March 25, 2012
Spring Green
Despite my terrible track record with plants, we have attempted an herb garden. After preparing a small bed in the backyard corner, we laid down seed for mint, basil, sage, chamomile and thyme. Should be interesting to see how it goes....
March 20, 2012
February 2012 Eco-Emi Box
Review of the February 2012 Eco Emi box! All products listed below are linked on their site.
Revolution Organics: Freedom Lip Gloss - Lovely color, applies smooth and even. Smells a little weird, kind of sour. But feels very moisturizing and pigment is rich.
Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques: Sweet Chai Body Butter - Very small sample, but a little goes a long way! Smelled amazing, exactly like fresh chai. Thick, beeswax consistency. Sadly, my skin did not absorb this well and I was left with a greasy coating.
Eco Lips: Dagoba Lip Balm - Got the 'Roseberry' flavor. Texture was nice, but the smell made me gag: a chemical cough syrup, artificial and sickly sweet. I had to scrub this stuff off.
Oluv Skin: Suds Soap - Interesting, it doesn't feel like soap! Creamy and soft, buttery, like it's going to melt at any moment. Not much lather, but washes smooth and gentle. My skin felt soft, it doesn't strip away as much oil as other bar soaps.
Dr. Robin Sunscreen - Feels like high-end lotion. Not too greasy and doesn't have that fake coconut smell. Very nice, would definitely use again.
Greener Living: Soap Nuts - Skeptical at first, but I did some research on soap nuts in general, and there's quite a market for this stuff. The sample contained 5 nuts (not actually nuts, but dried fruit of a plant related to lychee), supposedly enough for a few loads. Came with a small muslin bag. Tied the nuts in the bag and threw it into the washing machine. I tried a relatively small load - two little doggie blankets, a few t-shirts and socks. While the package recommended warm water, we always use cold, so I stuck with that. And the soap nuts worked pretty well! Clothes came out clean, no lingering odors, and fabric felt soft. You can extract liquid from the nuts too, and use as cleanser, insect repellent and general soap replacement. I want to get more and experiment!
Crystal Essence: Lavender & White Tea Deodorant Towelettes - Unfortunately, not strong enough for me. I used one towelette for both pits. After a normal work day, there was significant BO and the pretty scent was gone. This was without strenuous activity! I think if your body normally doesn't have a strong odor, these would work fine. But I need something more powerful.
Green Body Green Planet: Energy Shampoo & Conditioner - Invigorating ginger/citrus scent. Shampoo felt sticky and required additional rinses, but my hair was clean and moisturized. Conditioner resulted in decent volume and shine. Found this combo didn't help my frizz. Good products, but I wasn't impressed enough to buy full sized bottles.
Mighty Leaf Tea: Herbal Chocolate Mint Truffle Tea - I'm already a big fan of Mighty Leaf Tea! However, dessert tea isn't my thing, so I ended up gifting this to a co-worker.
Revolution Organics: Freedom Lip Gloss - Lovely color, applies smooth and even. Smells a little weird, kind of sour. But feels very moisturizing and pigment is rich.
Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques: Sweet Chai Body Butter - Very small sample, but a little goes a long way! Smelled amazing, exactly like fresh chai. Thick, beeswax consistency. Sadly, my skin did not absorb this well and I was left with a greasy coating.
Eco Lips: Dagoba Lip Balm - Got the 'Roseberry' flavor. Texture was nice, but the smell made me gag: a chemical cough syrup, artificial and sickly sweet. I had to scrub this stuff off.
Oluv Skin: Suds Soap - Interesting, it doesn't feel like soap! Creamy and soft, buttery, like it's going to melt at any moment. Not much lather, but washes smooth and gentle. My skin felt soft, it doesn't strip away as much oil as other bar soaps.
Dr. Robin Sunscreen - Feels like high-end lotion. Not too greasy and doesn't have that fake coconut smell. Very nice, would definitely use again.
Greener Living: Soap Nuts - Skeptical at first, but I did some research on soap nuts in general, and there's quite a market for this stuff. The sample contained 5 nuts (not actually nuts, but dried fruit of a plant related to lychee), supposedly enough for a few loads. Came with a small muslin bag. Tied the nuts in the bag and threw it into the washing machine. I tried a relatively small load - two little doggie blankets, a few t-shirts and socks. While the package recommended warm water, we always use cold, so I stuck with that. And the soap nuts worked pretty well! Clothes came out clean, no lingering odors, and fabric felt soft. You can extract liquid from the nuts too, and use as cleanser, insect repellent and general soap replacement. I want to get more and experiment!
Crystal Essence: Lavender & White Tea Deodorant Towelettes - Unfortunately, not strong enough for me. I used one towelette for both pits. After a normal work day, there was significant BO and the pretty scent was gone. This was without strenuous activity! I think if your body normally doesn't have a strong odor, these would work fine. But I need something more powerful.
Green Body Green Planet: Energy Shampoo & Conditioner - Invigorating ginger/citrus scent. Shampoo felt sticky and required additional rinses, but my hair was clean and moisturized. Conditioner resulted in decent volume and shine. Found this combo didn't help my frizz. Good products, but I wasn't impressed enough to buy full sized bottles.
Mighty Leaf Tea: Herbal Chocolate Mint Truffle Tea - I'm already a big fan of Mighty Leaf Tea! However, dessert tea isn't my thing, so I ended up gifting this to a co-worker.
New Car!
Eight years and 153,000 miles later, I finally got a new car.
And it's another Ford Focus hatchback. Because apparently I'm going to chain buy these things until they're discontinued.
My old car drives fine, actually. It's still in my possession with just the normal wear-and-tear you'd expect from years of new england driving. Hell, it even survived minus 10 degree weather on a 600 mile Vermont road trip two months ago.
But I've tolerated an onerous commute with antiquated vehicle amenities for long enough. No more awkward headsets and tangled cords. No more fishing around for CDs or unwinding ipod speaker buds. Now I have bluetooth, voice commands, two USB ports and an SD reader at my fingertips. Plus, the new car has better gas mileage and it's nice to be back on warranty again!
And it's another Ford Focus hatchback. Because apparently I'm going to chain buy these things until they're discontinued.
My old car drives fine, actually. It's still in my possession with just the normal wear-and-tear you'd expect from years of new england driving. Hell, it even survived minus 10 degree weather on a 600 mile Vermont road trip two months ago.
But I've tolerated an onerous commute with antiquated vehicle amenities for long enough. No more awkward headsets and tangled cords. No more fishing around for CDs or unwinding ipod speaker buds. Now I have bluetooth, voice commands, two USB ports and an SD reader at my fingertips. Plus, the new car has better gas mileage and it's nice to be back on warranty again!
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