Product review: Cushion made from memory foam for wheelchair or rolator

I have a bad back and had two back surgeries. I am very sensitive to the shape of cushions and how they compress as my back "complaints". The issue I have with this pillow is how it compresses when I sit on it. It does not compress evenly so I feel pitched forward. This could be entire based on a person's geometry, weight and height but I am not finding this cushion comfortable.

On the positive side it appears to be very well made. It is heavy, and its underside has texture that keeps it from sliding. It is generously sized at 18" x 16". This size fits the seat of wheelchair and rolator well. As I mentioned earlier it is heavy - 3 pounds and 14 oz. This is both good and bad. It is heavy to carry when it is not in place, but the weight makes it stay in place when it is in wheelchair or rolator that are moving while the person is not sitting on the cushion. The pillow is made out of memory foam, so the 3" thickness compresses significantly when someone sits on it. The bottom of the pillow and the cover have silicone dots so the pillow is non-slip.

This cushion was provided to me for evaluation with a request for a review as part of a new product introduction. If you are skeptical about my review because of that I invite you to examine my reviews to see that I leave critical reviews when the product deserves it. The issue for me is that it compresses at a different rate in the front and in the back and I feel tilted forward.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Food review: SunRype Apple Strawberry Fruit to Go 100% Fruit Strips

I got the strawberry flavor and I love the taste. It is sweet but not too sweet, a little bit tart, and has the recognizable strawberry flavor. No funny artificial flavor at all.  Each strip is 4" x 1" (the strip itself, not the packaging).

These strips are individually wrapped and come in a box that works as a dispenser.  The Amazon description states that the strawberry apple strips are 120 calories per strip, but each of strawberry apple strips state that it is 50 calories. I like that better than 120 calories!


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Fantastic Deals Black Fleece Hooded Balaclava Face Mask

This balaclava is a great fit for me. I am a female with a relatively average size head. I wear hats sized small. It is made out acrylic fleece. This is a super warm balaclava.  The shape of the opening and the overall fit can be adjusted using elastic with locks.  The hood is 9" deep which is just right for me.  It fits me better than balaclavas that are deeper because if they are too deep they tend to slide forward and minimize side vision.

The balaclava is 12"from the top to the bottom edge (at the shoulder) and 9" from the front edge to the center seam in the back.

As any balaclava it can be worn many ways - with the face cover, the face cover pushed under the chin, with the hood pushed backed to wear it as  scarf, or totally rolled up to make it fit like a cap.

The construction quality is good, the finish is neat. My photos show it inside out as well as the right side out.  When the balaclava first arrived it had a bit of scent  from the manufacturing process.  The scent was gone after I washed it.  This balaclava is colorfast.  I washed it by hand to test for colorfastness.  The first time the water was slightly muddy, the second time it was totally clear. 

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Safelake Premium Leather Bags For Women

This is a very classy looking bag.  Its design is simple, the leather is soft, and it is roomy.


♦ The purse is 9" wide x 9" long.  Its bottom panel is 5" wide.
♦ It has one large compartment. It has one zipped pocked and 3 open pockets on the inside. It also has 1 zipper pocket and 2 open pockets on the outside.
♦ The handle clearance is 4", it is not long enough for me to put it over my shoulder. It comes with a separate should strap which matches in color.
♦ The purse closes with a single zipper 

This is a very practical bag, roomy and nice looking. It is made out of real leather.  My overall experience was not  perfect because the seller took a very long time to deliver the product (October 4 to December 6).  If speed of delivery is important this may not be a good match for you.  The bag is a 5 star product, the delivery speed is not.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: GRASEP Extremely Large Nylon Webbing Tactical Duty Belt

I got this belt in size XXL with F buckle.  The belt is 1.5" wide and 56.5" in length (end to end).  The belt is heavy but not totally stiff so it is comfortable. The stitching is reinforced and the edges are well finished.  The buckle is easy to adjust but locks in well and does not move on its own. The tongue of the belt is held in place by Velcro.  This keeps it totally flat against the belt.



I also got a belt with an A buckle and I like this A buckle better. The main reason I like the A buckle better is that F style buckle has two metal pieces that make a bit of a clanking noise when the touch each other (this happens only when you adjust the belt).  It does not happen when you wear it but if you need to take a bathroom break...  My husband wears this belt when we are doing wild life photography so even a tiny noise could spook the animals.  If the noise is important to you the A buckle is one piece and makes no noise.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Akila Anti Oxidant Eye Cream

I have been using this cream around my eyes.  I can't say it performed major miracles, but after two weeks of use I see slight improvement especially under my eyes.

This cream feels rich and smooth and it is absorbed quickly.  It is a good moisturizer that seem  feel the fine lines around on my skin.  To see how it works I treated the back of one hand and then compared the two hands. The skin on the treated hand looked smoother. It does not feel greasy.

This cream is not unscented.  The scent it has is very interesting, after I applied it smelled a bit like coffee and a little bit as lemon to me.  Since I like both of those scents I liked how it smelled.  I never had a cream with type of a smell before, I am enjoying it.

Recommendations for use from the label: apply twice  a day.

Ingredients
Purified Water, Organic Barbadensis Aloe Leaf Juice, Organic Sunflower Oil, botanical hyaluronic acid, Witch Hazel, Glycolic Acid, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Glyceryl Stearate, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Squalane, Lactic Acid, Palm Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Octyl Palmitate, Organic Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Stearyl Alcohol, Potassium Stearate, Vitamin C, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Crithmum Maritimum Extract (Sea Fennel Wax), Matrixyl 3000, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Cucumber Hydrosol, Carbomer, (2s)-2-Amino-5-guanidinopentanoic Acid, Organic Beeswax, Organic Jojoba Oil, Tamanu Oil, Wildcrafted Green Tea, R Lipoic Acid, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract (Bearberry Extract), Blueberry Extract, Organic Cranberry, Raspberry Seed Oil, Wildcrafted Oregon Grape, Organic Licorice, Wildcrafted Eyebright, Helichrysum Essential Oil, Camellia Oil, Avocado Oil, Geranium Essential Oil, Organic Borage Oil, Organic Flax Seed Oil, Organic Evening Primrose Oil, Organic Rose Hip Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin E Acetate, Phytic Acid, Phospholipids, Tocopheryl (Antioxidant), Lecithin, Pyrus Malus (Apple), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon), Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane), Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate (peptides), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass), Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Palmitate), Acetyl

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Solar Light by Ledlight4u

I live in New England where the sun does not shine 100% of the day so I like the solar lights that have the efficient mode of totally turning off when there is no motion.   I can really tell a different when I use solar lights that waste their batteries on dim light when no one is around.  This light only turn on at dusk and has three modes: off when there is no motion/bright light when there is motion, dim light when there is no motion, bright light when there is motion and always on using dim light after sunset.  The mode is selected by pressing  button in the battery compartment.  The button is not labeled: one press is dim/bright, two presses dim all the time, and three presses bright/off.

This light has a panel with 50 LED lights.  It is reasonably bright.  When I say "bright" what do I mean? To give a numeric measurement of brightness I use a lux meter which measures light intensity. For comparison I took the same measurements with a 60 watt bulb (since we all have a good feel for how bright those bulbs are).  The measurement is made at 19".

1. at 19" a 60 watt fluorescent bulb registers 613 lux
2. the bright mode of Ledlight4u is registers 207 lux
3. the dim mode of Ledlights4u registers 50 lux

 
The light generated by this light is not as bright as a 60 watt bulb, but it is within the range of other similar sized solar lights.

The battery compartment has room for two battery which are included (18650 batteries).

One thing to be aware of is that the battery compartment of this light is not water proof. In attached video you can see that the battery compartment opens with  snap closure rather than screws and there is no silicon gasket around the battery door. Plan to use this light under an overhang or some other protection from the elements.  This is not a problem for me as I have a roof over the light with an angle that lets the sun hit the solar panel. However, this does make placing this light a bit trickier.  Note that if the light does not get enough sun to get recharged the batteries can be recharged in  18650 battery charger.

The light comes with mounting hardware include hollow wall anchors.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★