Product review: Matcha Green Tea Facial Mud Mask with Headband

This is rich and smooth facial mask. It has a strong but pleasant floral scent. It is green in color.  The product is made in China. The ingredients are not listed in either the Amazon description or on the bottle, but they are listed on the box.

INGREDIENTS: Deicnized water, volcanic mineral slurries, Iglycerol chitosan glycolate, magnesium palmitoyl glutamate, Jdlcohol dimyristyl phosphate, PPG-10 cetyl ether Phosphate system,     acrylic     copolymer,     triethanolamine,     within DMDMhydantoin / iodopropynyl butlcarbamate acetate / methyl-isothiazolin -ketone, green tea extract, fragrance.

Before I apply the mask I put a hot towel on my face for a few minutes, then spread the mask with my fingers. I usually leave on for about 10-15 minutes. I remove it with a hot paper towel.  I have a pretty sensitive skin but had I had no bad reaction to the mud the next day - no break outs or redness.

My skin looks better because when I remove the mud it clears the pores. All the marketing terminology about "anti-aging" and "rejuvenation" is marketing gobbledygook, but I thought the mask cleaned well and smelled good. From using this mask a few times, I estimate that one tub will last at least 20.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Velice 4 Pairs Soft Comfortable Novelty Cartoon Crew Pattern Cotton Socks

Amazon has several versions of these "cartoon" socks and I picked the "cat" socks. They are really cute. The socks are made out of cotton. My shoe size is 7.5 and these socks are a perfect fit, the heel is in the right place.

In my photos I show the socks inside out so you can see the construction. Looking at any garment inside out really tells you about the quality of the constructions. These socks look very neat, they low flat seams and no bulges at the toes. I have worn them for a few weeks, so they have been through a couple of laundry cycles and they still look good.

I have a pet peeve when vendors stable the socks through the center with a staple gun, often this weakens the threads and can creates holes. These socks were not staples, but they were sewing through the sock with some thread. It is better than stapling, but I still would have preferred to see just the clips (which were also used in addition to the thread).

I like these socks, they are cute and they are true to size.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: OxiClean White Revive Stain Remover

I purchased this powder a year ago, in March 2016. If I were to write this review right away it would have been more positive, Turns out this powder absorbs moisture from the air in the basement and becomes a rock. Now every time I have to use it I have to chip powder away from the rock sitting in the container. The basement does not smell musty and we do not have moisture problems.

I have used other white revive products and decided to try OxiClean based on stellar reviews. I think OxiClean works reasonably well, but I did not notice a big difference compared to other product (Dropps, for example). OxiClean comes in a big plastic tub with a scoop, Drops comes in small pacs. I have to say that I prefer pacs to scooping the powder.

Here are the reasons reasons:
(1) powder absorbs moisture and becomes a solid block I need to break up when I need to us it
(2) When the powder is in pacs I don't have to smell the bleach. OxiClean, especially since I have to break up a solid block, gives off a lot smell
(3) Pacs give me the same amount every time. Scooping is inconsistent even when it is in powder form, more inconsistent when I need to break off what I want to use

Given that I don't see the difference in result for the type of dirt I wash the pacs offer a more convenient packaging and once this tub is over I am going back to Dropps pacs.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Venta Airwasher 2-in-1 Humidifier & Air Purifier - LW45

Our heating is forced hot air and the air gets very dry. I used a variety of humidifiers through the years and it was always a compromise between the noise and improved air quality. On the low setting Venta air washer is so quiet that I had to keep checking if was on or not when the first time I was using it. On medium and high level I can hear some white noise but it is still very quiet. I am a light sleeper and this humidifier on the low settings is really the only that does not bother me when I am trying to fall asleep.

On the negative side to keep Venta air cleaner going you need to treat the water it uses continuously. This is done with Venta treatment additive. Two small starter bottles are included and Venta LW45 requires the use of both bottles at the same time. These two bottles are sufficient for 10-14 days of use. The additive is available in a larger 35 fl. oz bottle which is sold for $19.00 (sufficient for 5 months use). In addition every 6 months the airwasher needs to be cleaned with Venta cleaner which is $13.5 for one treatment. The cleaner starter is not included. I did some research and found that many people use water and vinegar to clean it instead of hte Venta cleaner. The top housing can be washed in the dishwasher with cup of vinegar. The disks can be cleaned with the pipe cleaner brush. I have been using the Airwasher for several weeks and have not needed to clean it, but I will try the vinegar solution first.

Assembling the Venta washer was very simple, the only thing one needs to do is remove two pieces of cardboard used for safe shipping.

I am using the airwasher on a trolley which makes it easy to move the washer even when it is full with water. The trolley moves smoothly. The troller comes with adapters for different size airwashes. My video shows the adapters installed for LW45 Venta. The adapters are installed properly when you you hear a click as they lock into place.

As the airwasher is working I see no white dust or water droplets on the floor. The airwasher capacity is 3 gallons and when it is out of water it automatically shuts off and displays a red light on the top of the unit.

The size of the unit is 17"L x 12"W x 13"H (or 15"H when on a roller).

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Trail Camera, Coolife 12MP 1080P HD Digital Camera

Video quality: In many situations the videos are very good and sharp.  In bright sun the camera overexposes slightly. The video during the night uses infrared videos (black and white), it is more grainy and less sharp however often captures very interesting videos. I am including video clips taken during the day and during the night.

The camera has good motion sensor and is activated only when something interesting is happening, so every video it captures has something good on it. The default setting was not as sensitive as I wanted (it missed some videos captured by another motion camera that was used to compare the effectiveness of this camera), but the settings can be changed. The camera can be mounted in a number different (strap to attach to a tree or a tripod mount).  I am using a tripod.

The user interface is menu driven and is very intuitive, I show it in the attached video to give you a better idea of how it feels to use it.

The camera runs on eight AA batteries (not included). The battery life is pretty good.  After running for a week taking hundreds of videos every day the camera's battery indicator shows that it is half full. The camera include a 32G micro SD card, the card was in a little plastic bag with cables.  The camera produces AVI and JPG output.

This camera case is robust.  The tripod with the camera has been knocked down by animals several times, and the camera still running, no problems. The case is waterproof and has been out in several rain storms without any problems. The case is 5.25" tall x 3.25" wide x 1.75" thick.

Overall, or its price range it is quite good. I love being able to have a glimpse into the life of our wild life visitors.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Besiter 20000mAh Quick Charge 3.0 Portable Charger with Type-C & Micro Dual Input

♦ size: 6.5" x 3" x 0.75"
♦ weight: 15.95 oz
♦ number of ports: 2
♦ flashlight: no
♦ pass through charging: no (i.e. the battery can charge while being charged itself)
♦ cable: not included

This external battery as not as large as one might expect for its large capacity of 20000 mAh.  The battery itself can be charged using either micro USB or type-C USB cable. Both recharge the battery from almost empty to full overnight.  I like the digital display of the battery level, it is easier to read than the 4 LEDs that show your the level on many other batteries.

This charger performed very well with both my Android phone. I also tested to see if the battery supports pass-through charging (i.e. whether the battery can charge mobile devices while it is being charged). This battery does NOT support charger through charging. It can not charge while being charged.

I have been using this battery for several weeks without problems as I write this review. It does the job and does not get warm as it is charging. Om terms of capacity it lasts somewhat less than my favorite 20K battery.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: FEELWORLD Full HD 1920x1200 7 inch IPS Camera Top Monitor 4K DSLR Monitor

FEELWORLD monitor an external monitor for a digital camera that has a mini HDMI output.  This monitor comes with a HDMI to mini HDMI cable, a mounting bracket to attach to the camera, and a shade that can be mounted on the monitor.  The battery plate is mounted on the back of the monitor, but F970 battery itself is not included.

The monitor size is 7" x 5" and it is 1.25"thick at the widest point which include the battery mount, battery adds another 0.25" which means it is 1.5" thick with the battery mounted. The shade comes in two parts: the bracket that mounts on to the monitor and a sun shade which is Velcros to the bracket and provides a shade that is 4.25" wide at the top.

The screen looks very good. LCD screen is hard to see in the sun, but the shade really helps. The monitor supports full HD 1920*1200 Resolution. It also support the 4K UHD 3840*2160P.  In addition to HDMI input, the monitor also accepts AV inputs.  USB port is used for system updates.

In attached video you can see the monitor attached to my camera while I am video recording on my phone. The video camera on the phone is not great, so use other photos to judge the quality of the monitor.  The video taken by the phone camera demonstrate how the set up works but since my camera is in the video I could not use it to take the better quality videos.

Overall, this is a pretty nice monitor and makes it much easier to see if the photos are sharp or if they need to be re-shot.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★