Sunday, April 14, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
We Are Everywhere!
No not really. I made a tiny edit to the caption.
Remember, Friday the 13th falls on a Saturday this month (see below).
Remember, Friday the 13th falls on a Saturday this month (see below).
Friday, April 12, 2013
Veet Veet!
I think I covered all of the choices for hair removal except depilitories.
Finishing the "choice" portion of these posts, there are several types of depilatories within each brand. Safe for hair there. Better for this type of hair. Creamy, quicker, better ~ pick two. There are a variety for in shower, for lotions, waxes, creams.
I don't like the idea of depilatories. There are too many warnings on the bottle and too many rules for "safe" hair removal. Don't use on (insert hairy body parts here), wash hands immediately, don't leave on too long, don't use if you have a cut or scab, don't use twice within 72 hours.... I have drain cleaner with fewer warnings.
I'd never use them at all, except they sort of work. I've been switching between Nair and Sally Hansen removers. Both are "3 minute, not more than 6, definitely not more than 10! Warning! Danger! 10 minutes is it! We're not kidding!"
Actually, they're not. One of my first times, I got a bit on a spot where I didn't expect it and wasn't looking for it. It stayed for maybe 20 minutes and it decided to let me know it was there by burning my skin.
Another time, I got a bit on my nipple and was in pain for several days.
So I don't like depilatories. But I keep going back to them. Sometimes, it seems the hair grows back faster after use, or it re-appears the next day ~ it's probably just a cycle thing I don't understand. Sometimes it seems that, even though I tried my best to follow the directions, I have a hairy patch when I'm done.
I always try to leave it on for the maximum time. I don't "check after 3 minutes" as the label suggests. I've tried shorter times and it doesn't work.
Both Nair and Sally Hansen are similar products. Both tell you to use a thick layer of cream. Both come in hard-to-empty bottles. You know: the type you squeeze and it coughs and sputters and sprays Deadly Nair Particles all around the bathroom. Being hard to get out of the bottle means a lot of (expensive) waste and a lot of time putting the product on which means by the time I've done (say) one arm, two minutes have passed and by the time I do the second, the first has already had cream on it for four minutes and the end of the second arm has just begun to bake so when do I remove what from where?
Hint 1: When I'm doing my arms/hands it's tough to wash the product off my palms after applying it. So I wipe my palms on my belly. I don't normally remove tummy hair and if the hair comes off or not, I don't care.
Hint 2: To speed up application, I squirt a mound of product onto a sheet of foil. I can quickly gather it up and apply it without handling farting bottles while the clock is running.
A while back, I bought a bottle of Veet. It came with a spatula for removing the product (which is weird). Other products suggest using a washcloth and not rubbing (!! more warnings !!).
It also comes in a pump bottle, like hand lotion.
I tried it this week. So far, I like it. It came out smoothly and applied the same way. Instead of working in bits because it takes so long to apply, I did three areas in one application: arms, underarms, chest. I applied it to my chest first because it has the coarsest hair. I then applied it to my hands and arms, then underarms (which have the most sensitive skin). I removed it in reverse order.
My underarms have never been so smooth. My chest came out pretty good. My arms were hairless, although I could the black dots reappearing the next day.
I finished the Nair and Sally Hanson I had in the house. On my next trip to the drug store, I'll be buying more Veet.
Finishing the "choice" portion of these posts, there are several types of depilatories within each brand. Safe for hair there. Better for this type of hair. Creamy, quicker, better ~ pick two. There are a variety for in shower, for lotions, waxes, creams.
I don't like the idea of depilatories. There are too many warnings on the bottle and too many rules for "safe" hair removal. Don't use on (insert hairy body parts here), wash hands immediately, don't leave on too long, don't use if you have a cut or scab, don't use twice within 72 hours.... I have drain cleaner with fewer warnings.
I'd never use them at all, except they sort of work. I've been switching between Nair and Sally Hansen removers. Both are "3 minute, not more than 6, definitely not more than 10! Warning! Danger! 10 minutes is it! We're not kidding!"
Actually, they're not. One of my first times, I got a bit on a spot where I didn't expect it and wasn't looking for it. It stayed for maybe 20 minutes and it decided to let me know it was there by burning my skin.
Another time, I got a bit on my nipple and was in pain for several days.
So I don't like depilatories. But I keep going back to them. Sometimes, it seems the hair grows back faster after use, or it re-appears the next day ~ it's probably just a cycle thing I don't understand. Sometimes it seems that, even though I tried my best to follow the directions, I have a hairy patch when I'm done.
I always try to leave it on for the maximum time. I don't "check after 3 minutes" as the label suggests. I've tried shorter times and it doesn't work.
Both Nair and Sally Hansen are similar products. Both tell you to use a thick layer of cream. Both come in hard-to-empty bottles. You know: the type you squeeze and it coughs and sputters and sprays Deadly Nair Particles all around the bathroom. Being hard to get out of the bottle means a lot of (expensive) waste and a lot of time putting the product on which means by the time I've done (say) one arm, two minutes have passed and by the time I do the second, the first has already had cream on it for four minutes and the end of the second arm has just begun to bake so when do I remove what from where?
Hint 1: When I'm doing my arms/hands it's tough to wash the product off my palms after applying it. So I wipe my palms on my belly. I don't normally remove tummy hair and if the hair comes off or not, I don't care.
Hint 2: To speed up application, I squirt a mound of product onto a sheet of foil. I can quickly gather it up and apply it without handling farting bottles while the clock is running.
A while back, I bought a bottle of Veet. It came with a spatula for removing the product (which is weird). Other products suggest using a washcloth and not rubbing (!! more warnings !!).
It also comes in a pump bottle, like hand lotion.
I tried it this week. So far, I like it. It came out smoothly and applied the same way. Instead of working in bits because it takes so long to apply, I did three areas in one application: arms, underarms, chest. I applied it to my chest first because it has the coarsest hair. I then applied it to my hands and arms, then underarms (which have the most sensitive skin). I removed it in reverse order.
My underarms have never been so smooth. My chest came out pretty good. My arms were hairless, although I could the black dots reappearing the next day.
I finished the Nair and Sally Hanson I had in the house. On my next trip to the drug store, I'll be buying more Veet.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Choices
When it comes to consumer products, men have generally limited choices. There are more choices when it comes to personal grooming, but they follow a narrow path of small choices differentiated by brands.
Hair removal, for most civilian males, involves a simple choice: electric shaver or hand razor. Electric shaver devolves into brand choices; there are differences that googling "best" will resolve.
Manual shavers offer small choices ~ number of blades, mostly. Shaving cream is more preference than choice: do you prefer a cream or gel (that becomes a cream) or just soap. From there, you've reached the brand level.
You see where this is going.
Women's choices are on a longer decision tree.
Start with "what hair are you looking to remove?" Facial, underarm, leg, bikini area, brows, areas where There Should Be No Hair?
(I include brows because I recently uncovered the existence tiny razors for brow grooming).
Men's choice: shave.
Women's choice: shave, pluck, epilate, depilitate, wax. I'm assuming the choice has already been made to skip laser or electrolysis (which always reminds me of middle school science where you separate water and watch the oxygen flare and the hydrogen pop).
Most of us are not women. For some that's a "not yet" condition. But we're now confronted with the women's choices, simply because hair removal is essential. A woman from, say, the middle east might have visible dark hair on her arms and she might choose to leave it there. We blend better if we're more in the mainstream which means more femme, less gorilla.
I would like to find a permanent solution to facial hair that won't break the bank. In the meantime, it's a daily (or at least weekly) battle.
Mostly, I shave. I use a combination of hand and electric razor. I've tried "specialty" groomers but not found them satisfactory. I've discovered areas where electric should be avoided at all costs: underarms, chest near underarms, inside elbows, behind knees... the skin in these areas will cut and bleed, get abrased, or otherwise look horrible and cause pain, neither of which are my goals.
Before I go out, I shave my face and neck with an electric. Then I shower and feel for any facial roughness and go over those areas with a hand razor. For me, I cannot get as close in some areas (above lip) with a hand razor as with an electric, and I can't get as close in other areas (below ear) with an electric as a hand razor.
Legs and arms, I can go either way, avoiding the sensitive areas with the electric.
Underarms are difficult for me. Unless I'm diligent, the hair grows too long for a hand razor and the skin won't ever tolerate my electric (even just trimming).
Feet and hands are mostly electric territory. My toes especially will get cut easily with a hand razor.
I do pluck sometimes. Stray hairs, brows, fingers sometimes. I don't pluck much. I have learned that a good tweezer does make a difference. Someday, I'll buy one instead of the crappy one I have now.
I've tried epilating. I've written about my experiences before. Here's my bottom line: I'm done with epilating. It hurts (not for long, but it hurts). It doesn't do as thorough a job as I'd like. And, for some reason, the epilated parts itch like mad. I mean insane itching to the point where my scratching will leave cuts in my skin. If I was a dog, I'd be wearing one of those collars after epilating. For the record, growing hair after shaving or otherwise eliminating it does not itch.
I've been waxed. I've had my arms, legs, back, brows, and neck waxed. Although the harshest, fastest-growing hair is on my chest and stomach, I do not want to have my chest waxed. I have heard it is just about the most painful there is. I bought a home wax kit but I could never bring myself to cause that much pain to myself and never used it.
I've depilated on-and-off. More on this tomorrow. For now, I'm just wondering why I want to write "depilitated" instead of "depilated."
Hair removal, for most civilian males, involves a simple choice: electric shaver or hand razor. Electric shaver devolves into brand choices; there are differences that googling "best" will resolve.
Manual shavers offer small choices ~ number of blades, mostly. Shaving cream is more preference than choice: do you prefer a cream or gel (that becomes a cream) or just soap. From there, you've reached the brand level.
You see where this is going.
Women's choices are on a longer decision tree.
Start with "what hair are you looking to remove?" Facial, underarm, leg, bikini area, brows, areas where There Should Be No Hair?
(I include brows because I recently uncovered the existence tiny razors for brow grooming).
Men's choice: shave.
Women's choice: shave, pluck, epilate, depilitate, wax. I'm assuming the choice has already been made to skip laser or electrolysis (which always reminds me of middle school science where you separate water and watch the oxygen flare and the hydrogen pop).
Most of us are not women. For some that's a "not yet" condition. But we're now confronted with the women's choices, simply because hair removal is essential. A woman from, say, the middle east might have visible dark hair on her arms and she might choose to leave it there. We blend better if we're more in the mainstream which means more femme, less gorilla.
I would like to find a permanent solution to facial hair that won't break the bank. In the meantime, it's a daily (or at least weekly) battle.
Mostly, I shave. I use a combination of hand and electric razor. I've tried "specialty" groomers but not found them satisfactory. I've discovered areas where electric should be avoided at all costs: underarms, chest near underarms, inside elbows, behind knees... the skin in these areas will cut and bleed, get abrased, or otherwise look horrible and cause pain, neither of which are my goals.
Before I go out, I shave my face and neck with an electric. Then I shower and feel for any facial roughness and go over those areas with a hand razor. For me, I cannot get as close in some areas (above lip) with a hand razor as with an electric, and I can't get as close in other areas (below ear) with an electric as a hand razor.
Legs and arms, I can go either way, avoiding the sensitive areas with the electric.
Underarms are difficult for me. Unless I'm diligent, the hair grows too long for a hand razor and the skin won't ever tolerate my electric (even just trimming).
Feet and hands are mostly electric territory. My toes especially will get cut easily with a hand razor.
I do pluck sometimes. Stray hairs, brows, fingers sometimes. I don't pluck much. I have learned that a good tweezer does make a difference. Someday, I'll buy one instead of the crappy one I have now.
I've tried epilating. I've written about my experiences before. Here's my bottom line: I'm done with epilating. It hurts (not for long, but it hurts). It doesn't do as thorough a job as I'd like. And, for some reason, the epilated parts itch like mad. I mean insane itching to the point where my scratching will leave cuts in my skin. If I was a dog, I'd be wearing one of those collars after epilating. For the record, growing hair after shaving or otherwise eliminating it does not itch.
I've been waxed. I've had my arms, legs, back, brows, and neck waxed. Although the harshest, fastest-growing hair is on my chest and stomach, I do not want to have my chest waxed. I have heard it is just about the most painful there is. I bought a home wax kit but I could never bring myself to cause that much pain to myself and never used it.
I've depilated on-and-off. More on this tomorrow. For now, I'm just wondering why I want to write "depilitated" instead of "depilated."
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Simple Pleasure ~ Gang Aft Agley
Or A Simple Pleasure Spoilt
I can dress as I wish around the house. Last weekend was tax weekend, meaning I was staying put. As I wrote, even though I was pretty much housebound I was going to dress as I wish. I liked Paula's suggestion (since I was doing "office work" a suit might be in order).
Sunday, I was on my own. To start, I put on a wool dress to keep me warm until I got down to work. I had breakfast and decided to do laundry. The machine did the usual routine of filling up and then decided that it would rather make loud noises than agitate. I supposed it finally learned that, instead of agitating itself, it could keep the tub from moving, make enough noise to keep anything else useful from occurring within a ten-block radius, and agitate ME instead.
So before I could do anything else, I had to organise the wet and soapy clothes, clean the laundry items out of the laundry closet, change into full drab and see about getting maintenance to fix the machine. Even though they don't normally work ion Sunday, I was told that, if someone came in, the office lady would send him up.
It seems "best laid plans" is a recurring theme in my life.
I can dress as I wish around the house. Last weekend was tax weekend, meaning I was staying put. As I wrote, even though I was pretty much housebound I was going to dress as I wish. I liked Paula's suggestion (since I was doing "office work" a suit might be in order).
Sunday, I was on my own. To start, I put on a wool dress to keep me warm until I got down to work. I had breakfast and decided to do laundry. The machine did the usual routine of filling up and then decided that it would rather make loud noises than agitate. I supposed it finally learned that, instead of agitating itself, it could keep the tub from moving, make enough noise to keep anything else useful from occurring within a ten-block radius, and agitate ME instead.
So before I could do anything else, I had to organise the wet and soapy clothes, clean the laundry items out of the laundry closet, change into full drab and see about getting maintenance to fix the machine. Even though they don't normally work ion Sunday, I was told that, if someone came in, the office lady would send him up.
It seems "best laid plans" is a recurring theme in my life.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Give My Regards...
In 2005, a British comedy called "Kinky Boots" was released. IMDB's thumbnail:
A drag queen comes to the rescue of a man who, after inheriting his father's shoe factory, needs to
diversify his product if he wants to
keep the business afloat.
It's one of those films that goes on and off my radar. I have long had a love/hate relationship with comic drag. I'm still not sure how I feel.
I was reminded about the film when I read a WaPo review of the new broadway musical version of Kinky Boots.
The article headline didn't mention the play name but it read On Broadway, Lauper just wants to have irresistible fun.
Cyndi Lauper? Who else could it be?
It seems she wrote the music and lyrics. The review was good. An AP article was pretty approving as well. The AP review begins:
On Broadway these days, there are your typical witches, princesses and crooners. What we’ve been missing is something colorful, something brash, safe and yet a little naughty. What we’ve been missing is, of course, drag queens.
Then thank goodness for songwriter Cyndi Lauper, playwright Harvey Fierstein and the seven fierce drag queens led by a fabulous Billy Porter in the new musical “Kinky Boots.”
I think I have to save my shekels for my next trip to New York.
Lots of shekels. Decent tickets are almost 500 shekels. The cheap seats are over 200. Don't bother converting: $137 for most seats, $57 for mezzanine nosebleed seats. Add $100 for Saturday and Sunday.
sigh
A drag queen comes to the rescue of a man who, after inheriting his father's shoe factory, needs to
It's one of those films that goes on and off my radar. I have long had a love/hate relationship with comic drag. I'm still not sure how I feel.
I was reminded about the film when I read a WaPo review of the new broadway musical version of Kinky Boots.
The article headline didn't mention the play name but it read On Broadway, Lauper just wants to have irresistible fun.
Cyndi Lauper? Who else could it be?
It seems she wrote the music and lyrics. The review was good. An AP article was pretty approving as well. The AP review begins:
On Broadway these days, there are your typical witches, princesses and crooners. What we’ve been missing is something colorful, something brash, safe and yet a little naughty. What we’ve been missing is, of course, drag queens.
Then thank goodness for songwriter Cyndi Lauper, playwright Harvey Fierstein and the seven fierce drag queens led by a fabulous Billy Porter in the new musical “Kinky Boots.”
I think I have to save my shekels for my next trip to New York.
Lots of shekels. Decent tickets are almost 500 shekels. The cheap seats are over 200. Don't bother converting: $137 for most seats, $57 for mezzanine nosebleed seats. Add $100 for Saturday and Sunday.
sigh
Monday, April 8, 2013
38, Si. C, No. (Part II)
So I pushed a little bit.
Monday, I wore my purple shirt and black pants. Under the black pants were tights that are close in colour to the shirt (I'm always amazed at how many purples there are). Under the shirt I wore a nearly-red lacy thin strap cami. The cami is shaped enough that it would sag without a bust underneath. "Nearly-red:" to me, it seemed a tad purple; Charity said it was on the pink side of the spectrum.
Under the cami I wore the dark blue bra.
It showed a bit. If I tried, it showed a bit more. Even under the best of circumstances, the left side showed a bit because I keep my badge in my pocket. The badge is in a hard plastic holder hanging from a lanyard, and it didn't lie flat in the pocket.
I didn't care. It was a tiny tell and I think most people don't see what they don't expect.
I definitely enjoyed it more than I cared about people noticing it.
Tuesday, I wore a salmon cami sandwiched between the same bra and a grey shirt. Both the purple shirt and the grey one are fairly new and quite opaque. The pocket on the grey shirt is a bit roomier and the badge doesn't stick out so much. I added solid grey tights to my outfit.
Wednesday, with my forest green tights, I tried a very lacy white cami (over the bra, of course) under a green shirt. The shirt showed the lace so I switched to a plainer spaghetti strap green cami. I don't normally wear this one because it has something I don't know the name of: it has a second layer inside, with a wide elastic band on the bottom ~ kind of like a built-in sports bra. The elastic is uncomfortable when worn just as a cami but I thought I'd try it with a bra. Note: it's not much more comfortable with a bra underneath. The cami shows a bit, but not enough to worry me. The bra is fine.
Thursday I wore my darker pink shirt with lighter purple tights (I didn't have a matching deep pink) and a purple stretchy camisole. Over the bra, of course. All is good.
And then laundering was in order.
One odd thing about the bra: I checked the size. It claims to be a 38C. I think if I put my pads in there and closed the catch they would squirt out the top. I don't have smaller pads to see if they'd work, but I can't see that ever fitting a 38C without squeezing the girls so much your cleavage would make you look like you had a cleft chin.
Now, I need to see if I can find another bra or two like it. I remember where I got it: it was a long time ago, on Canal Street in Manhattan at one of those stores in Chinatown where they keep bins of goods on the street. I can't remember how I found the courage to even look in the bin, much less buy it.
And now I need to see what I can get away with, as far as shirts and camis go.
Monday, I wore my purple shirt and black pants. Under the black pants were tights that are close in colour to the shirt (I'm always amazed at how many purples there are). Under the shirt I wore a nearly-red lacy thin strap cami. The cami is shaped enough that it would sag without a bust underneath. "Nearly-red:" to me, it seemed a tad purple; Charity said it was on the pink side of the spectrum.
Under the cami I wore the dark blue bra.
It showed a bit. If I tried, it showed a bit more. Even under the best of circumstances, the left side showed a bit because I keep my badge in my pocket. The badge is in a hard plastic holder hanging from a lanyard, and it didn't lie flat in the pocket.
I didn't care. It was a tiny tell and I think most people don't see what they don't expect.
I definitely enjoyed it more than I cared about people noticing it.
Tuesday, I wore a salmon cami sandwiched between the same bra and a grey shirt. Both the purple shirt and the grey one are fairly new and quite opaque. The pocket on the grey shirt is a bit roomier and the badge doesn't stick out so much. I added solid grey tights to my outfit.
Wednesday, with my forest green tights, I tried a very lacy white cami (over the bra, of course) under a green shirt. The shirt showed the lace so I switched to a plainer spaghetti strap green cami. I don't normally wear this one because it has something I don't know the name of: it has a second layer inside, with a wide elastic band on the bottom ~ kind of like a built-in sports bra. The elastic is uncomfortable when worn just as a cami but I thought I'd try it with a bra. Note: it's not much more comfortable with a bra underneath. The cami shows a bit, but not enough to worry me. The bra is fine.
Thursday I wore my darker pink shirt with lighter purple tights (I didn't have a matching deep pink) and a purple stretchy camisole. Over the bra, of course. All is good.
And then laundering was in order.
One odd thing about the bra: I checked the size. It claims to be a 38C. I think if I put my pads in there and closed the catch they would squirt out the top. I don't have smaller pads to see if they'd work, but I can't see that ever fitting a 38C without squeezing the girls so much your cleavage would make you look like you had a cleft chin.
Now, I need to see if I can find another bra or two like it. I remember where I got it: it was a long time ago, on Canal Street in Manhattan at one of those stores in Chinatown where they keep bins of goods on the street. I can't remember how I found the courage to even look in the bin, much less buy it.
And now I need to see what I can get away with, as far as shirts and camis go.
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