Reviews by LauraBelle

LauraBelle says "Perfecct, Except for a Little Too Much Grease" about Sabra - Roasted Pine Nut Hummus

LauraBelle — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:11:11 GMT

Hummus is one of those foods I wasn't expecting to like as much as I do. But after having it one time at someone else's house, I can't stop buying it. Of all the different kinds of hummus that I've tried, Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus is definitely my favorite.Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus is a soothing flavor. It's not too strong, but also isn't too bland. There are some brands of hummus that tastes good, but can be a little overwhelming of a taste. I can eat a little of it and enjoy it, but can't have too much before I have to put it away for the day. I can enjoy it, but only so much.The Roasted Pine Nut Hummus is different. I'm just not left questioning it at all. It has whole pine nuts in the middle of the hummus, and is great on pretzels, chips, vegetable, etc. What I like best with the Roasted Pine Number Hummus is all-purpose crackers.The one thing I don't like about Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus is the amount of grease. It's doesn't have a greasy texture, but is still greasy enough...

...

LauraBelle says "Nearly Perfect, Except for the Suds" about Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes, Evening Soothe with Chamomile & White Tea

LauraBelle — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:03:32 GMT

Normally I get generic facial wipes to take off my makeup and clean my face at the end of the day, but this time when I was shopping, they had a brand name on sale for only fifty cents more, so I decided to try them. Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes, Evening Soothe with Chamomile and White Team are exactly as billed. They do soothe your face in the evening and have a pleasant scent to them. My mascara isn't waterproof, but the package claims they will also remove waterproof mascara. They also claim to lift away impurities and soothe the senses. Again, they're exactly as billed.My only problem with these Pond's wipes is that they leaves behind suds on my face. Why a wipe is leaving behind suds, I'm not quite sure, but it's the only thing keeping these from being perfect. Along with the pleasant scent and great cleaning, they also have a nice hearty texture to them. They're not to thin and not to think. I don't have to scrub my face to get the mascara off, but just wipe it, and the rest of...

...

LauraBelle says "Nothing Feels as Clean" about Lysol Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes

LauraBelle — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:11:38 GMT

The Lysol Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes aren't really meant to be used everyone, but they're the perfect thing for wiping down the kitchen or the bathroom. They have a smooth side and a scrubbing side, meaning they can tackle the different things you encounter when wiping down something that has a tendency to get really dirty.Of course, if it's really dirty, you should just get out a sponge and some type of cleaner and just clean it the old-fashioned way. But, if it''s just a little dirty, or you want to keep up with wiping it down on a daily basis, the Lysol Dual Action Wipes work great for this.I use the Lysol Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes to wipe down the bathroom every day. After my shower every day, I wipes down the sink and the toilet and anything else that looks like it could use a good wipedown. The scrubbing side is great for cleaning off the toothpaste globs, and scrubbing out the inside of the toilet and the sink. The smooth side is good for the flat area of the sink and for...

...

LauraBelle says "Shower Cleaner Shouldn't Smell Like Bug Spray" about Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Cleaner Refill, Fresh Clean Scent

LauraBelle — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:39:22 GMT

I used a different scent recently of the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Cleaner Refill Fresh Clean Scent, and found all things aren't always created equally. You would think it would be just as great as the original scent, but this isn't true. It still cleans just as well, but the scent reminds me of bug spray, and that's just not what I choose to have in my shower.I like the Original Scent smell of the Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Cleaner. Well, maybe like is too strong of a word. I don't mind it at all, put it that way. I never thought anything about it one way or another, and that's probably the best thing that can be said about it. I would have thought the "Fresh Clean" scent would be similar ... fresh. How bad can that be? However, The smell reminded me of bug spray. Not that it smelled like a standard bug spray, but it smelled like the Raid Ant Spray I've used that is in the "Country Fresh" scent, but used to be "Potpourri." Somehow the Country Fresh here equals out to the Fresh Scent.That...

...

LauraBelle says "Doesn't Hold Up to Its Name" about Suave Max hold volumizing Mousse

LauraBelle — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:09:02 GMT

It always seems to happen this way. Once you find a hair product you really like, the manufacturer discontinues it, and you're back to square one. This is what happened to me this past month with my mousse. I had been using [Lum? Professional Hydrating Styling Mousse][1] , a house brand from Aldi's. I liked it over many of the regular brands I've bought at the store. Now I can't find it anymore there, leading me to believe they have discontinued it. I decided to try Suave Max Hold Volumizing Mousse, as if an Aldi's house brand works that well, why not the just as cheap Suave? I'm looking for two things from my mousse - hold and volume. I was finding that the Lum? did both. This Suave mousse definitely holds my style. True, I have to use it in the Max Hold with the power of 8, but it works. I can style my hair at the beginning of the day, and by the end, barring being caught in a snow storm, rain storm, hail storm, or wind storm (it's Chicago ... we get all of these ... sometimes all in...

...

LauraBelle says "Completely Unexpected" about LumÃ© Professional Hydrating Styling Mousse, Medium Hold

LauraBelle — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:43:36 GMT

This one needs to be filed under the category of “it’s always worth a try.” I needed some mousse and was at Aldi’s, and thought, “what the heck, I’ll try their house brand hair products.” I was so glad I did! Lumé Professional Hydrating Styling Mousse, Medium Hold, is honestly one of the best non-salon products I’ve ever used.

Lumé Mousse is a foaming mousse, but not as thick and stiff as they usually are. The clear pump bottle it comes in makes the product seem different, but perhaps it’s really not. When using a mousse, we only see the foam come out of the bottle or can, but inside this bottle, it’s clearly a liquid. Intellectually, we know mousse starts out as a liquid, but this just seems to confirm that when we’re not expecting it.

This clear liquid that turns into a mousse, however, does the job. It doesn’t weigh my hair down, yet still adds body and holds the curl. I style my hair with a curling iron, and it’s hard to find styling products that hold that...

...

LauraBelle says "For Help With the Bad Hair Days" about Avon Toni Twist & Fix

LauraBelle — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:15:54 GMT

Oh, how I wish that i had the finesse or the right hair, whatever it takes, to just throw my hair up when I don’t or can’t wear it down, and just walk out the door! It seems like everyone else can manage that but me. I also need to find a way to disguise my ponytails. I feel I’m too old to wear ponytails, but I’m more-or-less forced into wearing them as a martial arts instructor. I need to keep my hair up and out of my face. But, after class, if I need to head to the store, I don’t want to walk around like that, but if I take the ponytail out, I’m left with that ring from the hair elastic.

This is what led me to trying the Avon Toni Twist & Fix. It’s technically a hair extension, but I’m not using it to make my hair longer. I’m just using it to disguise my ponytails. Avon has a whole group of Toni Brattin-designed extensions. From the picture above, it looks like it’s a long piece, but it’s really just short pieces attached to a hair elastic. The person in the above...

...

LauraBelle says "Uniquely-Shaped Bottle Major Selling Point" about Avon Naturals Shower Gel

LauraBelle — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:15:01 GMT

Avon has developed a fun new product. The only trouble seems to be that all the fun happens to be in the shape of the bottle, and not necessarily in the product itself. Avon Naturals Shower Gel comes in a handy bottle, and does well for a shower gel, but is simply just that. In a differently-shaped bottle, it really wouldn’t stand out at all.

I tried the Avon Naturals Shower Gel in the Cherry Blossom Scent. It also comes in Banana & Coconut, Cucumber Melon, Pomegranate & Mango, Strawberry & Guava, Vanilla, and Violet & Lychee. One great thing about this shower gel is that the scent of the product, or at least the Cherry Blossom that I tried, isn’t overpowering. However, there’s not much else to make it stand out either. It’s quite possible one of those combinations might be more interesting to try.

As far as the shower gel’s cleaning capabilities, that’s where it was completely average. It didn’t come to a great lather, and cleaned like any other soap would, rinsing clean....

...

LauraBelle says "Not Enough Personal Attention With Farmers Insurance Group" about Farmers Insurance

LauraBelle — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:53:39 GMT

There just was not enough personal attention when we were using Farmers Insurance Group. We were paying a disturbing amount for the service we were getting. Only after our finances got a little tighter did we decide to look into some other car insurance choices.

With Farmers Insurance Group, we were paying more than $600 every six months. If we were getting great service and the best in coverage, that wouldn't be so bad. Yet, we were getting average coverage on a six-year-old van and ten-year-old truck. The worst was that we were getting the minimal in service. Never did anyone call us up and say, "Hey, we see that you're paying a lot of money on two older vehicles and you haven't had any accidents to warrant that."

Had someone even brought our amount down just a little bit, it would have reinforced to us that they were looking out for us. We probably would have just stuck with that amount. Instead, we were feeling ignored and like someone was reaching their hands into our very shallow...

...

LauraBelle says "I Surprised Myself By Choosing GEICO Insurance" about Geico

LauraBelle — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:46:58 GMT

I completely surprised myself a few months ago by choosing GEICO insurance. I never would have thought that I would find myself buying car insurance online, yet the economy has necessitated it. After the experience, I'm pleasantly surprised and plan to keep it.

The thing with car insurance is that we tend to get in the habit of not checking around and just keep paying it every six months no matter how high the rate or how much they increase it. We don't notice how much it's costing, until our funds are low and we're struggling to write that check for several hundred dollars.

We were paying well over $600 every six months with Farmer's Insurance , and that's with only two drivers and two much older cars. We haven't even put our teenage son on there yet, but were too afraid. With a $600 plus cost, who wants to add someone from the least insurable age bracket? It didn't make sense to us once we thought about it to pay nearly $1300 a year for insurance on a ten-year-old truck and six-year-old...

...

LauraBelle says "Needs a Newer Computer to Work" about Augen 7-inch eReader

LauraBelle — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 02:46:20 GMT

Kindle is a name brand that has become synonymous with its product, similar to iPod being synonymous with MP3 players, or Kleenex being synonymous with tissues. Yet just like with the other products, there are several e-readers out there other than Kindle. The burning question is if they're as good as the Kindle brand e-readers or not.

Despite the fact that my sister isn't normally one to depend on electronic gadgets, she decided this Christmas she wanted an e-reader for when she goes on vacation. Knowing she's not normally brand-conscious, I looked outside of the Kindle label at all the available choices.

I settled on the Augen 7-inch E-Reader for several reasons. For one, it's one of the cheaper ones, but for another, it also claims to do more than the others. Not only does it hold a library of up to 1400 books and have a color screen, but it also features an MP3 player, video player, a word processor, and a web browser. It has its detractors, but fans of the Augen claim these are people...

...

LauraBelle says "Not Much Different Than a Regular Magic Eraser" about Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubbers

LauraBelle — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:32:12 GMT

First off, let me say I do really love the original Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I found those early on when they were released, and they were practically life-changing. Nothing else gets rid of tea stains quite like those. With that in mind, when I was looking for something to clean some old stains off my shower, I saw the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubbers, and decided to give them a try.

We have really hard water where we live, and the stains on my shower are around the doors and the parts that are hard to really get in there and clean. For this, I thought the Bath Scrubbers would work really well. They have a built-in soap scum dissolving cleanser that I hoped would work away at those hard water stains.

However, using the Bath Scrubber, I felt like I was using a regular Magic Eraser, just a little bit larger. There wasn't ever a time using it when I thought, "Ah-ha!" and felt glad to be using it. It's larger since you're cleaning a much larger surface and has the grooved edge for an easier...

...

LauraBelle says "You Get What You Pay For" about Wet n Wild Natural Blend Mineral Foundation Mineral Veil - All Shades

LauraBelle — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:54:47 GMT

For some reason when I think of the Wet n Wild makeup brand, I think of teenage girls. They don't really market it directly at that age group, so I'm not sure why my mind automatically goes there. It must be because the price is so low, that that's what teenage girls can afford. When in the market for new makeup for my daughter, that's the first brand I thought of.

Despite thinking first of Wet n Wild, I was prepared to buy a more "adult" brand to get the type of makeup my daughter wanted. She likes a more powdery foundation, either the type in a compact that has the powder built in or a mineral type of foundation. Her favorite foundation ever is Sheer Cover. I initially found some mineral foundation on sale for $10 at Walgreens and was prepared to buy that, then found that even Wet n Wild is now selling a mineral foundation. It must be the new thing.

I went back and forth on whether I should go cheap with Wet n Wild or not, and once I saw that everything in that brand was on sale 50% off,...

...

LauraBelle says "Blocks Out Snoring Really Well" about iFrogz - iFrogz EarPollution Plugz

LauraBelle — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:45:12 GMT

I wasn't looking for a new pair of headphones. As described in an earlier review, I had damaged my iPhone headphones with them falling into a glass of water, and bought a cheap temporary replacement, then had my iPhone suicide jump out of my purse and into the toilet to ruin that with water damage, and got a new pair of iPhone headphones with the replacement phone. I prefer the Apple headphones because of the little remote that allows me to switch songs, play, pause, change the volume, and use it as a microphone. However, I had a nice little surprise getting these iFrogz EarPollution Plugz and decided to see if I would like them more than the cheap temporary ones.

I had done some promotion for a TV outlet, and they gave me a nice little gift box with assorted promotional items in there. One of the items was this set of headphones. They came in a cute little carrying case and had three differently sized earbud covers. Being that the cheap temporary ones didn't fit completely perfectly, I...

...

LauraBelle says "Suffice In a Pinch" about Sony MDR E10LP Grey Headphones

LauraBelle — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:13:10 GMT

All I was looking for was a cheap pair of headphones. I have an iPhone and am on an amazingly bad run with water damage. Twenty-four hours after I bought these headphones, I was about to have my second iPhone in a month get water-damaged. For right now, though, I had headphones that were water-damaged. The special headphones that come with the iPhone, as they have a small remote on them that is a microphone and volume control, had landed exactly in a glass of water I had next to my bed when I was woken up out of a dead sleep one morning. I threw them off in surprise, and they landed exactly in a glass of water.

I need these to sleep with. I sleep with my phone either playing music or a TV show to help me fall asleep, and use headphones to both block out other noises (this means snoring) and to not bother my husband sleeping next to me, aka the snorer. To not have headphones after the other pair had gotten burned out with the water damage, I was panic-stricken.

I hit Target just looking...

...

LauraBelle says "Simpicity at its Best" about Apple - iPod Shuffle 2nd Generation (1 GB) MP3 Player

LauraBelle — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:59:41 GMT

While the iPod Shuffle, no matter which generation, is simplicity at its best, sometimes that's all you need. If you're just looking for some background music, and don't need a lot of control, the iPod Shuffle suits your needs, is small enough to fit nearly anywhere, and is inexpensive to boot.

As mentioned in my review on the LG Neon , my iPhone took a suicide jump into the toilet, and with orders for all generations of iPhone backlogged, I'm left waiting for a replacement for quite awhile. While using my son's old LG Neon for the time being takes care of my phone and texting needs, I need the iPod function from my iPhone as well. I could use the Neon in this way, but the music stored on here is my son's, and isn't what I care to listen to for the most part.

That leaves me dependent on my other child, my 14-year-old daughter. While I wouldn't dream of snagging away her pink iPod Nano, she has an older pink iPod Shuffle, second generation, that she doesn't use very often. While there are...

...

LauraBelle says "Good Phone for Young People" about LG Neon GT365 (4 GB) Cell Phone

LauraBelle — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:57:13 GMT

I can honestly say I was completely devastated the weekend before last when my iPhone took a suicide jump into the toilet. No one seems to want to believe me, but it honestly did that. They also say I shouldn't have taken my phone into the bathroom, but when you're at a bar, you're not going to leave your phone or your purse on the bar when you go to the restroom. So I had my purse on the sink, as the floors in those places are disgusting, and I went to wash my hands, and my purse fell on the floor as my phone literally jumped out of the side pocket it was in and into the toilet (clean water, thank God).

I obviously grabbed it out of there right away, took it out of the case and tried to shake out as much water as I could, but I had no rice to put it in, and it was already blanking out, and I could see the water inside it. It wasn't pretty. Just a month before my phone had been acting up, and they had comped me with a new one, and I knew they weren't about to replace it free again. I was...

...

LauraBelle says "Proving Big Sister Right" about Garnier Fructis Style Sleek and Shine Anti-Humidity Hairspray, Ultra Strong

LauraBelle — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:16:06 GMT

Even at 46, I hate it when my big sister is right. Of course, she offered her advice after the fact, but I wonder what I would have done if she had offered her advice beforehand. Would I have listened to her advice, or would I have been the stubborn little sister and done what I wanted to?

We were headed to a funeral out-of-state, Georgia in fact, for our cousin. When shopping for mousse, I bought my regular Fructis Garnier XXL Volume Inject Mousse, and it had a free sample of Fructis Garnier Body Boost Volumizing Anti-Humidity Hairspray with it. I thought this was perfect. It was hot enough at home in Chicago, but I knew even hotter and more humid in Atlanta, close to 100. So I thought this would be perfect. Instead of taking my trusted Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Hairspray with me, I took this small sample can, thinking it was exactly what I needed.

That morning of the funeral we really didn't have time to try things and re-fix, it was just set and go. My sister and brother-in-law...

...

LauraBelle says "Doesn't Hold Up In Humidity" about Pantene Pro-V Style Volume Hairspray

LauraBelle — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:01:41 GMT

In these economic times, I'm finding myself not always sticking to my favorite brands. If I can save a dollar or two, sometimes I try the other product just for that savings. I did that this month with my hairspray. I love my normal Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Hairspray, but Pantene Pro-V Style Volume Hairspray was on sale, so I thought I'd try it. Not every volume hairspray works the same, and I realized that going into this purchase. What I like about the Body Envy is that I can mold my hair. After I spray it, it stays wet for a few seconds so that I can move this piece, move this chunk, etc. On the back of the Pantene can, it says that it will "structure even the hardest-to-hold style," so I took that to mean it was moldable as well. And while it does stay wet for a few seconds, but trying to move pieces doesn't keep that curl. It flattens it. Granted, the humidity we've had in our weather the past month gave this hairspray a baptisim by fire, but it wasn't holding anything...

...

LauraBelle says "Definitely Does the Job" about LG 45 Pint Dehumidifier LD450EAL

LauraBelle — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:21:13 GMT

Let me just say I didn't even know we had a problem with humidity in our house. We have a uniquely-shaped raised ranch, and our bedroom is on the lower level which is at least half underground, so in essence we sleep in the basement. There's always a big temperature difference between the top level and lower level, but being cooler in the bedroom definitely works. After a lot of rain the past week, and our sump pump running often, my husband noticed it was really damp and uncomfortable for him. He decided to get a dehumidifier, and with our luck with our recent LG dryer purchase, we decided to stick wth the brand, and he bought an LG Dehumidifier, Model #LD450EAL. While I didn't notice it was getting too damp downstairs, I definitely notice the results. Just in four days, we've dumped the filled reservoir three times, and it's a 45 pint dehumidifier. It's doing it's job. It does feel much more comfortable downstairs, even though it wasn't uncomfortable to begin with, meaning my hsuband...

...