August 28, 2020
The Amazon purchases that leveled-up my life, a hair mask that helped me make it to my next color appointment, nail stickers that render the salon obsolete and how I'm using Alexa to my advantage.
Everything I ordered from Amazon this week
Sometimes I think it would be fun to work in an Amazon fulfillment center just to see the random stuff people order. In fact, someone hacked my account once and placed an order that got delivered to me, including cheap brown hair extensions, an inflatable bath pillow, a self-charging phone case and Christmas lights. The subsequent conversation with Amazon customer service was quite funny… Here I am trying to convince them I have blonde hair, I don’t have an Android phone and I’m Jewish so there’s no way I placed the order. So with that, here’s a list of everything I added to my cart this week.
A clip-on selfie light
No, I am not spending my days snapping selfies for a secret Instagram account—but I am spending a lot of time on Zoom for work. Yesterday I noticed that my screen was darker than everyone else’s despite the fact that my plantation shutters were open and my overhead lights and lamp were on. For $15, it’s worth a shot—and we’ll see when it arrives “by Sunday at 9pm” (which happens to be just in time for a Monday morning meeting).
Shower curtain clips
Last Saturday morning I was cleaning my son’s bathroom, and when it came time to vacuum, I hadn’t noticed the flood on the floor behind the toilet. As soon as I stuck the Dyson back there, water started flying everywhere and I totally freaked out that my beloved sidekick was cooked for good. (After disassembling it and letting it dry for 24 hours, thankfully everything was OK.) My son had just showered a little while earlier, so the source of the problem was obvious—but now I’m wondering how long this has been going on. Hence these stick-on clips to keep the shower curtain closed, and we haven’t had a problem since.
Charging cable clips
Have you noticed the clip theme here? So I have two main charging cords in my office (for my phone and my mini-vacuum) and I finally got sick of seeing them lying on the floor. I also needed one for the phone and Apple Watch charging cords on my night table, so I got a few extras while I was at it.
simplehuman wall-mounted grocery bag dispenser
We’ve had a carton of plastic grocery bags from Costco in our pantry for years, and it’s become home to all of the plastic bags we accumulate so they can be reused for myriad purposes. This, too, has started to annoy me (apparently everything does these days), so I stuck this dispenser on the inside of the pantry door, filled it and finally ditched the cardboard box—and freed up some shelf space in the process.
A weekly planner for my son
Because school starts August 31st (virtually) and my son needs all the organizational help he can get.
Tile and grout cleaner
We replaced most of our tile with wood way back when, but we didn’t do the bathrooms. So now that I clean the bathrooms, I can’t help but notice the stained grout. I figured I’d pop this into my eco-friendly OXO mop (another quarantine cleaning supply purchase) that I got to replace the toxic Swiffer Wet-Jet. I make my own solution with Mrs. Meyer’s concentrate, and it came with an extra bottle that I can use for this enzymatic floor cleaner. I tried it on a small area and didn’t notice any difference, but it says it works over time so I’ll either have to keep trying—or get down on my hands and knees and scrub with a Magic Eraser. Just what I wanted to add to my list…
A sunglass organizer
We have a little desk area in our kitchen where I keep my pocketbook, and three or so sunglass options so I can grab a pair as I’m walking out the door. I’ve grown tired of seeing them just lying there on the counter, but now they have a “home” that works vertically and horizontally. A winner!
So what did you order this week?
I’m starting to notice my roots again…
I’m not sure if June 24 feels like yesterday or an eternity ago, but that’s the day I finally put on my big-girl panties (and a mask) to get my hair colored for the first time since March 3. Here I am 57 days later, and my roots are starting to catch my attention when I glance in the mirror again. I’m nowhere near panicking (since I know from past experience I can wait at least another month), but I will admit this situation has sparked a bit of anxiety.
I can’t do anything to stop my hair from growing (which is ironic considering I was all about hair-growth supplements in 2019), but I can make sure the still-blonde part of my hair looks bright and healthy, and that’s where a purple-hued mask comes in. The latest one I’ve seen is R+Co.’s Sunset Blvd Blonde Toning Masque, and it sounds almost as enticing as a trip to L.A. (or anywhere else right now for that matter).
With a bold purple color that offsets brassiness and yellow undertones, botanical extracts for protection against fading oxidation, super-moisturizing shea and murumuru butters, and a spicy Oriental scent that is sure to make your nose happy as well—consider this added to my to-get list for both before and after I muster up the courage to go back to the salon again.
I (finally) tried nail polish stickers and all I can say is WOW!
I was always a nail-biter, at least until I committed to regularly-scheduled manicures. Over the past 10 years, I went from weekly regular manicures to bi-weekly gels (but had to stop because they completely trashed my nails), and ultimately powder-dip manicures that only required once-a-month upkeep (though with a fair share of damage). At some point I decided to give my nails a break, but I always keep them filed and tidy, even if just wearing clear polish.
Then quarantine happened. My nails were the least of my concerns and although my toes are always done (thanks to my own handiwork), I gave up on DIY manicures by mid-April simply because the constant dish-washing and newfound housekeeping responsibilities just didn’t make the effort worth my while. (As my husband would say, “The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.”)
Despite my practicality, I’ve missed the visual joy of having perfectly-polished fingertips. This prompted my initial press-on misstep (but I have to admit I ordered another set to play with when the mood strikes and the time is right), and then I decided to try nail polish stickers. Off to Amazon I went, and after spending way too much time finding a bundle that included colors I would actually consider wearing, I ordered these.
After sitting in my office for more than a week, I finally had my window of opportunity to try them. I filed my nails, used my Blue Cross Cuticle Remover, pushed everything back, did some minor trimming and gave my nails a swipe of nail polish remover (to eliminate excess oil that could affect their staying power) and off I went.
I have pretty small hands (and fingernails) so sizing is always a concern when it comes to anything nail related. Since each set of stickers included 8 options for each hand, I was pretty much OK, but I figured out a hack for my middle and pointer fingers: I flipped them around so the tapered ends better fit my nail bed. After applying the stickers, smoothing them down with my finger, trimming them with a scissor and filing off the excess I was good to go! And the fact that there was no drying time involved kind of sealed the deal.
So immediately after my nail-sticker experiment, I’m kind of thrilled. There are a few lumps and bumps but nothing that’s making me want to take off the stickers immediately. I’m sure with a little practice I can perfect my technique (and I have about 15 other sets to play with).
The big question is (or was) how they’d hold up, especially with bathroom cleaning on the next day’s to-do list. Unfortunately, they did not hold up—at I looked down at some point and realized two stickers had fallen off. A few others were lifting at the edges so I just yanked them all off since I still had three bathrooms to go.
This was pretty much to be expected, so I’m still into the idea of them moving forward. I haven’t had a chance to apply another set, but when I do, I’ll be sure to keep my housekeeping schedule in mind!
I say, “Alexa, goodnight” and here’s what happens…
I found myself on yet another frivolous mission last week, and this time it was creating an Alexa “routine” that would serve as a technological “tuck in.” Since I got an Echo Dot for my bedroom, I found myself having way too much conversation with my digital assistant when I was ready to turn off the lights, so of course I had to do something about it. It was somewhat of a process but after four nights of tweaking, I finally got it right.
The first step was getting a smart plug for my lamp. I’ve actually wanted one for a while because I hate walking into a dark room and fumbling around looking for the switch. I’ve set up a bunch of these all around the house, so that wasn’t a problem. But then I realized I needed a new surge protector to accommodate all of the various devices, and figured I’d get one with built-in USB ports (which was a great move).
Once I had the electrical set up, it was time to create the routine in the Alexa app. The first problem I ran into was that you can’t use more than one “skill” in a routine, so I wasn’t able to use my sleep sounds and set a timer for 45 minutes. OK, no biggie, so I decided to use rain sounds from Apple Music instead. Well, the first night I selected an album that had separate tracks, so the silence in between each one got in the way of my falling asleep. The next night I found a 60-minute track—but it was way too thundery and it actually woke me up at some point after I had dozed off. The next night’s track was too windy, and the night after that Alexa couldn’t find the track I had inputted. Then I searched Amazon Music and found the perfect track (and you can set a timer when selecting your sounds).
Yes, I probably should have tested each routine before I got into bed, but I was willing to take the chance in exchange for the satisfaction I knew I would feel when I eventually got it right. And after making all of these adjustments I finally did! So now all I have to do is utter, “Alexa, goodnight” and my lamp shuts off, the rain starts coming down, and I’m off to dreamland. It’s awesome.