Outfit of the Day: I Should Have Gone to MIT...

...for the day.

It's the the campus-wide open house. My significant other is busy giving tours of his department and I'm just hanging around the apartment like a bum who's never taken a physics course. I'd be much more apt to cross the river and go check everything out if he--and his enthusiasm toward science--were there to check things out with me. But, yes, I am capable of doing things on my own--just not science-y things.

I'm hoping we go and grab drinks or something, otherwise I got dressed for nothing (it takes an enormous effort on my part to pry off the gym pants and hoodies on Saturdays).

Dress: Three Dots

Cardigan: Splendid

Bag: Kate Spade

Shoes: J Crew

Earrings: Leslie Danzis

Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System Review

I'm pretty low-maintenance when it comes to my skin care and beauty routine--I have neither the wallet nor the patience for trying and using all kinds of products and gadgets. However, I wanted to go ahead and give the Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System Brush a try. I'd considered the Clarisonic brush, but it doesn't really fit into my current debt reduction budget.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Olay System/Brush, it claims to cleanse your skin six times better than basic cleansing alone and to be just as effective as the "professional cleansing system costing nearly $200" (Clarisonic). Did I mention it's only $30?

Here's what it looks like:

 

The set comes with the tool itself, one circular brush, a small tube of Olay Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser and two AA batteries (the system is battery operated). 

It's simple to use. There's a large button to switch the tool on and off and a button below it to change between two speeds. The round brush head pops off easily to clean and dry after each use.

It feels good on your face. I was weary about using any kind of brush on my face at first because I thought it'd irritate my skin, but the brush is very gentle. The Olay cleanser included is also very nice--MUCH less abrasive than other exfoliating cleansers I've tried. As I've used the brush and cleanser, I've never felt the exfoliating beads scratch my skin. The whole exfoliating aspect of the cleanser is pretty much unnoticeable.

I suppose I should mention that I have fairly unproblematic skin. I'm one of those fortunate people who rarely breaks out, and when I do it's normally due to some lax evening where I went to bed without removing my make up (shame on me, I know). My skin is neither extremely oily nor dry. I guess it's more combination than anything. The one thing I do have is a bit of pore cloggage/blackheads on my nose. More than anything, I ordered the Olay system with hope that it'd help reduce that problem.

The Verdict?

I've been using the brush for one week now and I'm honestly impressed. My face feels significantly smoother than it did a week ago (my BF even noticed) and I've noticed a slight reduction in the number of blackheads on my nose even after only seven days of use.  My skin just feels cleaner overall. I'm digging the Olay Professional Pro-X Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser, though I'm curious to experiment with the brush and other facial cleansers in my shower.

The only drawback to this system that I foresee is the use of batteries. I intend on using rechargeable ones, though, so it shouldn't be a huge problem.

I'm planning on following up in three weeks or so to share what kind of results I've experienced. A one week review may be a little premature :) I'll try to post some images of the results, too, if I can take a good enough picture.

Speaking to the Olay system compare to the Clarisonic one, I really can't weigh in since I have not tried the Clarisonic. But if you're looking for a better way to clean your skin without making too big of an investment, the Olay system is the way to go.

Note: I have not seen the Olay system in stores, but you can purchase it online at Amazon or Drugstore.com. I purchased mine (along with two replacement brush heads) at Drugstore.com and used a sweet 20% coupon. The whole thing--shipping included--worked out to a little over $30!

Another note: I'm writing this review on my own accord and am in no way affiliated with Olay or P&G. Just wanted to share my opinion of this awesome $30 contraption!

_____________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE JUNE 16, 2011: 

I've been using the brush/cleanser on a regular basis (2-3 times a week) and HIGHLY recommend it. I wouldn't go so far as to say it works wonders, but the skin on my nose has noticeably less blackheads. And, of course, my skin feels cleaner and looks more vibrant after each use.

Cupcakin' It

Remember this post where I was all kinds of excited about decorating cupcakes? Today I finally got around to making a batch (it only took me three months).

Here was my holiday inspiration. Cute and festive, right?:

 

Yesterday I hit up the grocery store for supplies. I made a few modifications to the instructions in the book:

For the rabbit feet, the book called for white peanut candies (gross) and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I wasn't about to hunt around town for those, so I decided to improvise and use cut/frosted Sandies brand shortbread cookies for the feet.

 Patience plus a bit of preciseness yields cookie rabbit feet (these weren't finished yet)

Then came the task of icing the cupcakes and assembling everything. I nixed using crushed chocolate cookies for dirt because I wanted to use chocolate sprinkles instead. I also opted for Cadbury mini eggs instead of the Whopper Robin's Eggs the book lists (simply a matter of preference). 

Allow me to present the final product:

 

Cute, but I won't quit my day job. The rabbit feet turned out more than a little neanderthal-ish, though I assume they'll taste better than those white peanut candies. All in all, not bad for my first attempt at cupcake decorating. 

Here I am beaming with pride (and looking like I need to lay off the cupcakes. Boo):

On another note, next week I'm officially deeming Review Week. I'll be writing two unsolicited reviews and one for a product I've been contacted and asked to try.

Hope you're all having a lovely Easter.

Hilton Head Re-Cap and Boston Swapaholic Event

Thank you, Patriots' Day/Boston Marathon for affording me a three-day weekend after all of the traveling I've been doing.

I spent all of last week in Hilton Head, South Carolina, for a work-related meeting. The weather was phenomenal and I wish I'd had more time to lazy around on the beach and poolside. Alas, I wouldn't have even flown down there were it not for work, so 12-hour work days were the name of the game.

My one day of poolside bliss.

Atlantic Ocean

 

View from the porch at Chart House Restaurant

GORGEOUS view from Chart House. 

While the weather was lovely (80 degrees versus the 38-degree weather that accosted me when I exited the plane in Boston), I don't think I could ever live in a such a climate. I'd gladly take a vacation home down there, though :)

No more work travels on the itinerary. I'll be returning to Nebraska for my brother's graduation in two weeks and then on a road trip to Toronto with some friends early June. After that, I'm staying home.

On a different note, this Thursday I'll be attending my first ever Swapaholics event here in Boston.

I'm looking forward to it--there have been a number of Boston blogger events that have taken place over the past few months that I haven't been able to attend due to work/travel. And I'm DESPERATELY in need of some new threads. I'm doing so well with the debt reduction, but feeling the urge to spruce my closet up a bit. We'll see what I find on Thursday!

Here's the loot I'll be bringing to swap:

If you're in Boston, you should attend!

Ballin' 1.4: Sweet, Blessed, Beautiful Payday

Financial update time.

Thanks to some mad overtime hours worked in Berlin and the arrival of my federal tax return, I knocked a couple thousand off my credit cards yesterday. My Saks store card is dangerously close to $1000 now, and my Citicard Visa balance has been lowered just enough that I should see a difference in the interest I'm charged every month.

I'm going to borrow an annoying pop culture reference (albeit way after the fact) and go ahead and say that this week I'm "winning."

I started a post about my budget/course of action while in Germany, but I need to edit it and will post this week while I'm in Hilton Head, South Carolina, of all places.

Happy Weekend!

A Week in Berlin: On The Catwalk (and elsewhere)

Yesterday I arrived back on U.S. soil after spending a week in Berlin, Germany. Most of my time was spent working, but I was able to squeeze in a bit of sight-seeing and one really good night out on the town ;)

Seriously, letting loose in Berlin on Friday night was the most fun I've had in a long time. I don't even remember the name of the place we ended up, but I would have stayed out all night had I not been required to work the next morning at 6:30 AM.

We started out at The Catwalk Bar in our hotel. Very swanky. I loved the atmosphere...

Gorgeous Chandelier!

Of course, I have to share what I wore:

Dress: Yoana Baraschi

Cardigan: Splendid

Tights: Capezio

Heels: Christian Louboutin

Clutch: Express

Louboutins in the lobby:

After the Catwalk we were off to explore. We ended up in the Red Light District (but not in the way you're thinking) at some bar:

Rockin' Out

Posing by the sculpture

The most interesting part(s) of the evening were the men we encountered/who approached us. Using the word "forward" is an understatement. My co-worker/friend was flat out asked if she wanted to have sex by some French dude. That was probably my fault. I engaged in conversation with the guy and his friend because I wanted to see how much college French I'd retained. I was excited to finally use it conversationally!

Another guy approached us wanting to dance. He proceeded to try and kiss us both. Strange, but not nearly as weird as the group of British guys we encountered walking down the street as we were leaving. The were more than a little wasted and offered us Euros to perform some very lewd acts. I'm not sure if they thought we were prostitutes or if they have a very skewed perception of American women (or just watch way too many pornographic movies). It was interesting to say the least.

I'm a firm believer that the best scenarios in life are the ones where you leave with some really good stories, so this night was a winner in my book. 

More on the normal part of my stay to come...