hollywood housewife

snapfish versus shutterfly versus mpix versus costco

I've been meaning to do this experiment forever, since I couldn't help but feel that my default picture printing at Costco was the less-than-desirable route for memory keeping.  Then last week so many of you responded to the photo organization element to my frantic nesting. 

In the next couple of weeks I'll lay out exactly how I manage the hundreds of pictures I take each month, but first I wanted to figure out the best way to print said photos.  Since storing them on your computer is nice, but holding them in your hand is better.

Here was what was important to me:

-Price

-Ease of website (uploading, ordering)

-White border option

-Matte/Lustre finish (as opposed to a glossy finish)

-Auto Correct option on or off

EXPERIMENT: I chose 8 photos that had been taken in the last year.  I chose pictures taken with different cameras, three of them from non-amateurs so that I couldn't blame myself for any strange color or focus issues.  I ordered the same 8 prints from these places on a Friday night, and selected the cheapest option for shipping.  Here's how it stacked up:

I was really impressed with the speed and ease of Snapfish.  I had a coupon, so I uploaded a huge chunk of pictures as a separate order from the experiment order.  We're talking 200 prints and they went up quickly and easily.

Autocorrect: Yes it let me turn it off

White thin border: Yes

Matte: Yes

Arrived: Wednesday

Cost: $.09 each, my total with 3-5 business day shipping was $1.48

Shutterfly was equally easy and quick to upload.

Autocorrect: No,  or I couldn't find it if it was an option.

White thin border: No

Matte: Yes

Arrived: Wednesday

Random pro: Gave me 30 minutes after I ordered to cancel

Cost: $.15 each, but it automatically applied a first time user credit.  Total with 3-7 business day shipping was $1.79

The uploading process at Costco photo seemed archaic in comparison to Snapfish and Shutterfly.  Once navigated, they loaded as quickly (under 2 minutes) but it was definitely not as smooth or intuitive.

Autocorrect: Yes

White Thin Border: Yes

Matte: Yes

Arrived: I picked them up at the location just a few minutes from my house.  So it was immediate (well, within the hour).

Cost: $.13 each, but without shipping charges.  My total was $1.10

MPix was definitely the most professional site I tried, recommended to me on twitter by several photographers I trust, including Miz Booshay. 

Not quite as user-friendly as Snapfish and Shutterfly, but easier than Costco.  At least it was after the upload plugin failed three times. 

Autocorrect: Yes

White thin border: Yes

Matte: Yes

Arrived: Friday (a full week after ordering)

Random pro: Gave me 30 minutes to cancel after ordering

Cost: A whopping $.73 each ($.44 of which was the lustre coating)

Shipping ranged from $3 for 1st Class USPS to Next Business Day for $10.75 (reasonable).  I chose the cheapest (and clearly slowest), so my total was $8.84.

And now for the proof of quality:

Right away, Shutterfly was out for two big reasons: no white border option and the colors looked significantly different than from the other places.  You can see it best in the black and white, where it has a yellow tinge that borders on light sepia. 

So that left the other three.  I could see (but just barely) that the colors from the Mpix prints were the most accurate. 

After weighing all the pros and cons, I had a clear winner for my everyday printing:

It was the cheapest, hit all my major points, and I liked the web interface the best.  It also offers frequent coupons (the one I took advantage of at the same time was 200 prints for $2!)  This outcome really surprised me.

For something immediate, Costco stood up just fine, so it will remain a decent option for me.

For large prints, gifts, or things deemed precious, I was glad to discover Mpix.  But for daily prints, the price difference is just too much to be ignored. 

Consider me a newly converted Snapfish customer!

airbrush spray tan

Before my Vegas girls weekend this Spring, I got a Mystic spray tan.  It wasn't too bad.  A tad orange-y, but I wasn't embarrassed or anything.  I felt like I got my $25 worth.  You can see pictures here. 

But I really wanted to try the airbrush spray tan, where a person physically sprays you instead of the machine in the booth.  I had heard that it looks better and lasts longer.  Here's what I looked like before (and believe it or not, this is with the little natural color I got at the lake):

Just like with the booth spray tan, they advise you to come exfoliated and moisturized, and in dark, loose clothing. 

You stand in a tent-type thing where a girl sprays you down like she's spray painting a lawn chair.  I'm sure some people do it completely naked, but I wore underwear.  It's quick and easy, except for the part where I thought I was going to faint and had to sit down for a minute.  I attribute that to my pregnancy and probably isn't normal. 

This is what I looked like a few hours after I got sprayed, no makeup.  Note: a benefit to the airbrush tan is that you walk out of the salon as tan as you're going to get, unlike the booth sprays that develop for hours afterwards.

It looked a lot more natural than the spray tan, but it also rubbed off on my clothes that first day.  It came out in the wash, but I would still advise that you not wear anything nice that day.

It looked great on my face and body.  I think it was noticeable on my hands.  And it might just be because I have go-go-gadget pregnancy nose right now, but I think it smelled a lot stronger than the booth spray.  I could still smell it through my lotion after I showered.

Here I am on day four (still no makeup - I'm keeping it real for you guys), where it has faded some, but I'm still a lot more tan than my normal self:

It continued to fade gradually, but all in all I would say it lasted a solid week.  I felt like it looked better and stayed longer than the booth tan, just as I had heard.  But at almost twice the price ($45), it's not something you would want to do every week or anything.  

For special occasions it's worth the splurge.  But make sure you do a test run or get it done a day or so in advance of when you want to look your best.  

Have you tried the airbrush tan?  Would you? 

postal pix for printing instagram pictures

The square, filtered-looking photos that I've been posting on twitter and on my Friday Links come from the iPhone app Instagram, a camera application that I've become obsessed with.  In the past few months I've taken several really great pictures on my phone using Instagram but their square shape made them impossible to print at Costco or Walmart. 

A couple of weeks ago I tweeted something to the effect of, "What do you do with your Instagram pictures?  You can't print them like normal but I'd love to have them somewhere besides my phone."

Almost right away (this is why I love the internet) a reader tipped me off to Postal Pix, an iPhone app that allows you to select photos on your phone and they mail you the prints.  The actual app is free, and you can print any photos stored on your phone, but it's especially nice for the oddly-sized Instagram prints.  You select your prints and pay with a credit card all from your phone, and the app is easy to use and self-explanatory.  

Yesterday I received my Postal Pix order in the mail and I squealed with delight over the results.  They look so much better than I was anticipating, since I wasn't sure how great photos taken with an phone would actually print.  Some look better than others, and I chalk that up to my (lack of) photography skills and the fact that certain Instagram filters affect the picture more than others.  But they're all frame-worthy.

The app says that 4x4 prints are $.21 - $.99, and I'm not sure what determines the price.  I ordered 23 prints and the total was $6.69, which means that my pictures were about $.34 each.  (Postal Pix provided me with a $5 coupon, and I paid the additional $1.69 myself.)

A few things to note:

- I only ordered square photos, so it was easy for me to select the 4'x4' option and be done with it.  I'm not sure if you were ordering different sizes if you would do it in separate orders or not.

- You have to leave the app open while it uploads the pictures you've selected.  I left the app open, but my phone automatically locks after a certain period.  I got an email from customer service the next day that my order hadn't gone all the way through.  I simply opened the app again and the order completed, but you might want to watch that when ordering. 

I'm so happy to have these pictures printed and framed, and Postal Pix makes it so easy.  I will definitely be using them again, and the process just makes me want to take more pictures. 

That's always a good thing.

my favorite toddler products

Welcome to Mommy Mondays, where I dissect the minutia of parenting.  One day a week only, folks!  Step right up.

Pigtail is 21 months today, so we've fully transitioned from baby stuff to toddler stuff.  (We're also eagerly awaiting the day we can stop keeping track of her age in months.)  Here are a few of our favorites:

which foundation looks best?

Not quite as often as I would like to, I write about lazy beauty.  Because the older I get, the prettier I want to look and the lazier I am about it. 

(Forgive my wet hair, goofy expressions, and slight blurriness.  There's no way around the awkwardness of experimental self-portraits.)

I've been having foundation problems for awhile.  I feel like I've tried so many different brands/formulas/consistencies and nothing is quite right.  If really pushed, I would say that I'm more unhappy with my skin than I am with the makeup, but that doesn't matter much each morning when I sit down at the vanity. 

A few weeks I conducted a twitter experiment.  I asked the women in my stream what makeup foundation they used and what they loved about it.  (You can read many of their answers here.)  I was trying to make a point about twitter communication, but I also noticed that some of the repeat answers were three of the foundations that I keep coming back to time and time again: Bobbi Brown stick, Bare Minerals, and MAC Studio Fix. 

I decided to wear a different one three days last week and see which actually looked better.  For each day, I started with clean bare skin.  Under the Bobbi Brown stick and the MAC Studio Fix, I used Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and under the Bare Minerals I used MAC moisturizer.  I kept the rest of the look minimal with just blush, mascara, and light lipstick. 

It should be noted that none of them provided a noticeable difference in length of wear.  Meaning that at the end of the night, I didn't feel like one looked way worse or needed more touch-up than the other. 

I tried to take the pictures in the same mirror at the same time of day.  I definitely felt better in one of them.  Can you tell which looks best?

The real life winner by a landslide....Bare Minerals.  (The middle picture.  The first picture is Studio Fix, the third picture is Bobbi Brown stick.) 

I did not want this to be the winner.  It's the most time intensive and messy option.  But, far and away, it made my skin look better.  Less rough, more polished.  The thing I've learned in the past about it, though, is that you really have to keep your skin moisturized (which for me means throughout the day).  I may still do it the lazy way (Studio Fix is the quickest and easiest) on most days, but at least I know definitively what looks best now.     

Please do share how you feel about your foundation.  I'm hoping someone reveals to be the big secret to skin care (that doesn't start with a Bo and end with a Tox.)

blurb books vs. iphoto books

There are several quality photo book sites, but my two favorites are blurb and iPhoto.  There are pros and cons to each, but I really like the results as a way to document.

stuff i'm into: liqwd hair products, bobbi brown eye shadow, & kate spade bracelets

Liqwd sent me the volumizing hair products to try a couple of months ago, and I have to say that I'm impressed.  When I first took them out of the box, I oohed and ahhed at the packaging.  The box that the products come in is velvety soft and the actual shampoo container is brightly colored and substantial. 

(This may seem like an inconsequential thing to notice, but it's not.  I always pay attention to the detail of products I use and have in my home.  For beauty products, the form is second to function, of course, but it's a bonus when I like the product enough to leave it out on my counter.  It also doubles the chance that I'll purchase it again.  Liqwd's packaging is among the best I've seen.) 

I've been using the volumizing shampoo and conditioner.  The formulas are thick and luxurious and feel more like a salon formula than the hair care that normally lives in my shower, which means I feel like I've had a salon washing when I step out of the shower.  My hair looks good and, most importantly for me, there is no residue left on my scalp.  Shiny, pretty hair means that I have one less thing to fuss over when I leave the house.

I really want to learn how to do pretty eye makeup.  I always admire it on other people, but can't ever seem to pull it off for myself.  Oh sure, I can do a quick smoky eye for evening, or even a little daytime eyeliner, but layered, shaded eye color?  I'm a novice.  

I decided to try the Bobbi Brown eyeshadows after it was recommended to me from several different people.  I have not been disappointed it.  I bought three soft, glittery-but-not-too-glittery day colors and have been experimenting with them frequently.  I love the colors and I like how they don't smudge and stay on throughout the day.  

I'm still on a steep eyeshadow learning curve, but Bobbi Brown's palatte is helping me learn.

(If you're curious, the three shades I chose - pictured above - are Champagne Quartz, Rose Gold, and Copper Cocoa.  So versatile!)

I've made no secret of my love for Kate Spade.  But one of my new favorite things there isn't for myself - it makes for a thoughtful gift.

This hand in hand bangle in rose gold is part of their committment to support women worldwide and 25% of the profits from the bangle is donated to that cause. 

What I liked about it is the color (my watch is also rose gold, I love the look of it) and the sayings that are etched on it.  On the outside it says, "hand in hand" and on the inside it says, "there's strength in numbers."  I just like that.  This makes a great gift for a friend or a thank you gift to someone you appreciate.  I like how it's enough unexpected, but still compliments lots of styles.  

What are you into right now? 

With the exception of the Liqwd shampoo, which was sent to me, I purchased the products above.  All opinions are solely my own.  I don't post about things unless I genuinely like them.  This is my promise to you.

the facial of all facials: leaine dehmer clinical skincare

I asked a friend if she had ever tried botox.  I asked this friend because I knew she wouldn't be offended and I knew she would tell me the truth.

She looked at me as if I was crazy.

I interpreted her look to mean, "Are you kidding?  I'm 32 years old, why would I need botox?!"

Her look actually meant, "Are you kidding?  I'm 32 years old, of course I've tried botox!"

I have never had fantastic skin.  It's never been horrible, but it's never been dewy.  Only on certain forms of birth control would it ever be described as "glowing."  So when we started trying to conceive in 2008, I resigned myself to the fact that my skin was going to show every hormone fluctuation.  When I got pregnant, the skin all over my body (not just on my face) dulled, rashed, and all but held a neon sign blinking "It's crazy up in here!"

It's been almost three years since I've been happy with my skin.  Pregnancy and aging and (truth be told) lack of skincare have made my face feel rough and look older than it is.  I've fretted about it at varying degrees but it was only after I saw a few recent pictures of myself that I decided I had to get my skin situation under control.

Unlike my friend, I am just not quite ready to go under the needle.  Common sense tells me that I need to try to take care of my skin before I call in the big guns.  On the very week I was thinking about a plan of action, I was contacted by LeAine Dehmer, known in Southern California as "the skin whisperer."  She offered me a facial that I couldn't refuse.  The first session takes 2-3 hours and her waiting list is 3-6 months long.   

I jumped at the chance and I cannot believe what I got in return.  I get facials several times a year, and though I do find them necessary I rarely enjoy them.  They're expensive, they're not relaxing, and the results usually last less than a week.  The facial with LeAine was unlike any that I've had before.  First of all she read the skin on my face like a palm reader studies your hand.  She asked me questions about my lifestyle and could tell me within minutes what was happening underneath my skin and why, how it was affecting me and how I was affecting it, and then she assured me that the problem wasn't insurmountable. 

What followed was three hours of deep and intense skin care.  When she done, I was near tears when I looked in the mirror.  Completely bare, my skin hadn't looked or felt like that in years and years. 

If you're in southern California, LeAine has a spa in Tustin called Skinsations and she personally trains each facialist there (Skinsations fan page here, where they give out discounts and coupons).  If you're not in the area, you can buy LeAine's clinical skincare line.  So far, my favorite products are the skin breather (so much more than an exfoliant) and the moisturizer.  At first I didn't think I liked the scent of the moisturizer, but it has really grown on me.  I feel like my skin craves it.  I use the skin breather in the shower several times a week.

I'm trying to take control of a few things in my personal life that I've let fall by the wayside, and taking care of my skin is one of my top beauty priorities.  What are yours?

*

Disclosure: my facial and sample products from LeAine Dehmer were offered to me gratis but the opinion here is my own.  In fact, I have a second appointment with Ms. Dehmer tonight on my own dime.  I cannot imagine a higher endorsement than returning again and again.  

transitioning from the infant car seat: britax isn't the only option, orbit toddler seat needs work

Welcome to Mommy Mondays, the day of the week when I'm more of a mom than anything else.  I promise I'll only subject you to pictures of my child on this one day.  Unless I decide otherwise.  Which happens. 

We were so happy with our Orbit Infant Travel System that I just assumed that I would purchase the Orbit Toddler Car Seat when it was time.  In September, Pigtail was still only eighteen pounds but she was almost too long for the Orbit Infant Car Seat.  I went to my favorite baby store prepared to purchase the Orbit toddler seat and was surprised when they told me that they didn't highly recommend it.

Not for safety - I believe it meets all requirements - but from ease of use.  When I explained that I was hoping to use the seat in the same way I'd used the Orbit Infant seat, they just didn't think I would be happy with it. 

What I wanted from the Orbit Toddler Car Seat:

1. The same swivel capability in the car.  (This makes getting the baby in and out so easy.)

2. To go from the seat to the Orbit stroller at the touch of the button, just like I did with the infant seat.

3.  A design and look I didn't hate.  If I'm going to be dealing with a product every day, I don't want to cringe every time I look at it.

The people at the baby store warned me that what I wanted wasn't possible with the Orbit toddler car seat, but I didn't believe them.  We had been so in love with the function of the Orbit infant seat that I was just sure the toddler product would be just as convenient.

I should have listened to them.

When we got the Orbit toddler car seat, I was surprised at how heavy it is.  HEAVY.  A whopping 37 pounds.  Which means I wouldn't be able to take her in and out and onto the Orbit stroller easily or by myself.  And (it's possible they told me this at the store and I didn't listen) it only docks on the swivel base for rear-facing.  So when I turned her forward in a few months, there would be no more swiveling.

So besides the fact that I like the Orbit appearance, it didn't meet my other two requirements.  And - I probably should have mentioned this earlier - but the Orbit toddler has a $350 price tag.

I headed back to the baby store.  The seat they highly recommended - and what everyone around me seemed to recommend - was the Britax brand car seat.  The Britax car seats are considered very safe and almost everyone I know who uses one likes it.  My concern with the Britax is that it is very bulky, taking up more than its fair share of space in the back seat, and it sits the baby up really high.  It might be nice for the baby's visibility, but for me I think it would make it harder to get her in and out of.      

I remembered that my sister-in-law Beth had worried about getting three car seats across her back seat when she had her third child earlier this year.  She found one brand that was narrow enough to allow for this: the Sunshine Kids Radian ($276).  She told me that it had become by far her favorite car seat of the many that she owned.  I looked it up online and the reviews were equally positive.  Beth liked that the seat was a little lower, enabling her toddler to crawl up into it and position herself.  And I liked how narrow the seat was, allowing adult passengers in the back to sit comfortably. 

There were so many things I liked about the Sunshine Kids Radian, but it still weighed in at 23 pounds.  Too much to easily transfer between cars or travel with on the airplane.  I did all sorts of due diligence on the car seat decision, going to different stores and picking them up and placing Pigtail inside.  In the end, I decided that our main car seat would live in my car and I ordered the Sunshine Kids Radian.  We've been using it a little over a month and so far I'm really happy with it. 

 For travel, we purchased the uber-lightweight and reasonably priced Evenflo Tribute 5 ($56).  I'll write more in the future on our new travel system, but the feather weight of the Evenflo Tribute 5 makes airplane travel with a car seat feasible for me and the price means that I won't cry and cry if it suffers a little wear and tear on the trip. 

(And honestly, if budget were a determining factor in the your car seat decision, I highly recommend the Evenflo Tribute 5 for price, weight, and style.  Of course it's up to each family whether or not the differences in the pricier seats are worth it.)

I always thought picking a car seat or any of the other big-ticket baby items just wouldn't matter much.  "Just go with what you like best," I thought.  I didn't really understand that there's more to it than that.  But I'm learning.  On an expensive curve.

Which car seat do you use?  Was it an easy decision or did it take a trial and error period for you to figure it out?

*Amazon Affiliate links included in this post.  You can see all of my favorite baby products by clicking here.

look your best for the holidays: yummie tummie shapewear

Do I look like a little bloated in these pictures from the London premiere of The Gorilla's movie?  No?  Do I look like I've gained a few pounds from eating junk while traveling?  I don't?

Weird, because both are true.  But because I (wisely) chose to wear my new Yummie Yummie leggings to the party, you couldn't see my extra, uh, fluff in the middle.  Nor did I look sucked into a control top.  

It's possible that you ate too much over Thanksgiving, or someone - and I'm not naming any names here - just might not be back to their pre-pregnancy weight almost fourteen months later. 

So if all the social occasions that the holidays bring send you digging through your drawers for some sort of granny girdle, there is no need.  Yummie Tummie sucks you in and is cute.  Really.  

I traipsed all over Europe in my Yummie Tummie duds.  Since it was cold there, I wore the tanks and long sleeved shirts mostly as layers, but I wore those black leggings in all three countries.  Legging with boots are such a staple for me, but occasionally I can feel a little frumpy in it.  The Yummie Tummie leggings exend up and over my, eh, problem area, so I feel (and look) tighter.

My very favorite thing about the Yummie Tummie shapewear is that it's built into the clothes.  Of course I've used other brands under my clothes, and nothing has ever felt more un-sexy than peeling off my dress at the end of the night.  I might as well be wearing suntan pantyhose.   

Look at the cute options:

 

And you're crazy if you think I'm not wearing this corset to an event in the next couple of weeks. 

As my mom always used to say, "If you feel pretty, then you'll act pretty."  Confidence is an attitude.

What are you doing to look your best for the holidays?  I've got more ideas, coming soon.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Yummie Tummie provided me with the products to try on my Europe trip.

FURTHER DISCLOSURE: I wish my husband didn't have a toy boob in his hand in that top picture.