Be Warned

Okay guys, just hang in there, because I am going to rant.

There is a company called Discount Dance Supply, and for the past five year, I've thought they were absolutely wonderful. Until now. Until I had to make a return, which I had never done before.

I had bought five leotards on their website, and checked the sizing chart for every single one, just because that's a habit I've had for the longest time. But when I finally got the leotards, I took one look at every single one and I could tell that they were all way too small. I didn't even try them on to see that they were too small. So I neatly packed the leotards into a box, wrote the check to cover the returns and shipping, and filled out the form, informing Discount Dance Supply that the garments were too small, not accurate to the sizing chart, and new (meaning unworn, the tags still there, packaging still intact). Then, I was off to the post office.

So, about ten days later, I got a package from Discount Dance, and initially I was very impressed with their speed and efficiency. However, when I opened the box, I was furious. Inside were the original leotards I had sent back, along with an angry-looking letter. As I read the letter, I felt like I was personally being screamed at. It was in very rude wording, with very condescending language. Reading it, I felt like they thought that I, a loyal customer for the past five years, was a stupid, retarded ape. It said that I couldn't have my leotards exchanged because they were "soiled". How could they be soiled? All I did was unzip the packets they came in, look at the leotard, decide they were too small, fold the leotard up, and put it back into the packet. Plus, the letter was very unclear on whether they were giving me back credit or not. I sure hope so because now I have five leotards that are absolutely useless, over $120 wasted, and I am so angry that I was so tempted to send the company a link to this blog.

These righteous, selfish, unreasonable people will never be touching or seeing any more of my hard-earned money in the future. I now realize that there is too much hype around this pathetic, rude, disrespectful excuse for a business.

And to the people who (thank you) have read so far, NEVER order from this company if you are expecting good customer service, because their customer service is the absolute worst. Save your money for a company more deserving, attentive, and unselfish.

How Vacation Affects Your Skin

Choosing a travel destination of your dreams not only depends on the money, scheduling, entertainment, and general area, but also take into consideration your health. For many, that could mean many things. Yes, the water may have more hardness, so it may make your hair frizzier, or the area has more tropical diseases, etc. While those are important, for me, it's my skin.

Just recently I took a two week trip to Beijing, China. Beijing is one of the most densely populated (possibly overpopulated) and therefore polluted cities in China because it's the capital. While the cultural aspect was amazing, there were beautiful museums, parks, and trendy restaurants and stores, and the general buzz of busy urban life was exciting, the pollution in the air wrecked havoc on my skin. When I arrived in Beijing, I had nothing more than two blackheads on my nose. Otherwise, my skin was smooth, clear, and as perfect as it could be. However, as the dust, air pollution, humidity, and heat got to me, my skin became increasingly problematic. My skin because sticky (heat and humidity) all the time, and it got oilier and oilier. I noticed more blackheads, which were more severe than those that I had developed in the states. Also, I got two very painful red bumps on my nose, two red bumps on my forehead, and three on my cheeks. This was the worst my skin has ever been in my life. I had never had acne as severe as this in my personal experience. I was appalled. I felt ugly and gross all the time. Horrible.

Okay, so far, this story has been a total downer. However, my point is not to deter you from traveling to famous, exciting urban cities. 

Here comes the happy part: By the start of the second week, I finally stopped sulking, and started experimenting with ways to stop this horrendous behavior on my skin's part. And to my surprise, I actually did find things that worked. So for those who want clear skin in polluted urban cities (Beijing, China is the target of this article because that's where I went), keep this list handy:

1) Oil-Blotting Sheets: I always hear about how great these little papers of magic are, but I never knew their true potential until my skin disaster. These won't treat the skin of blemishes already present, but they can prevent more breakouts by absorbing the excess oil. Plus they're inexpensive, handy for keeping skin matte, and can be used over makeup. I recommend e.l.f.'s Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets, which is a mere $1 USD for 50 sheets!

2) Oil-Free Cleanser: This should be pretty obvious. 

3) Oil-Free Moisturizer: This one is pretty obvious as well.

4) Alcohol-Free Moisturizer: Alcohol is drying, so it strips the skin of essential oil (yes, you can't have COMPLETELY oil-less skin). Then, this lack of appropriate oil makes the skin freak out, and overproduce oil. 

5) Toner: I know toner is pretty controversial, but it helped me. Toner tightens pores, cleans skin, and (to me) it's refreshing. I chose Clean and Clear's Deep Cleaning Toner for Sensitive Skin, about $3.99 USD.

6) Always Moisturize: As explained in the alcohol-free moisturizer heading, skin freaks out when it's stripped of essential oils it needs to function and therefore it produces excess oil, which leads to breakouts and icky feelings. This is why you need to moisturize! It's not only for dry skin, oily-skinned people also need moisture. The more oil you try to strip your skin of, the more it'll produce. What we should all try to achieve is a nice balance of not too much oil, not too little oil.

7) Serums and Other Treatments You Normally Use: Don't ditch that vitamin A eye cream or throw  the antioxidant serum out of the window. Though your routine might need a bit of tweaking to control oil, breakouts, or dryness in the big city, you still should keep your normal serums and treatments close at hand to keep the benefits. 

8) If Possible, Light Makeup: Less stuff on your skin to weight it down.

Happy travels!

Shout Out To Heat Protectant

Hey wonderful people of the world!

I know this is out of my normal range of topics, but I just wanted to remind people of a very, very, very important step in hair care that I just cannot emphasize enough: use heat protectant please, please, please when you style your hair with hot tools or heat stylers. I know many people who have learned the hard way.

My friend, let's call her Amy, used to have the most amazing, unique hair that I had ever seen before in my life. It was your normal shade of light to medium brown, but it was naturally curly like a mermaid's hair, and it was down to the middle of her back. In short, it was one of the most gorgeous hairstyles that I had seen. While I thought that she should just leave it be as it was, I couldn't convince her that it was gorgeous. (But who could blame her? We all have something we're not satisfied about.) She would straighten, or straighten then spiral curl her hair with hot tools. At first, I noticed this about once or twice a week, but within two months, it started happening every single day. I noticed, but my first thought was, "Eh, free country, it's not my hair, I can't tell her what to do with it if she doesn't want me to."

Then, just yesterday, she ran up to me. Her hair was flat, but it seemed frizzier than it usually was. I thought that she had just straightened it again.
"Did you straighten your hair today?"
"No, I showered, got out, and let it air dry, that's it."
"Isn't it usually... Curly after you shower?"
"Yeah... But not anymore."

Yup, turned out after I checked her ends and felt her hair that she had literally killed her hair with the hot tools and heat styling. Instead of returning after a shower to her normal bouncy mermaid locks, her hair was not flat, dull, and frizzed out. When I asked her whether she used heat protectant, she responded saying that she had not.

So, my friends, spare yourself the stress and worry of a bad hair day, and nurture your hair to look its best by just simply using some heat protectant when you plan on using heat to style your hair. It's quick and easy with the range of heat protectants out there these days. But please do your hair and yourself a favor: don't forget the heat protectant!

How To Have Perfect Hair Everyday, All The Time

Have you ever wondered how some girls just seem to have absolutely perfect hair, all the time? In rain, shine, fog, snow, or even hurricane (well, not really, but you know what I mean)? Their perfect look looks absolutely unattainable. That's what I thought, too, until I accidentally came across the holy grail of hair perfection for up do's and when you just want to wear your hair down.

Wearing Your Hair Down:

Two words: Professional blowout. Yup, it's that easy, especially for straight hair! I usually let my hair air-dry because it's healthier, but once you master a safe and easy blowout, your hair will be so perfect! (Especially for straight hair!) This technique is highly attainable. Just search the web for all sorts of ideas suited to all kinds of hair types!

Benefits of the blowout:
. Is like a straightening iron
. Only requires a hair dryer, a round brush, and heat protectant balm (optional)
. If done correctly, a good blowout can last for days
. Incredibly easy to master and fast

Downfalls of the blowout:
. Does involve some heat, so be sure to let hair rest sometimes

If the blowout isn't really your style, here are a few other tips that will help your hair.
. Use a metal or boar bristle brush. Less static is always a good thing.
. Rub a little hair gel into damp hair, let dry, and then curl or straighten for a little extra hold. A spritz of hair spray afterwards will also help.
. Hair serum. Whether it's argan oil or a smoothing serum, finding a hair serum can really help you get the hair you want or tame some uncooperative locks.
. Practice, practice, practice. And patience. This is definitely easier said than done, but it works! The more you focus on working with your hair, the better you'll get!

Wearing Your Hair Up:

I'm actually surprised that most people don't already know these tips. Surely, these aren't all of 'em, but if you have more, feel free to post them in the comments!

. Fill a spray bottle with water, and spray it occasionally when working with your hair to keep it more cooperative, or start with damp hair.
. Finish with a small spritz of hair spray.
. Run the brush under water, and brush your hair to eliminate static and slightly dampen the hair to make it easier to work with.
. Tame fly-aways with hairspray and a toothbrush.
. Put the wavy part of the bobby pin towards your hair, instead of facing away from it. This will give it extra grip. Who knew everyone was using bobby pins wrong for all this time?

U by Kotex Barely There Thin Liners

U by Kotex Barely There Thin Liners Review

I have to admit that on those certain days of the month, period protection gets quite drab, which is why products in the U by Kotex line really catch my eye with their bright colors, cool, chic packaging, and hip products. This box of liners was no exception, and I'd have to say it's quite an exceptional product. 

The liners come in different quantities from 60 liners to 120 liners in a box. Also, the price was quite nice, considering the quality. Each liner is individually wrapped in a cute, colorful little plastic wrapper (pink, green, blue, purple). The wrapper is held together by pressed sides and a small strip of adhesive where you peel it apart. After unfolding the wrapper, the liner is there, backed by a thin paper backing from which you peel the liner. The liner itself is shaped like any other pantiliner, but the outside was transparent! And a small, almost oval-ish section near the middle was white with a small, swirly lavender design. 

Starting with the positive, I really like these because they don't feel like they're there, and not to mention the so non-drab, boring, cute, colorful packaging. I put one on, and frankly it felt like there was nothing there! That's a huge plus. Also, the transparent sides mentioned above make this pantiliner very discreet, and since the sides are transparent, you can fold them over to fit a thong! Ta da! (Total multitasking!) Also, even though these liners are incredibly thin, they are really absorbent. I was on a moderate to light day, wearing just one of these, and it lasted the entire day, no leaking. Just security and comfort. That's a huge score! Oh, another thing: these liners are so quiet. So amazing. 

There's not much I don't like about these liners, except for the fact that it can sometimes be hard to peel them off the paper backing in the wrapper because the sides are so sheer and thin, but I think that's a minor detail.

So overall, these U by Kotex Barely There Thin Liners are an exceptional product. They are quiet and discreet, cute, absorbent, invisible-feeling, fit a thong no problem, and the quality is excellent considering that the price is so reasonable. The only minor detail is that peeling it off the wrapper sheet is difficult because of how thin the liner is. But this product gets a huge two thumbs up, and a well-earned 9.5. Bravo!

Paranoia: Irregular Periods

#1: My second period after my very first took five months to come. Is there something wrong with me?

Well, after the initial emotions, whether it be shock, excitement, or just plain confusion after menarche, your first period, there are always the questions, and irregular periods afterwards are just one of them. Since it's your body's first "go" at this, it may take a while for the cycles to adjust to become consistent in timing, flow, and routine. Your first period could be really heavy and last for two weeks, the second could come just weeks after the first and be really light and last for barely a day, and the third could come even six months later! It's all normal, because it could take a year or so for your body to settle on a cycle. But if you're really concerned, this blog entry is no replacement for a doctor (in other words, go see a doctor if you're really concerned). 

#2: My period is taking longer than usual to come.

While you might be used to having your period come in a cycle of a certain amount of days, it's okay if it's off by a day or two, because there are many factors that could delay, or speed your period, such as:

. Pressure

. Fatigue

. Diet and appetite

. Stress

. Amount of sleep

. General health at a certain time

Also, especially if it's only your second or third period, your body will sometimes vary the cycles. However, if it turns into a skipped period, you may want to see a doctor.

#3: I completely skipped a period! Could something be wrong and could I be pregnant?

You might skip a period because:

. You just had your first period recently, and your body is trying to settle into a routine, so that's fine. 

. There are personal and environmental factors that could have delayed or skipped your period. If you're under a lot of stress and pressure, not eating right (not getting the nutrition you need), not getting enough sleep, or are just experiencing malaise, you might delay and skip a period, because periods are your body's way of saying that you're healthy.

. You might have something going on that a gynecologist or doctor should check out. If something doesn't feel quite right down there, definitely see a doctor at the very least for an exam.

. You might be pregnant. This is an unlikely event, unless you are sexually active. The best thing to do if you suspect that you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test and see a doctor (because the last time I checked, this blog doesn't have a PhD). 

Eos Vanilla Bliss Shaving Cream Review

Recently, I was searching the shaving aisle of my local convenience store, and found a bottle of eos Vanilla Bliss Shaving Cream. I've heard a lot about this stuff, so I decided to give it a try, and I hope that this review will help you decide whether or not you'd like to try it as well!

The first thing that caught my eye was the bottle. It has a really soft, rubbery texture, which I find interesting and advantageous, because the rubber bottom doesn't leave rust rings in the bath. The bottle has some textured dents (which provided a nice grip, actually), and the frosted-style cap covers a simple, white pump with the words eos on it. I got this product for $3.49, which was nice.

Pros

Besides the no-rust-ring rubberized bottom, the gentle, vanilla scent was a huge draw for me as well, because it wasn't overwhelming like a lot of the other shaving creams that I've used before. Also, the product can be used wet or for dry shaving, which is very convenient because sometimes I don't have time to shower, so I just save some time shaving dry (but of course, I wet the razor). The product, pumped out, looked like lotion, and it was easy to spread onto my legs. It felt really smooth, and it let me get a really close shave. In fact, the cream was so good that it moisturized while I shaved so I didn't need to moisturize afterwards! It left my skin soft and smooth with little to no red bumps.

Cons

One thing about the bottle annoys me, and that is the difficulty of getting the product out when you only have about 1/3 of the bottle left. I usually have to shake it around or open it up, which is quite a hassle. Also, the shaving cream doesn't foam or expand, unlike most shaving creams. I guess this part is left to personal preference to decide whether you like it or not. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. This part is your choice. I find it easier to get a closer shave, but if you're not that comfortable with no foam, you might feel uncomfortable and end up cutting yourself.

Conclusion

Eos Vanilla Bliss Shaving Cream has wonderful, no-rust packaging, and the product has a delightful vanilla scent that doesn't overwhelm the senses. The product is quite moisturizing, can be used wet or dry to save time, and shaving with it didn't create little bumps or redness. Nicely done. However, this shaving cream is a bit hard to get out of the bottle when you near the bottom, and the shaving cream doesn't expand or foam like the average shaving cream, but you should decide for your personal preference. Overall, I liked eos Vanilla Bliss Shaving Cream, and I would definitely buy it again. On a scale of zero to ten, I would give this an 8.9.