Neutrogena Wave Review

By now, all the ladies have seen this product in stores. Everywhere from CVS to Stop & Shop stocks it on their shelves, and let's be honest... It's not too expensive.



But is it worth the money?


In my opinion, if you need to exfoliate BADLY and have terrible skin, absolutely buy it. As for me, a person whose skin is normal yet can't pick if it randomly wants to be oily or dry, well, it's kind of useless...

This is not the best product Neutrogena has to offer, and the vibrating base may just be the only beneficial thing about it. Vibration and exfoliation prompts blood to rush to the surface of the skin, replenishing improperly nourished cells. This can and absolutely will improve the health of your skin.

However, I find that whenever I use this product I'm still basically sniffing bubbles as I accidentally would while washing my face with soap and water. I can't choose what I want to put on the pads (there's no difference between the different brands of pads.. really, one just looks prettier), which is a pain.

The vibration feels amazing on the skin, at least until I got used to it. However, this is about the only thing the Wave does do a better job of cleaning than soap and water - my face felt cleaner, but not by much. Half the time I feel like I'm washing with old makeup residue - seriously, it takes it off like a miracle. And then I need to flip the pad over and if I'm not done? Time for a new pad.

My skin care regiment as it stands now includes soap & water, hot showers (always wash and condition your hair first!), drinking a lot of water, and these two godsends:






If I do not drink a lot of water or fruit juice (more than 8 glasses), my skin becomes dry, leathery, and pale-yellow looking due to my olive undertones. It isn't pretty. My skin is fine in the summer, but I still have to make sure I exfoliate now for the winter.. Afterall, dead skin is what causes a lot of acne. I even use the apricot scrub all over my body, leaving it feeling very soft. It doesn't compare to other products such as Biore's Pore Minimizing Exfoliator.


Is there anything particular you do to help your skin?

Friday the 13th Remake

Last night, after much hesitation, I finally took the plunge and agreed to watch the Friday the 13th remake with my older brother. Ever since I was a little kid, he's encouraged me to watch horrible, nightmare inducing.. well, horror movies including, but not limited to, such series as Friday the 13th, Chucky (ruined my childhood), and Nightmare on Elm Street. He's even upped the ante and forced me to sit through even more creative, less inhibited indie films. Typical guy thing to do. But obviously I was sort of interested... Right?

One thing is for certain: this remake DID scare me. Not so much for the kills (too many "surprises," in my opinion) as for it's realism. Being an eighteen year old, I know that teenagers are yeah, becoming increasingly stupid. I found myself relating to these college students and their jokes. Rampant libidos and nudity aside, the characters all seemed like people I'd met before, including all the static characters such as the hillbilly and the old woman. Their actions also seemed realistic; pretty boy tries to impress his peers for popularity, and CELL PHONES were actually mentioned, which was nice. The only thing that jolted me back to the real world was the sight of Supernatural's beautiful Jared Padalecki.

However, Jason is different in this movie. He runs (but what's to make us think he never could?) and is very, very smart (although again, people change; just because he was mentally handicapped as a child doesn't mean he would grow up knowing nothing). One major complaint of mine is that Jason is a little -too- smart. For those who already watched this movie, you'll know what I mean when I ask, did Jason become a frigging architect? How did he create those tunnels? It makes sense in the larger scheme of things because it's an easier way for him to travel, explaining how he seems to teleport through scenes, but seriously? And where did he get all that stuff? I doubt Daddy had a sharpening wheel and chains like that in his tool shed.


Really a great movie. I encourage you all to see it.

Does anyone have an opinion on the latest Freddy remake? I haven't bothered to yet.

What's your favorite movie?

Motherload

I find that with college coming, I no longer have the money to splurge on the coke-like addiction that is WoW. That's fine; it's been a while, anyway, and melted my brain with its repetitive fabulosity (what?). Now that I'm penny-pinching, online games seem to be the way to go.

Yesterday, I revisited an old favorite of mine, Motherload. By XGen Studios (known for high-quality [though sometimes glitchy], unique games), Motherload does not fail to impress. However, the first time I played, I eventually just got angry and quit...

SPOILERS*

The beginning is fairly easy. You drill for minerals. Rack up some cash. Drill some more. At some point you get bored, but don't realize it because your fingers are sore and you just want to see what the real point of this damn game is. You don't give yourself carpal for nothing in return.

As you near say 1,500 feet down, boulders begin to show up, blocking your path. It's really not a big deal, as you can easily maneuver your way around them. It's when the lava pockets emerge that SUCKDOM begins to show through. What I mean by that is this: you can have all the fuel in the Martian world and the greatest cargo hold and drill known to life, but you're screwed if you don't have a fully upgraded hull. Well, maybe not screwed, you just need to be careful. Your ship WILL explode if you hit them.

Past about 3,500 feet is around where undetectable gas pockets will really screw you over. It is imperative that you buy some nano repairers at this point. A little after 6,000 feet, everything you can drill through that is not a mineral or will not land you some cash WILL blow you up. Period.

Throughout the game several screens pop up with messages. At a certain point, it becomes obvious that there will be a boss by game's end. After you've spent a year drilling (I beat this game in several hours - seriously, just forget the petty ore and do yourself a favor; dig deeper and grab the most valuable minerals you possibly can), you will reach a floor, or perhaps the inner crust (I'm not a geologist - maybe it's Hell?). There will be an opening at the far right of the screen. When you go through it, you must fight your boss with a MASSIVE amount of explosives. And yes, you must have them with you all at once. If you find you need more explosives or more nanites, you're gonna have to start the boss sequence all over again because there are two bosses, so be prepared. Additionally, if you've collected a lot of ore by the time you hit the bottom of the ground, your machine is going to be weighed down, sometimes to the point where it cannot lift and you'll need to ditch some minerals by clicking them in your inventory... Even if you have the largest cargo hold available. In this way, it's kind of realistic.

All in all, the bosses are easy. With at least 40-50 nanites and large explosives each, there's really nothing to worry about if the game means that much to you. I've never beaten the boss sequence until today. However, one serious frustration of mine was that just standing near the bosses resulted in hull damage, while if my machine was too far away, no damage was inflicted at all. I just had to see how this game ended... Even if it stole away precious time. I'll leave the ending to your imagination, though.

All in all, fantastic game if you need to kill a dull day.

Play it here now: http://www.xgenstudios.com/play/motherload

Microsoft Lifecam Cinema Webcam

As some of my YouTube subscribers remember, about a month ago I did a review on this webcam. Although I have not yet had the opportunity to use it very much, there are a few things about it that I initially noticed.

SOUND

The microphone is not great, but is still good quality. Additionally, there is a high-pitched whine at some points, but it doesn't block out sound.


PICTURE

The HD on this camera is just what the box says and more. With my old Logitech webcam, I needed to use special lighting - which is a miracle to be able to place in a small, crowded apartment. However, the Lifecam Cinema automatically corrected the lighting, making spots that were even dark to the eye suddenly visible. My laptop is from late 2006 and only stores 139 GB (most of which is full), so the video does flicker. However, I have seen other reviewers, both with new MacBook Pros and with PCs, use the Lifecam and still have an occasional blink.





PRICE

This is a key factor for some people. I'm not going to lie: this camera came out in Fall of 2009 and nearly a year later, it's still not cheap. I bought mine at BestBuy for $80 only to find out a week later that it was literally half the price on Amazon. Do your homework before you buy!

EFFECTS

I can't say enough how incredible the effects are. Of course, some of them are useless, but the majority of them were fun to share with family and friends.

EASE OF USE

Amazing. Although the webcam is designed for larger LED monitors, it will still fit on a laptop or desk (yes, it offers the option - something I personally worried about). The download did take a VERY long time, but after that, using the webcam is easy even for the technologically disabled. My parents could manage it - even my mother, who often needs help finding the 'X' button.

Overall, I'd say this cam is a great buy! Perfect for college students or video-bloggers who want to keep in touch with the world.