First Friday Faves – April

This month’s faves are:

1. Maybelline Lash Sensational Boosting Serum
2. Ames Ergo Gel Grip Hand Weeder
3. The Diva Cup

Maybelline Lash Sensational Boosting Serum

My first fave this month is Maybelline Lash Sensational Boosting Serum. It claims that it will help your lashes look fuller and thicker in four weeks. Well, I have been using it for about two months and I love it!

Here’s a quick back story. Years ago (probably 6 or 7) I found a lash boosting serum by L’Oreal. It. Was. Fantastic. I loved everything about it. It wasn’t too expensive, didn’t burn my eyes, had a great applicator and worked! As with all things I love, they ended up discontinuing it. I managed to snag a couple off Amazon but once they were finished I never thought I’d find another product like it. Between then and now I’ve found two other products that promised to boost my lashes but neither of them could compare to my beloved L’Oreal serum.

Then one day I spotted Maybelline’s new product and I decided to give it a try. There were 2 left so my daughter and I grabbed them. Friends, this is the closest product I’ve found to my old faithful. First things first. Does it work, meaning will it make my lashes longer and fuller? Yes! I noticed baby lashes growing in after about 2 weeks or so. There were two annoying areas on my lower lash line where the lashes were very short and sparse. I can definitely see a difference in not only the length but they are filling in at those bare spots.

The serum itself is a clear substance that is supposed to be worn twice a day, even under mascara but I only use it at night. The wand has a small fuzzy spoolie that makes application a breeze. I apply it the same way I apply regular mascara but I make sure to coat the top and bottom of my lashes and then I run the spoolie over the base of both the upper and lower lashline.

One of the biggest complaints about the more expensive and/or prescription only brands is the possibility of eye discoloration. This includes the actual changing of eye color and skin discoloring. I have not experienced any of this and don’t expect to. I have not experienced any negative side effects though everyone is different and if you have highly sensitive eyes you may want to start off slowly. The bottom line is that if you have short, sparse lashes and want to try an inexpensive product (around $10) and are willing to wait 2 – 4 weeks to see results pick up this Maybelline Lash Sensational Boosting Serum today!

Ames Ergo Gel Grip Hand Weeder

My second fave for April is a very non-glamorous item. It’s an item that you’ll be using to dig in the dirt but it’s one that I can’t garden without, the Ames Ergo Gel Grip Hand Weeder. Out of all my gardening tools the hand weeder is probably my most used. Some people, including me, refer to it as a dandelion digger but I use it for so much more than dandelions.

I spend a ton of time weeding my beds every Spring, Summer and Fall and this tool is the best at prying up the various types of weeds that invade my beds. There are a couple of different kinds of hand weeders on the market but I prefer the type that have a long, narrow rod with the V fork in the end. For starters it allows the digger to penetrate the ground deeper and more easily than those that have the curve (which is meant to provide leverage). This means you can get to the base of the root easier and it’s less likely you’ll cut the root off.

The gel grip handle on this weeder also helps insure a comfortable grip as opposed to the wooden handled ones, which I also own and use. The only con for this hand weeder is that this type is easy to lose if you’re not careful where you place your weed pile. I’ve lost a couple when I tossed piles into the wheelbarrow and then discarded it.

Diva Cup

My third favorite this month is one that I wasn’t sure I wanted to share. I’ve been tossing the idea around for a bit but decided that I would never have tried this product if it wasn’t for the awesome people who shared their experience so here goes. The Diva Cup. Yes, a menstrual cup.

If this kind of thing makes you squeamish or totally put off then feel free to click away. For those of you who may be curious what the heck a menstrual cup is and more so how in the world do you use it, you’re in luck because I’m about to explain it all.

Okay, let’s talk. About four years ago I became annoyed with tampons. Some days I just didn’t know what to do because even though I didn’t need a lite tampon there was still a possibility I needed something but in no way did I want to use a pad. Other times it was the whole, when is it coming? I’m going away for hours and what if I’m not prepared? Should I wear black just in case? I’m worried that I may get Toxic Shock Syndrome if I’m using a tampon when my flow isn’t real heavy. That whole thing. You know what I’m talking about. I was tired of not knowing what to do each month and I despise pads so much so that I was pretty desperate.

There are lots of different cups out there but that’s about it

I researched different options. Period panties, reusable sponges and various cups. Of the few options out there the cup was the closest thing to not only wearing a tampon but the freedom that goes with it. The whole cup thing really had me intrigued. I have to admit though that when I had heard about them prior to this I was kind of put off about the whole idea myself. I pictured a hard, flat disc that would have to be changed constantly. Reading about the different kinds and styles made a huge difference in my mind. They were nothing like I had imagined. So after a few days of research I decided to order the Diva Cup.

You need to know that they are not cheap. They run around $30 for one. But when you compare that cost to how much tampons are it’ll pay for itself in a couple of months. You use your cup everyday of your period, even at night if you want, so there is no need to purchase tampons anymore. Woohoo! I ordered my cup from Amazon but now most places carry them, even Target and was so excited when it arrived. I actually couldn’t wait to get my period because I wanted to try this sucker.

First impressions:

1. Wholly guacamole this thing is huge. I’m supposed to get this in there? Yes, seriously. I was a little freaked out at first. I looked at it like, there is no way this is humanly possible. But I did pass two kiddos outta there so maybe I was just being overly dramatic. You see, the Diva Cup comes in three sizes. Model 0 for smaller, young girls 18 and under, Model 1 for women ages 19 to 30 who have not delivered a child vaginally or by caesarean section and Model 2 for women over 30 who have delivered vaginally or by caesarean section. Of course every body is different so these are just the guides they go by. Anyways, I ordered a size 2 which was the correct size. Don’t worry, when I look at it now it does not look big to me at all.

2. I didn’t realize how soft it would be. It wasn’t a hard plastic but a soft silicone bell-like shaped cup. Not squishy but still easy to bend or fold. The end has a little nub on it meant for retrieval purposes but I cut mine off because it was uncomfortable.

Don’t let the nub scare you

Let’s talk about the nub. Some women use it but I don’t know if I would’ve because like I said I cut mine off about halfway. I found it very uncomfortable when sitting. That was when I first tried it so it could’ve been that it wasn’t inserted properly but you can grab the end for removal so the nub isn’t a necessity.

And speaking of not inserting it properly, let’s dive into that. So now that you’ve seen and felt the cup you need to get it in where it belongs and there are a couple of ways you can do that. You can fold the top of the cup into a C shape and insert it, releasing it when far enough in then rotating it to ensure the proper seal. The other method is pushing the top down and folding the two sides in to form a kind of taco, scoop shape. You’ll insert it and rotate it the same way as the previous method. I recommend watching some of the videos on the Diva website to get more details on insertion.

Practice makes perfect

There is definitely a learning curve. It took till my 3rd month using it to finally have no leaks and no issues when inserting it. Finally everything just clicked. Since then I have loved this little cup. It is the best thing evah!!!! What’s so great about it? You can wear your cup when you think your period is coming. Meaning that you don’t have to be caught off guard. Going to work but feeling bloated and crampy like you know it’s coming at any time but it’s not here yet and you can’t wear a tampon? No problem, you can wear your cup and when you get home take it out and leave it out. Put it back in the next day if you’re still playing the waiting game.

How about the last day of your cycle where you’d like a little protection but not enough for a tampon? Use the cup because it’s perfectly fine hanging out in there all day and when you get home you can check it to see if you need to keep wearing it or if you’re done for the month. And did I mention you can wear it for up to 12 hours?!?! Hello! Obviously your mileage may vary but no more rushing to get to a bathroom because you’ve had your tampon in for six hours.

You can’t feel the diva cup when it’s inserted correctly

And you can not feel it. You really don’t even know it’s there. As long as you’ve made sure it’s inserted and sealed properly you’re good to go. I do recommend wearing a pantyliner though just in case. Now unlike pads and tampons, you will have to clean your Diva Cup. There are thorough instructions in the package and on their website and it’s really no big inconvenience. There are seriously no cons I can think of about using the Diva Cup. You must be comfortable handling things “down there” and you will see blood but this is a lot less messy than pads so it’s definitely a win there.

Have you tried any menstrual cups? Do you have a favorite? Do you have any questions about the Diva Cup? I’d love to hear from you if so!