"The Perfect Bun": A Review.

I have to admit that my reason for walking into my local big-box store was to buy one of those goofy mesh hair rolls to replicate a sock bun. You know, the ones that look like a doughnut, that you pull to the end of your pony tail and roll down to create the bun. "But, Wormy, why did you not just use a rolled sock to create the look you wanted?!" Blame my husband. He doesn't wear crew socks, and I'm not ruining a good pair of my trouser socks for the sake of a bun. 

Up until now, I have lusted after this beautiful hairstyle. It was seemingly only achievable to ballerinas and fashionistas. Now that my hair is long enough, I have tried to replicate it without the use of a tool. I have tried twists that leave my hair in a conical spiral or flat on my head. I have tried folding the hair and wrapping an elastic around the gathered mess. I have even tried my hand at using bobby pins to make it work. Every method and experiment left me more disappointed than the last, and even when I came close, I could never achieve the look I wanted. 

Alas, I gave up on trying to do it without one of these mysterious doughnut things. The only problem was that I couldn't find one. Just my luck, I finally go to get one and no one carries them anymore. Whilst in my search for anything even remotely like a "sock bun" thing, I found a product called "The Perfect Bun". It is made by Remington and I found it hiding just above my line of sight (I'm a shorty.) at the top of the shelf. I was skeptical, but for just under 5 dollars, I was willing to try it. Its not a doughnut, or even bun shaped at all. Its a long flat-ish thing with soft roller type foam and a bendable wire core. The instructions on the back make the whole ordeal of creating the bun look effortless. 

Well, it is. In less than 5 minutes, really more like 2, I had a decent bun. Here's a pictoral play-by-play:

The Box: 

    

The Step-By-Step: 

•  Put hair into ponytail.

A stronger elastic works better. (I had to replace this one half way through the tutorial.)

• Pick up Perfect Bun and open up the inside large enough to fit your finger and thumb.

Please refrain from referring to it as a maxi pad...like my husband did when he was taking the photos. :/

• Insert your finger and thumb into the opening (*ahem) and pull hair through the hole about halfway.

• Begin to roll the hair forward (towards the front of your head) around the Perfect Bun. Continue rolling until you stop at the base of the ponytail.

• Wrap the ends back around the ponytail base and bend into shape. 

• Begin carefully spreading the hair evenly around the Perfect Bun ring, making sure to cover the overlapping in the back.

• You're all done! If you need to, spray down any fly-aways with hairspray. (Note: If your hair is shorter or has lots of layers, like mine, a bobby pin or two may help keep shorter layers from coming loose and sticking out. However, I needed no bobby pins.) 

This thing WORKS! I love the fullness of the bun and the almost perfect shape of it. Best of all, it was so easy! I would highly recommend this product to anyone searching for the perfect bun tool.

-Wormy 

A Rant-y and Rave-y Review of the Sims 4!

HEY! You there... are you a simmer? Thinking about becoming one now that the 4th installment is here? Well, I have some good and not-so-good news for you. Also, a first-glance review! So, stick around!

Let's get started on my review of the Sims 4. I always like to get the not-so-good stuff out of the way. First downside to this game is the price. Right out of the gate, EA is going to take you for at least 60 simoleans. (See what I did there? Get used to it.) That's quite high for a base Sims game. If I remember correctly back to the release of 3, it was only $40. I, being the llama I am, bought into my own hype and paid $80 for the super-duper extra awesome version, which literally comes with a "creator's guide" that actually guides you through nothing, two digital content packs, and some goofy animal beanies. I am certainly not looking forward to how much they are going to charge players for the expansion packs when those begin rolling out.

Another negative is the fact that they have reduced the amount of cool stuff from the 3rd one. Okay, I'll explain this in a second, but EA, lemme just pull you aside here: When you make a brand new, exciting version of a game that people have been playing for over 10 years, make it bigger and better. Yes, yes, the Create-A-Sim is pretty bad ass, but that is no excuse for taking the best aspects of the older games out of the new one. Period. Okay, back to what I mean. They greatly reduced the neighborhood size and lot/house options. I'm talking like, 10 options tops for places to live in a town, and maybe 4 or 5 of those for starter homes. And, the neighborhood lots SUCK! There are 4 places to visit and a park. That's it. No markets, you buy groceries as you make recipes. (Which I kind of dig.) No theaters, no driving around. (I don't think there are cars. WTF? Someone correct me if I am wrong here.) I am tempted to go back to 3 just for the capability to actually explore a damn neighborhood. Then, there's the lack of being able to fully customize the clothing/items/decor. That was one of my FAVORITE things about 3! WHY did EA scrap that?! Also, and this is kind of a 'meh' gripe, I feel there are a lot less household items. I would like more style options. I know, EA, you'll give them to us, but we'll have to buy them in stuff packs and DLC. Ugh.

Enough with the negative, let's talk about what I do like. I like the fully interactive CAS (Create-A-Sim). I like the drag and pull method of customizing a sim's body. I love the choices of outfit items and enjoy the hair. But, here again, I would've liked to have seen more color/pattern customization. I also like the fact that you can choose the way a Sim walks as a default. (Their walk changes by their mood, or if they are tired.) You can also choose how they sound when they talk, which actually sounds different between the options, unlike the Sims 3 voice sliders. I feel like there could have been more aspiration and trait options, but that's kind of a small issue. 

I LOOOOOOVE the way the Sims interact with their surroundings. Some things, like cooking or gardening (or general skill development) is so much easier. A lot of things are learned rather passively. That's quite nice. The emotions thing really lived up to its hype for me. My Sim couple, (not me and the hubbs... okay, yes. It's me and hubbs) walked around and would randomly stop and smooch when traversing the house. It was adorable, and very much what we do here in real life. We're sappy, so sue me. My Sim-husband, Flazoo, decided to be a writer. To be honest, I asked my non-interested real-life husband, what he would like his virtual self to do. So, no, not a super spy... a writer. Whatevs, Flazoo, your life. My Simself didn't get a job. I decided to get her pregnant, cause you know, hormones, and have her stay home to keep the house and raise the kid. Which leads me to my favorite aspect of the game so far...

THE BABY! Interacting with the baby is actually fun and not pointless! I rocked, changed, cuddled, talked to, and BREASTFED(!!!) my wonderful, virtual little one. EA, you got this one 1000% right! You now have the option to both bottle feed and breast feed the new baby. I gave birth at home, which conveniently wouldn't happen until I bought a bassinet. My belly grew and grew (I got huuuuuge!) and got to wear any clothes I happened to be wearing! Thanks, EA, for not making default pregnancy clothes. This girl likes her options. 

I really have very little experience with the game beyond this. If I was incorrect about any of these things, like the car part and the lack of neighborhood options, please correct me! I would LOVE to learn about something I missed! Also, if you've played this game, tell me what you like and don't like so far! I wanna hear it!

-Wormy

THE List!

Lists! Lists! Lists!

Its time for the packing lists! I have to confess, my absolute favorite part of trip planning is the packing. The ironing, folding, rolling, stuffing... its relaxing and really puts me in the mood for the trip. Its the pinnacle of anticipation of the adventure, seconded only to take off. So, are ya'll ready?! Let's jump on in!

So, there it is. It seems like a lot, but it actually fits with plenty of room to spare in my 24 inch purple (of course) Ricardo roller suitcase. I know some may say, "Well, Wormy, if you have room to spare, you need a smaller suitcase." Umm, no. Where would I put all the souvenirs we will be lugging back with us? 

Stay tuned for how these packing lists get used to pack up my suitcase for travel, complete with step-by-step packing guide and tips for organized travel! 

Also, I'm sorry this is not really a packing list for males. Most of the list would be essentially the same, except for some of the clothes and most of the toiletries. 

Outfits and Essentials for a Day Trip to Paris!

Continuing our delve into these travel-related subjects...


We've added a day-trip to our itinerary! My husband told me of a surprise he had planned for our anniversary (3 years, YAY!). The catch was he wouldn't tell me what it was. I wanted to know, so we made a game of it. He had to give me hints as to the secret, and I had to try to guess it. I must admit, he was having too much fun, and I was stumped! Over the course of the day, he dropped hints:

1. 'North': Okay, like the direction, right? I'm thinking the destination is north of London.
2. 'Star': Um...what? North...star... the Titanic? No idea!
3. 'Station': Got it! As in, train station... but where?
4. 'River': Seriously? Almost every main town in Britain, hell, Europe is on or near a river. *Sigh*
5. The last clue, 'Euro': This one did it! I figured it out!

I have to confess, he did have to explain a few clues, but I still put 2 and 2 together. 'Euro'-'star'...we are taking a Eurostar train to Paris!! My awesome husband has planned a day-trip from London to Paris on our anniversary. I am so freaking excited about this!

Speaking of small day trips, what do you take and wear? Well, you want to be cute and comfortable, just as any other day while on vacation. B-b-but... its PARIS! That's, like, THE fashion central! So, here is some inspiration for your outfit:

Boot cut jeans (Express), black flats (Etsy), turquoise sweater, black studded scarf (Body Central), triangle earrings and bracelet (House of Harlow)

Gray sweater (Old Navy), purple tank (French Connection), skinny jeans (Paige Denim), black earring (Givenchy), combat boots (Wetseal), Scarf (Pieces)

You gotta have some entertainment for the train. The beauty of the scenery will keep you for a while in the day, but what about that night train back? This is where having a good book to read on your Kindle, a fun game on your DS, or a journal to log those vacation memories would make a good tag-along. (Don't forget your headphones!) Also, you may want to include a few things for sheer convenience. Pack some pain reliever, water, and a little lip balm. And, here are the things I would bring along (and plan to bring) on the train and around Paris for the day:

Just a few essentials: Purse (Steve Madden), wallet (Barneys), euros, ticket, passport, water, camera (Nikon), Nintendo 3DS, cell phone, ear buds, rose salve lip balm (Bath and Body Works), lip stick (Bare Minerals), tylenol, misc. medicines (not pictured).