This is the only shoe I've bought twice.  After I wore out the soles of my first pair, I bought a second pair because I realized that these are the shoes I wear most frequently.  The Moc is a fantastic everday shoe, comfortable, casual without being sloppy, and easy to slip on and off.  Another plus: the grey-olive color goes well with many pants colors and doesn't show s...

I'm choosy about my deodorants.  I won't use anti-perspirants because I believe the body should be allowed to sweat, which essentially relegates me to less mainstream, more 'natural' products.  Aromarant is perhaps the most effective deodorant I've used, though I still wouldn't classify it as very strong.  I don't have major body odor issues but still ...

Touch is a lustre-type lipstick that MAC describes as a "peachy cinnamon."  I would classify this color as a warm brown that works well for daytime looks.  I'm Chinese-Japanese with a medium to medium-light skin tone, and this lipstick works great for me.  It darkens and intensifies my lip color without looking unnatural.  Being a MAC lustre, this lipstick is a...

No complaints here.  This is the second snowboard I've purchased, but I really consider it my first board.  My first purchase was a Salomon from REI, which was too long for me to feel comfortable on (it was a 143 cm model, if I remember correctly).  I'm only about 5 feet tall and a novice at snowboarding.  My Tika board, which is 139cm long, felt more manageable than...

I bought the Guzzo to be a fashionable but comfortable and practical winter coat, and it has met my expectations pretty well.  Sizing is always tricky when you buy clothes online, especially when you have little experience with the brand.   Fortunately, I lucked out on this occasion.  I am short (5') and have a medium build (116 lbs), and I chose a size small.  The ...

Urban Decay eyeshadows have garnered a reputation for high color payoff and smooth application.  Sellout is one of the first eyeshadows I've purchased from them, and I'd have to agree with the hype.  This glitter-less shadow is easy to apply and leaves a light, pinkish beige frost on my eyelids.  (Urban Decay describes Sellout as a pink champagne shimmer.)  This sha...

Alright, I'll admit I strayed from Nalgene to buy a Cyclone water bottle because of the Cyclone's lower price.  The straying was a mistake.  This water bottle has committed the cardinal sin of leaking on items in my backpack (acting as the final straw for my ailing laptop, no less), which prevents me from recommending it to anyone.  Perhaps the leakage was due to me not s...

Okami is truly a unique and beautifully crafted video game for the Playstation 2.  The premise is that you are a god (Amaterasu), brought out of sleep to combat forces of darkness in old Japan.  Gameplay involves combat, dexterity, and 'brush strokes' you create using your controller.  As you progress thorugh the game, you learn more strokes.  Some brush strokes are ...

When I need a pair of cheap sunglasses with good UV protection and polarized lenses, I head to REI and pick up a pair of Chili's sunglasses.  The Orca was my latest purchase after I broke my previous pair of sunglasses (I often break things, which is why I look for less expensive brands).  One thing I like about Chili's is that they come in a variety of sizes, and they general...

I needed a pair of glasses (first pair since 8th grade!), and I'd heard good things about Costco's optometry shop.  So, off I went to peruse their small but decent selection of frames.  (They don't have many funky and unique designs, however, if that's what you're looking for.)  After about two weeks of processing, the glasses were ready for pickup.  Sinc...

Corruptable is a dark, deep purple that's a bit more on the blue-violet side rather than the red.  However, to get the deep color on your nails, you'll need at least two reasonably thick coats, preferably three.  You can get the color dark enough that it's close to black, which is what I was looking for.  At the risk of making generalizations, this is a good 'goth...

Lemony Flutter is marketed as a cuticle butter and general moisturizer for rougher parts, such as hands, elbows, and heels.  The product does work as advertised, and I've also successfully used it as a lip balm (I checked the ingredients first to make sure there was nothing I should obviously not ingest and didn't find anything too alarming).  The main ingredient is shea butte...

If you're looking for a sulfate-free toothpase, Trader Joe's anise-flavored toothpaste is an excellent choice.  It's inexpensive, tastes pretty good (think licorice with mild sweetness), and seems to clean teeth well.  The anise flavor makes for a decent breath freshener as well.  One thing to note though: this is a fluoride-free toothpaste, if that matters to you.&nb...

Settlers of Catan is an award-winning game for a reason.  It's extremely well-designed and suitable for a variety of ages and skill levels.  There's enough randomness and luck to give the less experienced board gamers a chance, but enough strategy that you still need to use your brain to win.  The idea is that you build roads, settlements, and cities to extract resources ...

If you're going to use a tweezer to pluck out unwanted hair, don't even bother with a cheap pair.  A good quality tweezer will make the task way easier.  My Tweezerman is the first high-quality pair of tweezers I've owned, and there's such a huge difference between them and my previous tweezers.  They can grip even tiny, fine hairs, so that all I have to do is hol...

I've been using the Citi Dividend card for over 2 years and have mixed feelings about it.  I initially applied for the card because I was already with Citibank (I'd been using a Diamond Preferred card) and wanted a credit card that offered cash back rewards.  The draws: there's no annual fee, and being a Mastercard, the Citi Dividend card is quite versatile.  Also, I ...

Carcassonne is a game set in medieval France where the goal is to accumulate more points than your opponents by controlling farms, roads, cities, and cloisters.  The rules are very simple: every turn you randomly pick a tile and add it to the board, creating roads and buildings as you go.  To control these various features, you place your 'followers' on the tiles as you play t...

Stranger in a Strange Land is considered a top science-fiction nowel by many, for good reason.  This is one of the most imaginative books I've read in a very long time, in terms of both plot and perspective.  The story revolves around a man named Michael who was raised on Mars and has come to Earth for the first time. As you learn about him and see his reactions to human society, ...

The Roomba is a vacuum that operates on its own at the touch of a button.  He'll wander around your house, figuring out the dimensions of the room and sucking up debris as he goes.  (You can't help but think of Roomba as a pet or your little vacuuming buddy, by the way.)  The movement algorithms programmed into the Roomba are surprisingly effective, resulting in decent co...