Book review: How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination by Sally Hogshead

This book was rather boring to read because it has a lot of "fluff", a lot of platitudes, a lot of self promotion, and self branding.  The book could benefit from a good editor that could trim out the redundant text and highlight the main points so they are not lost among all the platitudes.

Putting aside the annoyances I had with the style of the book, what about the content? I found it interesting in the beginning.  However, it became less and less interesting as the same idea was repeated over and over and it became more boring with every page.

I have a good understanding of who I am, my strength and my weaknesses. I had hard time fitting myself into one category. It felt to me that the model was oversimplified. 

The take away from the book is to concentrate on your strength and ignore your weaknesses and that seems to me to be naive and unpractical in the real world.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lip Balm, Pink Grapefruit

Burt's Bees pink grapefruit is my favorite lip balm, with Mango flavor being my second favorite. Before I settled on Burt Bees lip balms, I tried a large variety of lip balms keeping notes on what I liked and did not like about them.

In this review I am including a comparison of 5 lip balms as I experienced significant difference in satisfaction with them, and I thought a comparison between them might be useful to others.

For many years I used the original Chapstick, which provides a very good moisturizer, it spreads well and provides long lasting effects. Its flavor however is pretty boring and led me to seek out alternatives. Blistex raspberry lemonade has a strong but nice flavor. When you just put it on it taste like a burst of lemon and raspberry almost like licking a candy. This strong flavor does not linger however, it mellows out pretty quickly. I liked the flavor, but found that the moisturizing effect on my lips did not last as long as some of the other balms. It also has many more chemical ingredients than the other lip balms. Mentholatum Natural Ice had a flavor that I really did not like, it was hard to spread, and the moisturizing effect did not last. Then I tried Burt Bees Mango Butter and it combined everything I was looking for - taste and longevity.


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Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit
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Sunblock: None
Taste:.................Grapefruit, slight sour and slightly sweet
Effect:................Long lasting
Stick:.................Fairly soft and easy to spread
Cost:..................2.98 per stick, sometimes on sale at 2.00
Ingredients:...........Ingredients: helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, cera alba (beeswax, cire d'abeille), aroma (flavor)*, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, lanolin, citrus paradisi (grapefruit) seed oil, rosmarinus officinalis • (rosemary) leaf extract, tocopherol, ammonium glycyrrhizate, canola oil (nuile de colza), glycine soja (soybean) oil, limonene natural flavor

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Burt's Bees Mango Butter Burt's Bees Nourising Lip Balm
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Sunblock: None
Taste:.................Mango, light and very pleasant
Effect:................Long lasting
Stick:.................Fairly soft and easy to spread
Cost:..................2.25 per stick
Ingredients:...........helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, cera alba (beeswax, cire d'abeille), aroma (flavor)*, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, lanolin, ammonium glycyrrhizinate, tocopherol, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, glycine soja (soybean) oil, canola oil (huile de colza), limonene, linalool. *natural flavor
________________________________________________________
ChapStick, Original ChapStick, Original
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Taste:.................Light almost not noticable
Effect:................Long lasting
Stick:.................Fairly soft and easy to spread
Sunblock:..............None
Cost:..................1.40 per stick
Ingredients:...........Active Ingredients: Padimate (1.5%), White Petrolatum (44%). Inactive Ingredients: Arachidyl Propionate, Camphor, Cetyl Alcohol, D&c Red No. 6 Barium Lake, Fd&c Yellow No. 5 Aluminum Lake, Fragrance, Isopropyl Lanolate, Isopropyl Myristate, Lanolin, Light Mineral Oil, Methylparaben, Octyldodecanol, Oleyl Alcohol, Phenyl Methicone, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Waxes.

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Blistex raspberry lemonade Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast
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Taste:.................Strong raspberry lemon, burst of nice flavor, almost like candy for a second
Effect:................Not long lasting
Stick:.................Fairly soft and easy to spread
Sunblock:..............SPF 15
Cost:..................1.21 per stick
Ingredients:...........Active ingredient: dimethicone 1%, octinoxate 7,5%, oxybenzone 2.5% Inactive ingredients: alumina, beeswas, diethylhexyl adipate, ethylhexyl palmitate, ethylhexyl stearate, flavors, glyceryl stearate, hydrogenated coconut oil, isopropyl myristate,
isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl stearate, jojoba esters, microcrystalline wax, myristyl myristate, phenoxyethanol, phenyl trimethicone, polyethylene, polyhydrixystearic acid, saccharin, silica, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, titanium dioxide, tocopheryl acetate.

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Mentholatum Natural Ice Medicated Lip Protectant SPF 15 Mentholatum Natural Ice Medicated Lip Protectant
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Taste:.................Medicinal and Minty
Effect:................Not long lasting
Stick:.................Hard and hard to spread
Sunblock:..............SPF 15
Cost:..................1.17 per stick (note when I bought it on sale for 60 cents per stick)
Ingredients:...........Active Ingredients: Dimethicone (1%), Octinoxate (7.5%), Octisalate (5%). Inactive Ingredients:..Fragrance, Lanolin, Menthol, Mineral Oil, Ozokerite, Petrolatum.
________________________________________________________

Burt's Bees Grapefruit lip balms is my winner. It is all natural, great flavor, and it works well as a long lasting lip moisturizer. With Burt's Bees Mango a close runner up.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Batiste Dry Shampoo, Beautiful Brunette

Sometimes when I running late I skip washing my hair and use dry shampoo instead.  It is a timer saver!  When I first heard about dry shampoo product description did not answer all my questions and now I know the answers.

1. I got a dry shampoo that matches my hair color. Even though I got the brunette shampoo it still left white powder when I used it. The white powder disappeared after I worked the shampoo with my finger tips and then the styling brush. You are supposed to work it in the same way as you would the wet shampoo under the shower. I did not see any powder on the vanity so there was no "dirt" I had to clean up after using the shampoo.  My hair felt different compared to the texture it has after I wash it with wet shampoo. It felt "pooffier", this was not bad just different.

2. My hairdresser told me not to use the dry shampoo more than twice a week and never two days in a row.  Dry shampoo works by soaking up the oil in your hair and scalp. Having some oil on the scalp is normal and healthy. If there is not enough oil from dry shampoo over-use the skin and hair folicles can become irritated and lead to problems.

3. I only use dry shampoo on dry hair.  If you just washed your hair, my hairdresser said,  dry it thoroughly before applying dry shampoo.  Even on clean hair the dry shampoo adds volume although this volume does not last all day.

4. I asked her if the dry shampoo can cause dandruff and she said no.  Dandruff is caused by an inflammatory reaction of the skin to the natural yeast that lives on the scalp (this is called seborrhea dermatitis) and a dry shampoo has no effect on this condition.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Intock Kinesiology Tape, Therapeutic Athletic Tape for Injury Recovery and Pain Relief

Intock kinesiology tape worked as expected - it adhered well, it has graph paper backing so it is easy to trim, and it comes in three different colors.

Kinesiology tape is elastic tape that allows full motion of the joints and muscles.  I was first introduced to it after a back surgery in the physical therapy facility.  They PT therapist first put a small patch on the inner part of my arm for 24 hours to test me for allergies, when I had no adverse reaction he taped an area of my back where I felt pain. He always rounded the corners of the tape he used on me, this kept it better adhered to my skin. Note applied to unbroken skin - he did not put it over the surgery scar which was relatively fresh at the time.  He explained the effects as the tape reacting with the pain receptors under the skin providing relief.  I wear it whenever I think I might put extra strain on my back muscles and I find it helpful.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Book review: Photoshop: The Beginner´s Guide to Mastering Photoshop byEdward Bailey

I read a couple of other books by Mr. Bailey which were decent.  This book is not one of his better works. The book spends 25% of the content on history of Photoshop and that this software allows one to improve photos. Then it lists the tools included in Photoshop by giving two sentences for each - no tips on how best to use them or anything beyond a very high level description. Then the author spends 6 pages on layers, but I thought the explanation in on-line Photoshop tutorials was more helpful and detailed. The books ends with many pages of promoting other books by the same author.

There were two specific tips where I learned something, such as how to create a color-accented photo and how to change someone's eye color. Each of these is a one page description and a photo. They had a nice amount of specific steps.

Bottom line: 2 useful pages for $2.99.

Here is a link to Amazon, a book to avoid.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Intock Self Adhesive Bandage Wrap Tape, Cohesive Bandage Medical Tape

I sprain my ankle almost every year and I use elastic bandages during the first 24 hours after the injury.  It works well to stabilize the ankle and the pressure restrict swelling.  These self adhesive bandages make it very easy to bandage your own foot, they stick to themselves and hold well.

I like that the elastic bandages come in different colors, this makes the injury look and feel less annoying. The youngsters like being able to pick their own color too.

I can get several uses out of each tape. The colors are color-fast (i.e. they do not bleed when washed). I wash them in a mild detergent and air dry. I do not use the drying not to damage the thin elastic that makes these bandages stretchable.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: TravelChair Slacker Chair Folding Tripod Camp Stool - one flaw and a fix for it

After several surgeries on my back I have trouble walking for a long time without sitting down for a few minutes to release the stress on my back. I purchased this chair so I would be able to walk without having to worry that I would have no place to sit down. This chair is almost perfect. It has only one flaw. Both the flaw and the solution to the flaw are detailed in the second half of the review.

The chair turned out to be more comfortable and more stable than I imagined from the photos. I sit on it as I would sit on a bicycle seat. My butt is on the wide part and it feels pretty comfortable. Not armchair comfortable but not unpleasant.

The travel chair is pretty light. It weighs 1 pound 14.1 oz. The feet of the chair have a pretty good friction and don't slide.

The chair is 24" long when folded. and when I wrap my measuring tape around its width the circumference is 7". When it is open, the seat is 17" from the ground. I am short and I find that height very comfortable. My husband thinks it is a little too short but not bad (he said it was like sitting on a toilet).

So now, the big flaw. What makes this chair valuable to me is the ability to carry it around. However the strap is too short to comfortably carry it over my shoulder even for small person like myself. And what I really wanted is carry it like a sling across my back. I want it rests on my back and be totally out of the way.

I     solved this problem by enlagring the strap. Before the alternation the strap is 21.5 inches long. The distance before anchors for the strap is 19". So you get only a couple of inches of slack. To fix this problem, I cut the strap I extended it with a regular black strap you can buy at any craft store.

The key to working with these straps is to singe the edges of them so they don't unravel. The strapping material does not burn, it melts. This forms a protective coating on the edges so you don't need to worry about them coming apart. Also it allows you to connected the two straps with minimum bulk, you don't need to fold them under.

After singeing all 4 ends I connected the two straps with my sewing machine. I made the strap long enough to be comfortable for both myself and my husband, which required doubling its original size. I can make the strap shorter by feeding the access strapping material into the buckle. I also attached an extra Velcro strip in case I wanted to tuck away the dangling strap while I am sitting in a chair and not bother with the buckle.

With this simple fix the travel chair is absolutely perfect! I can now take long walks like I did before my back problems.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Book review: Margay Stuck On The Tree by Rachell Morton

Our favorite parts of the book were the book were the illustration. This book has an illustration and once sentence of the story on each page.  Illustrations are nice, some of the sentences in the story are a bit repetitive.

This is a story about a family of cats with wings, that eat tarts and cakes.  We had to have a side talk that we can't feed this type of food to our cats.

The kitten is stuck on the tree and is afraid jumping down until parents tempt him with some food.  In general, we do not like using food as reward so this part of the story bothers me a little bit.  The best part of the book is the fact that it gave us an opening to discuss things that feel scary to our little readers.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Book review: More Than a Game Hardcover by Phil Jackson, Charley Rosen

This is a very interesting book for any basketball fan.  It talks about the technical issues of triangle offense as well as behind the scenes of how Phil Jackson thought about coaching.  It starts with Phil's early days and ends with the first championship with the Lakers.  This book is not only about basketball, it is useful for any person working with a group of people who have different (and sometimes difficult) personalities.  I only wish it was longer and covered all his coaching years. I hope there is an update at some point.

I listened to the audio version of the book, I enjoyed the naration done in two voices from the point of view of Phil Jackson and as well as from the point of view of his friend and co-author Charley Rosen.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: TaoTronics Led Grow lights Bulb (Controlled experiment) Product review

My husband is a garden enthusiast who grows everything from seed. This year his plan is to plant something every week through the summer so we have small seedlings in the house all the time.

To test the effectiveness of this grow light we planted three identical pots with peas and corn sprouts. The first pot was left to grow outside in the sun, the second pot was left to grow near a sunny window inside, and the third pot was left in an area which does not get direct sunlight and was left under a grow light. The grow light was on a timer for 14 hours a day (off at night).

The attached video includes the photos taken every day for 7 days. I was skeptical that the plants under the grow light will do better than the plants left outside in the sun but as you see at the end of 7 days the plants under the grow light are significantly bigger. On day 5 the "window" plant got disqualified from the experiment because our cat chewed it. I continued to leave the injured plant in the photos for reference but it looks pretty sad. It should be noted that it was the smallest plant at the time when our cat decided to mess with the experiment. The results at the end of the 7 days are pretty conclusive! Grow light wins!

TaoTronics 12W Grow light fits into a regular bulb fixture. Each bulb has 3 blue and 9 red LED lights. The light weight 9.15 oz and is 5.5" long, and 4.75" wide. The light feels well made. The finish of the bulb looks neat, and when I shake it nothing rattles.

We are able to place six 3" pots under one lamp (we put them into aluminum trays to catch the draining water without taking up extra room for individual plates under each pot).

To get the most out of each bulb one lamp can service two sets of 6 pots if it is moved every 12 hours. Each set of six would have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. This would be similar to day and night and you will be able to get enough light for twelve 3" pots.

One more tip based on our experience: Get a lamp with a goose neck that moves, as the plants get bigger you want to move the bulb a little further away. One set of our plants got a bit too too close to the bulb and the leaves got damaged.
 
The light was purchased in 2014 and is still in use as of  spring 2018.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: CosyVie Insulated Lunch Organizer Bag

This lunch bag is 5.75" wide, 8" side to side, and 6.5" in height.  This is enough to carry two lunch containers.  The bag is insulated with aluminum foil. It provides a little insulation, but mostly it is helpful because it is easy to clean if there is a small spill.

The outside is made out of striped oxford cloth. It is made neatly and stitching is nice.

When I first took the bag out of the packaging it had a light chemical type odor but overnight that scent was gone.  Overall, I thought it was a nice bag - just the right size for my needs and I like the way it looks.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Tinkle Eyebrow Razor Pack

Good news: I saw some reviews which stated that they got products were not original Tinkle shavers (it was helpful to see photos of the fakes next to the real thing under customer photos). The Tinkle shavers I purchased in November of 2018 were original, and had the Tinkle packaging and logo.

Bad news: This shaver did not work as well as I hoped. It is only good for thin invisible hairs, if you want to shape eyebrows or fairs near the ear that are a little thicker this shaver does not shave closely and leaves visible stubble.  For that purpose I find Personal Trimmer from Panasonic works a lot better.

So bottom line - Okay but not as good as I hoped.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Chairlin Car Seat Cushion for Office Chair Memory Foam

This seat cushion is 16.25 inches wide and 11" front to back and 4" tall when not compressed. It is slightly smaller than the seat of the office chair. It is made out of dense memory foam. The bottom has rubber dots that minimize slipping of the cushion on the chair. 

I set in front of the computer all day and I find that this cushion does make the office chair more comfortable.  I also take it along when we go to the concerts, this cushion makes the hard chairs more comfortable and it also gives me a little extra height to see the stage better.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Magtoe Men's slippers (terry cloth with Velcro closure)

The best feature of these slippers is the Velcro closure.  I can adjust them to be very comfortable no matter whether I am in bare feet or wearing thick socks.

Magtoe men's slippers are made of cloth material and a Velcro closure which allows one to adjust the fit of the slipper.  The sole is made of memory foam, which makes them soft to step on.  The soles are totally flat, no arch support.

The sizing is true to size, and the width is adjustable with the help of Velcro. Since they have open toes mthey feel cool in hot weather. The foam bottom absorbs the sweat.  Good slippers for the summer months.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Secura Automatic Electric Milk Frother and Warmer

 The funny thing about this milk frother is that the first time I tried it I thought it was broken because it was so quiet.  I am used to a hand-held frother: its motor makes noise and I make noise clanking it against the cup.  This electric frother is totally silent, the milk did not appear to be swirling. When the light went off  indicating it was done I was fully expecting to find the same old milk I poured in. I opened it and it is all froth!  In my photo you see in the froth from soy milk, which comes out a little softer than cow milk. Whole milk, of course, makes the thickest creamiest foam, soy milk and almond milk also work with less dense larger bubbles.

The instructions on cleaning said not to submerge the frother in water and not to microwave.  I removed the frother and washed it with a wet sponge. As long as I do this fairly quickly after the froth was done the clean-up is very easy.

The max and min amount of milk is marked on the container.  The minimum is 1/3 cup of milk, the maximum is 2/3 cup.

The frother has two modes to generate heated froth or cold froth.  The frother can also be used to warm milk without frothing (minimum of 1/3 cup and maximum of 1 1/4 cup).  If you want to just warm the milk do not insert the frother spring.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Santamedical Wrist Digital Blood pressure Monitor with Case

Santamedical blood pressure monitor is wrist blood pressure monitor.  The wrist monitor is not as accurate as an arm blood pressure monitor I have (the arm monitor matches my doctor's measurements more closely) but the wrist monitor is easier to use and it gives consistent readings.  The key to monitoring blood pressure is to know when it starts changing so as long as the readings are consistent they are giving me good information.  I find that I am using it more often because it takes so little time, no fussing around with latching the arm band on the arm monitor which always takes me a few tries.

Overall, I rate it "okay" reducing some points for the lower accuracy compared to the arm blood pressure monitor.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos that I will be referencing in this review.  The first photo shows the entire content of the package. The monitor itself, the white plastic case for storage of the monitor, instruction manual.

The monitor runs on two AAA batteries (included). The battery compartment is shown in photo 3.  It has a plastic tongue that goes under the batteries and makes it easy to remove the batteries.  The plastic container is very handy, the cuff rolled up and easily fit into the case.

The 4h photo shows me taking the measurement. The position of the monitor on your hand as well as position of the hand relative to your heart are very important to get accurate measurements.  Once you find the hand position that is comfortable use the same position every day to get measurements that can be accurately compared to each other.

As I mentioned earlier the key to home monitoring is to notice a change.  If you measure the blood pressure in different position one after another you will notice that the reading are not the same, that's why it is important to use the same position every day.  The monitor should be at the same level as your heart.  The manual shows extending the hand with the monitor in front of you. Another position that works is to place your hand on your chest with monitor at your heart level.  I find that putting my hand on my chest is easier, and it gave me the same reading as when extending my hand in front of me.

The monitor has two buttons. The one with a circle is that on/off button.  As soon as you turn on the monitor it starts measuring.  It takes approximately one minute to get a reading.  The second button is a memory button which will store the results.  The unit has automatic power-off function if you forget to turn it off manually.

How to set time? There is a small hole on one the side (the top side if you have the display facing you).  Use a small sharp object like a sewing needle to click it.  One click puts you into "adjust time" mode. Then use the left button (memory) to advance the digits. When the month is set correctly click the hole again to advance to the next number to adjust (days of the months) and so forth.

The screen displays your blood pressure and pulse.  It also has a low battery indicator.  The entire wrist band (measured on the inside) is 11.25", you need to allow a minimum of 2" for Velcro closure to secure.  That means it can accommodate wrists up to 9.25" in circumference.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆