Reviews by Friends of Russ

CyndiA says "Love Softsoap Pomegranate and Mango - Yum - So Sexy. " about Softsoap Pomegranate and Mango Moisturizing Body Wash

CyndiA — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:13:50 GMT

I like Softsoap products in general, but I really LOVE the new pomegranate and mango scent. Whew boy. It's a wonderful scent both in the bathroom and all over the house when it's shower time for anyone around here.

Softsoap brand is inexpensive for the bottle soap, and I've found the squeeze soap works better around here. The bars get so messy, and I'm not even convinced the boys use bar soap when I put that in the shower.

I've always just grabbed any scent of Softsoap. One is about as good as another . . . until this pomegranate and mango. They just really knocked it out of the park with this scent.

I thought it just might be me, but my son in college mentioned that the last soap I sent was really great. Yep. It was the pomegranate and mango scent. He has a girlfriend now, so that may be part of the reason he noticed, but this Softsoap really does smell wonderful.

This week I found Softsaop pomegranate and mango at the Dollar Store in town. The manager taught me piano lessons, so I...

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CyndiA says "I hunted down this cheese. It's smoked gouda, and it's great. " about Frico Smoked Gouda Cheese

CyndiA — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:56:42 GMT

I tried a new cheese at my son's frat Family Day party, and it just blew me away. I tracked down the kid who organized the party to see if he could tell me what kind of cheese I'm stumbled upon, but he was not sure. He did know that Harris Teeter did the trays, so that gave me a starting place.

I went to the local Harris Teeter to get help. The first deli lady had no clue what I was babbling about but rounded up the cheese expert.

Descriptions come easy for me, so I told the cheese lady that it was a light colored and smooth cheese with a creamy texture but still firm. Some cuts were edged with a brownish rind which was edible. And, the cheese was clearly smoked. It had a distinct smokey flavor which is what really made it stand out.

Ah ha. She knew what I was after. The cheese is Frico Gouda Smoked - an import from, I think, Holland.

Frico cheese is expensive, but they pack it in small sizes and charge by weight. I paid $3.50 for a disk of the cheese that I could wrap my fingers around...

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CyndiA says "Not so good - dusty potato chips by T.G.I. Friday's. Bummer!" about TGIF - Potato Skins Cheddar & Bacon Potato Chips

CyndiA — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:28:30 GMT

T.G.I. Friday's potato skins with cheese were one of my favorite appetizers back in college, so when I saw these potato chips by TGIF with the same bacon and cheddar flavor, I had to grab a bag.

First off, the bag is small. It runs about the same price as "normal" chips, but you don't get much. Actually, that worked out fine as there are still some left which I think the dog might eat.

If you think of small Pringles chips that are thicker (so they don't break I guess), then you have the general idea on the TGIF chips. They are not stacked like Pringles, but they are formed and all have the same shape which is kind of like one of those old fashioned shoe horns.

The TGIF chips are sprinkled liberally with powder which I suppose is the bacon and cheddar. Of course, they can't have real bacon and cheese in a bag of chips. But, the powder sure does not taste like bacon or any cheese I ever had and sure not like TGIF potato skins. The taste is kind of like chemicals - maybe what you might get...

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CyndiA says "Excellent perfume for a classic beauty with traditional values. " about DKNY Cashmere Mist Eau De Parfum Spray

CyndiA — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:50:30 GMT

Cashmere Mist is the perfume I buy for my Mom now. Her favorite was Chanel #5, but she wore that with my Dad who died in a wreck. It seemed to make sense and scents to go with a new fragrance with life being much different now for her and the rest of the family.

Mom is a classic beauty and quite traditional in her values. Chanel #5 was a nice fit, and I'm the oldest and most likely to think of gifts along those lines. In looking at a new perfume, I just paid attention. When she tried a sample swab at the mall, I could tell she liked Cashmire Mist, so I kept that in mind and got that for the next holiday.

The fragrance on Cashmire Mist is elegant and classy. It's not a trendy type smell which would not match my Mom well. I'll try new ones, but she sticks with a perfume for years as she did with Chanel #5.

This is running on three years with Cashmire Mist being the one I buy when I think Mom might be running low on perfume. It matches her well and does not go out of style. It's just one of...

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CyndiA says "Can't get charcoal started? Try FlameDisk - very easy grilling. " about FlameDisk Flame Disk

CyndiA — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:12:59 GMT

If you are grilling challenged but love the idea of grilling outdoors, then FlameDisk could be your solution. FlameDisk is a charcoal alternative. It's an ethenol tray that fires fast and takes any challenge out of trying to rock a tailgate or home barbecue party when it comes to firing up.

I own a grilling and barbecue web site called Yes You Can Grill, so I check out loads of new grilling products and accessories for outdoors. A lot of the grill products do not do it for me, but FlameDisk was a hit.

FlameDisk looks kind of like an aluminum pie plate with a top and bottom. Between is the fuel which looks very much like candle wax with wicks through the holes in the top plate.

To use FlameDisk, just put it in the charcoal grill rather than charcoal. Then light one of the spots in the FlameDisk top (matches even come included).

The fire starts right up and is steady and even. If it gets a little too hot, just cap the lid on the grill as you would with charcoal. That damps the air down and...

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Buggheart says "The only thing missing is the spider." about LUSH Cobweb Bath Bomb

Buggheart — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:27:59 GMT

I'm not a huge bath bomb lover, but I was totally sucked into buying LUSH Cobweb Bath Bomb at a recent LUSH event and I am sure glad that I did.

I bought Cobweb without having any idea what it smelled like, just based solely on the fact that it's a Halloween product (I LOVE Halloween) and it has a cute spider web shape.

I had heard that it smells just like LUSH's Black Pearl bath bomb which a lot of people don't like. And that it, obviously, turns the water a dull grey color which is not very visually appealing.

Still, I had to give it a try, so I ordered it. And yesterday was its lucky day. I had spent the majority of the day outside and needed a hot bath to take away that chilled to the bone feeling. So I ran a hot bath, got in, and dropped Cobweb in with me. Well I don't know if it's because of it's disklike shape or whether Black Pearl does the same, but Cobweb fizzed like crazy! It fizzed and rolled around the tub for a few minutes before it completely dissolved, leaving the...

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Buggheart says "So tempted by the apple!" about LUSH So White Bath Bomb

Buggheart — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:17:00 GMT

Although I'm not a huge fan of bath bombs, I had to give So White Bath Bomb a try when I placed a recent LUSH order.

What tempted me so?

Well, the description on LUSH.com, of course. So White is described on the LUSH website as a frothy blanket of apple scented "snow" for your bath.... inspired by the tempting apple a certain wicked stepmother tricked her beautiful stepdaughter into eating. We assure you however, that this Bath Bomb is not full of poison to put you to sleep. It is made with an uplifting fragrance of refreshing oranges, apples and romantic rose and is meant to awake you if you've been under a spell (or are just feeling tired). This one is quite a frothy bath as we've grated in some bubble bar mixture, so you can bathe in apple scented snow and feel fairest of them all.

I LOVE apple scented products and anything that smells fruity, so I had to give this one a try. I was also drawn somewhat by the idea of a frothy blanket of apple scented "snow".

So today I spent a lot...

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Buggheart says "Finally a way color my hair without coloring my face too." about Repelle Skin Shield Wand

Buggheart — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:00:58 GMT

I've been coloring my hair for years. Back when I used to go blond, getting hair color on my skin wasn't a big deal. But since I switched to a darker color I found that it's really hard to not get any haircolor on my skin. No matter how careful I was, it always got on my skin.

Then one day when I was buying color at the beauty supply school I found a product called Repelle Skin Shield Wand. It's like a little ChapStick tube but more oval shaped than round. It can be used on all skin types to protect skin from being stained by haircolor.

Before I color my hair, I apply Repelle all around my hairline, ears, and neck, then apply the color. It creates an invisible barrier that is not greasy like lotion or Vaseline. When I've rinsed it out and all is said and done, I don't have any color stains on my skin. One think I like is that if I get a little Repelle on my hair, it doesn't prevent the haircolor from sinking in and it washes off of my skin very easily.

The Repelle package states...

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Buggheart says "Like trying to wash with a piece of liver." about LUSH Strawberry Santa Shower Jelly

Buggheart — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:07:53 GMT

OK so I don't know that it's EXACTLY like washing with a liver, but it's slippery, slimy, and icky like a liver so it's the first thing that popped into my mind.

I've never been a fan of LUSH Shower Jellies so you may be wondering why I even tried LUSH Strawberry Santa. Well, because I got it for free at a party at my local LUSH store. And thankfully it was free, because I would have been upset if I paid for this awful blob of goo.

For starters, Strawberry Santa doesn't even smell like strawberry. It smells like fruit but if it's called Strawberry Santa, it might be a good idea to make sure it smells like that berry rather than just fruit in general. So I wasn't crazy about the scent. Nothing wrong with it, it's just not strawberry.

Next, the consisteny was very stringy. With other jellies I have been able to reach into the container and squeeze a little blob of the jelly out of the container and wash with it or stick it on my shower pouf to make some lather. With this jelly,...

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Buggheart says "Words cannot express how badly I wanted this one to work." about Patricia Wexler Acnescription Anti-Acne Starter Kit

Buggheart — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:37:43 GMT

I had such high hopes for the Patricia Wexler Acnescription skin regimen, but on this day I officially surrender. I tried this regimen but it did not work for me. In fact, I don't believe there's ANYTHING on the market that can heal my skin and keep it from breaking out so I give up. You win, skin!

Over the years I've tried everything short of Accutane. ProActiv and AcneFree worked great, but only for a few months and I started breaking out again. I've gone to dermatologists, had my hormones checked, you name it. Everything is normal yet I still continue to struggle with acne every day and it's maddening.

About 2 months ago I read an article suggesting products for people who have aging skin yet still break out. That's me. I'm rapidly approaching 40 yet I still break out as bad and as often as when I was 15 years old.

The product line that was suggested in the article is Patricia Wexler's Acnescription regimen which is available at Bath and Body Works. So I visited my local BBW...

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Buggheart says "I love my little Pumpkin." about LUSH The Great Pumpkin Soap

Buggheart — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:24:28 GMT

A few weeks back I participated in a chat party on LUSH.com and got the first look at some of their new products for Halloween & Christmas. I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket and got so excited about the new Halloween stuff that I soon found myself placing an order even though most of the stuff is now available at my local LUSH store.

One of the items I bought was a bar of (The Great) Pumpkin Soap. Unlike a most LUSH soaps, Pumpkin is round in shape and has a jack o'lantern face so I could not resist him. I also read in the blurb on LUSH.com that he has the same scent as the recently discontinued Spice Curls soap that I liked so much which was another factor that caused me to order this soap.

Well I'm happy to report that Pumpkin is even better than Spice Curls. It has the same warm, spicy scent blend that screams fall and Halloween and is a joy to use. Pumpkin smells like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and all those great pumpkin pie spices.

Pumpkin is made from the new palm-free...

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Buggheart says "Does this product really protect my hair? Who knows!" about TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray

Buggheart — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:58:00 GMT

A few weeks ago I had plans to go out with a friend and when I got to her house her hair looked awesome. It was all poofy and beautiful so of course I had to ask her how she did it. She said she got the volume with Velcro rollers and some Redken thermal spray. Well I couldn't find the Redken spray she had mentioned locally so I went to the drugstore and found TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray.

It sounded like the same thing as the Redken product but was a lot cheaper at only $4 for 8 ounces. Turns out it was a waste of $4 and I should have just kept looking for the Redken spray.

There were a number of thermal sprays at the drugstore from which to choose, but I selected Tresemme's as it had a nice trigger type spray nozzle rather than a pump.
This product is for protecting hair against the damage that can come from using heated styling tools like dryers, curling irons, and flat irons. The back of the bottle claims that this product protects against heat and friction...

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Buggheart says "The best thing about this product is the cute gift box." about TokyoMilk Sweet Cream Bon Bon Lip Balm 093

Buggheart — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:21:19 GMT

Sometimes my husband just really hits it out of the park, and buying me this lip balm was a home run in terms of great gifts. I only wish TokyoMilk Sweet Cream Bon Bon Lip Balm itself would have hit a home run instead of making it only to first base.

So about 2 months ago my husband was in Baltimore on business and found a cute little town full of antique shops, boutiques, and foofy places like that. Well bless his heart, he actually went into one of those stores and emerged with a wee giftie for his wife.

I tell you I was THRILLED when he presented me with the gift bag containing an adorable little box with glittery cupcakes all over it. Inside was a small glass pot of TokyoMilk Sweet Cream Bon Bon Lip Balm. He remembered that I love sweet cream and especially love lip balm. And he got me the matching candle too! Squeal!

And that's pretty much where the fun ended. This lip balm is just not good. I'd actually prefer ChapStick.

First off, it's in a pot. I don't like balms...

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