Saturday, June 6, 2020

Retin A or liquid nitrogen? My one year review! Also Lush product reviews



Welcome to my first review in 5 years!  As a lifestyle blogger, I love to get all dressed up and go to nice restaurants and to fancy places. I notice when I was taken selfies for my social media post the dark spots on my face were getting worse!

I wouldn't call them sunspots but rather great-grandma spots since I inherited them from my great grandmother my grandfather and my mother. Because I was so busy with blogging and vlogging I guess I became blind to them?

But in June of 2019, I decided that I would do something about them because in Nov of 2019 I was turning 50 and we were all going a big family vacation to Orland FL and I wanted to look my best!

So I went to my dermatologist and she told me that Liquid nitrogen would be my best treatment. So I agreed, she took out what looked like a small fire hydrant and sprayed my face for about 30 seconds and to sit here and say that it didn't have a light bunning sensation would be a lie, but I was so desperate it didn't bother me.

Now I have heard of Retin A for many years but I always heard it was for very bad acne? But I recently heard through social media that it's also good for fading dark spots, lighting your skin, and filling in wrinkles.

So I asked her if she would prescribe me some? Of course, she prescribes the lowest dose which is 0.025%. Unfortunately, my insurance didn't cover it and it costs $130 for a tube of Tretinoin.




Before I went forward I decided to get some reviews on youtube. The problem was 95% of the reviews were by women who were giving their 6 months 1 year and even 2-year review on Retin A aka Tretinoin cream.

The other 5% were by men who were in their mid 30's whose skin looked just as good as the women. My point is no one looked like me? Thick skin big beard and dark spots. So I'm hoping I can represent a demographic society that has gone unnoticed! Seems a bit dramatic ha? Well, I love a bit of drama!

The whole time I was researching Retin A the liquid nitrogen treatment was kicking in. My dark spots were starting to dry up and shrink. But I decided to start the Tretinoin anyways because I could use all the help I could get. There was an instore coupon at Walgreens which bring the price down from $130 to $83.00 which I was happy about.

Of course, all the vloggers recommend starting a facial regimen when starting Retin A with special soaps, scrubs and creams which are used before and after applying the Retin A. So I went to the ever-popular
( Lush fresh handmade cosmetics ) in the Staten Island Mall, and I told them my situation and they suggested Kalamazoo beard and face wash. made with pineapple juice and jojoba oil amongst many other natural ingredients.




I love this face soap because instead of one soap for my beard and one for my face it kills two birds with one stone. It also smells like your sitting by the pool drinking a Pina Colada! Besides that, it leaves my face and beard feeling soft light and well condition. Oh, did I tell you it smells delicious?

They also recommended an exfoliation scrub a few times a week.
The nice lady at Lush suggested Ocean Salt face and body scrub. This stuff looks and smells just like the ocean. Being a boy from the Jersey shore you know that was my favorite part. The white and blue form is infused with vodka and sea salt that really gives your face a great work over and leaves your skin looking fresh and clean. I'm very happy with the results!




I also needed a moisturizer and Lush has a great one called Vanishing Cream which is very good but at $45 a tub it should be! lol. I ran out of the cream in the middle of the pandemic mall shut down but the Vitamin Shoppe was still open.

I so ran in and grabbed vitamin C cream which is only $3.49 a jar only until I could afford to order the vanishing cream online. But to my surprise, the vitamin C cream is really good for brightening the skin so I'm going to continue using it.



While researching Retin A on youtube I heard all the horror stories about the peeling the redness and how your skin will look worst before it's get's better and despite the bad reports I was willing to move forward with the process only to be a bit disappointed when nothing happen?

Even after 6 months of a consistent regimen of washing with Kalamazoo in the morning and add the vitamin C cream to my damp face wait 10 minutes and add a 40spf + sunscreen. At night I would repeat the process but instead of the sunscreen, I would add a pea-size amount of Retin A which is recommended.

My dermatologist scheduled my appointments for a liquid nitrogen spray every 3 weeks and after the 4th session take a few months off. On one of my visits, I asked her why wasn't my Retin A working? I didn't have any peeling or no redness? She said that it wasn't necessary for any of the side effects to take place for the Retin A to work. But if I was unhappy with the results then she will up my strength from 0.025% to 0.05%.

I,m on my second tube of 0.05% and I'm happy to say my wife found another coupon and got it for $53.00 ( If things keep going this way I might be making a profit from Walgreens ) Well anyhoo, even after almost a year of using Retin A I truly feel I'm not getting the full effect and benefits from it. So I searched youtube and came across this video.
( Advanced Retin A, Application Tips To Help You Get Better Results ) 

He explains that not all people have the same skin type and that the pea-size amount was a suggestive size. If you feel your skin can take a little more then a pea size amount then do so! Well for the past week I have been adding a little more than usual the pea size andI'm hoping I will get more of a dramatic result over the next few months.

I can't sit here and say that I haven't got really nice results from Retin A. I mean my skin looks a lot lighter and brighter. And if you have acne, light sunspots, or wrinkles I believe its worth the effort. I mean just youtube it and there are thousands of testimonies of very happy campers!

But as they say, the proof is in the pudding. I haven't had a liquid nitrogen spray since Christmas and even though I have been admin with my regiment of soaps scrubs creams and Retin A, I notice a few dark spots showing up on my face again. So to me the clear winner for quick and effortless results? LIQUID NITROGEN!

Please don't misunderstand I am definitely going to continue to use Retin A and even going to bump up to the 0.1% because I believe that my whole regiment is helping the healing prosses after the liquid nitrogen sprays. But I truly believe the grandma spots I had would've taken years and years of using Retin A where the liquid nitrogen took about 6 months and 5 treatments with great results!

But I will leave you with the same advice all the bloggers left me with. To truly know for sure how all this works for you? You must try it for yourself!







To see the end results watch my video review!









Friday, May 22, 2020

I have bad grammar I need your help!

I have bad grammar I need your help!
Since Codvid19 has shut down the world, the word homeschooled has become a household name. No pun intended, But let me tell you that the homeschool they have today and the home school they had back in the '70s when I was growing are two different things! I would actually call it homely school. I had a very dedicated uncle and a mother who believed that reading was fundamental. I picked up reading in a snap! But speeling took some time, to be honest? a very long time that's why I thank God for Grammarly ( Which I'm using at the moment ) Now as far as my grammar goes? well, not so good! It would take my hours and hours to redo my videos because of my grammar. Well, I just turned 50 in November and I don't have the patients to keep redoing my videos! So I'm asking everyone who watchers to be my home school teacher? Yes at any time in my videos you hear me make an error in my grammar post a comment about it! It would really help me out a lot and give me the confidence to continue making videos without the fear of being bashed in the comments. So sit back watch listen and enjoy!
 








Thursday, January 23, 2020

Welcome to the New DoTube! I'm back with a new platform

Welcome to the New DoTube!

 A three minute read

Yes I know I said I'll be back soon in Nov 2015. But I guess Like they say, better late than never? ( Man I even forgot how to work blogger! )

I'm sure it will all come back to me as I write. Well, it's been a hell of a few years. I did 8 documentaries about my culture and faith which was a huge success and my family moved back to my home town Atlantic City NJ, for almost two years  ( Which I will be blogging about in the future ) Then we moved back to Staten Island NY.

In between all this, I became a granddad four times. As you all know that could take a lot of your time. I also open an Instagram Bobby_DoTube  which kept me connected to the social media world the quick and easy way. Let's admit running a blogger is very time-consuming.

But the three main reasons I stopped restaurant reviews were Acid reflux, Lactose intolerance, and Diverticulitis. I spent 10 days in the hospital for that one and lost 70lbs because I was living on green tea and oatmeal for 6 months.

                       By the way, you guys looking for a sure way to lose 70lbs?
                       Try oatmeal and green tea three times a day for six months 
                                       The Proof is in the sugar-free pudding! 


Of course, I'm joking, don't let my good looks and tuxedo fool you. There was a lot of pain and suffering while the healing was taking place. After months of medication, my Diverticulitis went into remission and the pain left and I gained the weight right back. But I still had to watch everything I ate. You can imagine the difficulty of walking into a restaurant trying to do a review and telling the server can you make me a no cheese pizza?

Do you have any bread without seeds?

Make sure there are no tomatoes or cheese on my burger and if there are any seeds on the buns can you give me two bottom buns?

No cucumbers on my salad because of the seeds.

Is the soup a cream bass?

Is there any corn in the chili?

No sour cream or cheese on my taco's, please!

Make sure there are no sesame seeds on my sushi.

Is there any dairy in your garlic mashed potatoes?

Can I get a French onion soup without the cheese and can you find out if the croutons in the soup are cheese flavored? 

It takes me 20 minutes just to order a basic lunch. 

I can't do an honest restaurant review if I'm going to rearrange the menu. So I just moved on to other things as you read earlier Well, one day I went to lunch with some friends and after I did my 20-minute order with the waitress my friends asked me why I didn't make any more restaurant videos on YouTube?   

I give them my sad story with violins playing in the background when suddenly one of my friends stopped me and said

( You Know It's called YouTube Not FoodTube!?)

With a face, you make with a brain freeze I asked, what do you mean? Their Response kinda surprise me! You're a smart guy with great points of view on politics, fashion, pop culture and you have a great personality a great dresser, so just do YOU and start uploading bro. Of course, I picked up the check and thought, what an idea! I'm not camera shy? I have so many opinions on

The red carpet

hot topics

Favorite sitcoms

Life's ups and downs

My culture

My faith

My health

My reviews

Just random stuff we can start a dialog on and all become best friends! 
So that's what the new DoTube is all about.... ME. I will be making a video soon to explain more on my new platform. So stay tuned for my new adventures in blogging/vlogging. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

I WILL BE BACK SOON!

First I would like to thank all of the people who viewed my blogs, at this point, it's at 80.000 views and counting, also for all the nice comments! But I'm about to start producing a documentary, which will take up all my time. I do promise to be back writing restaurant blogs and videos after the holidays! Until then I will be tweeting my past work, so my blogs will stay active until I'm back blogging again. I pray that these holidays will be blessed with joy, happiness, and family in Jesus name.




























Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY DoTube's Pick Of The Week!

Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY
My mother has a brother named Jonzi. I don't know why she didn't name me after him? She's always saying, oh you remind me of your uncle Jonzi so much! Oh, your uncle Jonzi would have said the same thing! You and you uncle Jonzi are twins! Which is a compliment, because he is a fun loving guy with a great personality when Uncle Jonzi walks in a room he owns it! So I could see why people would say we are a lot alike, some might even say we have the same style!



The truth is my uncle Jonzi and I are very close, I love him and Aunt Polly very much! So when my dad told me that they were coming to visit from Maine, I was very happy! I told my dad I wanted to take them to a nice Italian restaurant, somewhere they have never been before, my dad asked me what about Gino's on 5th in Brooklyn? I told him I have only had the pizza there, and it was delicious! He said the restaurant is great! So we R.S.V.P for Saturday 6 adults at 8 pm!  


Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY
Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria is Family owned and been serving 
Bay Ridge Brooklyn, some of the best Italian food since 1964!



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.

Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
As you walk in Gino's, you will enter to the Pizzeria, the amazing aroma of old world style pizza tempted me to grab a quick slice on my way to the restaurant in the back, but my family said I would spoil my appetite! I guess they don't know me very well? 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
If you can make it past the pizzeria without stopping for a slice, 
      you will come to a full-service bar. You can choose from two their dining areas, one the right and one to the left.  



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
Just a few feet away is their wall of fame! Where you can look 
at all the famous people, who love the food at Gino's restaurant!


Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
The dining area to the right has a more classic feel to it, in shades of gray with silver metal trimmings around the lamps, mirrors, and light fixtures. 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
The dining area to the left has an old world feel to it, with brick walls, terracotta 
wall frames and dark copper light fixtures. I let me uncle Jonzi decide 
which dining area he wanted to dine in? Of course, he chose this dining area because he's an old world type of guy himself! 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
At Gino's, they don't just serve a pitcher of water, but also a small bowl of ice 
for your refills. Little touches like this score big points for me when I'm blogging!



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY
I wanted to try the salad that was on the daily special menu, which was an Asparagus, Beets, Red Potatoes, and Goat Cheese Arugula salad in a mustard vinaigrette, It truly was delicious! Note, we were there on a Saturday night.



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
For true Italian food lovers, no explanation is needed!
 But to fulfill my blogger duty I will give it a title.THE ITALIAN ANTIPASTO! 
Fresh Mozzarella, Roasted Peppers, Green Olives and premium Italian cold cuts 
make up this delicious appetizer. This is a great dish the whole table will enjoy!



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
Next, we had the Fried Calamari! These were very light and crisp with a side 
of sweet marinara sauce.I usually order rings only because 
I don't eat the body and legs, but my uncle Jonzi does, so I didn't make the special request this time, and we both enjoyed them! 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.

 Next, we had the Baked Clams! The breadcrumb was nice and toasty, and the clams were juicy in a butter sauce, of course coming from Maine, Uncle Jonzi knows a good baked clam when he tastes one, he said they were delicious, and I must agree! Yes, the portion is just enough for one, but he manages to share them with us.


Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.

Mom and dad had the Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana, Nice size chicken cutlets with light marinara and Mozzarella! Am I not sure about your family? But my mom and dad always order food with the intentions to share with the rest of the household! And I'm glad they did because the portion they give me was delicious! 

Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
Aunt Polly order the Shrimp Scampi over Linguine! I guess you can take the lady out of Maine but you can't take the Maine out of the lady? She orders some extra dishes and handed me a nice spoonful of this amazing entree! The shrimp were a nice size and clean, the linguine was full and robust and the scampi sauce was rich! 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
My uncle Jonzi and I are steak and potato men so we order the Grilled Shell Steak 
with Roasted Potatoes! This is a real men's meal! Thick juicy steak, burnt in all the right spots with no need for steak sauce because the little metal cup had a delicious steak juice in it! My uncle Jonzi and I both like our steaks medium well 
( I guess we really are just alike? ) 
The roasted potatoes had just the right seasoning to make this a complete meal! 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
Now, of course, it's time for dessert! These mini chocolate chip cannoli's come 3 in an order, sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar with a dollop of whip cream and a fresh sliced strawberry. This is Brooklyn's finest! They are the perfect size when you just want a little something sweet to end a great dinner! 


Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.


Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
This is the Italian cheesecake! Now to be very honest I actually prefer the NY style cheesecake which is made without ricotta cheese, 
but it seems like everyone at the table really enjoyed it! So if you're a fan of Italian cheesecake my family say's it's delicious! 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY.
Now, this is the mamma mia of Italian Dessert! Of course, this is what I ordered, 
the Tartufo is an ice cream lovers dream! Vanilla and chocolate ice cream with a peanut center, covered in a rich chocolate shell! This is truly a dessert that can't be beaten, it may take a few minutes to defrost but it's worth the wait! 



Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY
We order Cappuccino's & Espresso topped with whip cream from 
our wonderful server to wash it all down! 

There is nothing worse than taking someone out to dinner and the food or service is really bad!! Well, I'm happy to say that my whole family really enjoyed Gino's, and I'm more than happy that my uncle Jonzi loved it also! So I waved our waiter down to get the check, but he informed me that when my uncle went to wash his hands after dessert he paid the bill!! Of course, there was a 2-minute family ruckus to pay him back the money, but he was not hearing it from anyone, so we just give him a very humble thank you, and told him the next family dinner was on me! 


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Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria Bay Ridge Brooklyn NY