wonderwhatif
Member Since: January 26, 2015Reviews
Aveeno Positively Radiant MaxGlow No-Mess Sleep Mask
Even though I was lucky to get it for free (thanks Chickadvisor!) I wasn't sold on the concept of a sleep mask (though apparently it's a big new buzz in the beauty community), but sadly my fears turned out to be true. It's not that it's a bad... +
Even though I was lucky to get it for free (thanks Chickadvisor!) I wasn't sold on the concept of a sleep mask (though apparently it's a big new buzz in the beauty community), but sadly my fears turned out to be true. It's not that it's a bad product, just not right for me. I rarely have problems with stuff (in terms of allergies or reactions it basically never happens), but after using this sleep mask only one time I had a whole bunch of cluster breakouts on my cheers and forehead. Like a circle of little whitehead zits. This is not normal for me at all, and immediately cleared up on stopping use, so I have to assume the mask just didn't work well with my skin. Skin is such a personal thing, that this might work great for others, but it really had an issue working with my combination skin.
In terms of concept, one of my fears was leaving a mask on all night means it would get on my pillow. It did. Not as much as I expected, but still enough that it left an uncomfortable stain and residue for the next day. One fear that was left unrealised, was that I was able to sleep with the mask on. I have a sleep disorder and other than that am a light sleeper, but I actually found this mask felt pretty weightless and comfortable. Of course, with pets, it's a nightmare as the hair sticks to it and I found I was a little itchy while falling asleep and got cream on my hands and nails. We also touch our faces, or sleep with our hands near them, so I don't dig a sleep mask for those reasons either.
In terms of consistency, it's a medium weight, soft cream (kind of buttery, not slimy or runny at all), with no strong smell. The paddle works really well for dispensing it on your face, though I wish it was slightly more flexible as getting around the nose can be a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it just really didn't seem to love my skin and I had a rare (for me at least) reaction to it, which caused a lot of spots to breakout. For that reason, I can't recommend it.
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Command Picture Hanging Strips
Bought these to hang a knife rack onto my fridge and was a little concerned. There was no need to be though, they work great! I used the whole pack and haven't had any problems, I made sure they were rated for the same weight as the knife rack and... +
Bought these to hang a knife rack onto my fridge and was a little concerned. There was no need to be though, they work great! I used the whole pack and haven't had any problems, I made sure they were rated for the same weight as the knife rack and it's been up for long enough now that I feel comfortable saying these worked well.
They look almost like plastic velcro, but they are very easy to use and they do the job, so I imagine they wouldn't have a problem with a picture frame either.
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Tommee Tippee Easiflow 360 Degree Spill-Proof Toddler Cup
These cups are actually very cleverly designed. They are mostly totally leak-proof. Let me explain. If I hold it very tightly (locked or unlocked) and shake it really hard, I can get maybe one small drop out. Keep in mind this is adult strength and... +
These cups are actually very cleverly designed. They are mostly totally leak-proof. Let me explain. If I hold it very tightly (locked or unlocked) and shake it really hard, I can get maybe one small drop out. Keep in mind this is adult strength and toddlers aren't capable of that, but still worth mentioning. It's true that toddlers can easily lift out the middle section and spill it everywhere, which is why the lock design is so clever. Simply lock it and then they must twist and pull to remove it. Most toddlers have neither the dexterity or smarts required to pinch the small raised nub and twist and pull. If you're not locking it, of course, it might be pulled out, but I really don't see a reason to ever unlock it except when filling it.
To get the drink, they just need to lift and suck on the edge of the cup gently. I tried it as well to see how it compares to other ones we've tested and found you get a lot more liquid with less effort, it feels a lot more like drinking out of a cup than any toddler cups I've tried in the past. It also out-performs them in terms of cleaning. There are only two simple pieces, the cup and the insert (and I guess the travel lid if you used it) and none of them have any crevices or difficult parts to clean. It's extremely simple.
The travel lid also works great and totally prevents spills, even when it's tumbling around in a bag. You can sort of stick the travel lid to the underside when not in use, but it's precarious, so you'll have to store them separately when not in use.
I did remove a star because I don't love the design. It feels like something that was made to appeal to adults, with the retro, like circle animal design (can't remember the name of that type of style) and the colours are more muted. The bright red of the lids and molded Tommee Tippee label are both darling. I prefer the bear design overall, but little ones can't really tell that the elephant is an elephant either. They do seem good quality, just didn't love the design and didn't feel like it appealed to the younger demographic either.
Functionally, though, these cups are very impressive and I'll definitely be recommending them to others as well.
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Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder
I've been using the same transparent powder for way too many years (yes, I know you're supposed to change it, I'm cheap and don't wear it every day), so I was excited to try this. After a recent bad experience with powder, I was also nervous. Well... +
I've been using the same transparent powder for way too many years (yes, I know you're supposed to change it, I'm cheap and don't wear it every day), so I was excited to try this. After a recent bad experience with powder, I was also nervous. Well, the best compliment I can give it is that it's just as good as my regular powder. That is to say, it sits on the skin well, evens out tone, hides flaws and generally makes your skin look great. I'm extremely pale, so frequently powder can make me look ghost-like and this powder avoids that (Though I was wearing a darker shade of foundation than usual).
I fully recommend applying powder with a puff and unfortunately, this doesn't come with one. As an alternative, you can use a large fluffy brush as I did, since I couldn't find my makeup puff. It doesn't settle into creases or wrinkles and doesn't rest on the hairs. True to its word, it is a matte formula which reduces shine. It basically completes the look while doing everything a translucent powder is supposed to. I absolutely love it!
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Nerf N-Strike Elite Rukkus ICS-8
Age: 8+ No Batteries Required. Comes with: 8 Darts. This is an interesting design from Nerf and I can see a lot of people didn't like it, but we really enjoyed it. It was surprisingly fun and I found it pretty easy to hit the same small target each... +
Age: 8+
No Batteries Required.
Comes with: 8 Darts.
This is an interesting design from Nerf and I can see a lot of people didn't like it, but we really enjoyed it. It was surprisingly fun and I found it pretty easy to hit the same small target each time, you just have to compensate. So maybe it's not the best for people who need a lot of aiming help or are looking for precision. It also takes a lot of arm strength and fitness to pump it each time you fire a dart, again and again, so not the best for people who are unfit or weaker. What it's great at, is a lot of fun and feeling like you're a real badass! Every time you fire a dart, you pump to reload and the clip slides up higher.
You do have to support the gun with one hand as it's a pretty chunky, front-heavy gun, which makes it more suited to older kids and adults. I also find I automatically want to put my hand on the cartridge and have to adjust my grip to how it normally would be. However it has a reasonable amount of force, normally I find the darts are a bit floaty and don't strike as fast. It's also just really, really fun (for me anyway).
I've heard people say otherwise, but you can 100% load this in one go. You'll see that there's a piece of plastic over one of the 'loading holes' when the cartridge is all the way down, but you simply have to angle the dart very slightly and it slides right in. So you're ready to go. One thing to notice is that there's no 'safety' lock, so I definitely don't recommend it for younger folks (especially if you have pets or even younger kids) as they get really careless with their Nerf guns.
I also think the design on this is pretty cool and a great option for customization. I can see cosplayers doing a lot with this kind of wacky design. Furthermore, the price is on the lower end for Nerf guns in this kind of style. It's not going to be for everybody, but I loved it!
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Disney Princess Royal Chambers Playset
Princess fans will go nuts for this. Even as an adult, before the kid testing phase, I fell in love with this little set. It's just so adorable, twee and cute that I found I was smiling the whole time I was taking pictures and unpacking it. There... +
Princess fans will go nuts for this. Even as an adult, before the kid testing phase, I fell in love with this little set. It's just so adorable, twee and cute that I found I was smiling the whole time I was taking pictures and unpacking it. There are definitely small parts, which is why it's rated 3 and up. If your child is still having trouble with small parts, I wouldn't give this. Even though it's rated so young, Princess fans of all ages can enjoy this set. It's almost like Belle has her own little display.
I was a little confused at first about the 'clip', so what it is, basically, is you can 'unclip' the dress to take it off. This way you can play dress up, but it also helps teach hand eye co-ordination and puzzle solving (at least the first time). You can also hang her shawl on the hanger. She cannot move her arms forward while wearing the dress and has a better range of motion once in her slip.
Personally, I think this set is just lovely for display as well as pretend. I'd pay up to $25 for this and I'm a cheapskate, so I think the price is bang on. The details are really great in this. The mirror is reversible and has a shelf. Belle comes with a sofa, a really foldable book, teacup and perfume bottle. All of these accessories have incredible details as does the decor. The book even has molded scroll writing and a bookmark on the inside as well as a rose motif on the cover. The decor is lovely, with a cute portrait of Beast.
I've tried so many of these toys and can honestly say this is the best level of detail for cost. It just makes me want to get the whole set (though Belle is my fave princess). Usually, they get the faces wrong, but Belle's face is painted beautifully, with a sweet and pretty expression that fits her look in the movie. The only small complaint I have is that when it's all set-up, you need to really sit the sofa outside of the set, where it can look a little lonely if Belle's not sitting on it. I'd love a little pet (maybe the footstool dog!) to sit on the sofa when Belle's standing.
Realistically though, I'm really impressed and think this is an amazing set for display or make-believe. Now I need to get them all!
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GERBER Organic Lil' CRUNCHIES
These little crunchy snacks from Gerber are definitely different from anything else I’ve seen for young children, but they’re very interesting and seem very popular with the little ones we tried them on. Each can is packed quite full and is... +
These little crunchy snacks from Gerber are definitely different from anything else I’ve seen for young children, but they’re very interesting and seem very popular with the little ones we tried them on. Each can is packed quite full and is easily enough for several snack-sized servings. The crunchies themselves are a bit smaller than regular chips of the same design, and they are surprisingly clean to eat with no residue left on fingers and no dust or pieces falling when you bite into them.
The taste of the crunchies is hard to pinpoint, but they’re definitely made to be mild by design. They don’t taste like junk food, but they’re still nice to eat and have a subtle flavour to them, such as Cheddar Broccoli, or White Bean Hummus. If you taste test them side by side you could tell the difference, but otherwise the flavours are very similar to each other. They all have a bit of an earthy flavour to them, probably because of the dried navy beans that are the primary ingredient.
The texture of the crunchies is quite crispy when you bite into them, but young children who prefer to gum them instead will find that they dissolve rapidly in your mouth. If giving these to a child who doesn’t handle tough foods yet, they can definitely still eat them without any difficulty and without needing them to be broken up first.
From a nutritional standpoint, they are all organic, with the major ingredients being organic dried navy bean and organic rice flour. 12 individual crunchies amounts to just 30 calories and 1g of protein, but they’re surprisingly filling nonetheless. Basically, they are mostly nutrionally empty, but filling, which makes them a great treat if your child is fussing and you don't want to give them calorie and sugar laden treats.
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LifeSource Upper Arm Digital Blood Pressure Monitor
I was actually really impressed with this device during my tests and everything worked perfectly until the last thing. I cannot delete the memory/entries off of the monitor. The instructions say to hold the off button (while it is on) and it will... +
I was actually really impressed with this device during my tests and everything worked perfectly until the last thing. I cannot delete the memory/entries off of the monitor. The instructions say to hold the off button (while it is on) and it will come up with instructions to clear memory, but this did not occur for me. No matter what way I held it, how long, or even using variation and pressing it at different times, it would not come up. For this reason, I'm deducting a star and I recommend not to buy if you need the memory function (though it's possible I received a faulty device in that way). It's a shame, because otherwise it's great.
Another review said it doesn't fit regular males arms. That has not been my experience. I'm fat and this cuff was too small (it is smaller than doctor's office ones), but my husband is also a chunky/thicc guy and it fit his rather large biceps without a problem. Granted, it was at the very end of the 'large' reading. So if you are very large or work-out your biceps to extreme bulkiness you will probably need a bigger cuff. It does take a tad longer to inflate that the doctor's office one, but not really a long time. The whole thing is over in less than 3 minutes.
Setup is easy, you just put 4xAA batteries in (not included), push the hose connection into the monitor and press the on button. The instructions are really clear and easy and there's a small 'fast' instruction card that's easy to use. It's clean, simple and looks professional. Most importantly, the results are accurate to my other blood pressure monitor, I tested it right after to compare. Generally, I prefer wrist blood pressure monitors, but if you're looking for an arm cuff version, this one is good and perfect for home use, providing you don't need the memory function.
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NYX Honey Dew Me Up Primer
As a primer, it's ok. It held the makeup sufficiently, but I didn't love it. Applying it is like dripping honey on your face, but from the name, I kind of expected that. What I didn't realise (I won it in a competition) is that it's full of gold... +
As a primer, it's ok. It held the makeup sufficiently, but I didn't love it. Applying it is like dripping honey on your face, but from the name, I kind of expected that. What I didn't realise (I won it in a competition) is that it's full of gold flakes. Neat, I thought.
However...the gold flakes are kind of crazy in action. You end up with them randomly deposited on your face. Not in a 'oooh shimmer' way, more of a 'you've got dirt on your nose, did you know?" kind of way. It seems like a weird choice to me.
To their credit, the spatula is a fun and clever way to apply what is essentially golden goo, but I didn't enjoy the stickiness (it does dry though) and I'm not sure I'll use it again.
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Estate lip icing
I have a feeling I got a bad product. I won it in a competition and immediately I had problems with it. I struggled to get it to come out of the tube, there was barely anything on the applicator and what went on my lips felt weird, looked weird and... +
I have a feeling I got a bad product. I won it in a competition and immediately I had problems with it. I struggled to get it to come out of the tube, there was barely anything on the applicator and what went on my lips felt weird, looked weird and had a foul taste. Even the smell (vanilla) smelled like it had turned or rotted.
I've never experienced this before, but needless to say, I wasn't a fan.
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