Review of Clarisonic Mia 2 and Olay Pro X

First of all, as a disclaimer, I just wanted to say that I might be a little bias because I just bought the Pro X and started using it today, and I have been using the Mia 2 for over a month.

However, from the first use using the Mia 2, I noticed immediate results! Even after the first wash,  my skin felt smoother and cleaner than it ever did before!

Now, the Mia 2 is quite an expensive gadget but I truly believe that it is worth the investment, and I would highly recommend it to anyone! It just makes your face incredibly smooth and even, reduces wrinkles and fine lines, even gets rid of stubborn blackheads! (I have a lot of my nose and even Biore porestrips don't get rid of them all).

I haven't noticed too big of a difference in skin tone......I have a lot of dark spots from acne scars and sun spots and those have lightened a little, but not a lot.

In addition to your skin being much more deeply cleaned than hand washing and exfoliated to be as smooth as a baby's bottom, the Mia 2 also helps your other products (lotions, serums) absorb better because there isn't that layer of dead skin on your face, so I see it as a really good investment.

Brush heads need to be replaced every 3 months, but thats a long time! And that's assuming that you use it 2x a day for 3 months! I don't like to use mine twice a day.

Although they claim it is gentle enough to be used twice a day, I wouldn't. And I don't.
(When I first used the Mia 2, for about the first few days I noticed that my skin got kind of red...it had like red patches....and I don't have sensitive skin....so I really would not recommend it everyday, twice a day.)

Anyway this is an amazing product. One of my absolute favorites OF ALL TIME. I hear that it does wonders for people with bad acne, and when I was using it I did notice less breakouts, not that I get too many in the first place (maybe one or two every month).



Moving on to the Olay Pro X.
Sadly, I left my Mia 2 at school and I am home for summer vacation and I needed an alternative.

So, I went down to walgreens and picked up the olay pro x. (I got it for about $35, I think it might have been a little on sale though?)

Anywhoo. RIGHT OFF THE BAT I had trouble with this thing. The batter door compartment is EXTREMELY hard to open. You have to rock it side to side and pull on it super hard for batteries to even be inserted! (it takes 2 double A batteries, and they are included)

THEN, I got super freaked out because after I pulled and pulled the battery door for literally about 5 minutes, I saw that there was a weird clear gel thing inside of the brush....It looked like Vaseline and I was freaked out to use it because I didn't want to get electrocuted....

After I decided that I wanted to wash my face more than I was afraid of being electrocuted .... (it was fine, btw, thanks for asking) I went to the bathroom to test run the Olay Pro X.

My initial feelings were that this product was much more poorly made and of much poorer quality. (well it makes sense, you get what you pay for usually, right?)
Anyway, it just felt very flimsy on my face....The bristles on the brush felt too long....and without them being very dense and close to the face, I didn't feel like it cleaned as well as the clarisonic.

Also, because the brush head spins around it contradicts your hand/ arm's motion and kind of goes against the direction of your hand. This is bad because you can't direct it to where you want it to go very well. Although my face did feel smooth and exfoliated after (struggling opening the damn thing and struggling to direct it to where I wanted it on my face) , it wasn't any extraordinary difference, like I had felt with the Mia 2.

If you do decide to get one of these, I recommend, first of all, going to YouTube and checking out some reviews of both products, but from what I've seen (and trust me I did tons of research before splurging on the Mia 2, a lot of what I'm saying here is very similar to other views (on the Mia 2, at least)).
Second; IF you have the money, I would even recommend the regular Mia, which is bigger.... because it comes with a body brush head and you can exfoliate your body! I know that I would use it on my dry flaky legs..... >_<

I hope this is helpful and whichever product you decide to get, I hope you are happy with it! (btw I got my Mia 2 from Sephora, but there are many other retailers....try online for cheaper prices?)

Review of Bossypants by Tina Fey

Right off the bat, this book will make you laugh. Tina Fey is hilarious, and it comes off even in her writing. She does such a good job of writing about her life in a way that is organized, honest, and funny. It's really great. I feel like she holds nothing back, and she's not afraid to lay her life out. She also addresses a lot of issues such as girls' self esteem and body issues and the negative effects of men and media on women. SO FAR, its a great book. And I'm only 22 pages in. Will write a more in depth review when I finish.

I definitely recommend you pick  up this book though! I can tell it's gonna be such a quick read for me! (Which is good because its on 7 day loan from my local library >_< )

Long overdue!...More Spring/Summer Fashion

So, I know it's been a while. This blog is just going to be about things I think are pretty cool.

1. OK! Want, want, want! I saw this browsing through ShopBop:

Such a bright, fun, wallet from Commes de Garcon! So springy! The front looks like this:

 $272

It also comes in blue as the main color, and the inside colors are opposite of the coral! 

2. HOW TO LAYER WITH SHEER PIECES. A lot of websites now are posting cute looks and "how to wear pages". One of the ones I ran across that I really like is on Nordstrom's website. If you go to the main page, you'll see it. It's about how to layer sheer clothes and they have some great ideas! Get 

inspired! Wear sheer! Go check it out! 

3. Great Gatsby Tee. 

 $28

The Great Gatsby is my favorite book and I think I've read it at least 5 times! (Which is actually a lot for a book...at least for me) Anyway, I just love the heart breaking nostalgia and dedication that Gatsby feels for Daisy and the lavish apathy and numbness of all the characters. I had to memorize like 10 quotations from The Great Gatsby for my AP English class....I wish I still knew them! I'm such an English nerd and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Urban Outfitters is where you can get this! But it's online only, so don't go looking for it in stores! 

4. Flatforms/Platforms

$104.30

Yay! I think these are kind of a unique take on wedges/ platforms. I think these could potentially look really great with jeans, shorts, dresses, or even skirts! It also comes in black. I love wearing high heels and being tall! These don't look too uncomfortable either....Bloomingdale's!

5. Take it to the MAX(I DRESS)

Obviously that's such a big trend right now. I have a black maxi dress and it's just so comfortable. They are not as confining as pants, but they beat short skirts and dresses because you don't have to worry about your butt showing! Also, find a cute maxi skirt this summer! 

Miranda Kerr's got the simple black maxi dress look down! Keepin' it casual with a fitted denim jacket and adding a pop of color and pattern with her cute bag. Also, can't forget the sunnies! Got the pic from http://www.denimology.com/denim_jackets/41.php, so if you want to check out massive amounts of denim..... go there^

Last thoughts: New York is much too humid right now. I'm sorry if this post is weird, I'm tired. Went to the library to study for my last final, fell asleep, and then left....story of my life. Listening to Oh Mandy by The Spinto Band at this moment. Can't keep my eyes open. Good night!

This is exciting

Today as I was out the door I saw Scott Schuman, aka The Sartorialist! I spotted him on E 10th Street in between University and Broadway! He was on his bike and had his trusty camera strapped around his neck. I actually stopped walking and stared at him. He was on his iPhone 4 and noticed a few seconds later that I had stopped to stare at him. He waved back but gave me an awkward look. I wanted to take a picture of him/ with him (is that dorky?) but I didn't have a camera or phone on me, so I went on my way, however very very excited. I wonder who he shot that day! Actually, I know:

 

Come on about the second one. Really Scott? It's not that great. It's just blah/ whatevs. I mean the lady with the red pants is pretty cool but the trench coat chick? I'm not into it. Tell me what you guys think though? Does she deserve to be shot by the Sartorialist?

Regardless of Trench Coat Louboutin Houndstooth girl.....thanks for doing great work Scott Schuman!
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

That's my post for now ya'lls! Sorry it's short but it's 3:30 AM and I gotta gets me to bed.

Not the best way to start off the morning...

Ok so, this morning I was running late, as usual. Rushing around, trying to get ready, packing my bags for the day. Just as I'm on my way out the door...I step on a packet of Chick-Fil-A sauce. And it explodes everywhere. ( I guess it was my fault for leaving it on the ground...along with everything else I own...) ANYWHO...it literally projected onto the carpet, my towel (which was on the ground), and all my room mate's stuff ( her laptop, her book, her chair, her two jackets). Ok I wasn't just gonna leave with this Chick-Fil-A sauce bomb that had just gone off in the room so I wiped away all the sauce and then had to hand wash my room mates 2 jackets (because I didn't want them to stain) and now they are hanging up to dry in our bathroom. Luckily, when I got to class my teacher wasn't there...late per usual. I want my tuition money back for every minute that she's late!

After class, I got a chocolate crossiant and a chai latte at Au Bon Pain, and I noticed some Spring trends while people watching.

1. Sperry Top-Siders/ Boat Shoes

I've always wanted a pair...but when I tried them on they made my feet look weird. This trend makes sense since April showers bring May flowers!

2. Longchamp Le Pliage Bags

This also makes sense, and I recently bought two. They are hand because they zip closed, so your stuff won't get wet when it' raining, and they are also water-resistant, so again- your stuff won't get wet.

3. Leather Jackets

Now this makes no sense to me because leather does not breathe and when it rains it's humid and muggy! Ew my least favorite kind of weather.

4. Trenches

Classic, stylish and practical. I can't seem to find one that fits my upper body (which is extremely small) but I want one! So chic!

5. Double Baggin'

I've seen A LOT of people slingin' 2 messenger type bags across their body. It may not be so much a style thing, but a "I have a lot to carry" thing. Regardless...it does seem to be a trend this month/season.

What trends have you been noticing? I will post another blog with cute spring looks and an outfit of the day/week? soon!

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Bear with me as this will probably be the lengthiest post....serving as sort of an introduction to me/it. (unless ya'll like all the reading! I personally prefer photos)

Ok, let's start out with the 5 stages of grief. I'm sure many of you have heard of it, but you may be thinking right now, "what does this have to do with shopping/ fashion?" Ok I live in one of the fashion capitals of the world- New York City, the city that never sleeps, the Big Apple. Soho and 5th avenue are literally minutes away from my door, and IT'S BAD. Regardless, living back home (northern CA) it was pretty bad too. But here, it's gotten worse, much worse. My credit card statement is something to scream at and my obsession with every thing fashion has gotten so big....that I decided I wouldn't just buy clothes and drool over them...I would write about them too. OK- so back to the 5 stages of grief.
1. Denial and Isolation
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
How do these things connect to fashion? Well in my case.... moving to New York was new. I met new people and people here got to know me. After a while it became pretty apparent that I had a problem...with the amount of money I spent on clothes, accessories, etc. After a while, I got called out...and of course this is where step 1 comes in. I claimed that I didn't have a problem, that this was "normal", that all girls would drop hundreds of dollars on weekly shopping excursions. And then I hid away from everyone everytime I entered the building with shopping bags.
Step 2: Anger. I was angry at myself for wanting, desperately wanting these things. Why did they make me happy? They were just things after all....but beautiful things. Was I being too materialistic? And let's face it...I didn't exactly have the money for this habit.
3. Bargaining: How about I buy this and not that? How about I buy this this month, and that the next month?
4. Depression: I SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON CLOTHES AND AM FAR TOO OBSESSED!
5. Acceptance: OK I realize I have a problem, and for a while I tried to control myself. It wasn't happening...so I'm just gonna go with it. but try not to acquire too much debt. AND of course share with ya'll my shopping/fashion expeditions.

Have fun reading/looking/leaving comments and feedback!
PS- Why do so many fashion blogs solely consist of the blogger taking a bajillion pictures of themselves in a certian outfit!?
Is that a tad bit annoying, or is that just me? Leave comments/ feed back!