My Product Odyssey & your one stop destination for reviews on anything and everything !!! ~ Views you can use ~
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Nooksack Falls / Nook falls
Nooksack falls or Nook falls is a spectacular waterfall in the Whatcom County of Washington. If you are planning a visit to Mount Baker, then this fall can be visited on the way, just about 10-15 minutes before Mt. Baker, on left side. It will hardly take 5 minute following the Nook falls exit.
Since the area is quite slippery and rocks often fall off, it is advised to avoid the trail down. There is a viewing spot that gives majestic view of water dropping off 88 feet into rocky river canyon, creating mist all around.
Enjoy the view!
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| Nooksack falls |
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| Nooksack falls |
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| Nooksack falls |
Biorè UV Aqua rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ Review
I was searching online for the perfect sunscreen and came across various sites and reviews on amazon raving about this particular sunscreen, which is a Japanese product named Biore. The reviews were so promising that even though it is not sold in Canada, I tried hard to find it at various Chinese store and as luck would have it, I finally found it!
This is my first review of a Biore product.
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| Biorè UV Aqua rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ |
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| Biorè UV Aqua rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ |
Quantity: 50 g
What product claims: 😕Don't know! Everything about the product and its ingredient list is in Japanese.
What product claims: 😕Don't know! Everything about the product and its ingredient list is in Japanese.
Price: CAD $25 price varies depending upon the seller on amazon and store
My views you can use:
Mildly scented and texture is really good, runny and lightweight. I instantly fell in love with it and thought I found my perfect umbrella for summer. However, it was too early celebration. I used it for around a month and observed that my skin, which is usually hydrated and normal type in summer is turning dry and scaly. I knew Biorè Aqua rich has high alcohol content but decided to give it a try reading numerous positive reviews from dry skin people. Although this provides good sun protection, it doesn't work well for my overall skin health as it strips off its natural moisture, making it dehydrated and dull.
Will definitely not purchase this ever again. I might try other sunscreen from Biore with less alcohol content. (if at all there is any!)
Overall score: 💗💗/💚💚💚💚💚
Although it is good in texture and an efficient sunscreen I gave it a low score because ultimately it harms skin which is worse than having sun burn.
Hope this post was useful!
Lotus Herbals Safe Sun Sunscreen Gel SPF 20 Review
My skin sometimes suffer from photo sensitivity known as PLE (Polymorphous Light Eruption). This causes small blisters like thing, which is rarely itchy, to appear on skin exposed to sun. I first experienced this when I was around 12 years old, then when in college. The most annoying part of PLE is the white patches which appears when the skin is exposed to strong UV rays at noon (10am - 2pm).
The patches and PLEs fades eventually within few weeks but I guess it is better to avoid having them in first place by taking precautions. For that reason, I am always on a hunt for a perfect sunscreen which is non greasy😑 and does not cause whitish cast on body. Unfortunately, most sunscreen which offer good full spectrum sun protection does makes you look greasy and ghosty. A full spectrum sunscreen provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA causes age spots and wrinkles while UVB burns the skin which makes it look tan. Now, who wants to look uneven tanned wherein exposed face, legs and arms of different colour than that of neck and abdomen. It looks as if different human race was assembled to make one race. My skin tans quickly if there is no sun protection. Sometimes I do go out without sunscreen to get natural dose of Vitamin D but often I need this greasy umbrella to fight PLEs and tan.
So, here I am reviewing my encounter with Lotus gel based sunscreen. I hope you will find it useful.
Quantity: 100 g
The patches and PLEs fades eventually within few weeks but I guess it is better to avoid having them in first place by taking precautions. For that reason, I am always on a hunt for a perfect sunscreen which is non greasy😑 and does not cause whitish cast on body. Unfortunately, most sunscreen which offer good full spectrum sun protection does makes you look greasy and ghosty. A full spectrum sunscreen provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA causes age spots and wrinkles while UVB burns the skin which makes it look tan. Now, who wants to look uneven tanned wherein exposed face, legs and arms of different colour than that of neck and abdomen. It looks as if different human race was assembled to make one race. My skin tans quickly if there is no sun protection. Sometimes I do go out without sunscreen to get natural dose of Vitamin D but often I need this greasy umbrella to fight PLEs and tan.
So, here I am reviewing my encounter with Lotus gel based sunscreen. I hope you will find it useful.
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| Lotus Herbals Safe Sun Sunscreen Gel SPF 20 |
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| Lotus Herbals Safe Sun Sunscreen Gel SPF 20 |
Quantity: 100 g
Price: Rs 245
CAD $15-30 on amazon.ca
CAD $15-30 on amazon.ca
Product claims:
A revolutionary gel, the only one in sun care range, containing Babchi seed extract, provides full spectrum sun protection. Also contains 'Phenyl Benzimidazole Sulfonic acid', the only water soluble sunscreen agent to provide synergistic protection against full spectrum UV rays, therefore lightens the complexion and retards ageing process.
My views you can use:
Sun protection: This non drying broad spectrum sunscreen effectively provides sun protection and minimises sun burn. However, because it is water soluble you need to reapply it as and when it is washed or say every 2-3 hours.
If your skin gets tanned in 10 minutes, the SPF 20 will provide 20 times more protection that is you will tan after 200 minutes(~3hours). So, you need to reapply every three hours. So, how a particular SPF works on an individual varies with how faster his/her skin tans. Another disadvantage of this sunscreen is that it is absolutely no-no for rainy days or when it could rain, just give this gel a miss. Once I applied it all over my body and stepped out in rain, and I was all sleek and slimy. For humid weather, it performs fairly well as unlike other sunscreen this doesn't make you sweat profusely. But you need to reapply often due to sweating.
Texture : Gel based so absolutely non greasy and suitable for oily skin. I have dry to normal skin and, I love this formula. The best I have come across among sunscreens in terms of non greasy weightless texture. This gives matte finish with little glow.
Smell : As long as it is works well, serves the purpose and is not highly scented to annoy people in vicinity I don't mind how it smells! However, for some of you who do mind, it doesn't smell great.
Value for money : Yeah!
If your skin gets tanned in 10 minutes, the SPF 20 will provide 20 times more protection that is you will tan after 200 minutes(~3hours). So, you need to reapply every three hours. So, how a particular SPF works on an individual varies with how faster his/her skin tans. Another disadvantage of this sunscreen is that it is absolutely no-no for rainy days or when it could rain, just give this gel a miss. Once I applied it all over my body and stepped out in rain, and I was all sleek and slimy. For humid weather, it performs fairly well as unlike other sunscreen this doesn't make you sweat profusely. But you need to reapply often due to sweating.
Texture : Gel based so absolutely non greasy and suitable for oily skin. I have dry to normal skin and, I love this formula. The best I have come across among sunscreens in terms of non greasy weightless texture. This gives matte finish with little glow.
Smell : As long as it is works well, serves the purpose and is not highly scented to annoy people in vicinity I don't mind how it smells! However, for some of you who do mind, it doesn't smell great.
Value for money : Yeah!
Overall score: 💗💗💗💕/💚💚💚💚💚
Seeing is believing, notice the picture I have posted! I have used it religiously in summer that once it got over and pump couldn't take out the little amount left at bottom. So, I opened and tried different tricks to get the gel out in desperation 😂, even the cap is missing. The empty bottle is the sign of good product😏. I have reduced few points because there is scope for improvement. Also, lotus herbals sun safe is not completely herbal, it has alcohol and chemicals.
Hope this post was useful!
Seeing is believing, notice the picture I have posted! I have used it religiously in summer that once it got over and pump couldn't take out the little amount left at bottom. So, I opened and tried different tricks to get the gel out in desperation 😂, even the cap is missing. The empty bottle is the sign of good product😏. I have reduced few points because there is scope for improvement. Also, lotus herbals sun safe is not completely herbal, it has alcohol and chemicals.
Hope this post was useful!
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Travel Posts
Scroll down to see travel related posts and visit links below
1. Bali
2. Canada
......more post coming
3. USA
American car museum ... more post coming
4. Singapore
...post coming
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Chocolates - divine or deceptive?
Chocolates - Divine or Deceptive?
In today’s world, it is ironic to see that people are more aware and into fitness for ultimate physical body and health yet they are easily fooled into believing goodness of certain foods. But, why is it that? Who benefits? The big chocolate companies have enough money to fund researches and pay people to make us believe in the positive benefits of it. Also, marketing strategies often twist research to claim healthiness of their product.
I am a brown girl who likes everything chocolaty brown :P . Chocolates are my weakness and I know they taste divine. No doubt about it. But, what I find annoying is misleading dubious claims of chocolates being healthy or dark chocolates, to be more precise. I agree that cocoa is high in antioxidants but it is an expensive ingredient to make a chocolate. A lot of chocolates we eat is low grade cocoa, roasted to enhance its chocolate flavour. To make a bar of it, the entire chocolate making process requires emulsifiers, flavours (artificial or natural), soy lecithin and other stuff to be added.
While pure cocoa is bitter, pure cocoa nibs are nothing like a chocolate (more like almonds). Too much of a disappointment for all that chocolate craze, specially if you make yourself believe in chocolates health benefits. The statement ‘chocolates are healthy’ is quite misleading and the statement ‘dark chocolate is healthy’ is somewhat misleading as it depends upon the readers ability to read and understand ingredient label on the product. Sadly, many people fail to understand that dark chocolate is isn’t that dark and beneficial. Cocoa (not dutch processed) and cocoa nibs are healthy and has all that beneficial properties that scientific research talks about. What we get in market is sugar, emulsifier, butter mass mixed with low grade processed cocoa, which has loss its beneficial Flavonols. The story is that originally Aztec people used to make cocoa drink.It somehow reached a Dutch chemist, who then came up with a process of alkali treatment with sodium or potassium carbonate to aid emulsification of fat with water for large scale cheaper production of chocolates. This also darkens the colour of chocolate. Alkali treatment reduces acidity of cocoa from ~ 5.39 to 7 (depending upon the level to which it was alkalised). This can significantly reduce the level of antioxidants from 20-40mg/g to 1-6mg/g. Flavonols catechin and epicathechin level in dutch processed cocoa is way to low to give benefits.
The cocoa in most of the chocolate bars is so less that to get the required amount of flavonoids, you need to consume more, and if you do so, you are ending up with high sugar, fat, emulsifiers intake. Which in turn has its own side effects. But if you remove cocoa fat out and consume chocolates the flavonoids are not absorbed properly. Infant, natural cocoa butter helps in absorption of flavonoids. Moreover, if the cocoa is dutch processed, it will provide no or very little polyphenols. Marketing people can even sell poison stating the good side to it. That you will reach heaven. So, it is our responsibility to weigh advertisements and claims before blindly following the mass.
In all the scientific studies favouring cocoa befits, tests were conducted with pure cocoa not chocolate bars. So, eat pure cocoa. But, you see advertisements of chocolates not cocoa. So, think! In an article published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was concluded that older women who consumes chocolates had less bone density and strength probably because with chocolates they were consuming lot of other ingredients. Most chocolates have high fructose corn syrup, which deserves another post to state its harmful effects. Some prefer drinking dark chocolate shake, but a research report suggests that milk reduces the absorption of beneficial compounds. In a study by Dr Mauro Serafini at National Institute for Food and Nutrition, Italy, it was concluded that antioxidants absorption decreases when you have milk to your dark chocolates.(Chocolate milk). Milk proteins binds with antioxidant molecules thereby limiting their absorption in gut. Reports also suggest that cocoa butter which is in higher concentration in dark chocolates assist absorption. Are you thinking about milk chocolates? Well, milk chocolates don’t have cocoa so no point of pondering over absorption of antioxidants. Milk chocolates have milk and butter from cocoa that we all call cocoa butter.
To sum it all, to get most out of your dark chocolate cocoa butter is must and so is no sugar and milk (or significantly less). But, with your dose of antioxidant you also end up getting fat. So, if you think dark chocolate assist weigh loss think again. Because my love for cocoa is pure lust and I don’t believe in superfood. So, if you are trying to check this out make sure you limit your fat uptake from other sources, To get the goodness of cocoa without getting the fatness form cocoa.
Let us see an example of a chocolate I recently bought which is 100% cocoa from Ecuador, called Cacao Sampaka. It has only two ingredients cocoa mass and cocoa butter. This one has
Per (25g or 3 pieces)
Calories -142 (of which 139 is calories from fat)
Total fat - 15g (24% of daily requirement)
Saturated - 10g (49% of my daily requirement)
Sugar - 1g (not added but somehow it is there)
Protein - 3g
Fiber -2g
Saturated fats are considered bad fat as they can clog arteries, and increase risk of heart diseases. For a 2000 calories diet, the saturated fat limit is 16g or 140 calories from saturated fat. Now check the label and see that how easily in just 3 pieces, you can reach close to the limit. This is because apart from 1- 3 pieces of chocolates , you are also going to have breakfast, lunch and dinner which might add the saturated fat.(through meat, poultry, dairy, eggs and vegetable oil). I just gave an example of a good grade cocoa dark chocolate I have. If you buy Lindt, Hershey’s, Nestle or other brands the ingredient list might have sugar, emulsifiers, soy lecithin etc. Chocolate drink without sugar and milk and 100% cocoa gives energy without giving what coffee and other caffeinated drink gives - A spike in energy level and then dull moment. When you eat chocolates with sugar, you might go through hypo glycemia, a feeling of hungry and tiredness. So you can end up eating more.
Look how the articles have rocketed around the world in papers, magazines etc. Headings like don’t feel the guilt next time you crave chocolate, chocolates are stress buster, Chocolates good for heart, chocolate for weight loss etc seems misleading.
This is the reason I don’t believe in all that health and diet related superfood sagas. Life is about balance. Just like when you laugh too much, you are insane and when you cry too much you are insane. Too much of anything good is bad and bad is off course bad. Cocoa is great for health just like blueberries, strawberry, guava etc. If you happen to find good grade pure cocoa, surpass the bitterness and happen to like cocoa drink then yes, it is beneficial. But, know that cocoa beans have 50% more fat than coffee beans. And be aware that your fat consumption is also going up. For appropriate daily calorie intake of fat, reduce fat from other sources to combat the rise.
In conclusion, sweets are meant to be eaten occasionally in moderation. Greed is harmful :) I tried to present my points with reasonings. I believe weight is to be managed by healthy diet and lifestyle changes. Dark chocolates with 95% - 100% cocoa are best way to curb your chocolates/cocoa love and to get the benefits of flavanols. But, ultimately moderation is the key.
This reminds me of a funny joke related to green tea and weight loss. Yea, so go to South America get real cocoa and try!
~Ren
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Veggie balls recipe/ IKEA veggie balls
Veggie balls recipe/ IKEA veggie balls
On our recent visit to Ikea, I stumbled across veggie balls on the menu and to me it sounded more like an indian stuff. After all, we make halo tikki and other similar ticks like cutlet which look so close to veggie balls. Also, lentil soup is our very own staple daal😂. Not to my surprise when I tasted the veggie balls, it tasted like European version of indian cutlet with kale instead of spinach and herbs instead of our very own masalas. Anyway, I must say this is one of the best possible way to eat kale.
I tried to replicate the recipe and chose to bake instead of frying. Well, the result was pretty similar.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Kale (blanched)
- 1/3 Cup frozen Peas
- 1/4 Cup frozen carrot
- 1/4 Cup cut Onion
- 1/4 Cup frozen Corn
- 1 Cup garbanzo beans canned or boiled
- 1/2 Cup boiled rice/oats
- 1 teaspoon basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and garlic powder
- Bell peppers (optional)
- Olive oil 1 tablespoon
Preheat oven at 350℉
- Mix all ingredients in a blender and make a coarse mixture. Do not make a paste or add water.
- Make balls and place it on the baking tray lined with aluminium foil.
- Spray olive oil on balls.
- Bake at 350℉ for ~ 30 minutes.
~Ren
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