Reviews by Friends of MattA75

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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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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Jo says " Quick Top Can Cap: best invention under $2.00" about Compac Industries Quick Top Can Cap

Jo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:22:27 GMT

To the Point

Although the Quick Top Can Cap is an "as seen on TV" product, I picked it up in Wal-Mart. I was looking for inexpensive soda can tops but found the Quick Top Can Cap instead. I hesitated because it was over $2.00. I thought that a lot for what seemed to be a plastic top but it is so much more and really worth the money.

A Closer View

The Quick Top Can Cap was really a necessity for me. We are on the road traveling so I can put the cap on my soda and not be afraid of taking a drink and having it all over me. We also pull a travel trailer. I made the mistake of putting an open soda in the refrigerator.

I love using the Quick Top Can Cap on the beach or outside. I put the can in the arm of my chair and feel as if a bug or bee won't fly in my can.

The Quick Top Can Cap is amazingly versatile. The cover acts as both a cover and a coaster. The can seals into the cover so it stays put. The cap can also be used as a cup.

The Can Cap is dishwasher safe though I have only washed...

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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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Jo says "Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser Sparkles in the Snow or Sun" about Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser- all scents

Jo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:31:06 GMT

Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser was my first diffuser. I was always afraid to buy one because of the warnings of not putting them on fabric, etc. I have the Sparkling Snow scent which was a gift.

It wasn't until I started this review that I realized why I like the scent - it has patchouli in it - one of my favorite smells- along with pine and fruits.

The Pros

Unlike some fragrance dispensers the Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser gives off the same smell for a long time.
The reeds are put into a beautiful decorated glass piece. The Sparkling Snow has a hand-decorated (really?) white snowflake on it.
The aroma is subtle unless you are sitting right next to it.
There is no flame.

The Cons

It takes 24 hours after putting in the reeds for the fragrance to come about. It can be quicker and these can be refressed by inverting them and then re-inserting the reeds.
The Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser is made in China.
You have to be careful with the oil.
The price is $12.00.

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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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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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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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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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CyndiA says "Classic flatware with a lifetime warranty - very pretty " about Oneida Paul Revere Flatware

CyndiA — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:06:03 GMT

I picked Paul Revere flatware by Oneida back in my 20s, and I'm glad I did. The flatware pattern is timeless, and I've never regretted my pick. Granny wanted me to pick a silver pattern, but I knew, even back then, that I had no interest in polishing silver. The brushed stainless with nickel requires no polishing or special care. It's even dishwasher safe.

The pattern is very plain but with a nice balance and eye pleasing finish. When I mentioned that I like my pattern, my son said, "Well, I don't think it has a pattern." I did get a laugh on that.

Good stainless is expensive. I think these run $20 and up per piece but priced better in sets and also when on sale. I just added a 4 piece full set to round out, since I only had 4 full sets. Now I have enough to use when we have company. I'd been meaning to do that for years and finally did.

If you want a classic look in nice stainless steel for your flatware, give Paul Revere a look. Tastes vary, of course, but these pieces don't go out...

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PattyTherre says "12 times more impact? I think not, L'Oreal! You're flaky!" about L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara

PattyTherre — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:58:57 GMT

Quick View: This mascara promises all kinds of things but only delivers a few of those things. It certainly doesn't give me 12 times the impact, whatever that is. it doesn't even explain what "impact" is. It does darken and lengthen but that's about it.

My Take on L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara

This mascara comes in a typical black tube and the brush looks fairly typical as well. It is a straight brush with multi-level bristles. L'Oreal claims the mascara has "revolutionary lash-plumping technology with hydra-collagen for breathtaking volume and incredible wear."

It does go on well. It adds some length and darkness to my lashes and it doesn't clump or give me me spider lashes. I see very little volume though and I really need thicker lashes.

The mascara was average but throughout the day, I noticed little flakes under my eyes and on my cheeks. Ugh. The mascara also tends to transfer when I so much as touch my eyes.

I battle dark circles as it is and, to have dark flecks of mascara...

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LauraBelle says "More Minty Than Mint Chocolate Chips" about Andes Creme De Menthe Baking Chips

LauraBelle — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:36:59 GMT

I'm not very adventurous when it comes to baking, especially holiday baking. I make the same things every year. Rum balls, whiskey balls, kahlua balls, mint meringue cookies, peppermint bark, and dog biscuits. For the past few years I haven't been able to find the mint chocolate chips that I used in the mint meringue cookies. They're one of only four ingredients (egg whites, granulated sugar, and food coloring make up the rest), so it's kind of integral. This year I found Andes Creme De Menthe Baking Chips, and decided to try this instead.

The Andes baking chips are much smaller than regular chocolate chips, or mint chocolate chips for that matter. The Andes chips look like you took a typical Andes mint and chopped it in much smaller pieces. They still have that chocolate/mint/chocolate sandwich thing going on. They also taste much more minty, and much less chocolatey than the mint chocolate chips.

The mixing and baking was all the same. They still mixed in the same and still placed the...

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LauraBelle says "This Product Does Exist!" about Dishwasher Magic Dishwasher Cleaner & Disinfectant

LauraBelle — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:07:30 GMT

We get a lot of soap buildup in our dishwasher. You can look through all my reviews here to see the troubles with that. Mostly the problem seems to be not enough water pressure to hit all the way around. This causes the soap to sit in the tray. They have garbage disposal cleaners, so why not dishwasher cleaners? I was happy to find one, Dishwasher Magic Diswasher Cleaner & Disinfectant.

With the Dishwasher Magic, you remove the cap on the 12 oz. bottle, but leave the wax plug. It gets placed either upside down in the silverware rack or in another secure place somewhere on the bottom rack. Run the dishwasher on its hottest cycle; this is needed so that it melts the wax plug. This is to remove limescale and rust, but I wanted to remove excess soap.

I tried this and it cleaned the inside of my dishwasher wonderfully, well most of it. Again, I have really bad water pressure inside my dishwasher. The stainless steel interior was sparkling throughout, except on the door where the soap tray is....

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LauraBelle says "Ultra Connectivity" about Vizio - High Definition Blu-ray Disc Player VBR110

LauraBelle — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:34:00 GMT

In my line of work as an entertainment reviewer, I need to keep up with the Joneses. And in this case the Joneses all have Blu-Ray players. It got to the point that I was turning down some things I had a chance to review because I didn't have a way to view Blu-Ray discs. In addition to that, my DVD player conked out on me.

I think it could have possibly been fixed with a good cleaning, but either way, I was without a way to watch DVDs out here in the living room, and the one hooked up to the TV my husband watches (we maintain a happy relationship by maintaining different TV viewing schedules) doesn't work either. I had a choice of the one in my son's room, my daughter's portable DVD player, or my computer. I chose my computer, which just didn't get as loud as I wanted it to with some discs. I started talking about buying a Blu-Ray player when I caught a good sale after Christmas, but it turns out I didn't need to as somehow Santa knew that's just what I needed.

Santa brought me a Vizio...

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bkovacs says "Not a bad 'life' but it's a little too long" about Dan In Real Life

bkovacs — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:33:36 GMT

I somehow ended up with the movie Dan in Real Life, despite not particularly liking the work of two of its stars, Steve Carell and Dane Cook. By the end, I was a little surprised that both were pretty good in this little movie, a romantic dramedy with a family twist.

Dan in Real Life starts out with Dan (Steve Carell), a "Dear Abby"-style newspaper columnist who finds that it's easier to answer questions about other people's lives than it is to live his own. His three daughters are driving him crazy as he shoves off for a holiday visit to his parent's home in Rhode Island. Once there, he falls hard for beautiful and mysterious Marie (Juliette Binoche), only to find that Marie is his brother Mitch's (Dane Cook) new girlfriend.

Meanwhile, there's lots of family activities and meals, most of which drive Dan crazy either from contact with Marie or the antics of his relatives. Dan tries to stay on an even keel through it all but he gets more frazzled as the days wear on. Getting set up with...

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ladym33 says "Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Reverb is a Cool Car" about Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Reverb

ladym33 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:33:49 GMT

My son recently received a gift from his aunt from the Hotwheels collection, but it is not only a Hot Wheels toy it is a toy based off of a kids show called Battle Force 5. They are a band of super heroes who fight crime along with their awesome vehicles. I had never heard of this show but apprently my son has. So he was very excited to get the Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Reverb car.

The Reverb car is driven by a character on the show called Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV. He is a sweet talkng Brit who claims he is from royalty. He is an acoustical exper with advanced sensory perception.

The car itself is bigger than most hot wheels cars. The car is actually about 6 inches long and about an inch and a half tall. The car is purple and is quite modern and sporty looking. It has black details and a silver front end. It is not made of die cast like regular hot wheels it is made of plastic. The plastic seems ok but not super stron. The wheels are made of plastic and have silver...

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bkovacs says "Simple case makes for a quick installation" about Sabrent (SBT-EKU25) USB 2.0 External Drive Case

bkovacs — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:26:57 GMT

I recently got a case for a spare IDE/PATA laptop hard drive, and it failed in about three weeks. I therefore looked for another case and found the Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive Enclosure at a nearby computer store for $10. So far, this is a nice little hard drive case.

What it is

The Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive Enclosure fits standard 2.5-inch laptop hard drives, as long as they conform to the older IDE (also known as "PATA") standard. The case consists of two pieces: an aluminum box into which the drive is inserted and an end cap that contains the interface electronics for the drive. The end cap has a pilot light and a single standard USB port for connection.

Inside the box for the Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive Enclosure was the aluminum case, the end cap, two tiny screws, a vinyl sleeve for the case, a USB cable, instructions, and a CD disk with software and drivers. The device also included a tiny screwdriver.

The Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE...

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LauraBelle says "Everything I Could Want" about iHome iP9BR Clock Clock Radio for iPhone / iPod

LauraBelle — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:14:59 GMT

If there's one thing those of us that have iPhones and iPods need, it's a way to charge them and play them through speakers. The prevailing maker of these audio systems is iHome. When i got my first iPod Nano, 2nd Generation, I was on the search. I wanted one for my nightstand to act as my radio/alarm clock. I bought a Jensen that did the trick at the time, but now that I'm on my 2nd iPod Nano and my 2nd iPhone, I needed something else.

The Jensen worked adequately with that first Nano, but it didn't work with my iPod Nano 5th Generation and didn't work with either iPhone. I couldn't even insert my iPhones, and the 5th Generation iPod Nano wouldn't charge and wouldn't play through the speakers unless I monkeyed with it a lot, so it really wasn't worth it. Additionally, it only had one alarm, and it was hard to figure out how to turn the alarm off, so I ended up just changing the time when I wanted to sleep in.

This made it easy to make up a Christmas wish list this year. At the top of the...

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LauraBelle says "Can't Get Past the Smell" about The Healing Garden Starter Kit, Lavendertheraphy

LauraBelle — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:18:54 GMT

It's not like I don't appreciate people thinking of me and giving me a gift, as I do. And I always love little lotions and stuff. I've used products from The Healing Garden before and really liked them. I couldn't wait to try this little gift set I got for Christmas in the "lavendertheraphy" for relaxation.

This set comes in a nice little travel case and includes a body soak, body lotion, body mist, bath and shower gel, and a body pouf. I took the "cleanse and calm bath and shower gel" into my shower with me one morning and couldn't wait to be relaxed. Just opening the bottle I was inundated with a terrible smell. I thought it must get better after you put it on. It didn't. It was hard to even consider myself clean with that smell on me, making it far from relaxing. I may have been cleansed, but I wasn't calm. Sure it smells like lavender, but there's another scent in there that's hard to place, but is highly disturbing.

I thought maybe it was just the bath and shower gel, so I tried a...

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