In a world where the icecaps are melting, the ocean has a giant garbage pit in it, birds are disappearing and we pay $0.05 for plastic grocery bags, I think it’s a safe bet to say that most people are fairly eco-conscious. Politicians use the environment to help them win elections, celebs are proudly carrying canvas sacs that state “I am not a plastic bag” and even biking seems to be totally cool to do.
In an age where being eco-chic is the new Black, why the hell did they create this?
The Gillette Venus disposable razors.
Let me state this first: I love my Gillette Embrace razor. I got a free sample at a street festival two years ago and never looked back. I’m not a girl that spends money on beauty products, so for me to shell out more than $10 on a pack of razors is a big deal, and these damn replacement blades cost me around $20 (sometimes more, depending on where I go). Five blades really do make a difference. They’re awesome. I love them and recommend the Venus Embrace to everyone that asks.
This disposable razor, though, is a total crock. They say it’s just as good as a normal razor, and once you’re done with it, you can throw the entire thing out! But what’s the point? The disposable is the exact same size and shape as the normal one. It’s the same weight, has the same grips, has the same blade…the only difference seems to be that the disposable one has a tropical scent. Which I find really weird, but whatever.
Here, from the website, are the great product points listed for both razors:
Embrace:
- 5 blades for a dramatically smooth shave
- Ribbon of Moisture for a smooth glide
- Interchangeable Blade Refill Cartridges
- ShowerPod convenient in-shower storage
- SoftGrip handle for no-slip control
Disposable razor:
- 5 blades for a curve-hugging smooth shave
- Ribbon of Moisture for a smooth glide
- No blade chagne required; just use and toss!
- Pivoting head adjusts to your curves
- New SoftGrip handle for great control
So the only real difference is that the non-disposable ones come with a ShowerPod…but the ShowerPod doesn’t suction to the wall, so you have to find another big space in the tub to put your ShowerPod down, and it’s bigger than the razor so it takes up more space, and then it gets all soap scummy…it’s pretty useless. I’ll also mention that the Embrace has a pivoting head that adjusts to your curves too, but they didn’t put it as one of the points on the site (and, as I’m srsly professional, I didn’t want to put something up there that wasn’t directly taken from the site). They are the exact same razor.
I’m all for cheap disposable razors (like those pink Bic razors) as they’re truly crap and it’s okay if you lose one while you’re at the beach, but to spend more than $5 on something like this is just absurd. So why do we need a fancy scented disposable razor? It’s not about saving money, as a pack of them costs about the same as buying a refill pack. It can’t be about not wanting to bring your normal razor on a trip with you in case you lose it, because buying one of the razors (that come with a few replacement blades) is, again, about the same amount as a pack of disposables. It can’t be about always wanting to have a smooth shave, because as soon as your blades go dull on the normal one you can just eject them into the trash and throw another one on. So why go to all the trouble to create this? Do people really buy them?
Like “Lite” Cheese Whiz and avocado slicers, Gillette has created something totally useless and impractical, but is marketing it like you Can’t Live Without It. I was on board with the Diamond Shreddies campaign, but this I just can’t stand behind.
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
Never cheap-out on peanut butter and toothbrushes
"Never cheap-out on peanut butter and toothbrushes."
My mom has said this to me many times and I don't think I really 'got' it until the last year or so; you should never cheap-out on peanut butter and toothbrushes.
Let's face it: I can be a cheap person. I buy cheap vitamins, cheap cheese, cheap shoes, and I don't think I've ever bought a movie full-price, instead I opt for the previously viewed/discount bins. This isn't to say that I don't spend my money on a nice meal once in a while, it just means that when I buy every-day things, I generally go for lower prices.
But no matter how cheap I may be, I will never cheap-out on peanut butter or toothbrushes. There's something to be said for buying name-brand items that you really love! Kraft trumps No Name any day, and spending that extra buck on a fancier Colgate brush really *does* leave my mouth feeling tinglyclean. Everyone has their own splurges; some can't fathom spending less than $60 on a shirt, while others invest in fancy paper napkins to match the decor. Personally, I think it's great when you can achieve a good balance between being thrifty and splurging on items you will really enjoy. You don't order eggs benny every time you go out for brunch, but once in a blue moon that buttery sauce is totally worth it.
It's only within the last couple years, really, that I can understand spending a bit more on something. I used to think it was ridiculous to spend $40 on a sweater, but I now see that if I'm going to get good use out of it for a few seasons, $40 isn't so bad. Will I ever shop at Holt's and spend $200 on a shirt? No. Every splurge has to have its limits. But come over to my house for toast and peanut butter and I promise I'll spare no expense on delighting your taste buds.
My mom has said this to me many times and I don't think I really 'got' it until the last year or so; you should never cheap-out on peanut butter and toothbrushes.
Let's face it: I can be a cheap person. I buy cheap vitamins, cheap cheese, cheap shoes, and I don't think I've ever bought a movie full-price, instead I opt for the previously viewed/discount bins. This isn't to say that I don't spend my money on a nice meal once in a while, it just means that when I buy every-day things, I generally go for lower prices.
But no matter how cheap I may be, I will never cheap-out on peanut butter or toothbrushes. There's something to be said for buying name-brand items that you really love! Kraft trumps No Name any day, and spending that extra buck on a fancier Colgate brush really *does* leave my mouth feeling tinglyclean. Everyone has their own splurges; some can't fathom spending less than $60 on a shirt, while others invest in fancy paper napkins to match the decor. Personally, I think it's great when you can achieve a good balance between being thrifty and splurging on items you will really enjoy. You don't order eggs benny every time you go out for brunch, but once in a blue moon that buttery sauce is totally worth it.
It's only within the last couple years, really, that I can understand spending a bit more on something. I used to think it was ridiculous to spend $40 on a sweater, but I now see that if I'm going to get good use out of it for a few seasons, $40 isn't so bad. Will I ever shop at Holt's and spend $200 on a shirt? No. Every splurge has to have its limits. But come over to my house for toast and peanut butter and I promise I'll spare no expense on delighting your taste buds.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I am a girl
I dyed my hair last week. Black. “Liquorice” to be precise (wow, that’s a hard word to figure out how to spell). To me it was a shocking change, but to others it wasn’t very noticeable at all.
This week, though, EVERYONE sees it. Everyone is complimenting the colour and telling me that it makes my eyes pop. Everyone is telling me it’s great on me and that my other hair colour (my natural one) is nice but a bit “meh”. “This” they say, “is the perfect colour for you”. Thanks Garnier!
When I was a teenager I dyed my hair all sorts of different colours; blue, pink, purple (sometimes all three at the same time) and that auburn colour everyone seems to try once in their lives. Over the past few years I haven’t really been interested in dying my hair at all, although I have become more “in” to makeup.
In high school I wasn’t really big on makeup. I don’t think I wore any, actually, save for my grade 9 “maroon Wet n’ Wild lipstick” experiment that, upon reflection, was horrid. University was much like high school: jeans, hoodies, pony tail. When you go to uni in a small town and all your classes are theatre classes, you don’t really need to dress up/care about how you look. I moved to Toronto, though, and found myself changing. I wanted to look nice. I wanted to wear nice, fitted clothes and a bit of mascara or lip gloss. Slowly but surely I worked my way up to foundation (after a free makeover with the product really made me love it!) and last year I spent $20 on a tube of lipstick.
-- okay, I realize $20 is a shit-load of money to spend on one tube of lipstick, but here’s my justification: I don’t wear a ton of makeup so I don’t buy a ton of makeup…this lipstick will last me forever since I rarely wear it, and I want it to be nice and good quality so that I *do* want to wear it on special occasions. I buy cheap mascara and lip gloss, so it evens out. JUSTIFIED! –-
I wear dresses and skirts, always have some sort of product in my hair, really like the colour pink, get my eyebrows waxed, always throw a bit of mascara on before I go somewhere, am considering getting another box of “Liquorice” dye so I can keep this colour up…in short, I have become a girl. A far, far cry from the hoodies, jeans, XL men’s t-shirts and occasional Chapstick of my youth. And I like it. I like looking nice, and I like that it doesn’t take me more than five minutes to look nice. I don’t obsess over things or spend half an hour on my hair and makeup each morning, and I couldn’t care less what I wear when I’m grabbing a morning walk and coffee on Saturday mornings; I’m pretty easy most of the time.
Most of the time. Sometimes it takes me 45 minutes to decide on a shirt to wear before I go out. I’m hoping this disappears when I finish my ‘50lbs by March’ goal. Skinny girls don’t stress out about what to wear, right?
This week, though, EVERYONE sees it. Everyone is complimenting the colour and telling me that it makes my eyes pop. Everyone is telling me it’s great on me and that my other hair colour (my natural one) is nice but a bit “meh”. “This” they say, “is the perfect colour for you”. Thanks Garnier!
When I was a teenager I dyed my hair all sorts of different colours; blue, pink, purple (sometimes all three at the same time) and that auburn colour everyone seems to try once in their lives. Over the past few years I haven’t really been interested in dying my hair at all, although I have become more “in” to makeup.
In high school I wasn’t really big on makeup. I don’t think I wore any, actually, save for my grade 9 “maroon Wet n’ Wild lipstick” experiment that, upon reflection, was horrid. University was much like high school: jeans, hoodies, pony tail. When you go to uni in a small town and all your classes are theatre classes, you don’t really need to dress up/care about how you look. I moved to Toronto, though, and found myself changing. I wanted to look nice. I wanted to wear nice, fitted clothes and a bit of mascara or lip gloss. Slowly but surely I worked my way up to foundation (after a free makeover with the product really made me love it!) and last year I spent $20 on a tube of lipstick.
-- okay, I realize $20 is a shit-load of money to spend on one tube of lipstick, but here’s my justification: I don’t wear a ton of makeup so I don’t buy a ton of makeup…this lipstick will last me forever since I rarely wear it, and I want it to be nice and good quality so that I *do* want to wear it on special occasions. I buy cheap mascara and lip gloss, so it evens out. JUSTIFIED! –-
I wear dresses and skirts, always have some sort of product in my hair, really like the colour pink, get my eyebrows waxed, always throw a bit of mascara on before I go somewhere, am considering getting another box of “Liquorice” dye so I can keep this colour up…in short, I have become a girl. A far, far cry from the hoodies, jeans, XL men’s t-shirts and occasional Chapstick of my youth. And I like it. I like looking nice, and I like that it doesn’t take me more than five minutes to look nice. I don’t obsess over things or spend half an hour on my hair and makeup each morning, and I couldn’t care less what I wear when I’m grabbing a morning walk and coffee on Saturday mornings; I’m pretty easy most of the time.
Most of the time. Sometimes it takes me 45 minutes to decide on a shirt to wear before I go out. I’m hoping this disappears when I finish my ‘50lbs by March’ goal. Skinny girls don’t stress out about what to wear, right?
Monday, September 21, 2009
i read teh lolcats n u read teh lolcats
I tend to check a few websites a few times a day; mental_floss, digg, awkward family photos and, as ashamed as I am to admit it, LOLcats.
Can you imagine an adult speaking and typing like this? It's pathetic! And sitting there watching the threads, commenting on every comment and every post, participating in fake "tea parties" that appear to happen in these comment threads and saying things like "ohhai kthx bai"...it makes me feel a little said for them.
When I first heard about LOLcats, I thought it was the stupidest thing ever. The pictures were cute, sure, but the language and captions were beyond stupid. Eventually, though, I grew to enjoy it and even "lol" every now and then.
The thing I can't stand, though, is reading the comments. Have you ever tried to read the comments under a lolcat picture? They're dumb. They're beyond dumb. Here are a few examples from this picture:
"Jus rememburr, teh camera awais addz 10 powndz!"
"moar snuggle mateeriawl – alwayz gud!"
"Him’s moar dan floofee!"
And my favourite:
"I had a kitty dat lukkt like dis deh last few munfz uv her life…shii had ben a svelte and helthy kitty until shii developed congestive hart failure at deh ripe old age uv 16… den shii started retaining fluid in hur trunk… I tooke hur tu deh vet mennee timez in doze last munfz. shii wuz putted on Lazik and had tu haz hur tummee “drained” neerly ebry week. Finally, wen shii and I kuld stand it no longer, I had hur put down. And yes, I cryed and cryed.
But it wuz not animal abuse dat maked hur luk like dat….. Yoo shud not judge wen u duz not noez deh truth uv deh situation."
But it wuz not animal abuse dat maked hur luk like dat….. Yoo shud not judge wen u duz not noez deh truth uv deh situation."
Yep, this person is talking about their beloved cat dying from congestive heart failure and using words like "maked", "munfz" and "shii". Classy.
The worst -WORST- part about all this, is that these probably aren't 12 year old girls typing these things. These are adults. Full-grown, presumably social and stable adults, typing this way and talking in this language. I've tried writing in "LOLspeak" and it drives me insane - it's so much more difficult than just using plain old English.
Can you imagine an adult speaking and typing like this? It's pathetic! And sitting there watching the threads, commenting on every comment and every post, participating in fake "tea parties" that appear to happen in these comment threads and saying things like "ohhai kthx bai"...it makes me feel a little said for them.
ok thx fur readin i go nao kbaiLOL
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Stag & Doe
I haven't been involved in many weddings yet. Being young, not too many of my friends have tied the knot (though I'm sure this will change in the next few years) so I'm not very 'in the know' about weddings.
Until a year ago I had never heard of a 'Stag & Doe' party. In my mind a couple had a bachelorette/bachelor party and then the wedding. That's it. C'est tout. Two parties.
Apparently not. Apparently the big thing these days is having a Stag & Doe party. I think they're greedy and ridiculous.
A Stag & Doe (also known as a 'Social', a 'Jack & Jill' or a 'Buck & Doe') is a party that the engaged couple throw to try and raise money for their wedding. Guests buy tickets to the party where there will usually be a raffle, contests, prizes and a cash bar, with all proceeds go towards funding the wedding. Guests can make straight-up donations, too, if they're so inclined.
If this was the only party happening then I really wouldn't have a problem with it. I could celebrate and give them something once, then be done with it! This isn't the case, though! Nope, there are more parties that could go down. It seems the routine goes as such:
- Stag & Doe (give us money!)
- Bridal Shower (give me gifts/money!)
- Bachelorette/Bachelor Party (pay for my drinks and stuff!)
- Wedding (buy us presents or just give us straight-up money!)
Now listen...I know I can be cheap sometimes, but I think this is just too much. If a couple expects their guests to shell out money at every one of these parties, then they're really big assholes. Yes, I'll buy you a present at your wedding and sure I'll get you a few shots at your bachelor party...but if you're expecting me to put down $400 to start your life together, you've got another thing coming to you. It's atrocious and I'm poor.
I think perhaps a better option would be to hold a Stag & Doe but ask your guests to not purchase gifts for the actual wedding. That way people don't get resentful and you will have some more money to spend on your big day. Plus: not everyone will be able to make it to the fundraiser party, so you'll still have a few gifts to open when it's all said and done. Everybody wins!
Weddings can be expensive - I understand this - but making your friends pay for it AND expecting a gift is just a little bit too much.
Until a year ago I had never heard of a 'Stag & Doe' party. In my mind a couple had a bachelorette/bachelor party and then the wedding. That's it. C'est tout. Two parties.
Apparently not. Apparently the big thing these days is having a Stag & Doe party. I think they're greedy and ridiculous.
A Stag & Doe (also known as a 'Social', a 'Jack & Jill' or a 'Buck & Doe') is a party that the engaged couple throw to try and raise money for their wedding. Guests buy tickets to the party where there will usually be a raffle, contests, prizes and a cash bar, with all proceeds go towards funding the wedding. Guests can make straight-up donations, too, if they're so inclined.
If this was the only party happening then I really wouldn't have a problem with it. I could celebrate and give them something once, then be done with it! This isn't the case, though! Nope, there are more parties that could go down. It seems the routine goes as such:
- Stag & Doe (give us money!)
- Bridal Shower (give me gifts/money!)
- Bachelorette/Bachelor Party (pay for my drinks and stuff!)
- Wedding (buy us presents or just give us straight-up money!)
Now listen...I know I can be cheap sometimes, but I think this is just too much. If a couple expects their guests to shell out money at every one of these parties, then they're really big assholes. Yes, I'll buy you a present at your wedding and sure I'll get you a few shots at your bachelor party...but if you're expecting me to put down $400 to start your life together, you've got another thing coming to you. It's atrocious and I'm poor.
I think perhaps a better option would be to hold a Stag & Doe but ask your guests to not purchase gifts for the actual wedding. That way people don't get resentful and you will have some more money to spend on your big day. Plus: not everyone will be able to make it to the fundraiser party, so you'll still have a few gifts to open when it's all said and done. Everybody wins!
Weddings can be expensive - I understand this - but making your friends pay for it AND expecting a gift is just a little bit too much.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Free Nudist Magazines
Craigslist is great.
I have found jobs through it, books, friends, first dates, rides and countless hours of entertainment. The Personals are always good for a laugh, the For Sale section is always good for a bargain, and every now and then the Free section really blows my mind. Usually the Free section is filled with couches, tables, dirt and wood, though sometimes you find great ads with great crap. Take this ad for example – free nudist magazines.
What kind of content do nudist magazines have? A lot of ads for nude cruises and resorts? The latest nudist trends? Best nudist hotspots? Hats? Sunscreen? Lysol? A lot of “Why I Choose to Nude” stories?
Part of me wants to pick these magazines up and have a look into this culture. Part of me doesn’t want to feel like a pervert. A huge part of me doesn’t want a naked old man coming to the door to pass them along to me. No thanks.
If you were going to write an article for a nudist magazine, what would you write?
I have found jobs through it, books, friends, first dates, rides and countless hours of entertainment. The Personals are always good for a laugh, the For Sale section is always good for a bargain, and every now and then the Free section really blows my mind. Usually the Free section is filled with couches, tables, dirt and wood, though sometimes you find great ads with great crap. Take this ad for example – free nudist magazines.
What kind of content do nudist magazines have? A lot of ads for nude cruises and resorts? The latest nudist trends? Best nudist hotspots? Hats? Sunscreen? Lysol? A lot of “Why I Choose to Nude” stories?
Part of me wants to pick these magazines up and have a look into this culture. Part of me doesn’t want to feel like a pervert. A huge part of me doesn’t want a naked old man coming to the door to pass them along to me. No thanks.
If you were going to write an article for a nudist magazine, what would you write?
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