Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.
I realise not everyone wears contacts, but lots of us do! Now, I want laser eye surgery, don't get me wrong. But since I can't at the moment... my contacts and glasses are vital. And hard to keep up on.
Now, I was specifically told to go over to the hydrogen peroxide based solutions, which you have to keep out for six hours whilst they neutralise in a special case. The main reason I was sent that way was so I kept them out of my eyes for six hours a a time... which is good for you! The downside is I can't pop them out for a few hours here and there, but you could have a second case with saline (I think they feel weird afterwards though, I no longer like the other solutions). The benefits outweigh the downsides heavily for me.
As a side effect, I found they clean much better as well! Particularly the all in one solutions, using 3-4 products seems a recipe for something to go wrong, and all the steps are inconvenient. Now, don't go against your eye doctors rather specific instructions, but most aren't and don't need to be too involved. In that case, hydrogen peroxide based eye care solutions are a go! Boots is hands down my favourite, but there are others that are ok if they don't feel as good. Particularly in the USA where they don't have Boots, you will have to find another - Clear Care by AOSept seems to be decent. Some people will find they dislike some brands and like others better, so trial sizes are great.
My strongest recommendation is for the general product type, but I champion Boots, and will apply my numerical evaluations to Boots brand specifically.
If someone who isn't used to these asks, that weird noise is in fact the contact lens case... not escaping air or an alarm or whatever else!
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 5 (It is about £10/mo)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 6 (See above... not saying you can do any better!)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 4 (Expiry dates, can't be exposed to sun, just exploded one in my luggage tho badly packed!)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 7 (Can wear glasses, but rather not. I'm taking the general point here, obviously Boots specifically can be replaced if necessary)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 1 (Doesn't mean it makes me UNhappy, so won't be tagged negatively)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 2 (Only awarded for the fizzy case which is fun.)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD (Would say "NO" if meant all contact lens solutions...)
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female, Most ages, Anyone with contact lenses really!
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Make-up - Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer (Original)
Disclaimer - I have no financial interest in this company, and no-one asked me to do this review.
I know some people will have gone running to the hills as soon as I mention make-up, and thats not a gender specific problem, either. I don't mind what you do or don't do - this isn't a fashion blog! But lots of people do use make-up, and this is a highly genericly useful item.
I think most people have realised after a few tries that eye shadow just doesn't last more than an hour or so unless you use a primer. With a primer and the right shadow you can get all day/all night coverage, and sometimes the "all night" extends into the next day if you don't wash it off first... but this is a good thing in the long run. There are several out there, but urban decay is the best I've ever had, and most of the (limited) make-up professionals I've run into recommend it as the only one. It is pretty easily available around the world, which is also ace. As someone who wears it "most days" I'd say it last you about 1.5 years to a tube, so its not too bad with cost either (depending a little on country.. its only about £1/$1 a month (heavily estimated). And you won't get far without it, so buy that FIRST with just one eye shadow palette and two brushes, then expand.
Now, I have expanded, and I can tell you that creme eye liners also benefit loads from primer, and some pencil ones seem to as well (tho just pencil is fairly resilient on its own... if i only wanted 6-8 hours of pencil and no shadow I might skip it, especially if I would be wanting to change my make-up in the evening). A good liquid eyeliner has no need of primer at all, so if that and mascara are all you have, save it for the next shadow moment. I am specifically recommending original, they have four types these days however. They all work equally well, but are not all clear. Depending on your skin tone and the type of shadow you use, you may find another type besides original is sometimes or always useful, so do try them. But for me, they just didn't work, and so I will only come out firmly in favour of the clear version.
Final bonus, it fits easily into make-up bags and hand bags, and is a distinctive shape, so easy to grab by feel.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 7 (You are paying a fair amount for a tiny tube...)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 10 (It lasts ages and completely makes everything worth it)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (Occasionally it wears off, but maybe twice a year?! And that when its older...)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 8 (I want it to be more, but have to recall that you can use liquid eyeliner etc to effect so there are limited other options (plus some people can just use mascara and a lips focus. I'm taking "if you wear make-up" as a given here, otherwise its a zero surely??)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 3 (Its useful, and not ugly, but it has no intrinsic smile factor)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 5 (Urban Decay are a little cool, but it is just primer)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: NO
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Female, teenagers & adults, also useful for all genders/ages in theatre/tv/film/some photography, or any similar situation... even fancy dress, if you like. But value for money will go down with less uses, particularly less than once a week.
I know some people will have gone running to the hills as soon as I mention make-up, and thats not a gender specific problem, either. I don't mind what you do or don't do - this isn't a fashion blog! But lots of people do use make-up, and this is a highly genericly useful item.
I think most people have realised after a few tries that eye shadow just doesn't last more than an hour or so unless you use a primer. With a primer and the right shadow you can get all day/all night coverage, and sometimes the "all night" extends into the next day if you don't wash it off first... but this is a good thing in the long run. There are several out there, but urban decay is the best I've ever had, and most of the (limited) make-up professionals I've run into recommend it as the only one. It is pretty easily available around the world, which is also ace. As someone who wears it "most days" I'd say it last you about 1.5 years to a tube, so its not too bad with cost either (depending a little on country.. its only about £1/$1 a month (heavily estimated). And you won't get far without it, so buy that FIRST with just one eye shadow palette and two brushes, then expand.
Now, I have expanded, and I can tell you that creme eye liners also benefit loads from primer, and some pencil ones seem to as well (tho just pencil is fairly resilient on its own... if i only wanted 6-8 hours of pencil and no shadow I might skip it, especially if I would be wanting to change my make-up in the evening). A good liquid eyeliner has no need of primer at all, so if that and mascara are all you have, save it for the next shadow moment. I am specifically recommending original, they have four types these days however. They all work equally well, but are not all clear. Depending on your skin tone and the type of shadow you use, you may find another type besides original is sometimes or always useful, so do try them. But for me, they just didn't work, and so I will only come out firmly in favour of the clear version.
Final bonus, it fits easily into make-up bags and hand bags, and is a distinctive shape, so easy to grab by feel.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 7 (You are paying a fair amount for a tiny tube...)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 10 (It lasts ages and completely makes everything worth it)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (Occasionally it wears off, but maybe twice a year?! And that when its older...)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 8 (I want it to be more, but have to recall that you can use liquid eyeliner etc to effect so there are limited other options (plus some people can just use mascara and a lips focus. I'm taking "if you wear make-up" as a given here, otherwise its a zero surely??)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 3 (Its useful, and not ugly, but it has no intrinsic smile factor)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 5 (Urban Decay are a little cool, but it is just primer)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: NO
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Female, teenagers & adults, also useful for all genders/ages in theatre/tv/film/some photography, or any similar situation... even fancy dress, if you like. But value for money will go down with less uses, particularly less than once a week.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Sharpie Markers (Multi-coloured)
Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.
It just needs to be said - if you need a marking pen, buy Sharpies. I've tried so many random off brands for so many reasons, and some of them haven't even been remotely useable. Even the ones that wrote at all, weren't anywhere near as good as sharpies. You can find good deals on them, too, if you look in the right places.
My original motivations for buying the multi-coloured ones were to use in the lab, it helped me tell apart experiments/days more easily, and since everyone else had black ones, they were harder to steal (in fact I didn't lose a single one). But they are great for labelling food in shared fridges (more versatile than black) and labelling boxes, and they have a super cool smile factor when you can use random colours for things. Its one of those not very expensive but not strictly necessary purchases that has just been full of win. And win. And win!
I'll have a quick run down of the colours in case you're thinking of buying an individual colour or a small pack instead of the large one. Navy, Purple, and Brown are essentially a cooler version of black, sometimes with more versatility. Nothing else is as solidly good for when you need a dark colour. Red and Magenta are also useful on a large variety of surfaces / tend to stand out. I have used Teal, Orange, and Turquoise and enjoyed them, but they only take to certain surfaces / background colours. Light green and Yellow are both very hard to use, and surprisingly the standard green isn't loads better.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 3
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 8
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 4 (Lets be honest you can get around sharpies in most situations, and can always get around coloured ones)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (They bring me SO much grin)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (There is a geek cool element in play here, but that counts. And even non-geeks like them!)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female, Any age over about 14 years of age, definitely anyone who has to label things a lot for any reason, otherwise for fun, moving, or similar!
It just needs to be said - if you need a marking pen, buy Sharpies. I've tried so many random off brands for so many reasons, and some of them haven't even been remotely useable. Even the ones that wrote at all, weren't anywhere near as good as sharpies. You can find good deals on them, too, if you look in the right places.
My original motivations for buying the multi-coloured ones were to use in the lab, it helped me tell apart experiments/days more easily, and since everyone else had black ones, they were harder to steal (in fact I didn't lose a single one). But they are great for labelling food in shared fridges (more versatile than black) and labelling boxes, and they have a super cool smile factor when you can use random colours for things. Its one of those not very expensive but not strictly necessary purchases that has just been full of win. And win. And win!
I'll have a quick run down of the colours in case you're thinking of buying an individual colour or a small pack instead of the large one. Navy, Purple, and Brown are essentially a cooler version of black, sometimes with more versatility. Nothing else is as solidly good for when you need a dark colour. Red and Magenta are also useful on a large variety of surfaces / tend to stand out. I have used Teal, Orange, and Turquoise and enjoyed them, but they only take to certain surfaces / background colours. Light green and Yellow are both very hard to use, and surprisingly the standard green isn't loads better.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 3
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 8
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 4 (Lets be honest you can get around sharpies in most situations, and can always get around coloured ones)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (They bring me SO much grin)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (There is a geek cool element in play here, but that counts. And even non-geeks like them!)
*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female, Any age over about 14 years of age, definitely anyone who has to label things a lot for any reason, otherwise for fun, moving, or similar!
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Dakine Carry-On / Cabin Luggage (Hombre)
Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.
I've not had overwhelming luck in the past with carry-ons for some reason. My large and ugly but very serviceable checked bag has been around for 11 years and is still limping along, but my most recent previous small suitcase shattered internally... yeah I didn't know that was possible either.
The main points are that it rolls, it fits under the seat in front of you (but not on train luggage racks when full). Its soft, so it stretches a bit, nice large sturdy zippers, and personally I'm a fan of the colour as well. I've only abused it for a year so far, but the only wear and tear it shows at all is on the plastic plating at the bottom where i've dragged it on curbs. It has two handles which remain very securely attached despite me burdening it with up to 40 kilos, the wheels are still in great shape, and it attracts neither dirt nor stains. I think I'm going to call this one a win, there are other colours and patterns available if you fancy them, and as its primarily a snowboarding company? Well, temperatures shouldn't bother it.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 6 (fairly average for what it is)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 8 (Have to see how it holds up in the long term but its looking good)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 8 (So far so good)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 9 (More travel may quickly cause me to upgrade this, I certainly need it loads and my life has improved miles since I got it)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (I enjoy it and find it a good style, but at the end of the day it is grey and black...)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 8 (Company has an edge, good pattern, definitely something about it_
*Do I think its the best in its field: POSSIBLY
*Could I live without it: MAYBE, BUT I'D BE UNHAPPY
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female (absolutely recommend for both), Any age over about 10 years of age, anyone who travels lots - specifically on airplanes, but its great for buses, city visits, and perfectly fine for trains when you want to carry less. You could bring a larger suitcase on a train, certainly, but then this one isn't in the way when you stop for drinks on the way to visit friends etc, etc.
I've not had overwhelming luck in the past with carry-ons for some reason. My large and ugly but very serviceable checked bag has been around for 11 years and is still limping along, but my most recent previous small suitcase shattered internally... yeah I didn't know that was possible either.
The main points are that it rolls, it fits under the seat in front of you (but not on train luggage racks when full). Its soft, so it stretches a bit, nice large sturdy zippers, and personally I'm a fan of the colour as well. I've only abused it for a year so far, but the only wear and tear it shows at all is on the plastic plating at the bottom where i've dragged it on curbs. It has two handles which remain very securely attached despite me burdening it with up to 40 kilos, the wheels are still in great shape, and it attracts neither dirt nor stains. I think I'm going to call this one a win, there are other colours and patterns available if you fancy them, and as its primarily a snowboarding company? Well, temperatures shouldn't bother it.
Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 6 (fairly average for what it is)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 8 (Have to see how it holds up in the long term but its looking good)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 8 (So far so good)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 9 (More travel may quickly cause me to upgrade this, I certainly need it loads and my life has improved miles since I got it)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (I enjoy it and find it a good style, but at the end of the day it is grey and black...)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 8 (Company has an edge, good pattern, definitely something about it_
*Do I think its the best in its field: POSSIBLY
*Could I live without it: MAYBE, BUT I'D BE UNHAPPY
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male & Female (absolutely recommend for both), Any age over about 10 years of age, anyone who travels lots - specifically on airplanes, but its great for buses, city visits, and perfectly fine for trains when you want to carry less. You could bring a larger suitcase on a train, certainly, but then this one isn't in the way when you stop for drinks on the way to visit friends etc, etc.
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