Product Review - Rescue Remedy Sleep

What a month, kids.

I was kicked out of the country at the beginning of January and forced to do real work in the land down under, eat vegemite, sleep on exotic beaches, and...ok, we'll leave it at that.

When I returned to my office after being gone for two weeks, I had phone messages, emergencies, over 500 emails I had neglected while working down under on another project, a sick dog, family matters, home issues, and...again, we'll leave it at that.

Imagine the surprise when I discovered that I could not sleep at night! I assumed it would be easy to crawl into bed after a long day of battling the corporate world and adjusting my body off of a 15 hour time difference (what day is it?).

So I found myself at the health food store, searching for something that would help me sleep, but not knock me out beyond the ability to hear my alarm clock go off the next morning. I spoke with the girl at the counter, also informing her of my anxiety disorder that tends to fight any sleeping medication. (I tried Lunesta years ago and became a wannabe Spiderman by climbing the walls) She smiled and pulled out this handy little tool:

Meet Rescue Remedy Sleep. This tiny bottle is safe to take on planes, costs about $5.00, and is processed chemical free. From the website Rescue Sleep:

Rescue Sleep calms your restless mind providing natural relief for sleeplessness caused by stress and repetitive thoughts. Containing a blend of Rescue Remedy and the Bach Flower Remedy White Chestnut, Rescue Sleep allows you to sleep naturally and wake refreshed. Visit www.rescuesleep.com for more information. -->
Rescue Sleep calms your restless mind providing natural relief for sleeplessness caused by stress and repetitive thoughts.
Rescue Sleep is totally natural and contains six of the 38 Bach® Flower Essences: Rock Rose for terror and panic, Impatiens for irritation and impatience, Clematis for inattentiveness, Star of Bethlehem for shock, Cherry Plum for irrational thoughts, and White Chestnut for relief from repetitive thoughts.

Repetitive thoughts? Shock? Restless mind? I just wanted to SLEEP. I wanted to stop thinking about my second trip back down under, my expense report with a $100 missing receipt, a trip to Europe for more work, my boss hounding me about a project...I just wanted to sleep. The girl assured me it would knock me out with no side effects in the morning. I gave it a go and spent the $5.

One evening, despite my futile efforts at relaxing my body - calming thoughts, warm bath, hot tea, snuggle time with my dog, and no TV, computer, or any electronic device near me, my jet lag was the culprit. I woke up around 2 am, wide awake, head racing, wondering if I had sent off an email to someone. I grabbed the bottle and peered at the instructions:

"Spray 2 times on top of tongue. Spray as needed throughout the night."

Sheepishly, I grumbled about not needing to take additional Unisoms and Advil PMs once they'd sent me into a coma, but I sprayed twice, then hit the sack and waited.

Suddenly, my alarm clock went off, and it was 8:30 in the morning. I had fallen asleep and rested the entire night, and woke up without feeling hungover. My body felt relaxed and comfortable.

Now, I'm not anti-drugs. But the realization that I had fallen asleep with the assistance of an all-natural product and woken up with no side effects iced the cake.

Overall, I highly recommend this product. I plan to test it out a few more times to ensure that I didn't 'get lucky' and fall asleep on my own accord.

Product Review - L'Oreal Double Extension Beauty Tubes mascara

The ad for this product was too good to be true. For only $8.87 (Wal-Mart in Texas price) my eyes could sparkle, flutter, and knock men's socks off worldwide. This was the perfect addition in my attempts to steal Hugh Jackman from his wife when I am in Australia next week!

On a whim, I decided to purchase the L'Oreal Double Ext...ok, you can read the title.

The site claims 'you can get the same salon-like extension result that is completely hassle free' without spending $600 on professional extensions. While I have been told my eyes are my best feature of my face, I've never been a fan of my 'average' eyelashes and am quite envious of those who do get the sleepy, sultry effect from having thick ones. I chunked the product in my cart and headed about my merry way.

After applying the product, I must admit, while it does provide some 'extension', it certainly did not perform as well as an $8 bottle of black paste should. I'm a faithful subscriber to the all time best seller and classic Maybelline Great Lash mascara, which is half the price. It gives my eyes a smokier appearance and is easier to wash off.

The beauty tubes product is a two step process and requires a steadier hand - the first application is a white cream of some sort that 'lengthens and separates'. The second requires the better control over your hand - if you don't cover all of the white, you look like you have eyelash dandruff, and that's just a fashion faux pas. The mascara is also a little more difficult to remove. With most mascaras I have used, a warm washcloth and some eye makeup remover does the trick. With this, it felt like I was pulling off my lashes, and I don't have any to spare.

Overall review? I liked it, but not enough to justify spending $9 on it. When the price falls to $5.00, I may consider buying it again. Until then, it sits in my makeup tray.