All I can say is....

FUCK YEAH!

You may be wondering what brought on this sudden burst of explicative excitement. Well you see, the year is drawing to a close and work has decided that we would all get Christmas bonuses. I was expecting a small amount, just something that would help with the expenses of Christmas. What I got was far more than that. Yesterday I opened my bonus letter to find double what I was expecting was coming to me in the form of a bonus.

To say I nearly fell out of my chair is a complete and total understatement. I was so excited I nearly cried, as I have to get my car repaired (damn rear motor mounts), and the cost of the repair is no longer a concern for me. I quickly called Dr. Jones (the boyfriend) and shared my good fortune with him. He was so happy (cause he knows this means there are lots of presents in his future, and cause he's just proud of me) and he said that when we get to see each other over the Christmas break we will do something special. He offered to make me fondue (which I have never had before) and he said we would get some champagne. To be perfectly honest, he is going to spoil me plum rotten and I am not sure how to feel about that.
Even though he's currently 1100 miles away, he still finds a way to make me feel like the most lucky gal alive. Isn't that adorable?

Anyway, enough of the mushy stuff, let's get back to business. My bonus goes into effect on Thursday, and when it hits the bank I am going to get Christmas taken care of and then put most of it into savings for a rainy day. I am going to spoil myself to one dress though:

ModCloth: Soda Fountain Dress in Grape


Speaking of dresses, I finally finished the travel dress last night. Let me tell you something. I fucking hate zippers. I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns. Though the zipper is totally wonky on my travel dress, I REFUSE to do it again. It's in the back and I don't think anyone will really notice other than me anyway. I've got a few more fit issues to fix before I can wear it, but it's pretty much done.

Oh, and while I was sewing last night, I worked on a gift for a friend of mine. I made her a little cosmetic bag out of this pretty gaudy Day of the Dead fabric. I have enough fabric left over to make her a matching half apron. I can't wait to give it to her. She's going to love it.

Here is a crappy cell phone pic of the bag. It's got triangular sides and a flat bottom so it will stand up on it's own when filled with stuff.

Anyway, this is tl;dr but the following pic sums up my life right now:

Week of Giveaways!

New giveaway alert!


An adorable hat giveaway here


Check it out!

Good luck!

Battle of the Brands: Dry Shampoo

Being a *bottle* red head is hard work. I try not to wash my hair everyday because washing my hair strips it of natural oils that protect my hair and washes out my beloved hair color. Of course it takes dedication not to reach for the shampoo every day. Recently, I started using a dry shampoo to take the edge off. I loved it, so I tried several brands to find the best, most cost effective brand that works for me.

A word about dry shampooing....you will need a natural or boar bristle brush to get the best results with ANY dry shampoo. Make the investment and get a boar bristle brush, as that type of brush will help in removing excess powder in your hair, which can make your hair look white.
Also, dry shampoos will make your hair look matte. I suggest using something like Biosilk to remedy that side effect.

First up, the old fashioned dry shampoo: Cornstarch.

I tried this a total of two times, so please take that into consideration. I sprinkled a few table spoons of cornstarch into my hair at the roots and then massaged in. I let it sit for about 15 minutes and then brushed it out. It seemed to work fine, but the application was really really messy, so I went searching for something that wouldn't be so messy.

Batiste Dry Shampoo $7.49 (I paid $6.99 with my Sally's card.)
5.3 oz
Product cost breakdown: $1.32 per oz. (based on what I paid)

I was impressed with this dry shampoo. I put it in before going to bed, massaged it in and then woke up the next morning with far less greasy hair. I brushed out the excess with my bristle brush and was very pleased with the result. The product smells nice too, so that is a big plus. The biggest problem I have with this product is the amount and the price. I paid a good bit of money for a bottle that only lasted me two and a half weeks of use. I have really greasy hair, so I had to use a good bit with each application to combat the greasies. Other than that one setback, this is a great dry shampoo and I would recommend it to friends.
4 out of 5 stars.

Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo $6.99 ($6.49 with Sally's card.)
6 oz.
Product cost breakdown: $1.08 per oz (Based on what I paid)

I used this dry shampoo in the same manner I used the Batiste Dry Shampoo. I really like the smell of this dry shampoo, its hard to describe...it just smells really good to me. I also noticed that this dry shampoo added volume to my hair, where as the Batiste did not. It also comes in a bigger bottle and I was able to get three and a half weeks of use out of one bottle. It seemed like it took less of this product to make my hair feel clean. It is also cheaper than the Batiste as well. The only downside to this product is that there has been mention of the nozzle clogging, though I did not have that problem.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo $4.49 (Target)
5.7 oz.
Product cost breakdown: $0.78 per oz.

I had really high hopes for this dry shampoo. I thought I had found a dry shampoo that would work for less than $1 an oz! I was so excited when I got this. (I also got the Fresh Start Refreshing Mist, cause I was so excited, and it is just as worthless.) I used it as I normally do with dry shampoos, applying at night and then brushing out in the morning....but that proved to be a massive mistake. I had to spend ALL night smelling the dry shampoo, which only smells like chemicals and alcohol. Not to be defeated, I switched to using it in the morning, which was just as bad. I think this product could have been good if it had not been for the awful smell. As far as the dry shampoo it self was concerned, it was only mediocre at getting the oil out of my hair....but honestly, I could not get past the smell. I didn't even finish the bottle. It's sitting half full in my bathroom, taking up space. I am going to see if I can pawn it off on one of my friends who has been naughty this year. Tresemme usually has great affordable products, but this one just fell really flat. So disappointed.
2 out of 5 stars.


The Final Victor:

Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo
It's affordable, smells good, and gets my hair looking clean.
What more can I ask for?


Do you use dry shampoos? If so, have you tried these? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations for me to try?