wonderwhatif
Member Since: January 26, 2015Reviews
Quality Street Chocolates
As you probably know if you read my other reviews, I'm originally from the UK, so Quality Street are like an old friend to me. Normally I really enjoy them and would be inclined to give them five stars, but I took a star off because I feel the... +
As you probably know if you read my other reviews, I'm originally from the UK, so Quality Street are like an old friend to me. Normally I really enjoy them and would be inclined to give them five stars, but I took a star off because I feel the chocolate has gone downhill a bit since I last had them!
Despite this I still feel like this has a place, especially for occasions such as christmas. I'm not a massive fan of fruit chocolates, but the rest of my family is, so the eat those and I get the Toffees and Caramels. I'll say a little about each chocolate, but if you're looking for a summary. They're delicious, a fair price and you can keep the tin to store things in, so I do recommend them, but I'd be happier if the quality increased.
Toffee Penny: Have these gotten smaller? Regardless, delicious, sticky, chewy toffee, with nothing else. Yes please.
Toffee Finger: The only thing better than toffee, toffee covered in chocolate! Yum.
Toffee Deluxe: These are similar to the Toffee finger, but somehow better. Newer tins are supposed to lack these as they have been replaced by the disappointing sounding 'honeycomb crunch' (Brits revolted and had petitions, no, I'm not kidding). However, mine had the old style. Toffee Deluxe is my second fave in the tin.
Caramel Cup: These are delicious runny caramel in a crisp chocolate 'cup'. Delicious, but can be a bit sickening if you eat too many as they are quite sweet.
Hazelnut in Caramel: Hazelnut enrobed in caramel and a chocolate shell. Not a fan, both my partner and I remember these being better. Six years ago when we lived in the UK, we recall there being a different, bigger nut inside, but after doing some research it appears the nut changed in WWII, so that can't be accurate. Regardless we both found this a bit disappointing and strange from how they used to be, maybe we got a bad batch...
Truffle Block: Velvety inside in a hard chocolate block. These are a nice upgrade from just a 'block' of chocolate. Not my fave, but still very good!
Hazelnut Triangle: These are my least fave of the non-fruit chocolates (other than hazelnut caramel which has gone downhill), but when you've eaten all the better chocolates, you'll still get to enjoy these. Creamy Hazelnut flavouring with small pieces throughout the triangle and a chocolate exterior.
Coconut Eclair: Not a fan, but those who love coconut will adore them. Coconut filling inside a chocolate shell.
Orange Crunch: Chocolate outside, orange filling inside with small crunchy pieces. A bit like eating a chocolate orange, with a twist. Pretty good, but still not a huge lover of fruit chocolate.
Orange Creme: Wish they'd replace this with another toffee, but I'm biased. Soft orange fondant inside a chocolate shell.
Fudge: This boy is hands down the creamy winner. Delicious fudge, smothering in chocolate, I'm drooling just remembering the taste. My favourite since I was a kid, I'd buy a whole box of just these.
Strawberry Creme: Like the orange creme, but strawberry. Favourite of mother's everywhere.
Despite some of my complaints, I do love a good box of Quality Streets and heartily recommend them. I just hope Nestle takes the brand seriously and brings it back to it's old glory.
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Mega Construx Pokemon Jumbo Pikachu Building Set
It's so hard for me not to be able to give this little fella five stars, for reasons that might turn out to be entirely my own fault! So basically, he cannot hold the 'all fours' pose without his head falling off. However, I do have extra pieces... +
It's so hard for me not to be able to give this little fella five stars, for reasons that might turn out to be entirely my own fault! So basically, he cannot hold the 'all fours' pose without his head falling off. However, I do have extra pieces left. Since none of the other reviews I can find mention having pieces leftover...well, maybe it's my fault. I have contacted the company to ask and will hopefully get a reply soon, but after double and triple-checking every instruction, the only thing I can find that I did wrong was put the thumb on the wrong side on one of the hands (see pictures, the thumb has since been fixed.)
To explain further, in order to move Pikachu's head (or tail) you must pull back and the joint 'clicks' loudly into place at each new angle. The very last angle cannot be achieved on mine as the neck hits off the body and cannot be pulled back far enough. As a result, when placed on all fours, Pikachu's head is too heavy and simply droops and hits the ground. While pegs hold on his head, they are not deep enough and when you try to adjust the head, they will simply pull out. I reread the instructions for this section over and over again and cannot figure out what I did wrong. Same with the tail, it cannot 'click' onto the last angle as it hits the body. His arms are not strong enough to hold him up with the weight of the head and he just slides down.
It's a bit disappointing for me as I had planned to keep him in the all-fours position, but I am still rating this set highly because he looks amazing in the sitting position and we had a blast building him. For building this with kids, I fully recommend doing it together as the instructions can be tricky in some places and could definitely be clearer by showing an 'end' picture at each step, or having words for tricky bits.
For reference, my partner and I are both super nerds and decided to build this together. We are newbies to any kind of complex block style building set and have only built freestyle as children. This set took us five and a half hours to complete. So I feel pretty slow compared to the times others are saying. We didn't struggle a ton, but there were definitely some parts we had to stop and discuss at. We decided to do it like a jigsaw and find the pieces as needed, rather than sorting them all out initially, though you do sort it a little as you go.
I HIGHLY recommend following the directions closely and only opening the bags as it says. Everything should be in your bags as you go. Ignore the very first page which seems to imply opening way more bags. Start on the second page of the instructions. Open both 'orange stripe' bags which have a bookmark and a removal tool (which also works great for applying tricky bricks) in them that must be built.
The other advice I would give to beginners is this:
- If you're having trouble finding a piece, flip it over. Sometime it looks flat from the back.
- If you love your back, do it at a high table or desk, with a supportive chair.
- Gather pieces needed for step THEN do the step.
- Take your time. Check and double check after each piece, to make sure you have got it absolutely right. Sometimes the diagrams can be confusing. Make sure they are pushed together well on all corners and angles.
-Sizes are different, there are several pieces that are strange shaped that come in different sizes. Make sure you have the correct size for the part you are doing. This is by far the most tedious bit. Use a fine eye to check the picture and when in doubt, think logically about how it is supposed to line up.
To be honest, despite the difficulty, we absolutely loved the experience. We're really good at working as a team (furniture building together level good) and building something ourselves was like a combo of a puzzle and DIY and you can't help but feel proud at the end. I couldn't wait to get our Pikachu time every night. I would absolutely recommend this for a family activity or for couples, it will build patience, problem solving skills and rewards you with a big, cute, Pikachu figurine to love at the end of it.
I will update this review if I hear back from the company regarding the leftover pieces.
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Barilla Ready Pasta Penne
People seem to be really divided on this and it's true this pre-cooked pasta takes a little getting used to if you're not sure what to expect, but personally, I was okay with it. It seems to me that if you tend to like ready meals that are salty or... +
People seem to be really divided on this and it's true this pre-cooked pasta takes a little getting used to if you're not sure what to expect, but personally, I was okay with it. It seems to me that if you tend to like ready meals that are salty or sweet and designed for fast meals (as my partner does) you will enjoy this pasta and if processed fast meals are always a little poor quality to you (me) you will not like it as much. If you're the kind of person who eats ready-meals, you will undoubtedly enjoy this. Those who eat 'real food' will find it salty and a little strange.
It's hard to describe what it's like, but the texture is not unlike canned pasta you might find from Chef Boyardee. It's soft and a bit limp, but not the way that over-cooked pasta is too soft. Because it's stored in oil, the texture is a bit odd before you add sauce. It has a flavor that is quite pleasant, and not very strong. I like my pasta al dente and by following the cooking instructions for al dente, it's a bit softer than I'd like. It tastes a bit like a cross between regular and whole wheat pasta. It does taste quite salty, if you're not used to a lot of salt it could be off-putting.
From a nutritional standpoint, this pasta has some upsides and some downsides. The good news is that a pack of this pasta (which enough for a big serving for one person, or as a side dish for two) comes with 40% of your daily fiber, and is only 400 calories. The downside is that it also has about 20% of your daily sodium, which is a bit higher than I would like from a product like this.
Preparing the pasta is as simple as you can imagine. You tear the top, microwave it for one minute, and it's done. You can also cook it in a skillet, but I can't imagine I would choose a much slower option like that, as it would also be messier. Once it's cooked, just tear off the top and add it to your sauce. In terms of convenience, it's pretty much the best thing to have in the kitchen. The tradeoff, of course, is the cost. A pack of six will cost you around 15$, which is a lot of money for six servings of pasta. If you're the kind of person who needs fast options for supper in the house, no matter the cost, I can see why this product would really appeal to you.
I personally am a bit more hesitant, as that seems like a lot of money to me for what you get. While I like the flavour and my partner really liked it, given the high level of salt and the overall cost, I feel three stars is fair. If it was cheaper I would recommend it much more heartily, but it's not that difficult to make regular pasta and it doesn't save that much time.
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Braun KG7070 Burr Grinder
This coffee grinder really has a lot that it needs to improve on. If the question is, does it grind coffee beans well, then yes, for that I have to give it full credit. You can grind coffee beans to the absolute finest level without problems. It has... +
This coffee grinder really has a lot that it needs to improve on. If the question is, does it grind coffee beans well, then yes, for that I have to give it full credit. You can grind coffee beans to the absolute finest level without problems. It has 9 different levels of grind from Espresso to French Press and it does a great job with all of them. It also looks sleek and cool. However, there are other problems here.
Considering this is twice the price of comparable grinders, I'm looking at it with a harsher lens, but even giving it a loose lens there are a lot of big problems. Firstly, this is not a multi-use grinder, it says recommended only to use for coffee in the manual, but can you grind other things? For this price I'd expect so, but the reality is no. Why? Well, that leads us to the grinder's biggest problems; cleaning.
The reason this cannot be used as a multi-function grinder is simply that you cannot clean it well. It is not easy to clean, not even close. To Braun's credit, being able to remove the grounds container and clean it (where the beans end up once ground) is really handy, you can also remove the cap from the top of the beans holder. Those are the only two things that can be washed.
Braun provides a brush, right enough. It's ok, but not great. The bristles are quite firm and the right length, but the brush would be ten times more useful if it was just 3 times as thick. There is literally no part of the grinder that couldn't be accessed with a chunkier brush. Cleaning this off will have you feeling like an archeologist, dusting at it with the world's most delicate tool. It is literally impossible to get this thing clean. So anything you grind, will taste like coffee. So it's impossible to use it as a multi-grinder. Stuff gets packed into the screws and seams. Even getting it somewhat clean is a chore. To clean it well you would need an endless supply of (expensive) canned air. It is nice that part of the grinder lifts out to brush easier, but it's still a pain to get it even somewhat clean.
Second problem, it doesn't hold a lot. Comparable grinders let you hold a lot of beans, so you can happily empty the whole bag into the grinder and then just grind as you need. The grinder for this holds about two cups of beans. That means you can't just empty and throw out your coffee bag. At this price, I'd expect more storage. However, the flipside is that it's actually better if you don't have a large kitchen, have low cabinets, or need a very small unit. So keep that in mind.
It can grind up to 12 cups at a time (of coffee, not 12 cups of beans) so it's pretty cool that it can measure how much coffee you 'need' for a cup, but if you take your coffee weak or strong, your tastes might vary. If you're not 'average' it makes the feature a bit useless.
Once it's ground, pouring it out of the container is not the easiest thing in the world, having a spout or a slightly rounded corner would make this easier. If you're making a lot of coffee and tip it up too fast, prepare to spill some.
Noise-wise, it's not overly loud, quieter than a blender certainly, however it's still loud. I don't think I'd feel comfortable running it in an apartment at 5am before work. It is quite high-pitched sounding, more than rumbly.
Another small note, while it is good quality and I don't believe it will have problems over time (who knows?) the burrs are made of plastic in this. Some cheaper brands have metal burrs and I know that some people care about this.
Overall, it's not my ideal grinder. It can grind a reasonable amount of coffee quickly and easily and is probably a good fit for someone who gets up not too early, doesn't share the house with a lot of coffee drinkers and has a small kitchen. For those with big households, early risers and those who hate the idea of a never clean machine, it's not the best.
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Nestlé Turtles Chocolates
This review is for the 350g box. I'm a massive fan of turtles. I'm originally from the UK, so I'm more prone to the European style of chocolate (the recipe is different, look it up!) and as a result tend to have a harsher critique of North American... +
This review is for the 350g box.
I'm a massive fan of turtles. I'm originally from the UK, so I'm more prone to the European style of chocolate (the recipe is different, look it up!) and as a result tend to have a harsher critique of North American chocolate. One thing is, UK chocolate in particular has such a creativity, there are so many different types, all your favourite chocolates come in so many different formats: For example, you'd have Crunchies, Crunchy bites and all sorts of different formats/sizes/flavours. I wish they did that here.
Well this tangent is important because, to me, Turtles were the first unique and amazing North American chocolate I tried. They're unique, they're different and they are absolutely delicious. I'm not even a person who usually choose nutty chocolate either, I prefer fudges, toffees and caramels, but the combination of pecans and caramel in Turtles brings it from delicious to heavenly and makes it more filling too!
This particular box has 21 chocolates, that's around .47c per chocolate at current price. Overpriced, yes. Turtles have always been overpriced though and this is similar to store prices. I'd still pay it, because I love Turtles so much.
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Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation
This mousse foundation has me in two minds. There are some pros to it for sure, but also many cons. In that regard, I feel like it wouldn't be a foundation I would buy again, but might work better for a young person with better quality skin. First... +
This mousse foundation has me in two minds. There are some pros to it for sure, but also many cons. In that regard, I feel like it wouldn't be a foundation I would buy again, but might work better for a young person with better quality skin.
First, let's talk about the colour. The colour I ended up with 'Soft Beige' was actually far too dark for me. Normally I wear porcelain or fair, but I previously tried a soft beige foundation that was only slightly darker than my skin. This one was quite a bit darker, so I assume most of the shades in this range run dark. More than running dark, it has a very orangey tint/base to it that makes it look quite 'fake' when it's on.
When you first apply the foundation, the texture is very moussey, soft and light and in that way it feels quite comfortable on the skin, but at the same time it takes a ton of product to build up a layer. That means it kind of feels heavy, like a mask, so while the texture is comfortable, the amount of product needed, is not, if that makes sense? Because it's so heavy and you need so much product, it's a real struggle to get this to blend well and that merely adds to the 'mask' like appearance. You better be sure to get the right shade, because if not you are going to look pretty insane if you don't blend well enough and very far down on your neck.
This foundation did an amazing job covering up some flaws, like my large pores and I'd describe it as on the heavy side of a medium coverage foundation. Unfortunately, some flaws really show up under this foundation. For example, it made my wrinkles stand out a ton! So I definitely would not recommend this for older ladies. I'm only 32 with slight under-eye wrinkles, but the foundation's stiffness meant the wrinkles were a lot more visible after putting it on. It also has a tendency to cling to dry bits of skin really badly, so if you have dry or combination skin, I'd avoid this. It also has kind of an odd smell.
Because of how difficult it is to blend and move around, it stays really well and will last your workday easily, but this also means it's so difficult to get off. If you tend to only use micellar water as a makeup remover (like me) that won't work here. You'll need a heavy duty waterproof makeup remover to even touch this stuff. For example, when I got some on the tube, it smeared and won't wash off with water and soap. So try your best to be neat and make sure you have a good remover on hand.
Overall, I feel this is a good option for those with mid dark skin-tones (olives etc) who have flawless skin and are looking for a long-lasting heavy coverage foundation. For us mere mortals, I wouldn't recommend it.
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Matrix Biolage R.A.W. Recover Conditioner
I received a sample of this product for free to try. #freeproduct I used this alongside the Recover Shampoo from the same brand and I had a great experience! My hair is natural at the moment, wavy and greying/brunette as I age. The combination of... +
I received a sample of this product for free to try. #freeproduct
I used this alongside the Recover Shampoo from the same brand and I had a great experience! My hair is natural at the moment, wavy and greying/brunette as I age. The combination of shampoo and conditioner left my hair close to the best it's ever been, so it was a lovely surprise. My hair was smooth, soft and flat, but without being limp. It also didn't make my hair greasy faster, that can sometimes happen with certain hair products. I do prefer a little volume in my hair and feel these products are better suited for those who want smooth hair, but I was so impressed with how soft and shiny my hair was that I'd keep using this!
I love that this shampoo is free of Silicones, sulfates, colourings and parabens, but you there is added fragrance, if that bothers you.They state the exact amount of natural ingredients and recycled materials right on the packaging. The conditioner is 97% natural origin ingredients and 100% recycled materials as well as being biodegradable to 98%. Those are great numbers, especially when compared to many other 'natural' products.
I didn't love the scent of the shampoo, but I have to say the conditioner scent drew me in right away. I didn't think I'd love Coriander Oil and Kaolin Clay (whatever that is), but it had a gorgeous earthy smell. The closest thing I can think of is it smelled like a mix of a 'gold' scented oil I had and some lovely incense. It does stay on the hair and my partner really loved the smell as well, after about a day it fades. I'll definitely be using this conditioner in the future!
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Matrix Biolage R.A.W. Recover Shampoo
I received a sample of this product for free to try. #freeproduct I wasn't sure what to think of this when it first arrived. The bottles are really cute and make it easy to dispense. I've had mixed luck with more natural products in the past, but... +
I received a sample of this product for free to try. #freeproduct
I wasn't sure what to think of this when it first arrived. The bottles are really cute and make it easy to dispense. I've had mixed luck with more natural products in the past, but after trying the Recover shampoo I was absolutely thrilled. My hair was left flatter and smoother, but without being limp. It had a lovely shine to it and didn't make my hair greasy faster. Simply put, my hair was stronger feeling, better looking and generally just better in every way. I love that this shampoo is free of Silicones, sulfates, colourings and parabens, but you should note that there's added fragrance, if that bothers you. I love that they state the exact amount of natural ingredients and recycled materials and surprisingly, it's a lot higher than many 'natural' products you see on the shelves. The shampoo is 86% natural origin ingredients and 95% recycled materials as well as being biodegradable to 95%. That's pretty darn impressive.
The most important for me, though, is it's effect on my hair and I truly loved how it left my hair. I have naturally wavy, greying/brunette hair and I usually prefer a little more volume, but I was really happy with how soft, shiny and smooth my hair was after using this and the matching conditioner. Scent-wise, I didn't love it. It has a sweet, floral scent that isn't too strong and doesn't cling, but isn't really my favourite, but it's not unpleasant. If you follow up with the conditioner you won't even smell the shampoo on your hair anyway. It lathers really easily and I didn't have to use a ton of product.
Overall, this definitely ranks in the top section of shampoos I've tried and I am 100% going to use it again!
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Hot Wheels Track Builder System Race Crate Playset
Simply put, this set was a massive disappointment. One of the first things I expect a toy to do is work well and here's where the Hot Wheels set falls short. It's not like this is a twenty dollar toy, no, it's a high cost and for that I expected it... +
Simply put, this set was a massive disappointment. One of the first things I expect a toy to do is work well and here's where the Hot Wheels set falls short. It's not like this is a twenty dollar toy, no, it's a high cost and for that I expected it to do what it said and well. It failed utterly at that.
Basically, the cars are rarely able to actually complete the track (with the exception of set C. Gravity Drop) and mostly just end up flying off and crashing. Not in a fun way, though, more of a frustrating way. It works so rarely that both kids and adults became annoyed. So for one good track, I feel like this set is worth half of what they're asking and frankly, I'm more than a little disappointed. While there are some good aspects, they don't do enough to take away from that fact that this set just doesn't deliver on its promises.
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Design
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This is built to be a lot more sturdy than the older style Hot Wheel sets, made of hard, shiny plastic that's easy to build and gives a smooth track for the cars. The colours are bright, the design features are cute and overall the design is nice.
The problem comes with the concept. So basically this is a fold up 'set', which when unpacked has three different configurations they recommend for pre-built tracks. I'll talk about those further below. One of the cooler things about this track is that those 3 configurations are not all you can do. Kids can experiment and come up with their own tracks, connecting to other 'Track Builder' sets for an unlimited amount of fun. While the pre-built configurations are a bust, it is fun to build your own. They connect easily as well, always a plus.
The Launchers are a really cool and fun feature. I'm not sure if you can buy them separately, but despite the overall flop of the track, the kids were really excited to use the launchers in their own sets.
Another cool section of the set is the 'finish line' which is a series of gates with elastic powered numbers. Basically, whoever passes first, the number pings up into the 'empty hole' at the top of the gate, meaning whoever passes first, their number will show there. This makes it easy to tell who won if you can ever get past the finish line.
One thing that's a bit lame here, is they don't give any replacement elastics. I got a cheap Barbie toy before that cost only 30 and yet came with a lot of replacement elastics, so at this cost, it's unacceptable not to see any.
On a positive note, the cars it comes with are really gorgeous and cool looking. They come in cool colours and even the underneath of them is nice looking.
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Features
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Folds-up into a case: This feature is really welcome. While it does take some time to assemble and disassemble, and isn't as simply as just folding and unfolding, it's still really helpful. It means when they go through phases where they love other toys and don't want to play with cars, this can be put away neatly, taking up very little room. Let's be real, this is not going to be disassembled and packed away every time, but when you're cleaning up or they go long periods without playing, this is an appreciated thing. It also works well to take for travel to relatives or friends house.
Track A - Drag Race - Well Folks, there's no oversized wigs or snappy comebacks here (what a poorly named track!), this track is a simple straight track with launchers at one end and a loop de loop at the far end. The problem is, it almost NEVER (and I mean never) is able to take the loop. The cars either fly off randomly at the mid-point or fail to achieve speed to get through the loop, no matter how hard you punch the launcher. Even the adults were unable to make this work well.
Track B - Mega Jump - You'll notice in my pics that this is not a jump. That's because no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't make the 'ramp' stay up or lock in place. As a result, it ended up being a rather straight race. Maybe it's because the ramp wouldn't work, but this track also suffered from 'crash syndrome'. In other words, cars fly off and almost never reach the end. A lesson in boredom and frustration. At first, kids found this 'funny', but just like the adults, you have to have a balance between destruction and actual racing to keep them entertained.
Track C - Gravity Drop - The one saving grace. Oddly enough, this one doesn't use the Launchers. It's simple a long slanted drop, leading into a loop and the end of the race. Mostly because it works and partly because of the 'gravity' of the situation, this one really is fun. Finally a track they could actually race on. This one created whoops, cheers and screams of delight, but again, the cost for only one good track and some good pieces is far too high.
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Set-up
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Assembly is wonderfully easy. There's a clear visual guide and the tracks are lettered to make it even easier. They all hook together with the same blue tabs, easy to push together or take apart. The loop de loop is sometimes a little stiff. Younger kids will need help building, but older kids can handle this by themselves. Easy. About 10 minutes to set it up or less if you're used to it.
No Batteries Required.
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SUMMARY
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Pros
+ Easy to assemble.
+ Good for travel, folds up.
+ Cars are nice.
+ Many good 'additions' for building other tracks.
+ Gravity Drop is a lot of fun.
Cons
- Overpriced.
- Tracks A and B don't work well and aren't fun.
- No replacement elastics included, despite high price.
- Cars crash constantly and hardly ever work (with the exception of 'Gravity Drop')
- Can be tricky to setup for younger kids.
Recommended: No. I suppose if you can get it on a really big sale, some of the pieces, the cars, launchers and loop are worth it, but because of the poor function on two of the recommended tracks, I really can't recommend it at full price.
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John Frieda Luxurious Volume Touchably Full Shampoo
Hair type: Short, naturally wavy, greying/aging hair, brunette. Prone to greasy roots and drier ends. Cannot say enough good things about this conditioner. I never know how something will work with my hair until I try it and with John Frieda, I've... +
Hair type: Short, naturally wavy, greying/aging hair, brunette. Prone to greasy roots and drier ends.
Cannot say enough good things about this conditioner. I never know how something will work with my hair until I try it and with John Frieda, I've had good and bad results in the past. Well, this one is a definite keeper, I'm adding it to my pile of shampoos and conditioners that have passed the test.
I have short hair that's growing out and I like to have some volume otherwise it looks a bit flat and limp. Not only did this conditioner give it good volume with a minimum of frizz, it also left it shiny and healthy looking. Not to mention it didn't get greasy any faster (I wash my hair every second day as recommended).
The smell is...well I can barely remember, which should tell you a lot. It's sweet, nondescript and doesn't linger. The results, however, will definitely make you stand up and take notice!
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