Product review: JBU by Jambu Women's Mavis Comfortable Flats

 

This weekend I took a trip to a large shoe store that carries Spring Step L'Artiste shoes, because I wanted to try them on before buying. Before I even got to the Spring Step L'Artiste section, I saw these JBU by Jambu Women's Mavis flats. They looked super comfortable, so I decided to try them on.

I loved them right away, and even though I had come to the store to try a different brand, I ended up buying these as well. I see that Amazon has a better price than what I paid at the store, but I guess I can think of the difference as a surcharge for being able to try them on first. I wear size 7.5, and they were true to size.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★    

Review of JBU by Jambu Women's Mavis 

Product review: Google Pixel 11 Pro XL - first impressions - photo camera software with AI

 

This weekend was my first chance to play with my new phone, a Pixel 11 Pro XL which Google just released. One of its notable features is the AI built into the camera and photo software.
One place where you can really see the AI at work is with extreme zoom, where camera shake and distance can make a photo fuzzy. For example, the photo of the dog was taken at 30x zoom. You can see how much sharper the AI-enhanced version is.
Another example is the color of the bench and sunlit tree. The AI-corrected version is much closer to how the scene actually looked to my eye than the photo without the correction. 

Other aspects of the phone performed well. The phone calls are clear, the battery held the charge reasonably well during a long weekend of taking photos.

So far I like it a lot!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Pixel 11 Pro XL

Product review: Spigen Ultra Hybrid MagFit case for the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL Case (2026)

 This listing combines multiple different cases made by Spigen. I am reviewing the clear Spigen Ultra Hybrid MagFit case for the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL Case (2026). The phone arrived yesterday, and I have had one day of using the case in various situations.

I have been buying Spigen cases for my Pixel cellphones for many years, and they usually fit like a glove. This one fits well too, with no gaps between the case and the phone edge.

All openings are in the right places, and the case works well with a wireless charger. The case extends about 1 mm above the screen and above the Pixel 11 Pro XL camera, which extends quite a bit from the back of the phone.

My previous phone was the Pixel 9 Pro XL (2024), and in my photos I include the old Spigen case and the new one. You can see that the old case did yellow around the edges, although it was not very noticeable while it was on the phone. But my video shows how these clear cases age in just two years.

Overall, happy with the case.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Spigen Ultra Hybrid MagFit for Google Pixel 11 Pro XL Case (2026)

Product review: OOFOS OOriginal Recovery Sandal

 

Terrific! I own multiple OOFOS sandals; they are my favorite for hot days. They give my feet excellent arch support and my heel problems became nonexistent. I wound up buying grey because the black color was sold out. I like the grey color better than I expected. The soles get visibly dirty, but they wash up really nicely.

I purchased size 8 sandal, I normally wear size 7.5 shoes. Size 8 was perfect. In the past I bought size 7, and it was too tight on the top.


You can find these sandals on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

 

Product review: Giannetti Artisans Chocolate Covered Italian Lemon Peels

 

I usually like the mix of chocolate with lemon, so I expected to love this candy.

The problem for me was the lemon. Instead of tasting tart and bright, it tasted mostly sweet with a little bitterness. Some of the chocolate coating had also come off, and in those spots the lemon pieces was dry and hard.

I was still able to eat them, but they were not what I was hoping for. The package also felt small for the price. I could not rate it higher than a three-star candy.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of Giannetti Artisans Chocolate Covered Italian Lemon Peels

Product review: Candied Lemon Slices Covered in Dark Chocolate

 

I love chocolate, and I love tart flavors. I thought the combination of two flavors I love would be terrific.

However, I did not like this as much as I expected. The lemon was very sweet and slightly bitter, with no real tartness. On the pieces where the chocolate had fallen off, the lemon underneath was very dried out.

Overall, this was disappointing, but it was still edible. The amount of candy was small for the price. So for me, this is a three-star rating.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of Candied Lemon Slices Covered in Dark Chocolate

Product review: OXO Good Grips Large Wooden Spoon, Soup Spoon

 

I bought an OXO soup spoon to replace an old, well-used wooden spoon. The OXO spoon looked nice, but I discovered that I did not like how it felt once I began using it. It had a very rough finish, which I felt on my lips when I tasted sauce or soup. The OXO soup spoons are made out of beech wood with a natural finish, but they have a rough factory finish that is not smooth or polished, like high end or well-used spoons.

With some elbow grease, I turned this disappointing spoon into a great spoon that is a pleasure to use. I started by sanding it with 400-grit sandpaper. I could see how it took off a lot of rough tiny pieces that landed on my work table. Then I switched to 1000-grit sandpaper, sanding with the grain, not across it. After about 10-15 minutes of polishing, I washed it and let it dry. The water raised the grain a bit, and I took advantage of this to sand it again with 1000-grit sandpaper. After another 10-15 minutes of sanding, I saw the wood acquired a shine. It began feeling smooth and pleasant to touch. It had a polished feel. After wiping off the dust, I applied a thin layer of mineral oil wood conditioner that I use on my cutting boards, Poppyella Sunshine food-safe wood balm. After an overnight rest, I buffed the spoon with a cotton cloth. Now, it feels like a different spoon, nice and polished. I am grateful that the OXO spoon had a natural finish that could be fixed with a little bit of elbow grease.

Review of Oxo Soup Spoon

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆