Mike Sesame Oil Popcorn review

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so... I saw this sitting at the bottom of my drafts and realized I forgot to publish it (I wrote this review on June 11, 2018)... it has been 3 years and I haven't seen it reappear... still... I thought I would share this with you. 

One of my favourite "oils" of all time is sesame oil... and one of my favourite snacks happens to be popcorn... so you can imagine my excitement when I found a whole shelf of these Sesame Oil Popcorn bags lying around at my local grocery store!

impressions:

• strong seaweed taste
• where is the sesame oil?
• has a strong "Mike's popcorn taste" (which I'm not particularly a fan of...)

I was disappointed and I hope they never bring this back... when you say there is sesame oil and the aroma or taste is not there... that is extremely careless... I did taste the seaweed

score: 5/10

website: no website

Paula's Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask review

 

I came across this "mask" while I was on their website to refill on more of their popular leave-on exfoliant. 

My skin has been quite dry lately and since I am very impressed with their exfoliate I decided to give this mask a try. I haven't heard of it prior and there seems to be no mention of this product from other skincare specialists. 

This is a hydrating treatment mask that contains Borage oil. According to stylist.co.uk, "Borage oil treats all kinds of skin inflammation including eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea. It is also good if your skin feels dry as it is calming, nourishing, and redness-erasing prowess. It's also useful in helping calm acne and it's lighter than many other oils so won't leave your face feeling greasy."

This mask claims to hydrate dry, flaky skin, fortifies the protective moisture barrier, and calms and soothes sensitive skin. It is listed under their "Skin Recovery". Paula's Choice also recommends it as a good hand hydrating mask (but I didn't/haven't feel/felt the benefits of it).

Directions 

Use on clean skin. Apply a generous layer all over the face and neck. Leave on overnight as your last step in your skincare routine. Use as often as needed.

I have been using this mask (sometimes I use it as a moisturizer and almost every night as a leave-on mask) for almost 4 months and I love it!

Impressions:

• affordable
• calming
• your skin needs to adjust to the texture
• it hydrates your dry skin!
• can be used as a moisturizer/eye cream
• long-lasting (effects last for hours)
• Use around 1 cm of product for the whole face
• very thick, leave-on mask but light-weight (skin absorbs every bit of product)
• no irritation
• softens skin, soothes skin
• non-greasy

When I first started using this mask, my skin felt uncomfortable with the thickness and consistency, it took around 2 weeks till my skin was able to adjust and became comfortable with the consistency and properly absorbed the product. 

I noticed it would dry out some smaller pimples and acne within 1-2 uses.  I use it as an overnight leave-on mask, and my skin feels very plump and hydrated the next day. There was a tiny wrinkle on my skin (prior to using this mask) and this mask took it out within 2-3 uses!

I have super sensitive skin and this mask/cream did not cause any issues. There was absolutely no irritation, but my skin had to adjust to the thickness of "learning how to absorb it properly". 

I am super happy I found this product and it is also one of Paula's Choice's more affordable products.

Score: 10/10
Website: https://www.paulaschoice.com/skin-recovery-hydrating-treatment-mask/280.html

CoCo's Passion Dragonfruit Smoothie short review

Large Passion Dragonfruit smoothie

I haven't gone out to explore places (restaurants, bars, etc) since the pandemic so I haven't been able to write a lot of reviews... while I like the convenience of taking out, it just isn't the same as dining in... I can't wait till we can all dine out again and be free to explore places! 

After months of reviewing products I am so glad I finally came across a drink I really like and can't wait to share with you, this is Coco's Passion Dragonfruit Smoothie... isn't it pretty? 😍 

ALSO! they have a special promotion right now... it is $5.50 (for the month of April... I'm not sure how long it last though)

The Drink:

The staff warned me that somewhere in the ingredients there is milk, so if you are lactose intolerant, be warned. I couldn't taste a strong milk presence, though. 

I think this is a seasonal item since I see dragonfruits popping around everywhere but am secretly hoping it is a permanent menu item. 

I couldn't find this item on their website... so the ingredients list will be based on my tastebuds and experience. 

Ingredients: 

It contains real dragonfruit bits, passionfruit bits, passionfruit seeds (replacing the traditional tapioca balls), and milk (according to the staff)

Experience:

I love this drink because it isn't artificially sweet, it is just right, and it also isn't sour, but with hints of tart in the blend (from the passionfruit bits). Despite being a smoothie, it is very refreshing and contains lots of liquid. I hate traditional smoothies that are not refreshing and don't quench thirst, but this isn't the case for this drink at all. 

score: 10/10

website: no website