Website Review: Coastal.com

I've been in the market for some new glasses for about a year.  I'm normally a contact lens wearer, relegating my glasses to weekends and sick days, but there are some days when I just want a different look, or to take a break from my contacts. It's been 5 years since I last got new glasses, so it was time for a refresh.

But I didn't know where to begin.  Glasses are really expensive - the frames are not cheap, and then when you add in all the extras - the extra thin lenses for my extra big prescription, or the special coatings and polishing, well, the dollar signs add up.  And because I don't wear them every day, it felt like an indulgence I just couldn't afford right now.

Sure, I've seen websites where you could order fashionable glasses at lower costs.  But I was nervous!  How could I find a good one if I couldn't try on 400 pairs first?  And what if I ordered a pair and my thick lenses stuck out like wing flaps?  Then someone told me about Coastal.com.  They have a deal where your first order of glasses is free!  What?  Free?  Well, that's a price that can always make me try something new!  Plus their return policy allows you to send back your glasses up to a year later.

First, I perused their website and selected a handful of frames that I liked.  Then, I went to a local store and spent about 15 minutes trying on various frames in different shapes, sizes, and colors.  I also took a good look at my current frames, and used some measurements printed on them (found either on the inside of the frames or on the nose piece) to help guide me.  Once I had an idea of the shape and size I needed - because my face is small and my bridge is narrow - I went back to Coastal and picked my frame.   I input my prescription from my optometrist. I did pay more to order thinner lenses, but the standard lenses are available at no cost.  And I clicked Purchase!  I bought them on a Sunday, and they were at my door on Wednesday when I arrived home from work.

I chose the Havana frame by Kam Dillon.  I know these are a bit big for my face, but I wanted a little bit of a 'dorky'/ studious look.  I also wanted a frame that wasn't too dark or overwhelming.  I really like them!

My total cost was $65 for the thinnest lenses, handling, and taxes.  The frames and shipping were free. The lenses still seem pretty thick, and there was no option to polish the edges, but with this type of plastic frame I wasn't worried about it.  The prescription seems accurate, although I did have about a 2 week adjustment period.  I attribute this to the fact that it was 5 years between updated prescriptions and because I don't wear them all the time.  Glasses and contacts force your eyes to adjust in different ways but now I feel comfortable wearing them and my vision is clear and crisp. I give Coastal.com two thumbs up!

Product Review: mpix.com

I love my camera.  I don't understand it very well, but I am trying.  She's a very understanding device so we get along just fine.  Believe me, she does most of the work in this relationship, and the least I can do is support her by showcasing her fine efforts in print.  Folks that is a long winded way to say that she snaps it and I print it. I used to think all printers were alike.  Costco? Fine.  Walmart? If I have to.  Shutterfly?   Okey-dokey.

LIES.  

ALL LIES.  

If you really want to showcase your efforts, go where the pros go: mpix.

I had never heard of them until several professional photographers recommended them on Facebook.  I know - even typing that sentence feels a little cheesy - but these are people who I respect and whose work I appreciate.  If they like mpix enough to use them for their professional snaps, who am I to argue?

After getting AWFUL prints from Shutterfly a few weeks ago, I decided I had nothing to lose by giving mpix a shot.  And for the crucial Christmas picture gifts, no less.  

Creating an account was easy, uploading was a cinch, and ordering took no time at all. Cost was reasonable ($1.99 for a color 8 x 10?  Yes, please!), delivery was speedy, and the results were impressive.  Unfortunately, I don't have a way to scan in the photos from Shutterfly and compare them to mpix.  I will tell you that I had them print several 8x10 color digital images, and several 8x10 black and white digital images.  They are beautiful!  The colors in my color print are exact, and the black and whites are crisp and deep.  You'll have to believe me when I say there is no question who I will be using in the future!  If you have photos to print or digital images that you want hard copies of, try mpix.  I hope you'll be as satisfied as I am!

PS - Now that I know how much more satisfying - and budget friendly- taking family pictures can be, I don't think I'll ever go back to one of those walk-in photo studios again.  

Note: mpix has no idea who I am.  I have not been compensated in any way for this review, and all opinions presented here are wholly my own. 

Update: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nailpolish Strips

3 weeks tomorrow, and still going strong!

(Forgive my dry, dirty toes.  This was taken after a day of painting the family room while in my bare feet. Yes, that's the wall behind my houndstooth toes.  Yes, it's beige.)

Product Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

I've wanted to try these since they launched months ago.  The idea seems intriguing - nail polish strips - like the old press on nails I remember from junior high - but hopefully with better results.  They come in a rainbow of colors and a variety of designs including butterfly, bamboo, leopard, camouflage, glitter, fishnet & denim.

At $8.50/ box, they are not cheap.  But I was particularly captivated by the houndstooth design and I also liked the idea that they could last up to 3 weeks.  The box includes 16 strips and I was hopeful that I would be able to stretch these into multiple uses.  In the box there are 2 packs of 8 strips, in various sizes.  You also get a cuticle stick, a buffer, and instructions.

Application was easy:  Clean nails with polish remover, buff, and apply.  

The strips are generously sized, and I was able to trim them to cover 2-3 nails from just one strip.  The strips themselves are thin, flexible, and surprisingly sturdy. After doing both feet I still had 4 strips left from one pack, which means I can reasonably expect to get 4 uses out of each box.    

Please, no criticizing my Flintstone feet.

I LOVE the way these look.  I think the houndstooth is so fun for Fall. I don't think I would try a solid color, but some of the patterns are a neat way to change things up.  You could even do just one toe & paint the others. With a pedicure running $20-$30 + extra for any fancy design, I think these are a good value.  I'll add a postscript once I've had them on for a few days, but for now, I am very happy with the results. FYI, I did add a topcoat.  

Would you try these?  Do you think they are worth the $8.50 price tag? Update: There are 8 strips in each pack of nails strips (2 packs per box). Once the packs are opened, the strips WILL dry out, rendering them unusable. I don't know how long this takes, but I tried to apply nail strips that had been open for about 6 weeks, and they would not stick. So, I say share them or do your fingers and toes at the same time.

Bissel Carpet Steamer: A Review

When we moved into the house, we did so knowing that the previous owners had pets (4 cats + a dog at some point + rabbits), and that the carpet was vintage 1995 - and white!  We replaced the carpet in the Master & hallway out of necessity, but debated on what to do with the rest of the house.  I chose to DIY with a Bissell take home steam cleaner rented from Lowe's.  

I had never used one of these, but once I manhandled it out of my car's cargo area, I found it straightforward: clean water + detergent in the bottom, make 3 passes for each area of the carpet, then repeat, repeat, repeat, and dirty water fills the top..  A numbingly boring, noisy process, but much helped with a set of giant headphones & an iPod set on shuffle. 

GROSS!  

Yes, this is the "dirty water" tank after about 20 minutes of cleaning.  I found the machine to be quite efficient - the carpet dried within a few hours of being cleaned.  

I used this in 4 rooms, and was mostly impressed with the results.  I noticed the biggest difference in the 2 rooms of white carpet.  They are not pristine, but in many places I noticed an immediate change in color.  Because of the lingering pet odor (and to be clear, the house doesn't reek of pet, but there was a noticeable smell wafting from the front room in particular), I was really hoping that there would be a huge change in the overall smell, and while there was improvement, I'd say that the follow-up dousing of Febreeze Carpet made more of a difference in the smell.  

Bottom line: For the money savings, I would do this again.  It cost about $50 for a 24-hour rental of the machine and 2 bottles of the cleaning solution.  I still have 3/4 of a bottle left, and for $23 to rent the machine, I will probably do this again in our large family room.  Compared to about $250+ for professional cleaning of the 4 rooms I DIY'd, this was a great savings.  I admit, it was made much easier by the fact that I did this before our furniture was moved in.  And I still spent about 8 hours total with all the cleaning - so it wasn't really "cheap" in the sense of time spent. Because of the difference in smell, and the overall feeling the carpet was so much cleaner, I think this was a successful DIY.

Product Review: Fels Naptha Laundry Soap

Until a few months ago, I had never heard of this product.  A friend in Michigan mentioned it, and said it worked wonders in taking out stains.  Being the mother of 2 chocolate-ice-cream-loving children, I am ALWAYS on the look out for a new stain removal product.  Well, this isn't new, and is in fact over 100 years old!  

Although it was created as a laundry soap, a common home remedy was to use it to combat the contact dermatitis resulting from touching poison oak or poison ivy.  It can be grated & added to the wash to remove the residual oils left on clothes after touching the plants.  

Personally, I have used it only as a stain remover.  I spray the affected area with water, rub the soap onto the spot, and let the item 'soak' for about an hour.  My best results come when the garment stays damp, and I commonly only let it 'work' for about 15 minutes before starting my wash.  It doesn't work on every stain (if you know a product that does, PLEASE let me know!), but I'd say I get great results 8/10 times.  It has even taken away/ faded old stains!  

Fels Naptha has a strong smell, and I store it inside a ziploc bag in my laundry room.  Because of the smell, I also keep the paper wrapper on the bar, only peeling away as much as I need to expose the surface the soap to the garment.  The bar is quite hard and I expect to use about 1 a year.  I found this in the hand soap aisle of the local Meijer, but have also seen it grouped with the laundry soap at Walmart.  Best part: It retails for about $1.00!    

Barkeeper's Friend

Last week I was talking with a friend about my amazing All-Clad find, and she mentioned that not only had she never heard of Barkeeper's Friend, but that it sounded like something containing alcohol (totally understandable given the name).

Friends, let me share the love.

My Dad first introduced me to the wonder that is BF.  And if my Dad knows something about something, it is cleaning.  

As seen on the label, BF is an abrasive cleanser & polish ala the old school Comet cans.... but SO. MUCH. MORE.  It's been around since 1882.  It can be used on all sorts of surfaces, but I most commonly use it on cookware and my sink.  You wet the item, sprinkle on the BF, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  I use a regular kitchen sponge to scrub & the results are AMAZING.  It worked wonders on my All-Clad, shines up my sink, and even brings my glass cooktop back to life.  I've found it at my local grocery as well as Wal-Mart, and it usually retails for under $2.00/ can.

Here's a review by Apartment Therapy - they love it, too!

Try It, You'll Like It!  

Product Review: John Frieda Foam Haircolor

As explained before, I am both vain about my hair and not an early adopter of new products.  But one of those clearly swayed the other, and I recently convinced myself to try something NEW. 

I'm an at-home hair colorer, and have been very happy with my preferred product (Clairol Perfect 10).  But I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about Foam Haircolor.  I read several items online, then a compelling article in one of my favorite fashion magazines.  Everything touted foam as being the next big thing in at-home hair color.  Buzzwords of full coverage, no drips, and ease of application all joined forces to pull me towards the haircare aisle of my local carries-it-all store.  

Much of what I read about centered on the John Frieda brand.  

$11.25 later, I came home with this: 

I liked the packaging, and I liked what was inside.  The gloves (inside the ziploc bag) were very thick & longer than usual, and the instructions (yes, I read them in full) were clear.  

I added one to the other, and then gently TILTED the bottle 5x as suggested.  

Unlike my usual at-home colorant, no vigorous shaking is required.  

Despite the pump-like attachment, the foam is created by squeezing the bottle gently - 

about 4 times for each handful produced. 

I applied and applied and applied.  I definitely noticed that this product smells much better than any other at-home color I've ever used.  As this was my first time with this color, I used the all-over method of application.  I ended up looking much like the model in the picture: 

with a headful of whitish foam hair piled on top of my head.

I waited the requisite 30 minutes, then rinsed & conditioned.  

Results: I liked it the first few days, but once I washed my hair (I waited 3 days), I feel like my roots were immediately peeking out.  With each wash (again, I only wash my hair 2x a week), I feel as though my roots are getting brighter.  Roots aside, I like the color, the coverage seems even, and my hair feels healthy.  

Final thought: The application process was easy and thorough.  The smell was not unpleasant.  The price was at the high end of most at-home color products, but I think it would be worth it if your results are pleasing & even.  I'm glad I tried it, but due to the poor grey coverage, I would not buy it again.  Until my kids catch the leprechaun or my lottery numbers come up, I will have to stick with what I know works for me.   

Note: My hair is naturally dark brown, with about 10% grey.  

Mabel's Labels

Last year's foray into Kindergarten left me feeling puzzled and inept for weeks.

So many forms to fill out!

So many policies and procedures!

So many unwritten rules!

One of my favorites of the unwritten rules was "If it's yours, put your name on it". Oh yes, we were no longer in the polite world of private preschool - this was the tangled jungle of public school kid-dom. Don your backpack & wield your Sharpie!

But instead of a Sharpie, I took a more civilized tactic.

I invested in Mabels Labels.

I heard about Mabels Labels from Design Mom, a most fashionable & trusted source of information.

I was impressed by the variety of options available - they offer everything from combo packs for your back to school needs to household labels to satisfy the Martha in all of us. Enter the text of choice, choose your color combo, add an icon & you're ready to label to your heart's content.

I opted for the Classic Ultimate Back-to-School Combo, in Cotton Candy, of course.

When they arrived, I proceeded to label every school and dance item I could get my hands on - from coats & backpacks to water bottles & pencil cases to rain boots & dance slippers.

A year later, the labels are still secure, and look as fresh as when I applied them. Many of them are waterproof and UV resistant, so I could throw a coat into the wash & not worry about losing the label.

The amount of product in a combo pack is so generous, I only used a fraction of the labels - plenty left over to begin the labelling anew for this impending school year.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go for a more neutral color & last name only, so I could use them for Big J's stuff, too. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to order more!

Note: I did not receive any compensation for this review, it is simply a product I purchased for my own use & wanted share with both my readers. If you have any questions about Mabels Labels, I suggest you visit their website & contact them directly.