Temporary Hiatus

I hate to say it, but complete lack of internet is clearly a problem. As soon as I have it more than once/twice a week I will pick up this blog again, I enjoy it... but, I don't have the resources just now.

Almost thanksgiving time... Libby's Pumpkin Puree

I know, strictly speaking, it is food... but its certainly specialist. And... it just really does create a VERY nice pumpkin pie, less liquidy and a slightly different quality of pumpkin to most other brands. It does seem to be getting harder to find, but I've sourced some for this year... Stock up if you can find it!

Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 4
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 9 (I do LOVE pumpkin pie tho!)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 4 (I mean, it is only useful when you need pumpkin puree)
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 10
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 6 (Its... pumpkin!)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 1

*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: MAYBE, BUT I'D BE UNHAPPY
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male, Female, Most Ages, Americans

Aussie miracle moist shampoo

Admittedly I've been a long term Aussie fan, because back when my hair was painfully limp, only their volumising shampoo seemed to solve the problem. Since then, my hair has gone through all sorts of interesting phases, but Aussie seems to solve each of them with various shampoos / conditioners. I use salon products for styling, and then the already much mentioned Boots hairspray for finishing, and have to say it all works out very well.

Specifically, though, miracle moist has done a really good job keeping my hair from looking dry and straggly, hasn't killed the volume, and in fact is controlling the fly aways quite well (I most recently switched from frizz miracle/smooth mate/ whatever it is currently being marketed as). I often use conditioner with it (usually for colour treated hair) but not even always, it stays fairly moist on its own. I do wash my hair every day, and rarely vary shampoo, no residue or issues at all.

For men- I promise you I've seen many guys with this shampoo, and not all have long hair or are metrosexual. To be fair, it will be less important for shorter hair, but it still gives great results!

Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 4 (Its still only shampoo)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 7 (I haven't tried EVERYTHING out there)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 8
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 10 (Shampoo is second to, like, toothpaste and contact lenses. Your priorities may vary, but clean good looking hair is important)
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 9 (see above)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 2 (Nice packaging)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 3 (Australia is cool...)

*Do I think its the best in its field: NO
*Could I live without it: MAYBE, BUT I'D BE UNHAPPY
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male, Female, Teenagers, Adults, People with long hair

A day late, but extra excited... Tesco cotton wool buds

I know, seriously, right? But I love cotton wool buds in every way. I may not be supposed to... but they really are handy with my generally otherwise sad ears, and they take nail polish off... and are generally good for cleaning small things. Tesco has a very sensible and useful approach, although they do have a weird beauty variant which has two different ends, is ok for certain types of cleaning, but otherwise very annoying! Still, the main ones... they work. And I have over the years found several brands that don't... in all sorts of countries!

Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 1
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 10
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 4
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 7
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 7 (There really aren't any good replacements)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 1 (Neutral)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 1 (It really isn't...)

*Do I think its the best in its field: NO
*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, Most ages, Babies

Uniqlo extra fine merino wool sweaters

Clothing is a tricky one, because fit, preference, etc... but no seriously, whoever you are you should find something to love here. Unless you really can't handle wool clothing... I can't help you there.

In general Uniqlo has a great record with very durable clothing... no holes, no stretching. Seems to resist stains, even in the lighter colours. Partly this is due to using good fabrics (i.e. cotton, linen, wool). I haven't had these particular ones very long, but so far they are doing very well, even compared to some softer and cuter wool jumpers I've come across.

They have a huge variety of colours, and even though only two really jumped at me once I tried them on, I feel most people would find similar. One is blue, the other is grey. Never have I known a company to make greys interesting! You don't guess it will be, but once I tried them on I saw that it really made my eyes stand out, just really worked. Not actually boring at all. Even when worn with a black skirt!

They also offer quite a variety of cuts, and are pretty good in their size range. At the end of the day, even fitted jumpers have a tiny bit of give. I'm not promising it'll be perfect for you, but give it a try! Seriously. For myself, an absolute win, not their first, and hopefully not their last.


Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 2
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 9 (Might go up to 10)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 6 (Might go up as high as 8 over time)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (Your mileage may vary with how much you need jumpers)
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 6 (Jumpers in general, closer to 10)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 4 (They are cute)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 3 (Which goes up if people know Uniqlo / travel to other countries)

*Do I think its the best in its field: POSSIBLY
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD (And I think I'd need SOME jumpers!)
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male, Female, Adults, City / Town

Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm (Original)

Lip balm reached some sort of pinnacle when this was made, and one which the company itself has never equalled. I'm not saying I can't use other ones, if I have to, but they aren't as nice. They also don't tend to last as long, which means I run out quite quickly. Further, Burt's Bees is relatively resistant to being licked off (great for me when I'm nervous). It also makes me want to lick my lips slightly less, which is helpful... and seems to go on well under lipstick and reasonably under lip gloss. It also works great on the skin around your lips, and for those who care, its a nice solid unisex design. If your lips are bleeding (not just chapped) you probably want to go with something gentler in the first instance (possibly even another one of their line, I just don't find the variations strong enough). Otherwise, I fail to see how others can beat it.

Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 7 (Its very expensive for lip gloss, particularly in the UK)
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 9 (It lasts long enough to make up for the cost difference, and its better to boot)
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 9 (Most durable lip gloss I've ever found)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 10 (Hey, I live in places where its necessary AND I lick my lips. Double negative. Less necessary in Indonesia/Malaysia)
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 4 (Peppermint makes me smile, and Burt's Bees has a bit of general happiness about it)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 5 (Its like enviro-cool, or geek-cool, but its still kinda cool!)

*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 : Male, Female, Most ages

Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.

Fulton Folding Umbrellas

Its like an answer to all my umbrella dreams. No, really! And somewhere within the range, you should find one that answers your dreams as well. I'm not sure my exact one is sold anymore, but it is quite close to a Superslim. It measures 22cm when closed (they range about 15-23.5 from what I can see) and a mere 50cm when open (the lowest current one is 86cm?). With just a 3cm diameter it fits in almost all of my handbags, no mean feat. Its super lightweight, amazingly sturdy, and has a nice round handle. The funny rectangle ones just don't *work* in my hands! However some of the other ranges allow for square handles, or "standard' ones, and slightly bigger umbrellas. This is often for the price of a bit more weight, but most people will hardly notice the difference.

Both my current one and my near identical previous one had patterns, but they have plenty of plain colours as well as a variety of both interesting and cheesy patterns. My previous one was a victim of the same crime that lost me my handbag and ridiculous amounts of contents, and the umbrella was one of the last things I managed to replace, as foolishly I hadn't noted the brand first time around. Neither have ever shown the least signs of breaking, over a collective three year period (the current one is about two years of age).

It does a fairly good job ending itself to being put away properly, the cover is easy to use, awesomely matching, and makes putting it away wet no problem. I seldom dry it afterwards, although its never truly a bad idea. My cover was very recently lost in a bus stop accident, and I miss it, but until that moment it was very useful! Its not your standard golf umbrella, and you won't easily fit another person under it, but this makes it even easier for darting around in the city with. 100% Win.

Cost 1-10 with ten the most expensive: 2
Value for money 1-10 with ten being the best: 10
Durability 1-10 with ten being the most: 8 (I wouldn't bash it against walls when open, etc)
Usefulness 1-10 with ten being the most: 10
Importance 1-10 with 10 being the most: 8
Smile Factor 1-10 with ten being the most: 7 (Increases with increasingly awesome patterns. I've averaged the two I owned, but seen some others that would ramp that right up...)
Cool Factor: 1-10 with ten being the most: 6 (Depends on your patterns. Hardly uncool, though, on the whole).

*Do I think its the best in its field: YES
*Could I live without it: YES, BUT MY LIFE WOULDN'T BE AS GOOD (I would, without one, be living without an umbrella entirely... it is doable, but not ideal)
*Target gender, age range, and possible further demographic targets : Male, Female, Most ages, City (Living or travelling)

Disclaimer: No financial interest in this company and no-one else asked me to do this review.