wonderwhatif
Member Since: January 26, 2015Reviews
Love Beauty & Planet Shea Butter & Sandalwood Purposeful Hydration Shampoo
Firstly, I have short hair, so my needs may not be the same as someone with long hair, but in my experience, this shampoo rocks! The first thing to love is the smell. It does have perfume, so be aware if you have fragrance sensitivities. I really... +
Firstly, I have short hair, so my needs may not be the same as someone with long hair, but in my experience, this shampoo rocks!
The first thing to love is the smell. It does have perfume, so be aware if you have fragrance sensitivities. I really liked the smell and found it to be a lovely sweet Shea butter with a subtle hint of Sandalwood that stopped it from being too sweet. I love using this shampoo because it feels really luxurious and I get to bask in the smell. The shampoo lathers nice and easily too and I didn't have to use a huge amount.
I like that this shampoo is sustainably sourced, bottled in a recycled plastic container and isn't tested on animals! It offers a lot more natural ingredients and is missing some of the 'nasties' too, given all that I think the price is very reasonable.
My hair was soft and my scalp felt really comfortable after using this and my hair smelled great right up until the next wash. Even though I #gotitfree to try from Chickadvisor, I'll definitely be buying it in the future!
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Love Beauty & Planet Shea Butter & Sandalwood Majestic Moisture Body Wash
My experience with this body wash was really good. It has a decent amount of lather if you use it with a body puff (loofah) and if you prefer to rub it straight on your body it will take a little work to lather it up. I really love the pump top cap... +
My experience with this body wash was really good. It has a decent amount of lather if you use it with a body puff (loofah) and if you prefer to rub it straight on your body it will take a little work to lather it up. I really love the pump top cap as it makes applying the body wash much easier than trying to fuss with a damp bottle with wet hands in the shower.
I absolutely love the scent of this. It should be noted, for those who are sensitive to smells or perfumes, this does have added scent. To me, it smells like lovely, sweet shea butter with a really subtle sandalwood scent. The sandalwood goes really well with the shea and stops it from being overwhelmingly sweet or cloying. I found my skin was nice and soft after I washed with this. I have found my skin more soft, but that was with a wash that costs twice as much as this. For me, this did a better job than comparably priced body washes I've used.
Right off the bat, this body wash ticks a lot of the boxes for those looking for a more natural product. It's sustainably sourced, many organic ingredients, vegan and not tested on animals. Using a cruelty-free product is always a huge bonus and I'm glad big companies are starting to offer them at a more reasonable price. Given the extras you get with this, it does cost a little more than a regular body wash, but it's not so highly priced that it's inaccessible and I personally would buy it again!
I #gotitfree from Chickadvisor to try it.
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Vileda ProMist MAX Spray Mop
Vileda's done it again; a great cleaning product and some noted improvements over their original design for their spray mop. If I compare it directly to the original design, there are some differences to take note of if you're considering upgrading... +
Vileda's done it again; a great cleaning product and some noted improvements over their original design for their spray mop. If I compare it directly to the original design, there are some differences to take note of if you're considering upgrading from that.
- Capacity of liquid is bigger, went up from 500ml to 700ml.
- It now has a foam piece on the handle, so if you lean it against a wall it no longer slides or falls as easily.
- The big one is that the pad can be flipped to use both sides!
- Slightly longer.
- Design is more professional looking.
- Better cloth pad.
One change that won't be liked by everyone is that the new 'flippable' pad means that it's a lot more difficult to use your own or alternate brand pads than with the original design. They do sell extra pads and you can definitely make do with one, it's not a dealbreaker for me, but something to keep in mind.
It can be fiddly to take the cloth pad on and off, requiring opening some velcro and pulling the other end and that's something to keep in mind if you have a disability in your hands, you might struggle with this compared to the old model. However, the area for filling your cleaning liquid (2 teaspoons and water) is very easy to lift off (press the button) and replace with no problems.
When it comes to everything else I adore this mop! It has the same great cleaning power as the original mop from Vileda that I currently use. I like to mop the kitchen and house and then change the pad before mopping the bathroom, that way I'm getting a clean pad for the dirtiest room and not dragging the germs into the rest of the house.
With the Promist Max, it's not even necessary! I can simple use one side for the rest of the house and flip it over for the bathroom, absolutely genius. The cloth itself is a big improvement. It's much thicker, firmer and has slightly rougher 'lines' on it that help scrub up any dirt without scratching your floor. With the old mop I would often have to scrub quite hard and repeat to get sticky or stained stuff up, with this I can move it at a gentle pace and repeat anywhere from 1-5 times and the sticky stain comes up. You can see it slowly lessen each time. With regular dirt, it comes up right away and my floors look fantastic.
One of the things that, in my opinion, make this Vileda mop much better than competitors is the fact that they aren't trying to fleece you. It's a fair price, for a great mop and you don't need to buy anything else on top. You use your own cleaning fluid, the pad comes with it and that's it. No more buying endless pads and 'refills', it really is the most cost economic vs good clean option.
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Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Leave-on Mask
I'm somewhat torn on this product to say the least. While I didn't notice any reduction in fine lines, it really did leave my skin beautiful and soft. The smell is somewhat sweet and definitely has a hint of blackberry to it. So why the... +
I'm somewhat torn on this product to say the least. While I didn't notice any reduction in fine lines, it really did leave my skin beautiful and soft. The smell is somewhat sweet and definitely has a hint of blackberry to it. So why the confusion?
The marketing on this product is very flawed in my opinion. Not only is pre-tox kind of pseudoscience, I get it, it's hard to compete in the beauty market, but more than that, this 'leave-on' mask can't decide what it wants to be.
It's not a face mask at all and acts and looks just like a lotion, so to choose to describe it as a mask is baffling and leads to a huge amount of confusion (which you can see in other reviews) about how to use it.
Instructions simply say 'apply evenly over face as needed' with no explanation on when and how. It says Leave-on mask, so do I just let it sit and absorb. Is it, in fact, just a lotion. Those are the questions I asked myself when I received this product. If I took this home from the store I would be very frustrated, especially at a high price point and from a good branded company who I expect to give more details.
It's a shame and this product really deserves more, because it left my skin much softer and smoother, which was immediately noticeable after application. The consistency is smooth and pleasant, not quite buttery, but much softer than many creams I've used in the past. I probably won't continue to use it for the sole reason that I'm not sure I'm using it correctly due to lack of information.
I even tried messaging Aveeno in the hopes I could get the information for everybody reading this, but they couldn't tell me and didn't seem to understand what I was asking.
I hope that they see this and start including more information on the product packaging in the future, as many people will be confused and unable to get the full benefit of the product.
Overall, if you're looking for something to softer your skin and leave it feeling lovely and smooth, this does the trick, with no bad smelling fragrance and a lovely consistency, but the instructions are very confusing.
I #gotitfree from Chickadvisor to try, thanks for the chance!
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Carnation Breakfast Essentials Light Start Chocolate
These are the light version of the regular Carnations breakfast drinks, which I’ve tried many times. I didn’t notice any significant difference in the taste of these drinks versus the “normal” version, which I was pleasantly surprised by... +
These are the light version of the regular Carnations breakfast drinks, which I’ve tried many times. I didn’t notice any significant difference in the taste of these drinks versus the “normal” version, which I was pleasantly surprised by. They still have that chocolate taste that I enjoy, without being so sweet that it’s hard to drink in the morning. There’s a tiny bit of a malty aftertaste as you often get with these kinds of meal replacement drinks, but it’s not too strong and doesn’t bother me personally.
When compared to the higher protein versions though, these definitely offer the best taste after the 'regular' one. It's a trade-off, here it's lighter, which means half the amount of sugar and half the calories, but less protein. Since protein can often balance sugar out and stop blood sugar from spiking, it really depends on what you're looking for. They offer so many different types that there's something for everyone. If you absolutely MUST have them for breakfast (I don't really recommend meal replacement drinks except on occasion or in certain circumstances, but never for breakfast unless it's a choice between this and skipping breakfast totally), this one does have significantly less sugar.
I do find them pretty filling and helpful for days when I can only eat a light breakfast and don’t want to be hungry an hour later, but I try not to do that too often. You can take these to the office or make them at home and pour them into a bottle, though it will need to be shaken or stirred up again before you drink it.
The reduced sugar in this version of the breakfast drinks does come at a cost, with artificial sweeteners taking their place to preserve most of the taste. If artificial sweeteners like sucralose don’t sit well with you or bother your tastebuds, sticking with the regular drinks might be a better option, but for those with diabetes it means it's more suitable. It still had 7g of sugar though, so make sure to read the nutrition label carefully.
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Summer Infant Panorama 2.0 Digital Color Video Monitor
Our place is admittedly small, but we really liked this baby monitor and found it did everything it advertises without any problems. It's very easy to use and comes with instructions if you're not feeling confident, but for first-time baby monitor... +
Our place is admittedly small, but we really liked this baby monitor and found it did everything it advertises without any problems. It's very easy to use and comes with instructions if you're not feeling confident, but for first-time baby monitor users, this is simple enough. The quality of the video is not HD, but certainly good enough to be able to see clearly and understand what's going on, without eating up a lot of power. Overall, it's a good all-round baby monitor with a lot of features that are very handy.
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Setup and ease of use
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Setup is extremely easy. The only thing to be aware of is that you must charge the 'handheld screen' for 7 hours before the first use, so make sure you factor in this time. I usually read the instructions, but wanted to play around with it more loosely first and didn't have any trouble figuring out how to activate each feature, even without reading the instructions. The only thing that confused me a little was that, when you access the menu (to control brightness, etc), you cannot then turn it off. You must wait for the menu to go away and that takes a little longer than I'd like.
The camera must be plugged in, but the handheld screen can be used on a charge, though it's important to note that the charge only lasts 6-8 hours, so it won't last through the night. This is easily solved by plugging it in and simply having it beside the bed or wherever you are, but be aware of the wires if you have a toddler. It can be used while charging. It also has a button to turn off the screen if you want to save battery.
It goes without saying that when you're setting up the camera, follow safety instructions about wires as the camera unit is not wireless.
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Features
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Full pan: I was really impressed by the distance this can go. It's basically 360 degrees, with the exception that at a certain point it stops and you must turn it the other way to complete the 'circle'. This makes sense as otherwise the internal wires would get twisted. It pans really far up and down, so if you are hoping to be able to see a full room, this does it without any problems. You control this by pressing the 'camera' button on the handheld and then using the buttons (each has a direction next to it) to turn it slowly in that direction. It's not fast or able to go in more than one direction at a time, but it is silent, safe and won't wake the baby.
Zoom: The zoom is less impressive, but still works. Rather than being a 'pan in' zoom, like on a smartphone camera, it's actually one where you press the zoom button and it flicks between three 'views', one standard and two slightly more zoomed-in versions. You can continue to pan once zoomed in to get a better view.
Two-way Communication: I found the two-way communication to be pretty clear, though it should be noted that if you are using it with the camera and handheld close together, it will sound tinny and have feedback. Otherwise, it sounds great. There is a volume control which you can raise all the way or lower to mute.
If you are 'communicating' through the camera, you will not be able to hear the incoming sound, otherwise, if you have volume higher than mute, you will consistently hear the 'camera room' audio on the screen. Works very well. If you use this to talk to your partner in baby's room, I recommend getting used to the Walkie-Talkie style of 'over' so you can make sure to understand each other.
Night-light: Not a huge feature, but still nice to have. Has three options, blue, red and off, each of which take a minute to change. Not too bright, nice and gentle.
Night-vision. Not the greatest night-vision in the world, this camera isn't, and never claimed to be HD, but I was impressed by how clear the night vision is. Considering this camera doesn't specialise in night vision, I can still see quite clearly, even in pitch black with the night light off. (see picture) It's a nice added bonus feature, that I really appreciate.
Wall-mount and ability to add more cameras: I didn't need either of these features and thus didn't test them, but this baby monitor does come with wall-mounting hardware and claims the ability to add up to four cameras.
On-screen temperature display and sound indicators: Both nifty little extra features that aren't a deal-breaker, but are still nice to have. The sound indicator, in particular, is a big one, so if you choose to mute the audio, there's still a visual cue (the lights run from green to red) about noise that might be happening.
It's important to note that this is NOT a video camera. It's a baby monitor and as a result, it cannot record or take screenshots, if those are important to you, this will not be right for you and an HD camera might be a better fit, though ultimately might not have many of the 'baby' features a monitor has.
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Design
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I'm very happy with this design. The camera is lightweight, without being flimsy and so it the included 'handheld' panel screen. One feature the panel screen has which is really neat is a little kickstand so you can stand it upright when you're not holding it. Take care because at first the kickstand is super stiff and I was reluctant to pull further as I felt I might break the screen somehow, but you won't, just give it a big old pull. Once you've pulled it out once, it flows super smoothly and never gets 'stuck' again like it was initially.
The layout of the buttons on the screen and the HUD and UI are all really intuitive and it's easy to see what each button does at a glance, don't be afraid to play around or read the instructions before setting it up in baby's room if you're nervous.
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Pros:
- Extremely easy to use and setup, instructions are clear and controls are intuitive.
- Handheld screen is portable and range works well.
- Design is lightweight, but sturdy.
- Automatic night vision is very handy and works well in total darkness.
- Audio-only mode and visual audio indicators.
- Night-light.
- Audio is clear and 2 way.
- Wide range of movement.
- Comes with wall mount and ability to add more cameras.
Cons:
- Not totally wireless.
- No record or screenshot feature.
Be aware:
- Needs to charge 7 hours before first use.
- Handheld screen will not last the night if not plugged in.
- Can be plugged in while using.
- Not HD.
- Kickstand can be stiff on first use (fine after).
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Carnation® Breakfast Essentials™ Max Protein - Chocolate
This is an ok drink, but it really depends on the diet of the person taking it and what they're looking for. For example, I would never drink this for breakfast and generally speaking, I don't believe in 'meal replacement' shakes or the like (it's... +
This is an ok drink, but it really depends on the diet of the person taking it and what they're looking for. For example, I would never drink this for breakfast and generally speaking, I don't believe in 'meal replacement' shakes or the like (it's really not good to skip meals and can be a huge contributor to diabetes, but drinking these instead will have the same effect). However, it could be absolutely essential for someone who can't eat temporarily, whether they are sick or recovering from surgery and on a liquid diet.
Far be it from me to judge what you put in your body though, eat and drink what you want! Nutritionally this isn't crazy bad, especially when compared to some other similar drinks. It is disappointing that sugar and corn syrup are some of the top ingredients, but weirdly the sugar actually isn't hugely high (for a diabetic a reasonable snack is around 15g of sugar or less). However, it's important to remember that pure sugar will shoot up the blood sugar higher and this is quite sugary, but the protein will help stabilise that a while. As a meal replacement, 270 calories is not too high (and good for if you need those calories in your diet), but you don't want to take this drink alongside your normal food.
It has both regular sugar and artificial (sucralose) as well as artificial and natural flavours, so I wouldn't recommend this for either diabetics, or those avoiding artificial ingredients. For anybody else, it's fine.
So let's talk about the protein. This is a really high amount of protein, but it definitely affects the taste. Normally these kind of drinks are a kind of malty chocolate that is easily recognisable, most of the meal replacement drinks I've had have this same malty, chalky chocolate taste. Putting in so many minerals, vitamins and now protein, definitely gives it a worse taste than a sweet, treat-like milkshake drink. This is much maltier than the lower protein one, so if you already dislike that kind of flavour, this won't be for you as it's much more potent in this high-protein version.
These are really easy to drink from and when you twist the cap, the seal breaks automatically. Overall, nutritionally not amazing, but not terrible either and suitable for most people in moderation.
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L'Oreal Pure-sugar Soothing & Nourishing Face & Lip Scrub for Dry Skin - Cocoa
I did not like the 'grapeseed' scrub at all, so I wasn't expecting much from this one and was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. Scent and texture, it turns out, can make a huge difference. This scrub is gentle and leaves the skin softer, just... +
I did not like the 'grapeseed' scrub at all, so I wasn't expecting much from this one and was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. Scent and texture, it turns out, can make a huge difference. This scrub is gentle and leaves the skin softer, just like the grapeseed, but is infinitely better in every way. It still has that pesky added perfume (which is a tad strong), but here it's a delicious, chocolatey, slightly gingerbread and definitely sweet, heavenly scent that I really loved!
Not only that, but the texture is totally different. Instead of feeling wet, kind of oily and scratchy, this is like a slightly scrubby, dreamy butter that glides over skin without an ounce of discomfort.
My only note would be that I don't really recommend it as a lip scrub (it says not to use on damaged, chapped lips as well). Since it isn't edible I get paranoid about accidentally swallowing it, I prefer a lip scrub that is edible and natural.
However, as a face scrub, I'm definitely going to using this again. The chocolatey scent, creamy texture and overall luxurious feeling makes it a nice treat and it definitely left my skin softer!
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Playtex Baby 360 Cup - Drink & Learn
Overall, this is pretty good at what it claims to do, with a few caveats. The first, is that it's not terribly intuitive, but realistically it acts a lot like a regular cup. For example, if your little one tips a cup all the way up, they will get a... +
Overall, this is pretty good at what it claims to do, with a few caveats. The first, is that it's not terribly intuitive, but realistically it acts a lot like a regular cup. For example, if your little one tips a cup all the way up, they will get a face full of water. This cups behaves the same way IF the plastic rim is pressed down. So if they are chomping on the edge or drinking with it pressed down and press it too hard or lift the cup too high, or any combination thereof, water will flow very quickly and spill. In that way, it's a great training cup as it must be handled correctly like a regular cup, but it also means not everyone will pick it up quickly. If they are having trouble adjusting and keep spilling, it might be a sign they are not yet ready for a training cup and you can delay it a little bit.
The only other thing I can complain about is that it is quite finnicky to put together, you must wiggle the top so the plastic pops through, before screwing the lid on tight. It can be difficult to get this done in a timely manner when it's busy and noisy and you're stressed, so I did think it could be a little easier to put together and clean.
However, in every other way this is a great cup. If the plastic 'edge' is not pushed, you can turn it totally upside down and it won't drip (other than a drop or two that gets left behind in the rim when they are drinking) or spill, meaning if they are hurling the cup around, you're safe. It also comes with a travel lid to keep it totally protected from spills when carrying it in a backpack or car (since nothing can press the 'edge' when it's on, it won't leak). The handles are big, bright and easy to grasp and Peppa Pig is always a hit with my little testers.
The cup holds a good amount and the fact that they can drink from any part of it really makes it feel like a real cup and helps avoid the problems that come from 'sucking' for too long that can be made worse by bottles or sippy cups.
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Bioderma Sensibio H2O Make-Up Removing Micellar Solution
I'll start by saying that this is not my number one favourite micellar water, but it's probably second. One of the ways it gets a leg up on the competition is by having no perfume added. Generally speaking, anything advertised for sensitive skin... +
I'll start by saying that this is not my number one favourite micellar water, but it's probably second. One of the ways it gets a leg up on the competition is by having no perfume added. Generally speaking, anything advertised for sensitive skin should have no fragrance, but you'd be surprised by how many do. In my past experience with micellar water, I've found it works a lot better the less stuff they add to it and this is pretty good offering.
I've been using micellar water for a while as a cleanser and I find it's definitely my preferred form of cleansing. When it comes to removing makeup micellar water and this in particular, does a passable job at removing makeup, but can struggle a little with waterproof makeup. Still, I find it does a better job than many makeup removers I've used in the past and unless you're using an oil based formula that needs to be rinsed off, you'll struggle to find something that works better.
Where the benefit of this really comes in is for those who, like me, prefer a lazier routine. You simply swipe a micellar covered cotton pad over your face and you're done. Much simple and easier than a wash-off cleanser. I find that micellar water is lovely and gentle on my skin, but works particular well on the dry areas.
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