This hand blender is bigger than I imagined looking at the stock photo. It is 16.5" long. It is more powerful than I imagined. I used it to make a smoother out of freeze-dried fruits, and it worked very well. I used to make it with Kitchen Aid full-size blender, and this worked just as well but took a lot less time to clean up. It has a high and a low speed. It only works when you are holding down the button. Best used in a tall mixing bowl to avoid splatter.
I got the adult size mask. The package contained one cloth mask. The cloth mask's effectiveness is affected by the number of layers, material, and fit.
I liked:
1. The mask is large and covers my face starting from the nose going well under the chin as a good mask should.
2. This is my first cloth mask, and I expected it not to hold water (the main test I run on all paper masks to make sure they offer good protection). To my surprise, this mask does hold water and did not leak when I filled it with water. Even when I washed by hand under the faucet, it continued to hold water. Big plus!
3. The mask has two layers, the outer thicker fabric, and the inside thin fabric. It has a pocket for a filter.
I did not like:
1. The main problem with the mask that it does not have a nose clip. The mask gaps around the nose at the top. This means COVID-19 droplets can both enter and escape.
2. It has hard holders that allow adjusting the elastic that goes around the ear. But these plastic things dig into my ears. I never found one-size-fits-all plain elastic around the ears bothersome, but I notice these earpieces as they press on my ears.
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. So the gap at the nose is not a big problem for me. However, anyone who wears this mask on its own would need to fix it by attaching a clip with a bit of sewing; otherwise, the mask effectiveness is significantly reduced.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆
This package of Ranto disposable face masks contains 50 masks. 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). I did not find the ear loops too tight, and none has broken so far. Note that I am a small size female, and I rarely find ear loops too tight on the masks labeled 'for adult.'
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 masks and real masks. I performed three of the tests. The main test is the "water" test, which shows that the mask does not let through the water. This means it keeps my spittle inside the mask and keeps other's people spittle away from me.
Since the masks passed the three tests, I did not do the burn test, so I would have to destroy the mask.
Below are the five tests to tell part good face masks from bad 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 ★★★★★
This product's measurements are very confusing; they are specified in grams, milligrams, and cups. I had to translate everything to ounces and wrote under the official instructions. Obviously, the product is not originally targeted for the American market. I also found the portions that too large for our family and our yogurt maker. I had the divide the smallest recipe in half. Even though I tried to make a soft-serve yogurt, it never hardened, and all the manipulations I had to do with the proportions may be the cause for this problem. I used 1/4 of the powder package, 16 oz of milk, and 13 oz of water.
If the seller is reading, please change your packaging for the US market and provide portions for smaller portions. I would have liked to see a quart option for soft yogurt (the smallest provided now is half a gallon).
I could not make the soft serve yogurt as it did not harden; I wound up with the smoothie in my yogurt maker. I thought the coconut flavor was good, but I found it a little bit too sweet. Next time I will add something else to town down the sweetness.
Ingredients:
Cane sugar,dextrose,guar gum,locust bean gum,carrageenan,mono-anddiglycerides of fatty acids,non-fat dry milk,coconut powder,hydrated vegetable fat(coconut),dehydrated glucose syrup,guar gum,skim milk powder,natural and artificial flavors,mono-and diglycerodes of fatty acids,lactic acid eaters of mono and diglycerides,propane-1,2-diol eaters of fatty acids,starch
You can find the coconut flavor on Amazon by following this link.
Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆
We have forced hot air heat, so we have several humidifiers around the house to combat very dry air. This diffuser generates a very tiny mist compared to other diffusers I own; it does not do much for humifying the air. You cannot see the mist it generates unless you turn on the LED light, and then you can see a tiny flow. However, if you are looking for a very light scent diffuser - an almost imperceptible scent floating in the air, this diffuser is what you want.
I wondered if I can use this diffuser without legs for more stability. The answer is no because the cord plugs into the bottom, and the bottom does not lay flat on the surface because of the cord. You need the legs to lift the diffuser to increase the clearance.
The color change is visible in three small areas: the hole which emits mist, a thin stripe at the top of the diffuser, and a think striped of color around the control buttons. The diffuser color show is as subtle as the scent.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆
