Product review: Kit-U-Safe| 16 3-ply Disposable Face Masks in 4 Colors+ 16 Personal Mood Stickers, COVID-19 MASK

 

 

This package contains 16 masks (four of each in pink, blue, white, grey) and 16 stickers.  The masks have a nose clip and passed a number of tests I do on each paper mask to ensure they are reliable (more on the tests below). The stickers on the hand were disappointing - they are just paper stickers around 1.5" x 1.5" each. I suppose if they were bigger, they would make breathing harder. 

The masks fit comfortably over my face, do not pull on ears too much, and breathing in them is very easy.  I took the mask on and off several times while testing it, and the loops stayed attached and did not snap off, which appears to be a common issue with some of these masks.

I found five tests to tell apart fake surgical masks and real surgical masks and performed three of the tests.  Since the masks passed those tests, I did not do the burn test, so I would have to destroy the mask.

Here are the five tests to tell part real surgical masks from fake ones:

1. Light penetration
The real mask does not let the light through; the fake mask lets the light through.

2. Blow out a flame
You cannot blow out a flame through a real mask; you can flow out a flame through a fake face mask.

3. Hold water
The real mask holds water, the fake mask leaks.

4. Burn test
The filter in the real mask melts but does not burn; the filter in the fake mask burns with a flame.

5. Electrostatic attraction test
The real mask attracts particles; a fake mask does not.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
 

Ali Julia review 

Product review: Cotton Face Mask Black Reusable Washable COVID-19

 

The package contained three cloth masks. The cloth mask's effectiveness is affected by the number of layers, material, and fit.
 
I liked:

1. The mask covers my face starting from the nose going well under the chin. It is not as deep as some of the masks I have, but ok.
2. The mask has two layers; the inner and outer materials are the same - appears to be regular cotton fabric. 
3. I run all my masks through the water test: I pour some water into the mask and see if it leaks or not. This mask does NOT leak when I fill it with water and hold for a few minutes. Eventually, it got saturated, but it took a few minutes.  This means it keeps my spittle in and keeps other people's spittle out of my face.
4. The mask is color-fast; when I washed it by hand, the color did not bleed.

I did not like:

1. The mask has no nose clip
2. The mask does not have a pocket for a filter
3. The elastic used on this mask is not the round gentle elastic, but the ribbon type elastic. It does push on ears harder the round elastic.

Comparison of mask effectiveness:
1. Cloth masks provide 30% protection
2. Surgery masks  provide 60% protection
3. N95 or KN95 masks provide 95%

When I go into crowded places, I actually double mask.  This washable mask goes on top of a surgical mask.  A surgical mask does not let through water, so it gives me additional protection against droplets.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link. 

 
Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Dove Body Wash Cucumber and Green Tea

I am very particular about scents and this was a bit of gamble for me to try Cucumber and Green Tea without being able to smell it first.  Fortunately, I really like how it smells. It has a very nice smell of freshness that comes from the cucumber scent, it also has sweet undertones that must come from the green tea.

The 22 oz bottle is pretty large, in my photos you can see on 1/2" grid for relative size.

It foams slightly (not a huge amount) but enough to feel satisfying, and it has some moisturizer. I like it better than Olay shower body wash, which has too much moisturizer and less foaming by comparison.

Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Acrylates Copolymer, Lauric Acid, Glycerin, Fragrance (Parfum), Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Stearic Acid, DMDM Hydantoin, BHT, Sodium Isethionate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Etidronic Acid, Methylisothiazolinone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Blue 1 (CI 42090).
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Fresh-Flare Body Wipes for Men Women

These wipes are generously sized at 8" by 12".  Even though the description says they are unscented, they are not scent-free. They a light scent.  I don't find it offensive, but I would describe them unscented.

They come foil wrapped and stay moist in their pack.  They are moist but not dripping wet. Each wipe lives in its own individual pouch.

They have a nice thickness and lightly textures (my photo that shows the light shining through it shows this well). They are strong and withstand pulling without tears. This is a well-made product. I am not ranking it 5 stars because they are pretty pricey and not unscented as stated in the description.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Fish Oil Omega 3 Supplement from Vimerson Health

I used to have very dry eyes, in the morning my eyelids would be stuck to my eyes balls and I had put in eye drops just to open them pain-free. In 2011 my eye doctor suggested I start taking Triple Omega to help dry eyes. He said this is the first thing he tries with his patients before trying more drastic measures such as tear duct plugs. I was skeptical but I started taking it.

Two weeks later my eyes were feeling much better with no other changes to my diet or medication. Fast forward 9 years, I still take Triple Omega every day. I use drastically less eye drops now. When I wake up in the morning I can open my eyelids, they are not stuck to my eyeballs like before. I am not a skeptic anymore!

In this review, I am comparing Nature Made Omega-3 that I have been taking for years with Vimerson Health Omega 3.  With Nature Made I take two Omega-3 capsules a day.

One Nature Made Triple Omega soft gel contains
♦ Omega-3 434 mg
♦ Omega-6 276 mg
♦ Omega-9 170 mg
total of 880 mg

One Vimerson Health Omega 3 contains (I am ignoring the Fish oil part of the capsule for this comparison)
♦ EPA 900 mg (EPA is Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid)
♦ DHA 600 mg (DHA docosahexaenoic acid)
♦ Other Omega-3 300 mg
total of 1800 mg

So one soft gel of One Vimerson Health Omega replaces two soft gels of Nature Made Triple Omega. At the time I write this review Nature Made Triple Omega is 150 gel caps is priced at $14.99 (10 cents per capsule).  Vimerson Health Omega 60 gels are $17.87 (30 cents per capsule).  Since I need two Nature Made gels, my daily cost is 20 cents and Vimerson Health gel is 30 cents.

The size of the One Nature Made Triple Omega is the same as Vimerson Health, I find them reasonably easy to swallow.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: GoGo squeeZ YogurtZ, Banana, 3 Ounce (4 Pouches), Low Fat Yogurt / grocery home delivery during COVID-19

Each box of GoGo yogurt has 4 pouches.  I purchased them in April of 2020, and the expiration date is 12/05/2020. Each pouch has 3 oz and  90 calories.  I like that they are shelf-stable and don't need refrigeration, easy to take them along when you need a snack on the run.  I like the strawberry flavor better than the banana flavor, I thought the banana flavor was a bit too sweet, but okay overall.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: CCbeauty Haircolor Cape, Gloves, Disposable Ear Protector

This set includes a mini cape, a pair of gloves, and a bag of ear coverings.

The cape is not a full cape typically used at the hair salons.  This cape covers your shoulders.  The cape comes down to my waist in the front, half-way to my elbow on the sides, and a bit below my shoulders in the back.  It is best suited for at-home hair color where you just want to protect the shoulders from accidental spills.  This is exactly what I wanted.  A full cape would make it more difficult to have my hands up while applying color to my hair.

The gloves are medium size. They are a little long in the fingers for me (I wear size small gloves normally) but fairly snug in the palm. I don't love the gloves, but they are okay.

Ear coverings have a rubber band on the edge. I found it a bit hard to make them stay on my ear, but I do like the idea of protecting the top of my ears from color.

This is not a fancy set,  but it does the job for at-home hair color.  I learned how to color my own hair during COVID-19 and this kit will make it easier for me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆