Translate this blog....

Thursday, July 19, 2018

**REVIEW** Target Summer Beauty Box

The Target "Hello Summer Beauty" Box just arrived and I am way more impressed than I expected to be. I think you remember me saying much the same about the Walmart Beauty box for Spring 2018. (By the way, the Walmart Summer box is on the way.) So let's just dive right in and see what the Target box had to offer this month. By the way, you are going to begin to see a theme as we run through the samples...




1. The presentation was very nice and I hate that I tossed the pretty interior tissue before I got a better photo. Please notice the generous sizes of the items.

shipping was SUPER fast



Expires in about 2 weeks though!

2. Much like with "fancier" boxes, the enclosed card details each product and even includes useful tips and bits of info for some items. That was a really nice touch. The $3 coupon is good for an in-store or online Target purchase of $15 or more of cosmetics, skincare or haircare. My only issue with this is that the coupon expires in a couple of weeks.



1.75oz sample
full size = 7.69

3. This Don't Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel is the only thing in the box that I didn't like. I kinda have an unpleasant history with Aunt Jackie and I'm glad I got to try this before I wasted money on it. This was a really generous sample though. I used it (as directed for best results) on washed and still-damp hair. It goes on a little glue-ey but it did help elongate the curl. Only problem is that it made my hair feel as if it had been shellacked. I literally ended up spraying on some water to unstick pieces of my hair because I would have ripped out chunks trying to comb it with my fingers. I just sprayed on some of the next product to see if that would help.



3.3oz sample
full size = $5.99

4. The Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Leave-In Treatment is a really nice treat. I've been kind of ambivalent about S.M. products. When they are good, they are awesome, but when they flop, they flop hard. This leave-in is amazing. It smells good without being overpowering and it cleared up that stiff mess left behind by the Aunt Jackie's. The scent is of a light coconut-water. This is on my list to pick up when I use the coupon. Good stuff and, I'll say again: it smells delicious. I can't wait to try this again after I've washed the Jackie's gunk out of my hair. If it softened my hair like it is, I can't imagine what it will do on clean hair.

2oz sample
full size = $5.99

5. The Cantu Leave-In Conditioning Cream is another new favorite. I don't buy a lot of Cantu products, but they scored with this cream. I love leave-in repairing treatments and I love one that moisturizes as well as this one. Like with product 4, this one has the light scent of coconut - very light. The cream is rich enough that it takes only a bit to treat my hair.

1.75oz each sample
full sizes = $4.59 each

6. I will go ahead and tell you that I love Palmer's products so, even though, I haven't tried these samples of the Coconut Oil Formula Shampoo and Coconut Oil Formula Repairing Conditioner, I have tried Palmer's shampoo and conditioner before (and it might have been these). Getting these samples just reminded me that I haven't used Palmer's in a while. I definitely will be replacing my products with these when I need more shampoo and conditioner again.

4 pcs sample
full pack 24pc = $3.49

7.  The Scunci No Damage Elastics for Thick Hair are perfect for this box. Since the theme is thick, curly, and dry and or damaged hair, a no-damage hair tie is genius. Of course, I cut my hair and still haven't grown it out enough to use these! 😁

0.5oz sample
full size = $7.99




8. Being down here in Iowa where the weather is so humid and changeable between hot and cold, you feel as if you're being sous vide, you need good odor and wetness protection. This Clinical Strength soft sold from Secret is good stuff. I've used Secret before and even though I try to use mostly natural odor protection, every now and then, a gal needs her Secret. This one is scented "light and fresh" and is nice.

Other than that gunky funky Aunt Jackie's, I loved this box. Did you pick up on the coconut theme? Usually, the Target boxes sell out so fast you can hardly grab one. I think that a lot of people were surprised by the afro-hair themed products in this one. If you are interested, there were still some of these boxes left on the website when I checked last night. There is also a Target box for men (which is only $5). Nice.

Now that I have gotten rid of Birchbox, Walmart is the only subscription I still have. Maybe I will be able to catch the Target box when it comes back around.

Peace
--Free

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

**UPDATE** Intermittent Fasting Results

The intermittent fasting is still going well for me. Every time I do one of these updates, I seem to have found more resources that are helpful to me. I will include those links at the bottom of the post. First, though, it's time for the photos showing the most recent results against the March photos. And for today's pics, I will just cover up that hair since I was out of the shower and not groomed!









































(I have to start paying attention to which way I'm standing when I take these pics...)

Maybe for some folks, this doesn't seem like a lot of progress for a 4 month period but keep in mind that, because of my fatigue, I haven't been exercising. I do try to go outside and walk around the apartment building a couple times a day. That's about half a block.

My weight loss has been fluctuating but, taking the advice of some of my nurses, I am looking more at visible and no-scale results. If I go by how my clothing fits, I am on the right track. Also, my feet have not been hurting as badly.

I have switched up on the way I do my fasts. Some of the changes I have incorporated are fluctuating between fasting between 16, 18, and 20 hours each day. I haven't done another 24-hour fast since March but I don't feel the need to do one for a while. Things are, as I said, going well enough. The biggest part of my weight loss is not coming just from fasting but also from what I eat during the feeding hours.

This is what I try to keep on hand in the fridge and pantry:
  • Lots of chicken breasts
  • A little bit of ground beef
  • Bacon
  • Fresh spinach, Kale, Collards (used to get frozen until I got the food sealer)
  • Sliced olives, chopped green chiles (mild), fresh tomato salsa\
  • Onions and garlic (of course!)
  • Coconut milk (mostly for Bulletproof coffees)
  • Coconut oil (unrefined or soft for medium heat)
  • Heavy whipping cream (mostly for Bulletproof - BPC - coffees)
  • Full-fat shelf-stable milk (cos I don't use that often)
  • Trail mix with nuts, and some dark chocolate (see note in next paragraph)
  • MCT oil (after reading tons of reviews, I am using this brand
  • EVOO
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Raw or (when I can afford it) Manuka honey
  • Melons - honeydew, yellow, water, etc. - (whatever is on sale)
  • Lots of unsalted butter, full-fat mayo
  • Lots of filtered water
  • Pellegrino Sparkling water when I can afford it
  • Dark roast coffee - McDonald's brand for drinking it black & Cafe Bustelo for making BPC
As far as the trail mix, it can be expensive even at Walmart so I get one of the big $7 buckets, then buy walnuts and pecans when they are on sale. I will toss the sale nuts into the trail mix bucket to add to the mix. I keep this bucket in the freezer so that the raisins and cranberries don't clump. This is a nice snack along with the dark chocolate. For the dark chocolate, again I get whatever is on the cheap, On my last grocery run, Walmart had the bags of Dove dark chocolate pieces on sale. There are about 30 pieces to a bag so I stuck to just one!

I've been watching the YouTube channel 2 Fit Docs because one of them is a nutritionist and they both practice IF. The husband also practices full Keto and lost 53 pounds in 22 weeks. I also like checking in on the channel Dot2Trot because she has awesome recipes. I like doing a variation of her pizza casserole.


By the way, I am not practicing full Keto; I do keep an eye on my carb intake. Now, as I mentioned, here are some links that might be useful to you all who are trying to do this kind of eating plan.

By the way, there are some good phone/tablet apps for anyone dieting, fasting, or just trying to be healthier. I personally use Fat Secret, iFast, and Time Until. Those are all in the Play store for Android and I'm sure you can find them on iTunes.

Peace
--Free

Monday, July 16, 2018

**REVIEW** Birchbox July 2018

This month's box isn't awful, but when I see what other people got, I have to admit to being kind of disgruntled. I have always, always, always wanted to try one of the LaVanilla perfumes - which was in some of the boxes - and yet, none for me. Perfume is one of the things I put on my profile.

~sigh~

Okay, so what did I get? Well, yet another freaking Eyeco product. A brow liner. What is with the eyebrow stuff and Birchbox?

Anyway, I won't actually talk much about each product. I will just do a reveal of my box and end with some comments.


The brown stuff you see in the other pics? It's this. Leaked. EVERYwhere... 






And, like the INXS song, the Vasanti cloths are the one thing. The only thing I was really okay with. And I chose it.




Well.

I just hopped over and canceled my Birchbox subscription. I gave them a try and, apparently, either my profile means nothing or - and I have really wondered about this - they give the very best stuff to top "influencers". I don't know. Doesn't matter. This is 10 bucks I can save for groceries or something else.

Peace
-Free

Saturday, July 14, 2018

FINAL UPDATE **REVIEW** Food Sealer NEXT-SHINE VS6610

FINAL UPDATE
I contacted the company again about the response they initially gave (a copy/paste type response) and they got in touch.

I also made a comment on  video and the comment got a response from a Next-Shine rep. They advised me to contact them again, which I did.

They were very courteous and apologized for sounding as if they hadn't cared the first time. They offered me both a refund and a replacement machine. I accepted and the replacement arrived yesterday. I still have not seen the credit for the refund on any card or site accounts. At least I do have a new unit. I only wish I had not bought a replacement so maybe I will send that one back for a refund.

At any rate, I wanted to share with you that, while it may take some patience and a second contact, Next-Shine does try to attend to customers' problems.

2nd Update *Critical*
On December 17, 2018 - just about up to 6 months into owning and using this item, it stopped. It didn't slow up and stop or wind down and stop. It just stopped cold. I was about to vac-seal a bag of snack sausage and when I hit the button, the light flickered on then off and nothing else happened. Oddly enough, I am still able to seal things but I can't vac-seal and I can't use the accessory function.

My Amazon return period has passed so I contacted the seller to ask if this was a common or known issue and if they could tell me how to fix it. Their response was prompt and courteous but basically unhelpful. And it's the same one I see given to other customers in comments on the Amazon page of reviews. This is a copy/paste of the response: We want to know it has problem when you use it first time? Or stopped working after using many times? And may i know you usually use it to vacuum and seal what kind of food? Would you mind take a video for this itme? You can tell us details by this video, that can help us to solve the problem asap.  How can I video anything when the machine simply does not turn on? Do I video that? 

In their favor, they did ask for my Order Number. Maybe they will be looking into replacing the unit for me. I have not heard back.

I let them know that I have already purchased a second unit - this time with a protection plan (there goes the Christmas money my family sent) and that I will be documenting the use and potential problems and posting it on this blog. I will keep you guys informed.


**UPDATE is at the bottom of this original posting**

July 16th is the date of the 2018 Prime Day. I'm not too excited because I really can't afford to go shopping crazy. However, I'm happy that I snagged one of the earlier "lightning deals". It was for this Food Sealer from Next Shine and I caught it in the last 3 minutes of the deal.





This is the machine straight out of the box:



And this is what it looks like once it's all plugged in and ready to go:




I feel like I hit a little jackpot. Don't get me wrong; it's not as if I saved a huge amount of money during the deal. Despite the "list price" of $65.00 that was shown, I really only saved about $14 off the usual Amazon posted price of about $37. Still, since I really have been needing (and looking for) a decent food sealer, I think I came out okay.

(Side note: last year I did get a handheld vac sealer from Moyeah. It worked for the short term, but I don't have the hand strength to use it much. Also, it is only for very small jobs.)

One of the reasons I have wanted a sealer is because of my solo lifestyle. Coming out of a big family and being around a lot of people all the time, it's been an adjustment for me to cook for one. It's can also be more costly in some ways. Gone are my days of buying certain things in bulk. Fruit and veggies spoil before I can eat them up. Until I started buying shelf-stable dairy, I threw out more half-containers of milk than I care to think about.

The Next Shine Sealer
in action

Another reason a sealer is so useful for me is that I fast between 18 and (usually) 20 hours a day. Yes, every day. Since on most days I only have a few hours to eat, I like having my meals mostly ready to go. Meaning, I want to be able to heat and eat. Fasting is no longer difficult for me but it's no fun to spend time preparing food that you have to wait so long to eat.

I realized that I will be able to make some complete meals in advance, seal and store them, then take out and heat in boiling water or the microwave. Of course, it all depends on what your heating, but you get the idea. The Healthy Maven has some good meal ideas.

I got started straight away taking care of some groceries.

On IF I can have lots of meats and cheeses. Without bread. 

I've learned to drink my coffee black. Most of the time.

So. Now I can buy larger quantities of food that is healthier for me. I love greens like kale and collards. I also enjoy snacking on grapes and melon and lunch meats. It's so much cheaper and easier to get at least a few bunches of these things in a single shopping trip than to trot back and forth to the stores. And keep in mind, I don't have a vehicle of my own.

Now, let me stop yakking about my life and tell you about this sealer.

PROS of the machine & capabilities:

  • Functions as a vacuum sealer as well as a plain sealer. I can even half-vac some items and stop to seal them without fully compressing the bag.
  • Works quickly and fairly quietly. Is it silent? No. It's not loud enough to be annoying or even for a neighbor to hear from outside the front door (which is very near the kitchen).
  • Has an Accessory function and came with a tube for that. I have ordered a jar sealer pump (about $9) to use this with so that I can seal mason/bell jars. There are YouTub videos that show how this can be done without the jar sealer pumps. I will leave that to you more adventurous types!
  • The size was perfect for storing the machine away on top of the fridge. It will also fit with pans under the cabinet. Some reviewers thought it was too big but I found it lightweight and easy to store.
  • Works to seal more than foods. You can seal phones, cameras, cosmetics, etc for safer travel packing.  I personally will definitely seal any lotions, oils and/or spillable cosmetics the next time I pack. 
  • Using the vac-seal function definitely shrinks things down in size. This is great, depending on the food or item type and can save storage room.
  • Works with just about any type of bag. Once again, there are YouTubers who show how to use even the cheapest "regular" bags with the sealer. By the way, I prefer using the rolls of sealing material over the pre-cut/pre-sized bags.
  • You can re-use bags after cutting them open. It will depend on how much room you leave to seal the lip of the bag. Also, you might have to wash and dry the used bags.
  • This particular model came with 10 (quart size) bags. 
CONS:
  • The buttons for sealing, vac, etc. are marked black on black. This makes them hard to read, but I'm going to use some white out to re-label them.
  • Prices for sealing bags and accessories vary wildly. You will need to do a lot of comparing to find the best price. I found that Walmart had better prices than most other places. Again, I prefer the rolls over bags.
  • You have to be very careful working with liquids or foods that are very wet. It's suggested that you freeze such items first. YouTubers come to the rescue again and show various methods for vac-sealing liquids/wets without freezing. I think I will stick to jars for liquids or just freeze them first.
So, yeah. There aren't that many negatives to this so far. If this machine lasts me a year, I will have gotten an excellent bargain. I've already saved some return trips to the store. I got my greens, cheeses, and meats in larger quantities.

I thought the little storage guides included in the manual was nice.

For the freezer

For the fridge


Now, I don't know how this particular make of food sealer stacks up against others. I've watched several videos and read a ton of reviews for other ones that cost more. This one makes sense for me because of the price and functions. I don't need anything any heavier duty. In my opinion (and that's all I can give), this is a good buy for a typical household of one or two people. Even if this wipes out on me after four or five months, I'll have gotten my money's worth. That doesn't mean I won't be getting in touch with the seller, but... By the way, this only has 4 reviews as I type this, but they are all 4 and 5 stars. I gave it 5 stars. When I get the jar sealer, I will come back and update this. For now, I will leave you with some links to some info on different ways to put a food sealer to use.

Peace
--Free


UPDATE
The jar sealers came and I was able to better seal the melon rinds I have pickling. I also am able to store things that I tend to use a lot of on this IF diet: heavy creams, coconut milk, organic sauces and flavorings, and oils that I've been infusing with my fresh herbs. That last one is really nice because, for some reason, my herb plants are wearing out and withering away. I'm so happy that I got to fix some oils with them.



Okay, now here is the thing that you need to know if you do get these jars sealers: not every hose attachment seems to fit this brand of jar sealer. I guess the Food Saver is a very popular brand of sealer, but  The accessory hose tip from the Next  Shine did not fit the Food Saver jar sealers, which meant I couldn't get enough suction. This is where I had to get a little creative.

Remember, I had that little handheld Moyeah sealer? Well, that thing has a suction tip on it. I was able to easily remove the Moyeah suction tip and attach it to the hose from the Next Shine.




By putting the Moyeah suction cup over the holes on the Food Saver jar sealer, I was able to get vac seal my jars.



I would not have known to do that before I watched a video by North Carolina Prepper. Now, I wouldn't attempt to use his method for storing things in plastic bottles, but what he did to the hose at mark 1:13 was genius.



Thanks, dude.

At any rate, that is one thing I didn't expect to have to do and was lucky that I had that old handheld around to steal a part from. I'm going to mention this little detail in my review on Amazon.

As with sealing things in the bag, the jar system is going to be great for me. I have thrown out as lots of half-used sauces - spaghetti, tomato, pizza - and other canned goods.

If you are interested in knowing which items I personally purchased, they are the wide jar sealer (approx $8), regular jar sealer (approx $9), and food vac bags (approx $17 for 2 rolls of 8-inch wide x 50 ft long). The bags from Walmart were more expensive at approx $7 for 1 roll of 11-inch wide x 16 ft long. Also, Walmart online had rolls at the same price but there is a shipping charge unless your cart total is at least $35. I couldn't find the jar sealers at the brick and mortar store in my town.

It sounds as if I spent quite a bit of money to get started with this food storage system, but it not when you consider the amount of food I won't be throwing out. Then there's the cost of gas for repeat trips to the store. Most important of all is my health. I am down 15 pounds since I started the IF diet. That is 15 pounds solid - not the up-and-down weight that I hate. If I count the seesaw weight, I am down 22 pounds. 

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

**REVIEW** Piping Rock Lotus Flower & Baby Powder Fragrance Oils

The very first fragrance oil I got from Piping Rock was a HUGE disappointment. It took a while before I would even give their fragrance oils another try. And I waited until I found some of the cheaper ones. This time, I went for these



All of them smell wonderful, but the two I have been using the most are the Lotus Flower and Baby Powder oils to scent myself and the apartment. I also got this glass spray bottle.




And, by the way, I just want to comment once again on how carefully P.R. packs items for shipping.



I mixed some of my Vitamin E oil in the glass spray bottle with the Lotus Flower (about 6 drops) and Baby Powder (just over 2 droplets) and have been rubbing it on my neck and arms. For the apartment, I'm using my wonderful Flairosol sprayer (that I was going to do a giveaway for...).



That bottle emits the finest and longest mist of oil and water that it seems made for the job. I mixed into the water several drops of the Lotus and only one of the Baby Powder. What an amazing (and chemical-free) air spray! I can even spray my hair with it before finger-styling. I've gotten compliments from my friends and neighbors who ask what I'm wearing. Piping Rock is going to have to pay me some royalties! Just kidding, but I have told everyone where I got the oils from.

Let me finish by mentioning that I have put some of the Brown Sugar oil in a couple of my hair products. I have two curl creams that are bland smelling.

I can now say that Piping Rock redeemed itself after that debacle with the Tonka Oil. I am still looking for a good source for that. By the way, each of the items was under $2.50 each.

Peace
--Free

Monday, July 09, 2018

**UPDATE** Intermittent Fasting & Some Apps

I've gotten so used to the IF lifestyle that I hardly think of it anymore. I wanted to post a little update and share some of the tools that have been helpful (and free) in the routine.

The day after my June 30th birthday, I went from doing the 16:8 plan (fasting for 16 hours) to the 20:4 plan. Strangely, I find it easy to fast for 20 hours where I struggled a lot with the 16:8 plan. Go figure.

These are 2 of the apps I use (in addition to occasionally using My Fat Secret):

Time Until 
 The Time Until app (above) is my motivator/reminder once I have set the number of hours I plan to fast. So far, I've stuck to the 20-hour fasting but the next app I'm showing you (below) lets me set a schedule of my choosing.

iFasting app

The above app is called iFasting and it is really, really handy for anyone setting a fasting schedule. I've been using it since I went 20:4 and I only have one complaint and that is that it got a couple of my counts wrong:

Or maybe I messed up keying numbers into the app or because fasting times ran into each other... I don't know ~shrug~. I've used the app so much that I considered upgrading to the Pro version. One big problem with that is the price. The Pro version costs $6. That's steep for an app. Since the descriptions in the Play store don't detail the upgraded features, I have contacted the developer to find that out. It's only fair since I am talking about it here on the blog.

I have been considering trying this other app that no one else has downloaded or reviewed. It's called Faster - The Fasting Tracker. I am hesitant because the only thing listed under Permissions is "Other". I really want to know what the heck that means...

Anyway, I have been progressing well with the fasting. My weight is weirdly staying in the same general area (and, no, I'm not telling what area that is), but my clothes are fitting looser and people have been commenting on the "loss". I'll take it. In addition to that, my legs and feet are a lot less sore and tired.

As far as My Fat Secret goes, I haven't been checking in recently. When I check in every day, I'm too focused on minute goals. Thinking too much about what I'm doing to lose weight is self-defeating for me.

When I first started the 20:4 routine, I was trying to schedule my eating hours as late in the day as possible. I think the first few days, I was eating as late as 8:30 and 9:00 at night. That was great because I get most of my cravings at night. Also, I have finally learned to choke down black, unsweetened coffee. (The trick to that for me, by the way, is to make the brew weaker than I do for creamed/sweetened coffee.) Here's the thing, though I only have 4 hours (6 during my 18-hour fasts) to eat and I don't like having that one meal on my gut when I'm about to go to bed.

After a couple of days, my cravings subsided and I found I was eating less. Since that happened, the best schedule I have come up with is to eat during the hours of 1 to 5 or 2 to 4. That leaves a lot of time to be up and avoiding snacking so I make sure to have fresh coffee ready and some water in the fridge. Coffee seems to work as an appetite suppressant, although I messed up one evening and added turmeric to the black coffee. 1 teaspoon Turmeric = 8 calories. Oops. Speaking of sneaky calories, even fresh mint leaves carry a few. Sheesh! I am down to the plain and filtered tap water and weak black java.

My biggest annoyance is my neighbor offering me cookies, cake and margaritas every other day. I've just started giving her this look every time.



I want to point out that one of the reasons I even first attempted the 20:4 schedule is because I read that the body really starts to benefit from fasting at the 16-hour point.  Information at that link shows a chart and includes the following observation:
"But according to the information above, in terms of insulin level, the fast is only really getting going at 16 hours. Extending it further than this ramps the drop in insulin and the increase in lipolysis."
This made sense to me and I realized that my 16-hour fasts were only touching on my goals. Now I'm going for 4 hours into the "sweet spot" the article speaks of. The reduction in cravings is just another benefit.

I cannot wait to post some photos. I feel that, if I keep this up, by the end of this month, I will have some serious visual evidence of IF working. If I were ten years younger, I would have reached my goal weight within a couple of weeks. Alas, this almost 60-year-old body is a little more stubborn!

For those of you also doing IF, I hope you found something useful in this post.

Peace
--Free

Friday, June 29, 2018

**REVIEW** Piping Rock (Oils, Herbs & Supplements)

UPDATE 3/8/20

I ordered something from Piping Rock the other day. I had not been back over there in a while due to a lack of good customer service and standing behind their products. It's very hit and miss. I had that one really bad experience, then I had an okay experience, but I'm still not trusting their customer service. You just never know...

I peruse the site every now and then, but... Anyway, I noticed that the shipping on this latest order is by FedEx - not USPS - and it looks like it's going to take a while. I ordered on March 3rd and didn't get tracking info until the 7th. The package is estimated to arrive on the 13th (which is a day earlier than the first notice I got) - as far as I know, because at the time I am typing this, FedEx's tracking is temporarily down. I hate to say this but I really dread seeing that FedEx is the shipper when I order something. They are slow and careless. There is a problem almost every time I get a package from them.

Piping Rock often has cheaper prices than elsewhere but sometimes the quality reflects that.

I will let you know how this latest order turns out.



NOTE: I actually wrote this review a while back and it didn't publish for some reason. I have updated it a bit and am sharing it with you all now. My oops.

Piping Rock is a recent discovery for me. I needed a place to get some oils, moisturizing butters, and other hair and skin products at prices more affordable than those offered at my usual shopping sites. The thing is,  I want affordable prices,  not cheap quality. So far, I have been 90% pleased with Piping Rock. I will tell you later about that other 10%. For now, let me tell you about my overall experience with the items I've ordered.

Since I found this site back sometime during the deep of winter, I ordered some of the oils I use to moisturize my skin and hair. Among my most pleasant experience, I've ordered Pumpkin Seed, Watermelon, and Abyssinian oils along with some lip balms. The Iowa winter kicked my butt!!




The packaging was amazing. Everything was sealed and very well-cushioned to prevent any breakage or spillage. The only thing that was a bit frustrating to me was that it seemed to take forever to receive my order. I ordered the items on 4/11 and received them on 4/17. On the other hand, I have to stop being so critical because the shipping costs were very reasonable, and there was that awesome packing job they did. As far as the shipping time, I think it's just that Amazon Prime has me spoiled.

This is the packing material my items were protected by:

Thick cushioning!

Also, let's talk about how much I love the Pumpkin Seed and Abyssinian oils. I have used Pumpkin Seed oil before so I know what to expect from a good quality item. This one was wonderful and came in a larger bottle than I can usually afford when I order elsewhere. The Abyssinian oil is something new in my hair and skin care regime so I had to do a lot of reading up on the benefits before I tried it. After having used this for about 2 months, I can tell you that my skin adores this oil. It's touted to add shine and hydrate the scalp without clogging pores. It lived up to the hype for moisturizing, but I have to say that it did a better job of adding shine once I cut my hair and got rid of all those dead, split ends,

I have told you all more than once I believe Pumpkin Seed oil is like a miracle for dry skin and hair. I love having this larger bottle to refill my dropper bottle from time to time. I go through this oil like crazy. I got a 16-ounce bottle from Piping rock for less than what a 4-ounce bottle of the other brand was costing me.

Piping Rock is always having sales so unless I am totally out of and in dire need of an oil or supplement, I wait for one of the major price drops.

For the most part, P.R. has good products and prices, careful packaging, and reasonable shipping and handling costs. So, you might ask me what's not to love? Well...

The first (and so far, the only) bad experience I've had so far with a product's quality was with a Tonka Bean oil. Tonka Bean oil is best known for a lovely aroma that I describe as "warm and spicy vanilla".  It can put you in the mind of a decadent dessert or a type of perfume. As a matter of fact, Guerlain (which makes my beloved Shalimar) has a fragrance called Tonka Imperiale. Someone in my family needs to gift me some of that in a full-size!

When I ordered a bottle of Tonka Bean oil from Piping Rock, I couldn't wait to try it out as a personal fragrance and to add it to my oil warmer. What a huge disappointment! This oil smelled nothing like Tonka Bean and was actually a bit unpleasant. I wondered if I'd had gotten part of a bad batch. When I complained, Piping Rock responded that they checked and the batch was fine. They did tell me that I could return the bottle (at my own expense). Well, boo-hiss to them.

Where I had started out rating Piping Rock at 5 stars for products and prices, I had to drop them down a half star for the Tonka Bean oil and a half star for the nonchalant customer service. I will still order my usual oils from them, but I won't trust them with the more exotic things. By the way, I am still in search of some reasonably priced Tonka oil. The sellers on Amazon are too expensive or non-Prime.

In summary, if it's standard oils and supplements you want, Piping Rock is worth checking out. For the quirky stuff - like Tonka - maybe look elsewhere.

By the way, for those of you who hunt online for these types of ingredients to use in making your own concoctions (like I do), make sure to also check out MakingCosmetics. I've used them in the past and have reviewed them here before.

Peace
--Free

Thursday, June 28, 2018

UPDATE **REVIEW** Bissell Cleanview Bagless Upright Vacuum (Model 95956)

UPDATE:
My wonderful vacuum broke the other day just when I needed it most. 

Don't ask because I don't know...

Of course, the automatic Amazon warranty expired in July. Of. Course. That broken spring up there is on the MAIN part of the vac - the canister. So weird that it just popped out when I was getting ready to empty the thing and check the filter. Anyway, I decided to see if I could buy a replacement for the handle - or spring, or whatever - and I contacted Bissell online. They told me that there is no replacement for the handle; the entire cannister has to be replaced. Before I could have a mini nervous breakdown wondering what that might cost, I was told Bissell would ship one out as soon as I verified my address. At no cost. Not even shipping fees. Wow. So my new canister will be here day after tomorrow. How awesome is that? And they even emailed me a coupon for a percentage off any online purchase I make. Yay, Bissell. I just wanted to make this note about the wonderful customer service. Now, when I start looking for a carpet shampooer, I know who to check out first. Oh, and I guess I should mention that this is all because I made sure to register my vacuum with Bissell even though I made the purchase on Amazon.


**Before I even start the review, let me do a service to anyone who, like me, might be confused about the model numbers of Bissell's Cleanview 9595 series of vacuums. Apparently, the 95956 (the model I have) and the 9595A are the same in every way except for the colors. My model is in Teal and the other is in Purple. I could not clarify this except to contact Bissell and Amazon. On Amazon (where I made my purchase) the 9595A has 11k+ reviews while the 95956 has only 105 reviews at the time of this post. Out of all the answered questions and reviews (and I dragged through just about every single one of them), I only recall seeing a single comment about the color difference. The reason this was so important to me is that I wanted the vacuum for its "OnePass" feature that Bissell seems so proud of. I could not tell clearly from the product info whether or not the 95956 had the feature. My brain does not retain information long enough to keep track when comparing items. I was afraid I had ordered the wrong one...**



Okay. So with that cleared up, let's take a look at why I wanted this particular vacuum.
  1. The price tag = $79.99 + $5.22 for a protection plan. Perfect for my sad budget. The poor little Dirt Devil that I got at Dollar General (and paid, I think, less than $25 for) when I moved here a year ago has been limping along. It picks up the obvious debris but my carpet is very neglected looking from what the DD leaves behind. I've been saving up for about 3 months for a better vacuum but could only afford something under $100. I watched videos and read hundreds of reviews for at least 10 vacuums (and had to take notes so I wouldn't get confused) before I settled on the Cleanview 9595 model. I wanted to go cheaper but...
  2. The suction power. Reviewers rave about the cleaning power of this model. You should see some of the photos of what people seemed to have sucked out of their carpets. At least 10 people mentioned this model having suction at least almost as good as $200 and $400 machines. That part may be little scam-ish, but the photos don't seem to be lying. Reviews that complained about the loudness of the vacuum still gave a thumbs up for the suction. And I need to really clean out all the residue of the spot cleaners I used all winter.
  3. The lightweight design. Lord knows I can barely work up the energy to vacuum at all so I sure don't want some heavy, clunky machine to drag around even such a small apartment
  4. The added bonuses are the attachments, a decent length cord, and a washable filter. The Dirt Devil has a washable filter and that saves money big time. It's also cool that this has an easy-empty cannister.
Keep in mind that this is why I wanted this machine and was hoping it would live up to the hype. The only thing I was bothered by from the product photos is that the power button is placed so far down on the machine. Why not on the handle? That may seem like a petty thing but I've been having back problems the past couple of months and I try not to bend if I don't have to. But whatever. Everything else about this vacuum sounded like my dream product.

So, let's now see how it all worked out. In addition to what I mentioned above, I would also be looking to see how easy it would be to assemble this machine. This is what it looks like when you remove everything from the box:



Once I stuck on the handle, everything else was easy. I have cognitive issues and it only took me around 22 minutes to have it all done and get to vacuuming. And I really did need to get to vacuuming...

I'm going to show this photo of what my carpet looks like pre-vacuuming. I do vacuum at least a couple of times a week with the Dirt Devil and I ran it over the high traffic area right inside the front door - pictured here - about 3 times just so you could see how awful the dirt and buildup of cleaner is. Pretty nasty, right? (By the way, now that I have a good decent machine, I can scrub with some spot cleaner and re-vacuum to see if it improves. For now, I want to see what this does with no spot cleaner.)

Remember, I went over this carpet more than once with the Dirt Devil for this photo:
BEFORE - lot of silty dirt
 This is what the carpet looks like after having been vacuumed pretty thoroughly with the Bissell:

AFTER still needs spot cleaning but MUCH better

This is what the Bissel cannister looked like after a couple of trips over this small area. UGH!


I feel so ashamed. It's as if I haven't vacuumed but a couple of times a season since I moved in!

So, Pros and Cons:

CON - Using the vacuum would be a lot of fun if it were not for that Power Button being placed so low down on the machine. Thankfully, the vacuum is not super heavy and I didn't get too worn out even after vacuuming and re-vacuuming off and on all day. (I'm determined to un-gross these floors!)

PRO - If I didn't appreciate the suction power while using this machine as an upright, I sure did once I used the attachments. I used the rotating attachment to freshen up the sofa. Man! This thing got all the little tiny particles of crumbs and dirt out the of very crevices of the couch. I could actually feel the suction power as I held the attachment and ran it over the fabric. That's awesome, but I will have to be really careful when trying to clean out window sills and such. I can see this thing snatching a pull cord right out of place.

PRO - The dust canister is SO easy to empty and I don't really have to touch the icky-ness. The canister pops open with the push of a button (so make sure to hold it over the trash can!), and any clumps of dust that gets stuck can be dislodged with a wooden skewer. Or that's what I do.

PRO - While this isn't the quietest machine, for the suction power, it sure isn't much louder than the Dirt Devil.

CON - The hose tends to fall off the holder and dangle. Also, the arrangement of the hose and the power cord is just awkward. This is a very minor issue though.

CON - If using the attachments, you need to use two hands so you can sort of stretch out the hose because the suction keeps contracting it. On the other hand...

PRO - The hose is a decent length - if you can keep it stretched out.

Overall, I am 5-starring this vacuum. It's not outrageously expensive and is doing a great job so far. I have told friends that I'll be more than happy if this lasts a year before I have to use the Protection Plan.


Peace
--Free


DISCLAIMER: I was not paid or in any way compensated for this review.