Author: sharondashariee

Self-Care

Mielle’s Pomegranate & Honey Face Mask

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Mielle’s Pomegranate & Honey Hydrating Face Mask

The Mielle face mask has been sitting on my vanity for a long time, but honestly, I haven’t stopped long enough to even think about applying a mask, let alone remembering to wash it off if I did apply it.  Well, my daughter wandered into my room and asked if we could do a mask together, so I said yes. Have you seen the pouches with the face mask sheets in them? I normally buy her those so that she can apply them by herself and they don’t need rinsing afterwards

Before the Mask is Applied

So, this took a little more time, because of the mask being in a jar, needing rinsing afterward and my mask partner being my 6-year-old.  She got the necessary tools: wash cloths to dry our faces, hair ties to tie our hair back and the mask. We went into the bathroom and started to apply the mask.  It was cold to the touch, which felt good. Nice and creamy. The consistency was smooth, and not too thick. She applied it easily on her own. The directions said to leave it on for 5-7 minutes.  In that time, we did a practice spelling test that filled our waiting time.

While the Mask Is On

We headed back to the bathroom and rinsed the mask off.  My daughter went first. As she rinsed the mask off, she said she could feel it coming off easily.  She needed a little help to get the left-over residue off the sides of her face. I then rinsed mine off. I could tell what she meant that the mask rinsed off easy.  It didn’t peel off but slid off. She coached me as to where I had leftover mask on the sides of my face as well.

After the Mask has been removed

Her final review was, the mask made her face feel clean but not soft like her other masks that come in the pouches.  She wished her face felt “clean and soft together.”

I thought the mask did the job in making our faces clean and more hydrated.  I liked the clean feeling over softness. I also liked the ease of getting it off. I now know I can apply it quickly and rinse it off with no problems.

We both agreed we’d use the mask again until the jar is gone.  The 3.5 oz. jar retails for $19.99. For us, we can get about 10 masks each out of each jar. You can find the mask here, http://www.mielleorganics.com

Home DIY

$10 Blanket Ladder

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Have you guys seen these ladders that you hang blankets on?  They are a cute way to store your blankets and have them close-by when you want to snuggle up on the sofa and watch T.V.  Well, I wanted one, so I hopped on the internet to buy one but there were no blanket ladders less than $50.  That weekend I headed out to a few stores to buy one, cause certainly a retailer had to have these things for less. I spotted a cute one, I slowly approached and flipped the tag over, $125.  I said to myself, oh wow!  Blanket ladders are serious business. I guess I must make my own.  Click the *link in bio* to see how I created a blanket ladder for $10.

Back on my sofa, I open the app called Offer Up.  Offer Up is an app. where you can buy and sell items locally.  It’s basically an online yard sale.  It has an added feature where you can have an item shipped to you if it is not local.  I searched ladders within a 10-mile radius.  Just a regular, used, wooden ladder.  I found this one, listed for $15.  I asked my husband if he’d go with me to pick the ladder up (don’t ever go by yourself to pick these items up, stranger danger).  He agrees, even though he sees no purpose for a blanket ladder.  Just get a blanket from the linen closet when you’d like to have one, is how he sees it.

Anyhow, as I mentioned this system is like a yard sale, so my husband offers the seller $10 instead of $15 and the seller accepts.  You can also negotiate the price of the item prior to pick-up.  We get home and I start to break the ladder down because you only need one side for this project.  I wasn’t strong enough to tear the hardware away from the sides that held it together, so my husband assisted.  He used three tools, a drill, pliers and a hammer.  After he had the two sides separated, I removed the excess bolts, screws and metal straps.  Recycled the wood and metal from the other half that I wasn’t going to use.

I got a can of white spray paint, specifically for wood, that I bought at Home Depot but didn’t use.  My daughter (she never lets me leave her out when I’m DIYing) and I went outside, hand-sanded the ladder with a sheet of sandpaper torn in half, and then dusted it off with a cloth.  Laid the ladder down on a drop cloth and sprayed one side.  We let it dry for about an hour, turned it over and sprayed the other side.  Let it dry for another hour.  It was done.

The next day I purchased two blankets to match the space and hung them on the ladder.  I love that I completed this for only $10 and a few hours time.  Now, the blankets are on the floor or in-use more than they are on the ladder.  Why? Because I have kids, but hey at least they are putting the blankets to use is what I tell myself.

Self-Care

True Rest Float Spa

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2430 S. Gilbert, Suite #8
Chandler, AZ 85286

I’d been eyeing the float spas for quite some time. I saw a Groupon for a session, so I called True Rest to ask a few questions.  I wanted to know how a person automatically floats in these pods.  Is it something I need to concentrate on, and if so, then how is this called relaxing?

With all my questions, I gave the spa a call.  The spa representative was informative and helped me decide to give it a try.  I purchased the Groupon and made an appointment. Click the *link in bio* to see how it went and how I was thoroughly surprised by a treat they had for us natural hair ladies.

When my friend and I arrived, we were checked in, filled out paperwork, and given slippers.  We changed and watched a 10-minute video intro to floating called, The Science of Feeling Great.  Once that was complete, we traveled down salt lamp filled hallways, while soft music played.

We were each assigned a room, where there was a pod and shower.  The spa representative gave instruction on how to operate the shower, the pod, and where to meet once our time ended.  The pod colors can be kept at the standard blue color or can change through a rotation of soft lighting.  For people who may be claustrophobic, you can leave the pod lid open.  I closed mine.

DO NOT schedule a float spa session if you have shaved recently or have an open cut.  Also, do not touch your face while in the pod.  The pod holds 1,000 pounds of a salt mixture, and you will experience discomfort.  The representatives do a good job of making sure you are aware of all this prior to entry.

My float experience was 60 minutes and very relaxing.  It takes some effort to remain still, and genuinely let yourself relax, being mindful of the experience that’s happening at that moment.  I was blown away by how the salt-to-water ratio makes your body automatically float. No concentration needed.  You drift around in the pod gently back and forth while the music plays.  You can float in the nude, with a bathing suit on, or any combination of shorts and a top.  I choose shorts and a sports bra.  Once out, I noticed my body was relaxed and not as tense.  If you’ve ever taken an Epsom salt bath, it’s just like that but on steroids.  It’s recommended that you do a few sessions for long-term benefits.

I undressed, rinsed the salt off my body in the shower, used the conditioner to detangle my hair (it was in a bun) to get all the saltwater out.  I put on my dry clothes and met my friend in the bathroom where I was surprised to find it fully stocked with the beloved, Carol’s Daughter natural hair products.  I was impressed to find a natural haircare line as one of the product lines of choice.  I sprayed a generous amount of leave-in conditioner into my hair and we were given drinking water.  There was a soft sale at the end to become a member, and then your pod session costs are reduced.

All in all, the experience was amazing.  It was something different and fun.  The Groupon was $45, and Groupon was running 20% off local deals, so end price was $36.  Regular price for a 60-minute float is $79; $59 for your first float.

If you have a True Rest Float Spa or any float spa nearby, give it a try.  You can also check out the spa’s FAQs here: https://www.truerest.com/float-therapy/faq/

Location visited:
2430 S. Gilbert, Suite #8
Chandler, AZ 85286

Food Opinion

Charlie Mae’s Soul Food

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If you’ve ever lived in a community where there use to not be much around, but is growing rapidly, you know it can be hard pressed to find good dine-in food.  Drive-thru restaurants seem to pop up with no problem so when you see a sign go up in your neighborhood, Charlie Mae’s Soul Food, Now Open the radar immediately goes up.  Being in a thriving community with houses going up everywhere, businesses are doing their best to keep up with the demand of the people simply wanting good food.  We went to Charlie Mae’s to see if it was going to survive in the area, by our standards.

When we arrived, we waited about 5 minutes to be seated.  The restaurant is small, seating about 25-30 people.  We were surprised to find they had a full menu, that can be found here https://charliemaesoulfood.com/.

Edward and I share most of our meals, at new places especially, because you never know if it’s going to be worth it or not.  Better to sacrifice one plate than two.  We ordered the 3 pc. fried chicken meal, that came with two sides and corn bread.  For all my sweet corn bread loving folks out there, the corn bread is sweet ya’ll.  We chose macaroni & cheese and collard greens as sides.  We waited about 20 minutes for our food, and that could have been slightly shorter, if they didn’t pack our meal to go because they thought our order was a pick-up order.  However, they quickly corrected the problem and brought our meal to the table.

The chicken was fried nice and crispy and seasoned well.  The macaroni and cheese were good but could have been cheesier because I like cheese.  I don’t eat greens, but Edward said they were flavorful.  I did taste them, because Edward makes them look so good with hot sauce and corn bread.  I could eat them, but I prefer not to.  We attempted to get peach cobbler, but they were sold out.

We always live by this when reading reviews about any place, take the review as a starting point and go from there.  Yes, Charlie Mae’s Soul Food is worth a visit!  You will not be disappointed if you get the fried chicken.  Let me know if you visit, what you ordered and what you thought.

Location visited:

6115 S. 51st Avenue, #204
Laveen, AZ 85339
Call for hours: 602-675-0865

Home Cooked Food

Cheese Shell Tacos

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I saw “the cheese shell” around and thought I should try that, so before heading out one day, I prepared the cheese shell taco quickly. I already had ground turkey cooked, so I took it out the fridge and threw it in the microwave.

Get a 13×9 baking sheet or whatever size you have, place parchment paper down, and sprinkle cheese in a circle about 5″ in diameter and about 3″ apart from the next cheese circle. Use whatever cheese you like (I used mild cheddar). Bake on 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Let cool slightly, stuff with what you like. In my case, it was the ground turkey, lettuce, sour cream and sugar-free ketchup. Voilà!  So GOOD.