Thanks for Good Looking

Let's face it. It can be costly to maintain a polished look. Especially as I have student loans and my finances are in a bit of bind, it seems as though there's never enough money! It's a good thing I'm relatively used to going without, so I'm pretty used to doing a lot of things myself.

I had it in my head that I would have attended a birthday party this evening. It turns out the party has been postponed, but regardless, it was time for me to get my legs in shape. I hate shaving my legs. I had tried other options in the past, only to resort to shaving. Eventually I had discovered the epilator. They are very handy tools as they don't require anything apart from power, and cleaning them is really easy. The downside is that the tweezers on the axle get dull (I've had mine three years now). I don't recall seeing anything about replacing the axle in the info packet, so I think I would just have to buy a new one eventually. I'll see about that.

Anyway, as of a few months ago, I had decided that waxing is a better option for me. As the epilator has dulled over time, the finish on my legs just is not as smooth. I'd also find more broken hairs left on my legs, thus the switch to waxing. I bought a warmer, a few cans of wax, and applicator sticks all on Amazon. I figured that if this at home waxing hadn't worked out, I would simply return the items and go get waxed once a month or something. The thing is, it usually costs at least $70 plus tip for a full leg at any decent salon, and I think most women initially go twice a month. I don't have that kind of money.

Fast forward to today. Obviously I've managed well with waxing at home. I'm not a pro (yet!), so it still takes me a while to do my legs (not to mention that longer legs = greater surface area). I've had some trouble with my eyebrows, as someone I had seen in the past took a little more off of one brow. The only solution at this time is to just keep my brows trimmed, but let them grow in until I can shape them uniformly. Overall, if you're in the market for products to do your waxing at home, I highly recommend waxes from Satin Smooth. I have a hard wax formulation in Mojito (no, it doesn't smell like the drink, unfortunately), and a honey formulation with argan oil. Also, Folica.com still has them on promotion buy 2 get 1 free, so it's a nice chance to stock up.

Both formulations work great, but I definitely love the honey and argan oil wax. I don't know what it is about honey waxes, but they make the hair removal process significantly less painful. I also have one from Gigi in honey and espresso. It smells delicious, and also works really well. It's almost done though, and I couldn't find it on Folica to buy it with my credit.

Oh, another thing about waxing at home: I highly recommend using muslin stips. I had those initially, but when they finished, to be more economical, I bought a 100-yard roll of muslin strips. Apparently the material is the same, but it's woven differently. When I smooth the strips over the wax, some bleeds through a bit, and my hands get sticky. Ugh.

Now, I have not written off salons, but in the meantime, I do like knowing that I can do a number of these waxing services at home. Also, at home I don't have to question cleanliness, nor do I have to spend time driving, so +2.

I promise I'll be back with more.

-N

Earth Day

Let me start off by saying, "Happy Earth Day". I know that it's not today, but whatever. It's really upsetting to see the state of the global environment these days: intense summers, non-existent winters, numerous tornadoes, other crazy storms, the list goes on. I hope more of us will do our part to decrease our carbon footprints when possible.

I know it can seem challenging to be greener, but it doesn't have to be. Just start with small changes such as turning off the lights if you know you'll be leaving a room for an extended period of time; timing showers to use less water and electricity; buying economy-size hair and body products (yes, you'll shell out more initially, but you save a lot more in the long run); oh, and the most obvious: recycle paper, plastic, glass, and metal as often as possible.

I've been in a number of work environments where recycling was just not an option. I felt so horrible throwing items in the garbage bin. I mean, think about it. The global population has exploded. As populations expand, more resources get used. Nothing lasts forever, and eventually resources will run out. If we can all do our parts to decrease the amounts of waste we create, then at least we can extend the availability of our resources a little longer.

Now, I'm not perfect about my carbon footprint. I admit that I do not always buy natural body or hair products, nor natural cosmetics. I might leave my computer running all day too, amongst commiting some other environmental errors. Like i've said though: start with small steps. Old habits die hard, so it's going to take some effort. What are some ways that you try to reduce your carbon footprint?

-N

Starting out

Blogging is one of my strangest hobbies. It's something I've done repeatedly in the past, I stop, and then I pick it up again. Well, I have returned to this peculiar milieu. Who knows? Maybe this time I'll stick with this blog longer than the others.

Why I Have Returned
My life seems to go back and forth between the same extremes of boring, or stressful. Obviously I have a lot of wonderful moments in my life, but they always get lost in the mix as I dwell on other things. I also want to make a blog that other people can actually relate to. I've looked at my older blogs, and they consist mostly of random thoughts. I'd rather save that for a written diary.

You're probably now wondering what I'll discuss in that case.

Well, I'm single, in my early 20's, and I had graduated from business school last year. My life seems to be at a standstill though, and I'm also looking for a job with more direction/purpose. My social life has currently hit a nadir, and overall, things seem rather dull.

No, I do not intend to whine about how lame my life seems. Au contraire, I'd like to remind others of how to take advantage of these low or extremely quiet points in life.

If you feel this blog fits how you've been feeling, I hope you get some comfort remembering that you're not alone in your sentiments.

And no, my name is not Nuria (I'm not from Catalunya either, in case you had known that name to be common in that region). I'd rather not reveal myself...At least not now. It's better to imagine and then see how your ideas align with reality, no?
I'm signing off now.

-N