Reviews by Friends of Jessica

PattyTherre says "mark's On the Edge Hook Up Eyeliner isn't edgy enough for me!" about Avon mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner

PattyTherre — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:09:10 GMT

Quick View: This eyeliner is cute and compact but isn't dramatic enough for me. It's also pricey for the amount you get. It's OK but I prefer deeper shades.

My Take on Avon mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner

I am a self proclaimed beauty diva. As such, I tend to try everything even if I don't need a beauty product. I must have 20 eyeliners but I liked the idea of a compact little tube that "hooked up" with another product (mascara, lip gloss, lipstick, eye shadow, etc.) and that I could carry easily with me.

I bought Avon mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner along with a Hook Up eyeshadow. The connector piece was free. This eyeliner is a small black tube with a screw on/off top. That top slides into a plastic connector and another Hook Up product can be attached to it so I can carry one tube that really is two tubes hooked together. Saves space.

The eyeliners have stupid names like Callisto, Cleo, and Medusa so you really don't know the exact shade except by looking at the little...

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Buggheart says "Debbie Meyer Green Bags keeps my husband's arm fresh." about Debbie Meyer Green Bags

Buggheart — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:41:06 GMT

Wow, that's quite a title. It might lead one to believe that I'm some sort of ghoul who is preserving my husband's severed arm in a Debbie Meyer Green Bag. Well, kind of, but not really.

I don't buy tons of produce but when I do, I want it to last. I especially dislike when I buy strawberries and they start to mold the next day. I love strawberries I so I want to be able to enjoy a few a day for maybe a week. Or at least 3 - 4 days instead of having to wolf them all down overnight. So one day I was shopping and found a box of Debbie Meyer Green Bags. They were expensive but when I consider how much food I throw away because it doesn't last as long as i need, I figured they were worth a try.

So I bought the box of 20 Green Bags and gave them several tries with strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, and broccoli. I unfortunately noticed not a bit of extended life to any of my fruits or veggies and all the bags did was produce additional, unwanted condensation on my produce. I gave them...

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PattyTherre says "I don't smell the sea or cotton. I smell a strong floral scent." about Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton Fragrance Mist

PattyTherre — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:28:05 GMT

Quick View: I love fresh scents and can't get enough body mists and sprays that smell fresh, clean, and airy. During a buy 3, get 3 free sale on signature scents at Bath & Body Works, I picked up several items and one was Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton Fragrance Mist. With a crisp name like that, how could I go wrong? Well I did. It's very floral. It's fine for those who tolerate floral scents but I can't. Bummer.

My Take on Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton Fragrance Mist

This spray comes in a 8 ounce clear plastic bottle. The spray is also clear. When I read the notes, I was excited to try it. I figured all the clean ingredients would certainly overtake the floral accord....

# Fragrance Top Notes: Fresh Bright Floral Accord, Clean Cotton Accord, Drenched Air Accord, Fresh Linen Effect, Wet Green Pear, Blood Orange, Tangerine
# Fragrance Mid Notes: White Muguet, Crisp Orange Flower, Watery Cyclamen, White Freesia, Cotton Blossom Headspace, Dewy Jasmine
# Fragrance Base Notes:...

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Bryan-Carey says "Melissa and Doug World Map Puzzle: Educational, but Flawed" about Melissa and Doug World Map Puzzle

Bryan-Carey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:31:40 GMT

Educational toys are almost always an improvement to the mindless objects commonly passed off as child entertainment. Some manufacturers are known for their educational child entertainment and one of them is Melissa and Doug. One of their many educational tools is the Melissa and Doug World Map 33- Piece Puzzle, a large puzzle that teaches kids world geography.

Puzzle Commentary:

The Melissa and Doug World Map Puzzle is a large, two feet by three feet puzzle (61 by 92 cm) that is large enough that most will assemble it on the floor or on a large table. This world map includes a grand total of 33 pieces, with each of the continents clearly named and identified by a separate color. Individual countries (and U.S. state) boundaries are clearly marked, but individual countries are not named. The oceans include the names and the map is covered with small depictions of animals native to the world’s many lands.

Puzzles are good for developing many skills, but they are even better when...

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njchicaa says "This Magic Chef compact refrigerator gets the job done." about Magic Chef 4.4 Cubic Foot Refrigerator MCBR445B2

njchicaa — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:02:33 GMT

We finished our basement and build a bar down there about a year ago. We have a hard-partying group of friends, so we knew that just one compact refrigerator was not going to be enough to hold the beer supply. We wound up buying two of these Magic Chef 4.4 Cubic Foot Refrigerators from Home Depot and have been very happy with them.

This compact refrigerator is designed for use in offices, dorm rooms, and places like basement bars and tiki bars. There isn't enough room to store a week's worth of groceries and frozen items, but you can easily store sandwiches, yogurt, some fresh fruit, and some cans of soda and bottled water in it. We use them down in the bar, so they are usually stocked with about 3 cases of bottled beer, a couple of 1 L bottles of club soda, ginger ale, Diet Coke, and a GladWare container of sliced limes. I think the closest we have ever gotten to having real food in our Magic Chef Refrigerators was a bottle of olives once. There also is a small freezer compartment...

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njchicaa says "Looking for a good read? Pick up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

njchicaa — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:56:44 GMT

I'm always looking for an interesting book, so I was excited when my father passed along his copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to me a few days ago. He said that he totally loved the book, had already bought and read the follow-up novel, and was looking to buy the third one in the series. After reading it, I understand his enthusiasm and will definitely recommend the book to other people.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo follows two people: Lisbeth Salander, a young woman who is an exceptionally skilled investigator who also happens to be deemed mentally incapable of caring for herself and Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged journalist who was recently convicted of libel and who had to give up his position at the magazine that he published/ran. Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to write an autobiography and to also investigate the 30+ year old disappearance of his young niece, Harriet. Blomkvist has nothing better to do and enjoys the work, but he soon finds that he has discovered...

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PattyTherre says "Fakery at its finest. This Ugg boot site LOOKS legit but is NOT!" about bestuggsell.com

PattyTherre — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:24:52 GMT

Quick View: I have written a lot about Uggs and Ugg-Alike boots. I have an obsession with them. Imagine my delight when I saw that Ugg Australia website was having a great sale on the most popular styles of Uggs! Then I discovered a very sneaky plot to make people BELIEVE they are on the Ugg Australia website when, in fact, they are on a Chinese site that claims nowhere that the boots they sell are authentic.

My Take on bestuggsell.com

I clicked on an ad that showed a pair of Uggs at a great price. I was delighted to see some great sales on the Ugg Australia website. I decided to splurge and buy a pair of classic cardy Uggs since the price was discounted so much. Then I decided to go through a cash back site to get even more savings.

I went to Bing's cash back, logged in, and clicked on Ugg Australia. It took me to the exact site but the prices were different. Hmm. I went to the site I had been looking at and, sure enough, it was exact -- same logo, same photos, same everything -- but the...

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aleconner says "Hop Stoopid is a smart buy for lovers of IPA" about Lagunitas Brewing Hop Stoopid Ale

aleconner — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:50:33 GMT

Consumer Note #1: This beer has an I.B.U. rating of 102! (International Bittering Units are a means of measuring bitterness in beer)

Consumer Note #2: This beer contains 8% alcohol by volume

* Slightly hazy orange-gold with dense and rocky light tan head (with great elasticity and lace).

* Spicy hop nose gives way to luscious toasty maltiness.

* Foretaste is rich sweet malt, followed by layers of toastiness, hop spiciness and, ultimately, bitterness.

* Finish is dominated by resiny bitterness, but is more than adequately backed by malt complexity.

* Body is medium; mouthfeel is dryish due to bittering astringency.

Synhopsis:

This beer was actually quite a bit better than I expected it to be simply because it was not as outlandishly one-dimentional as I thought it would be. As it turns out, it had great balance between the malt and hops and a commendable level of malt complexity at that.

A beer with the name "Hop Stoopid" and 102 IBUs sounds like it would cause the enamel on...

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aleconner says "Unique and interesting hybrid brew" about Schmaltz Brewing Co. Rejewvenator

aleconner — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:34:36 GMT

Consumer Note #1: This beer is a blend between a Doppelbock and a Belgian style Dubbel

Consumer Note: #2: This beer is made with "natural date concentrate"

* Briliant, beautiful burnished copper color with creamy light tan head.

* Odd phenolic (plastic-like) character partially masks fruity-malty aromas.

* Rich, malty foretaste expands with unusual fruitiness and late bittering.

* Finish maintains rich maltiness but exposes medicinal flavors.

* Body is full and viscous. Throat-warming is pleasant and it complements (7.8% abv) the malt intensity well.

Synhopsis:

In 1996 (or 5757 on the Hebrew calendar) the fledgling Schmaltz Brewing Company introduced He'Brew "the chosen beer" to the beer market to a chorus of snickers and guffaws. Needless to say, it was looked upon as a gimmick. All these years later, SBC has not only proven itself legitimate and worthy of praise, it has continued to push the boundaries with beers like Genesis Ale, Jewbelation and Rejewvenator.

This edition...

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Matt says "The Four Seasons in Costa Rica is serene and beautiful" about Four Seasons Costa Rica

Matt — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:20:12 GMT

Our extended family of 14 people recently went to the Four Seasons in Costa Rica over the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a fantastic time. I would highly recommend this Four Seasons to anyone looking for a fun and adventurous luxury resort.

The Setting
The Four Seasons Costa Rica is set at the end of a Peninsula about an hours drive away from the Liberia airport. The best word to describe the surrounding area is lush and green. The first day we got there is was really hot and muggy but it quickly got better. But make not mistake it is hot in Costa Rica in November. The lobby of the hotel is pure Four Seasons. Modern, clean, sleek and calming. Immediately on the other side of the lobby there are the restaurants and pools. To the right and left there is an ocean beach on one side of the resort and a very short three minute walk up a small hill and around the pool, there is a beach on the bay. We went swimming on both sides with the kids. The waves are not overly strong. ...

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njchicaa says "Not loving Newman's Own Extra Bold K-Cups." about Newman's Own Organics Extra Bold Special Blend

njchicaa — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:13:36 GMT

When my husband bought me the Keurig B70 Platinum Coffee Brewer for Christmas, he also included several boxes of K-Cups, including Newman's Own Organics Extra Bold K Cups. I've been using them for a week now and I simply don't like the coffee that they make!

A K-Cup is a pre-measured little coffee-making cup that you use in your Keurig Brewer. You simply pop it into the machine, hit the "brew" button, and you have a large mug of steaming hot coffee literally within 30 seconds. This particular K-Cup contains Newman's Own Organic Extra Bold Coffee which is also fairly-traded in addition to being organic. My husband knows that I buy organic and fair-trade coffee whenever I can which is how I wound up with a big box of these K-Cups. My husband bought a box of 25 for about $15 at the local Kohl's. That's about 60 cents each, but it is still much less expensive than a cup of coffee purchased at the local convenience store or Dunkin Donuts.

As I stated, I've been using Newman's Own...

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njchicaa says "What. An. Awful. And. Pathetic. Book. " about Sharon Lathan - Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One Pride and Prejudice Continues

njchicaa — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:10:11 GMT

I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I've read many different sequels over the years. They almost always disappoint me, yet I keep buying them. I've learned my lesson, however, after reading Sharon Lathan's Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. It is THE WORST PRIDE AND PREJUDICE SEQUEL I've ever read.

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy picks up the Pride and Prejudice story immediately after the marriage of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. He brings her home to Pemberley and, well, all they seem to do is have sex and state that they love each other, can't live without the other, can't breathe without the other, own each other's souls, etc. Seriously. That's it. There are no conversations other than pledging their love to one another and no action aside from, well, the action in the bedroom. It was extremely tedious to read and I found myself getting angrier and angrier with each page because the author completely failed to include any of Lizzy or Mr. Darcy's personalities into...

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njchicaa says "I love my Delta Touch2O Faucet!" about Delta Touch2O Kitchen Faucet

njchicaa — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:28:10 GMT

I received the Delta Touch and 2O Kitchen Faucet as part of my Christmas present from my husband. I enjoy cooking and spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals for the two of us and for our friends and family, so replacing our $35 two-knob faucet with something nicer was a logical solution. He really spoiled me with this Touch 2 O Faucet.

The main selling point of this Touch2O Faucet is the fact that you can turn it on and off with a simple tap of your hand, wrist, arm, elbow, etc. If your hands are covered in egg, breadcrumbs, meatloaf mix, etc. you can simply tap the faucet or handle to turn on the water and rinse off your hands. Many people may not feel the need to purchase such a kitchen faucet, especially at the outrageous $368 price, but it is the perfect improvement for me considering the antiquated setup we had and the amount of cooking that I do each day.

The Delta Touch 2 O Kitchen Faucet was relatively simple for my handy husband to install. It took about...

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Matt says "The Ritz Carlton Maui is near perfect for families" about Ritz Carlton Maui - Kapalua, HI

Matt — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:35:29 GMT

I am writing this review from the porch of our 1 bedroom unit at the Ritz Carlton Maui. Although I will go into more detail later in the review, let me lead by saying we have been here for 7 days and the time has flown by. The weather has been near perfect, the natural beauty of Maui breathtaking and the grounds of the hotel have been great for three boys who love to run around. Although I will be critical of the Ritz at times during this review, all in all we have had an amazing vacation that compared favorably to many other five star resorts we have stayed at.

Basis of comparison
As a point of comparison we recently stayed at the Four Seasons Costa Rica and are regulars at Esperanza in Los Cabos. I would consider the Ritz Carlton to be a peer hotel of these other five star beach resorts.

My wife and I first stayed at the Ritz Carlton Maui fifteen years ago when it first opened. We fell in love with it then, and then last year when we were staying in a house in nearby Kanapali...

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Matt says "The Lenovo T500 Review - so far so good!" about Lenovo ThinkPad T500 (20564RU) PC Notebook

Matt — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:12:47 GMT

This is my first impressions review of a Lenovo T500 laptop I started using a few days ago. I will add to the review as I gain more experience with the machine.

First, a bit of background. I am a demanding laptop user. I rely very heavily on my laptop for both constant e-mail web surfing, and office applications such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint. I am not a gamer and don't care that much about the high end graphics features of some gaming laptops. My priorities are: a) a long battery life, b) a nice screen, c) fast and worry free and d) a nice solid well built feel. I use a computer 12 hours a day so it I have no problem paying a premium.

For the last year or so I have used a Dell XPS 1330. It performs like a champ and I am a big fan. However, Dell recently discontinued the XPS in favor of their Studio line but I was still interested in upgrading to Windows 7. My reasons for wanting to upgrade were: a) I had read that the Lenovo in particular had very fast boot up and...

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Bryan-Carey says "Strawberry Shortcake Cafe: Fun, but Parts will Become Lost" about Hasbro Strawberry Shortcake Playset - BERRY CAFE

Bryan-Carey — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:53:10 GMT

My girls count many cartoon and television characters among their favorites and one relative newcomer to their list is Strawberry Shortcake and one of several themed toys bearing this character's likeness is the Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café, a small, simple toy.

Toy Commentary:

The Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café is a small plastic toy, shaped like a carved- out strawberry, designed in the form of a dollhouse. The inside has two levels and on one side of the toy, there is a series of leaves stacked on top of one another, forming "steps" to the top level. On the top of the toy, you will find an extension of the strawberry's stem, with a small bird attached.The toy also comes with a large number of accessories. There are about twenty in total and they include things like a Strawberry Shortcake doll; a dress and hat for the doll; bed; bed tray; and more. The unit is small enough that any child in the targeted age group (4 to 7) can carry it around. There are no automatic moving parts...

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bkovacs says "Bright, efficient outdoor floodlights" about Feit Electric PAR38 Indoor/Outdoor Reflector Floodlight

bkovacs — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:14:42 GMT

Saving the Earth has always been on my personal agenda. One thing I did early on was to change all the light bulbs in my house from old-style incandescents to efficient fluorescents. Fluorescents use a LOT less power than incandescent bulbs and it's really noticable when there are several outdoor floodlights on the same circuit.

At my house, there were four 150W outdoor floodlights on the same switch. Pointed at my driveway, walkway and back patio, these lights did a good job of making the outside usable. However, the four drew so much power power (600 Watts to be exact) that it caused my kitchen ceiling light to dim slightly when I switched on the outdoor lights. Several years ago, I replaced these outdoor incandescent floodlights with fluorescents that used a lot less power. One of them just burned out and I replaced it with the same model: a Feit Electric PAR38 Indoor/Outdoor Reflector Floodlight. I purchased it at Costco in a four-pack for $17.70, which works out to about $4.45 per...

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njchicaa says "Gently cleanse your hands with this Norwegian Angelica Soap." about Caldrea Norwegian Angelica Hand Soap Liquid

njchicaa — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:21:55 GMT

I'm all about the natural and environmentally-friendly products, so Caldrea has long been a favorite brand of mine. My sister knows this and gave me 2 of the company's Norwegian Angelica products in my Christmas present, including this Caldrea Hand Soap Liquid.

I have a degree in Biology and simply don't feel the need to completely eradicate every single bacterium from my environment, so I try to use cleaners and hand soaps that are NOT antibacterial. This Caldrea Norwegian Angelica Liquid Hand Soap fits the bill as it contains natural and biodegradable non-antibacterial ingredients and is never tested on animals. The label describes this scent as a blend of lemon and parsley oils. I love the super-bright and fresh scent of this Norwegian Angelica soap.

You only need one pump of this Caldrea Norwegian Angelica Hand Soap in order to completely and thoroughly wash your hands. This is a thick product that produces loads of bubbles and lather to cleanse skin. I've been using it...

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PattyTherre says "Save Money and buy Ugg-Alikes. A Guide to the Best Imitators." about Ugg-Alikes - Which Brand is Most like Uggs?

PattyTherre — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:31:40 GMT

I love Ugg boots. I have a few pairs but, with the economy what it is, I just didn't want to sink so much money into more Uggs although I wanted more.

This winter, I bought four different Ugg-Alikes of varying quality and found one that I can now say is almost identical to Uggs in every way. Let's compare the four brands I bought and see which is the winner!

Which Brand is Most Like Uggs?

I started with Xhilaration Electra Suede Boots, moved to Unionbay Cozie G Boots, then to Bearpaw Women's 10-inch EVA Boots, and finally to EMU Australia Women's Bronte Hi Boots. One of these brands mimics Uggs to a T. The others vary in quality.

First, let's just toss away Unionbay Cozie G Boots. They are cheaply made, ugly, and uncomfortable. They really don't look like Uggs and they're just awful. Ugh. They're cheap but they look and feel even cheaper. No comparison to the others so I won't even compare them.

I am left with three brands.

When I first tried the Xhilaration Electra Suede Boots, I was very...

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njchicaa says "Soothe red, irritated, and tired eyes with Visine A.C. Drops." about Visine A.C. Eye Drops

njchicaa — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:58:26 GMT

When you are allergic to cats and dogs and live with 7 cats and a varying number of dogs and puppies, it is inevitable that you are going to wake up with red and itchy eyes. Such is my life and I would probably head out into the world each morning looking stoned or worse due to my glassy, bloodshot, and red eyes. I don't have to, however, because I keep bottles of Visine A.C. Redness Reliever Eye Drops in my bathroom cabinet and purse at all times.

The bottle describes this stuff as "astringent" eye drops. I always considered astringents as super-drying agents, but Visine A.C. is a comforting, soothing, and hydrating product that feels good on tired and dry eyes. After adding 2 drops per eye, redness is reduced, itchiness is reduced, and the whites of your eyes are, well.. white again! This product doesn't have an antihistamine component like Visine A, so while it doesn't completely eliminate itchiness, it also doesn't burn like heck when you apply it to your eyes which is a good...

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