Product review: Rechargable Book Light by from 86lux store Book Light by from 86lux store, free standing light (vodeo review)

 

 This light can clip to a book, as well be freestanding.  Even though it works well as a book light, lighting both pages at the same time, I am using this light as a portable light to light the area where I need to see (desk, bedside). I like that it is small, rechargeable, and provides enough light in spaces without room for a bigger light. The light can tilt down and sideways, so it is easy to position it any way you need.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★    

Review of Rechargeable Book Light by from 86lux store Book Light by from 86lux store

Product review: Electric Ear Dryer for Swimmer’s Ear by Tilcare - Ear Air Dryer (video product review)

 

I like:
- Good idea: warm ear flows into the ear and dries it
- Helps with drying out the ears
- Comes with three tips, so it can be used by multiple people
- Comes with a carrying case

I do not like:
- Starts and ends with a loud beep. I need to remebmer to turn it on and turn it off when it is not near th ear.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆  

Review of Electric Ear Dryer for Swimmer’s Ear by Tilcare

Product review: Ringke Fusion Google Pixel 8 Pro Case (video product review)

 

I waited to review the case until I got the new phone. The phone arrived today, and here we go. The fit is perfect. In the past, I have had clear cases that did not adhere all around the phone edge, but there were no such problems with this case. All buttons and openings lined up perfectly. It goes on with a pleasant snap.

In the past, I used pure TPU cases. This case is a hybrid, which means the back is stiff (Polycarbonate), and the edges are softer with more give (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). Once the case is on the phone, it looks and feels exactly like my previous TPU cases. I have dropped the old phone several times on paved roads, and the phone survived without damage.

Now, about yellowing, I took off my clear case from the Pixel6Pro (2 years old), and even though it was also supposedly non-yellowing TPU, it was clearly yellowing around the edges. On the phone, it did not look terrible, but I could see the "dirty" edges. The material, however, is still pliable and protective. I expect this case to look the same in two years. I will probably replace the case if I keep the new phone longer than 2 years.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★  

Review of Ringke Fusion Google Pixel 8 Pro Case

Product review: BLACK+DECKER Dusbuster Handheld Vacuum, Cordless, Gray (HHVK415B01)

 

I own several hand-held vacuums and there are determined that I have two major requirements:
1. Strong suction
2. Easy to empty cup so I don't have to touch the dirt

The Dustbuster meets my requirements.

I also like that the filter is washable and that I can charge it by standing the charger on the floor without making holes in my walls to hang it. I appreciate the flexible design of this unit.

One thing that I wish was different is that the vac extension is too wide to fit into the rails of the slider door. My old vacuum's attachment fit and it helped get ladybugs that always fell into that area.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★  

Review of Black&Decker Dustbuster Vaccuum

Product review: Autsmile Portable Electric Spin Scrubber Rechargeable

 

 The spin scrubber can be used with and without an extension pole. It comes with various pads for windows, toilets, and cars. It also has brushes with different shapes; I particularly like the one designed for corners. Without the pole, I can use it to wax and polish the car. With the pole, I can wash the tub without bending down. Does it wash the tub as good of a job as hard scrubbing by hand? No. But it does a decent enough job that a person with a back like me can do without pain. I scrubbed the tub for 10 minutes without stops, and the battery worked as well at the end as it did at the start. Overall, I am happy with it.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆  

Review of Autsmile Portable Electric Spin Scrubber Rechargeable

Product review: Immortalitea White Mulberry Leaf Tea in tea bags

 

 Mulberry leaf tea has a flavor reminiscent of green tea, with a slightly earthy and bitter taste. The tea is packed into a foil-lined zip lock bag. The tea bags are triangular pyramids, but the material has a plasticky feel. I am not sure if they will compost fast. I like putting used tea bags into my composter, and I have had trouble with bags with this feel before (i.e., they did not compose in one season, which is what I need to use my compost in the garden each spring. They do compost eventually, just not as fast as I need ).

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of Immortalitea White Mulberry Leaf Tea

Product review: Coffee Roasting Kit by OurHands

 

The OurHands package includes six small bags, 1.7 oz each, of raw green coffee beans.
It includes 6 different raw coffee beans:
1. Old Brown Java from Indonesia (woodsy notes)
2. Columbus Excelso from Columbia (caramel notes)
3. Brazil Santos from Brazil (nutty notes)
4. Ethiopia Djimma from Ethiopia (berry notes)
5. Mysore Plantation from India (clove notes)
6. Yellow Bourbon from Brazil (chocolate and caramel notes)

The kit includes a de-chaffer (to remove the dried skin of the bean), a cotton bag, and a coffee color chart.
You need to provide an oven, baking tray, and spoons.

You can control the level of roast: 2 minutes for light, 4 minutes for medium (stirring every 2 minutes), and 6 minutes for dark roast (stirring every 2 minutes). The beans are ready to use in 24 hours, as they need 24 hours to degas.

Purchased September 2023, expires August 2025.

The total amount of coffee in the package is 10.2 oz, so it is expensive compared to other options for raw coffee that average about $8 a pound. However, it is a nice gift for a coffee lover to try roasting your own for the first time!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆  

Product review: OImaster Teal Laptop Stand for Desk Laptop Holder Riser

 

The OImaster Stand is well-designed for travel. It is lightweight and works for laptops, tablets, and phones.

The stand is made of plastic parts that fold and turn to make different configurations. It does not have industrial strength, but it is sufficient to hold a light laptop and any type of tablet or smartphone.

It fits laptops and tables of 10 to 17 inches and any size smartphone. In my photos, you see Pixel 6Pro, a relatively large phone.

The stand is 10.3 X 2.8 X 1.7 inches, weighing 10.6 oz.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of OImaster Teal Laptop Stand for Desk Laptop 

Product review: Durelife Monk Fruit Sweetener

 

 

Durelife Monk Fruit Sweetener is a zero-calorie alternative to traditional sugar, allowing me to enjoy sweetness and feeling good that I am consuming less sugar.

Monk Fruit sweetener is my favorite cane sugar substitute. It has the most "natural" flavor and does not cause me any digestive discomfort. It also has no after-taste.

However, you should know that it is less sweet than regular cane sugar. To my tastebuds, one teaspoon of Monk fruit sweetener is slightly less sweet than one teaspoon of sugar. The other obvious negative is that it is much more expensive than cane sugar.

For my morning coffee, I mix natural sugar cane and Monk Fruit sweeter to lower the sugar level and decrease the price of the sweetener I use for each cup.

Ali Julia review      

Review of  Durelife Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener

Very good flavor, but not 1 to 1 with sugar cane.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Disclosure: I fully paid for the purchase of the Monk Fruit sweetener, however if you follow my recommendation and use the link above I will receive a comission on the sale.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: BAKKO Purse Strap Replacement 2" Wide Shoulder Strap for Crossbody Bags

BAKKO strap is a high-quality strap, substantial, 2" wide. The color is golden and black with some moss green. One side is predominantly black; the other side is predominantly golden. I am using it with a brown purse, and it looks nice.

  You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★  

 Review of BAKKO Purse Strap Replacement 2" Wide Shoulder Strap for Crossbody Bags

Product review: Monitor Stand Riser, Klearlook Foldable Computer Monitor Riser

 

The Klearlook stand feels very solid. The neat thing about the stand is that it can be reconfigured in several ways depending on how wide you want to make it. The feet can be totally folded down, totally opened, or one can be folded and another extended. These folding positions give me three options for the width of the riser. The riser has two small draws: one becomes a stand for the phone, and another can be used to store small items such as a YUBI security key or some memory sticks.

The stand is rated to support weight up to 55 pounds.
The stand's size: 16.5"wide x 7.8" back to front x 3.1" high

Overall, nice stand - sturdy and stable.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Monitor Stand Riser, Klearlook Foldable Computer Monitor Riser

Product review: ASUS ROG STRIX Arion Aluminum Alloy M.2 NVMe SSD External Portable Enclosure Case Adapter

 

 This is a good-quality aluminum enclosure. It looks and feels solid. Because the case is metal, it cools well. I use it to store a large SSD card as an external backup of my critical data. Since it stores critical files, I wanted to use a well-cooling case, and this enclosure fits the bill. It came with type-C to type-C cable, as well as type-C to type-A cable. It also comes with a bumper case and Velcro hook. The Velcro hook turned out to be very helpful, as I use it to hang it on the computer rack when I am making a backup.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of ASUS ROG STRIX Arion Aluminum Alloy M.2 NVMe SSD External Portable Enclosure Case

Product review: SmartHeart Automatic Digital Blood Pressure Arm Monitor (video review)

 

 The blood pressure monitor fits arms from 8.6" to 16.5". The latching mechanism works well; latching the cuff with one hand is easy. I find it easier to work than Omitron. The results seem to match close the results that my doctor gets in the office. The measurements are not exactly the same, but they are close enough. If I take multiple measurements one after another, the measurements stay within 10 points of each other. This is not perfect, but not too bad.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of SmartHeart Automatic Digital Blood Pressure Arm Monitor

Food review: HelloFresh food service review

 

HelloFresh delivers a box with all ingredients needed to cook the recipe. You still need to cook, but I don't need to shop. You don't get to pick the ingredients, but the ingredients I received were of good quality. I selected three dishes for 2 (a total of 6 servings). Without a promotion, your cost is $70 and $6 shipping. Too much for what you get, in my opinion. However, with various promotions, you can get the price to be reasonable. I consider $5 per serving to be reasonable.

I was impressed with the packaging. HelloFresh was brought to me by a local delivery (not one of the big guys), they followed my instructions, and the package arrived on time. The box was insulated, and the bottom had a block of large ice covering the entire bottom of the box.

I ordered three proteins beef, pork, and chicken. Each came as a 4 oz package. The vegetable was fresh. The sauces were flavorful. Each meal came with a detailed recipe that was fairly easy to follow.

So the bottom line is that this approach is more expensive than shopping yourself; you still do the cooking. However, it is more convenient, especially for the less confident cooks.

Ali Julia review

Review of Hello Fresh

Product review: Black & Red Caviar for Restaurant & Catering Events (Salmon caviar)

 

 The black caviar jar arrived with a broken seal and was partially opened. The jars were well-packed in bubble wrap, but the bubble wrap was oil soaked as the unsealed bottled leaked. The red caviar jar arrived fully intact.

Caviar can be kept unopened in the fridge for up to four weeks. Once the caviar jar is opened, it should be consumed within a few days and stored refrigerated. It is unknown when the jar became unsealed, it could be a manufacturing defect since other reviewers had the same issue.

As far as taste, the caviar was not salty and did not have the slightly fishy taste I usually taste when eating good quality caviar. As a background, I am familiar with various caviar from my extensive travels and living in Europe for several years.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Review of Black & Red Caviar from Salmon Roe from Whole Caviar

Product review: Kitchen Sink Strainer Filter Mesh Bags, KWOKWEI kitchen sink trash bags

 

Through the years, I have tried a large set of sink drains, looking for the one that makes this unpleasant task less unpleasant. These strainer bags allow me to throw away the garbage neatly stuffed into a bag instead of cleaning the junk by hand. Of course, I still need to wash the strainer, but it is free from debris and not unpleasant. You need to use a drain that does not have a central post to make it work. The strainer bag has a thin rubber band on the edges to tighten around the drain. The mesh is very fine, and nothing gets through. It drains well.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Kitchen Sink Strainer Filter Mesh Bags for Kitchen Sink Strainer

Product review: SIDIA - The Hand Exfoliant - gritty and expensive hand soap

 

I have been using Sidia, a liquid exfoliating soap that has a gritty texture and a light orange fragrance, for several days. While I like the exfoliating effect, I found the price to be quite steep at $42 for just 9.5 oz. This seems to be much higher than what I have paid for similar products in the past.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of SIDIA - The Hand Exfoliant

Product review: Ninja NC201 CREAMi Breeze Ice Cream Maker (Video product review)

 

 I got Ninja Creami ice cream maker because I wanted to make sorbet and ice cream with unique flavors. So far, I am very pleased. I got Ninfa Creami Breeze directly from NinjaKitchet, as this new model is unavailable on Amazon at the list price of $199. Ninja Creami has many recipes online, which I used as a base to help me with proportions and ingredient ideas.

Some of my own observations:

(1) Ninja instructions stress that the service of the frozen ice cream should be level when it is inserted into the ice cream maker. Every time I freeze the ice cream, it freezes with a hump in the middle. I use a spoon to shave down the hump so the top surface is even.

(2) If the ice cream is not as creamy as I like (sometimes it has a wet sand texture), I add milk or cream and respin to get it perfectly smooth.

(3) If you don't eat all of the ice cream and have some leftovers, before putting it back into the freezer, I make sure to level the top of the ice cream so it is ready for a new respin before you consume it the next time.

I am looking forward to many more experiments!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Ninja NC201 CREAMi Breeze Ice Cream Maker

Product review: Herbs Botanica Calamus Root Loose Dried Herb Tea

 

The roots are very hard, and I must seep them for over 10 minutes. The flavor and the scent are unique, but I can't say I like it. I am not noticing any effects yet, so I am unsure if I will continue. You do get a big bag, and it is resealable.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of Herbs Botanica Calamus Root for Tea

Product review: Tronadora Retama, 4 oztronadora tea, resealeble bag, yellow elder herbs, tronadora hierba

 

 This tea comes in a nice-quality resealable foil-lined bag. The tea is coarse; it chopped up stems as well as dried flowers and leaves. The tea does not have a strong flavor even after 15 minutes of seeping in freshly boiled water. This tea is an acquired taste; I am not a big fan so far. The quality of the packaging and tea is high, the flavor is okay.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Review of Tronadora Retama, tronadora tea

Product review: THANKYOU FARMER Rice Pure Cream In Ampoule 1.75 fl.oz

 

This is a lightly scented extract that comes with an applicator. It might be fragrance-free, but it does have a slight scent. I prefer totally unscented products.

It is described as "cream" in the title, but it really is a serum; it is liquid.

It is absorbed well, and my skin feels moisturized. I do not see visual changes in the appearance of wrinkles, but the skin feels moisturized. I sometimes get dry spots that itch, and this rice extract significantly reduces itching.

The solution comes in a transparent glass bottle; I prefer dark glass to provide protection from light and make solutions last longer.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of THANKYOU FARMER Rice Pure 2-IN-1 Cream

Product review: LE SECRET Wispy Bangs Hair Clip Air Bangs with Temples Hairpieces Clip In Bangs Real Human Hair

 The good:
1. Real human hair makes a huge difference. If the color matches, they don't look like a hairpiece
2. Because this is natural hair and was sent on a roll, they have a pleasing light curl to them. They do not hang straight down like synthetic hair
3. They clip in securely
4. The length of the bangs is good

The not-so-good:
1. This is a very thin hairpiece. A little more hair, especially on the side bangs, would have made it better.
2. The side bangs, because there are so sparse, don't look right, and I think I will trim them even with the rest of the bangs

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of LE SECRET Wispy Bangs Hair Clip Air Bangs

Product review: Offbrand Mop Replace Heads with Mop Head Base Compatible for O Cedar

 

 

 

I received two heads and one base. My favorite use for these heads is not floor washing but cash washing. I am using a short mop handle to wash my car. They are made out of super soft fiber. When wet, they wash well; when dry, they dry the car effectively. I have a bad back, and I like that I don't have to bend at all when I wash the car.

I wash them by throwing them in the washing machine. They survived many cycles totally intact.

Note that these heads are for only the one-tank system, not the newer two-tank system.
In addition, the base fits any standard mop handle, which is how I use them when I wash the car.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of Two Mop Replace Heads with One Mop Head Base

Product review: Mistgre Damp Cleaning Sponge Duster (similar to Magic Eraiser)

 

This is an excellent sponge. It feels spongy and almost sticky; it grabs onto dirt and does a good job cleaning even without spraying with cleanser; I just wet it with water and squeeze it dry. It feels and works similarly to the Magic Eraser sponge but lasts longer than Magic Eraser. It is not just for dusting; it can handle real dirt.

The first thing I tried was cleaning the refrigerator door, which I tried cleaning before but never got it to look like it did when it was new. This sponge did it!

It also works well on mirrors, but I need to run a paper towel over the mirror to remove streaks.

However, this sponge does not work on narrow grooves of the sliding door's tracks.  The sponge grooves are not deep enough to reach the bottom of slider tracks, where the dirt collects.  I cut a 1/4 slice of the sponge to work the wider slider openings, but the most narrow slides are still too narrow, and I need to use a narrow brush to clean them.

I still like the brush, but just be aware that it is not the solution for slider doors.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of Mistgre Damp Cleaning Sponge Duster

Product review: Fikoksol Damp Cleaning Sponge Duster (similar to Magic Eraiser)

 

This is an excellent sponge. It feels spongy and almost sticky; it grabs onto dirt and does a good job cleaning even without spraying with cleanser; I just wet it with water and squeeze it dry. It feels and works similarly to the Magic Eraser sponge but lasts longer than Magic Eraser. It is not just for dusting; it can handle real dirt.

The first thing I tried was cleaning the refrigerator door, which I tried cleaning before but never got it to look like it did when it was new. This sponge did it!

It also works well on mirrors, but I need to run a paper towel over the mirror to remove streaks. Very pleased with this sponge; I just ordered a set of four additional ones for future use.

However, this sponge does not work on narrow sliders of the sliding door's tracks.  The grooves are not deep enough to reach the bottom of sliders, where the dirt collects.  I cut a 1/4 slice of the sponge to work the wider slider openings, but the most narrow slides are still too thin, and I need to use a narrow brush to clean them.

I still like the brush, but just be aware that it is not the solution for slider doors.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of Fikoksol Damp Cleaning Sponge Duster
 

Product review: iMethod Angled Eyebrow Brush & Eyebrow Spoolie Brush

 The iMethod brush is dense and stiff. It does a good job and gives me a lot of control over the brush strokes. The flat brush end is fine; however, I find it less useful than the spiral brush. I always try to note down the pluses and minuses of the products I review. The only downside with this brush is that at the current price of 10 dollars, it is about twice as expensive as other similar brushes sold on Amazon.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆  

Review of iMethod Angled Eyebrow Brush & Eyebrow Spoolie Brush

Product review: Sweetzer & Orange Floral Habit Tracker Calendar - 24 Month Daily Habit Tracker Journal Daily Tasks

 

My favorite part of these style calendars is the hanger. Unfortunately, the workmanship on the habits calendar I received was poor. The hanger was not threaded correctly on one side; it was on the outside of the spiral on one side. There was no proper quality control to reject this unit.

24 months coverage is achieved by printing the table on both sides of the page, so for the second year, you would need to flip the calendar, and old writing would be on the back side of each page.

I use this calendar to keep track of daily tasks I need to do every day.
There were not enough daily lines for my needs, and the small weekly and monthly lists were too small and short to be useful. I would have liked the entire page to be just daily tasks. I wound up customizing the pages by copying and pasting the top part of the page over the bottom half and then reprinting the pages. Then I scotch taped the reprinted pages over the calendar I received so I could take advantage of the hanger.

Bottom line, I was able to make it work for me, but I had to do a lot of work to overcome the shortcoming of the original layout. Plus, I had to open the binder to fix the hanger.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Review of S&O Floral Habit Tracker Calendar - 24 Month Daily Habit Tracker Journal

Product review: SprinJene Natural 4-Pack Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth and Gums

 

I like
~~~~~~~
1) Has fluoride
2) Is for sensitive teeth
3) Gritty texture that feels like it cleans well
4) Excellent cap that serves as a stand to store upside down

I dislike
~~~~~~~~~
1) The taste is bitter; it is a strong mint with a bitter undertone
2) The unpleasant taste lingers
3) I must use mouthwash to get the toothpaste taste out

I am forcing myself to use it; I hope I can get used to the taste. Right now, I am still fighting a gagging reflex.

Purchased April 2023, expired November 2024.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Review of SprinJene Natural 4-Pack Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth and Gums