Is it rational to buy something you’ll only use once? Like a magazine, for example? Is money spent on magazine money well spent or money wasted? Psychologists say people buy magazines because they represent the perfect balance of real life and fantasy – reading about exotic destination, other people’s problems and expensive clothes helps you zone out of your everyday life while reader-oriented topics, tutorials, tips and tricks are what keeps you interested. Well, I have to admit magazines are a great way to kill some time, plus, there’s always the chance you’ll actually read something useful. Here’s a few things I’ve read in the magazines:
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I always have a breakout in the worst possible time. You know those days when you get your period and your face starts blooming with huge, red, pulsating spots? Well, for me, period is not the only critical time. Whenever there is an important event I need to attend and look my best, I get a huge zit the very same morning. I had this bad one when my fiancé proposed, I looked like a freaking unicorn, I tell you! Now, that’s where magazines come handy because, every once in a while, they suggest something you don’t have to waste huge money on. Like aspirin, for example! So whenever you have a zit, just take an aspirin, powder it, mix with a few drops of water to get a paste, apply the paste to the “cause of your headache” and leave it on for as long as you can. The zit will be GONE!
Every once in a while, your favorite magazine will have a piece on sex toys and although some of them look cool, some will probably shock you. You’ll read one, two, three of those articles and think “Oh, they certainly can’t surprise me now” ... when you’re about to read the forth. But, surprise, surprise! They will find something new! Like pearls that glow in the dark, for example. Why would I need something glowing out of my vajayjay? To be able to find it if I ever lose it in the dark room? Or, an 18-karat gold vibrator. Or, a glass dildo you can put in the freezer or dip into hot water depending on the season. LOL! Now, I can really imagine why would this be a useful piece of info, but you never know.
If you use wooden chopping boards, you probably know they tend to smell kind of “weird” even after the first use. No amount of detergent or scrubbing can fix this but fortunately, a bit of lemon juice can! Feel free to use it on your hands and laundry too because lemon is not only a good deodorizer but stain remover too!
“Sex talk” is a very popular topic of female magazines. Actually, I think the only magazines that don’t feature at least one of these topics per issue are the ones about gardening and home decoration. The situation is the same in real life too and I can honestly say that 99% of all female get-togethers I’ve been on included this topic as one of the focal ones. Male get-togethers or individual chats with some of my best male friends were not as nearly as “spicy” and focal topics usually involved relationships, careers, cars and financial problems.
Photo Credit: Zee Anna!
Now, this is something you don’t exactly read but kind of figure out as you collect more and more of them. Now, if I compare this month’s issues with the ones I bought last December, I can clearly see nothing life changing has happened. Platform pumps are still in, over sized clutches too. Animal prints did take a break for a year but hey, if you’ve splurged on zoo-style in 2008 and regretted it in 2009, you could always re-use the garments in 2010!
This is definitely a useful, healthy thing to learn and I’m glad breast cancer topics and tutorials on self-examining are gaining popularity. You see, some gynecologists consider this a part of a normal check-up while others don’t, so you just have to know how to detect those suspicions lumps yourself. Okay, you can find this information on the Internet too, but, tell me honestly now – if nothing is wrong, would you even think of Google-ing for them?
Every magazine features this topic at least once a year so, if you have a favorite magazine you buy every month, you’re bound to run into it sooner or later. I was a bit skeptic at first, I thought something like, “Come on, I’m not a sociologist, psychologist or behaviorist and there is no way I could ever be able to tell anything about a person by merely observing its body language.” However, the more of these articles you read, the more you’ll start paying attention to people and the way they act. You will be able to tell if your date likes you, if he’s lying or has something to hide. Now, how cool is that?
Okay, some of these things were helpful and some were interesting to know. I’d hardly use the words “life changing” or “shocking”, but, now when I think of it, “educational” may be a good word to describe some too. So, maybe magazines aren’t really such a terrible waste of time and money? What do you think about it? Do you read them and is there an interesting piece of magazine-related information you’d want to share?
Top Photo Credit: Sherri DuPree Bemis