February 25. 2009 by admin.

Solia Flat Iron
folica.com

Who’d have thought that shopping for a hair straightener would be so difficult?  We own a good ol’ Conair and it’s held up quite well considering it’s being used by four of us each day, but I hear the one they use in cosmetology class is way better.  Problem is, nobody knows what brand it is!

And so I begin my hunt for the perfect hair straightener and am quickly overwhelmed with way too much information!  It appears that all flat irons are not created equal and the best brand was definitely in dispute.  After much ado, here are a few things to consider when purchasing a flat iron:

Plate material:  Ceramic and titanium plates with tourmaline - supposedly, plates with tourmaline produce negative ions which seals your hair, thus making your hair shiny and smooth while causing less damage.  I found this rather interesting, wouldn’t you say - tourmaline is a semi-precious gemstone!

Temperature:  Temps up to 450 degrees are recommended only if your hair is really thick and really curly.  For the average wavy haired lady, 350 degrees is sufficient.

Plate width:  Choose a wide plate for straightening if your hair is really long.   I wanted to use it for curls tool so thought the 1 1/4″ plate would be a happy medium.

Price:  Unfortunately, even flat irons are subject to being counterfeited.  Seriously, if you buy from someone other than a reputable dealer, you might not be getting the name brand you pay for.  Whether they work as well or not I couldn’t say, but personally - if I’m going to fork out $100 for a Chi, I want a Chi!!!

Reviews:  The first site I visited was for a Karmin flat iron.  Every review, thousands of them, were rated 5/5.  I’m a bit skeptical and find it difficult to believe that Karmin managed to please EVERYONE.  (And if they really did, I want to know how to do that!)

Reviews should be read with an open mind, paying particular attention to the negative comments.   Sometimes people just aren’t happy with the shipping time, the color, or the day of the week.  A lot of insight can be gleaned by reading these reviews.

Eventually, I came across folica.com with the intentions of purchasing a Chi iron but eventually settled for a Solia  flat iron.  The sale at the time was $83us.  This was for the flat iron, a stand, and a heat-proof pouch.  Orders over $100 to Canada would receive free shipping so I ordered 2 bottles of Biosilk hair serum.

I Love my Solia!

The Solia takes the same amount of time to straighten my hair as my old Conair but the most noticeable difference is that it lasts!  Usually a little bit of humidity and the top layer of my hair turns into a ball of fuzz.  The biosilk really helps keep the frizz down too, just don’t use too much!  With the thinner flat iron, I can also curl my hair into perfect ringlets which stay until the next wash.

Good luck in your shopping endeavors!   Let me know what you get, and how you like it!

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November 20. 2008 by admin.

How to cure your bank account!

Free Trial:

Plastered all over the internet is a beautiful girl’s testimony telling about Skin Perfection’s free trial and how great the product works – with before and after pictures to prove it!

Oh wow!

Who can resist a free trial?  Not me – I quickly signed up to receive my 30 day supply for only $4.95 shipping.

Ordering:

Should you change your mind while on the order page and hit the corner X, a pop up window will appear offering you an even better deal ($2.95 shipping).  At this time, I suggest you XXX outta there as fast as you can!  Unfortunately, I didn’t .

Spam:

Here are a few things you might like to know before ordering:

1) Your email address will be given out to third parties.

Even if you don’t complete the final payment step,  your email address is added to their data bank.

2) Your phone number will be given out to third parties.

Within 6 days of placing my order, I received three phone calls from a third party company to confirm my address and email on behalf of my recent order.  Included were offers to win free travel tickets, $100 gas vouchers, and free stuff from other companies. It may sound like a good opportunity but from past experience, I know that these offers just mean more spam.

The Real Deal:

On the 15th day from placing your order, your credit card will be charged $79.90 (us funds) for the supply of Skin Perfection which was supposed to be a free trial.  It’s not free, it’s only free to try for 14 days!

If you do not want to pay, you must return the product by the 15th day, which could be tricky if you haven’t received it yet.

Cancelling:

To cancel further shipments of Skin Perfection, the telephone number is 866-897-0664.

Here’s what happens when you try to cancel within 14 days of placing your order:

You will be offered a “Special Deal!”

Rather than be charged $79.90 for the “free” trial, they will waive that fee if you agree to accept another 30 day supply at half price.  After that, each 30 day supply is $39.95 for as long as you continue to use the product.

or:

You can keep the “free” trial and be charged $79.90

Conclusion

I am marking my calendar for December 20th to phone and cancel.   In the meantime, I look forward to sampling Skin Perfection for 60 days to see if the product is worth the headache or is just as bogus as their tactics.

Hmmmm….they also sell Skin Perfection Lift SP.  Whattaya think?  Should I order a free trial of anti-wrinkle cream?
Update:  I first ordered the “free” trial of Skin Perfection MD on November 15th.  As of December 20th, I have not received anything.  When I phoned them, they seemed surprised but did not offer to send a replacement.  They did however agree to cancel all future shipments.  sigh….live and learn.

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November 17. 2008 by admin.

Is it the answer to acne?

Proactiv Solutions is one of the most popular acne solutions on the market today. Although it may prevent future breakouts, I don’t think it’s the answer for those already suffering from acne.

We received a pamphlet in the mail advertising a 30 day trial of Proactiv Solutions for $19.95 + $6.95 shipping to Canada. When I phoned, the customer service rep asked if I would like to upgrade to a 60 day supply for $39.90 + $8.95 shipping.   I agreed to this and the total of $48.85 Canadian funds was charged to my credit card.

When you order Proactiv, you become a Club Member and will receive the 3-step system products every 30 or 60 days with your credit card automatically billed accordingly.

After having Proactiv’s 3-step system for about one month, we decided to order some additional products from their catalog, which has everything from hair care, moisturizers, to make up.  Since Proactiv tends to leave skin felling dry, I needed to order a moisturizer to complement the cleansing routine.  I decided to try a few other products as well, which I will review at a later date.

I did have a bit of a scafuffle with the customer service rep on the phone as she gave me my total in US funds and the catalog I had said customers from Canada would be charged Canadian funds. She said they don’t do that as they are in the United States and that is their currency. Okay fine, I succumbed to that argument and was charged in US funds.

After using the 3-step system for 7 weeks, we have not noticed any visible improvement.   I have phoned to cancel any future shipments and that was easy to do.  In the meantime, we are still looking for a solution to acne.

Proactiv gets 3 out 5 stars for good customer service.

Review

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