9/29/2024

Amscan Plastic Rectangular Tablecover, Frosty White

I wanted something simple and inexpensive to protect my work table from paint splashes and stains, so this seemed befitting.The tablecloth is XL size, so I decided to use it double to add an extra layer of protection.
 
I was re-arranging my stuff on the table after placing the cover, and it got damaged by bare friction. I am very conscious about my plastic footprint. I don't have a problem with plastic as long as it's durable and good quality, but this is is neither. The material is paper thin and terrible quality. More like one-use cloth for parties and functions and something temporary on my table until I buy a good quality cover. It got torn and broken on the first day of use. 
 
I guess you get what you pay for.

9/21/2024

EYmann Jar, Bottle and Can Opener

The product I got doesn't look like stainless steel but more like a chrome-like metal product. Definitely not the refined product you see in the product page pictures. It opens beer bottles well.  It also opens jars, but you have to be careful not to put your finger under the black slider. I have tried it with cans, and I find it unnecessary unless you have some problem with your fingers or not enough strength. In all honesty, it takes me less effort open a jar or a can with my own hands. I needed it mostly for beer can opener than anything but the price is low so the other features might come handy in the future.

Higher Living Organic Cinnamon Tea 15 Teabags

This is a healthy organic clean delicate tisane that doesn't taste of any of the particular ingredients listed on the packaging. It does not taste or smell of cinnamon at all, even though the tea is sold as Cinnamon Tea and the packaging says it has 35% of cinnamon in it. So this is a tisane with some cinnamon in it not cinnamon tea. Also, the scent and flavour of this tea are totally lost and the tisane tastes more like a chamomile than of anything else, but there is no chamomile in it.
 
I won't buy this again. I will stick to my Celestial Cinnamon and Apple Tea, which is more expensive but one teabag brews two mugs of tea and tastes and smells of cinnamon. This one of example why tisanes should be called tisanes unless the majority of the ingredient in a tea bag is the product mentioned on the packaging.

The Happy Snack Company Roasted and Lightly Salted Fava Beans (6 x 25g )

I confess that I had a favourable bias towards toasted/roasted fava beans (broadbeans) because I grew up in the Mediterranean where this has always been around.
 
This is one of my favourite healthy snacks. Unlike many other healthy packaged stuff that I've tried, this snack is actually terrific regarding flavour, crunchiness and health ratings. Too many healthy snacks are tasteless, have too much sweetener, or still have sugar in them, or are not pure ingredients. Instead, this is a yummy crunchy flavoursome snack that is all natural, has no sugar, no gluten, no fats, vegan and, to top it all, it's made in Oz. Best thing, it's tastes great. I've also noticed that when I am hungry at work and have one of these mini bags as snack, it curves down my appetite for good.
 
I love this packaging with individual bags, as it's perfect to control portion size and to carry around in my small handbag, or to put in my lunch box or stock it in my office drawers.

9/20/2024

NUTRA Gycemia Tea -- WTF Shopping Moment: Yes. Perhaps. No. Who knows

This product is sold as a tea to help control blood sugar by using plants traditionally known for that purpose: bitter melon, cinnamon and fenugreek. This explains the name Glycemia and, I guess, the high price. The brand is crystal clear about what they offer and their Amazon product page has great clear photos showing ingredients and preparation instructions. That's great.
 
Now, if you sell something marketed as Glycemia, as something to help me with any health-related issue, I expect the company to have some kind of scientific backup for their claims. Obviously they don't. And here it comes the irony: this tea is sold to assist you with you sugar levels, right? However, one of box sides clearly states the following, "This product is not designed to prevent, treat or cure any disease or medical condition." Sweet. Pun intended. So it does not help with anything. No issue, sell it as a herbal tea, not as a tea to assist with your sugar levels. But... there is more. The box printed text also says "Please seek medical advice before drinking this tea if you are on prescribed medication, suffer from high blood pressure or are pregnant." So it seems that the tea has some sort of medicinal properties that might have an interaction with medication. Like if you're taking this tea most likely you're taking tablets to control your sugar levels; otherwise, you would be drinking Early Grey. So it has some sort of medicinal properties, because if it had none, the latter comment would be unnecessary. What the heck?
 
My head is spinning in all directions. It reads like the company wants you to assume whatever you want to assume and they cover all sides so that you cannot sue them or any assumption that they might have contributed to create. Just ridiculous and brilliant at the same time.
 
If the price was average or the amount of bags in the packet many, I wouldn't mind the marketing crappola. However, these tea bags are sold at an above-average herbal tea price (like double) and with a promise of whatever you want to believe. Thank you gosh they're not selling religious books. 
 
For the rest this is a pleasant herbal tisane, with subtle but distinctive flavour and a hint of bitterness that I love.  
 

L'Oreal Elvive Moisturising & Plumping Hyaluron Plump Moisture Mask, 300ml

I was lured by the discounted priced and the hyaluronic acid in it. I know this product is widely used in face creams and serums and the results are noticeable skin wise. I don't exactly how this is achieved on the hair as hair is follicle not skin, though.
 
I don't get what the packaging means by "plumping". Like volumising? Thickening? My hair was a volumised after using it as it was before. My hair is wavy and thick, so perhaps people with fine sparse hair might have a different experience and results.

I don't particularly like the scent, the jelly like texture, the colouring added to it, or the fact that I had to use a lot of product to untangle my long hair and it does not untangle as well as other masks from other brand that I use. It didn't feel it was as  nourishing either, not even compared to other varieties from the same brand and price range.
 
On the other hand, my hair looked very shiny and healthy looking after use, and the price tag is really good.
 
Not my fav hair mask, but a good one when I'm on a budget.