It's called Regrets/Replacements. The "Regrets" portion will consist of products, books, movies, clothes, media, etc that I dislike or was disappointed in. And since I don't believe in bitching about things and not doing anything to solve the problem, the "Replacements"portion will be alternatives to my regrets that I do like or appreciate.
Hopefully this series will help you avoid mistakes I've encountered and introduce you to stuff that's worked well for me, while giving you a glimpse into my life--I always like learning more about the bloggers behind the blog! :)
Enjoy!
1. Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream/Juice Beauty Eye Cream
Korres eye care (see more korres)
Regret: I bought the Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream as part of a set at the recommendation of (suprise, surprise) a Sephora rep when she heard that I was interested in transitioning to natural makeup. Not only does the product not really do anything special, the Korres line uses many controversial ingredients! I haven't noticed any difference in my eye area after 2 weeks of use, and now that I know more about natural products and what to avoid I can see that Korres, while perhaps a good stepping-stone to natural, is not the best company out there (many of their products contain silica, talc, etc--this one contains the controversial ingredient Japanese honeysuckle). (I will share that I bought this set for $15 at TJMaxx like 2 weeks ago...in case someone else likes these products :)
Regret: I bought the Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream as part of a set at the recommendation of (suprise, surprise) a Sephora rep when she heard that I was interested in transitioning to natural makeup. Not only does the product not really do anything special, the Korres line uses many controversial ingredients! I haven't noticed any difference in my eye area after 2 weeks of use, and now that I know more about natural products and what to avoid I can see that Korres, while perhaps a good stepping-stone to natural, is not the best company out there (many of their products contain silica, talc, etc--this one contains the controversial ingredient Japanese honeysuckle). (I will share that I bought this set for $15 at TJMaxx like 2 weeks ago...in case someone else likes these products :)
Eye care (clipped to polyvore.com)
Replacement: Luckily I've found another company that's better, and I like the product a bit more. The Juice Beauty eye cream not only moisturizes but has beneficial effects like helping with hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone. Word of warning, not all of their ingredients are controversy-free either (their brightening moisturizer has phenoxyethanol, for example), but I feel that they are better than Korres and the eye cream works more efficiently for me. If you're not worried about products that include ingredients that have uncertain (not known one way or another) effects, this may be a great line of skin and beauty care for you. It's not my holy-grail product yet but it's a fairly cheap stand-in until I find something better.
2. John Masters SPF and Mineral Fusion SPF/Burn Out SPF
Face moisturizer (clipped to polyvore.com)
Regret: Both the John Masters and Mineral Fusion sunscreens felt exactly the same to me--heavy on the skin, stayed greasy feeling all day, and made my normally dry face shine like an oil slick! However, I've heard great things about these products from other people, so if they work for your skin tone I'd go for it. Even though the Mineral Fusion feels the same as John Masters, has higher SPF, and is cheaper, it does contain dimethicone and phenoxyethanol and John Masters doesn't (these are two ingredients that are controversial in their supposed harm but I avoid just in case).
Replacement: Burn Out SPF is a product I love and hate. On its own, the product stays very tacky and feels a bit rough on my skin. I would never recommend this to anyone had I not played around with it a bit. Now I always moisturize with a layer of coconut oil underneath (I love Dr. Bronner's organic coconut oil), let it sink in a couple minutes, then apply the Burn Out SPF. Somehow the combo of the two products makes my skin feel silky smooth, it doesn't get greasy, and it eliminates the tacky feeling I get with Burn Out alone. In fact, the two products together remind me a lot of Josie Maran's Daily Moisturizing SPF, which I loooooove but am avoiding since it has phenoxyethanol and dimethicone If Burn Out alone doesn't work for you, I highly recommend trying a moisturizer underneath before giving up on it!
3. Pinkwashing/Acure Organics Bright Pink program
Regret: Companies that market themselves as supporters of breast cancer research, use the Pink Ribbon and Breast Cancer Awareness month as a marketing/money-making ploy, yet continue to use known carcinogens in their products. Hypocrisy much?? I just watched Pink Ribbons Inc., which is a documentary based on the book by Samantha King, and learned a lot of interesting information about 'pinkwashing.'
Replacement: I mentioned in a past post that Acure Organics was founded by the granddaughter of a woman who lived with breast cancer for 10 years. A significant portion of their proceeds go to support Bright Pink (including 100% of proceeds of their chocolate and mint lip balm!). The products are very clean, cheap, work well, and seem to be 'natural' on every front, including their product ingredients, fair trade conditions, packaging, cruelty-free stance, and support of a very worthy cause. I'm actually loving many of their products right now so I'll review them soon.
4. Getting my bike stolen/Green Earth Books replacing my book for free
Regret: I've already talked about how my bike was stolen and how I still feel bitter and shitty about it. Enough said. Karma's a bitch, really, so I hope the thief watches out.
Replacement: I recently ordered The Art of Raising a Puppy through the Barnes and Noble used book seller Green Earth Books. It never showed up so I emailed GEB, only to discover that the wrong address had auto-populated my order. They not only very politely informed me of the problem, but also sent me a new copy free of charge. I really appreciate customer service like that--they could easily have blamed the error on me and refused to send a copy or refund my purchase, but because of the way they handled it I am happy to support them with my business and to pass on their name to my readers! Speaking of Karma...thanks for the good faith, Green Earth Books! :)
5. Vote Yes Minnesota/Clever pro-gay-marriage signs
Regret: Support for the Minnesota amendment that will define marriage in the state constitution as between a man and woman. Since this isn't a political forum, I won't delve into why this is offensive to me, but I feel strongly about it so it has made my 'regrets' list. I find the "Myths and Facts" tab is particularly one-sided.
Replacement: Clever pro-gay-marriage signs. Clear, to-the-point declarations of their stance on gay marriage. I realize that this is not the 'gay' counterpoint to the Minnesota for Marriage page but I enjoyed the wit displayed here.
6. How I Met Your Mother season 8/New Girl Season 2
How I Met Your Mother (clipped to polyvore.com)
Regret: How I Met Your Mother Season 8. I'm a long-term fan of this show (I've seen every episode multiple times), but so far this season I feel like it's fading into craphood. The most recent episode redeemed itself a little though so I'll continue watching.
Replacement: New Girl, season 2 (well, and season 1). This shit is hilarious. Even my boyfriend and male roommates like it. I watched the first 2 episodes of season 2 the day my bike was stolen and it cheered me up more than anything else! That's a glowing endorsement if I ever gave one :)
So there you have it--things I've regretted in October, plus things that I feel help make up for the regrets! :)
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