Reviews

    Monastery

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    a month ago

    Very luxurious feel and brand. Clearly placing itself in the high-end price point market. I've tried the Flora (Serum), Aloe (Hyaluronic), and XX (Glycolic). The textures are lovely, the bottles and packaging are sleek but also warm looking. All the products I tried were scented. I quite like the Aloe scent, but not some of the others. The XX was really irritating on my skin and gave me low-grade rashes every time I used it. I used up the items I had, other than that rash inducing glycolic gel, but will only repurchase the hyaluronic product. I don't want to spend the money to try the rest of the line, but the hyaluronic is one of my favorite skin care products.

    XXAloeFlora

    Stasher Bag

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    a month ago

    I have a sandwich style bag, and a longer one for snacks. They are fun, colorful and good for reusable food storage. Helpful for kids, hikes, and also for small items like earbuds and cords. I like the translucence so you can see whats inside and the wide variety of uses. When used for food, especially dry goods, little crumbs tend to catch in the sealing tunnels and can cause spills. Like all silicone products they are also hard to clean of grease.

    Reusable bagSandwich bag

    Sijo

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    a month ago

    Purchased both a linen fitted sheet and a eucalyptus fitted and flat sheet. I tried this company because I like the fact that you can choose to just purchase a fitted sheet. I don't use flat sheets and hate buying a set when I'm not going to use the flat sheet. Early experience was that I liked the linen, and found the eucalyptus relatively unremarkable. The colorways were great, the linen was soft and cool and got softer on washing. Over time however, my opinion has changed. The eucalyptus feels a bit tacky somehow, even freshly washed. And the linen now has holes in it.

    AiryWeight Eucalyptus Sheet Set

    Canopy

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    3 months ago

    Purchased through a Thingtesting offer

    Opening disclaimer: I got this on a Thingdrop where it was wildly discounted. I have been eyeing a Canopy for years but the regular price point is just way too high for me, especially when you factor in ongoing purchases of filters throughout the life of the product. Things that I like about this humidifier: I love that it is evaporative instead of ultrasonic. There have been enough studies about the badness of ultrasonic humidifiers that I didn't want one running in my house. So hooray for the evaporative humidifier with the filter. It is genuinely great to have this option, and I haven't found a lot of similar, comparative items on the market. I also like that I can fill it with tap water, and that the removal and replacement of the water tank is easy and intuitive. I wanted a humidifier because in the winter the indoor heating gets really dry and harsh. I have sinus allergies and those combined with heated air often gives me a stuffed nose and nose bleeds in the winter. I was hoping this would help with that situation. I've only had it for about a week, running intermittently, and so far I've noticed a midling difference with my sinuses and nasal passages. My nose has been a bit clearer and there have been no nose bleeds. I have not seen a difference in my skin yet, but its early days, and that is not the reason I bought this humidifier in the first place. Now, my issues. I can't turn the damn thing off. The label says there is an off button. I've checked it multiple times and tried every option, but every time I think I have turned it off, it is actually switched to automatic mode and it turns itself on again after a bit. When it turns itself on, it automatically turns itself on to the "high" mode. The only way to fully turn it off is by unplugging it because it keeps running even after the tank empties. Some people may like that they can plug it in and forget it, but I don't. I find the white noise of the machine grating and want to choose when, at what level, and for how long it is running. But I can't. If you claim to have an off button it should work as an off button. I also dislike how quickly the filters need to be replaced, and I don't like how unstable/flimsy the main compartment feels around the filter.

    Bedside Humidifier

    doublesoul

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    5 months ago

    Purchased through a Thingtesting offer

    I purchased a 6 pack of the quarter socks during a Thingdrop. I don't normally like to review things quickly, but I'll come back and edit if my opinion changes. So far I really like the height, softness, warmth, and thickness of the socks. Slipping them on has felt lovely every time. The socks have handled washing well so far and feel like the perfect level of foot coverage for autumn in the Pacific Northwest. I have used them with boots and sneakers and my feet have stayed warm and dry. Because I purchased these through a Thingdrop I was sent a particular set of colors which I would not have chosen normally, and I'm a little irritated that the women's Thingdrop included pink and yellow socks while the men's Thingdrop had more neutral colors. The seeming gendered colorways isn't my favorite. That being said they have very quickly become my go-to socks and they are getting continuous wear after just a few weeks. I would definitely purchase these again, but hopefully they are durable enough that I won't have to repurchase soon.

    Socks

    Blue Apron

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    7 months ago

    This used to be the only game in town for meal kits, but now that there is a lot more competition my appreciation for Blue Apron has waned. Simply put, the recipes were often tasty, the packaging was completely overwhelming, and most of the meals involved more work than I expected. Initially there were not a lot of vegetarian options, although I think they have gotten better about that in the years since I used this service.

    Automic Gold

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    7 months ago

    Ordered several custom initial pieces and received a charm necklace as a gift. The jewelry is all good quality basics with customization for words and gemstones. Pretty much everything comes in white, yellow, or rose gold and the website it easy to use. All the pieces I have from Automic are sturdy and have taken years of regular wear without breaking or going out of style. I would go here for simple stacking bands, chains and initial necklace charms. Price point is medium to lower-end for solid gold. You won't get really interesting designer pieces, but you can get some good classic here without breaking the bank. I think they are also queer owned and supportive for those looking to buy within the LGBTQIA+ community.

    Herbivore Botanicals

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    7 months ago

    I've used several of the serums, moisturizers, and masks. Herbivore skincare is full of plant-based ingredients, has lovely, simple packaging, and pretty, colorful textures. It's vegan as well, for those who want that in their skin care. I am giving this a 2 out of 5 because while it was beautiful looking skincare, it didn't help my skin at all. Didn't give me a rash either, but was, all-in-all, less effective than plain water for me. I also found some of the products had an overly strong smell. Given the price point I need something more effective than water.

    Ceremonia

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    9 months ago

    Purchased both the hair/scalp oil and the curl activator. I'm pretty minimalist when it comes to hair care. I do not want to have a 5 step post shower routine, I want to wash and apply a product or two and go. The curl activator was fine. I applied it right after the shower and it did what all of these creams basically do, it provided some definition and smoothness to my curls. It wasn't great or terrible, just fine. There was nothing in the results to distinguish it from a drug store brand. The scalp oil I wound up using for second and 3rd day hair to reduce frizz. I never really got into the habit or rubbing it on my scalp before a shower, but I do like using a dropperful on the long ends on days 2 or 3 or 4. I don't really notice a scent. I like supporting Latinx owned brands, and I did enjoy this but there were also no major results that separated this from anything else decent that I've tried.

    Mahabis

    Level 5
    Merissa FLevel 5 46 Reviews

    9 months ago

    Purchased as a gift for a family member. This appears to be a European based company so those purchasing in the US should add extra time for customs and delivery. Slippers are very high quality and run a bit small. Purchased in the normal size and it was too tight in the toes and had to be exchanged, which was quite a hassle. The heel detail that can go down or up is a really lovely design feature and makes the wool slippers nice in all seasons. The detachable sole means that the wearer can adjust for comfort or use to quickly go outside for rubbish drop offs or quick mailbox trips. The slippers come in a wide variety of colors and combinations, and the person I bought them for really likes them.