Reviews

    Our Place

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    2 months ago

    I am officially a fan of Our Place. I put off getting the Always pan for a long time because I thought it was gimmicky, but I ended up purchasing one for my husband for a holiday gift this year. Even though it's not dishwasher-safe (which he dislikes), it's been a great pan so far. I like that it's a little bit deep so it can be used for dishes with more liquid or sauces, and I like the look and feel of the pan. The top handle does get a little hotter than I was expecting. At the same time, I purchased the Wonder Oven for my teenager--well, OK, for the whole house--because they wanted an air fryer and I wanted a new toaster oven. It has been amazing! It's adorable and just the right size for our smallish kitchen, the toast and air fryer functions work very well, and I was even able to make homemade pizza in it a few weeks ago when our oven suddenly died. My only confusion with the Wonder Oven is about the steam elements, which is supposed to rejuvenate old bread, waffles, etc. We've only used it once and it seemed rather...wet. Probably user error. Their products are both stylish and work well!

    Always PanWonder Oven

    Cards Against Humanity

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    2 months ago

    If there's still anyone out there who isn't aware of this brand, get on it! I loved the game the first time I played it with adults, but during Covid, they came out with a family-friendly version and provided it for free--you just had to print it out. Since then, I've purchased a glow-in-the-dark family set as well as some additional packs. I can honestly say that when my family of four plays the family version (2 adults, 2 teenagers), we spend the whole time laughing. And I love a company that doesn't take itself too seriously.

    Family edition Expansion packs.

    Paro

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    2 months ago

    Purchased through a Thingtesting offer

    I loved the packaging, and I loved that my box of kitchari came with an adorable tin of candied fennel seeds. However, I did not find the kitchari to be super-flavorful. And--this is just my bias--I didn't love the texture. It was easy to make, and I'd be willing to try the masoor daal. It just wasn't my favorite.

    Kitchari

    Everist

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    3 months ago

    Purchased through a Thingtesting offer

    I have wanted to try Everist ever since I first saw it on the Thingtesting site, so I took advantage of the "try new things" offer. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Although I have not tried another "haircare concentrate," I have tried a variety of shampoo and conditioner bars and Everist did not measure up. I tried it on 3 or 4 different occasions to make sure I was giving it a fair test, but the shampoo left my hair feeling greasy. I followed the directions regarding the amount needed and also played with trying different amounts. Since I have extremely short hair, I felt like I should need much less of Everist than of another shampoo, but that wasn't the case. My results with the conditioner were slightly better than with the shampoo, but I couldn't find much difference between the amount I needed to use of Everist with the amount of my favorite Davines conditioner--which comes in a square plastic box and is applied in a similar way, but works much better, especially for the price. The packaging for the sample sizes is very cute--it comes in small, flat tins--and the packaging for the full size is lovely as well. I appreciate Everist's mission of low-waste and I will keep using the conditioner I purchased, but I won't be using the shampoo.

    Haircare Travel Duo

    Taika

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    3 months ago

    Purchased through a Thingtesting offer

    I have wanted to test Taika for a while, so I took advantage of the "try new things" offer. As much as I like the packaging and flavor ideas, I did not like this product very much. I tried the oat milk latte, and while it was much better than the only other adaptogen coffee drink I've had, it still had somewhat of a sour, chemical-y taste and a rather thin mouthfeel. The amount of sweetness was good, but the overall flavor means I will not purchase this product again.

    Oat Milk Latte

    AVEC

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    3 months ago

    Purchased through a Thingtesting offer

    I found Avec at my local Wegmans in four different flavors and tried the Apple & Cardamom flavor because it felt right for the season (thinking I would mix it with whiskey for a holiday drink). So far, I've only tried it alone and found it to be quite refreshing and not too sweet. My 14-year-old agreed with me. I like the variety of flavors and that it's not super-sweet or incredibly carbonated. The packaging is stylish, and as a French teacher, I appreciate the product name. As someone who doesn't drink that much alcohol or soda, it feels like a bit of a splurge, but a worthy one. This is something I would bring as a hostess gift or to have around for guests.

    Ruti

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    5 months ago

    My sister introduced me to this brand last year, when I chose their Go-To Skirt as a holiday gift. I wear the skirt often, and I always feel a little bit special when I do--it's unusual, it's comfortable, and it's a step up in style--but not in comfort--from athleisure wear. Yes, it's pricey, but it's so worth it for a once-in-a-while splurge. Their best-known styles are likely the Go-To Skirt and the On-The-Loose Work Pants. Pros: Well-made, nice material, very friendly and helpful customer service (at least at all the brick-and-mortar San Francisco stores), luxe Cons: Price (although they do have sales quite often); sometimes they are out of specific styles or colors; website has a lot of styles and is a bit hard to navigate; they don't post customer reviews

    Go-To Skirt

    Billie

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    5 months ago

    I love this brand! I have mainly used the wax strips for underarm, face and leg waxing. In comparison with all the different wax brands I've tried over the past 20+ years, Billie: -is high-quality -is easy to use -is not strongly-scented -is well-priced I also really like the scent and feel of their pre-shave scrubbing bar.

    wax strips

    Boy Smells

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    5 months ago

    I was intrigued by Boy Smells' description and mission for a while before I made a purchase. I eventually purchased the trial pack of perfumes. Unfortunately, despite trying them each over multiple days, I found that the scents ranged from somewhat strong to very strong and all were too "perfume-y" for my taste. Based on the descriptions, I was hoping for something much fresher.

    Perfume

    Open Spaces

    Level 4
    Julie WLevel 4 36 Reviews

    5 months ago

    I have had my entryway rack for at least three years at this point, and it's holding up well! It houses a few pair of shoes for each family member. I appreciate the design and my husband appreciates that it is neither plastic nor pressboard. It also cleans up well. I would definitely consider purchasing another one in a different color for a different part of the house. On the downside, it has never been balanced correctly, so that the top two shelves (especially the top one) feel a bit wobbly no matter how I adjust it.

    entryway rack