Awesome Things: #1 (Stickygram)

I'll admit that I was kind of late to the Instagram party. When I first heard about Instagram, the joke was that the entire app was dominated by people snapping photos of their lunch and hipsters posting photos of . . . whatever it is that hipsters like to photograph, I suppose. It took me ages to realize that Instagram could be a lot of fun (particularly when taking a road trip out into the middle of nowhere and wanting to leave a trail of clues, just in case you disappeared mysteriously).

As much fun as Instagram is, though, I found myself just a little disappointed. I kept thinking that there must be something "more" I could do with my pics and their hip filtered looks. Enter Stickygram:

Stickygram connects with your Instagram account to let you upload your pics. From there, you can do something that I think is very cool:

StickyGram began as an experiment by Kejia Zhu and the team at Mint Digital to create physical objects from the web. Bringing Instagram into the real world turned out to be an idea that excited people. After much prototyping and coffee, the StickyGram service was born.

For a perfectly reasonable price, Stickygram will send you nine-packs of magnets (each is about the same size as the photo appears on your smartphone) featuring your favorite photos! This service fixed two problems for me - I got to do something tangible with my Instagram photos, and I finally have magnets on my fridge that aren't those freebies you get from food-delivery places in college. Not only does my fridge look snazzy now, but my friends have been pleasantly surprised to come over and see snapshots of the fun times we've had together!

Despite the fact that they're shipping from overseas (assuming you live in the U.S., at least), I didn't find the wait to be terrible. The package that arrived was definitely worth it!

Head and Shoulders to the Rescue!

So, I am absolutely loving the Influenster programs I've been selected for! My favorite so far has been the Head & Shoulders box, which arrived with full-sized shampoos just like these:

Now, I've had scalp problems for years. The last time (almost a decade ago) that I tried using Head & Shoulders, the shampoo didn't stop the flaking and the conditioner made my hair all greasy. Instead I went to the dermatologist, who recommended an expensive, medicated products... that didn't stop the flaking and made my hair all greasy.

Fast forward to 2012, and I receive the NEW Head & Shoulders "damage rescue"shampoo and conditioner to try. Figuring I've got nothing to lose, I give them a whirl... and I am completely impressed!

The Head & Shoulders Damage Rescue system was developed specifically to nurture scalp and dry/damaged hair with intensive care, leaving hair up to 10X Stronger in Just Four Washes. Because of the carefully balanced combination of ingredients in the formula, Damage Rescue delivers both, intensive hair and scalp care with the proven anti-dandruff efficacy of Head & Shoulders.

Gone is the weird smell I associated with Head & Shoulders, replaced by a rather pleasant fragrance. My hair looked shinier and nicer than it has in ages; I got a bunch of complements that afternoon and the next day! Most importantly, it works!

I've been able to toss away the medicated formula - which I never liked because it contains steroids and isn't covered by my insurance - and I can just use this set every couple of days. Head & Shoulders Damage Rescue gets two thumbs up from me!

For a Happy Face

I love, love, love getting free samples! I judge companies based on the presentation (please don't just send me a sample in a cheap envelope; that looks unprofessional) and the content (you know what's cool? Including a coupon) of the freebies they send out to their current/potential customers.

A packet of samples arrived from Mario Badescu today, and I have to say that they passed with flying colors! I had filled out the MB questionnaire - not even that long ago! - on my skin type and issues, and the company sent me a bunch of recommended products for my skin type. The set even came with a list of every item and detailed instructions for use.

At first glance, the samples seemed awfully tiny. I remember thinking, "how is there even enough here for me to try everything once??" Now that I've used them, though, I see that there's actually enough for me to try each sample for about a week! How cool is that?

Roommate S and I decided to do our skin care routine together tonight so we could sit around and sip wine in our face masks. Here is my Mario Badsecu routine:

The Enzyme Cleaning Gel, which was nice and light and made my skin feel very clean.

The Cucumber Cleansing Lotion, which didn't sting like I expect most astringents to.

Followed by a 20-minute wine break for the Drying Mask to set. The mask smelled really strange, but my skin looked amazing when I rinsed it off!

Finally, I wrapped up by applying the Hyaluronic Eye Cream, which I was pleased to note you need very little of for one application.

Result: I like these products! My skin feels great, and my only real complains is the smell of the Drying Mask. I can't wait to do the morning routine they recommend tomorrow!

Adventures in Clean

I've been watching the London Olympics with the roommates all evening while I work, and we just saw an intriguing commercial for a new Disney movie called The Odd Life of Timothy Green. The movie, about a mother who takes off on "the ultimate adventure in clean," looks very cute, and Jennifer Garner (who I love) plays the mom!

The commercial reminded me about the Frigidaire campaign currently in progress, to help promote the movie - and help out Save the Children! If you visit the Frigidaire Facebook page you can learn more about how the Frigidaire Affinity front-load washer can help you spend more time with your family than in the laundry room, how to remove common summertime stains, and how to give a free $1 donation to Save the Children. 

Plus, the Adventures in Clean app lets you turn your own uploaded photo into a personalized movie posted, which I think is really cool. As a bonus, all participants are entered to win a new Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer set!

I don't have kids, but even I would be pleased to upgrade our washer so I can spend mess time messing with it and more time enjoying the company of my roommates.

Frigidaire has the following information on their page:

Parents know that some of life's greatest moments start in the dirt. Fortunately, the new Frigidaire Affinity^© Front Load Washer delivers a better clean, so you can get the most out of life with your kids … and then get it out of their clothes.
Show us your favorite memory in the dirt to enter for a chance to win a signed movie poster of “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” and a new laundry pair¹, every time you do Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children's US programs.

A Very Fancy Morning

Look at the cute little package that came in today!

Fancy Feast was running a promotion on their Facebook page a few weeks ago, and the freebie just came in this morning. One the one hand, it's a neat idea: a breakfast-themed snack for the cat, and a package of instant coffee for the human. On the other...well, it's a small step from being a crazy cat lady gift. I don't really know where I come down on this one, but the box is a great stroke of marketing, and I'm sure the coffee will come in handy when school starts next month!

50 Shades of Aaargh

I try so very hard not to judge a book without at least attempting to read it - which is why I've never trash-talked Twilight, although I will happily mock the movies I have seen, and this kind of bit me in the behind with 50 Shades of Grey. 

I'd been hearing a lot about it, from both ends of the spectrum: people (hilariously) trashing the novel online, and people declaring it the best piece of erotic fiction ever. Although I had an instinctive dislike of 50 Shades of Grey, I reserved judgment...until I saw a librarian writing about how nice it was that any book was getting his teenagers to spend more time reading. 

At that point, I couldn't resist the urge to examine 50 Shades more closely, so I ponied up for an ereader copy. The housemates fortunately joined me in what turned out to be an incredibly painful experience, and we spent the next five nights taking turns reading out loud and doing voices for all the characters.

Result: I have many, many problems with 50 Shades of Grey. The most superficial complaint is that the writing is shoddy. This book could have benefited greatly from a few good editors, particularly ones willing to point out that no one cares very much about the main character's "inner goddess." 

My other complains are much more bothersome, at least to me personally:

1. The relationship between Anastasia and Christian Grey is borderline abusive, yet never really identified as such.
2. People who choose to practice BDSM, either as a lifestyle or just in the bedroom, are portrayed as suffering from deep-seated personal issues.
3. I'm completely certain this writer has never, ever, done any of the sexual things mentioned in the book. There just isn't very much "erotic" in this fiction.

Of course, I feel that I should also give some space to people who don't hate the book quite as much as I do (which still making great points), such as the Bitch Magazine article Thinking Kink: Safewords:

Whatever else 50 Shades of Grey may have got wrong—and I know many of you feel that it got A LOT wrong!—the book does at least acknowledge the existence of safewords. Unlike other media representations of kink that I've already discussed here, 50 Shades reminds readers that in BDSM, “the Dominant may make demands of the Submissive that cannot be met without...harm” and therefore “the Submissive may make use of a Safeword.” The infamous contract that Christian Grey presents to Anastasia Steele also helpfully details the difference between "yellow" and "red" as safewords (the former tells the dominant the sub is close to their limits, the latter is a call for the dom to stop everything 

Upcoming Giveaway from Tropical Traditions!

I am so excited - I received a nice package from Tropical Traditions the other day! It contained a jar of cocoanut oil for myself and the roommates to experiment with, and a letter informing me that I've been approved to run a giveaway so another reader can try it out, too.

I am of course going to use the oil myself, so I can review it when I host the giveaway, but I'm completely jazzed to be able to put up my first giveaway soon :)

Two of my friends (Gamer and The Cowboy) have told me cocoanut oil is great for popping popcorn. Considering that we're about to introduce one of the roomies to the Indiana Jones series, I'll have an occasion to try that out very soon...