Product review: Garsum Fly Clear Window Fly Traps Bug Fly Killer Window Fly Paper

 

All of a sudden, I had a fly infestation.  The flies seem to be coming from the basement, so maybe there is a dead mouse somewhere in there.  I got these fly traps and installed one in the basement and one in the kitchen. The traps caught some flies, but some of them were able to free themselves (see attached video). So the trap worked some, but not as well as I hoped.

The trap is easy to install. First, you need to remove a thin, sticky tape to attach to the window; then, once it is on the window, you need to remove the large paper that covers the landing strip for the flies.  Instructions recommend adding honey for extra appeal to your guests.

The trap with flies looks pretty disgusting, so I can't wait to get it off the window. There are a total of 12 sticky strips.  The longer you have them out, the less sticky they become from dust and drying.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: EverTears Dry Eye Relief, Clinically Proven Moist Heat Therapy

 

I have dry eyes, and I am always looking for products that might help my condition.  These pads are similar to hot hands hand warmers; a chemical reaction generates heat within a pack.  To activate the chemical reaction, you need to fold the pack in half, and once you feel the heat, you open the plastic package to remove a wet oval eye patch.

My issue with it is that the wet eye patch has an unpleasant smell and somewhat sticky feel. I also thought the pack's temperature was higher than felt pleasant on my eyelids. I like the feel of a hot wet hand towel better.  The pack continues to be hot for about 20 minutes.

I decided I didn't like how it felt on my face, but I could use the small packets as hand warmers without removing the wet pads.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: Miracleplus Professional OLED Display Water Flosser for Teeth

 

 I have used a few water flossers over the years, and until you try a couple of them, you don't know what works well and what does not.  

1. This flosser's reservoir is smaller than my favorite flosser; I often need to re-fill it during one flossing session.
2. The flosser is re-filled from the opening at the bottom of the container, and I can't fully fill it without spilling over, so it exacerbates the first issue of having a small reservoir. I prefer flossers that that have a re-fill opening at the top.
3. The button that turns the flosser on and off is awkwardly located, sometimes I fumble finding it, and it becomes a race not to get too much water in my mouth.
4. The flossing power is not as powerful as my favorite flosser

The flosser comes with four tips: the standard tip, orthodontic tip for braces, periodontal, and a tongue scraper.

I like that this flosser takes a c-type cable so it can be recharged faster.
It is a workable flosser, just not as good as my favorite one.  Why don't I use my favorite flosser?  The battery no longer holds a charge for the entire flossing session.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆  

 

Product review: GOGOUP Cedar Blocks for Clothes Storage

 

We use cedar in our closets and draws. I like these discs because they have a hole in the middle to hang them on the closet rod.  The disks had a decent cedar scent when I received them.  In the past, when the cedar blocks lost a bit of their scent, I rubbed them with sandpaper to rough them up a bit, which renewed the scent.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Yoobao Professional Nail Drill Machine, Yoobao Rechargeable 35000RPM Electric Nail File for Acrylic Gel Polygel Nails

 

 This nail drill looks attractive, but it is confusing to figure out as it comes with absolutely no instructions.  You get two colorful pieces, both with electrical cords, and an additional AC power cord, and a set of drills. What to do with all the pieces?  There are no hints in the package.  Turns out the drill-looking part of the device plugs into the colorful control with a button.  The control has to be recharged using the included AC power plug.  Then the drill must be plugged into the control while using it. You can think of the control as an external battery.  I wish the cord connecting the control and the drill were longer. It is a bit awkward to have this appendage, especially when using it on my toenails.

How to insert drill bits is also confusing.  The drill is shipped with a piece that is not a drill.  It took me a while to figure out how to remove it to insert a drill bit. You need to turn the middle ring on the drill clockwise to unlock, then the jaws of the drill open, and you can pull out the old drill bit and insert a new one, then you need to turn counterclockwise to lock the drill bit.  You need to push the ring through some resistance until it clicks. If you don't push strongly enough, it snaps back without opening.

The ports on the control are also confusing. There are two ports on the control unit, they look identical, and the power port fits into both.  However, it only charges when it is plugged into the correct port. The left port is used to plug in the drill.  


How do you know you did it correctly? Eventually, I figured out that the display lights up if you insert the AC cord in the correct port. If you plug the cord in the wrong port, the display remains turned off.

The control unit has a button that can be pressed to toggle between on and off, and it can also be rotated to increase or decrease space (turn clockwise to increase).  To turn on the drill, you need to press down for a long time (more than a couple of seconds, maybe 5 seconds).

Overall, this is a pretty device, but I thought it was poorly designed.  The lack of instructions exacerbates non-intuitive design.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆   

Product review: Lifebox Nutrition Omega 3 Fish Oil - Dietary Supplement for Healthy Heart & Brain - 120 Soft Gel Capsules

 

I have been taking Omega-3 since 2011 on the advice of my eye doctor for dry eyes. It noticeably improved my condition.  

In this review, I compare Nature Made Triple Omega that I took for years with Lifebox Nutrition Omega-3.  

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

Lifebox Nutrition Omega-3 serving size is two gels. Below is information for one soft gel for my apples-to-apples comparison.

♦ EPA 400 mg (EPA is Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid)
♦ DHA 300 mg (DHA docosahexaenoic acid)
total of 700 mg

My doctor's recommendation was to aim for EPA + DHA around 2000 mg.  This means that I need to take three gels.

Now, the price comparison per one soft gel. When I write this review, Nature Made Triple Omega is 150 gel caps is priced at $14.99 (10 cents per capsule).  Lifebox Nutrition Omega-3 90 gels are $11.99 (13 cents per capsule).


Nature Made has a slight edge over Lifebox Nutrition Omega-3 in both price and Omega-3 content.

Purchased in December 2021, expiration date August 2022.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: DERMAXGEN INSTANT FACE LIFT CREAM - Peptide Complex Tightening

 

 
We've all seen TV commercials when in seconds, the bag under the actor's eyes disappears.  No, this does not work like this.  I see a slight improvement in about 5 minutes after the application.  The improvement is temporary, a few hours.

The cream is unscented (big plus), moisturizing (big plus), and did not irritate my skin (big plus), but nothing like the difference shown in stock photos - that's a miracle of Photoshop, not the cream.

I have tried two DERMAXGEN instant facelift creams ( ASIN B09C13W6WN and  ASIN B09B4KD8BQ)  and the results were the same.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆