I think it is real. I say this from personal experience and use. There are a number of ways to do face sculpting – face yoga, gua sha, lymphatic drainage, which generally includes fingers and oil, and one of my favorites, just because of the ease, face wrapping. I think that this trend started in Korea, but I am not really sure. There is evidence that this is mostly related to post-op care, and Korea is VERY big into plastic surgery, but I’m all for anything that makes taking care of myself (both internally and externally, easy).
Reusable face wraps went so viral when SKIMS released their version earlier this year, but I found mine at Marshalls many years ago. I’m gonna be honest, doesn’t seem like many doctors are in favor of these. I like the one I have, however, the wrap has loosened over the years from hasty application prior to bed. I think that when combined with eating healthy, working out, and lymphatic drainage, it has great benefit.
What do you all think? Trendy accessory or beneficial? I got mine for about 4 dollars – I think it is time for a new one as it has stretched out over the years. I don’t want to spend 50+ dollars on this type of item, so I’ll do more research before a splurge like this one. One thing that I really like about the Kardashians is that they do their best to make parts of their lifestyles more accessible to the public when it comes to the beauty arena. There are similar ones on Alibaba and Shein. I’ll probably give this one a try soon.
I’m going to give this a thumbs up as a Nelliel Approved beauty tool.
During the height of the Curlsqueen craze a year or two ago, I bought several curlsqueen products (just for your knowledge – 2c/3a curly half wigs, clipins and some straight halfwigs) When the products arrive, and you pull them out of the packaging, the hair is sooooo gorgeous! Stunning even. I thought to myself – trying to grow my hair back to waist length would be so easy!
Curlsqueen is my first true foray into hair extensions. If I can remodel my home, I can surely learn how to attach hair to my head, and make it seamless.
I was, however, very badly disappointed. After a few months of wear, the hair tangles, it no longer has body or flow, and just does not reflect the amount of money spent. Human hair lasts for forever. I know that there are not many people that feel this way online about Curlsqueen, but I do. What a waste of money. After attempting to coordinate returns or new products with the company, one gets fed up (they did attempt to rectify things a bit by sending me a free halfwig for the points status I possessed, but that one quickly tangled up as well). Is there a brand with curls just as beautiful that does not tangle? I have yet to find them. Most companies charge an arm and a leg for the length I need and the quality. I’m thinking that I’m going to have to go with a no name brand to get my new wigs made – and they will be to my specifications.
Curlsqueen is a big no for me.
Take a look at some of the others online experiencing similar issues with them. Why is this happening only to the looser textures? Very strange. As it is human hair, the hair should not tangle. Let’s be honest, if this is Cambodian/Indian hair, it would tangle on the heads of those selling the hair just as badly. Hair being attached to a weft does not mean that the hair should now tangle.
This user with a similar experience was found on TikTok
As Curlsqueen is China based, it is hard to get returns made without it costing as much as the product did! ah! I do think that the straight textures are nice – they do not tangle or shed. It is really important for products to be and perform at the level advertised and promised.
What did I do with the tangled weave? I’ve chosen to cut the hair off the weft and use the very expensive hair as bulk hair. It will be used in my twists and braids. It has been so costly.
Can you believe that those are the only negative reviews that I can find this AM?Wow. I do not think that the 2c is as popular as the coarser textures and that might be the reason that there are few updates on the loose textures online.
I am the type of person that likes to go from work wear to gym wear very easily. I do think that the switch is generally easy enough, but should I ever find myself in a rush, the Nike Bliss Pant Jogger Trouser combo is helps me to get through. I’d really like to think that very few people even notice that I’m wearing fitness pants to work – and I wear them, A LOT. They are so comfy, chic, and remind me of the skinny pant of yesteryear, but better, of course.
The lovely wide band at the waist, allowing for the ultimate waist high trousers, the peak-a-boo ankles (pairing perfectly with the pointy toed flats, I love), a long with a crisp white shirt is always a win. After work, I can change my top and sneakers and run off to the gym. As someone that relies on public transport mostly, this allows for much more ease. The gym bag and the work bag were just too much.
A few years ago, there were a few reports on the pants being badly made (I.e. the back seams were reopening), however, I have not had any such issue. They go perfectly from workwear to gym wear without issue.
I’m unable to link to them for some reason, but check them out. They are currently in stock on Nike.com and Dicks Sporting Goods. Old Navy has some budget friendly dupes, too.
The advanced data analytics course is going well. I’m enjoying it thus far. Does anyone have any other programming or data courses to recommend? I am hoping to move into a position within Data Science soon.
I really, really love Dollar tree. Here are some truly great dollar tree finds that I was able to score/note on my visit today. Make sure to patron them so that we can continue to enjoy these types of stores.
I truly love them for snacks – now they have the speed stick leave in and the speed stick deodorant. ? they smell so much like sol de janiero.
Update
The lady speed stick does smell nice but I do not believe that it is a real replacement for the sol de janiero. My fave sol de janiero scents are the 40 and 59. The speed sticks are very nice – not to mention you can get 10 of the speed sticks from dollar tree compared to one stick of deodorant from Sephora for 15.00 dollars.
I thought for sure that paint shop pro would work on it – I didn’t even think about it running GOOGLE OS. I assumed it would be a Microsoft operation system.
I cannot make new graphics on my laptop right now, I need cloudware. I thought it would be ok to take it back to PSP, so 90’s. But no. No.
I’ll just do a giveaway. Tell me your favorite color in the comments and I’ll do a drawing for those that enter. This program is Windows only, just so you know. I think it needs to be running 11 and up. The contest will run until next Saturday (7/5/25) I need to focus on my Coursera class until then. I’m almost on Module 2 already.
I’m in love! These headphones are soo good. The sound quality is unmatched, definitely when compared to some of the other kinds I’ve used.
Oooo! In black!! 🙂
Back in my HIIT days, I was using the Jaybirds, they were a little over 100.00 then and I loved those, too. (After a quick search on Amazon, I do not believe that they are still in production.) They used to fall out – I must have abnormally small ears, cause this is the norm for me when wearing that style of earbud. Personally, I think that these AirPod max are a really great replacement. I do think that they are a bit heavy, though. I’m not as into HIIT as of late, however, plenty o’ folks wear them to the gym and complain about the weight and how they fall off. Who wants some 500 dollar headphones falling on the floor? Not me. This is a true con.
The color is lovely, I got Starlight, I look cool wearing them. I’ve taken a few long bus rides with them and I do feel as though they have made a big difference in terms of my enjoyment on the ride. I need to spend a bit more time with them before a final review, but thumbs up. The price is steep but if you’re looking for some headphones on the more luxe side, these are a winner.
I’m a big fan of their sleek, simplistic and harmonious style. The symmetry is so nice. the usb-c was a nice choice. Wish they were sweat proof/waterproof – I must have bought a silicone cover that doesn’t fit, so I won’t be linking it but the color itself (stone) is a nice compliment to the starlight, goldish tone.
I think most of us prefer to purchase in store, that Apple shopping experience!, but if the mood so strikes, use my affiliate link:
I spent the evening at Jeju Sauna. I was once a regular here, but in the last few years have drastically tapered off, which is good for me. I think that we should allow for crowds to ebb and flow.
Though this spa has been around since 2005 in the Duluth area, it was popularized by the Real Housewives of Atlanta maybe 10 or so years ago. I will say that the prices have gone up to accommodate its popularity, prior to Covid19, entry was 25.00, afterwards, it has gone to 40.00. I’ve been to a few other spas in the US. They all have a similar feel, but are unique to their locations. Chicago, Hawai’i, New York, LA, allthat I can find in Georgia. Yeah, it was a real thing for me. Anytime I go to a new city, I try to visit the local spa, if available.
Jeju prefers that we limit picture taking, which is not so fun as the spa is beautiful, however, it is better to be respectful. See below for a few from the evening.
Check Jeju Sauna in Atlanta out if you’re looking for something fun and different to do for the day. $40.00 gets you in and you can stay for 24 HRS. You’ll get a wristband, an outfit to lounge around the spa in, and a toothbrush. Once you’re in the locker room, you can put your things away. You’ll quickly see how expansive and lovely the spa is. For the price, it is not too shabby if you ask me – gotta be ok with open bay sleeping, though, if you choose to stay for the entire time. Do be aware that there are portions of the spa that are nude, a la the traditional Korean spas, or kspas, as those closely acquainted with them like to call it. This only applies to the portion of the spa where people are bathing, the remainder of the spa is clothed.
I have a quick story, I was at Jeju and someone from Korea decided to randomly tell me about what the spas are like there. They said that it is customary for people to go to the spa every week, maybe even multiple times a week. The entry fee is less than 5 dollars! That’s kind of a cool little thing to know about their culture. I do want to make those of you that are unaware, there have been some issues with these spas stateside as it relates to prostitutionand otherquite sadthings, however. I really look forward to the day that evil leaves us. So sad that people can’t even go to bath houses in peace.
Anywho, I still think that checking them out is worthwhile, just be as safe as possible.
Pro tips for visiting:
Pack a spa kit for your visit. I take a quick trip to Dollar Tree and Marshall’s to stock up on necessary spa items (pedicure brush, scrub brushes, facial masks, hair masks) and put them in my spa basket for use. Marshall’s or TJ Maxx usually have some Dr. Jart face masks – I get these and use them at the spa as they make my visit feel more luxe. I also stock up on snacks and ensure that I have a refillable water bottle (plastic or metal, not glass) on hand. The spa charges for some incidentals, so having these on hand will make your end bill cheaper.
Go with a friend you trust. This can take the edge off for first timers. I mean a friend of the same gender as the male/female saunas are separate (nudity concerns)
Anticipate spending more the first few times you go. They offer so many services (pedicures, acupuncture, tiered body scrub services, vaginal steaming, authentic Korean eats). You’ll want to be sure you can cover a possibly heftier price tag.
Be courteous and respectful. All body types are on display and everyone is deserving of a safe space.
Do you have any tips for those new to the kspa life?
I liked this blog post and decided to share – luggage and lipstick does a great job of summing up the experience, too.
I grew up eating Maruchan Ramen. The saltiness was soooo good to me when I was a kid. I tried so many flavors, but the beef flavor is hard to get over. The way that I make the maruchan ramen is to never use the whole flavor pack and always pour out the water before eating. In my opinion, the only thing that the water (which would be broth with the flavor pack, if only I’d known that then) was good for, was making the noodles consumable (now, as an almost 40 something, break the noodles in the pack and toss them on a salad, akin to croutons).
I, for sure, survived pretty heavily on the microwaveable noodle variety in college before learning to cook. And by that I mean, learning to cook better. I knew how to cook a lot of things already. It is hard to get over the flavor of those at home ramen packs. I’m probably going to review a few Ra Myun (ramen) spots in Atlanta on this blog, but that is for another time. Enough about ramen, in my adulthood, I’ve moved on to pho.
There is an amazing Pho spot out in Smyrna, but now that I use public transport, I can’t make it out there as frequently. In this absence, I have resorted to SNAPDRAGON and PHONOMENAL (a vegetarian option). These could be considered cup pho. I think that their flavors are divine, and though the broth of these two pho leave a bit to be desired, (especially if you have had the pho from Pho Hoang Long on Pat Mell road), they are still quite good and satisfying. If only I could have that lime soda too! IYKYK. Pho Hoang Long is such a hidden gem over in the Marietta/Smyrna area.
The noodles are standard rice noodles, the flavor packs are really quite good, and the bowl size makes it easy to slurp the end of the dish right on up. The pho also comes in packs similar to what many are accustomed to seeing on shelves, almost like the ramen packs but slightly larger. Just so you know, I’ve also tried the Annie Chun flavor and it didn’t rest well with my pho loving soul.
Give these a try to switch up a thrifty lunch, a lazy dinner night (cook up some baked crispy wings and top with garlic chilli crisps), and sip on some bubbly water or a nice cold Pepsi. You will not be disappointed, at all. I love adding some extra cilantro and garlic for flavor. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
This PHO is definitely NELLIEL APPROVED. Thumbs up.
