#OpinionatedOctober - Zenni Optical

So, I'm trying to get back in the swing of writing after kind of losing my mojo for a long time. For that, I'm going to attempt what I'm calling #OpinionatedOctober: write one short paragraph review of something that I watched/read/listened/did that day each day in October. The key word is short, 500 words or less usually. I'm not going to get bogged down in a lot of detail, just get to the heart of whatever it is.

October 1
Zenni Optical
Eyeglass manufacturer/website
http://bit.ly/2xQPnar

*Note: This is a referral link, so I will get a credit if you purchase from it.

It's been a quite a few months now since I had to get glasses, and I really balked at the price of the first pair I ever bought even after insurance covered parts of it. Then a friend mentioned Zenni Optical and I thought, why not? Their website is pretty easy to browse, though it can be a bit of a learning curve for how much your glasses will really cost, as it's based on a large number of options you choose as you go. The hardest part is measuring the distance between your eyes, which seems to have worked fine for me using their directions. They've got a large variety of frames, but I definitely have to say when you put the expensive pair next to the Zennis, you can tell the difference in the price points. Zennis feel like cheaper glasses, for sure. But the lenses are the same strength, and I only wear them at home while I'm using the computer so I don't need them to be incredibly sturdy. If you're pretty active or hard on your glasses, you might want to consider that you get what you pay for. Just in the case of computer glasses, maybe you don't need to pay for so much. Also, the Zennis I have on now are way cuter than my expensive "professional" glasses.

August Birchbox!

My review of my July box!

At first I was thinking I would just write about my first Birchbox but I've got so many things to say I thought I would make it a regular feature! I always forget to take a picture of the box itself, though I suppose the box never changes. But I want to talk about how much I love the great boxes this comes in, they're high quality and I'm already repurposing mine.


But this is the box without the lid, to give you an idea of the presentation. It feels like a present every month, and it's all carefully wrapped.


This is what I got in my August box. Another month and again I'm very happy with everything I got. Well, perhaps I wasn't in love with the Violet Oasis 100% Organic Argan Oil, mostly because my skin is already a bit difficult to work with so I'm not really thinking I'll start applying oil to it anytime soon. It might be good for hair.

Speaking of hair, I got two samples of Miss Jessie's products designed for curly hair. Now, I din't have curly hair it's really more of a wavy texture, and even that is not really that pronounced. But I get all the frizz and problems of curly hair without the prettiness of it, so I was excited to try them.

First, I tried the Rapid Recovery Treatment. Now, I'm completely beauty stupid so sometimes even what normal people would think are clear directions confuse me. The directions on this sample said to apply it to damp hair, and then rinse it out after a half hour. I assumed this meant not to actually wash it out. I'm still not entirely sure if that was the right decision, but basically it went rather poorly.

The day after I used it, my hair may not have been frizzy but it was weight down and looked oily and just generally gross like I hadn't washed it. I wasn't thrilled but I think it may have been user error. So a few weeks later I tried the Super Sweetback Treatment and this time I actually washed out the treatment when I was done. First, I have to say that the Super Sweetback Treatment smelled HEAVENLY. I have no idea what was making it smell so good but it was fabulous. And my hair retained the scent for a while and I loved it.

It also did look nicer the next day, less frizzy, a little more normal. But there were two things that are keeping me from buying this one- first, I don't think it was really a miracle worker like they described and I might get the same results from any decent conditioner (perhaps it takes multiple applications to really work) but the other thing is the price. If I can find a cheaper alternative, then I don't really have the money to spend on this kind of thing. I wish I could find something that smelled this wonderful though!

My favorite thing this month was the Whish Deodorant Swipes. I'd never used a deodorant wipe before, and I found the idea intriguing. I was really pleased with it, I liked the scent and the feel of it and the deodorant definitely worked for me. I would have already bought a pack of these if Birchbox actually listed the quantity you receive on their webpage (unless it's $22 for a single wipe, in which case absolutely not!) and I don't know how much I'm willing to spend on them. They also supposedly inhibit hair growth, and I couldn't tell you how well that works since I only had one but if it does, then that's definitely worth a bit more cash.

The only other product that I've got any feedback for is the ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick. My sister wanted to try this one, so I decided to be nice and let her have it. The one in my box was a great neutral shade called "Kitty," and she reported that the shade was really lovely but while the color on your lips might not fade, it did rub off on her coffee mug. I'm still thinking I'd love to get the Neutral Collection sometime soon but I'll have to be quite careful not to leave lipstick stains everywhere.


Photo from my Birchbox account page
Overall, another really successful box! I definitely have a few more things added to my favorites list on the site, just waiting for me to build up some more points before I buy them. As a lucky bonus, I also got to see the samples that my best friend got in her first Birchbox this month, and they were completely different from mine! I'm jealous of a couple of them, and hoping I get them in a future box. If not, I'll just wait until she tells me if they're good and buy some of my own.

My next box will arrive in a couple weeks, but it takes time to try out the products so expect another review in about a month! If you think this looks fun to get a new box of samples every month, then you should definitely Subscribe! I highly recommend it!

Product Review: SleepPhones

I've got an issue that's probably not really rare - when I got married, I was used to listening to music to help me sleep. My husband was used to silence. There's not really a happy medium or a good compromise with this particular problem. Or at least, for the first years of my marriage there wasn't a solution. But then a year or so ago I saw an ad for SleepPhones. I think most people who like to listen to music have been annoyed by how uncomfortable headphones can be, and when you're trying to sleep and the other person in the room needs total silence? It's just not going to work. But I was still wary. For one, the price tag was a bit high, since I'm usually pretty rough on headphones and don't like spending a ton of money on things unless they're going to last a long time.

But the other thing was that I just didn't believe that they would actually work and be comfortable. There had to be a catch. The headphone part was still hard plastic, or they still leaked sound and your partner could hear. Something. This was too good to be true.

Well, lately I've been dealing with some pretty severe insomnia, and I've been using a white noise app to try to help me get into a mood for sleep if I was trying to get some rest when the husband wasn't around. But this wasn't helping me at night when I was supposed to be trying to sleep. Thanks to a Groupon sale, I decided to finally take the plunge and purchase some SleepPhones. I got mine in grey.

I was a tad worried when they came in and I tried them, because my head is probably oddly sized. The headband fit great (I got the one size fits most) but the actual speakers don't quite hit my ears right. I can get them lined up with a bit of work, but I wasn't exactly pleased about that.

But I've changed my mind entirely now. I've gotten used to getting the band settled in the right place, and I've tested them with music, my white noise app, and at multiple volumes. There's almost no sound bleeding through to disturb anybody. Apparently the only noise that comes through is the bird's chirping selection on my app.

I don't move around much in my sleep, so having the cord attached doesn't bother me too much but I could see how it would be a problem for some people. But they really are comfortable to sleep in, and not too painful even if you sleep on your side with your ear mashed into the pillow. Actually, I'm wearing them at regular times too now because normal headphones often give me headaches and these don't.

If you toss and turn too much, they have a wireless option, but it's much more expensive. There are also replacement parts so you don't have to buy a whole new set if you're like me and destined to break something in a year or so.

Overall, I've had my SleepPhones for about a month and I wholeheartedly recommend them. They're definitely worth the price, even if you can't find a sale like I did.