But after the beauty school hair fry experience, my hair seemed like straw and the damn hair dryer didn't seem to be helping matters. Afraid my hair was starting to look like melted Barbie hair, I took some action.

I remembered that the T3 had a higher end model called the Evolution, that was supposed to be better than the Featherweight. I read reviews online on folica.com and qvc.com, which were mostly positive. So, I went to Ulta and looked at the Evolution. I didn't want to buy it off Folica and then have to ship it back if I didn't like it, so I bought it at Ulta for 300 bucks. I was in that crazy, desperate mood where I had to try it RIGHT NOW!

My plan was to use it for a while, then return it, and if I liked it, re-buy it from Folica for cheaper (where it is $220).

After trying it out, I have to tell you that it really does make your hair softer. I don't know how, but my hair is way smoother and seems a lot less damaged. I guess that tourmaline stuff really works. Some of the reviews make it sound like it will totally change your life - well, it's great, but it's not going to style your hair for you. I still have to flat iron after blow drying to get that super smooth Jennifer Aniston style hair, but the results are much better after blow drying with the Evolution and flat ironing, than with blow drying with the Conair and then flat ironing. It also didn't seem to dry my hair that much faster than other dryers that I've used. But it is very light (Aaron even commented on that) and it has a variety different controls (high medium and low for both temp and speed) and it has a cool shot button that really works. It also has a super long cord, which I like a lot.

With all that in mind, I went forward with my plan. I returned the Evolution to Ulta and planned to re-buy one on Folica. Well, then they were out of stock on Folica! Curses! But luckily for me, I was watching QVC the other day (yeah, I can't help myself) and the T3 Evolution was the Today's Special Value! Yeah, baby! So it was $204 and shipping was free, plus, they had EasyPay (three easy payments). I got on the horn and ordered one immediately. (It also comes with some volumizing serum called T3 Boost. Not that I need it, but it's free, so whatever. I'm sure I can use it up.)

If you want an Evolution and missed out on the Today's Special Value on QVC, they are back in stock on Folica.com. Shipping is usually free on Folica for orders over $100. Plus, they have sales all the time, so just sign up for email updates and you can probably get one with a sale code for less.

I'm so excited to have a high end hairdryer that I like! Yippee! No more melted Barbie hair for me!

Cakewalk

Aaron and I were at Safeway last weekend getting our groceries (as one does). We were wandering past the frozen food aisle and I was thinking about whether or not we needed bread, when an announcement came over the intercom. "Good Afternoon, Safeway shoppers. We have a special going on every half hour in the bakery today. This half hour we're doing a cakewalk, so find a number on the floor and stand by it and we'll announce the winning number in a few minutes!"

Aaron and I looked at each other, then looked at the floor for numbers and scattered. I sprinted over to stand on the "three" in the wine aisle and Aaron disappeared to look for another number. Divide and conquer.

The announcer came back on and said, "The winning number is THREE!"

Oh. Hell. Yeah! I did a dorky little dance and the bakery lady came over and presented me with a singler layer chocolate cake. I was pretty stoked. Ok, that's an understatement. I was giggling deliriously and jumping around like the time I won $80 at a hotel casino in Halifax playing roulette. (I bet on the black five that day.)

I love cake. And I love free stuff. So free cake? It totally made my day! Thanks, Greenwood Safeway!

Dr. 90210

My most recent guilty pleasure (and, yes, you're right, there are a lot of them) is to DVR the show "Dr. 90210".

It is great reality tv meshed with great documentary style plastic surgery. I could watch plastic surgery shows all day and it's interesting to see a bit of life outside the operating room to get a glimpse of what the doctors' lives are like.

The doctors that seem to get the most airtime are Dr. Rey and Dr. Diamond. Dr. Rey is Brazilian (he may also have a Brazilian, but they don't delve into it, so I can't be sure.) Dr. Rey is kind of a fruit loop, wears very flamboyant shirts, and has some kind of weird frosted hair.

However, he seems to really care about his patients and has a good bedside manner. Dr. Rey seems to be on the show the most. He does A LOT of breast augmentations. Coincidence that he gets the most airtime?

Dr. Rey's wife's name is Hayley and she probably weighs about 97 pounds. Her upper arms are the width of a number two pencil. She always looks mopey, probably because she hasn't eaten anything since 1999. They have two kids and I can't remember their names.

Dr. Diamond is also featured and he has a wife named Jessica, who is also a doctor, and they just had a baby. Jessica is beautiful and seems smart and nice. Dr. Diamond seems like kind of a dick (he asked if he had to be there while she was having their baby. Um? Yes.) He seems like a good surgeon, though. Watching him break a patient's nose with a hammer and some type of metal instrument to straighten the nose out is wince-worthy, but fascinating at the same time. (Fascinating to me, anyway. Aaron always retreats to the extra bedroom to play Grand Theft Auto when Dr. 90210 is on.) And the patient's nose turned out great. Nice and straight.

The doctor that I like the most is Dr. Kirby.

He is dreamy and seems pretty nice both in his office and at home. He recently gave a patient a "liquid facelift", which is comprised of multiple shots of Botox and Juvaderm to the patient's face. He apologized for the pain every time he stuck the patient with a needle, which I thought was sweet. He doesn't seem to be on the show as much, though, which is too bad.

The other doctors that I have seen are Dr. Li and Dr. Alter, but they haven't been on much since I've been watching. I noticed on the show's website that there have been more doctors featured, but they haven't been in any of the episodes that I've watched.

Dr. 90210 is captivating programming and satisfies my urge to watch people go under the knife. (I hate horror films, but slice someone up with a scalpel or inject toxins into their face and I'm there.)

Prime Time for Primer

Also included in the bag of sample goodies were two different types of foundation primer: Philosopy's The Present and Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer.

I couldn't wait to try them! The only other primer that I have ever tried is Smashbox Photo Finish primer (the green color correcting version) and I didn't see that it made a whole lotta difference, so I was anxious to give these two samples a shot.

I tried The Present first. It is billed as a "clear foundation" on the front of the package, but then the directions on the back say to apply as your last step in your skin care routine before applying foundation. Wha? Whatever. So I squeezed some out of the tube (a pea sized amount) and smeared it all over my face. I was met with a faint lavender scent that smelled vaguely of old ladies. Not great.

But how did it look? Well, if you're trying to cover up any redness or imperfections, it's not gonna do that. I mean, it's clear, right? So no coverage. It did make my skin look a tiny bit smoother and after I let it dry (about 2-3 minutes) it made my skin slightly matte. That's all fantastic, but if I wanted a "no make-up" look, I would just apply moisturizer and loose powder and get a better result.

Next, I tried applying foundation (Lorac Breakthrough Performance) over The Present. It looked pretty good and seemed to make my skin less oily, but I still had to blot throughout the day.

Now, onto the Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer. It is clearly a primer and not a "clear foundation" or some confusing nonsense like that. It has that unscented smell, that really isn't a smell, but yet, kind of is at the same time. However, it is not offensive. It is slightly white, but goes on clear. My foundation went on pretty well over it, but it didn't feel like it spread as smoothly as over just moisturized skin. It also seemed to make my skin slightly less oily.

I didn't have any breakouts or adverse reactions to The Present or the Laura Mercier primer. They both kind of made my skin look smoother and they were both easy to apply. I didn't hate either of them or throw them in the garbage.

But would I buy them? I definitely wouldn't buy The Present. It smells like old lavender sachets and I prefer unscented facial products. (But, I'll probably use up the sample tube.) However, I am on the fence about the Laura Mercier primer. It's nice, but I just can't tell if it makes that much difference. It retails for $30 a tube at Sephora. Is it worth it? I'll find out when I run out of the sample and we'll see if I feel the need to hustle my bustle over the Sephora or Nordstrom to purchase some more. I'll keep you posted.

So, do you use foundation primer? What kind?

Biolage Hydra Therapie Detangling Solution

While asking my new hairstylist for shampoo recommendations, I also asked about conditioner. Since I color my hair, I need something that will add moisture to my dry ends. However, I also need a conditioner that's not Crisco-y so it won't crap up the works with heavy, oily, yucky-ness.

She recommended Biolage Hydra Therapie Detangling Solution.

She said it would be moisturizing without being too heavy. Good for someone with normal to oily hair, like me.

It has a light smell that is pleasant and not offensive at all. The texture is slightly thinner than your average conditioner, but not water-y. It feels kind of like the consistency of shampoo. I use about a quarter-size squeeze and that seems to do the trick.

It goes on nicely and rinses clean with no residue. But the best part is that is totally detangles my hair! It is better at detangling than any conditioner I've used in a looooong time. It also seems to be making my hair softer.

It was about $12 for a good-size bottle (I didn't get the mondo 33 oz. size) and I definitely plan to go out and buy more when I run out.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo

I recently asked my new hairstylist what kind of shampoo she thought I should use. I explained that I had tried Kerastese Bain Chroma Riche Shampoo and Conditioner and my scalp wasn't too happy about it. It was too moisturizing and just kind of clogged things up, plus it smelled rosy, like old ladies. She suggested Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special shampoo. She said it is gentle, but deep cleaning.

I skipped out to my car, excited for new product and promptly dropped it on the sidewalk. (No, no, I don't need a bag.) Thankfully, the container didn't break, so it has some sturdy packaging.

But how does the shampoo work? Well, it has a minty smell, which I like. (It's like putting Junior Mints on my head and you know how I feel about Junior Mints. I'll try to hold myself back from eating this shampoo!) I don't detect a lot of tea tree smell and I'm glad, because tea tree isn't my bag. (It has that sharp scent that is kind of medicinal. Ick.) The shampoo feels tingly and refreshing and lathers up a lot.

Since I've started using the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo, my scalp has calmed back down and my hair seems more moisturized, but is still springy and not weighed down with crappy buildup.

The icing on the cake is that a bottle of Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo only costs about $10. After buying the Kerastese (What, is it made with crushed diamonds or the placenta of pandas or something?), $10 seems practically free. I would buy it again fo' sho.

Origins Modern Friction

The only scrubs that I have right now are Proactiv scrubs. I have the face one that comes with "the system" and I also bought the Deep Cleansing Wash (which has scrubby bits in it) for face and body. I like the Deep Cleansing wash quite well. I occasionally use both on my face, but they are pretty drying. My back tolerates them better. (Which is great, because nobody wants "bacne"!)

So, when I saw the Origins Modern Friction scrub in the samples selection from Daisymayrobin, I decided to try it out. It came in a tiny container, so it didn't have much product description or directions on the package.

I tried it on my face first. It's thicker and pastier than the Deep Cleansing wash. It's white and pretty gritty. I splashed water on my face and then scrubbed gently and rinsed. Then a millisecond later, I felt a burning sensation on my face. Oweee! I rinsed and rinsed and finally my skin calmed down and the burn subsided.

Being the glutton for punishment that I am (or maybe I have short term memory loss?), I tried it on my back the next day. It didn't burn at all and my skin felt smooth afterwards. (But no smoother than with the Proactive scrub that I already own.)

I see on their website that you are supposed to put this scrub on dry skin, but you can put it on damp skin if you have sensitive skin. I'm so glad I didn't know that, because my face would have been even more fried. I just thank God it didn't melt my skin off.

Needless to say, I shan't be purchasing the full-size.

Tulip Town

Aaron and I went up to see the tulips in Mt. Vernon with K & M last weekend. We totally lucked out and got a day that wasn't filled with torrential downpours, so that was a total bonus.

We had lunch at the Skagit River Brewery and it was excellent. My cheeseburger was cooked to perfection and the waffle fries weren't too shabby either. We thought about having dessert, but decided to hit up the Dairy Queen in Marysville on the way back instead. (And yes, it was awesome. I loves me some DQ.)

Our plan was to cruise by some tulip fields alongside the road, hop out, take some pictures and then head out of town. This did not work because, number one, we couldn't find any tulip fields, and two, the fields we could find were filled with dead daffodils.

So, we drove by Tulip Town, which is where we went last year. It was a zoo and I wasn't too impressed with it anyway, plus you have to pay for parking in addition to an entrance fee. We drove on down the road and found Roozengarde. Now, I've been to Keukenhof in Holland and Roozengarde reminded me a bit of Keukenhof, only quite a lot smaller, but still very beautiful. It's got manicured gardens,

benches, a windmill and lots of different varieties of tulips.

It's also got some tulip fields, if you want more of a farm/field feeling.

Roozengarde does not charge for parking and the entrance fee is only $4 per person.

I hope to go back to Roozengarde next year for more tulip action!

Birthday Goodies

My birthday was last Friday, May 1st. Happy late birthday to me! It was super fun and I stretched it out over about three days, because that's how I roll.

After recovering from celebratory drinkies and a wee bit o' karaoke on my actual birthday, I talked Aaron into coming with me over to U. Village the next day, so I could cash in on free birthday treats from Sephora and Aveda. Since there is a Jamba Juice right there next to Crate and Barrel, he was sold.

First, I went to Aveda to get my free personalized Purefume because I am a Pure Privilege member.

I picked some Earth essential oil and the sales associate got to mixing it up for me. In the meantime, she and the other sales associate both had me try some other new Aveda hair products and told me I have beautiful hair, which made me puff up like a peacock, but I didn't drop the cheese out of my beak the like the crow in that one story who dropped her cheese when the fox told her she had a beautiful singing voice, so they didn't get any of my hard earned scheckels.

Next, I went to Sephora to collect my Beauty Insider birthday gift. It was quick and easy and I just had to show my Beauty Insider card and they gave me a pack with THREE Sephora lipglosses!

I love them! They are all really pretty and wearable colors and they smell faintly of Dr. Pepper, which I like. I enjoy scented lip products, as long as they smell fruity and fun and not like ass.

The Purefume smells good, but is a little overwhelmingly strong for me, but I'm hoping to be able to use it as a room spray. If that doesn't work, I might have to pass it on to someone else. (Any potential takers out there?)

So, if you are not already a Beauty Insider at Sephora, sign up before your next birthday! The lipgloss is totally worth it.