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! 

Glossier You Eau De Parfum Review

 

One more review and then I am done for the day. The way I usually decide the next perfume I'm going to use is just googling and finding the most iconic fragrances. This popped up on some list- before then I had never heard of it. So I went ahead and ordered it from Sephora. I wish I didn't. Or I wish I had ordered the smaller size or something because this was not worth it.

Glossier claims:

Glossier You is a soft, warm and familiar skin-scent enhancing fragrance. Sparkling Pink Pepper opens into earthy Iris, settling into a strong, slightly-sweet base of Ambrette and Ambrox that wears close to skin–so it smells a little different on everyone!

Musky, Iris, Amber, Powdery, Soft Spicy, Violet, Floral, Earthy

Made in the USA

I think maybe I have a problem with "Ambrette/Ambroxan" type of scents. I don't think I have tried one that I have found to be very good. It's mainly the initial spray and the fact that it doesn't develop into anything good either.

It smells "cheap" to me. Something about the top notes reminds me of cheapie Glade sprays. I can't pick out any of the other notes- I wouldn't say it gives floral, fresh, oriental, woody- or any of the other categories. Maybe slightly powdery?  Just cheap and meh. If I didn't know how much I paid for the bottle I would have thought it was $30 or less. I feel $20 would be a fair price for it. But of course it was much more than that. 

Even the packaging gives cheap. I had been carrying the bottle around in my bag and you can see wear on it. Some of the packaging has worn off and the top has chipped. 

I really wish I had seen the smaller size because that is what I would have gone with. I didn't see that option- unlucky for me. 

I did read that it was reformulated about two years ago- so it's entirely possible that it was much better before. 

Overall, I really dislike it. I might try to use up the rest of it as a room/bathroom spray. I can't see myself wearing through the rest of the bottle. Waste of money for me. 

Shepherd's Pie and Turkey and Stuffing Casserole

 This past week I feel like I made a bunch of Sunday dinner type of recipes- except  I didn't really make any of these on Sunday.

The first recipe was a Shepherd's Pie. I haven't made one of these in years- but the last one I made I really liked so I was really looking forward to this one. I even went to the meat market to grab some lamb so I could make it with the lamb instead of beef. I eat ground beef for most recipes that require meat so it was good to switch it up. This was good but I feel like it would have been better with extra seasonings like Thyme/Rosemary. I made it on a Monday too...and it felt like a little too much work for a weekday. But it was still pretty good! This recipe came from the Unofficial Harry Potter cookbook.

Next up, a Turkey and Stuffing Recipe. Except I subbed out the Turkey for Duck. I didn't feel like hunting for Turkey Pieces and I found the duck on sale in a local store. I thought it was uncooked but it was already cooked. I tried to crisp the skin the wrong way on the stovetop ...I should have just cooked it in the oven and broiled it. I know for next time. Then I just made the stuffing- I'm not a fan of stuffing. But I figured I would try it again just to be sure. And..yeah. Still don't like it. It's just seasoned and moistened baked bread with aromatics. I would rather eat any other starchy side than stuffing. But if you do like it I guess it's a good recipe.

Definitely not the best thing I have ever made....

And that's all for the last week! 

Tasha Cobbs

Have I been posting a lot of gospel lately? It feels like that but I don't know. 

You know how some gospel songs you hear once and it leaves you in Awe? This was one of those songs. 

Gotta post the studio version too since that's what I heard first.

Very powerful song. It makes me have a moment every time I listen to it. 

Antica Officina Profumi Di Olive Oil Soap Review

 I'm really not sure I have the brand right, I can never figure it out from the packaging- but today we have Olive Oil Soap. I've used tons of Olive Oil Soaps at this point and for the most part- can't really go wrong. I was saving this to use as a facial soap...until it got demoted to a body bar. It was mostly due to the scent.

Usually I would put the claims- but I can't access the website and I can't read Italian. 

I used the Buffalo Milk version of the soap a few years ago which I definitely prefer and would repurchase over this. It's mostly due to the scent. Most Olive oil soaps tend to smell like some kind of burnt plastic. This is fragranced so it doesn't smell like burnt plastic. It smells like some sort of Lemon Verbena type scent. It reminds me of a cleaning spray type of scent which I just did not enjoy at all. 

I don't tend to like Lemon Verbena scents/soaps and this has some strength to it. Originally I was using it on my face ..but it was lasting forever that way and I was feeling really over the scent so I just decided to use the rest up in the shower to make it go quicker. Which it did.

It lathers well, rinses clean. It's softening but also drying. Nothing a little lotion can't fix.

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Olive Oil, Parfum, Spanish Sage Oil Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Phytate, Citric Acid, Olive Leaf, Linalool, Geraniol, D- Limonene, Citral

Overall, not for me mostly due to the scent. I would buy the Buffalo Milk version of this over the Olive version anyway.