Product review: NEXAS NL101 Code Reader ODBII

I used this scanner with the Honda CRV. It worked without problems.  This is all in one unit, it does not attach your phone, instead it displays information on the build-in the screen.  This unit feels a bit dated because it does not have a touch screen face. Instead one needs to use up-down-left-right controls on the unit.  I found myself touching the screen as it is hard to untrain yourself from using modern apps on the phone.

The Nexas scanner is simple to install and simple to use. All cars and light trucks built and sold in the United States after January 1, 1996, were required to be OBD II equipped. The connector is very distinctive looking, I am including a picture of it in my video for reference. In my car, the connector was located under my dash, slightly to the right of the steering wheel.

The scanner showed me diagnostic information in my car, including the health of my car battery.  You can use it to clear codes if necessary.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Burt Bees fruity toothpaste

I do not like the flavor of mint, so I purchased "Fruit Fusion" by Burt Bees.  This is the first Burt Bees product I did not like.  The flavor has a mint flavor with a sweet undertone. Very disappointing.

The desing of the tube is nice: it can stand on its cap and closes well.  It comes sealed.  It contains fluoride.  But if you looking for mint free toothpaste, don't buy it.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Aukee Car Seat Cushion, Office Chair Wheelchair Mat Memory Foam Pad Cushion

Aukee cushion is approximately 1" thick memory foam.  The foam is thinner at the edges; then it is in the middle.  It is shorter than the car seat, but because it is thin and is thinner at the edges, it does not dig into my thighs as the thicker pillows.  It does not give me much lift, so it did not work for the purposes of getting my head higher on the non-adjustable Tesla Model 3 headrest. However, I found it very comfortable in the office chair.

One side of the cushion is black, the other side is non-slippery beige material.  If you are not looking for a lift, it does add softness to any seat.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Aukee Memory Foam Car Neck Pillow

We purchased several neck pillows because our new Tesla Model 3 has non-adjustable head supports that are not well suited for short passengers (or drivers).  The fixed-position headrest pushes my head forward because my height puts my head at the bottom of the support.  I need to put something under the Tesla support, so my head is not bent forward. This neck support was working pretty well.

The pillow itself is made well and has no odor. One side of it is made from leather, the core is made out of memory foam, and the side that goes towards the seat is made out of the fabric. The back has an elastic belt that goes over the back of the seat.

So annoying to have a new beautiful car that does not feel comfortable. This pillow provided some relief to a poorly designed seat.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Gum toothbrush with super tip

I have been using Gum toothbrushes for years because my dentist was giving them to his patients during cleaning.  But recently my dentist switched to another brand and did not like it as much.  For the first time in many years, I bought a toothbrush because Gum toothbrush is that good!  I take freebies home and use them for cleaning small places around the kitchen and bathroom, but I buy Gum toothbrushes for my teeth!  The latest package I bought included a super tip, and I like it to in addition to flossing.  Great toothbrush!



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Memory Foam Seat Cushion. Orthopedic Car Seat Cushions to Raise Height - not a good car seat booster

This is a 2-star car cushion and 5-star chair cushion  This pillow is NOT designed for a car seat, it is much shorter then a car seat and if when I put on the car seat, its edge cuts into my thighs very uncomfortably and cannot be used. I tried positioning the seat with the signage forward and backward, both orientations are equally uncomfortable.

It is, however, an excellent cushion for a chair or theater/concert seats because it has a good fit for that size seat. 

It is 3" hight and compresses slightly when you sit on it. It has no straps, no anti-skid markings on the bottom. I bought it for a car, so I was disappointed but was able to re-purpose it as a chair cushion for concert halls.  It ads comfort and lift, which is helpful for a short person like me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Dreamer Car Balanced Softness Memory Foam Driver Seat Cushion Seat Pad with Adjustable Strap for short people

This is a 1-star car cushion and 3-star chair cushion  This pillow is NOT designed for a car seat, it is much shorter then a car seat and if when I put on the car seat, its edge cuts into my thighs very uncomfortably and cannot be used.  It is an ok cushion for a chair or theater/concert seats because it has the size of that seat, not a car seat.  The reason why it is not a great cushion that it compresses so much that it gives me almost no lift at all.

Its loft is about 3" hight but it compresses significantly when you sit on it. It provides very little lift. It has a strap, which works well if you are putting it on an office chair. It has a textured bottom which makes it somewhat non-slip.  I bought it for a car, so I was disappointed but was able to re-purpose it as a cushion for concert halls for my husband who is okay with not getting any lift.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Body Benefits Bristle Bath Brush

I got this Body Benefits bath brush at a local T.J. Maxx for $4.69.  This brush has very soft bristles. It is suitable for gentle cleaning, not exfoliating. It is 14" end to end with the handle that is 10".  It has a keyhole opening on the handle, so it is easy to hang to dry between uses.  I have been using it for several weeks every day, and all the bristles are still intact. I like the textured handle, even when my hands are soapy it stays in my hand. Pretty good brush, especially at a price I got at T.J. Maxx.

You can also find it on Amazon at a slightly higher price.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Feagar Car Seat Neck Pillow, Headrest Cushion for short people

 

My husband purchased several neck pillows for me because his new Tesla Model 3 has non-adjustable head supports that are not well suited for short passengers (or drivers).  The fixed-position headrest pushes my head forward because my height puts my head at the bottom of the support.  I need to put something under the Tesla support so my head is not bent forward. This neck support was the best of several we have tried.

The pillow itself is made well and feels pleasant to touch. Most of the problems come from the design of the car seat rather than the neck pillow.


Tesla headrest and seat are one piece, they do not have adjustable headrests with metal stocks. To place the neck pillow where I need it (below the built-in fixed-position of the headrest), I had to make the straps longer so the neck pillow can hang at the lower height.

To make a Feager neck fit the seat, I had to make both the top and the bottom straps longer (so it was lower on the seat) and I needed to remove about 1/2" of the loft, so it does not push my neck forward.  The pillow's design allowed me to make all the adjustments, and its quality is very nice.  So annoying to have a new beautiful car that does not feel comfortable. This pillow provided some relief to a poorly designed seat.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LANGRIA Infinity-Shape Car Neck Pillow Memory Foam Headrest for short people

My husband purchased several neck pillows for me because his new Tesla Model 3 has unadjustable head supports that are not well suited for short passengers (or drivers).  The fixed-position headrest pushes my head forward because my height puts my head at the bottom of the support.  I need to put something under the Tesla support so my head is not bent forward. LANGRIA neck pillow was slightly helpful but not ideal because it really designed to work with the metal adjustable stocks of the headrest.

Tesla seats do not have adjustable metal stocks, so to place the pillow where I need it (below the built-in fixed-position headrest) I had to make the strap longer so it can hang at the lower height. Because of how the pillow is attached, I have to hold it with my neck by pushing it into the seat which is tiresome.

The pillow itself is made well and feels pleasant to touch. Most of the problems come from the design of the Tesla car seat rather than the neck pillow.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

ILIVABLE Seatbelt Adjuster, Comfort Universal Auto Shoulder Neck Strap Positioner Clips for short people, Vehicle Seat Belt Covers

My husband bought this seatbelt adjuster because our new car is not well designed for short people, even with the seat in its highest position the seat belt was pushing uncomfortably on my neck.

This is an extremely simple gizmo that just works.  It is a sleeve made out of faux leather that locks around two parts of the seatbelt - the part that goes around one's torso and the part the goes over the shoulder. By doing so this sleeve shifts where the seatbelt angles up.  You can adjust it to fit your body.  For me, the portion of the belt that goes up to the side of the car is not pushing on my neck but rather lays on my collar bone.

Once I found the right location for the sleeve and locked in in place, I leave the sleeve on the seat belt so it is there when I need it next.  This worked so well that I took the second sleeve and put in my car as well.  Even though I did not have a chocking problem the way my seat belt fit me in my car, I still found a more comfortable position for the seatbelt with this sleeve on.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Book review: Eye Floaters Secrets: The Simple, Safe, Effective, And Fast Eye Floaters Treatments, by Dennis Platt

This is a very short book with only one paragraph on each page to make it look more substantial then it is. It contains no information just a tease for "do-it-yourself-medicine" and promotional links to web sites outside Amazon.  Out of curiosity, I checked one of the links to the other's site. That link (related to floaters) was invalid, I landed on his web site, and when I tried to leave the page, it kept me "captive"  generating pops and requiring extra clicks to leave the web site. Only marketing content-free web sites have such behaviors, a web site with useful content does not try to prevent visitors from leaving.

This book is too expensive (wastes your time!) even if it was free.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link. Avoid!

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Book review: What I wish I had known about Back Surgery, by Stephen Zilioli

Wow!  I can't believe someone is actually charging for this. This is not a sample of a book.  What you get is one page which says absolutely nothing, it has less content then a bad abstract would have.  A sample is supposed to provide a reader with a good idea of the full book would be of interest. Normally a sample has some good amount of information so the reader can tell that the author has something interesting to say... It supposed to vet your appetite but not tell you everything leaving you wanting to read more...  This sample provides you nothing. All we learn that the author, like millions of us, had a back problem. I could not tell if he knows anything else about the topic if he clearly explains what he knows. I would not even call this one page an "ad" because it just does not have enough content to be an ad!  I think this publication is in the running for the worst book I ever bought on Amazon.

Ali Julia review

Product review: Jojoba Oil by Leven Rose

Leven Rose Jojoba oil is clear, light yellow, and odorless. It works well as a make-up remover but leaves my face a bit shiny, so I need to wash my face to remove the oily residue. A few drops of oil on a cotton ball remove blush and any eye make-up effectively. I do not need to scrub; it is very gentle. Jojoba oil does not irritate my eyes, and if I use it near my lips and it is not toxic (it is non-digestible).

It comes in a glass bottle with a nice glass eye dropper which helps you use a small amount each time. This will last me a long time.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: How to make 100% sun block shade for Tesla Model 3 glass roof of net mesh shade

Tesla Model 3 has a large glass roof.  It is beautiful, but the car becomes very hot and the sun beaming through the glass creates sun glare when the sun is high in the sky (my eyes are more light-sensitive then average).

There are many mesh shades sold for Tesla Model 3, but they provide minimal additional sun-blocking protection.  WJM provided about 10% additional shade.  However, I solved the problem by make an insert out of a large sheet of white paper (I used a sheet of paper from a flip chart).  The paper is slid between the mesh and the glass, so the net is there to hold the paper insert that provides the shade.  The size of the mesh net is 41" x 26.5".  I used the mesh net as a template to trim the paper.

To install the shade you need to push it in so it is held by tension first.  The tension is not strong enough to hold the net during driving (it pops out on bumps).  To hold the shade securely, you need to attach it to the car with clips. The sunshade kit comes with a set of eight clips (two for each side).  To insert the clips, you need to push the net up towards the glass, insert the clip with the lip down and then push the clip in until it is inserted all the way.

In my video, you can see how to insert the net and how the sunshade looks with the sheet of the paper insert.  It solved the problem for me completely.  The sunshade by itself is totally inadequate, but with the insert it is fine. I wish someone was making a solid sunshade so my kludge would not be necessary.

Any mesh sun shade will do, I used this one by WJM.



Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Mother Earth Products Dehydrated Cabbage (quart mylar bag)

I really like the flavor and texture of Mother Earth's dried cabbage. This is a repeat purchase for me, in the past, I used containers, this time I saw that my mylar bag is a little cheaper.  I prefer the jar as a container, but since I had made this purchase in the past, I was able to pour the content of the mylar bag into the old bottle.

A small amount really expands, so it goes a long way. I like adding it to soups for texture and flavor. I add it to the soup before I microwave for a couple of minutes and that all it takes to make it soft yet still texture and flavor.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pedifix Gel Smart Visco-gel Toe Spreaders

My small toe rubs against the fourth toe and gives me painful blisters. These toe separators did not work for me. I have given myself a chance to get used to them and suffered with them for 2 weeks wearing them every day. They slipped out from between my toes. They were not comfortable in my shoes. I felt them all the time. And they irritated the skin between the toes while they were in place. I threw them out.

I found a better solution chatting with an avid biker. He uses BodyGlide to prevent saddle sores, I decided to try BodyGlide between my toes and it worked for me. Now I use BodyGlide Bodyglide Advanced Technical Formula to put between my toes every day. The toes glide against it each other rather than rub, and I don't have any blisters. I have no ill effect from using it as frequently as I do.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆