A List of my Favorite Products 2021

 NOTE: You might want to skip to the bottom

and just check out the photos. This 

post is kinda... long!

I don't think I have done this for a while. The lists I share on Amazon are not something the get a lot of views. I forget they are even there sometimes. But I wanted to think about some of the many products I blog about and pick some stand-out favorites. Here goes. (By the way, photos are just randomly placed throughout.)

Hair & Beauty

• Honey Hydrate. I trashed it in a review, then fell in love with it. It's not cheap but it's worth every penny.
• Taliah Waajid's Intense Moisture & Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner. Like the Honey Hydrate, it has the power to soften the crunchiest hair. I like to use it as a twisting cream after a fresh wash.
• Joah Beauty makeup brushes. I might actually use brushes over silicone blenders after using these angel-kiss tools. I got to sample the large brush and the blender brush and, yeah.
• Blistex Conditioning Lip Serum. This is the best lip product I have that's also very affordable.
• Neutrogena Hydra Boost Lip Treatment. It's one of those really effective products that you only have to use every now and then, so that makes it affordable. I think it's the hyaluronic acid that smoothed my old-age lips!
• Dermalogica Melting Moisture Mask is a product I got to sample & would probably have to skip a few meals to afford. HOWEVER... this stuff is amazing. Like some of the other products on this list, I have to use this sparingly because it works that well.
• Dashing Diva Gloss Ultra Shine Gel Manicure. I don't like going to salon manicures - they are too expensive for a regular treat - but I love pretty nails. I wore the nail wraps from this inexpensive kit for probably 15 days.I could have gone for longer but the edges on a couple were lifting and snagging my hair when I was styling it. I'm getting more sets and plan to have cute nails more often!
• I'm going to include a couple of fragrances here: Angel Nova by Mugler is just... divine. Eros by Versace made me want to be in love. Then there is Gorgeous! by Michael Kors which is more playfully sexy. They are from the samples I get in the mail from Macy's on a regular basis. 
• The Tangle Teezer. Oh. My. Goodness. My nappy hair loves this brush/detangler. Best thing that's happened to my hair in a while.
• Making Cosmetics makes a few things I heart. Their Almond, Apricot and Nourishing Oil are must-have-arounds. 

Home - Kitchen - Pantry - Office

• The Lemon Poundcake scented oil from Candle Science will probably forever be a favorite. I had to give up the Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies wax melts because the price got stupid. When I found the Lemon Poundcake, I stopped missing the ILSC melts. 
• I love, love, LOVE my Bissell Bagless. It's almost 3 years old and still a workhorse.
• My Electric Kettle is life. I got the cute gooseneck one & I use that thing at least 3 times a day - more now that I am drinking instant coffee.
• The Brother HL-2300D that I have had since 2016 and dragged from Alaska to Iowa to Alaska and back here to Iowa. That thing uses cheap toner and cheap paper and just never stops.
• My Echo Smart Pen that I still use and love, love, love. For someone with my memory issues, it's sometimes a real lifesaver.
• The Instant Pot. You know what it is.
• Cascara Tea. I need to drink it more often but it makes me feel great. It's full of antioxidants.
• My first food sealer just keeps going and going. I hate the 2nd and more fancy one I got.
• The set of cast iron I never want to be without. I am still thrilled with the Dutch Oven/Skillet combo.
• Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning is right up there with my Lawry's Seasoned Salt. The Cavender's is actually better because their low-sodium version tastes better than low-sodium Lawry's.
• Of course, I am going to add the Beaumont and Nescafe instant coffees.
• Banquet Fried Chicken. If you don't want to fry chicken but you want it crispy & seasoned, this is it. Plus, you can fix one piece at a time.

Vape Products

• Since my Smok Veneno gave up the game a while back (poor thing just gave out one day!), I rely on my Sigelei Shikra. It didn't start as a fave but the tank is the main thing in a vape and this one uses my Voopoo UForce tank.
• I just discovered the best Juul-like disposable ever: Simple Sticks. I only tried Peach and Mango Freeze. They can keep the Mango but that Peach is a juicy gem.

So, in your face, Oprah. You don't have to be rich and have rich tastes to have a nice list of favorites.

I'm sure I could add a few more things but I wanted to stick with the real highlights. If I wanted to be silly, I would add the Banquet Chicken I've been craving lately. KFC lost me when they wanted about 20 bucks for an 8-piece bucket. Banquet not only is more affordable, it tastes better and I can cook one piece at a time. Girl, bye.

Some of the things on these lists were given to me as samples to try. You all really need to hop on the samples wagon. Use an email address separate from your main one and sign up. My free Macy's sample fragrances are such a mood-lifter. Also, some places online let you get to try luxury-priced items that you might otherwise skip. The Dermalogica is something I probably would never have looked twice at. Now it's going on my Birthday & Christmas Beg lists for my family! The Diva nail wraps were in my cheapo Walmart Beauty Box. Do you know how excited I am that I can spend less than 10 bucks and 10 minutes to end up with a really pretty manicure? And no messy brushes involved? I'm on that.

Photos of all the ones I might 

or might not

have been too lazy

to categorize!

Better than ~gasp~ Aussie Moist

The most awesome primer

                                                                        

                                                                                                                 

Fresca - the non-diet-tasting
diet soda

Best nappy hairbrush

                                                                                                  

The dream bread
machine

Must-have cast iron
Dutch oven/skillet combo

Milk for single people

Best honey EVER

If you are gonna drink
it black, this is the one

too pricey but so 
worth it

 

Smells like You

Yes, chile, yes

My shade match

Never clean up 
a pot's boil-over again

Cascara Coffee

 

I will never pay for a salon manicure again

Last but never least is my sugar bear. I can never do a "favorites" list without the most important, all-time, numba one:

This is all of my heart!

Next, I will do a list of my favorite online shops (and tell you why they made the list).

Peace

--Free

Looking Back on 2019 Reviews

I'm late doing this because I forgot to schedule the post Anyway...
Here are some products from 2019 (and a few from before) that have made a lasting impression on me

Of all the beauty stuff - hair, makeup, skincare - I have almost too many I want to mention, but let me try to hit the mains:

Curel HydraTherapy & Garnier SkinActive Moisture Mask  are both from this review. Love both products and still buy the Garnier on a regular basis (check recent posts).

With all the rage about Asian skincare products, I want to mention the KOSE SOFTYMO Speedy Cleansing Oil and Kikumasamune Sake Skin Lotion High Moisture. I like them both but have to use sparingly. The oil will break me out if I use too often and the lotion is great but has that yeast-like odor...

This toner from Whal Myung is awesome, but... I cannot afford to indulge. If you can budget this in, you might want to.

The Aquafor Body Spray and Pantene Foam from this beauty box will always be in my arsenal.

Lumify Eye Drops are pricey as gold but so worth it. Haven't found anything that comes close.

I'm sorry, but the more I think about the FabFitFun box, the more ridiculous it seems to spend $50 on a box of random items of possible regret. I will stick with my $5 mood-lifting Walmart and Target boxes. If I had $50 a month to toss away, it would be on vape devices.

I have not ordered any skin or fragrance oils from Piping Rock in a long time. They usually have good products at good prices but when you get a stinker, they don't care. Customer service is everything, people.

I use Pumpkin Seed Oil or another good oil almost every night as a cuticle treatment and I use it on my hair when it gets ridiculously dry. This or another oil mixed with emu oil is so good on cuticles.
Greek Remedy Oil is another multi-purpose oil. It smells so good and is soothing just before bedtime. I also love their soap and foot cream.

I haven't used this beauty brush since I don't know when. I'm not good about keeping up on batteries for things. It's one of the reasons I haven't gotten a milk frother - the affordable ones are all battery operated. Ugh!

I have tried a few different brands of Magnesium Oil but the basic product is so good for helping me to relax and sleep through the night. I've recommended this to friends and family members.

By the way, I still get the Walmart Beauty Box and have no regrets (most of the time). It's a five-buck-for-handling deal so you can't beat it.

   

For around the house

Cosco 2-Step Steel Folding Step Stool (Can't recommend this enough. I use mine at least 3 times a day.)

I have not been able to kill this little coffee pot. It's so perfect for me as a single. When it wears out, I plan to get another just like it.

I probably don't have to mention that the Instant Pot is a fave. I did upgrade to a larger size. Best thing for singles and families.

Flour Sack Towels for the kitchen are essential. If you get a good brand, they are so worth having.

The Eco-Friendly Reusable Towels are... they are good if you don't mind replacing them fairly often. Once they have been washed about 5 times, they start getting lint-y and kind of gross. I kept some old ones to wipe up floor messes but I don't want them near my dishes once they get too worn. Honestly, I prefer using paper towels at this point.

This steam cleaner is the business. I don't use it as much because it's sometimes easier to just wet mop the floor, BUT... it's great for steaming to disinfect things. Also, I use it to clean the floors when they are super icky from a spill or on the carpet to kind of fluff it up. The only con to this is setting it to use and then dumping any leftover water.

The seller replaced this food sealer once and I still use it probably 5 times a day. Seriously. As a single person not wanting to waste products sold in large quantities, this is a must.

The stick blender is another love of mine. I use this almost every single day - or twice a day - to make smoothies, add stuff to my coffees, or to prep food for cooking. (I just realized that I never reviewed it here I'll have to do a quick post on it!)

I am in LOVE with my Dutch oven. Of all my cast iron, that's probably my favorite.  Nah. I can't pick a favorite piece of cast iron!

Okay. Another year has rolled around so let's talk about this juicer... So I am not doing all the juicing I thought I would. I hate cleaning a juicer. I hate dealing with the mess of juicing. Fruit is so freaking expensive in the winter. And blah blah blah. I need to sell this thing and get me a good milk frother for my coffee.

And pantry & fridge

I still do a large part of my grocery and household shopping online. Hy-Vee went and raised their delivery rates and that sucks, but, still...

I'm still a huge fan of Monk Fruit Sweetener. I do my coffee black most of the time now, but use the sweetener in green smoothies to take off the edge...

While I haven't gotten any more Golden Tea, I am using my regular Tumeric in my a lot of my food and coffees and teas. 

The Hoosier Hill Farm All American Whole Milk Powder and the heavy Cream are both worth it. If you are single or need to store a lot of milk for kids, this is the best way, IMO.

I cannot rave enough about having some Manuka honey around - any good quality raw honey.

After having this fresh nutmeg, I don't think I can do with canned variety anymore. I like the fresh so much that I am looking for other spices to get. Just getting bougie!

While I still love using Miracle Berries, I haven't been buying any. The prices are not great for using these on a regular basis and the quality from purchase to purchase can be iffy. Still, this is something I use every now and then.

And the vape life...

I am still on the vape. I love it. I don't think I have had a cigarette craving in a few months now (and I am close to 2 years quit! I am to the point now where I can go days using only zero-nic juice but when I get cranky...

The Voopoo Caliber vape pen let me down, design-wise. It's still a great device but the center pin is a mess. I still use it but I have to use my Smok Beast tank with it to connect to that pin. Booooo, Voopoo!

The Boulder Rock Vape Pen is still one of the best (and cheapest) devices. Love this thing, but I gave it to my sis in law.

The Voopoo Alpha Zip is probably the most discreet pod device I've seen. For something this sleek and streamlined, it's a good vape. So Voopoo can do something right.

Speaking of good vape devices, this SMOK Veneno is still a workhorse after all this time. Love it, love it, love it.

I still use this regularly. The Uwell Caliburn gets a lot of hype and it is a good device, but it's only a Juul-killer because of the quality of the device - Juul still has the best juice that ever was. Not that it's easy to buy anymore...

The writing and the random

If you have not checked out Bibisco's software for writers... well, just do so.

And I am still using my Livescribe pen, yes, I am.

I no longer use CBD oil or Kratom anymore. I don't trust the variations in quality. I vape because I only use juices tested sources, so I'm sure not going to risk messing with other random things.

There are more faves and regrets among the reviews of the past year, but I don't have the patience to sift through the old posts. This year, I hope to do as much actual blogging about life as I do posting reviews.

Peace
--Free

And for the music today,  a little bit of Beth Hart

This song should end up being a classic

**REVIEW** ScentSationals (scented wax)

If you ever wanted a simple way to brighten, enhance or lift your mood, you have to try ScentSationals wax melts. This one is my all-time favorite right here:

I've also tried some others and this is another fave:

The Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie (ILSC) scent is so fresh and calming that I have driven across town to other Walmart locations to stock up. I told a friend of mine that the fragrance is better than a Valium. I'm not kidding. I am beginning to think that I might be addicted to the scent.

Not long ago, I tried one of the Burt's Bees wax melts. What a disappointment. First of all, like most things from Burt's Bees, the item was overpriced. The scent was amazing though. Until I tried to use it. I still can't figure out how something that smelled so good in the container could lose every hint of fragrance as soon as it started to warm. I mean, there was NOTHING fragrant coming from that wax once you moved your nose more than half an inch from the warming pot.

If you think I'm being harsh about Burt and his bees, I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed by the wax melts. The next time I was in the store to pick up some more of those fabulous ScentSationals, another customer and I discussed our disgust with Burt's wax melts. She said that she'd actually bought more than one scent, and had even bought one of the candles. In her opinion, the candle was slightly better than the melts - but only very slightly. She had returned all the unused items. Like me, she was sticking with the more affordable lines. (By the way, her favorite are the melts from Better Homes and Gardens. They are about the same price as my faves so I tried out one. Not bad, but I haven't seen a lemon scent to match the ILSC!)

(NOTE: I have no idea what's up with the Better Homes site.)

I used the ILSC in my room and in the trailer because that's where I spend most of my time. I have used the other fragrances in the family bathroom. It's nice that the bathroom always smells pleasant (without anyone having to call attention to themselves by spraying away odor or running the fan), but it's tricky to choose a scent. The guys in the family don't want anything "girly" (seriously, this is what they'd say), but none of us want anything too strong or pronounced. What I ended up doing was choosing from the line of "Refreshing" scents. Tea, Fresh Air, and Rainy Day are the light fragrances we can all enjoy. Those are the kinds of scents that they guys in our family would use in their cars.

One of the things I love most about ScentSationals (other than the wonderfully affordable price) is that the fragrance lasts and lasts and lasts. If I melt three of the cubes on High, I can get a good 2 full days use at full strength. The fragrance does start to wane a bit after that and I've learned to use the Low setting if I want to get another couple of days use from the melts. I used to just dump the depleted (and cooled) wax in the trash basket to freshen it. Lately, I will save some of the used wax in a spare jar. When I'm at my monthly budget limit for household things, I will stick a tea light candle in the scented wax. There's usually a little bit of scent left and tea-lights are nice for setting a relaxing mood. (By the way, I was going to take a photo, but I am also out of tealights. Dangit!**)

Another way to use these wax melts is to store the unopened containers in your dresser drawers. Basically, use them as sachets until you get ready to use them in a warming pot, My mother used to give me little powder sachets to put in my dresser when I was starting to mature. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

This next tip for freshening your car can be tricky so try it at your own risk. I'm just sharing my experiences and yall now that I have had some blips in life...  Put one of the wax melts in some kind of small container (preferably glass or thick plastic) with a lid and leave it half open in your car. Of course, this works well on warm summer days. In cooler weather, you'll have to rely on the car's running heater/warmth. It's still nice. For containers, I have cleaned out some makeup jars and such.

One of the highlights of my life is going to the store with DJ to pick up our ScentSationals. I make it part of my monthly grocery shopping routine. DJ likes to pick out at least three or four scents to smell. His verdict is either"Eww! NO!" or "\Yum. I like this one." He doesn't even care that I mostly only get the ILSC scent. We can spend a good fifteen minutes on that aisle, testing different scents. Last month, the closest Walmart was out of ILSC so DJ chose these from Better Homes to try instead:

Nice but not lemony enough

I told him I didn't like it, but he said we should try it. Okay. Turns out, it wasn't anywhere as lemony as our favorite. When we went back to the store a couple weeks ago and saw that scent, DJ goes, "You were right, BooBoo. That one... No, no, nooo." LOL (You have to see now why it so NOT sad that spending time with this kid is a highlight of my life.)

By the way, don't forget that the Better Homes and Gardens wax melts are just about the same price (at Anchorage Walmarts at least) as the ScentSationals. The local price is about $2.30 for the pack with 6 cubes.


Now, I have to mention that the website doesn't make it easy to find your favorites but once you do, there is a nice comparism feature. When I first checked the site for my ILSC scent, I had to use the Search function. Before that I was checking under the wrong categories: Tropical, Garden, etc. The Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies is actually under "Delectables". Okay.

I got extremely frustrated when I added a ton of scents to the "compare" list only to have them disappear. Guess what? I forgot to set up an account. Actually, I don't want an account. I don't want to order online and wait for deliveries when I can just pick items up at the store. Grrrr... Okay, so I established an account only so I could use the Compare feature.

Turns out the Compare feature is pretty useless. I loved the description of the Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies:

"Deliciously baked lemon, lime blend of pure sweet coconut milk and sugar with light notes of vanilla extract."

Yum, right? So I wanted to compare other scents to see what I might like in the same range. This is what I get from the description of Red Velvet Cake:

"Red Velvet Cake
2 oz"

Yeah. That tells me all of nothing.

The site might be useless for anything other than getting a list of scents but, hey, I'd rather follow my nose anyway. I can always ask local stores to order the scents I like

Other than the categories of fragrances (Tropical, Romantic, etc), there's also something called "Fusion" for mixing and matching. By the way, I usually get the 6-cube item (and you can see from the photo that they are a good size for smaller warming pots), but both the Scentsationals and the Better Homes melts come in larger amounts ("value packs") and in con sets:

Finally, I noticed that the scents are cheaper at the local Walmart than they are from the website. Just saying.

Peace
--Free


** If you want to know why I'm out of tealights & can't get more.... Wait for my next review! LOL

2014 Roundup of Favorite Products: Hair Care

To close out the old and enter the new, I spent the last few weeks of 2014 working on this list of some of my favorite products of the year. And, okay, I even included a few of the not-so-favorites.

• Africa's Best Hair Mayo I adore this stuff. I don't use it all the time but, when my hair has gotten stressed and dried out from over-dyeing or just needs a re-boot, this is the stuff. Less the 12 bucks (online) for 15oz; slightly cheaper at local stores - when you can find it. Little goes a long way.
• KeraCare Leave-in. Just wish this were more affordable. A little doesn't always go a long way (depends on what shape my hair is in), but I love the non-sticky softness it gives. 
• Mineral Balsam Conditioner. This is like the Hair Mayo: works best to re-boot my hair from product build-up. Works really well for natural hair care. Seriously hydrates the hair & a little bit does go a long way, making the price well worth it. I cannot find this in any of my local stores or salons, so it's best to order ahead to make sure there's always some on hand. 
• StaSofFro. I will not ever be without some of this around. If my hair is seriously dry, I will drench it in this and sleep with a scarf on. By morning, the spray has soaked in and my hair has gone from desert to ocean - as far as moisture retention. This is best for natural styles because it does make hair difficult to  heat-style. I think this should be a staple for every natural hair woman, especially when wearing protective styles that will maintained for a while. Also, I would never pay more than $5.00 for it. This can easily be found at Walmart wherever there is any kind of ethnic diversity.
• Vidal Sassoon Moisture Lock Shampoo & Conditioner. I know that I'm supposed to be concerned with sulfates and blah blah blah. I want to be concerned but I'm broke. I have to use what is cheap and effective. This fits the bill. I think people overlook V.S. products in favor of all that's newer and trendy, but I have to give this top billing for price and effectiveness.  

As far as things that were on my so-so and so-not lists, I won't go into much detail. Let me just say that I have been disappointed in more than a few hair care products for the following reasons:

1. They get a lot of celebrity endorsement & hype without living up to it. The price is also usually up there with what only a celebrity should be buying... 
2. They don't work as well as more affordable products, but their prices afford them better marketing.
3. They are made by companies that obviously don't understand "natural" hair - or any hair that doesn't fit a general mold of needs. 
4. If they actually do work, they cost so much that it's a shame to use them.

Finally, I save some criticism for all those items that come as part of a hair care kit - hair dyeing kits, hair-relaxing kits, etc. I really hate when they include a shampoo or conditioner that works like voodoo. Until you go out and purchase that shampoo or conditioner as a stand-alone item. Then it never works quite as well. (Kind of like how the $90-a-bottle perfume never smells quite as good as the sample you got. I'm just saying.)

Next time, I will post about some of my favorite skin care products and remedies.

Peace
--Free