New Uniforms!

Our office building is in the midst of renovations, causing us all to migrate down to the basement. (Yes, a few clients express surprise and concern at the health and wellness challenges, but for the most part are glad we haven't closed entirely, us being the only office in this quadrant of the city with a huge customer base compared to other branches.) While mostly developed and clean(ish), the usual dress code has been relaxed to permit comfortable shoes and bluejeans. The office has also provided us with t-shirts to keep our regular clothing safe from the new rigors of working "underground."

I love having a uniform, and not having to worry about choosing what to wear each day. I have also noticed less laundry, which is a definite plus for me. But the t-shirts they ordered are v-necks, which dip just low enough that I do have to worry about another matter: chest hair. I was very irritated to discover this, the first time I pulled one on, rather excited to be wearing cotton and denim for once. I wouldn't even have guessed the neck was that low to look at it; it is a unisex t-shirt. But I threw it on, let it settle, happened to look down, and oh crap.

I mean, of all the t-shirt styles available to print our logo on, what are the odds our bosses had to select the style that is so personally inconvenient to me? And now that the weather is getting quite hot, wearing a shirt underneath is an unattractive option.

It just figures. :P



I've put up a new poll that will run for the next couple of months. Age is one of the many stats I can't get from Google Analytics, and I'm very curious. Particularly regarding the youngest contingent. Searching online for help and support when I was developing hirsutism was something from which I probably could have benefited. As well, I do worry about posting content that might not be suitable for minors, such as art I've found that may feature some nudity. I don't want to exclude the younger folk from anything on my blog, yet I do find myself holding back now and then.

Product: Cover Girl Smoothers Concealer

I apologize again for my neglect. After another hectic week, spring has finally turned to summer and the snow has fled. As I type this the sunshine has turned swiftly to thunderstorms, but I still feel exhilarated and inspired, looking forward to... nothing in particular, but feeling generally optimistic.

I'm feeling no ill effects from doubling the dose of Spiro--no good ones yet, either, but I am trying to be patient. Why is it that when one is busy and happy one seems to have less to blog about?

So this week, a product review.

Cover Girl Smoothers Concealer - 4 g

Ingredients:

• Squalane, PPG 2 myristyl ether propionate, ethylhexyl hydroxystearate, triisocetyl citrate, petrolatum, phenyl trimethicone, euphorbia cerifera wax (candelilla), ozokerite, chamomilla recutita flower extract (matricaria), tocopheryl acetate, ascorbyl palmitate, panax ginseng root extract, C10 18 triglycerides, propylparaben, copernicia cerifera wax (carnauba), titanium dioxide, iron oxides, may contain mica

Things I liked:

• It goes on nicely and is easy to blend with my fingers.
• It conceals moderately well.
• My dry, shaven skin actually seems to have improved a little, combined with more diligent moisturizing.

Things I didn't like:

• It comes off a little easily on clothes.
• Although concealing well, it's not completely opaque.
• It doesn't quite match my inordinately pale skin tone.

Did it do what it promised?

From Cover Girl's website: "Whether you need to conceal a little or a lot, this conditioning concealer with botanicals such as ginseng, vitamin E and chamomile will help your skin look and feel smooth. Dermatologically-tested formula glides on easily to help cover dark circles, fine lines and other imperfections."

Short answer: yes. I am quite happy with this concealer, and have no plans to switch any time soon.

When I was going through a difficult period of extreme dryness after shaving my face, I was looking for better ways to moisturize. My skin was so scaly that concealers and foundations looked absolutely horrible, but I needed to hide shadow, irritation, nicks and ingrown hairs. To complicate matters, the rest of my face got quite oily during the day. While browsing around for something new to try, I had always stayed away from make-up designed for dry skin. But I thought, perhaps a concealer, something I wouldn't put all over my face like a foundation, might help. And this one had vitamin E. I well know how good that is for your skin.

I am now on my third stick of this stuff and haven't looked back. Combined with a better moisturizing regimen (and my usual oil-free powder patted on top) my jaw, chin and neck have looked so much better. While not perfect, it's still the best thing I've tried so far.

See what other people thought of the Smoothers concealer:

Reviews on Cover Girl's website
Review Stream
Make-Up Alley
Total Beauty
Associated Content

Folly

Have some of you wondered what you'd look like completely hairless?

Well, okay, with the hair on top your head still in tact? It's something far-fetched to some of us, especially when we're hirsute. We catch a glimpse of ourselves in the full length mirror while getting changed, and feel depressed, angry, embarrassed, but are accustomed to the sight. Some of us are able to maintain our body hair diligently, but I find it often painful and time consuming, especially when the only one who sees me is me.

But maybe because it's spring, and I'm feeling good, I went a little crazy with the razor. I was curious. I wanted to see if I'd feel that much different lacking this one thing that bothers me so. And I knew there would be burning repercussions, and figured if I could mentally prepare myself, I'd be okay.

When I first saw myself in the mirror, I just laughed. I knew it would be temporary, I knew it might even be hell growing back, but I couldn't believe I looked like that. It looked so absurd that I would snicker every time I glanced at myself.

But it was a little anticlimactic. I was still me. Same freckles, same scars, same basic shape. And for most of the days to come, I wouldn't even be thinking about the way I looked underneath my clothes. I'd be too busy trying to solve a problem or calm down an angry client or try to get a hundred things done at once to chuckle about that. The only time I'd really benefit from what I'd done to myself was when I got dressed in the morning, or showered and went to bed at night. Or the odd time I had to reach up somewhere high and my shirt rode up.

So really, all that work didn't enhance life as much as I thought. But it sure looked neat. Those few moments when I saw how I looked without all that body hair felt good. Keeping it up, seeing yourself look like that consistently, was far too easy to get used to. And in the back of my mind, I started to feel just a little bit better about myself.

So all I can say is, if keeping up strict and stringent maintenance makes you feel like you look good, go for it. It worked for me for a fraction of the day, which was nice, but it just doesn't have enough of an impact for it to be worth the hard work all the time. Or worth the torturous regrowth. It's itching like a fiend! Agh!

What's Up With That?

I should start naming these odd single hairs that pop up way out of the usual pattern--even the usual male pattern of hair growth. I've ranted about the one that appears low on my neck and often manages to hide from notice. There's one that's made its home on one side of my stomach, completely separate from the others. And there's one that I often forget about until the follicle wakes up from dormancy every few months, half an inch from my normal eyebrow, and thick and dark as anything. What do you think? Larry, Curly, and Moe?

I mean, I can understand (not like I am in any way admitting to liking) the errant hair follicles that sprout in a more masculine pattern on account of testosterone. They makes sense. But these random rebel strands that just pop up out of nowhere? What's their excuse?

All these manly hairs on my body are being all macho in their assigned groups: chin, chest, stomach... But one deviant hair decides, "I just want to be different!"

A beard on a lady? Fine. Logical. But Fred here, coming up on my shoulder from time to time? Now that's just weird...