12/30/2021

Dehub Ice-Cream Popsicle silicone Moulds Set of 8

Very good quality flexible kitchen silicone lollipop molds in vibrant colors. The package contains 8 molds with its correspondents sticks, plus an extra spare stick. The first impression is that these would be a bit too wobbly to hold anything upright in the fridge. However, after using them, there is no issue, whether the mold is empty or full. They do what they're supposed to do. As the silicone is flexible, it's super-easy to remove the ice-cream from the mold by putting each individual mold under running warm water for like 5 seconds, and the ice-cream comes up in one piece and very easily. The sticks don't break or deform with use. Super-easy to clean, too.

GROSCHE Milano Stovetop Espresso Maker Moka Pot 6 Cup - 9.3 oz, White

Overall,this is a good beautiful percolator that makes good coffee, but it has a design issue and it's the messiest coffee maker I own.

THE GOOD STUFF
> Beautiful, trendy and elegant, this caffettiera looks great anywhere.
> Plenty of capacity. I don't use it for espresso but for my daily milk coffee, yet it gets me three generous cups.
> Despite the size, this percolator is quite light.
> The handle is comfortable and has a comfy grip. Also, as the handle is off the percolator body of the, it doesn't heat up as much as other stove coffee makers.
> The silicone seal is quite tight and allows perfect percolation. I've found that this is really important, as I own other stove coffee makers, and the seal is the culprit for the bad quality of the coffee as the water doesn't go through the coffee properly.
> The spout pours beautifully.
> The upper body rolls on the lower body without difficulty, without getting stuck and without having to force it.
> Easy to clean, just wash it out with clean water; that's it. Despite the dripping, the white coating is not stained.
> The ethical/charitable scope of the company is something important to me. I've spent my money on a caffettiera that funds Grosche's Safe Water Project. Also, the company is carbon neutral, environmentally friendly, it's managed by women, and ticks all the ticks you want companies with a social conscience to tick on.

NOT SO GOOD.
> Aluminum, not stainless steel, which I would expect for the price I paid for this coffee maker.
> If you put the stove burner a bit high, the coffee will spit out profusely. That happened to me the first time I used it and, it dripped over the caffettiera itself, and all over my stove and bench even though the upper container wasn't even super full. I learned the lesson, now I put it on a medium heat and no problem.
> If the container is full of water, like below the screwing ridge and on or over the valve, the coffee will still spit out and drip all over the stove and kitchen bench. No inner line mark to indicate maximum height of water allowable. You have to learn the lesson by trial and error.
> You have to wait for the percolator to cool down so the spitting inside has finished; otherwise, you'll get a mess in your kitchen as the inner spout is too big and, as it keeps spitting coffee not only inside but also outside. This is a design problem. I don't have this problem with other similar percolators, as I prepare the coffee and pour it immediately without a mess. So, this one is quite annoying.
> You can call it Milano, you can point to the made-in-Italy vale and mention Italy many times, but except for the valve this is a made-in-China product as per the box (see my photo).

O.P.I. Nail Lacquer An Affair In Red Square

I've been using OPI An Affair in Red Square for several years now and it's my fav red shade on the nail polish stratosphere. OPI is also one of my fav nail polish brands. Yet, there are some issues with this specific shade that I want to mention:
> This shade is one of the thickest OPI polishes I own, and I own many. One coat over a base coat and under a top coat suffices to have full coverage and to look spectacular.
> Two coats of the polish look great, but, when I apply two coats, the polish takes a lot of time to dry off (more than other OPI shades) and it tends to smudge easily even when it's almost dry.
> This shade polish starts to thicken when the bottle it's mid way, in a way that makes it difficult to apply without resorting to adding acetone to clarify it.
> This being the case, and despite this being of one those polishes that I always have in my beauty case, it is pricey, because I usually bin the bottle midway.
> This red, as most red shades, chips easily, that's why I reserve the second coat for when my nails are totally dry but I need to cover the chipping.

Beyond that, this is just a classy wonderful red that never goes out of fashion and I never get tired of.

12/28/2021

Skittles Sours Chewy Lollies Snack and Share Party Bag 190g

If you, like me, have a sour teeth, skittles will make you soar to the sour. I love the crunchy coating, the chewy core, the fun colors and, most importantly, their level of sourness. The flavors in the package are lemon, orange, strawberry, green apple and grape. The flavors are very good and they taste of what they are meant to taste plus the sour punch. The initial coating is sweet, although not overly so, and the sourness comes after you chew them. On the flip side of things, these lollies are loaded with artificial colors and thickeners, so that's why I buy these now and then to appease my sour yearning. The package size and amount of skittles in it are considerable for the price, so this is good value for money.

Kilimazart Coffee Tamper Press Chromed (49 mm / 1.9")

This is a good solid tamper, quite heavy for the size. The base and handle can be unscrewed, so I can replace the handle for something different in the future if I feel like it; like a metallic colored handle or a wooden handle. The size is a bit odd for the two stove coffee makers I have, as it's a cm large for one, and a cm short for the other. However, I use it no problem with the latter, while I use the handle flat top as press with my small cafetiere.

12/23/2021

The Sugarless Company A Casino Fruit Jellies, 70 g

Sugarless jellies are indeed sugarless, gluten free, artificial colors and artificial flavors free but they still have several chemicals in them.

Like with any sugar-free product, I expected the flavor not to be as good as those that have it. However, these gummies flavors are too light to be fully noticeable to be labelled as yummy or appetizing. Besides, there is no extra punch, like a bit of acidity or a bit of extra sugarless 'sugar' sprinkle or something that would enhance the eating experience. The packet still makes a nice snack if you need/want sugar-free snacks, but I won't order them again.

The packaging is misleading as the gummies, as per my photo,don't look like those on the package photo. Not much product for the price either.

Fei Festive Christmas Tree Pop Up 3D Card

This is a beautiful fun large Christmas card, made out of good card stock, beautifully presented and printed. The card as an insert pouch/sleeve where the cute greetings note is held, so you don't have to ruin the card scene. The front is also movable, and you can slide Santa left to right and vice versa. The envelope is plain but very good quality paper, too.

My only criticism is that the scene is too central, in the joint between the two card sheets, so it's a bit stiff and the card doesn't sit totally flat on any surface, something that might have been prevented if the scene had been divided in two sections, one on each card sheet. This is me just being picky, as this is a great card that will delight the addressee. Perfect for kids.