Influenster Review: Mary Kay Clearproof Acne System

I was provided with a complimentary sample of the Mary Kay Clearproof Acne System by Influenster.

What I received honestly feels to me like a clone of the Proactive system.  And is has the same flaws for the most part.  I am not sure the 4 step system is at all necessary and it is serious a pain in the ass to use. It gives me the feeling they are trying to dole out a fairly small amount of active ingredient camouflaged by four tubes full mainly of water and pseudoscience.

That said it is about as effective an any of the Salicylic acid-based treatment.  The cleanser is the only really useless product, especially if you already have a well-formulated cleaners. The moistener is a little better but I still prefer the moisturizer I was already using. The toner and is okay and the ointment is about on par with others that have the same active ingredients.

If you really are not doing anything at all for your skin a set like this might be a good way to start. And if you are already using Proactiv and like this system, the Mary Kay version has the advantage of not trying to strong arm you into a subscription--you can just order it when you need it and order all the parts separately (because the most important part is in the smallest tube--I would tend to use that up first).

Overall I would rate it: meh.  But as someone who has been dealing with acne-prone skin for decades now I may not be the "typical" consumer for this product.

G Fuel, no thanks

Gamma Labs usually makes sports supplements but apparently they wanted to get into the energy-drinks-for-slobs market.

Or as they put it: "we are a sports nutrition based company dedicated to providing athletes and the fitness community with ... supplements [but] with the PTF becoming so popular within the gaming community and with energy drink consumers, we felt it was time to develop a newer product to suit ALL our customers' needs"

I decided to ask for a free sample to try to see if it is better than my usual 3 O'clock Pepsi.  The answer is... no.  The powder produced a day-glo red liquid and the taste was vile.  Imagine a combination of 4-5 original recipe Dramamine tablets dissolved in Hawaiian punch-flavored Kool-Aid.

My focus seems not at all improved due to the aftertaste actually causing a persistent nausea.  I am off now to buy a Pepsi in the hope that it will wash the horrendous taste of this stuff away.

Simple

I am not entirely sure what is happening to the word "Simple", at least in relation to women.

Real Simple magazine seems to be mainly about making pointless things, buying pointless things, and following trends. And men, well, they are actively dis-invited from reading it.

And Simple cleansing comes in wipes in a plastic container.

That said, I have them because I used Klout and got offered them as a free "perk"--which isn't actually very simple to begin with.

And I kind of liked them, and I liked the idea of simple natural ingredients.

Above the fold is says: vitamins, alcohol (no oils), no perfumes or dyes.

Then, under the fold of the packaging seal I read the ingredients:

• water (okay)
• cetearyl isononanoate
• panthernol, 
• glycerin, 
• glyceryl stearate, 
• cetearyl alcohol, 
• ceteareth-20, 
• ceteareth-12,  
• sodium citrate, 
• 2-bromo-2-nitroprpane-1,3-diol, 
• disodium EDTA, 
• phenoxyethanol, 
• methylparaben, 
• propylparaben (what?)

If that's simple, I'd hate to see complicated.

Vanilla Blurk

I have previously rated Starbuck's Via instant coffee a solid 'Meh'. It's a pretty good, if over-priced, on-the-go coffee.

By contrast Vanilla Via is a emphatic 'Blurk!', followed by mouthwash to combat the persistent after-taste. If you use this stuff to make mixed or flavor melanges its offensive taste might be largely disguised. But if you want to just add hot water and drink, no. Just no. Don't do it.

While plain Via has an inoffensive one-note mild flavor, Vanilla Via tastes first of chemicals (a bit like dish washing soap), strange delayed sweetness and slightly burnt coffee sweepings. The after-taste is filmy and acrid. I cannot believe anyone would pay good money for this crap.

Via: Starbucks Instant Coffee

As Chicago (along with Seattle) is one of the test markets I got a hold of a sample of VIA, Starbucks new brand of instant granulated coffee. I would rate it is solid: Meh.

Via is certainly better than the instant coffee that was made back in the days where they would grind up anything that even looked like a coffee bean. It is solidly drinkable and a good option if you, well, don't have any other options. I would rate it about the same as basic cheap drip coffee.

Via has a pleasant but one-note taste with that slightly burnt edge that I associate with Starbucks. So if you like the taste of Starbucks coffee, I guess VIA has that taste. I dare say I will stick with buying whatever filter-ground coffee is on sale at Peapod.

See also:
Brew review: Starbucks’ VIA
Just add water: Can granules ever pass the taste test?
"From the Comfy Chair": Want to make Juan happy? Clean the bathroom!

Saving Virgin Forest

Virgin is a damned weird word. But since the middle ages we have been all about saving the virgins. And when it comes to forests, at least, I can agree with it. Besides, plastics really need to be replaced wherever possible. This is is my free infomercial for wheatware. It can do most things that hard plastic can, like make a hanger, comb, spork or guitar pick and for a similar price--but when discarded it is rapidly biodegradable. Although I have lingering reservations about using a food plant in this way. We don't really need anymore green products driving up the price of food. Be it fuel or forks it seems to me that non-edible biomass could be used instead? But unlike the corn used in biofuel, there is a wheat surplus in the US so this product line is probably not impacting the normal consumer's bottom line.