Beekman 1802 Vanilla Absolute Goat Milk Soap Review

I've got a lot to do today...mostly just doing all my favorite things today. Right now I'm just relaxing, eating breakfast and watching another episode of Bridgerton. Of course. In the meantime, I figured I would knock out a post..or two. Especially since this soap is on its last little sliver. 

Beekman claims: 

One of our favorite scents from the bakery gives this soap its irresistible allure. Rich goat milk and vanilla melt into the skin to thoroughly cleanse and moisturize while leaving behind a delectable scent. 

T: Sheer Lily, Dewy Muguet, Orange. M: Vanilla, Golden Amber. B: Sandalwood, Cedar, Patchouli. Essential Oils: Cedarwood, Orange, Patchouli.

oI think I may have been prematurely impressed with the Beekman soaps. I recently opened the Lavender which doesn't have any Lavender scent- I have yet to review it but should post one in the next couple of weeks. I did really like the Honey Orange Blossom though this Vanilla Absolute version leaves a lot to be desired. 

The scent is where the disappointment lies. It smells like vanilla play dough. Maybe a slight hint of root beer. Just not much scent at all....can hardly detect it in the shower. I think vanilla might be a hard scent to do in bar soap form so that might be where the problem lies....I think a shower gel would fare better but I haven't tried any straight up vanilla scented gels that I would recommend either. 

Other than the disappointing scent the soap was nice. Rich, thick, lotsa lather. Feels nice on the skin. Rinses clean. 

I'm happy with the ingredients...it has goat milk, jojoba oil, goat milk, shea butter, and kukui nut oil. It should have vanilla absolute too but that was nowhere to be found....unless it's hidden in the "fragrance". 

Ingredients: 

Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoate and or Palm Kernelate, Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Fragrance (Parfum), Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Extract (Kukui Nut Oil), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Pentasodium Pentetate.

Overall, it was a disappointment. Wish I could say otherwise but I think the scent needs to go back to the drawing board.

 

Roasted Pepper Pasta Salad and Red Pepper Walnut Pesto

 The theme this week for me- red peppers. Not on purpose- these just happened to be the next two recipes for me somehow. So I had a fridge full of red peppers. My favorite color pepper.

Started with Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad. I definitely switched up the recipe from the original...just slightly. I thought it would make a better sauce so I ended up grinding everything up in a food processor. I also ended up adding a little cheese since I had it around. It was pretty good...not something I would make again. It made a very easy to make and eat pasta. I think maybe it was intended to eat cold but i ended up warming it up when I had it leftover...melting the mozzarella balls made it so much better! 

Next up- a Red Pepper Walnut Pesto. I changed this recipe up- mostly because I didn't realize dried tomatoes go bad so quickly so I had to sub tomato paste and throw the rest of the dried tomatoes I had out. This also differed from the last recipe in that it uses walnuts instead of almonds. The walnut is a stronger flavor so you can definitely tell it is there. I made a fried chicken sandwich with the pesto and mozzarella. And then just used the rest on pasta. I liked it. It doesn't beat the sun dried pesto I made or regular pesto- but it was a nice variation. This recipe is similar but not exact.

Overall, a very red peppery week. I feel like an expert on red pepper sauces now 😁

A Taste of Honey

I've got time for one more post. A music post of course and I think it will be a quick one since I only have two songs to share. 

Starting with a song that always gets me moving. Boogie Oogie Oogie. Just listen to that music- those instruments. This song reminds me a little of the Rose Royce group.  These ladies are too cool- and so talented.  That BASS! Wow. I can't find a performance where they use the live vocals though...

Next up, a song that is totally opposite of the first. It's a cover of a Japanese song. I should probably go listen to the original which I have so far never heard. I love this song though- such beautiful lyrics and music. Very talented and versatile group. 

Underrated group that has made two of my very favorite songs! 

ECO Curl and Waive Styling Gel Review

I can't believe I am just now trying the infamous ECO gel. I used to read about this gel all the time on the hair boards before and right after I went natural. It seems everyone was using this gel...and if not this one then the Fantasia IC gels. I tried that one and then forgot about this one. They have many different versions- Olive is the one I heard most about but the one I decided to pick up was the curl and wave.

Eco claims: 

For the ones who like things curly. Curl & Wave gel is ideal for curly and wavy hair textures. Define and moisturize your locks with our high-nutrient and botanically infused lightweight styling gel.

Eco gel is more affordable than some of the fancy brands you can get your hands on. It comes in a large amount and it's pretty easy to get a hold of. I have no idea why I am just now trying it.

I'll start with the packaging- surprisingly nice. It has a flip top lid which makes it easy and quick to open. 

The gel itself is typical. A nice thick gel texture. It's pink and has visible sparkle in it that I think helps the hair to look shiny. The scent of the gel is very light...reminscent of roses. I don't notice it lingering in my hair. I like the scent...it could be stronger. But at least it doesn't smell bad. 

I think Eco gel stands out because it doesn't use alcohol. Not all alcohol is drying but a good deal of them are. That being said- I don't feel my hair looks dry. But I do tend to put a leave in conditioner under it. While not crunchy you can still tell there is some kind gel/hold product in the hair. 

I like the way it looks in my hair once it settles but when I first put it on I feel like the frizz is a lot. But I guess as it wears it settles into just enough curl definition. I also really like the shine it gives. I could probably get more definition if I rake it through small sections with a curl brush- but that takes a lot of work and usually doesn't look much different in the end...so I rarely do it.  

It doesn't get too crunchy. Doesn't flake.

The ingredients aren't my favorite. It has a few things in it  that give me pause.  Such as Carbomer which as far as I can tell is considered to be a microplastic.But then again there are much pricier hair products that contain the same type of ingredients.  Not my favorite thing. But it does have some goodies- wheat protein, tea tree oil, calendula,  and echinacea. 

Water (Aqua), Carbomer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Echinacea Angustifolia Extract, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium EDTA, PVP, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Amyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Red 33 (CI 17200). 

Overall, it's OK. I don't see myself purchasing it again- but I didn't dislike my time using it. 

Tweezerman Nail Buffing Block Review

 Sooo... Bridgerton Season Four. I was undecided on if I was going to watch it but of course I tuned in for this season. And also watched the last season again. I think this season was based on my favorite book of the series...but I do not like show version of  Benedict so it's hard for me to get into their story. Also, all Bridgerton men are written the same. They are all "rakes" that then turn into the perfect husband. And so we have all just tuned in to watch pretty much the same story over and over. It's about the journey though and some of them have been better than others. I think Pen and Colins was the least developed somehow- the only scene I really enjoyed between them was the carriage scene and somehow the book version was still slightly better. 

Anyway. before I drone on and on about Bridgerton- let's get back to a rather boring review. 

Tweezerman claims: 

File, buff, smooth and shine nails to perfection. Comes with 4 peel-off replacement pads for each side to easily replace worn pads.

I think it was made in Korea- lost the packaging now and can't find it anywhere online. 

I've taken more of interest in my nails this year so I keep this a bit more handy than usual. But still rarely use it. I like that you can easily replace the pads- though I have yet to do so. I do love that it comes with replaceable pads. I haven't seen any other blocks that do the same. Yay for some slight sustainability.

It has four sides. Some work better than others. 

The first side I'm not a fan of. It's the "file" side. I find the shape a bit more awkward to use than a regularly shaped file. Works in a pinch though.

The second side is buff. I try not to do that much either because my nails are on the weaker and thinner side and buffing removes layers. I do it as needed and very rarely. 

Next side is smooth. I should probably give it more use. But I just rely on my base coat to do all the smoothing. When I use the buffer I do use the smooth side after. It works OK.

And last up the shine side. I don't think this works as well as other files I have had in the past. I have gotten far shinier nails. This does OK. Gives you the look of polish sans polish. I don't use this side much either because when I am doing my nails I am typically preparing to polish them. I think if you shine them before hand polish doesn't last as long cause it's harder to bind to a shiny surface.

Overall, not a must have item. I only reach for it occasionally. But it's nice to have when I need it. 

Ancestry DNA Update #10

 I can't believe we are already on update number 10. I always look forward to seeing new information updated to my DNA profile. Usually one of the changes I can count on are always more regions added. This latest update I went from 19 regions to 27! That is pretty crazy. I also tend to have the most regions compared to my immediate family. Pretty Cool! 

I'm going to keep this update pretty brief. Mostly I post these to keep track of my the changes over the years. So here are my 27 regions...

It's interesting that now it is divided up by region. Makes it a little easier to see and group everything

Starting with West Africa which represents the largest (of course!) for a total of 66%. From what I can see they just added some further breakdowns so we have Central Nigeria, Nigerian Woodlands, etc.

Then we have the Iberian Peninsula with a total of 10%

Next up, Central Africa. I don't think much has changed from the last update to this one.

Then we have England. Not uncommon. They get really specific with it, before it was very general and even start talking about what foods come from that area.  I noticed Scotland disappeared...but maybe included in the North East England DNA. 

Then we have Ireland. Also very specific regions. 

Western Europe shows up. I think that's a more recent add.

Then we have the last few regions- which they are so small I won't call up them specifically.

And that's all! Wonder if by the next update I will have 30 regions? That would be exciting!