Reviews by Friends of GeorgeBounacos

PattyTherre says "A proessional curling iron for professional results." about Helen of Troy Troy Hot Shot Tools Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron

PattyTherre — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:24:10 GMT

Quick View: I have bought so many really cheap curling irons in the past that I can't begin to count. When my last one just stopped working, I went to a beauty supply store and spent a little more on the Helen of Troy Hot Shot Tools Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron in the one inch size. I'm glad I did. It's a great styling tool.

My Take on the Helen of Troy Hot Shot Tools Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron

This curling iron has a one inch barrel which, for my long hair, is what I need. I want gentle waves, not little curls. It has variable temperature settings to 450 degrees and the barrel is made of tourmaline and ceramic to protect and shine hair. It has a swiveling eight foot cord, heats up very fast, and has a nice cushioned handle and a long thumb area to open the spring grip.

I generally just want to curl the ends of my hair toward my face but I have issues keeping the curl or wave in my long, fine hair. This curling iron does a great job easily curling my hair and locking the curl in....

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PattyTherre says "Lavoris whitens my teeth before I even brush them!" about Lavoris Whitening Rinse

PattyTherre — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:57:56 GMT

Quick View: This whitening rinse actually works well to remove stains on teeth. I use it before brushing and my teeth have become noticeably whiter!

My Take on Lavoris Whitening Rinse

This mouth rinse is designed to be used before brushing. Just pour a half of a capful into the cap (or other cup) and swish your mouth for around 60 seconds. The clear liquid is minty fresh and doesn't hurt sensitive teeth although it does contain peroxide. It also contains ingredients to strengthen tooth enamel which is a plus. After swishing, spit it out, then brush teeth as usual.

You will see a bit of foam on your gums at times but that's just the peroxide and it doesn't sting or hurt anything. My stains come from tea and diet cola and I am forever trying to make my teeth whiter. I have used other rinses which worked pretty well but Lavoris Whitening Rinse works the best so far. My teeth are noticeably whiter and cleaner. My dentist was very impressed with how good my teeth looked since my last check up....

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PattyTherre says "10 watches for the Gossip Girl who can't make up her mind!" about Gossip - Interchangeable Mother-of-Pearl Watch Set

PattyTherre — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:52:20 GMT

Quick View: I have a teen girl on my shopping list who is as fickle as I am. She loves style but her moods change all the time. When I saw the Gossip - Interchangeable Mother-of-Pearl Watch Set, I knew she would like it. I gave it to her for her birthday but I now have a set too. For $28.00, how could I go wrong?

My Take on the Gossip - Interchangeable Mother-of-Pearl Watch Set

Gossip makes many styles of fashion watches, none of super high quality. This set comes with a mother of pearl face and can be purchased in silvertone or goldtone. I bought one of each. I gave my relative the gold and I bought the silver. The silver looks better and more high quality.

This set comes with 10 interchangeable croco look straps in black, pink, bronze, white, purple, orange, dark green, seafoam blue, brick red, and deep blue. That's a lot of choices! The watch is stainless steel and the face has Arabic numbers at every hour. It has hour, minute, and second hands. The face is easy to read and the width...

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Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

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Nikro says "I Hated the Pixo Spinmaster----at first. " about Spinmaster PixOs

Nikro — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:24:16 GMT

Our 4 year old daughter asked for the Pixos Spinmaster every time she saw it on TV. When she received a duplicate gift for her birthday, we returned it and she chose the Spinmaster for a replacement.

When we got it home, assembled it and tired it...I hated it. There were Pixo beads everywhere...she could not place the beads on the cards without messing up what she had already accomplished and she became frustrated. So, I decided that she wasn't ready for this yet and put it in the closet. We bought her the Pixo Pen set and that was better...but she still got frustrated having to ask me to refill the pen with beads.

After she practiced placing the beads on the cards with the Pixo pen for a week or so, she became very good at it! She switched up the colors, and made beautiful Pixo designs we put a magnet on and placed on the fridge. Still..she was frustrated with the pen b/c the beads ran out so quickly. I decided to pull out the SpinMaster again and WOW! She is a pro now! This is the ONLY...

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PattyTherre says "My two fave inexpensive body butters but which wins my $8.00?" about Tree Hut vs. Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary: Battle of the $8.00 Body Butters. Which is Better?

PattyTherre — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:00:10 GMT

Body butters! I love them. I have very expensive ones, all natural ones, and I have some inexpensive ones. Two of my favorite body butters under $8.00 are Tree Hut's various butters and Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary body butters. But if I had to pick just one, which would it be? Read on to see!

Tree Hut Body Butter vs. Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary Body Butter

Size and Cost

Tree Hut's body butters come in a 7 ounce tub for about $7.50. Self Sanctuary body butters are 6.7 ounces and cost $8.00. Both go on sale frequently though. There is so little diffrence in the two in these areas that I call this one ...

The Winner: A Tie

Scents

Tree Hut has luscious scents like Coconut Lime, Hawaiian Kukui, and Almond Honey. Avon's Mark brand comes in fresh blends like Lemon Sugar, Honey Jasmine, and Lime Lavender. My favorites are Tree Hut's Coconut Lime and Mark's Self Sanctuary Lemon Sugar. I have tried the other Tree Hut scents and all were amazing. I smelled the Lime Lavender Avon brand and thought it...

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PattyTherre says "Good soap but doesn't last long. The others are better values." about Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap

PattyTherre — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:33:01 GMT

Quick View: Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap is great smelling soap that effectively cleanses hands. I find, though, that the foam type seems to run out very quickly compared to the deep cleansing and moisturizing varieties in the same scents. I like this soap but prefer the longer lasting non foaming soaps better.

My Take on Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap

This liquid hand soap comes in 8.75 ounce plastic pump bottles in many signature scents and newer fragrances that Bath and Body Works carries. You can choose from unisex scents to very girly ones to clean, fresh types. The pump soap is fragrant and it is, indeed, a frothy foam. It's very lightweight and doesn't dry my skin. However, I find that I have to pump it several times to get enough to feel as though my hands are really clean. My husband and son also seem to use much more than they would if it were regular hand soap as compared to the foam.

When I rinse my hands, they do feel cleansed and smell great....

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bkovacs says "Great location and efficient care" about Inova Woodburn Surgery Center -

bkovacs — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:23:29 GMT

My wife recently had foot surgery, and she had it at the Inova Woodburn Surgery Center. Located just 100 yards from the intersection of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Gallows Road in Annandale, VA, the Inova Woodburn Surgery Center is close to my home. I do not know if it is associated with nearby Inova Fairfax Hospital, a huge and highly regarded hospital in this area.

Inova Woodburn Surgery Center supports a lot of different outpatient surgery, taking cases that free up the operating rooms at the hospital. I spoke to a woman at Inova Woodburn and she said that the center used to specialize in eye surgery, but that it now does a variety of surgeries. She said that she appreciated the variety.

As for my wife, she had foot surgery by a foot specialist that she's seen a few times. The physician is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle problems. My wife really likes the doctor but doesn't particularly like his office, which she finds chaotic and inefficient. However, she...

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CyndiA says "Pelonis heater is great for spot heating in your home. " about Pelonis H0-0218 Heater

CyndiA — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:48:40 GMT

I am sitting here beside my Pelonis heater cube. I tend to chill when sitting still at the computer but hate to heat up the whole house when I know that I'm warm enough when I'm up moving around. Also, the boys tend to like the house cooler. So the Pelonis heater works out great in my small computer area.

My Granny had the Pelonis heater and used it to heat her small living room where she quilted. It was made the whole room nice and cozy, and she didn't much use the other rooms in her apartment, so that worked out great for her. That's what made me decide to get a little portable heater. I really liked hers.

For the size, the Pelonis puts out an amazing amount of heat. I have a bigger model at work, but it does not put out as much heat. It's enough for under my desk. But that one cycles on and off - meaning I'm cold about half the time. The Pelonis has a good fan and just keeps putting out heat until it's actually turned off. So - no cold periods of time.

On high and with the heater right...

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CyndiA says "Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer - Safer and Easier Large Fryer" about Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer - Butterball

CyndiA — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:32:22 GMT

We wore out our last turkey fryer and went with the Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer this time. It's built smaller and safer, plus it can be used indoors which is nice on really cold days which is usually when we fry turkey.

Butterball Turkey company teamed up with Mastbuilt (bit name in turkey or outdoor fryers) for this model which is much like the indoor fryers for chicken and French fries.

There's a housing box and then the oil goes in the unit. A large basket and a lifter round out the product.

It takes around a gallon and a half of oil, so that's a lot. It can be strained and used again. But, I season the turkey pretty heavy, so I don't think it looks good enough to try to strain with all the Holen One rub floating in there. Oh well. Straining oil through cheese cloth and finding a place to store it is not my idea of a good time anyway.

Since we did a turkey breast last night, we ran the temp at 325 F. For a large turkey, it would go up to 375 for frying. With these high temps, we...

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PattyTherre says "A very limited can opener that is really just a novelty" about As Seen on TV Onetouch Automatic Can Opener 29101

PattyTherre — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:56:51 GMT

Quick View: The As Seen on TV Onetouch Automatic Can Opener 29101 is a battery operated can opener that actually opens cans by itself, shuts off by itself, and supposedly lifts can lips up and out of the cans with ease. I found it works on normal sized cans but not on smaller or larger ones very well. It's noisy and slow too.

My Take on the As Seen on TV Onetouch Automatic Can Opener 29101

I bought this gadget when I saw it on a deal a day site for around $11.00 shipped. The hype was that it opened all cans with just a touch of a button, lifted the lids up with its magnet, and took no space on the counter. I liked all that but it turns out that the claims were inflated.

This hand held unit does latch onto normal (vegetables, dog food, fruit) cans and it "walks" itself around the lid. It does seem to lift those lids up with its magnet and the lids nor the can edges are sharp. The unit is noisy and slow though and has a 20 second cycle no matter what the size of the can.

When I use it on...

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PattyTherre says "The Micro Hot Plate keeps hot food HOT!" about Micro Hot Plate Thermal-Insulating Stone Plate

PattyTherre — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:36:51 GMT

Quick View: I am no domestic diva but I love food that is HOT, not warm. recently, I was given a Micro Hot Plate Thermal-Insulating Stone Plate and didn't even know what it was. I found out that it is a very effective hot plate that keeps food hot much longer than simply setting the bowl on a regular hot plate. It doesn't burn fingers either!

My Take on the Micro Hot Plate Thermal-Insulating Stone Plate

This hot plate is 6"x6", a bit small for my taste but will hold a casserole dish or large bowl just fine. It has a smooth marble surface and two handles to carry the plate. To use, you just warm it in the microwave for up to four minutes. The smooth top will be very hot but the handles remain cool.

The bottom also stays cool so there is no worry of burning the table or other surfaces. The plate keeps foods hot for at least a couple of hours. We used the Micro Hot Plate Thermal-Insulating Stone Plate to set a casserole on and it stayed incredibly hot for a long time. We all like hot foods...

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bkovacs says "It works but it's messy" about Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme lubricant

bkovacs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:23:35 GMT

The driver's door lock on my 1995 Subaru was getting hard to turn with the key, so I decided to get some lubricant for the lock to see if that would make a difference. I remember little spray cans of graphite lubricant at autoparts stores specifically for lubricating locks. However, the autoparts store I went to didn't have those little cans, so I asked an employee. He pointed me at Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme in an aerosol can, which cost $4 for 5.5 ounces.

What it is

Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme is a spray lubricant that uses graphite. Graphite is a crystaline form of carbon -- we're most familiar with its use in pencils. Graphite is actually the "lead" in pencils. Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme has graphite suspended in a solvent. When you spray the lubricant out, the solvent carries the graphite out of the can and the graphite stays behind as a solvent.

Using it

Jig-A-Loo Graphite Extreme has an agitator ball inside the can, so I shook it for 10 seconds or so. The can came with a long thin...

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bkovacs says "Comfortable, inexpensive orthotic inserts" about Profoot Triad Insoles 1 Pair For Women

bkovacs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:35:37 GMT

My wife has problems with her feet, to the point where she has had surgery on both her feet. (In fact, she had surgery about 10 days ago on her left foot and is still recovering.) To make walking and standing more comfortable, she bought orthotics -- first as prescribed by a doctor, then over-the-counter in stores. Just a couple days ago, she bought a set of Profoot Triad orthotics at Walmart for about $4.65 for the pair. Amazingly, Profoot Triad orthotics are made in the USA, which was the main reason why she chose Profoot Triad orthotics over a similar made-in-China product sold under the Dr. Scholl's label.

What's an orthotic?

An orthotic is a supplimental arch support for the foot. It slips into a shoe (click on the thumbnails to the right to see) and helps the foot maintain the proper arch. When the arch of the foot is correct, the foot's bones can align properly. This will help avoid foot problems such as bunions, which occur when the foot's bones are shifted uncomfortably toward...

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bkovacs says "What coulda been..." about Valkyrie (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

bkovacs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:05:47 GMT

I finally had a chance to see Valkyrie, a World War II movie starring Tom Cruise, and it's a pretty good movie.

Valkyrie is based on a true story about a failed plot to kill Adolph Hitler and end the war in Europe early. I had heard of this plot many times but Valkyrie hangs considerable flesh on the slim bones I knew about the event. Cruise is Claus von Stauffenberg, a colonel in the German army who lost one eye, one hand and a couple fingers of the other hand in battle in Africa. After recovering in Germany, he gets appointed as the chief of staff to the commander of the reserve army protecting Berlin, the perfect position to plot against Hitler. Several other officers of higher rank are also conspirators in the plan and a few others know about the plan but do nothing to stop it. Eventually, von Stauffenberg gets into a conference with Hitler and plants a bomb in his briefcase. von Stauffenberg is convinced that Hitler must have died in the blast and starts Operation Valkyrie to take...

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PattyTherre says "Pretty lip shines on the go. Artiste On-the-Go Lip Shines!" about Youngblood ARTISTE On-the-Go Lip Shine Trio

PattyTherre — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:58:10 GMT

Quick View: This little trio of lip shines is easy to carry and can be swapped out with other lip shines, blushes, or eye shadows so you always have a compact of the shades you're wearing on hand. I have the lip gloss trio and like it quite a bit. I'm looking forward to trying the blushes and eye shadows as everything they make is all natural mineral products.

My Take on Youngblood ARTISTE On-the-Go Lip Shine Trio

This trip contains the shades Devotion, Reflection, Fantasy. One is a rose shade, the other a shimmery clear gloss, and the last is a bronzy plum shade. They can also be used as blushes and eye shadows since they are all natural and very gentle on the skin.

The case is a milky opaque plastic one with a magnetic strip on the bottom. That holds the tray of three circles of lip shines. The tray can be popped out and another one inserted or you can pop a single color out and replace it with another. It truly is a mix and match compact and high quality as well.

I like that the products...

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PattyTherre says "Refreshes and smells nice but $35.00 a can? Get outta here!" about Colorescience Achromatherapy Gem Spritzer - On The Mend

PattyTherre — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:32:11 GMT

Quick View: This four ounce can of spritzer for the face does revitalize dry skin and smells great but I wouldn't pay $35.00 for it for any reason. I got mine in a thing called the "Test Tube" which comes quarterly packed with cosmetics and accessories to try for $29.95. I like this but would never buy it due to the crazy price,

My Take on Colorescience Achromatherapy Gem Spritzer - On The Mend

This product is a green can of spritzer made to be misted on the face whenever it feels dry. The scent is On the Mend which is made with rosemary to sooth taut skin or skin that is dry from chemical peels or just the elements. There are three other scents which use other herbs but all do the same thing. They just have different scents.

This green can only contains four ounces of mist. It smells to me like rose water and it mists on nice. My face feels a little wet if I'm not careful so I have to be very conscientious when spritzing over makeup. It can be used anytime - on bare skin or on skin with...

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bkovacs says "Expensive pads are no better than cheaper brands" about Hawk - High-Performance Street (HPS) brake pads

bkovacs — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:36:22 GMT

My brother raved about Hawk brake pads, so when my 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon needed pads a few years ago, I looked for a set of Hawk pads. I found them at The Tire Rack, one of my favorite online stores, at a cost of about $65. At the time (2005), a set of cheapie pads at any autoparts store cost around $30, so Hawk pads were at least twice as expensive. Still, I had dreams of high performance and low dust, so I paid the permium for Hawk HPS pads.

What they are

Hawk sells lots of different brake pads and the HPS is targeted at "spirited" street driving. Most of the rest of Hawk's line is meant for racing or combined street/racing applications. "HPS" stands for "High Performance Street," and the company promised strong braking and minimal dust. Since brake dust looks awful on my plastic wheel covers, I was in favor of low brake dust.

A set of Hawk HPS pads includes four pads -- enough for both front wheels on my car. The specific part number I bought was HB408F.665.

Using them

I installed...

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PattyTherre says "Inexpensive creamy eyeshadow but tends to crease." about e.l.f. Duo Cream Eyeshadow

PattyTherre — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:57:41 GMT

Quick View: I love playing with eyeshadow but don't love spending tons of money for one or two shades unless I absolutely adore everything about the shadow. I bought a few one dollar e.l.f. Duo Cream Eyeshadows and like them although they tend to crease and aren't too pigmented, For the price, though, they're pretty good!

My Take on e.l.f. Duo Cream Eyeshadow

These little pots of cream eyeshadow have two shades per pot. I like that since I rarely use tons of any one shade. I found that the colors look deep but apply with little pigment. I can add more but then my lids get a bit sticky. They also have a bit of shimmer to them. One duo, Cookies and Cream, which is a brown and a white shade, is super shimmery. The white is KABAM shimmery but still pretty,

If I don't use primer, these shadows will crease. They end up in the crease of my eyelid and I have to use a finger to get the color back onto my lids. With a primer though, they tend to work better.

These duos are good as primers themselves....

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PattyTherre says "Very strong, long lasting fragrance kit that many love. I don't." about Danica Aromatics I Am Me Fragrance Kit

PattyTherre — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:19:59 GMT

Quick View: The whole line of I Am fragrances is vastly different in scent. I have a couple of them and really am not pleased with them. They are very strong, too strong for me. I have allergies and this scent is the least offensive but still can give me a headache if I don't apply very sparingly. Still the three piece set is a great deal for those who like this fragrance.

My Take on Danica Aromatics I am Me Fragrance Kit

This three piece fragrance kit comes with the following:

# 1.7 oz. I am Me Eau de Parfum Spray
# 8.4 oz. I am Me Rich Body Wash
# 7 oz. I am Me Rich Body Butter

The fragrance is described as a fruity floral with notes of green apple, orange blossom and vetivert. I don't smell any apple or orange blossom and have no idea what vetivert is. I do smell something floral but not sweet. It's more of a sunflower type scent. There is a base of something earthy as well which makes the fragrance much less feminine than many other perfumes. I generally like that because sweet florals...

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