BALL POWDER LOTION!

While Jeff was home, he requested that I create a lotion that turns into powder so that he could powder himself without getting powder all over the place. I really had no idea how to accomplish this but I set to trying it out anyway. Right before he left I finished version one and sent him to Afghanistan with it. He says he really likes it because it keeps things fresh even on a flight to the other side of the world but that it didn't feel the same as if he had powdered himself. So I tried to make version two with a different type of powder but it seized in processing (otherwise known as a FAIL). So I went back to the original powder and tried more of it. Since I didn't want to wait for it ship to Afghanistan and Jeff to try it only to find it no go I let my stand in (Dad) try it out. He said it still wasn't dry enough.  Version 4, I tried a solvent with a lower flash point than water to see if that would help it feel drier. In doing this I had to change the processing significantly and everything was going well until I went to neutralize it. As soon as I added one drop of the neutralizer it instantly fell out of emulsion and the water phase coagulated around the blade in a solid gel ball (otherwise known as an EPIC FAIL!). It was pretty neat even though it was a complete failure. Finally with Version 5 I tried a third powder. Well this one is DRY. It truly is a lotion that dries into a real powder. I think it's perfect. For the nether regions and all areas under clothing at least. The only problem with this version is that the powder that it dries to is very white and it looks like you have powder on your skin.

Version 3 is an excellent shine control lotion for my face. I have oily skin. I have no hint of "combination skin" or "dry patches" just oil, oil and more oil. I don't need an "oil free face moisturizer", I need something that soaks up all the oil on my face all day. BPLv3 does that nicely and leaves a nice powdery feel without actually being powder on my face. Plus the formula does have some added ingredients for soft skin so it's a quasi moisturizer I guess.

So there, I made two new products from one great idea. I finally took BPL public today at work and told people about it. I got a lot of positive feedback even though no one knows exactly how we can fit it into Bonne Bell's lineup. We'll see down the road.

Today was my Boss Lady's last day. I'm going to miss working with her. All in all she was a good manager and she didn't get all up in my bidness. QC Manager has been promoted to "Technical Services Manager" which means he's my new Boss Man. Hopefully he won't get all up in my bidness either. I like managers who don't micro manage and let me handle my own work load as long as I'm finishing all my work on time or early. 

Fat Babies

I do not think fat babies are cute. I think fat babies are fat. I'm not talking about a little bit of baby pudge, obviously babies are jigglier than adults because they don't have much muscle tone.
This is a normal baby:

I'm talking about babies with rolls on their arms, legs and torsos that make them look like the Michelin tire mascot. Babies that look like this:

It's not really the babies' fault- it's their parents. When your child is in the 99th percentile for weight it's not a good thing. Announcing that your child is fat (i.e. My three month old is wearing 9-12 month clothes! What a big boy!) just makes you look stupid in my eyes. Eating habits for the rest of their lives are established in infancy. So, way to go- you are setting your child up for a lifetime of weight issues. Babies and toddlers are actually pretty good at knowing how much food is enough. I'm not going to digress into breastfeeding vs formula feeding (I'll save that for another day) but it's pretty hard to overfeed an exclusively breastfed infant because when they are done they just stop eating. It's easier to overfeed a formula baby because you are focused on them finishing the bottle you prepared rather than allowing them to dictate when they've had enough. I'm not saying that all babies need to be in the 50th percentile for weight and height all the time- obviously these numbers are averages for a reason. Babies grow in spurts and sometimes they will be above average and sometimes below. The problems come when your baby is in the upper percentiles constantly. The same people who comment on photos of fat babies "Aw, look how cute and pudgy he is!" will be the ones blaming you when DCFS takes your kid away for being a 200lb 8 year old ( http://news.yahoo.com/obese-ohio-child-taken-parents-placed-foster-care-180816812.html ).

Whether it's a fat 3 month old or a fat 30 year old- obesity is never cute.