REVIEW UPDATE:  I was contacted by Blue Top and they offered to either send me a new machine or to refund my purchase price.  I opted for the refund.  In return they have asked me to change my rating as it "has had a very bad effect on them."  They also offered to send, at no cost to me, a few other items ranging from approximately $2.50 to $6.50 - I don't have the offer in front of me at the moment.  I had no use for the items they were offering.  They also followed-up SEVERAL times advising that, because they "had been successful at getting [me] a full refund" they would appreciate my changing my review rating.  I was unable to respond to them as my computer was in the shop for a few days and then everything had to be reinstalled.  So, I'm just getting back and up running.  While I appreciate the refund SO VERY much, and I appreciate the customer service, I am unable to change my rating of the item itself.  I can add a more positive seller rating, but the product itself, whether refunded or not, was still defective, in my opinion, and if someone else can use that information, I'd rather keep my opinion of the item itself honest.

--Would I buy another?  No.
--Would I recommend it to friends or family?  No.
--Would the item have been worth the cost if it had worked properly?  Certainly.
--Was customer service helpful?  Yes.
--Would I buy other items from this company based on the product?  No.
--Would I buy other items from the company based on the customer service?  Yes.

I hope that helps!

ORIGINAL REVIEW:  Only used the steamer once so far, but it took me 20 minutes just to remove the gel from ONE fingernail.  I had to fix the accent nail on one hand when I chipped the nail, but didn't have the same color that the salon used.  So, I was taking the color off the accent nail on the other hand so that my accent nails would match.  Anyway, the plastic insert that holds the acetone doesn't fit snugly in the machine.  It's plastic, so when you put it in the steamer, it pops up just a little.  I added a little pressure to push it back down, but as soon as I took my hands off of it, it popped back up again.  So, I don't know if it can actually make enough contact with the machine to get warm enough to create enough steam or not.  I did have to refill the reservoir twice for that one nail though, and the polish crumbled off... never got moist.  Ended up having to file the rest off and then buffing the nail.  The lights on the machine aren't consistent either.  When I first turned it on, the H (Heat) light came on.  When the S (Steam) light came on, I put one finger in and curled it around the part that it shows in videos on-line, and I rested the remainder of the fingers across the top of the steamer.  I noticed that the light kept bouncing back and forth between the H to the S.  I checked the cord/plug to make sure everything was tight.  No issues there.  So, I don't think that's normal and feel like I've wasted my money.  I was wary about this product due to all the negative reviews, but thought I'd take my chances.  $30+ is a lot of money to "waste."  Disappointed.


I can't help but laugh when I remember all those reviews I saw here about the Norelco T-770 Accu-Vac Beard Trimmer from people that whined & bitched about how the vacuum wouldn't get it all.  Compared to the previous model I had from them (a Norelco T-860), the difference is extremely noticible.  Hell, it was like the difference between night & day!!  There was barely ANY leftover hair at all after I was done!!  I seriously have to wonder if those people were even using this product the correct way.

In any case, the Norelco T-770 will be most effective when you do these two things:

1) When trimming your beard, make sure not to move the trimmer too fast & to make smooth & gentle movements.  Doing so will make the vacuum more effective & powerful.

2) Makre sure to clean out the hair collection chamber after each use to achieve the beard trimmer's maximum suction power.  The more that's in there, the less suction power you'll have, and the greater the mess you'll have.

These two simple steps will greatly reduce the mess you'll have to deal with.

The look and the color scheme of the Norelco T-770 has been upgraded. The hair collection chanber is totally clear now, and the color scheme is now totally black with white lettering.  It looks a hell of a lot cooler than the one depicted in the photo that Amazon.com displays.  Also, being that there's a built-in vacuum, the plug has increased a little in weight.

I don't like, though, how Norelco chose to not include a canvas traveling case with the T-770 model.  I would've loved to be able to put everything (i.e. beard trimmer, charging cord, cleaning brush) away neatly.  For most people, though, I guess putting everything in a drawer will be just fine.  I also didn't like discovering that (like with my previous Norelco trimmer) that the same small & puny-looking cleaning brush I had before ended up being included with this model.  In short, it's too short to get the job done.  Norelco seriously needs to put out a cleaning brush that looks more like the ones that Braun puts out.  They're a hell of a lot more bigger & get the job done more effetively (I use one to regularly clean it, so I'd know).

But in the grand scheme of things, those two things aren't that big of a deal.  I think I got my money's worth with this purchase.  Including this model, Norelco puts out three different versions of their AccuVac beard trimmer.  The model that's above the one I purchased (the T-870) actually takes an extra hour more to charge up (11 hours).  There is one model above that, though (the T-970) that charges up in less than an hour.  But when you think about it, beard trimming is something that (unlike shaving) you'll only do every couple of days, so I don't really get why that'd be important.  Especially since Norelco charges almost double the price for it.  So if you want an AccuVac beard trimmer from Norelco without having to pay a high price, I'd get the Norelco T-770.  You get more bang for your buck.


If you are looking for wrinkle results-skip to my last paragraph. Those interested in acne results, keep reading!:-)

I have been looking for a retinol cream that is not tested on animals and organic (as much as possible) for about a year. I am in my low 30's and my skin started breaking out the past few years, from one or two blemishes to 5-6 at a time (I never had problem skin!). My dermatologist wanted to prescribe a retinol product for this and told me as we got "older" (how rude!) our hormones and skin changes and retinol will very much help this. The one she offered me was loaded with so many other ingredients and was tested on animals (big no no for me), so I started doing research and found this one.

I purchased it about a month ago and still have about 1/2 bottle left. I started with every other day the first week or so, then moved to every evening for another week or so, and now I am starting to go to twice a day (I read and heard how retinol can be tough on your skin if you go straight to once or twice a day). Well I must put a warning here for those getting this for any acne or problem skin: I had read a few places about retinol causing "purging"---where all your pores/blackheads, etc. basically clear themselves out and you have a 1-4 weeks of embarrassing skin. I also read that if you stick with it, it is worth the wait. Let's just say, I understand what purging is now as I seriously experienced this episode. When I washed my face at night, removing my makeup, I was actually embarrassed for my husband (married 5 years) to see me! I turned off all the lights before going to bed; that is how bad it was. I almost gave up on using it thinking there was no end to this. Not to mention I have a very high end job and meeting with clients with a face covered in pimples-AHH!  However....I stuck with it and got passed it and everything is healing with no new breakouts and my skin is GORGEOUS. I still am healing from those two weeks with a few marks and hints of the breakout,  but it is like the calming after the storm where you can see the beautiful sunlight ahead. My old acne scars from previous years have gone away, too!

**Total bonus** Being on the younger side (31), I do not have tons of wrinkles just yet, but do have some settling in between my eyebrows and the start of crows feet (I love to smile-it's inevitable). I also am noticing the marks of neck creases not going away when my neck is straight (dagger!), but nothing more or less than a typical gal my age.  Well...after a month of using this, my skin is so tight and not a wrinkle in sight! I am amazed! This was not the reason I started using it, but goodness what a great bi-product!  My skin is tight, firm, I have a glorious glow, and I am believer in this bottle. Really amazing product and buying more bottles to be sure it never goes out of stock. For those starting for acne, I would start 2-3 times a week, and gradually increase and be sure to use a topical blemish spot treatment, and you will be sooo happy with the results!  It may not affect you the way it did me since everyone is different, of course!


So, essences have always been a bit of a mystery to me (and, honestly, seemed like hokum) but my curiosity always led me back to research them. I've even bought them over the years and abandoned them because I just didn't know how to use them or if they were working. (And these are other best sellers with high price tags.) I finally revisited essences, caved in, and bought this super seller just to see if there was a fuss to be made over it. There is.

The very first time I applied it, I had a minor healing blemish on my cheekbone and it tingled at that spot. (Cool, it's not just water, lol.) I applied all my other stuff and knew it at least imparted moisture - my skin felt supple and hydrated. I noticed a change after just about a week using this - my skin was more even, a bit smoother (I have roughness on my cheeks that never seems to go away, no matter what), and dewy. I went camping for a few days - the dirty kind - and, after neglecting it, my skin needed help. I noticed everything bounced back much faster than it ordinarily would. I typically get a breakout after a trip like that but my skin stayed clear, it was just rough and sallow. Once home and finished with my usual routine, everything was back to normal and radiant again.

I know there are conflicting thoughts on how best to apply it; I won't put it on a cotton pad as I feel that would just waste too much product. (I first used this on May 6th and the picture is from 3 days ago - that's ALL I've used in about a month.) Right now I'm using one little drip of product for my whole face and neck; I just pour it in my hand, pat my hands together, and apply to a slightly damp face after toner. I must be experiencing what people are describing as a "water burst," because I put that tiny amount on my face and it's like I'm splashing water from a running faucet, that's the only way I can think to describe it; like the amount of wetness I'm getting exceeds the amount of product I used. I'm going to put some in a spray bottle with a fine-mist nozzle and use it that way, which is also how I'm going to travel with it. (Though, I've traveled with this large bottle and it's never leaked - and it lays on its side in my bag.)

For the price and the small amount I use, I will absolutely be repurchasing this.
(For reference, my once very-oily skin became dry then combo over this last winter, and now it's back to moderately oily, so it runs the gamut. I also have some unevenness, roughness on my cheeks, and dullness - all of which are improving everyday, and even my one or two monthly hormonal blemishes have been minimal and, if I get any small breakout, it's gone in a day or two and never fully forms to begin with.)

Update 10/23/17: the 2nd picture is from last night; more than 5 months of daily use (sometimes twice a day)
Update 4/12/18: the 3rd picture is from last night - May 6th will be a year since I bought this bottle and I still have about 1/4 left. (Sorry, can't get those pictures upright no matter what.)


I had really high hopes for this product, but was left VERY DISAPPOINTED. First of all, some background::

My go-to lip balm of choice is a CBD infused balm from a company called 'Nature's Root'. THAT product is the ABSOLUTE BEST I've ever used. Not only does it last long, but it ACTIVELY HEALS my lips. The downside is that the Nature's Root balm is not exactly cheap; it's the same price as this 'Merry Hempsters' brand more or less. What makes the Nature's Root lip balm so expensive is the shipping: $25.00 shipping fee. So if I buy three $7.00 Nature's Root lip balm, I get charged a 25.00 shipping fee. If I only buy ONE, I still get charged the 25.00 shipping fee. Unfortunately I don't have that kind of cash to dole out all the time, so I am currently on the hunt for a suitable replacement.

That's where this product, 'Merry Hempsters' comes in. I purchased the 2 pack Spearmint flavor, because it was the closest thing this company offered to the 'Nature's Root' product I use.  Now first let me say that I am ABSOLUTELY AWARE that there is a big difference between CBD and hemp. I understand that hemp will NOT have the same healing and pain relief qualities as CBD, but I had hoped this product would still be a good balm to try. The reviews here all seem pretty good, and as a bonus, the company promised to include a free powdered drink mix with my purchase of lip balm.

Long story short...THEY LIED.

My 2 lip balm tubes came haphazardly wrapped in clear, thin bubble wrap. There was NO drink mix included. Now, I'm not really a fan of pre-sweetened, powdered drinks anyway, but the fact that I was promised this and did not receive still annoys me. For me, the best way to test a new lip balm is to take my toothbrush, add a small dot of toothpaste, and gently brush my lips to exfoliate them. This way, you don't have any leftover film or residue from your previous lip balm, gloss, or lipstick (or food), and will be able to better gauge the quality of the new balm. Afterwards, I rinsed my lips, patted the excess water away with a baby-wipe, and applied the balm. This product is VERY waxy and basically just sits on top of your lips. A good quality lip balm (to me) goes on creamy, helped by your body's natural heat, and absorbs into your lips. Your lips should feel moist, soft and supple without feeling sticky, (tacky) or dry.

This product did not do that.

It had a waxy, slightly greasy feel and did not seem to moisturize at all. In fact, it actually made my lips MORE chapped, and I found myself having to reapply this stuff MULTIPLE TIMES within the hour. As a result, I went through that first tub in a matter of DAYS. THIS IS NOT OKAY. To make matters worse, as I neared the bottom of the tube, the remaining balm began BREAKING APART AND CRUMBLING. I have NEVER had that happen before.

In all, I would NOT recommend this product. The company did NOT include the free drink mix AS PROMISED, and the product itself made my lips even MORE chapped. There is also absolutely NO HEALING factor included, despite the fact that the ingredients list looks nice. I wish I had saved my money.


I wish I had pictures of before-after-after; before using the oil, after using the oil ... and after STOPPING oil use.  Heres the story:

My hair was falling out badly.  Over 4 years, I could not figure out why more was in my drain or brush than on my head.  The VA didnt know why (I am retired military), and to be honest, they really weren't interested in finding the answer or solution.  I am a curly girl with mixed-race hair; its not that thick (anymore) but my hairs porosity is - well - it dries fast but loses moisture fast as well. (High porosity I think.) It is also fairly long and USED to be mistaken for a wig. (Yes... it was gorgeous.)  I look for products which are free of unfriendly curly girl ingredients, and use henna on my head for reducing the curls tightness; opting for the conditioning value of henna rather than the damaging ingredients of OTC hair dye and heating tools. I hopped online and began journey into the ethers of the rabbit hole (internet) and began the exhaustive journey on which oils - specifically essential oils and Ayurvedic - for my conundrum, which is hair loss and thinning. LOTS of products and I wanted to try them ALL.  I was SO overwhelmed, has 40 items in my cart (you know exactly what I am talking about), and angry that I would have to wait on ANYTHING I wanted to try.  I was just about ready to delete everything in my cart, when I saw this bottle show up on my screen.  It was aluminum and I thought well, it cant hurt to look.  The ingredients are not scientifically multisyllabic; pretty simple and straight forward.  I figured, "Well I cant sped $$$+ or $.  So I bought this (in 2018) and figured I had nothing to lose except more hair. (Oh great...)

The product smell amazing to me.  However it will be strong to others.  If you are offended by, herbally, natural, woodsy, earthy, along the lines of patchouli smell, dont buy it.  There is no need to bash how you dont like the smell.  However, if you are a fan of the smell, like me, you will be fine.  There is sediment because of the herbs in the oil, so it will need to be shaken before applied.  Anyway, when I started I would put it on my head before washing my hair; usually an hour or so and just let it hang out. (Didnt know what to expect.)  I cowashed my hair, conditioned and styled my hair; always air drying.  Then SPARINGLY - and I do mean that, I would put a little on my scalp mid week.  I forgot about looking for any results because I was so dismayed at what was happening.  After a month or so it dawned on me, I wasnt seeing any hair in the shower. I also noticed the density looked fuller. At work I received comments and loved the results.  I am a little vain when it comes to my hair.  Live was good, and my hair was returning to normal.  Fast forward...

After a year, my hair was gorgeous - THEN COVID.  Finances ran lean and cuts needed to be made.  I have not used this in almost a year and my hair is horrible.  JUST HORRIBLE... thinning, no density, still curly but not bouncey and full. I could no longer spare the expense; I am buying two bottles - I can NOT be without this product. It really REALLY works.  I only wish I could buy it at the market...


I am in love with glue-on nails. For full disclosure, I will say that Kiss is the only brand I have used - my excitement is based on a comparison of fake nails vs. other options.

I have the weakest, crappiest natural nails. It doesn't matter what I do - even when I was pregnant, they were s***. Expensive manicures are a waste because the nail itself doesn't hold up, and all is lost. Even the liquid-applied acrylics that were popular back in the '90s were hit or miss for me, plus they looked so unnatural and were so expensive. Glue on has been a game changer for me.

I wear each set for two weeks at a time. They pop off fairly regularly (maybe 1 a day or so), but I have no problem with that because I keep the little thing of glue with me all the time. Crazy glue works just as well. I actually like that they pop off because 1) this gives me an opportunity to clean the nail, 2) for those that pop off in the evening, I even allow the nail to breathe overnight and reapply the nail in the morning, 3) I can reposition the nail and keep it from looking too grown out, and 4) the nail pops off instead of chipping or breaking, so I am back to having beautiful hands in minutes. I switch them after two weeks to freshen them up and/or change the color - the glue does build up under the nails and is visible on the clear varieties upon very close inspection (if people are staring at your hands that closely, you may want to reassess your friend group). In the included photo, I have had this set on for about 1.5 weekFs.

And, there is almost no dry time needed. I can't deal with dry time.

I have really small nail beds, but the smallest size fits my little finger perfectly. If I had to include a downside, I would say that even the "real short" are a bit long for me - with my crappy natural nails, I was used to having very short nails, so the length took some getting used to. With the solid colors, I can just cut them down, but this is tougher to do with the French tips.

Here are some hints I've learned along the way:

1. Always have acetone handy when applying. I am super clumsy when putting them on, and I always glue my fingers together. Acetone takes the glue right off the skin and it won't hurt the nail in that short amount of time.
2. When mine are loose and lifting at the bottom, I find them very easy to pull off after I pour a little baby oil or mineral oil (best) under the lifted edge. If there is no lifted edge, you have to soak them in acetone, which is, of course, a giant pain in the ass but also a great excuse to sit and drink wine and binge on Netflix.
3. I recommend pulling them off when they start to feel loose and then reapplying. If they are already loose, they could pop off surreptitiously, which could leave you with a baldy (this only happened to me once, and I found the nail a couple hours later in my shoe!).

I have had no nail damage or fungus even after repeated use. My nails are maybe a smidge discolored (yellowish), but that could be the glue staining, aaaaannnnnd, I couldn't care less, because I doubt that anyone outside my immediate family is ever going to see my natural nails again.


I was surprised to see this has such negative reviews. It sounds like people who aren't taking time to understand how to use the products or follow instructions. There is a reason there are instructions, just sayin'.
As far as ordering from this particular seller on Amazon, I was very happy because my product arrived quickly, sometimes going through the Revel site takes longer because they have so many orders. Which I don't mind because they have great customer service and their product is amazing and you get points from ordering through them, AND they give you opportunities to earn more points from sharing on social media or for just having a birthday, which you can use like money toward future purchases.
Now my long review/rave on Revel products:
My sister does NOT do her own nails, she came over to try my kit out, and she got it on the first try. She is in love, so the next day she bought her own kit.
My job didn't allow for me to have/keep a pretty manicure, because I am constantly using my hands. I tried fiberglass wraps and gel nails but they only lasted a week. My nails have grown and finally I get to keep them long. Before purchasing this kit I had to constantly cut my nails down every time one broke. I rarely, if at all have any nail breakage. I actually have to cut my nails down every time I change my powder because they get too long.
I ordered my first kit from The Revel nails site. There was a learning curve. The customer service is so great and helpful, and they understand that their products may have some kinks they are working to figure out. For example the Base Coat and Finish Gel, do get hard, BUT, it is mainly because of user error. You MUST wipe your brushes off after using them on the powders and activator, otherwise you will contaminate the products and that cause them to thicken the gels. Yes, that is annoying but anytime I have written them for advice on how to stop this from happening, not only do they respond fast, but they also let me know how to keep this from happening in the future, they have even sent me a replacement bottle so that I can use my products. I also bought the gel thinner, which helps if you haven't let your gel get too out of hand. Also you should consider using the brush softener after every few uses. They have so many tutorials on how to use their products. The only way you can do this wrong is to NOT follow instructions.
Removing their product is a little messy but, with enough acetone (and I highly recommend silicone soak off gel polish caps)  this stuff just rubs off, it reminds me of peeling hot glue off of a slick surface, it's much easier to remove this product than it is to remove UV/LED gel nails. I can get 4 weeks of wear out of this, I refill after 2 weeks, unless I feel like changing the color.
I get so many compliments on my nails and I will always tell people to check out Revels products.
Sorry this is so long, if you have purchased this and had trouble, don't give up on it, contact Revel about your issue and they will help you. If you have not purchased this, you have to give it a try.

The dip powder colors in the photos are DP181 Ursa (mood changing color from pink to purple), the yellow powder color is an extra one they sent me for free, it was mislabeled, but the color is DP114 Rejuvenate and the brown DP236 Roast.


Wow! I am very impressed by Kes Sampanthar's latest invention, ThinkCube!

Having played with a wide variety of tools, like Pocket Innovator (precursor to the Knowbrainer, both from Gerard Haman), Thinkpak (from Michael Michalko), Whackpack & Innovative Whackpak (both from Roger von Oech), plus a host of minor others, for more than a decade in real world business settings, ThinkCube is a zesty, refreshing change.

I recently experimented with it in a small group business setting.

Despite the short orientation with it (luckily the author/inventor has an excellent  corporate website, Metamemes, to equip me with valuable prior knowledge), the group has been truly amazed by the practical results.

In a nut shell, ThinkCube turbocharges my group's combinatory play & randomm juxtaposition to the next level. The permutation of forced associations from seemingly irrelevant connections has been really unbelievable.

In fact, after generating all the crazy ideas, the same thinking or brainstorming process has been repeated to produce the next steps in putting those wild ideas to work immediately. These steps eventually culminate into my group's SMART Game Plan. (SMART stands for Specific Objectives, Metrics, Accountability, Resources, Timing for Implementation & Completion).

As I am most familiar with the application of the famed Synectics process, especially in making the strange familiar & the familiar strange, the metaphorical connections arising from the ThinkCube process intervention add an  extra punch to the whole thinking or brainstorming process.

At this juncture, I wish to share with readers a wonderful insight from Tom Peters, who in his wonderful book, `Liberation Management', drives home with this really great observation:

"The essence of creation - in all endeavours - is chance connections between ideas & facts that are previously segregated. Entrepreneurship is the direct by-product of chance, of convoluted connections among ideas, needs & people."

Likewise, Jay Abraham, a high-powered marketing whiz kid, once shares these very interesting observations in his book, 'Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got':

- ice cream was invented in 2000BC. Yet it was 3900 years later before someone figured out the ice cream cone;
- meat was on this planet before humans. Bread was baked in 2600 BC. Nevertheless it took another 4900 years for somebody to put together & create the sandwich;
- The modern flush toilet was invented in 1775, but it wasn't until 1857 that somebody thought up toilet paper;

According to him, "once these obvious connections have been made, they seem so obvious. So evident. We can't believe we didn't see them sooner. The endless number of these unmade connections exist to this day, especially in the business world."

He adds further:

"You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically uncover your income, power, influence, & success, the problem is you just don't see them."

Leonardo da vinci, whom I had met - in the form of a marble statute in the Vatican Museums, Rome as well as in Milan - during my recent holidays in Italy, once said,

"Everything is connected to everything else".

Well, let me put it this way, ThinkCube definitely empowers you to see more connections &/or juxtapositions in your work, your business & your life!

My only complaint about ThinkCube is that it's quite bulky to carry around, but I must say, the packaging, with its bright colours, visually appealing design & clean-cut style, is eye catching.

Best of all, the whole product works very well together to make my day!

Many thanks to you, Kes, for coming up & for sharing your wonderful invention with the world!


I was so looking forward to getting these plates. The designs are incredibly cute and diverse. Additionally, several of the medallion designs  are small enough to work on my 6-year-old granddaughter’s tiny nails. I had showed her the plate pictures, and she was so excited, she danced!

There are very good pictures here of each plate. It’s easy to see in those photos how the layout of the various designs appear on the plate. Unfortunately, the two medallion plates are defectively engraved. The SPH-019 plate I received has small designs included that are not supposed to be there, specifically a witch’s hat and what looks like a long-handled spoon(?) Whereas extra designs may sound like a great thing in theory, the result is designs that are so crowded as a result that when you stamp them, you’d be picking up two designs at once. It’s true that the unneeded one can be removed with tape, but anyone who has ever done nail stamping can tell you that the timeframe from when you put the polish on the plate, scrape it, pick it up on the stamper, place it properly, and stamp it, is very, very limited. Like 5-7 seconds total for all steps. If you have to add another, very fussy step among these others, it just won’t work. The stamped design will be too dry to transfer to the nail. Perhaps a professional nail tech could do it, but even then, that isn’t a sure thing. I’m reasonably quick, but not THAT quick!

Plate SPH-020 was much worse. It’s a mess! There is a design that is on the opposite side of the plate, as shown in its picture. Instead, it is plopped on top of one design, half of which is missing as a consequence. The misplaced design is a tarantula, one that I was very much looking forward to using on my own nails, and one of the many reasons I purchased this set. Having the other half-design nearly superimposed carries the same problem explained above.

Also, there is supposed to be a haunted house with a chyron that says, “Trick Or Treat.” The haunted house is there, but the chyron isn’t near enough to look as if it is related to the house at all. Furthermore, the chyron is completely empty, and the “Trick Or Treat” message is stamped separately from it. There are tiny designs, such as a pumpkin no bigger than a dot, jammed in a place where they do not appear in the picture. This renders the adjacent designs as above, pretty useless.

The whole-nail, overall designs appear to be accurate. The medallions, however, were the main reason I ordered this collection. It would appear that the manufacturer had zero quality control to have missed such glaring engraving errors before sending them to Amazon.

I have another replacement set being sent to me. I hope they are different, but most likely they probably came in the same lot, and so will be defective, as well. If they arrive stamped properly, I will update this review with appended note. But if not, I cannot recommend this set. Such a disappointment!

Update 10/20/2020: For some reason, Amazon declined to send a replacement to me, so I’m unable to determine if another set would be different. Such a cute set, and engraved well, as designs are easy to pick up with clean, sharp definition. Too bad they sent the rejects to be sold here.


[[VIDEOID:f17e41918c145b800074f16c92d0e0c6]] Love, love, love this brush! It came packaged in an adorable brush. The instructions were pretty short and simple, so it wasn't too overwhelming. Some user manuals can seem like a textbook. You do have to hold the power button down for about 3 seconds for it to turn on and off. My first time using this, I didn't do it right. They do say in the instructions to hold your hair straight and use small sections while straightening but it didn't really click for me until I watched somebody do it. I would record me doing it but I don't have enough hands ha. If you google how to use it there are plenty of videos showing how to use this brush properly. I did spray a conditioning spray prior to using the brush, and the heat just helps it soak into your hair. Hold the bottom of your hair to keep it straight, and do small sections at a time, and you will get your hair just as straight as a straightener. I also found that this made it easier to get tangles out as well. I didn't get burned once! Super easy to use, and it felt safer than a straightener or curling iron. I found that it was so much quicker than my straightener as well. Even though I had it set to 230, my hair didn't feel like it got that hot. Usually with a straightener it takes me like 20+ minutes, but I had my hair straight in under 10 with this brush. One thing I may comment though is that there seems to be a lock feature, but the instructions don't mention it anywhere. The buttons on the side do make it easy to push them while you are using the brush, and I accidentally locked it, and it wouldn't even let me turn it off. There is a one hour auto off feature, or I could just unplug it, but it would be handy to know how to lock/unlock it. I do think that's a great feature to have considering the location of the buttons, and would be a selling point for this brush. If you got it, flaunt it! Make way straighteners and curlers, these brushes are the next thing! I would definitely recommend trying it out.

I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation and I am not required to give a good review. I do my reviews with the pros and cons I can see myself in a product, and with facts that a potential customer might find useful. I provide picture and/or video to capture as much evidence as I can to show you that my review is honest, as I can understand the skepticism behind these types of reviews. As you can see, my hair can become a hot mess when I don't take the time to straighten it after showering. I'm also a real person with kids and cats who like to photobomb my videos, so please excuse them in my video. My credibility is on the line as a reviewer, and if everybody else has a very different experience than myself, then that’s going to show up in the reviews. If you have feedback about my review, whether it be negative or positive, then please let me know. Feedback helps me improve my reviews. As a consumer myself, I rely on good reviews to let me know if a product is good.


First the good…
I love the razor! It’s cute and comfortable to hold. The razor has 5 blades that are stainless steel. It says they’re made of high quality steel in the USA. The razor head is magnetic so it just clicks right on, I was a little worried with it being magnetic that it might slide or move during use, but the magnets are strong and I wouldn’t even know they were attached magnetically has I not done it myself 😂 It has a metal handle that’s comfortable to hold. There’s a nice ceramic base for it to sit in when you’re not using it. The razor head moves nicely to conform to your body as you shave. It says it goes down 15 degrees and up 65 degrees (it says degrees Celsius in the image but that’s only for temp, not angles so not sure why they added the C? 😂). It has aloe on top AND bottom for extra protection and slip, which is nice. It said it came with 2 replacement razors, which I thought meant it came with the main one and then 2 additional ones, making 3, but it only comes with 2.

Now for the bad…
They recommend to replace the blades every 2 months. But how?! There’s no replacement heads here on Amazon. Why sell something on here that requires replacement heads but not sell the replacement heads on here? Hopefully they will add them before I need them because I love the razor. The razor is currently $11.99. For that you get the razor handle part, ceramic stand, and 2 razor heads. So, if I replace the razor head every 2 months like they recommend, I’ll get 4 months of use out of this. Do I want to spend $11.99 every 4 months just to get replacement heads? That is $5.99 per replacement head if that’s all I’m buying it for. Then I also get a ceramic base every time that I won’t need since I’ll already have one and another razor handle, which I guess isn’t a big deal to replace over time. I can get 4 Venus Gillette replacement heads here on Amazon for $10.99. It’s basically the same thing but I can actually buy a replacement head for it.

So, I’m not sure about this. I love the razor, but it isn’t anything crazy special. The Venus Gillette ones I usually use have aloe on them and 5 blades that work well. I don’t get the nice ceramic base for it to sit in, but that’s not a huge deal to me. I can at least replace the heads easily with it. So, it’s up to you if you don’t mind spending the $11.99 to get replacement heads for this and having to get the handle and base every time too. It’s a really nice razor that works well and is comfortable to hold, and it has a nice base to sit in. The only downside is the replacement heads. Like I said, hopefully they’ll add the replacement heads onto Amazon soon. Right now, I’d say it’s a great razor and if you don’t mind that you can’t buy replacement heads for it, I’d recommend it. If you do mind that you can’t get replacement heads for it, I’d still say it’s a great razor so maybe by the time you’re reading this they have added the replacement heads onto Amazon, so you can check and see! If they have, I’d recommend it. If not, I’d say skip them if it’s an issue not being able to buy just the replacement heads.


I have tried many deodorants over the years. My #1's that I have used since high school is Soft N Dry/Lady Speed Stick/Dove. These have all been interchanged through the years and the thing they all have in common is they all work well for me and have Aluminum as the #1 ingredient.

After having my gastric sleeve surgery I have been more diligent to get healthy. I have been into essential oils for about 15 years and used them for various things over that time but now I make my own skin care products. In my effort to get rid of the bad and find good products for myself I of course started with my body and weight loss. Dieting forever before the surgery helps me now stay on a good path for more weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. I also joined the gym and work out with classes, weights, treadmill, yoga, elliptical about 5 to 6 days a week. With that being said and getting on the healthy path it was time to conquer hair and skin. I threw out all of my products with SLS (sulfates) and replaced them with homemade skin care/hair care products or just more natural choices for myself.

This essentially meant throwing out everything and starting from scratch.  My friends were happy they got tons of lotions and even some expensive Bath & Body works soaps that I had collected over the years (read your ingredients people). With that being said I have tried tons of different deodorants to get rid of the harmful aluminum ones. They all left me stinky midday with 2 more reapplications needed before gym time.

I tried several and the latest ones are:
Crystal Essence: Can be found at all stores
Positves: Nice smell, Easy Application
Negatives: Only comes in roll on, I prefer stick, reapply needed 2 more times, Limited choices for scent

Thai Crystal: Can be found at Whole Foods and on Amazon
Positives:  Can use as shoe deodorizer, No scent at all, Easy application Spray
Negatives: Water runs right off your body, Only one kind available, Reapplication needed every 1 - 2 hours.

Tom's: Can be found at all stores.
Postives: Nice smells, Stick available
Negatives: Limited choices, Lids don't fit securely, Reapplication needed every 3 hours.

PRIMAL PIT PASTE IS MY #1 RECOMMENDATION for anyone wanting to get away from the harmful aluminum deodorants. I apply it in the morning about 6:00 am and do not need to reapply all day. I work all day and walk outside at lunch for a 20-30 minute walk in the Florida heat. Leave work and go to the gym and workout from about 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. And it is still working. I have tried it for cycle class, body sculpt class, weights, treadmill, elliptical, turbo kickboxing class..... I have used it with multiple classes within 2 - 3 hour workouts at the gym and still it works.

Not all deodorants work for everyone and some of the others might work great for you but if they don't and you want to give Primal Pit Paste a try, it's worth a shot. You can buy a couple of the scents at Whole Foods for about $12 a stick (Healthy is always pricey). Try it out there 1st if you like it there are way better deals available here on Amazon.


OK ladies, I'm a 57 year old guy and let me tell you about a really good powder puffer.
This here is one really good quality puffer and the quality is not what you might expect, it's way beyond great quality.
And just how might I know?
Well you see I was sent on a mission for my dear old Mom who is in her mid 80's and can't get out much anymore and she needed a new powder puffy thing.
Well I kept coming back with these little puny things and she'd tell me that those weren't the right ones and I'd take the dumb things back and finally she showed me what she needed, duh finally, so I measured it and the hunt continued.
All I could find was puffers that came with some powder and even those weren't good enough because they either weren't big enough or fuzzy enough or didn't have something she could pick it up with and hold on to as her fingers don't work so good anymore.
Well finally I came upon these powder puffers and printed a picture with the sizes and got out my tape measure and showed her about how big they'd be and she decided on the 4.5" one shown here.
So I went home and ordered it at 9:15am on July 27th from Amazon, now this is important so pay attention, at about 9:45 I get a email saying that my order had been received by Distinct Impressions and that my puffers had been shipped, WHAT??
Are you kidding me, that quick, must be a mistake, maybe?
Nope, they was shipped, all three of them.
Yesterday, on the 29th I got them at my Moms in the mail and I was really surprised at how fast they got here, so something must have gotten screwed up so I thought.
I went in and opened them up for my Mom and took them out and WOW, what a puffer they are, really fat and fuzzy and even a silk handle so when you really get to powdering you won't drop it, I guess.
Anyhow, they came in a perty pink bag and then inside another plastic zip bag with a note inside on how to clean them with Woolite, ah my Mom's favorite soap, she uses it on her undies and claims to have made her undies last some forty years now, hum must be good stuff but I don't think I'll try it.
But anyhow I sent an email to the nice lady who sent these to thank her and she wrote back and told me how she came about having these really good quality puffers.
She had them custom made to her standards her in the U.S.A. for a baby product line she was trying to start but didn't work out so she I guess she had a bunch of these left from that business venture.
I'm telling you, you better grab them up because if she doesn't get more made there will never be another puffer as good as these, I guarantee it, and that's all I have to say on that.... LOL maybe I'll get one for my little girl kitty, she likes girly stuff..
These are an extremely good product and something you just don't see anymore and not made in China !!!
Hope this helps, oh and the lady is really nice to, so you should buy her stuff as I think she sells dolls and baby stuff anyhow she is really a nice person. Hope this helps you decided.. :-)


I have no idea whether this product works, but that's only the part of the reason why I am giving this only 2 stars.

I'm an older guy who still has bad acne scars from my teens and 20s.  The prospect of owning a product that might help make some of those scars less visible was appealing, thus I purchased it.

It came well-packaged - but with no instructions.  Other than deodorant and cologne, some men might buy moisturizer, but most don't know facial products as well as women know theirs.  I'd already received a "Did you receive our product?" email, and I decided to respond.  I informed the vendor that I did receive the product - but knew nothing about how to apply it.  I asked whether only a drop was needed and spread around, or if a greater amount should be applied.  I asked about "How much should I apply - liberally, or just a small drop?  ...Leave on the surface of the skin, or rub it in?  Use once a day, or more than that?  ....if so, Should I wash my face before applying a second application?"  I actually apologize in the email for asking these questions, but expressed that I wanted to do everything possible in hopes the product would work.

That was on 12/26/2016.  On 1/3/2016, I contacted Amazon Customer Service to indicate I had not received a response.  They wrote a second follow-up letter, and told me to give it 2 business days.  As I write this review, it is now January 9th, and I've received 2 more follow-up "Are you liking our product?"  emails, including one which assured me that if I had any questions to simply get a hold of them.

Today I called Amazon Customer Service again.  They suggested I post a review which might catch the attention of the vendor.  Considering their email said I simply had to get a hold of them, I'm appealing to New York Laboratories to get in touch with me via the emails which even Amazon has copies of, or post something and tell me where it is - but selling something applied externally to the skin without specific directions is not a respectable practice.

Here is what is posted on Amazon for this product:

About the Product
New York Laboratories Acne Scar removal Cream formulated with EGF Peptide-Cytoknol® revitalizes, promotes skin repair, smooths acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles while soothes and moisturizes
Cytokinol® - Stimulates inter-cellular communication, restores optimal cytokine balance for proper skin metabolism and repair, strong epidermal repairing effect, soothing, anti-inflammatory
SAFETY WARNING: For external use only. Rub a very small amount on the inside of your elbow area to test for any allergic reaction before use. Avoid contact with eyes, keep out of the reach of children. If pregnant, consult with your health care provider before use.
rh-Oligopeptide-1 (EGF) - Peptide, helps accelerate the growth of epidermal cells, reduce wrinkles and assist in wound healing. Adaptonyl® (Withania Somnifera (Indian Ginseng) Root Extract) - Regenerates cells stressed by external conditions, inhibits MMP activity, reinforces skin protective systems, restructures and promotes repair of skin barrier function, contributes to cutaneous homeostasis
Purchase with complete peace of mind, we are confident we have developed the absolute best Acne Scar Cream in the market. If you are not completely satisfied with New York Laboratories Acne Scar Cream, we will refund your entire purchase.

New York Laboratories:  I request that you provide specific details about the product use of Scar Removal Cream.

Thank you.


I'm a hair dye junkie, and I've dyed my mohawk almost every color in the crayon box. I heard of Iroiro through an Instagram ad, touting its "all-natural" formula. Since I'm always game to try a new dye brand, I gave it a shot.
Pros:
1. Scent - It says "Yuzu-cranberry" on the packaging, but it smells closer to a fruit punch-bubblegum hybrid. Either way, no plasticy nor ammonia smell, which is very nice, and the scent is subtle.
2. Thinkness - This has a thick opaque cream consistency slightly thicker than Manic Panic or Jerome Russell Punky Colors. No drips nor runniness! This can be used in large-mouth dye bottles, but the bowl&brush method works best.
3. Longevity - My hair is thin and porous, thus dye fades to pastel usually within ten days (even with sulfate-free shampoo and every-other-day washing). Ten days after using this dye, my hair is still a nice royal purple with only slight fading. That surprised me.
4. Conditioning - This dye has coconut oil as a conditioner, so I was concerned it'd make my hair greasy. Nope! Hair came out soft and nicely conditioned with very little limpness.
5. Color Match - The sticker label on the front suggests Iro Violet is a royal purple with a hint of dark blue; I applied the dye to bleached (level 9) hair. The end result looked like the sticker color. So, no color shift here. It will appear slightly different on non-bleached hair, but that is expected.
Neutral:
1. Packaging - The pouch is quite light, plus it does not take up much shelf space when stored upright. So far, the tip does not clog. However, the cap is difficult to open at first, you can't put the dye back in the pouch once it is out (measure carefully!), and the instructions are in a very small print.
2. Heat Requirements - The instructions say that, for best results, heat should be used neat the end of the hair dying phase. I didn't use heat, but left the dye in slightly longer than the instructions. Have a blow dryer handy.
Cons:
1. Staining - This stuff is HIGHLY pigmented, so it will stain anything it touches. Wear gloves!!! Only Splat! stains worse than this dye. You need to cover work surfaces with plastic or else you'll have permanent purple spots everywhere. I even had issues removing staining from my skin, even with rubbing alcohol! It will also permanently stain pillowcases, clothes, towels, and bath mats. Also, I don't recommend rinsing in a tile or porcelain shower or sink because of high stainage; use a laundry sink, steel sink, bucket, or other slop sink area.
2. Rinsing - This stuff takes a bit of time and effort to rinse out, and you still will get dye-tinted water with every hair wash. This dye isn't as notorious to rinse out as Splat!, but it takes longer than Manic Panic or Punky Colors or Pravana.
3. Extra Equipment - This comes with just the dye pouch. You will need your own gloves, dye bowl, dye brush, clips, shower cap, and foils (if you are doing highlights).

Overall, this is an excellent dye for experienced hair dyers, but may be a bit tricky for dye rookies. For an all-natural hair dye, this was surprisingly great! I just bought Iro Pink and I hope it is as good as Iro Purple.


It's certainly not all that. I've had it a year and a half and the whisker tray already broke. If you empty it every day, it falls apart. If you don't empty it each day, whiskers end up all over the place, including inside the floppy, soft case that has trouble keeping its contents inside. Despite the vacuum action, whiskers collect in every nook and cranny. If you like your grooming aids sanitary, you'll have fun cleaning this thing (and, except the adjustable guide and whisker tray, you can't wash it in water)! Speaking of the adjustable guide, check the setting often, or you'll end up with a surprise...a much closer cut than you expected. The spring-loaded dial adjuster with "digital" read-out doesn't hold its settings as you press harder to get an even cut...it gets worse the more you use it. This is my second Norelco trimmer and the previous one did the same.

Conclusion: I wanted Braun-quality to match their stellar shavers (I'm on my third Braun shaver in twenty years of use), but they discontinued their beard trimmer. While the Norelco is certainly not in the same universe as Braun in quality, neither are they in price. The best thing I can say about this trimmer is that at least it's cheap to buy...a plastic throw-away you have to re-buy every year or two.

UPDATE: I called Norelco before the 2-year warrantee elapsed. Since the whisker tray broke in two pieces and the spring-loaded beard guide is on it's last leg (thin plastic holds in the "springs" and is very fragile), Norelco decided to replace the unit en toto. They said they'd send a new one out and that I should just put the old one back in the same box, apply the PP label they'll include and drop the whole enchilada in the mail. It's nearly two weeks, and I still haven't seen hide nor hair of the new shaver. Only time will tell if Norelco stands behind their product (and their promises).

UPDATE (3/11/09): Well, the replacement unit finally came, after three weeks and four phone callls. Apparently, the thing was on backorder, but nobody at Phillips/Norelco Customer Service bothered to disclose that fact, nor did they provide a tracking number. After my fourth call yesterday, they finally provided me a UPS tracking number which was moot as the package arrived when I returned home from work. So far, so good..at least it works and isn't falling apart. Unfortunately, I have no faith that this one will perform and hold-up any better than the first. At least I won't have to buy another until this one breaks.

Update (7/22/09): Well, only four months after receiving the new replacement trimmer, the whisker tray (aka "hair collection chamber") has fallen apart, just like it did on my original defective trimmer. The difference this time is that Norelco is hanging me out to dry and is refusing to do anything to repair/replace this poorly designed and manufactured product. They claim that because the warantee period is up on the ORIGINAL defective unit, that they can do nothing about the replacement unit they supplied, i.e., they won't stand behind the product even though any other new one has a TWO-Year warrantee. FYI, the original unit was bought from Amazon on 4/7/07. As such, I am downgrading the original 3-star rating to ONE-STAR and changing my review title from "It's Just OK" to reflect my true feelings about this product. As such, I will NEVER buy another Phillips-Norelco product again!


Cavin Schon Fuller's Earth & Bentonite Combo Clay is chemical free, preservative free, metallic free, pesticide free, peroxide free, ammonia free, and cruelty free. It is used to leave skin and hair softer, as a deep pore cleaner that draws out toxins, and as a treatment for acne and scars. One package (this comes in a set of 3) weighs approximately 100 grams. The product is made in India. Each bag of clay comes in a resealable pouch to keep it fresh (and from making a mess). The directions say to not use a metal bowl when you are using this product (probably due to absorption issues).  I used a styrofoam bowl and plastic spoon which I discarded after use. First of all, I believe the directions say to use 1-2 teaspoons of clay to equal parts water. I recommend using MUCH LESS. I followed these directions and had leftover clay that lasted for two weeks! (I kept adding water to the remainder to soften the clay each time I used it). The clay is fairly easy to mix as it is not sandy or gritty - but becomes more of a "putty" type mixture. I used the clay on my face only, as I did not want to deal with the mess of having it in my hair. On each application, I left the clay on for about 15-20 minutes (recommended amount of time). After about 10 minutes, you can feel the clay tighten on your skin. This doesn't hurt, but just feels strange, and at least for me - was a tiny bit itchy. The clay comes off fairly easy with a warm washcloth. There is one thing to note about this clay and it is even mentioned on the product instructions - this clay can (and did) make your face appear red after removal. I encountered this issue each time I used the product - even decreasing the time to about 12 minutes or so. The redness looks like a very light sunburn and doesn't hurt. It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour to go away (at least in my case). Since it didn't hurt and was only appearance - I didn't worry too much about it, and just followed up with moisturizer afterwards. After the applications, I noticed that my skin felt much smoother, but the feeling only lasted that night (and sometimes only for a few hours). If you are not used to clay masks - this will make a mess! When applying the clay, I had some that fell off of my fingers and plopped into the sink. When trying to clean it up, it only smeared - making matters worse. The product does as it is intended, but I do not think that clay masks are for me. I did not like the tightening feeling when it was drying, after the first application- the redness was a little weird, even after reading the warning/precaution, and I prefer easier/simpler techniques such as creams, ointments, or serums. I have seen some reviews that state that the clay does not smell. I have to differ on this, as it does smell like - well CLAY! It has an earthy, dirt smell to it. Nothing bad or extreme, but it is noticeable. After using the product for 2 weeks straight - I did not notice much of a difference in my pores. The amount of product that you receive (3 bags) should last for quite a while! I had the leftover in the bowl that I mixed, and I still had 3/4 of a bag left from the one pack. I gave the rest of this bag to my mom and sent the other two sealed bags/packs to a friend.<br />I received this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.


I'll be the first to admit that I really don't like going to the dentist all that much, so any upper hand I can get in the oral hygiene arena I'll be sure to take.  After years of all the different types of cross action / criss cross / gum massaging varities out there I decided to take the plunge and go electric.  I'd rather test the waters before plunging head on into pool though, so I started with a Crest Spinbrush Pro, probably the most ho-hum electric brush on the market.  After getting comfortable and then quickly tired with it, in addition to reading some articles about how it can actually be worse than a regular toothbrush if not used properly, I decided my feet were wet enough so I jumped in an bought the Oral B Sonic Complete toothbrush.

I really could not be happier with my purchase, not only does the thing work right out of the box, they've included three seperate brusheads (9 months worth!), a travel case,  the rechargeable base station with built-in storage, Rembrandt Whitening toothpaste, and the Oral-B Hummingbird flosser to try out as well!

On to the cleaning though, right?  That is the most important part after all.  Well I must admit that the first time you set it to "Clean", the strongest of the 3 settings, it's a bit of shock to your teeth.  Your whole mouth is literally humming as the brush does it's work.  The medium setting, "Soft", is probably the best choice for those who need to get used to the toothbrush and is also recommended for using on your tongue.  There's a "Massage" setting to use on your gums as well.  You're warned in the instructions that the brush may cause your gums to bleed the first couple times you use it, but as the Crest electric brush always seemed to have a habit of making my gums bleed I was pretty pleasantly surprised when this one didn't make them bleed much at all.  After my first brushing my mouth did feel more vibrant although that could've been because my teeth were still vibrating from the sonic pulses.  Seriously though I did enjoy the feeling and it was much more refreshing a feeling of clean than I've experienced with other toothbrushes that I've used.

Apparently Oral-B has taken notice to some of the user's complaints as well as the toothbrush now comes in an easy to open cardboard box.  I had the whole thing unpacked and setup in under 5 minutes easily.  I will probably end up leaving the brush on the charging station, although as one other reviewer pointed out, NiCad batteries like the one used in the toothbrush can lose capacity over time if exposed to a constant charge.  But I'm guessing that the difference should be pretty neglible over the life of the device and I would assume that a replacement battery for the unit itself could be purchased if necessary.

Oral-B also recommends removing the brush head from the device, running the brush head under water while wiping dry the device itself.  Although this seems a little tedious and it's hard to imagine everyone doing this, I made it a habit fresh out of the box and store the brush head that I'm using in one of the three compartments in the charger/storage unit.

All in all it's an extremely pleasant brushing experience, you get a feeling of a wonderfully clean mouth, and to tell you the truth I almost feel like brushing my teeth four or five times a day just to get to play with my toothbrush.  Also, if you can purchase it in time to get the rebate like I did, it drops the price down to a very respectable $80 for the starting kit.  A 5* purchase from Amazon without a doubt!


I just recently decided to try to grow a full beard for the first time. I always wanted a full beard, but every time I let it grow it looked raggedy and patchy. The funny thing is that I’ve always had a goatee and mustache that both grow nice and thick but for whatever reason the beard never came in the way my goatee did. I started to grow it and let it grow for a couple weeks and it started to fill in a little better but was still nowhere near full or how I wanted it to look. I looked online for answers, trying to find out how I could make my beard grow fuller. I tried a couple different beard oils that were supposed to help fill any patches by prompting your face to grow more hair and they didn’t make any real difference. When I talked to my brother who has a long full beard, I asked him what his secret was. He told me that when he was my age, he also had trouble getting his beard to grow full and that he had heard if you take Biotin that it would help promote new beard hair growth.

After looking at a number of different Biotin supplements, I found the Beard & Stache Nutrients made by Elevate Recovery. I bought this supplement instead of the straight Biotin because it includes 27 all natural nutrients packed into each pill and the dose of Biotin in each pill is as much as most Biotin only pills offer. The supplement is made in the USA with FDA approved ingredients in GMP certified facilities, which is a big deal to me since I will not take any supplements that aren’t made in the USA in FDA or GMP certified facilities. I was surprised when I researched the individual ingredients that each of the 27 ingredients have been shown to promote hair growth and that in combination can accelerate new hair growth much faster than Biotin alone which is important since I’m not worried about making the hair I have grow faster.

The pills themselves are easy to swallow and they don’t leave any kind of taste in your mouth, but they do smell absolutely horrible. Rest assured that the smell doesn’t carry over to taste though (unless maybe if you were to leave one in your mouth to dissolve which I don’t recommend). After taking 2 pills a day for the past 2 weeks, over half of the spots where no hair was growing have sprouted new hair growth. The new hair growth has filled in my beard much better and the hair feels thicker and healthier. I also treat it with beard oil and conditioners to make sure I am taking care of my beard for optimal growth. I highly recommend this supplement for anyone looking to grow a thicker, fuller beard.

*I received this product at a discount to allow me to test it, and then write a review based on the results of my experience using this product. I am not affiliated with these companies and I never promise to provide a positive review when offered a discount. I tested the product thoroughly so that you may make an informed decision with absolutely no bias. The views expressed in all of my reviews are 100% my own, honest opinions and are in no way influenced by the discounts that I receive. I review products on Amazon as a hobby, and read other reviews to help influence my decision on a particular product. User reviews have helped me a lot on deciding if a product is worth buying. I have saved money and lots of headache relying on user reviews, and I want nothing more than to return that favor to other people reading this now. Reviews shouldn't be paid off, and honesty is my top priority no matter what. I will continue to review with honesty #1, and if I lose ties with any company I review for; then so be it. I will not lie and have other people lose out on their money. Thanks for reading.


Vicco Skin Cream - where have you been my whole life?!?!  I am totally impressed with this MIRACLE FACE LOTION! Vicco cream surpasses any lotion I currently use and for that matter ever used in the past, (including samples of ridiculously expensive stuff I got over the years), which is saying a lot since I am a notorious beauty product hoarder.  With occasional acne and eczema outbreaks thanks to my chronic illness (which also allows me to know the wonderful powers of taking tumeric as a supplement for joint pain)),I have easily tried over 100 types of facial cream,, including prescriptions from a dermatologist and products created for men, and even trying  thicker body lotions/butters and bodyface lotions for babies on my face in hopes that they would work (hint: they didn't, I don't even use a single face cream regularly now!). When I stumbled upon this while deep in the Amazon rabbit hole and saw the amazing reviews and crazy low price, I knew I had to at leat try it and I am so glad that I did!  (other posts for the same cream have hundreds of 4-5 star reviews, but many were either add-on items or I would have had to buy three or more tubes and didn't want to break my $10 test threshold without knowing if I would like the product or not) This tumeric and sandalwood cream, that feels like liquid velvety silk (if that makes sense) and smells absolutely incredible (kind of like a softer nagchampa incense stick that I want to bottle it up and wear it as perfume), is the perfect consistency, not too thick or too runny and it goes on smooth, fully blends in (which can often be a concern when tumeric is involved - it is used as a dye after all), fully absorbing/not leaving any greasy residue and drying to a perfect, soft, velvety matte (but not dry) finish within seconds. Plus, not only does this cream act in a preventative manner for acne, dark sports, some sunburn and signs of aging, its natural antibacterial properties help fight current breakouts (it made a little cluster of bumps I had at my airline disappear within 36 hours with only two applications!). Also, Vicco Cream is an amazing pre-makeup skin primer - it  doesn't minimize the porto complexly like an actual primer is designed to, but what makes it so spectacular as a primer is that it dries to such an incredibly textured canvas! I used this cream on my whole face and then used my Innisfree Blur Primer on just my nose/sides of nose where my pores are the most visible and incredibly enough, I couldn't feel the difference on where the Vicco ended and the Blur primer began. So, if you get this cream for no other reason,  two massive tubes of primer for under $10 is a steal.  Overall, this is a ridiculously versatile face cream that will fight and help stop future acne, eczema and psoriasis breakouts from occurring; help protect your skin from dangerous UV rays, cool the skin if you do end up with a sunburn, and undo some previous sun damage; reverse and prevent signs of aging like fine lines and age spots; aid in the healing of minor cuts/wounds, skin infections, boils and burns; and it will even serve as a preemptive tool against potential bacterial or fungal infections in the future. Basically this cream is like a rainbow unicorn, the price is crazy low for any unicorn, especially a rainbow unicorn and we could all use a little unicorn magic in our lives and for our faces - so go order this today! You won't be disappointed!

Magnificent Magic Cream


Short summary: I like a number of the instruments available in this set; they work well for my needs, and for the needs of our family members.
The case securely holds each instrument in its slot; but some instruments are tough to remove from their slots.

More details:

a) Case is soft to the touch and comfortable to hold. There is a tab that I press in to open the case; to close the case, I press both parts of the case together.

b) One compartment (the side with the tab) holds:
  --- Nail File
  Works well to smooth out my nails after I trimmed them.
  --- Fingernail Clipper
  The curved blades cut my nails well. The lever has square-shaped divots that give good
  grip. It is a bit hard to rotate the lever around the pin; but, with continued use, it should
  be easier to open and close the lever. There is no nail file attached to the clipper
  --- Nose trimmer
  I did not find this to be as good at cutting my nose hairs.
  ---.Cuticle nipper
  This trims my cuticles well.
  --- Eyebrow trimmer
  This does a decent job in trimming eyebrow
  ---  Cuspidal/Obtuse push-type broach
  I didn't have a need to use this; but several family members used this, and they say it
  does an adequate job with their nail polish routine
  --- Ear pick
  I tried it, but I didn't like the sensation of it scraping against the inside of my ear.

c) The other compartment holds:
  --- Toenail clipper
  Curved blades cut my toenails well; however, it does not cut my big toenail because
  that nail has too much fungus and is too thick. I used a different toenail clipper
  recommended by my foot doctor.
  --- Oblique nail clipper
  I don't use this often for cutting my nail; but I like how easily it cuts the nails. Other
  family members love it, and are more familiar in using it
  --- Nail cleaning knife
  I don't use this; others in my family say it works well to remove the debris under their nails.
  --- Tweezers
  My family members do not like this, because it doesn't open enough for them to use; so they went
  back to using their preferred tweezers
  --- Zig Zag callus remover
  --- Oblique callus remover
  --- Flat callus remover
  note: so far, those of us with calluses (including me) do not have them so thick that
  they need removal using these instruments.
  --- Dead skin fork
  a family member used it; she says it is quite useful in removing the loose skin right
  around her cuticle area
  --- Ear pick (has something like a serrated shape, perhaps)
  I much prefer this ear pick; it felt more natural and is like what I used in the past.
  --- Acne tool (one end with a circular loop; other end with a pick)
  --- Acne tool (one end with a circular loop; other end with a scoop)
  None of our family members currently have acne, so we haven't had a chance to try it;
  but, we have similar instruments just like these, and those worked well when we've
  needed to deal with our skin issues.

Lastly: I would have liked the case to be slightly larger, so that it is easier to remove all these instruments. When I removed all the instruments, some of which I used, others which my family members used, and then put the instruments back into the case, we couldn't get it to close. Finally, we removed the toenail clippers, and that easily closed the case.

Overall, this is a good manicure set, with instruments that I and/or my family members find to be very useful for our particular needs.


I would like to first start out by saying I LOVE this product. It might seem a little pricey at $20 dollars for the larger of two bottles, but keep in mind, it is shampoo AND body wash along with free shipping and if you're not in Texas (like I am) then you shouldn't have to pay tax on it! (Amazon just starte requiring taxes be collected on purchases in Texas, which STINKS!) If you figure how much you pay for two separate bottles of "the other stuff" (especially if you go to the store to buy it and also have to pay tax), you may as well have paid the $20 for one bottle and gotten the benefits of it being so safe for you or your child.

I cannot comment on the stinging of the eyes as written in some other reviews because I am diligent about keeping the water and soap out of my baby's eyes. It's not that hard to pay attention and go slow as you rinse.

I hear this company is soon coming out with conditioner AND body lotion; I cannot wait! I currently use Burt's Bees Pomegranite (sp) conditioner along with this product and it works well in conjunction with this shampoo. I have never had an issue with it drying out either one of my daughters' hair and one has a full head to the nape of her neck (12 months old) and the other has long hair past her rear-end. It works equally as good on both.

So far I have tried the Tropical and the Vanilla Baby. Out of those two, I do prefer the Vanilla Baby. There is nothing wrong with the tropical, but it's not as intoxicating as the Vanilla Baby was. The tropical would probably be a good choice for a little boy (or man) though!

The bottle itself is a nice bottle; thick but not so thick that you can't squeeze it easily with one hand. It's not too thin that it feels flimsy.

I also like that it is PEANUT-FREE as I have a child with a lethal peanut allergy. The company was VERY  helpful in contacting their resources to verify that all ingredients are peanut-safe. (Very important to look because a lot of organic products use plant, fruit, vegetable or food-derived ingredients.)

I will definitely be trying all of the scents (except the unscented, because I'm BIG on yummy smells!), given that they are all equally as safe for my children. I LOVE that they rated a number 1 on whatever website it was that gives ratings for safety of products. A 1 is as safe as water, basically in terms of ingredients that could be harmful.

I can honestly say that I am glad I bit the bullet and tried this product. I used to be a "buy it at Walmart ONLY if I have a coupon" but it dawned on me one day that my little ones rely on me for EVERYTHNG, including things "behind the scenes" that they never realize or think about. I can say all day long that I give my kids fruits and veggies along with healthy meals, but what I am putting on their head/hair and skin is just as important! Everything we expose ourselves and our children to somehow end up inside of our bodies, one way or another. I will never go back to the store bought, non-organic shampoo and body washes for my kids. They blindly trust in me to make the right choices for them and I take that obligation very seriously. I am a return customer and will continue to be as long as they make this product.


We purchased Pet Electric Hair Clipper: professional tools for your love pets/grooming clipper, from Caleegi.

Everything appears to be quite well made, of sturdy construction. The scissors and nail trimmers came out of the box sharp, and have a good weight to them. The nail trimmers have a good locking mechanism, metal, not plastic; I think it will last. The set comes with a convenient little storage pouch, which I hadn't noticed on the item description specs list. I like the colors of the pouch. They're cute. The pouch easily fits everything in the kit, except the brush. You can make the brush fit, but I dont think you can make the brush and electric clippers fit. I couldn't. The electric clippers come with a usb powered charger cord, but not a charger block. This is not a standard charger. If you lose this charge cord, you may be hard pressed to find a replacement.

The brush is of good construction, and the ergonomic handle grip is a joy to hold. For real, it just feels good in your hand. I like the push button hair dislodger for easy brush cleaning. Our dog is fairly short haired, straight and wirey, and our cat is fluffy but on the short side of medium length hair. It took very little hair off them, and I haven't found a product better than the Furminator for brushing them. But I've had and worked with longer haired dogs, and for a Great Pyrenees, Burnese Mountain Dog, or Saint Bernard, I think this would be the perfect brush.

The nail file worked great. The comb I intend to keep for myself- it's perfect for my wiry, sometimes wavy, sometimes curly, always disobedient hair.

The electric clipper charged fairly quickly, enough that I could take it for a test spin about 15-20 minutes after plugging it in. I love the electronic digital display, showing how far along in its charging it is, and the RPMs of the clipper blades. I love that it came with a little bottle of lubricant solution for the blades (none of my personal trimmers ever have). The little obligatory cleaning brush to sweep between the blades looks much the same that any electric trimmer does, but I found it shed a wire or two with every pass throughthe blades, which my personal trimmer brushes do not.

I tried the electric clippers out on myself first. I was a little bummed that the nearly universal gaurds that come with clippers designed for people did not fit. The clippers are much more quiet then most clippers, which is good for not startling pets. I used the clippers with the guard on the sides of my head and with no gaurd to shave my face. It went easily through my hair, had no trouble, and gave me a close, even shave. And I went a little rough to see if there was any danger of maybe cutting a squirming or struggling pet, and it seems very safe.

The clipper blades came off pretty easy for cleaning, but were kind of tricky to put back on, and in trying to do so, I hit at a funny angle and the entire clipper assembly fell apart in to 4 pieces. That was annoying, but after messing around with it for about a half hour, I was able to put it back together, and it still worked fine. I would be hesitant to take it apart for cleaning again, though I'm sure I will. Despite this one design flaw, I still think overall this is a pretty quality product.


I was hesitant to buy IQ and actually had bareMinerals in my cart when I landed on the IQ sample page and read the reviews. I have been a Bare Escentuals wearer for a long time and have tried some other knock-off mineral powders such as Maybellene, what a joke those turned out to be. Today my IQ makeup came and I will break down the differences between bareMinerals and IQ for you.

Overall the final look achieved with both are just as stunning. IQ stays put much longer because it is not as fine as bareMinerals. It is only a tad bit heavier; however, it absolutely leaves no creasing, and is not noticeable at all as long as it is applied correctly. The bareMinerals foundation jars have smaller holes which filter the powders better; therefore, the IQ foundation tends to pile on top of the jar due to the larger holes in the bottom. Since the IQ foundation is already a tad bit heavier, having a mound of it to work with can be challenging. To avoid this problem place a cotton ball in the top of the jar when you are not using it so the powder doesn't seep from the bottom to the top. When it's applied, tap the jar gently and apply a small portion to the brush at a time. I've found these results to leave a natural, healthy overall look. Nobody will be able to guess if the final result is bareMinerals or IQ!

The only dissapointment to me is the mineral veil. bareMinerals kicks the pants off of IQ's veil. When the IQ veil is applied it just stays where you set the brush instead of floating down your face like the bareMinerals veil. It does leave a nice finished look however, so it's not a complete disappointment. It does a good job at "finishing" the look, but it just isn't the same as bareMinerals I will miss this.

I've struggled to find a good concealer to hide my dark eye circles. The IQ concealer is one of the best concealers I have ever used. It hides my dark circles, and blends naturally with my face. I wish I could purchase a larger jar of it! I prefer the IQ concealer to the bareMinerals concealer. I was not impressed with the bareMinerals concealer at all. It did not blend naturally with my skin tone, and did not completely cover my circles. IQ wins this round.

The IQ eyeshadow is stunning. It is mucho perfecto! The neutral color is lightly sparkly and vibrant. It does not crease, and lasts all day. It reminds me of fairy dust, and is great to use on top of pigmented shadows to leave a sparkling effect. This is my "go to" shadow for both casual and formal wear.

I read on the comments to order a shade darker as IQ runs light. I am glad I did. I have light-med skin and ordered the medium. It is perfect, and even came with one a shade darker too, for my summer tan! The IQ is hands down the best I've tried of any mineral makeup next to bareMinerals and ranks a very close 2nd. I will be using this from now on. Goodbye expensive bareMinerals!

4/19/2014 Hi ladies! I'm back for my third purchase of IQ, and I've updated my review to reflect some additional pointers and thoughts that I've acquired since my initial purchase. I'm always on the lookout for high-quality products that meet the standards of others for a lesser cost. I'm thankful that I've found this in IQ.


I would just like to start off by saying that I have been an avid Vitamin C user for a little over a year now and I have seen great changes in my skin. It has helped drastically with my acne scaring, as well as making my skin "glow from within". Vitamin C is particularly great for using after dermarolling. Vitamin C is great for a wide range of things from anti- aging benefits, dark spot corrector, post blemish redness corrector, amplified UV protection when used prior to a sun screen and even helps to boost collagen production.

My problem with typical Vitamin C serums is that they are overly drying. I have very dry skin so it's a real problem for me. I was surprised to see that this was packaged in a pump rather than a dropper like most. The consistency of this serum is a little bit more thick than typical vitamin c serums, somewhere between a liquid and a gel. I think due to the different texture of the product it is much more dry skin friendly than other vitamin c serums. I have been using this product for a few days now in the morning and at night following my cleansing routine and I haven't noticed any dryness- amazing! This morning I was running super late and didn't have time to apply a moisturizer after applying this serum. Four hours later, and my skin is not dried out, and it feels so smooth; as if I WAS wearing a moisturizer. My skin feels supple and baby soft, I'm so impressed! However, I do typically follow up with a moisturizer a few minutes after applying! The packaging is so chic and I love that it's in a pump because I can quickly apply with one pump rather than having to count out the drops as I would with alternative vitamin c serums.

Here is how to use it:
(1) Prepare the skin by washing your face with warm
water and your preferred facial cleanser;

(2) Apply a small amount of this vitamin C Serum and
gently rub across your face using small circular motions;

(3) For best results use twice daily, in the morning
and at night before going to bed; and

(4) If you feel any dryness, use a moisturizer.

This product is great for applying prior to foundation, it will leave your skin radiant and glowing!

What first caught my eye was the packaging- I am a sucker for a pretty product. Unlike most serums this comes in a matte like bottle, it is so pretty! The packaging just looks so elegant and inviting.

Also, I love that it came with a little pictorial on how to give yourself a face massage, such a cute little touch!

The picture shown is a combination of this product WITH their hyaluronic acid serum- a definite MUST TRY!!! Just look at how radiant, clear and healthy the left hand is compared to the right!

I will continue to use this products within the next few weeks to come and I will update if my opinions change in any way.

** Although I did receive this product for free or at a discounted price, all of my reviews are 100% real, and unbiased. I rely heavily on the reviews of others in deciphering if a product will best suit my needs, and therefore I pride myself on reviewing all products fairly and impartially. If you have any questions about the product or how I incorporate it into my day to day beauty routine, please feel free to ask!

And if this was helpful, please click the "helpful" button :)


I had been wanting to try silk masks ever since I got into sheet-masking about a month or two ago and these fit the bill. I love anything with Hyaluronic acid and when I ran out of my Etude House masks, I decided now was the time to try something new.

First things first, when you take the mask out of the packet, it is absolutely dripping with essence. So much essence. I personally love that about this product, although I know some prefer not to have so much dripping. I hate wasting essence so I have to immediately put my hand underneath the mask when I take it out to catch the drips. I then proceed to smear what I've caught onto my face to sort of pregame before the mask. After placing the mask on my face, I like to squeeze the excess essence out of the packet (which will be a lot of essence) and place it on over the sheet mask to make it wetter. I tend to concentrate the essence on the areas of mine that tend to need the most moisture (for me that's my chin, nose, and cheeks).

These masks are the first masks that I've put on with a peel off backing. I've only used these masks twice so far and I want to say I'm getting better at it, but it is still a bit tricky. So far how I've been putting on the masks is putting the bare side down on my skin and then peeling the backing off. I do close my eyes, because, again, it is prone to dripping. As you can imagine, closing your eyes does make peeling off the backing and adjusting the mask a bit tricky. Once everything is mostly situated, I'll wipe whatever essence got on my eyelids and open my eyes, taking care to straighten out the edges of the mask and making the final adjustments.

As far as the smell goes, it does have a chemically smell as opposed to a fragrance. I imagine Hyaluronic acid used just straight smells just like this so the smell doesn't bother me once I've gotten past the initial stage of putting the mask on my face. Honestly, I stop smelling it after a few minutes, but I have a tendency to go nose blind when I'm forced to smell something for an extended period of time, so do keep that in mind.

The instructions say to leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes, but I always leave my masks for longer in order to feel like I'm getting my moneys worth. There is some discussion as to whether or not leaving a mask on for longer than the recommended time is okay or not. I've personally tried both and have not found much difference. With that in mind, I keep it on for longer because I enjoy the feeling and again, want to get my moneys worth.

I find the mask to be adequately hydrating, and with it warming up in Southern California this time of year, I prefer the hydration I get from sheet masks than creams. Keep in mind, this mask is not likely to provide any other benefits other than hydration. But since it's getting hot and I have dry/dehydrated skin, hydration is all that I need and this does everything I need it to do. I haven't felt like I've needed a cream after on most nights and that's with my fan on in my room at night. Since hyaluronic acid pulls moisture to the surface of your skin, I like to spritz some rose water or distilled water on my face in between steps of my skincare routine to help boost efficiency of this mask.

All in all, if I could do a half rating, I would. 4.5/5 stars for me, a half star taken off for difficulty in peeling off the backing and for the smell.


The Good

9170XLCC gives an excellent shave in about 5 minutes.  It'll take about 2 weeks of daily use for your beard to adjust to the razor heads, but after that it's as close and clean as any blade shave.

The Bad:

1. It's cheaply made.  Norelco has outsourced manufacturing & it shows.  The frame holding the razor heads is plastic; every other Norelco I've owned (over 30 years) has been metal.  The frame is supported by these weird plastic-bubble "shock absorbers" that will probably go in a year or two.  The shaver has a junky, cheap feel to it.  I have always gotten 5-6 years of use out of my past Norelcos; this one feels like it'll last about two years.

2. Cleaning tank is a marketing gimmick to sell $[...]/bottle cleaning solution.  Way overkill.  It does work OK, but the shaver gets just as clean if you rinse it under hot tap water (which you will have to do anyway because the cleaning solution leaves the razor heads coated with a slimy residue).  You can pretty much throw it out after the free bottle of solution is used up.

3. I'm already on my second unit.  The chip that controls the battery level indicator, recharging, etc. is flakey.  The first one I had never could accurately display battery level even after 3 complete charge-discharge-recharge cycles.  It'd show 15-20 minutes remaining, then just die in the middle of the shave; battery tapped out.  Also, it would sometimes illuminate for no reason at all; had to turn on-off to clear it.  If it happened during the night, the battery would be fully discharged by morning.  So I returned it to Amazon.com (thx Amazon for great customer service!!!).

The second one that they sent to me recharges continuously when you use it with the cleaning tank -- it's not supposed to charge during the 55-minute cleaning cycle, but mine does.  That means that you have to catch it about 5 minutes into the cycle, after it's done it's dunking in the tank, or it'll recharge completely after every shave (which the instructions tell you not to do because it shortens battery life).  More reason to toss the cleaning unit.  Ridiculous on a shaver this expensive that they'd ship junk to their customers before fixing these problems.

4. The travel case is worthless for protecting the shaver on the road.  It's nothing but a zippered nylon sack.  You'll have to put the shaver into something else if you pack it in checked luggage or it'll be a pile of parts when you unpack.

5. They don't include a stand so when you're done shaving you lay it on the bathroom countertop.  I'm using the one from my old Norelco, but if you don't have one, storage between shaves is just setting it down somewhere.

Sad to see a fine old company like Norelco cheapening it's flagship product like this.  I've been a customer for 30+ years, but next time I'm in the market for a shaver I will definitely comparison-shop the competition.

Two stars because it does give a good shave; the rest is a mess.


Okay, so the title of the review is a little excessive, but I really do love this shaver.  I used a older Braun 6-series for 5-6 years before it died, I think it may have died because I wasn't thinking and I used it in the shower.  Then again, maybe it was a subliminal attempt to get myself a new one for Christmas!  While I understand that the improvements are said to be slight over Braun's last flagship model, the difference is drastic and noticeable over my older model.  I have a fairly sensitive face, when it comes to shaving, and the old Braun, while it gave me the best electric shave I had experienced, tended to occasionally pull a bit and would miss a hair or two.  This new Braun is much, much smoother in its shave.  It has not pulled at all.  I love that it has three power settings.  This 790 rarely misses a hair and is clearly a closer shave.  The head of the shaver has more mobility, which is a big plus for someone like me who has a very angular and chiseled face reminiscent of the gods of Olympus... just kidding.  Though, it is a significant improvement from the older models and a handy feature.  The rubbered grip is also a big improvement, as the old one could be a little slippery at times.  I prefer the new travel case as well.  The old one was plastic and snapped shut, and it always popped open in my bag when I traveled.  The new case is zippered and is a firm-formed material, which makes it much better for travel.  The digital display on the shaver handle, showing battery life and "hygiene," is much more informative than the old display and is, again, very useful in travel situations.  It is much more clear in the documentation of this model that you can clean the head with water, again, good for travel.  I really like the new design for the replaceable foils.  The old foils broke apart into 2-3 pieces, which made it a little more inconvenient for cleaning and maintaining the sharpness of the blades.  This new foil is one piece and is virtually entirely enclosed, it would be hard to quantify, but the design seems to allow for a better cleaning through the base station.  Finally, the base station is different from the old one.  It is slightly less intuitive.  I had to make sure I read the manual to make sure I understood what various flashing lights meant, as opposed to solid lights.  The cleaning process was much more clear with the old model, you put it in the base station, clicked the button into lock and the shaver said "cleaning," and displayed the amount of time remaining.  The new base station does not display this kind of information, instead the manual explains the various cleaning times.  Getting it to start the cleaning is a little less straight-forward, and you can guess how much cleaning time is left by observing the rate at which the "hygiene" bars replenish.  One really good thing about the new base station, is that it seems to go to sleep after being unused for a while.  It wakes up upon pushing a button or replacing the shaver, this is a big plus because it saves energy and that is always good.  The long and short of this review is that I love this shaver.  I loved my old Braun, but this new one makes me wonder how I put up with the old one for so long.


The 8140 SpeedXL model is the first time I've tried using a Norelco shaver in almost a decade, and the results have been superior to earlier models, equaling the closeness of shave seen with midrange foil models from Braun or Remington. There are some caveats however, as the head is less well suited to going over any given area of the face a single time, and has more difficulty with the areas above and below the lips. Unfortunately, the attached trimmer is one of the worst designs I've seen unless you use it exclusively for thinning out your beard hair.

 This particular unit is very quiet for an electric, and is possessed of a NiMH rechargeable battery making it less apt to developing a crippling "memory-effect". This is a plus, and while the battery capacity is not the absolute best, the shaver does seem to recharge rather rapidly. The NiMH battery also reduces the mass of the shaver; the seemingly low-powered motors add little more, making this a very light shaver for it's size.

  While the closeness of shave is quite comparable to pivoting foil-head models from Braun and some of the dual-foil Remingtons, the Norelco seems to require going over the same 'section' of skin more times. The area of the head of the shaver is of course larger, so there are fewer total 'sections' to shave, but the Norelco does seem to take a bit longer, with plenty of touch up needed above and below the lips, the top of the chin, and the neck. Overall however, a very close shave is possible without using a mirror. Beware of shaving with only one of the heads however (as on curvy area of the upper lip), as skin can get pulled uncomfortably.

  Norelco touts this shaver as being directly washable, but I would not wash the razor more than monthly, rather mopping up the inside with a piece of tissue three or four times a week (if you have thick, quickly growing hair). Also note that the head section dries rather slowly, and should probably be shook vigorously dry before reattaching.

  The pop-up trimmer is a disappointment as it seems much lower-powered than Remington or Braun trimmers, requiring more attention in use than it should. Much like the head of the shaver, the trimmer must go over the same section multiple times to get the job done. It's not possible to do precise trimming with a corner of the trimmer, and it is also definitely wider than is preferable for precise trimming. Still worse, the trimmer has even more of a tendency to fold back into the main unit than the competition. The sole saving grace of the low-powered trimmer is that it is probably the best design going for trimming and thinning out large areas of beard, mustache and sideburn.

  Barring the trimmer, and using care when shaving the upper lip, this is a high quality design that should stand the test of time. Since it does not have an easily tear-able foil or a bendable head that require replacement, it should also be cheaper to maintain over the long term unless one washes it daily. Finally, the percieved level of irritation induced by the shaver seems comparable to Remington/Braun and less than the thin-foil Panasonics.

If you can get around the trimmer and the trade offs inherent in the head design, this shaver is one of the better units on the market, and should serve you well for many years.