Things That Are Worth your Hard Earned Cheese*

I'm gonna do one of those splurge vs. save features they put in women's magazines, except mine will be catered more to people who are living close to or exactly my life. Which is fine, because 80% of my readers are doing that. It means, more than anything else, that the items in the "splurge" category are in the expensive-yet-justifiable range (as opposed to exorbitant or just plain ripoff-caliber) and the "save" category is under $10 bucks or free. At the end of the post is a haircare-related SPLURGE/SAVE to inaugurate my mom posting for the 1st time ever to the blog I made her.

SPLURGE:
See a movie in New York City: Namely "No Country for Old Men" Josh Brolin + Texan Accent + Cohen Bros. Admirable return to form= H.O.T. Worth $11.

SAVE:
Taking the B61 Bus between Greenpoint and the North 7th bedford stop. So bad it's not even worth $2. Think about it- if it's raining you might get wet walking but you will probably wait at least 20 minutes for the bus, so you'll get wet anyway. In fact I am kind of advocating skipping the subway or bus whenever possible. I wish all kinds of bad on the MTA, it's like run by Mordor except without the organization.

SPLURGE: Kristen Lee Shoes (shown above is her "Newsome Bootie"). They are well made, comfortable and stylish without being trendy knockoffs. She's quoted as saying she designs in reaction to "shoes out there being designed by men for this idea of a sexy woman." Made in Italy, biotch.

SAVE: Kmart Basic Editions Black "keds." As worn by me, the lead singer from These Are Powers, other style icons. They're 6.99. Not so waterproof.

SPLURGE: Phyt club! If it makes me a yuppie to buy phytologie hair products then it might be worth it? The company's founder, shown at left, looks to be the Parisian hairstyling scene's answer to Father Yod, and the products themselves have indeed garnered quite a cult following. I wanted to wait until I'd been using their Phytocitrus vital radiance shampoo with grapefruit extract for color treated hair for about a month. The results: I have seen the light, am converted. I'm talking noticeable radiance and much less fading of my dyed red mop, red being notoriously difficult to maintain. $24.00 for 6.7oz. I'm also a believer in the vital radiance mask with plant butters and grapefruit extract, $22 for 3.3 oz.

SAVE: Fekkai: Stop the insanity! $ 28.50 16 oz. of Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo, or if you want the effects of apple cider vinegar (a super useful home remedy capable of restoring the scalp's natural PH balance), get a bottle of apple cider vinegar for about $3, put a tablespoon in a mug of warm water and pour onto freshly shampooed hair. Wrap hair in a towel, wait 10 minutes and style as usual. Fekkai is annoying, and most of their products are overpriced and overhyped, but I will be fair and vouch for their Glossing Cream, because my mom loves it, and their Wash & Wear spray: No kidding, my boyfriend cannot tell the difference between clean hair and week-old gym hair when I spray it on. However, not everyone has had such a positive experience. Also- maybe it's just Windex?

*Note to my nerdy readers and family members: Cheese = Money