Monday, October 29, 2007

burnt

I tried to make shaving easier, but it didn’t work.

There’s a product called Magic Shaving Powder that’s formulated to stop razor bumps by chemically removing facial hair. It’s been around for a while and there are lots of people who swear by it for their shaving needs.

I’ve used this stuff in the past to varying shades of success, and since it had been a while since I last tried it, I decided to try to use it to remove week-old stubble. This was a special version that contained aloe vera and Vitamin B to help moisturize the skin as it took off the hair, so I figured it was a little safer than the rather smelly and caustic original version.

Big mistake.

The trouble started when I couldn’t get the powder mixture to blend right with water following the package instructions. I tried mixing it every which way, more water, less water, and everything in between, but it never formed a cream, just a weak, watery mixture. That should have been my first sign to stop.

Undaunted, I began to apply it to my face. It hardened up quickly, so I decided to add more water to keep it moist. That was mistake number two. I had nasty smelling depilatory all over the bathroom and it began to burn my skin.

I tried scraping the stuff off my face with a spatula, but it only made the pain worse. I then used a washcloth and got most of the mixture off, but none of the hair.

That’s when I decided to shave. With clippers and a razor.

I’m an idiot. Third mistake so far.

The shave itself wasn’t painful, but my right cheek was raw from the combination of friction and chemicals. Should have stopped while was ahead.

Since everything I had to treat the pain had alcohol in it, which was going to make it worse with the raw skin, I decided to use aspirin and water to soothe the pain. I dissolved some aspirin in a bowl of water and coated my face with it. It helped relive the pain instantly, but it only stopped the redness temporarily.

So here I sit typing about 24 hours later with one really red cheek and pain with the other mitigated by a nice solid coat of Lanacane. Next time, I’ll skip the Magic and stick with a couple of occasional bumps in my usual shaving routine.

Carry on…

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Macy's to invigorate flagship store

Launches ad campaign, "Take Me to State Street"

Sandra M. Jones
Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO - Macy's Inc. is unveiling a brand campaign aimed at breathing new life into its downtown State Street flagship store, which has alienated some shoppers since converting from Marshall Field's last year [more]