Follow Up & Review: Adventures in Haircutting (with the Conair Titanium Rechargeable Pro-Style Haircut Kit)

So, despite the hair pulling, pinching, and general pain and suffering inflicted by my last adventure in haircutting, my brave husband reminded me that he needed a haircut, and did I want to take care of that?  Part of me wanted to say "no thanks!!" but then I remembered that I didn't want to be a quitter, so I reminded him that the clippers we used last time sucked were not really in good enough condition for me to want to use them again.  Then I added "clippers" to my shopping list, and picked up a new set at the store on the weekend.  This time I went with a Conair cordless rechargeable unit (the Conair 36 Piece Titanium Rechargeable Pro-Style Haircut Kit), it came in a kit with tons of accessories, a carrying case, and best of all, an instructional DVD.  So out of curiousity, I popped it in.  I was really impressed by the usefulness of the video which covered topics such as cleaning and oiling the clippers, how to use them to trim nape and sideburns, and even had a section showing in detail how to perform 5 or 6 different haircut styles from start to finish.

There's nothing like being able to watch someone doing a thing properly to teach you how your technique can improve!  I would say the two most valuable things I learned were how to juggle the scissors and comb while doing a trim, and how to flip the clippers upside down to cut a clean line along sideburns and the nape of the neck.  And I dare say that the quality of the haircuts I completed (as well as the reduction in time it took me to finish two of them) improved a lot!  I gave my son a standard buzz cut with the #3 and #4 guides, in about 10 or 15 minutes (which included a break to find a way to wipe the stray hairs from his mouth).  Then we put the kids to bed, and I got my husband's "business cut" (I had no idea it had a name) completed in just a bit more time, as the top had to be trimmed with scissors to get the right look.

So, if you are looking to try your hand in the at-home haircutting game, I highly recommend this particular set (available from Amazon here http://www.amazon.ca/Conair-HCT221CPCZC-Piece-Pro-Style-Haircut/dp/B004RDQ622/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1332263654&sr=8-3-fkmr1), and regardless of what set you buy, I definitely recommend watching the instructional video that comes along with it.  For $50, you'll make that up in no time by not having to pay full price for cuts.

Giveaway - youTunes

Admit it, I know you've been there too.  The kids are all in bed, but the music is still on.  You find yourself singing along while doing the dishes (or folding one of the laundry mountains that have taken up residence on your couch...) and then you realize... you're singing along to the Fisher Price Classics.  You try and remember the last time you listened to something catchy that *isn't* Elmo And I Know It... and you realize you can't because it's been so long.

Now I'm more of an independent music fan, myself, and there are lots of artists on my music playlist that I guarantee you've never heard of (or maybe you have, some of my favourite indie acts have a way of making it big, and I don't realize it til I'm out shopping and hear a song I actually know playing on the speakers in a store...).  But as you know I'm also a runner, and as I'm training for a race this spring (actually training this time, not winging it like last time I tried a 10K...), I like having a selection of newer, upbeat music to run to.  Problem is, I don't know any of it.  And there's only so much you can glean from a 30 second clip in the iTunes preview.  Wouldn't it be great if I could listen to some top-100 music at home, so that I can then go and buy the tracks I really like?  Without having the blaring, screaming ads that all the popular radio stations are so full of?  Yes please!

Well it turns out that with youTunes, you can do just that, and more.  YouTunes is a free music player that lists the current top 100 tracks of pretty much whatever country you can think of, lets you add them to your own custom playlist(s), and then not only plays the song but also shows the corresponding video from YouTube.  Sometimes it's a music video, sometimes it has lyrics instead, but regardless, it's a nice way to catch up on what's hip outside of the preschooler scene.  It has great potential for a mom's night in (or as a prelude to mom's night out) by gathering up all the stuff that's playing on the dance floor, for your own party at home or in a hotel, as long as someone brought a MacBook and there's free Wifi...

In addition to automatically having access to each country's top 100 songs, you are also able to search for other songs if there is something you want to hear that isn't on there.  Now I do find that if you are searching for something more obscure, you are less likely to find what you're looking for, but the same thing would happen if you're looking directly on YouTube.  Most songs that show up in the search/top-100 list have links directly to iTunes where you can buy the official track or music video.  It would be nice if they add a link to purchase the song itself too, but that doesn't seem to be a feature in the app just yet.  I'm told that the company that makes the app is considering putting some settings into place to let you filter out songs with explicit ratings (making it sort-of kid safe, though I personally wouldn't play much of this stuff with my preschooler around), but there's no word yet on when that might be available.  So for now, this app gets the mommy stamp of approval, but consider it one you'd use when your kids are asleep or in another room playing quietly by themselves getting into trouble.

This is currently a Mac only app, available for download in the Mac App Store for $0.99, a pretty small price to pay to have all this music at your fingertips.  Plus, I have a bunch of promo codes to give away, so you could have the app for free!  Here's what I'm going to do.  I will give away 1 promo code.  If I get more than 10 entries to this giveaway, I'll give away a second promo code.  20 entries?  I'll throw in another one to give away.  (Max 10 promo codes to be given away).  So share this review, and tell your mac-owning friends, as in this case, more entries could actually improve your odds of winning (2/11 is better than 1/9, right?)

To find out more, or to buy this app, visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-music-player/id502305134?mt=12