Product review: Elegant Life Reusable Insulated Lunch Bag

This lunch bag is 9" tall, 8.5" wide, and 8.5"long.  This bag fits four glass containers sized 6.9" x 5.2" x 2.5" (22 oz capacity) and even has room to add an apple or a soda bottle.
The bag also has a side pocket for a bottle and a pocket on the front where I tuck the strap when it is not in use.

I like that it comes with a strap because when I take it to work I also need a hand for my computer bag and a free hand to open the door.

The bag feels sturdy and it exceeded my expectations for roominess. I am very pleased with it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: 10'' LED Selfie Ring Light with Tripod Stand Phone Holder Ring Light

This is a tabletop LED ring with a phone holder that places the phone in the middle of the right light.  The ring light produces either warm (yellow) or cold (blueish white) light.  It is quite bright and lights without shadows. The light has a controller that controls not only color but also the brightness of the light.

The LED light runs on USB power which means it can run from an external power battery.  I like this feature because this set up does not require an electrical outlet.  The package also includes a remote which triggers the camera app to take photos.

The phone holder is a little stiff and takes a bit of force to open when to insert the phone. I was able to use it with two phones: one is 3" wide the second one is  2 3/4" wide.  The holder has a gooseneck that can be bent and aimed as needed. The ring light sits on the ball head that is flexible in how it is positioned as well. 

Overall, I thought it was very nice and flexible lighting right.  It can be used for selfies or for any other tabletop photography.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Simply Asia Sesame Teriyaki Noodle Bowl - disappointing

I bought a couple of boxes of Simply Asia and Thai Kitchen noodles to get me through limited shopping during COVID-19.  I have to say that I was disappointed in all of them: good noodles but the sauces and mix-ins were not good. Sesame Teriyaki was the best tasting of the disappointing noodles I have tried.  Unlike other products, the stock photo is reflective of what you get.  You get only noodles, sauce, and a small packet of dehydrated vegetables. It tastes better if you can add your own fresh vegetables and herbs.  The sauce is not spicy. This package contains one serving, 420 calories.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Extra Strength Volumizing Conditioner

This 13 oz of conditioner has a nice light scent, and I like how it feels in my hair.  My naturally curly hair has more defined curls using it. So overall, I like it.

This bottle is short and wide.  I liked it enough to buy a bottle for my mother, who did not like it because she found it hard to use. It has no pump. It is made out of hard plastic and as mentioned earlier is winder than a typical shampoo/conditioner.  My mother has some arthritis in her hands and she was not able to squeeze it to get the conditioner out.  Something to keep in mind if you are shopping for it.

Strengthening hair is slow-acting, after 2 weeks of usage I do not see significant difference looking at the drain.  I am hopeful that I will see better results with time, in the meantime, I like how it feels and smells.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Flopping drying cap, Evolve Frizz-Free Hair Drying Tee Cap

I use a hair drying cap for "flopping" - i.e. drying my naturally curly hair in a way that preserves the curls. The cap accordions them together and they look better than if they dry stretched out falling down.  The cap slows down the drying.  My main goal is not drying but to get well-defined curls. Before putting on the cap, I pat my hair with a bath towel to remove excessive wetness.  After that, my hair is wet but not dripping.

This cap is made out of t-shirt material, you make it fit the shape and size of your head by twisting the tail of the cap and then folding it up.  Finally, you secure the loop on the end of the cap to the button on the front of the cap.  You can choose to put the button on the front or the back depending on how you want your hair to dry. For me, it looks better if the button is in the front as it lets the hair fall around my face.  If you look at the photos I attached you can see that when you twist the cap it forms a V-shape, whereas the other side of the cap forms an even line.

Before I purchased this cap, I used a towel around my head to do the same job. The cap stays on my head tighter and better.  I do not sleep in a cap because I find it to be too hot to wear in the summer. 

The cap works well for both long and short hair.  Your long hair goes into the tail of the cap.  With my short hair, the tail is just fabric.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: SZILBZ Beard Care Kit for Men Grooming

COVID-19 brought more beards into the family!  I got this kit for a cousin whose new beard looked a bit shaggy, so I thought this grooming kit might be something he would enjoy. The kit includes beard oil, beard brush, beard comb, beard balm, beard shampoo, and beard scissors.

The comb is made out of wood and has dense and sparse sides. The brush is made out of natural boar bristles. Its bristles have a lot of resiliency and should be good for spreading oil into the beard.  The stainless steel scissors are very sharp and operate smoothly.

I thought this kit has a thoughtful collection of things that looked and felt well made.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lip Butter with Orange Blossom & Pistachio

Burt's Bees pink grapefruit is my favorite lip balm, so I decided to try the tin with lip butter because orange and pistachio sounded like an interesting flavor.  The tin with butter provides more moisturizer then a tube.  I spread it with my finger (note the finger needs to be wiped out as there is some greasy feeling left on the finger after application).


Burt's Bees lip butter has a slight orange flavor, it is very subtle. The content is soft enough to make it easy to spread, but not too soft that is smeared too much balm on the lips.


INGREDIENTS

Ingredients: Caprylic/capric triglyceride, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, C10-18 triglycerides, polyhydroxystearic acid, glycerin, glyceryl behenate, glyceryl stearate, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, theobroma grandiflorum seed butter, aroma [flavor]*, hydrogenated castor oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, cera alba [beeswax], pistacia vera seed oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) flower extract, citrus limon (lemon) fruit extract, hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, rebaudioside A, citric acid, citral, citrolnellol, geraniol, limonene, linalool *aroma naturel / natural flavor



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆