**REVIEW** ScentSationals (scented wax)

If you ever wanted a simple way to brighten, enhance or lift your mood, you have to try ScentSationals wax melts. This one is my all-time favorite right here:

I've also tried some others and this is another fave:

The Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie (ILSC) scent is so fresh and calming that I have driven across town to other Walmart locations to stock up. I told a friend of mine that the fragrance is better than a Valium. I'm not kidding. I am beginning to think that I might be addicted to the scent.

Not long ago, I tried one of the Burt's Bees wax melts. What a disappointment. First of all, like most things from Burt's Bees, the item was overpriced. The scent was amazing though. Until I tried to use it. I still can't figure out how something that smelled so good in the container could lose every hint of fragrance as soon as it started to warm. I mean, there was NOTHING fragrant coming from that wax once you moved your nose more than half an inch from the warming pot.

If you think I'm being harsh about Burt and his bees, I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed by the wax melts. The next time I was in the store to pick up some more of those fabulous ScentSationals, another customer and I discussed our disgust with Burt's wax melts. She said that she'd actually bought more than one scent, and had even bought one of the candles. In her opinion, the candle was slightly better than the melts - but only very slightly. She had returned all the unused items. Like me, she was sticking with the more affordable lines. (By the way, her favorite are the melts from Better Homes and Gardens. They are about the same price as my faves so I tried out one. Not bad, but I haven't seen a lemon scent to match the ILSC!)

(NOTE: I have no idea what's up with the Better Homes site.)

I used the ILSC in my room and in the trailer because that's where I spend most of my time. I have used the other fragrances in the family bathroom. It's nice that the bathroom always smells pleasant (without anyone having to call attention to themselves by spraying away odor or running the fan), but it's tricky to choose a scent. The guys in the family don't want anything "girly" (seriously, this is what they'd say), but none of us want anything too strong or pronounced. What I ended up doing was choosing from the line of "Refreshing" scents. Tea, Fresh Air, and Rainy Day are the light fragrances we can all enjoy. Those are the kinds of scents that they guys in our family would use in their cars.

One of the things I love most about ScentSationals (other than the wonderfully affordable price) is that the fragrance lasts and lasts and lasts. If I melt three of the cubes on High, I can get a good 2 full days use at full strength. The fragrance does start to wane a bit after that and I've learned to use the Low setting if I want to get another couple of days use from the melts. I used to just dump the depleted (and cooled) wax in the trash basket to freshen it. Lately, I will save some of the used wax in a spare jar. When I'm at my monthly budget limit for household things, I will stick a tea light candle in the scented wax. There's usually a little bit of scent left and tea-lights are nice for setting a relaxing mood. (By the way, I was going to take a photo, but I am also out of tealights. Dangit!**)

Another way to use these wax melts is to store the unopened containers in your dresser drawers. Basically, use them as sachets until you get ready to use them in a warming pot, My mother used to give me little powder sachets to put in my dresser when I was starting to mature. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

This next tip for freshening your car can be tricky so try it at your own risk. I'm just sharing my experiences and yall now that I have had some blips in life...  Put one of the wax melts in some kind of small container (preferably glass or thick plastic) with a lid and leave it half open in your car. Of course, this works well on warm summer days. In cooler weather, you'll have to rely on the car's running heater/warmth. It's still nice. For containers, I have cleaned out some makeup jars and such.

One of the highlights of my life is going to the store with DJ to pick up our ScentSationals. I make it part of my monthly grocery shopping routine. DJ likes to pick out at least three or four scents to smell. His verdict is either"Eww! NO!" or "\Yum. I like this one." He doesn't even care that I mostly only get the ILSC scent. We can spend a good fifteen minutes on that aisle, testing different scents. Last month, the closest Walmart was out of ILSC so DJ chose these from Better Homes to try instead:

Nice but not lemony enough

I told him I didn't like it, but he said we should try it. Okay. Turns out, it wasn't anywhere as lemony as our favorite. When we went back to the store a couple weeks ago and saw that scent, DJ goes, "You were right, BooBoo. That one... No, no, nooo." LOL (You have to see now why it so NOT sad that spending time with this kid is a highlight of my life.)

By the way, don't forget that the Better Homes and Gardens wax melts are just about the same price (at Anchorage Walmarts at least) as the ScentSationals. The local price is about $2.30 for the pack with 6 cubes.


Now, I have to mention that the website doesn't make it easy to find your favorites but once you do, there is a nice comparism feature. When I first checked the site for my ILSC scent, I had to use the Search function. Before that I was checking under the wrong categories: Tropical, Garden, etc. The Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies is actually under "Delectables". Okay.

I got extremely frustrated when I added a ton of scents to the "compare" list only to have them disappear. Guess what? I forgot to set up an account. Actually, I don't want an account. I don't want to order online and wait for deliveries when I can just pick items up at the store. Grrrr... Okay, so I established an account only so I could use the Compare feature.

Turns out the Compare feature is pretty useless. I loved the description of the Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies:

"Deliciously baked lemon, lime blend of pure sweet coconut milk and sugar with light notes of vanilla extract."

Yum, right? So I wanted to compare other scents to see what I might like in the same range. This is what I get from the description of Red Velvet Cake:

"Red Velvet Cake
2 oz"

Yeah. That tells me all of nothing.

The site might be useless for anything other than getting a list of scents but, hey, I'd rather follow my nose anyway. I can always ask local stores to order the scents I like

Other than the categories of fragrances (Tropical, Romantic, etc), there's also something called "Fusion" for mixing and matching. By the way, I usually get the 6-cube item (and you can see from the photo that they are a good size for smaller warming pots), but both the Scentsationals and the Better Homes melts come in larger amounts ("value packs") and in con sets:

Finally, I noticed that the scents are cheaper at the local Walmart than they are from the website. Just saying.

Peace
--Free


** If you want to know why I'm out of tealights & can't get more.... Wait for my next review! LOL

All the Time in the World (to digitize)

There was an episode of the Twilight Zone about a man who just wanted time to read. After a worldwide catastrophe, he is the last man on earth. He has all the time in the world to read. Until he breaks his glasses.

I feel a little bit like that poor guy. I've got a couple of nice, quiet days to do nothing but write. I haven't broken my glasses (or damaged my contacts), but my muse is apparently off having a bad menstrual cramp or something.

Do you realize how utterly mesmerizing a blank Word doc looks? I've even learned how to change the background color and I'm still unable to fill that space.  When I try to write. It's as though all the ideas that were dancing around in my head when I was busy doing other things have now gone into hiding.

Yesterday, I ran into an old acquaintance at the store. It's been years since I saw him. I spotted him at the exact same time that a piece of a story fell into place for me. I actually was torn between wanting to speak to this person and wanting to avoid him. He noticed me and so, of course, we had to do the whole long-time-no-see chat thing. The entire time that he was talking, I was listening to my fictional characters having a wonderful dialogue that would be perfect for my story. By the time I got back to my car and had pen and paper out, I'd lost most of the story idea.

I think I'm a person that works better when I am trying to ignore distractions. Give me too much peace and quiet and I start getting the urge to re-decorate a room or at least re-organize my closet. This is not anything new for me. Back when I first got serious about writing, I would spend the first half hour of a session sharpening pencils.

My best inspiration comes to me when I'm tucked into bed and about to doze off. This is one reason that I am going to be investing in a digital note-taking device. I've been putting it off for a while now, but when I think about being able to turn over in the middle of the night and jot down half a story that can be transmitted to my PC in legible text, well, I feel the same way that I do when I'm enjoying a good crush on someone. Everyone who writes fiction can tell you that the worst feeling is when you write down some middle-of-the-night notes and can't make any kind of sense of them the next morning.

So, yeah, I'm going to find a way to budget out the purchase of a device for keeping my notes. Thing is, there are so many different kinds of devices - all with their Pros and Cons - that I just can't choose. Right now, because of price and customer reviews, I am leaning toward the Livescribe Echo (2 gig) pen. From everything I have seen about it, it's perfect for writers. There are a couple of concerns: 1) To convert handwriting to text (say to MS Word), I'd have to purchase another item - the Myscript application. Seems to me that this should be included with the pen. 2) Some users complain that the customer service is really lacking. Also, one user stated that he's gone through 3 of the pens so far. I guess the only reason he still uses Livescribe is because the features are awesome.

I thought about other pens simply because they don't require special paper. The ones I saw had too many other flaws noticed by users. Arrrgh!!!

This video is of the 8 gig Echo:

The Livescribe is reasonably priced (around $110 for the 2 gig pen and about $30 for 4 of the 100-page notebooks), but I worry that it might be uncomfortable to write with. I've checked out a couple if videos like the one above and the pen looks pretty thick. If I do manage to get hold of one of these pens, I will definitely be doing a review. AND, I'd have no problem at all returning it if I end up the least bit unhappy.

If any of you have feedback on this device or a similar one, please do share. PLEASE!

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Thyroid Support from Zhou Nutrition

This right here...

... is the subject of today's post.

That's the Zhou Nutrition supplement Thyroid Support with Iodine.

There is a reason I applied to test out this product. Bear with me for the story.

Just over a month ago, I started experiencing some weight gain. This is after I had worked so hard to lose the first 40 of the 45 pounds that was my goal. The weight gain hit at a time when I was also dealing with more fatigue than I'm used to. I knew that I had not been eating well because I hadn't had much of an appetite. Mostly, I was living off of soup and bits of deli turkey meat. I hadn't been getting much green stuff in my diet other than some of the green food powder that I'd put into some gel caps.

My initial reaction was to start drinking more water and making sure to get some black strap molasses on a daily basis. Black strap had almost miraculously increased my energy levels before, then I had started slacking on my intake.

When my energy was still down after a few days (and was even getting worse), I too tired to deal with anything other than crawling out of bed for a few hours a day. The next symptoms were really worrying. Almost overnight, I started to develop patches of dry skin on the lower inner sides of both feet - the area just above my arch line. No other part of my body was dry or irritated.

I talked to someone I know who told me to try adding some iodine to my daily diet. And, wouldn't you know that I just happened to have some J. Crowe's  around.

As soon as I began adding a few drops of iodine to my water and coffee (for at least 3 cups of beverages each day), I noticed that the drying skin on my foot stopped getting worse. The itch was disappearing withing the first few days and it looked as if the skin was healing.

My primary doctor was absolutely no use at all. I checked with him about the iodine and explained why I was taking it. His answer was just not to take too much iodine. Well, done, my physician, well done.

I have an upcoming appointment with my specialist and I trust him with the whole of my life. I will talk to him then. In the meantime,  I am taking the Thyroid Support (with iodine) from Zhou Nutrition. Since the supplement includes iodine, I'm not taking the J. Crowe's right now. What I was interested in is the ingredients listed in the T.S. supplement:

Here is some general info about the various ingredients:

• Iodine - deficiency... in the diet... Wikipedia
• Magnesium oxide - Warnings/Effects...Wikipedia... benefits of
• Zinc oxide - skin benefits/uses... various benefits/uses...Wikipedia
• Selenium - chelated minerals in general...General info... Wikipedia
• Copper oxide - uses/warnings
• Manganese - Wikipedia... uses/warnings
• Molybdenum - uses/warnings... how it helps
• L-Tyrosine - uses/warnings... stress reliever?
• Schisandra Powder - uses/warnings... another 'super fruit' ?
• Ashwagangha Root - uses/warnings... benefits of
• Bladderwrack Powder - uses/warnings... benefits
• Cayenne Pepper Powder - cayenne powder vs pepper
• Kelp - General info...  general info/benefits

When I just glanced over some of this info, I could see how all the ingredients (or the blend) could help with clearing up some of the skin issues I was having. This is what my feet look like after just using the iodine for a few days. They are getting better and I hope they will be back to normal after using this supplement for a while.

Everyone who knows me know that I take excellent care of my skin. It's a vanity thing in a way, but it's also the one thing I've always been able to control. So... yeah.

I know that a lot of my symptoms indicate thyroid issues. I have never had such problems so I'm interested in the relief I'm getting from the ingredients in this supplement.

I received the bottle on Tuesday and, even though it was after 5 o'clock, I took one tablet right away., then I took another tablet just before going to bed (about midnight). The recommended dose is no more than 2 tablets each day. On Wednesday, I took my morning dose and started doing some freelance work. At around 3 or so, I realized that I wasn't so wiped out. I have no idea if the supplement is supposed to start working so fast. I can't remember what time I took my second dose on Wednesday, but I can tell you that I woke up this morning not feeling like I was going to die of fatigue. Of course, I'm not seeing any weight loss yet. To be honest, I don't care if the supplement doesn't help me lose weight. Now that I am getting some pep back in my step, I will be able to make it to the gym. I'm already more active around the house and my pedometer step numbers are way, way up from the past weeks.

I'm going to have to do more checking up on all the individual ingredients listed on the label of this supplement but, in the meantime, I am overjoyed at the resurgence of energy. Until you have dealt with extreme fatigue, it's hard to understand how much it impacts your life. For me, either the fatigue or underlying symptoms, had me feeling so depressed that I was scaring myself. I was sleeping like Rip Van Winkle and, even when I was awake, I couldn't function. I completely dropped off the radar with Google Plus, and I wasn't able to do any work on the revisions for my short story collection.

Today, I feel more alert and my depression is nearly gone. I'm actually getting more than one thing done. The past several days, I could pull myself together only long enough to update a review, post some photos, or pay some bills online. After I finished one thing, I'd take 2- or 3-hour nap.

In a few weeks,  I will come back and update this post but, for now, I just want to say how much better I feel. I can't say what this supplement will do for anyone else, but it's been (so far) life-saving for me. I mean that literally. If I'd had to go on any longer with the fatigue and depression, I was going to be dialing a helpline.

If anyone else has dealt with the symptoms I've mentioned, please let me know about your experience. I'm looking anywhere and everywhere for information because I don't think that my primary care doc pays that much attention to me when I talk about my concerns. I have been spoiled to having the best doctors ever and this new one is just not that impressive in my opinion. I want to hear from other "real" people who can relate to the symptoms I've had.

To close, I want to mention Zhou Nutrition's site. Many of their products are available via Amazon (which helps for those of you with Prime membership). A nice Plus is that their guarantee will accept even your empty bottle.

Peace
--Free



DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned for free or at discount in exchange for my fair and honest review.

**REVIEW** Sweet Orange EO by Fab Naturals

Everyone who's read this blog at least twice must know that I love essential oils. LOVE them. After a few years of testing and reviewing so many EOs, I think I've developed a sense for which ones are good quality. The latest one I've tried is Sweet Orange from Fab Naturals.

My preference for one oil over another depends on what I'm using it for. I like lemon, orange, cinnamon, black pepper and clove for their particular cleaning uses. All of them are great, IMO, as fighters of fungus, bacteria and other germ-y things. Sweet Orange has the added Plus of a great smell. Today, I had some lemon-scented wax melts going when I was cleaning with this Sweet Orange. I discovered how good the scents mingle. A long while back, I had mixed some orange and lemon EO with water to spray the trailer and the smell wasn't nearly as yummy. Huh, Live, learn and experiment, right?

























There is a difference in the different types of citrus EOs and this ezine does a great job of breaking down the orange types  sweet, wild, bitter, etc. I'll have to bookmark that for reference!

For me, I just like the scent of sweet orange. It's a lighter and less "tart" smelling fragrance. I've been experimenting with using it in combinations. It's very nice with black pepper EO and I sort of like it mixed with my vanilla-grapefruit fragrance. I'll have to play with the combo amounts a bit more.

Here are some of the way you can use this Sweet Orange EO:

• Can be used as an insect repellent. (I've seen several sources that talk about this. I heard it when I first started using EOs regularly.)
• Citrus oils are supposed to be good for acne prone skin. I would be careful to test for any kind of negative reaction. Also, know that citrus oils react to the sun. Don't apply before going out into sunlight. Some people use citrus oils to highlight their hair.
• Lots of natural hair enthusiasts like to use a combo of moisturizing oils and citrus EOs to condition their hair. The main carrier oils I've heard of being used are olive and coconut, but I'm sure you could use whatever your favorite is as a carrier. Here is what Nappy Headed Black Girl has on the subject. 
• Apparently, mixing a bit of moisturizing oil with a some Sweet Orange EO makes for a nice lip balm. (Again, think about the effect of the sun on citrus oils!)

Here are the way, I've been using it:

• Mixed with water in small spray bottle to clean work space and scent the air.
• A couple of undiluted drops on a damp cloth to clean bathroom counters and get rid of soap scum marks in shower. On a paper towel to clean toilets seat and outer bowl. Toss the used paper towel in bathroom trash can to scent the can.
• two drops in the 30ml electronic diffuser. The scent is:  a stress reliever/mood lifter, depression fighting and enhances relaxation. (Some people say that they only use this way during waking hours because of an energy lift. It doesn't interrupt my sleep and seems to help me feel more peaceful.)
• A few drops added to a drop of black pepper EO and some lotion or moisturizing oil is great on my feet, legs and ankles at night. It seems to help with my circulation and I've read that it's also good to relieve swelling.
• I put about ten drops in a small bottle and added twice as much coconut oil. I keep this mix in my purse so that I can apply some to my wrists or temples. It's a mood lifter when I am dealing with temporary bouts of the blues. There are a couple of different oils and blends I use for this purpose, but this particular EO is the best smelling of all.
• What I didn't know until today was that this EO is great for applying to foot calluses. Huh! I will be trying this later and updating you on results. Right now, my feet are looking lovely. LOL
• My favorite new way of using this particular oil is to add some to my twisting cream(s) when I style my hair. Since I don't like to over-wash/dry out my hair, I get some product buildup. Adding the Sweet Orange as an antibacterial gives me some confidence. Also, the scent is just really, really nice.

So, there you have it. There are lots of ways to use Sweet Orange, but the main thing is to get one of good quality. I mentioned somewhere that I've bought a sweet orange EO that was not right. First of all, it didn't smell that great, which should have been my warning. Very soon after I started using the oil, it turned funky smelling. It lost what little bit of citrus scent it started with and picked up a rank odor that got worse and worse. I tossed it out. 

I've been faithful to a couple of brands when it comes to essential oils. Fab Naturals is another brand I'm glad to have found. Right now, I see only a few oils on their site but, if the others are as good as this Sweet Orange, they have something special.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned in the post at a discount or free of charge in exchange for a fair and honest review.

**REVIEW** Boogie Board Jot 8.5

Let me start by saying that I would not have gotten this if I'd known about an upcoming birthday gift.

That is the Jot 8.5 that I picked up for $19.99 at Costco. The price was the one reason I got it, and the other reason is that I really want a digital pen/notebook system but can't decide on one. That's where my nice birthday surprise comes in. My niece and nephew are here from Arizona and a digital pen is going to be their belated gift to me. Yeah. Whoo-hoo!

Now the Jot 8.5 that came from the local Costco is still a nice tool to have. A good digital pen/notebook will be great for my detailed writing note taking on the go. The Jot is a replacement for all those scraps of paper I tend to jot quickie notes down on.

The package/labeling sort of sucks

Let's just go through the Pros and Cons I experienced at initial use.

• Right out of the package, I could see that there would be a lot of use - and some limitations. Even for a simple note-taking tool, this would have some drawbacks if it had cost more than 20 bucks. At that price, though, it's not a bad deal.
• The Costco set came with a bonus "Executive" stylus and a folio cover. Both those are nice, although the folio cover was tricky to attach to the board. For one thing, I almost tore off one of the two sticky strips meant to fasten the board to the folio. Instructions should have been clearer about only peeling off the thin top layer of the strips. (Or maybe I'm just too aggressive?). Also, lining the board up to the folio correctly was pesky. I had to make 2 tries and still the alignment is a bit off. 

Alignment not great, but not a disaster

• The stylus can act as a stand for the board if you place t just so. I don't know why you'd want to "stand" the board though. It's not easy to write on in that position. Nice that the stylus fits into its own spot for storage. Neat.
• The writing surface is super nice. My palm doesn't leave marks and both of the stylus' are smooth and feel great in the hand. I prefer the docked stylus over the executive pen which feels fatter in my grasp and writes thicker. That's purely a personal preference.

• The eraser button is (wisely) placed at the top and out of the way from accidental erasures. Still. it would be nice if there were a locking mechanism. I saw that somewhere on either a different version of this board or another brand.
• The instructions are lacking. And tiny. I really did have to use a magnifying glass to read them.
• The back of the package is to entice buyers who don't read the smaller print. Glancing at the back of the package, your eyes are drawn to this: 
  
  
  

• You might or might not notice the importance of the finer print just underneath:  

• The app that is mentioned for the scanning, editing and all the rest is called Jot. You could miss the mention of it on the package. The logos for the app stores are on the right while the tiny icon for the actual app is over on the left side. I only figured out what the icon was after I found the app on my own in the Play store. 
• Despite the super-cute name, Jot is a bit tedious to use IMO. First, I have to use the app to snap a shot of the board note, then I can share to other apps. Since I think my notes are important (hah!), I choose to save to Dropbox or OneDrive.
• I saw some reviews from other users of the Jot app claiming that their notes were "cropped" off at the top. I haven't had that problem. You are looking at my some Jotted notes in this post so you can see what I mean.

Too stark looking!

• You can also see that the image of the "scanned" note isn't pretty too look at. It's so stark that my eyes hurt.
• To be fair, I have to admit that this is a pretty cool gadget for such a low price. I will be able to take some quick (and short) notes on the go, photograph them with the Jot app, save to OneDrive, Dropbox, etc, and have them to work with later.
• Even during the "editing" of a saved.shared image, there is no way to erase. Same goes for writing on the board itself, you have to either cross out the mistake or erase the entire note.
• The major drawback is that there is no way to edit anywhere but in the scanned image of the notes. Any editing there is done in only 2 color choices: yellow (which is hard to see), and black (which is the ink color of the original notes). At twenty dollars, I think that, for now, it's too much to ask that my handwriting converts to text the way my Galaxy Note app does. Again, though, at twenty dollars... this is an awesome little tool.

Like I said, this one came from Costco. I did see one online from Costco that was priced higher. I think the price was $24 and some change. Not sure why the in-store price was better.

I have learned from trial and error that it's much easier to save to Dropbox than to OneDrive. It's quicker with a one-step save-to in Dropbox vs OneDrive's two-step and slower process. Depends on whether or not you want to save to your cloud, I suppose.

At the twenty dollar price, I give this gadget 5 of 5stars.

Peace
--Free

**RESOURCES** Writing with Laughter and Murder

I think every fiction writer has seen the jokes about having to explain their internet history.

I really, REALLY want this cup!

Today, when I made some changes to a short story, I had to do some Googling for ways to kill with food. Now, I'd better hope and pray no one I know dies of anything food related. At any rate, I gave up on the whole death-by-food idea. It wasn't a good ploy for my story. However, I spent way too much time looking for info on killing off fictional characters.  Because it was so tedious to dig through a bunch of dud sites on the subject, I thought I'd throw together a list of the useful ones I found. (Forgive me if I sound scattered, but I really am exhausted.)

via Pinterest via lolsotrue.com

By the way, I was going to include a lot more links but, after I looked at some of the sites, I was worried that I'd be giving the wrong information to (possibly) some of the wrong kind of people. I know that anyone with internet access can find the info, but I just don't feel right including it here.

• This Listverse list would make Agatha Christie proud.
• Clevergirlhelps has a list so good that I feel guilty for bookmarking!
• This Cause of Death Generator was more fun than helpful, but I found some goodies there. (Also be sure to check the other links on the page...)
• Wikipedia has a list of unusual deaths. Very unusual.
• There's a forum at Absolute Write that had me laughing and/or cringing.

I don't want to get carried away. The main thing to know is that there are lots and lots of ways to kill off fictional characters. 

Now I have to get back to work on the stories. Before I kill myself by overdose of chocolate.

Peace

-Free

**MAKEUP** Swatches on Skin (dark foundations)

Since I have said over and over that I should do this, I've decided to go all Nike on y'all and just do it.

(By the way, ladies, even though I'm posting about darker foundations, I believe that each of the products covers ,most skin tones from the palest to the deepest. Just wanted to toss that in because the makeup struggle is real, no matter what your shade!)

The shades are:

1. * BH Cosmetics Complexion Collection (shade - Deep Espresso)
2.  Mary Kay's Timewise Luminous Wear (shade - Bronze 8)
3.  *Black Radiance' Complexion Perfection (shade - 8435 Ebony)
4.  *NARS' Sheer Glow (shade - Khartoum/Dark4)
5.  *Black Opal's True Color Pore Perfecting (shade - Ebony Brown)
6. Mary Kay CC Cream/sunscreen SPF15 (shade - Deep)

I starred my faves, but I won't count on Black Radiance not to discontinue the Ebony shade. The Mary Kay products were my late sister's and she loved the way the looked and made her skin feel. I might have to see about some shades that suit me.

Now, here is how these looked against my skin in full-on sunlight:

#1 shade is bottom, #6 is top by eye

By the way, to help with which shade is which, #1 on the list is on the bottom part of my face while #6 is the first and nearest my eye. I lost track when I was adding the numbers onto the photos!

Keep in mind that I didn't blend these, but just wiped them on to give you an idea of what the shades looked like. When my faves are blended, they are pretty flawless. Even the too-light Mary Kay Luminous Wear doesn't look outrageous if I blend it in. That's why I want to try one of the darker shades from the brand.

When I moved back a bit so that my face was still getting a lot of sunlight but not as direct, this is what the swatches looked like.

This is the reason I want to point out is that, even when a shade is too light (or orange/red/whatever), there can still be some use for it. I like to highlight the area just over and under the outer parts of my eyebrows with a slightly light shade. Sometimes, I will use a lighter shade as an eyeshadow.  Also, everything depends on lighting, lighting, lighting. You think I'm lying? Just go look at how some folks prove that "ugly" can be about the angle (or lighting) of a shot. Big thanks to Sad and Useless for the post. Lifted my esteem a notch.

The next photos are of the swatches on my arm held at different angles. This was done under indoor lighting - or "office" lighting since I had a couple of computer lights on.

Most days, I don't go all overboard with my makeup. Let me back up and admit something: most days I only half-step it when doing my makeup. Sometimes, all I'll bother with is some lip pretties (stain, stick or gloss), but usually, I do light foundation, mascara, and the lip pretties. That's because I'm getting older and am not as confident as I used to be. There was a time when I went totally barefaced and strutted around like my poo didn't p.u. It's nice when I find a shade that works to look natural and light.

Anyway, I hope that these photos help to give some of you all ideas for shades you might be wondering about.

Next time around, maybe I will show some of the lip pretties I love.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Black Opal True Color Foundation

Cue the singing of angels!

I have found yet another reasonably priced foundation in a shade I love. It's not hard to find a good foundation. I've checked many brands at the drugstores that feel good on the skin, have a great look (if it matches the wearer's shade), and doesn't break the bank.

My problem is my darker-than-"deep" shade. I love how all the darkest shades near where I live stop somewhere between Mocha and Cafe Au lait. It's as if someone decided that most black women are actual sisters of  Beyonce, Mariah, or Alicia Keyes. I might find something real close to a Jennifer Hudson shade every now and then, but those usually go wrong just enough to leave me looking ashy or chalky. That's just what happened with this Revlon 2-in-1 foundation and concealer I recently tried in "Cappucino"...

NOT the reviewed product!!!

That certainly looks like if would work for me. If anything, from the photo, it looks like it might be perfect.

It's not.

First of all, it's only that dark in the photo. Second of all, even though the actual product was dark enough to fool me when I saw it at the store, it's not that dark when applied. It's more of a Cappucino with a dose of cream. When I applied it, it worked so well that I could have gotten away with wearing it if no one looked past my jawline, In other words, I looked like a black kabuki-painted chick. If there is such a thing, I mean. (No offense intended to any cultures.)

~sigh~

I was disappointed until I found this:

This is the Ebony Brown shade of Black Opal's True Color Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation.

Since I first spotted it online, I was a bit worried about the shade match to my skin.  Thankfully, some sweet lady had lots of photos in different types of lighting. That made it easier for me to take a chance and try this one.

I'm going to pause now to share some photos in different lighting. Sort of a pay-it-forward thing since I didn't get the name or site of the lady who helped me out.

The TOP (darker) photos are the truest to color.
The BOTTOM photos make the liquid look lighter than it actually is

Most of you should have an idea of what shade my complexion is by now. One thing I learned long ago from a beauty consultant was to always test new shades to the neck or jawline. I don't know how good this photo is, but I can tell you that this foundation in Ebony Brown is just about a super match to my skin tone.

There is ZERO makeup below my jaw. I actually did one side of my face and left the other side bare this morning, but the match is too close for my camera to show you the difference. Looking in the mirror, it looked as if I had "blurred" or put BB cream on the side with the makeup. There's just a smoothing and evening-out effect that I love. Doesn't do much for the 5 decades worth of wrinkles around my eyes, but I still love the effects. 

Good thing that I didn't see this part of the box before I bought this makeup or I would have passed. From the picture below, this would seem way too light for me:

Here's the crazy thing: when I compare the bottle of this Ebony Brown to the (now returned/refunded) Revlon Cappucino cream foundation, they look like exact matches. But, oh, nay nay.

There is one interesting thing that I noticed when I was checking the label. There's this part about the product being "alcohol-free"...







































...that sounded good until I looked at the ingredients:

Am I missing something - or is something that has "Cetyl Alcohol" in it considered free of, well, alcohol? Apparently, yes, I am missing something. I guess it's not only important to read a label but to also know the games played with them.

Because I assume the alcohol is meant to keep down the shine, I'm a tiny bit disappointed that I do get shine with this product. I have discovered that it best to blot this really well to remedy that. Also, even when I did blot after applying, after a few hours in the car (on a warm day), I had to tissue my face again. If you don't blot (or re-blot), this makeup transfers to everything that you touch. (Side note: my optometrist was probably hating me when she had to clean all her testing machines after my exam today.) My NARS and BH foundations are much better non-shine/non-transfer products, but the coverage is lighter than with this foundation. (I will have to review the NARS one day soon.)

Aside from the (not really) alcohol-free and the other issues, I do love this foundation. I'm going to be checking with Black Opal to see if they send out samples. I'd love to check the Black Walnut shade in the product.

One day, I will have to do a post comparing all the different brands and shades I've still got laying around. For now -

Peace
--Free



P.S.: I do want to give credit to Revlon for having a shade as dark as Cappucino. At least they are offering some shade variety. By the way, if you can wear their 2-in-1 product I mentioned, it's some great stuff and I'd tell you to give it a try. Can't wait to find a cream-to-powder that works for my skin shade.

**RESOURCES** For Writers and Students

As I've been working on (or juggling the work on) three different books, I've been OneNoting some resources to share with you guys. Here are the latest links I culled from my notebooks. Here we go....

Visualizing Words

• Visuwords (very helpful) read the About page
• Visual Dictionary Online (example for clothing) 
• The Visual Dictionary (not my fave)

Dictation Software

• Braina (Scary good dictation software, but be careful of the Pro trial. It's not totally free... Also, not expensive)
• Speechnotes (So easy to use, but no download as far as I know. It's all online, then copy or share to other utilities.)

(I use it on my phone and if I could ever get something as good as S Voice for my computer, I'd be one happy heffa!)

Other Lang & Slang

• Urban Dictionary (Good resource for us "geezers". Go look that up!)
• Online Slang Dictionary (I've not used it yet. Looks good.)
• DARE (for regional English)
• AlphaDictionary.com (you have to just go see this one. So good.)
• No Slang (Love it. To translate all the text & internet slang. Even has a "swear filter".)
• ESL Slang (I find it very cool that this is out there. Yay, Internet.)

What & Where in Time

• Time Maps
• African-American History Timeline (1900-2000) (from BlackPast.org which is a fave site of mine)
• TikiToki (a timeline creator for various uses) I linked to the FAQs
• The People History (I went to research music & saw how much else they cover)
• My Birthday Facts (Not just my birthday, but yours - or any day. Useful & fun.))
• dMarie Time Capsule (Great or details - like price of food & gas, etc. on a  certain date. I've used this site for years now!)

Too Good to Leave Out

• Site map for BlackPast.org
• Country Culture Index
• Fashion Era (site a bit old/info still good)

Enjoy & Peace

--Free