I am curious about a skincare line called Paula's Choice. Has anyone heard of them? I learned about them through a website with discussion boards called makeupalley.com and they sound interesting. I purchased samples and am giving them a try. They are much less expensive than what I see at Sephora, Ulta, and the department stores. By the way, there is an interesting encyclopedia rating beauty products on the Paula's Choice website called the beautypedia. It has almost every product line you can think of with ratings. Here is a link that might be useful: Beautypedia Brand Ratings

Couple of revashelf items: significantly reduced even from the discount prices in both cases (Blind corner half-moon swingout for $25 and the new 5" base pullout for $103), and both arrived in record time with reasonable shipping for such heavy items (under $25 to ship, both times) Faucet: Item never arrived. I kind of had warning bells when I bid simply because it was an item unlike most of the sellers prior auctions and their feed back was below the 99% I usually require, but I wanted the faucet. Thankfully, Paypal has jumped in and since the seller - following a rash of "item not received/poor communication" feedback in the weeks following my own purchase - deleted their account, it is very likely I will be covered for the full amount by Paypal's protection system; I'm hopeful for a good outcome. And (shhhh... ;) I think I like my second-choice faucet better in the end, so with luck it will bea case of all's well that ends well. Also, I must say that having made many purchases on ebay over the last few years, this the first time either my husband or myself have had ANY kind of problem.

Dear Hollysprings, while I agree with you that most people (including myself) don't have bizillions to spend on a kitchen, I DO want something that has both form AND function. I work part time as a chef and have really done my research on these brands. I've gone to the showrooms and distributors, and with the exception of the Rorgue, which I'm trying to track down now, I've touched/played with every one of them-just haven't had a chance to put food on them-watched others do so. I also looked at the Blue Star and Culinarian, which seem to get high marks on this site. I thougt they were hard to clean-spillovers dribble directly down onto the wiring (there is some sort of pan, but there's a gap), and they weren't the esthetic I was looking for. Many of the so called french tops are just simmer plates, not a true cooking surface. The units I'm considering are all used by top chefs and restaurants, are built like tanks, are customizable and have great warranties (the Gullo's is a lifetime guarantee). But you're right-nothing wrong with watching your pennies! That's why I was considering the used Chateau, and that's why I'm seeking feedback from other owners/chefs etc. Do you have a Blue Star? Do you like it?tell me more about that.

I just went to a DirectBuy guest orientation. To tell you the truth, their speech/presentation sounded like a pitch for a timeshare. Their membership is $4990 for 3 years, no you can't just get 1 year, it's a 3-year deal. Every year after that is only $200. They say they get straight from the manufacturer at their cost. Well, the membership price made me sceptical, but I thought, ok I will see what they can offer on a washer/Dryer/Refrigerator that I just purchased. When I purchased those items, I went to a couple of the big stores and found all their prices then haggled with one to price beat. Here was the run down that DirectBuy gave me and the outcome: Samsung washer WF448AAP - their price $1000+ my price from BestBuy 951.20 Samsung dryer DV448AEP - their price $1000+ my price from BestBuy 886.41 Samsung refrigerator RFG297AARS - their price $2000+ my price from BestBuy 1969.99 When I told him that, he said that he didn't understand how a store would be below the manufacturer's price (not MSRP), how can they do that. He acted like I was lying, when I wanted him to compare my TV price...he pretty much said goodbye it was nice talking to me and tried to get me out as fast as possible. It pissed me off a bit, but I guess when they don't really offer a deal...it's not good for them. When I told him that maybe I'll talk it over with my fiance for her to check it out, he said that even if she became a member and I married her, I wouldn't be allowed to be in the club, pretty much I'm not welcome there. So they aren't what they say they are. Too fishy, beware. Take your time and a little research, you can save the money without forking up $5k then justifying it, because they saved a few 100$ on items you bought. It seems that it's a club that makes it seem like you are getting a deal, but if you end up researching and looking around, I guarantee you'll be disappointed you joined them. As for the prices above....Lowe's had the lowest price, but I liked BestBuy and they said they would match (when they put the w/d in their system....I got an additional amount off since it was bought as a bundle...that was a mistake they tried to fix, but I talked them into not changing it.) I'm on the search for good furniture resources...We are getting a house built and I need to get some new stuff....does anyone know of any good resources that give good deals? I wish I would have looked into the forums before I went, I wouldn't have wasted 2 hours of my day.