Chantelle bras

I read an article last year in Domino about finding the proper bra. It emphasized a supportive band v. supportive shoulder straps. I decided to have a fitting done at a lingerie boutique (not at Victoria’s Secret) and discovered that I was a cup size larger and a band size smaller than I had previously believed myself to be.  I bought a Chantelle T-shirt bra, and tried on their Chantilly lace bras as well.

Things to love: Great support! The boning in the band of the T-shirt bra and the seaming in the cup of the lace bra both give great support–which is crucial to having a good “base” upon which to layer your clothing. My roommate wears them as well, because her physical therapist recommended them! If you’re a C cup or larger, I think you’ll be surprised at how much support your body hasn’t been getting once you try on one of these. It’s like a mini body makeover–you look taller and leaner and your back feels better. Both bras are very attractive and comfortable to wear–even the lace.  And really, what woman doesn’t need black lacy undergarments?

Less than perfect: They’re not cheap. If you wash them weekly and rotate them daily, you can get away with only having a few bras and they will last, but the initial investment might be a barrier. I suggest waiting for sales at figleaves.com. Also, if you’re between cup sizes in the lace bra, go up a size–otherwise you’re likely to experience a little pinching. (Ouch) The T-shirt bra is not invisible under T-shirts, unfortunately. I’ve noticed that the rims of the cup do show under fitted tees.

Final Analysis: Owning a Chantelle bra has made me realize just how little support I was getting in my other bras. For an A or B cup, this isn’t really as much of an issue, so I’d say save your money and find something that looks and feels good, but don’t spend $80 on it. For those of you who don’t have the luxury, go get fitted at a proper lingerie store (and try on some of the Chantelle bras to double check your size) and wait for the sales to hit figleaves.com. While this isn’t my perfect bra, it’s world’s better than 75% of what I had in my lingerie drawer before (other than my Biofit, which I’ll blog about another day). If nothing else wins you over, know that it is so satisfying to have such lovely undergarments. It’s like having an empowering secret with you all day.

Posted by: Catie

Burt’s Bees Soapbark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

Stop the presses. After raving about Bee Ceuticals products (which I still love, fyi) I found a product to supplement my skin care regime: Burt’s Bees Soapbark and Chomomile Deep Cleansing Cream. While Bee Ceuticals is very gentle, and nice for daily cleansing, sometimes you need something with more oomph! I use a microdermabrasian system, but I’m talking about something that feels like it’s cleaning deep down in your pores, and this does. I have sensitive, combination skin, and this is what I think of it.

Things to love: The cool, tingly way it makes your skin feel. You can tell it’s really working. It cleans so well, I don’t have to remove any of my makeup before I use it. It’s also 97% natural, which isn’t bad. My sensitive skin doesn’t react to it at all. And the price is great. A six ounce tube is approximately $8.

Less than perfect: This won’t be my twice-a-day-every-day cleanser because it dries out my skin a little. When I don’t use it every day, it’s great–like a cleansing booster. I recommend following it up with a very hydrating moisturizer or a night cream.

Final analysis: For the price and results, I love this product. When used to supplement my regular skin-care regime, it’s perfect for me so far.

Posted by: Catie

Nic’s Sticks.

Last week I was lamenting the fact that I haven’t found a cheap and easy way to keep my nails done as I agonizingly painted and repainted them. Then, my sister introduced me to this product: Nic’s Sticks, by OPI. It’s nail polish in a tube that you apply with the applicator brush-tip. Brilliant! I applied two coats to one hand and one coat with a top coat to the other to see how it held up over the weekend.

Things to love: Fast and easy application. In one coat with my sister’s bright red polish I got an smooth, even layer of polish. The color saturation is very good, so even on the hand with one coat plus a top coat, my nails looked great. OPI is a solid brand, and I always like their products. There’s also a lot of color variety, from funky to understated.

Less than perfect: The polish chips easily without a top coat — too easily. You’re also paying the same price for the stick as you would for a bottle, but getting approximately 30% less. (Both bottles and Nic’s Sticks run about $7).

Final Analysis: I don’t wear nail polish very often, but this would be a fun product to have around for date nights or events. It’s easy enough that I just might start wearing polish more often.

Posted by: Catie

BeeCeuticals Organics

I have been searching since I was twelve for a cleanser that I love. I was told that you have to stick with something nine months to see results (not true, by the way). I dutifully stuck with drug store, boutique, and health-store cleansers for nine months to a year and a half, hoping against hope that I would find something that works. Everything I tired dried my skin out, or left it oily, or didn’t help with my scattered breakouts, or made them worse. After all this time, I’ve found a line that I love: BeeCeuticals.

I heart BeeCeuticals. From the picture of the happy honeybee on the packaging to owners Julie and Richie Gerber’s mission, to the results of the skin care line, these products are great. BeeCeuticals is an all-natural, totally eco-friendly skin care line that uses honey as a primary ingredient. I’ve tried the cleanser and toner so far, and I’m ready to stock up on the rest of their products.

Things to love: This product is good for your eco-conscience. BeeCeuticals is a totally carbon neutral operation! They use Green-e certified wind and solar power and they offset their shipping emissions with carbonfund.org. As far as what the line does for your skin, my roommate said it best when she said that the products aren’t too much. In fact, they promote new cell growth! I have extremely sensitive skin, and I’ve never had an issue with them. The product are, of course, non-toxic, which is a bonus if you have kids that like to get into your stuff. This is also a gender neutral skin-care line, though men might feel that the packaging is a tad femme. Another huge plus? It’s also way cheaper than my previous skincare regime. I’m accustomed to paying $20 for a bottle of cleanser, $15-20 for toner, and a lot for moisturizer. At my natural grocery, the products range from $7-25 and come in large sizes so they last.

Less than perfect: I don’t know how this works with major complexion problems–my skin is generally pretty well behaved excepting some blemishes on my chin area. It may be that it’s not quite enough for someone with heavy acne or lots of blemishes or blackheads.

Final analysis: I’m in love! I can’t wait to try all the rest of their line. I’ll update when I try out the moisturizers to let you know how I like those.

Posted by: Catie

Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine

A few months ago, my significant other and I had a huge group of people over and made fresh ravioli. To expedite the process, we enlisted the help of the Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine which we borrowed from some friends. We loved it so much that I bought one for his Christmas present (sh! don’t tell). I did some research and Atlas seems to be the gold standard in pasta makers. This machine is entirely stainless steel and has a regular set of rollers and two other settings: fettuccine and vermicelli. The machine consists of the base with rollers and cutters attached, a removable handle, and a clamp to secure the machine to a counter or table top.

Things to love: This machine is sturdy, made in Italy, and fairly compact. It’s incredibly low-tech, which is always a bonus for me; the simpler the better, and this machine is simple. Once you get the hang of it, making fresh pasta doesn’t take much longer than boiling packaged pasta since the pasta cooks so quickly. The regular set of rollers adjust in thickness. At $76.99 on Amazon.com (I found mine a lot less expensively with some internet time), this is a good price for a sturdy machine. (A Kitchen Aid pasta attachment is upwards of $100!) The dough came out smoothly and we had no problem using the cutting attachments–something that my friends tell me is an issue with many pasta machines they’ve tried.

Less than perfect: Not the easiest thing in the world to clean. I would always recommend running a batch of test dough through the machine to make sure that it’s cleaned out ahead of time. Also, the clamp is too small to attach to my kitchen counters (which are a fairly average thickness) so you’ll need another spot to roll out your pasta. You need both hands or a friend to help when using this machine: one to turn the handle, the other to keep the dough from piling up and getting stuck together. Getting the coordination down might take a couple of tries.

Final analysis: This is a great machine for the money. We were very impressed and had fun using it. I can’t wait until Christmas so I can hijack this!

Tips for use: Run the dough through the plain rollers a couple of times, even if your plan to use one of the cutting attachments. This ensures that the dough is the right consistency. Also, get yourself a pastry brush and reserve it for cleaning this machine only. You can’t use water on it, and you’ll need something to help get in all the nooks and crannies.

Posted by: Catie

Burt’s Bees Royal Jelly Eye Cream

This is the second installment in my quest for the perfect eye cream.  For my other eye cream review (and more to come), click here.

Why I’m on an Eye Cream Quest:  My eyes are extremely sensitive to changes in the weather, and if the delicate skin around my eyes is not properly moisturized, it gets scaly – literally scaly.  I’ve spoken to my doctor and several cosmetics consultants who all gave me the same answer: my skin is reacting as though I was not using any moisturizer whatsoever.  But I was!  But I do!  It turns out that the pores around your eyes are smaller than the rest of the pores on your face.  Eye creams are specially formulated to be finer than regular facial moisturizers in order to be properly absorbed by that fine eye skin.  However, not all eye creams are created equal!  Apparently my eye pores are very, very small, and some eye cream formulas are not quite fine enough for my skin to absorb.  Therefore, some eye creams sit atop my eye skin for hours, eventually evaporating into the air.  Unfortunately, I cannot determine at the time whether the cream has been absorbed or evaporated, and it takes at least a week of using a product to determine whether or not it is effective.  Consequently, I have tried many, many different types of eye cream and would love to share my experiences with you. 

About 7 months ago, I went on an all-natural cosmetics makeover.  Because I had not yet discovered the Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy by my house, I scoured the Bartell’s shelves for affordable natural products and ended up with an entire stash of Burt’s Bees facial care.  I have mixed reviews about the whole experience, which I’ll likely expose to you at a later date.  The Burt’s Bees Royal Jelly Eye Cream retails around $15 most places.

Things to love:  This stuff is 98.75% natural and contains a laundry list of good-for-you ingredients that you can find on the Burt’s Bees website.  Because it’s so natural, this product is great for people with chemical sensitivity, and I’ve read several rave reviews to the effect.

Less than perfect:  The texture of this product is like a cross between Vaseline and cream; therefore, giving it a very glossy finish that looks great alone but is impossible to apply just prior to eye makeup application.  It was so thick and moisturizing that I started using it only before bed.  Also, after about a month of use, my eyelid scales returned!  Oh no!  This means that the little moisturizing particles weren’t quite small enough for all of my tiny eyelid pores, and my eyelid was thirsty even under the layer of the cream.

Final analysis:  Most people don’t have my tiny eyelid pore problem, but the inability to apply it under eye makeup would have been a deal breaker for me in any case.  However, if you have very sensitive skin and don’t wear eye makeup because of it, this might help you get the moisture you need without irritating you.  It’s also cheaper than most natural eye creams.

Posted by: Lynnette

Joe’s Jeans.

I bought my first pair of designer jeans when I was twenty, and since then haven’t bought anything else.  The fit, the look, and the feel were dramatically better than jeans that I had been buying from Gap and Express. I really can’t afford the retail price for most designer jeans, so I shop on eBay for my denim. I usually only buy it new, with the tags still on, and I’ve gotten amazing deals.

Like my most recent score: a pair of Joe’s Jeans in the “Rocker” cut, brand new for $16.01. That’s incredible! They’re my new favorite jeans, too–I’m sold on Joe’s.

Things to love: COMFORT. I’ve tried on many pairs of Joe’s Jeans before, and they are always super comfortable. They also fit my curvier shape great–the lower rise hugs just the right part of my hips and doesn’t create love handles. Did I mention they’re comfortable? The cuts are super-cute, and the denim seems durable. Oh, and they’re comfortable, too.

Less than perfect: The price. Unless you take a leaf out of my book, which, I grant you, will limit your style and color options, prepare to pay about $175.

Final Analysis: Worth. It. I love these jeans! They’re flattering and feel like wearing sweatpants. My advice to you is to stop in at Macy’s or Nordstrom’s and try on a variety of styles and sizes to see what you like best. Jot down the information and start surfing eBay. If you’re diligent about it, you can find GREAT deals. If you don’t got the eBay route, I recommend buying fewer pairs of jeans–instead of having a five or six, just stick to two really awesome pairs of jeans.

Posted by: Catie