BIC Soleil Glow BzzCampaign

 

 

A few days ago I received a new BzzKit in the mail. This one is for the new BIC Soleil Glow razors. In the box was a three (3) pack of BIC Soleil Glow Razors and ten (10) Coupons to share with friends and family. Last night I decided to try them out and see what I thought.

BIC Soleil Glow Razors and 10 Coupons

I decided to use the BIC Soleil Glow on my right leg and a Gillette Simply Venus Disposable on my left. I bought myself a big pack (16 I believe) of the Gillette when we made a trip to Sam’s Club and have been slowly working my way through them. I like them well enough and wanted to see how these new ones from BIC compare.

Left is Gillette Simply Venus and Right in BIC Soleil Glow

Both of these razors have 3 blades, a moisture or lubricating strip, and a strip of ‘fins’ that are supposed to help reduce nicks and cuts. Both of these razors also have a pivoting head to help get around off of the curves in your legs. They also have some kind of grip to make the razor easier to hold on to while shaving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My over all thoughts are that the Gillette Simply Venus does a better job. I noticed after shaving that my right leg still felt a little prickly, which my left leg felt smooth as normal. I feel like all the plastic around the head of the BIC Soleil Glow keeps the blades from getting as close as they possibly could. All of that plastic did seem to help the razor pivot around the curves of my knee and ankle better than the Venus does.  I have no preference when it comes to the grips or the moisture strips.

I would probably recommend this razor to someone that is just starting out in the world of shaving. I say this because all that plastic keeps the blades from getting too close and helps prevent kicks and cuts, but they could still get the hang of the process. For those of us that like a closer, smoother shave I suggest you try something else.

New BzzAgent Kit

I am loving being a BzzAgent. Yesterday I got my second BzzKit in the mail. This one contained the new Tone Skincare body wash. I used this in the shower today and was surprised at how soft my skin felt when I first stepped out. Now it is several hours later and my skin is still feeling soft.

This particular scent, Petal Soft with Pink Peony and Rose Oil, smells floral as the name implies. It also smells slightly sweet to me. I liked the scent more when I was in the shower than I did just smelling it from the bottle. I think the shower helps to dilute the sweetness that it has, allowing the floral notes to shine more. I can still smell a bit of a rose scent on my skin, but it isn’t strong. I feel like the lingering scent could easily be covered by a strong lotion, body spray, or perfume.

My skin seems like this so far. I haven’t felt any itching or noticed any rash since using this. I have used Tone products in the past without any issues and loved them.

Here are some of the other body washes Tone Skincare:

• Ocean Therapy with Deep Sea Extracts and Pearl Essence (New scent)
• Moisturizing with Cocoa Butter
• Daily Detox with White Clay and Pink Jasmine
• Fruit Peel with Alpha-Hydroxy Fruit Acids

So far I would recommend this product to friends and family.

Have you used Tone Skincare products? What did you think of them?

Staying motivated

Here is a list of things I have done to help me stay motivated so that I can achieve the goals I have set for myself this year.

1. Talk about my progress and failures. I tend to talk to friends, family, and co-workers about my goals and what I plan to do to achieve them. Along with that I talk about what I have done so far and whether or not I have made progress. Some people care, some don’t. At least I am talking about it.
2. Get others involved.  Recently I have noticed I have been having a hard time keeping up with the exercising that I set out to do. I took notice of this and have asked for some help from friends and family. I have asked that they ask me about my routine from time to time so that I am help accountable. My sister will probably even join me on this exercise journey even though she is 4,000 miles away. Having someone else to talk to when you are likely experiencing the same things is critical.
3. Write it down. I have taken to writing in my planner. I write a to do list some days and others I just write what I accomplished after the day is done.It helps me to feel like I accomplished more than I thought when I do this. I am trying to remember to write everyday, some days just slip by.
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Stuff happens, things get edited out of your day to make room for more important things. It is not a big deal. Just pick up where you left off the next day and try to stick to the schedule you set yourself.
5. Treat yourself. Sometimes we all need a little something extra to keep going. Set a goal for the week of month and if you succeed treat yourself. Go out to eat, buy yourself something you have been wanting for a while, or just take a day off and relax.

New year, new attitude, new me.

I have never been one to make resolutions for the new year. I have always felt the if you want to make a change in your life that you should just make it and not wait for a specific time of year to start. This being said, I have sort of made some resolutions for the year. I like the time frame of a year to meet these goals, it just so happens that the motivation to change things hit me around the beginning of the new year.

First, I would like to get fit. Notice I did not say lose weight. I am in no way unhappy with the number on the scale, but if I lose a few pounds in the process I will not be upset. I mostly just want to get moving more and tone my body. At the moment my fitness level is minimal. I work retail, so I get a lot of walking in on the days that I work (minimum of 4 hours a day for 4 or more days a week). On top of the walking I have started doing some beginner Pilates and yoga. I chose these because of the ability to gain some flexibility and the stretching that comes along with them always feels nice. Another thing that I would like to start this year is running. This activity will wait until I am feeling a bit more fit and the nicer weather that comes with summer in Alaska. Running will be especially challenging for me since I have asthma and a messed up knee, but I will do what I can and listen to my body.

Next I would like to work on my sleep schedule. There has already been some improvement. In the past week I have been asleep before 3AM more often than after 6AM. My goal is to be asleep by 1AM every night and wake by 9AM. Currently I am waking anywhere between 10AM and Noon, which is much better than my previous 2PM wake time. I would like to get to the point where  it is just something that my body does naturally and I no longer need an alarm clock.

Another thing that I would like to work on this year is being more independent. I have social anxiety. Large crowds, too much noise, even the thought of crossing the street freak me out. I want to really push myself to do some things on my own. In the past year I can only remember a few times that I have left my house without Matt being there. Part of this if me not being comfortable driving his car, but there have been times that I wouldn’t even go to the bank across the street by myself. I know this is all foreign to him and he doesn’t really understand it. It is a lot for him to take on and put up with. I no longer want anxiety to be a large part of my life like it has been in the past.

Part of all of this is having a new attitude towards life in general. I don’t want to sit around and just exist, I want to LIVE. I want to enjoy every day that is given to me and be a happier, nicer person.

What are you doing to better yourself this year? Have you made a progress?

What do I do about my credit score?!

Every year for the past few years I have done my free annual credit check, looked it over, and then not thought about it again until it was time to do it again. This year, after looking over my credit report, I have decided to do something about my score. I know that I have a couple things that are in collection and my mounds of student loans, but where do I begin?

I have been paying back my student loans since about June of 2012 and I have not missed a payment. I know that this shows as good on my credit report. At the moment I cannot pay much more than the minimum, but would paying more be beneficial on my credit report? 

Another thing I have been considering to help build my credit is getting a credit card. I have done some research and have found that there are secured credit lines available for those that cannot get approved for unsecured lines of credit. At this point I am still a bit confused about which option would be better. I feel as though I can read as many articles as I want and I still won’t have enough information to suit me. 

Some questions I have:

1. Are secured or unsecured lines of credit best for increasing your score?
2. What cards or companies have the most recommendations and best customer service?
3. Should I be paying off student loans faster?
4. Is it best to leave the two accounts in collection or pay them off?

I am going to continue talking to people around me and searching for information. If you have answers to any of my questions or any suggestions based on things that worked for you please feel free to leave a comment. 

Getting organized and on a schedule

Lately I have been wanting to develop a regular routine and sleeping schedule. I have a horrible time falling asleep as well as staying asleep. I have used melatonin in the past and it works for me. I have been trying to remember to take it by midnight so that I can get a full nights sleep and actually get something accomplished through the day before I go to work in the evening. The key is remembering to take it. Most nights I don’t even think about it until I am already having issues sleeping. By that time I feel like it is much to late (usually 2 or 3 a.m.) to take it and get up at a decent time. Last night the first change occurred. The melatonin was moved into the bedroom, next me. Today I set an alarm for 1 a.m. to remind me to take it. My goal is to eventually be getting up around 9 a.m. to get things done around the apartment and enjoy my days off.  I chose 1 a.m. because I currently get out of work around 11:30, but with the holidays approaching the store that I work at will me staying open until midnight and I won’t be leaving any earlier than 12:30 a.m. Please feel free to share any tips on getting onto a better sleep schedule in the comments.

I have posted before that I am wanting to open an Esty shop where I will sell handmade cards. Part of me getting to the point of actually opening the shop is to get some cards made to send out to family and friends for the holidays to gain some feedback. I have been working on these cards, but I feel that I need to get on a more regular schedule with making them. In order to do this I am planning on buying a planner or life organizer to use daily to keep on track. I have looked into several different planner options, some more expensive than others. I am currently thinking about trying to make my own, using the various things that I like about each system. I definitely do not want to spend money on something and end up hating it. If any one has any suggestions on systems that work for you and how you got started with it I would greatly appreciate the input.

 

Quick update

I would like to start off with an apology for the long period of time without a post. Honestly it was mostly due to laziness and partially due to nothing exciting happening.  We have gone to Denali and I will have a post on that (if I don’t already) soon. It has been about a month since we made the trip down.

A more recent thing that I found exciting was finding a Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter on Craigslist for $50. I was very excited about this because I have been wanting to get back into making cards. I am now toying with the idea of an etsy shop. I do not feel I am ready to actually open one yet. I need to play around with some different designs and get stocked up some first.

Part of getting ready for the etsy shop will be setting up a proper crafting area in our apartment. I currently do not have a space set aside for it, which means taking everything out and setting it up before I start every time. I am quickly becoming annoyed with this because I am finding that I am spending more time setting up than I am crafting and making cards. Hopefully I can get the area set up in the next couple of days so I can actually get started on making some cards more regularly.

Have you bought anything off of etsy? Are homemade greeting cards and note cards something that anyone would be interested in? Let me know in the comments.

Red Green Regatta 2013

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The Red Green Regatta is the last big event of the annual Golden Days celebration held in Fairbanks. Participants are to meet several requirements for their DIY vessels. A couple of the requirements are that participants must use at least one roll of duct tape and their vessels must not be powered by a motor. These photos show some of the creativeness that those from Fairbanks and surrounding areas possess. Among the construction materials are tarps, barrels, canoes, duct tape, cardboard, pvc pipe, and outdoor carpet. Enjoy the slideshow and let me know what you think. Does something similar to this take place near you?

Golden Days 2013 Festivities

Ducks crossing under the walking bridge near Golden Heart Plaza.

Every year Fairbanks celebrates its gold mining history in the week that is closest to July 22. This is the date in 1902 that Felix Pedro found gold in a creek just outside of Fairbanks. The festivities include a duck race, where 7,000 numbered rubber ducks are dumped into the Chena river at the Wendell Street Bridge and the first one to cross the finish line at the Cushman Street Bridge wins for it’s ticket holder. Matt and I bought a $10 ticket, which gives us a chance to win a $10,000 first prize or various other prizes depending on when our duck finished the race.

Getting closer to the finish line.

This year the duck race occurred on Saturday the 20th. We went to watch the race, to see if out lone little ducky won us anything. Neither of us were surprised that we didn’t win anything, considering the number of ducks released. None the less, it was fun to watch! Where else can to you see 7,000 rubber duckies racing down a river in the heart of a city? We also decided to walk through the street fair. I popped into one or two booths to look at some jewelry that was for sale, but I didn’t buy anything. Matt isn’t really the type that likes street fairs, so I tried to look quickly as we walked by.

First place duck being pulled from the water.

 

Tomorrow, Sunday the 21st, it the Red Green Regatta.  This is a race on the Chena River where applicants are required to use at least one roll of duct tape in the construction of their vessels. No motors allowed to be used during the race and the winner is judged based on creativity and use of duct tape. Stay tuned for a post about the Red Green Regatta and our thought on who would win and the actual winners. I am sure it will be fun to watch the shenanigans of this race.

7,000 ducks in a boat at the end of the race.

A walk in the Potato Field.

Sunday, July 14th, we decided to take a walk to Smith Lake located on UAF property. We chose to go here because Matt has walked back there several times, taken pictures, and talked to me about how pretty it is. He had also seen a moose back there on a couple occasions and I had hoped that we would get lucky and see the bull moose (at a safe distance).

 

This particular day we were in luck. The bull was in the Potato Field, munching away on some fire-weed. We were talking when Matt spotted him. The bull just looked at us for a minute, saw we weren’t going to bother him, and went back to eating.

We walked around the area he was in and snapped a few pictures from different angles. This was difficult for me, since the fire-weed was as tall as I am and the moose was standing further up the hill than we were. To give an idea of how big the moose is compared to the height of the fire-weed, I am a little over five feet tall.

We then continued to Smith lake, where I snapped this photo of a damsel fly. Unfortunately, the sun was at such an angle that I was unable to get a good photo of the lake at this particular spot. I had noticed that there was a map of the trails in the area as we were entering the Potato Field and mentioned that we should walk back to another field, which is the T-Field. We never made it to the T-Field, the mosquito made it unbearable for us to walk much farther. I did manage to get a photo of the lake, from another angle, before we abandoned our journey.

If you would like a map of the summer tails, one can be found here. Also, if you plan on walking or hiking anywhere, I suggest you look up wildlife safety tips for the area you plan to explore. For Alaska, I would specifically suggest searching for how to behave when encountering bears and moose.