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Everyday Carry

July 20, 2013 - 12:20 pm

Here are the items I generally carry on me everyday. Links are to previous blog posts where I've mentioned said item.

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From top to bottom, left to right:

HuMn Mini Wallet

Keys with Victorinox Swiss Army Classic and 16GB LaCie PetiteKey

Pebble Smartwatch

iPhone 5

Field Notes

Zebra Expandz

Benchmade Mini-Griptilian

As well as one of the Burt's Bees lip balms and Listerine PocketPaks from my collection.

 

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Those Lips Are More Chapped Than a Cowboy's Legs

July 6, 2013 - 12:03 am

In the past, I've only used chapstick as a last resort, of sorts. Come wintertime, my lips would crack and peel, which I would often then bite and tear with my teeth, making things even worse. My dad has been a big Carmex user ever since I was a wee lad. While it definitely did the job, I hated the sticky feeling that came with it, and always felt the need to wipe off my lips. Of course, I had heard of Burt's Bees, but somehow never got around to trying it. This was up until last year, when my cousin David near-had to force me to try the mango Burt's Bees. To my surprise, I loved it. It felt great, with no overly-sticky feeling. Ever since then, I haven't been able to get enough of trying out all of the flavors. Some of them almost as good as the mango, others not so great. With my dad, I was able to fashion up a wooden box I can now store them in, along with one for my various flavors of Listerine PocketPaks (also amazing). Below, you'll find pictures, along with some of my thoughts on each of the flavors.

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From top to bottom:

Refreshing (with pink grapefruit) - Very similar to the mango in feel, but smells like grapefruit!
Island (with passion fruit) - This one's a no-go for me. It smells kind of like mold, however I do have a peculiar sense of smell.
Replenishing (with pomegranate oil) - This one's pretty dec, and very smooth. Unlike the others though, it has a bit of reddish tint to it, which I'm not crazy about.
Rejuvenating (with acai berry) - Pretty good. Not one of my favorites, but if you like acai berries, I imagine it'd suit you well. My sister likes this one a lot.
Revitalizing (with blueberry & dark chocolate) - This one is a lot like the acai berry one. That's to be expected, considering acai berries are often described to taste like a mix between blueberries and chocolate.
Soothing (with eucalyptus & menthol) - This is another one of my favorites. It has a pretty strong menthol smell though, so if you don't like cough drops, I'd stay away. I love it though. The texture is a little bit grainier than others but it's not too bad.
Nourishing (with mango butter) - This one is definitely my favorite. Can't be beat!
Honey Lip Balm (with vitamin E) - Another not-so-great one in my opinion. Smells a bit like an old lady's perfume.
The Original - This one is, of course, great as well. It has a little bit of a thicker feel than the mango, so it's not quite as smooth. It has a very strong peppermint smell, which is nice.
Ultra Conditioning (with kokum butter) (not pictured) - Also a great one. A little on the expensive side, but I had to give it a try. Might be good when your lips are super chapped and in a deep state of disrepair, but for most cases one of the others should do just fine.

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Nowadays, I always carry one of these on me, paired with one of the PocketPaks, ready to combat chapped lips and bad breath one day at a time.