Turtle Bags - Save the Turtles!

Where can I buy one: Turtle Bags
Price: £4.95

Corporate Social Responsibility is everywhere these days. It concerns the onus placed on companies to act in an Environmentally and Ethically sound way, and in no bigger area has this affected the consumer recently than with plastic bags.

First it was Marks and Spencer’s charging 5p for their plastic bags and now Tesco are phasing plastic bags out of their stores in favour of bags for life. All of this is naturally done under the banner of reducing our carbon footprint but it probably doesn’t hurt the profits of these companies either. You can imagine the board room discussion “So we get to appear environmentally sound, we don’t have to spend millions on our old bags for no return, and we get to make money on bags for life? Well what are you waiting for, jump on the bandwagon now boys!”.

With this triplet of benefits one thing is for sure, plastic bags are about to get rarer than a holographic shiny Pokemon card, so we’d better start stocking up or find alternates. If you don’t fancy putting this money back in to the pockets of the Supermarkets that set you down this road, there are numerous eco friendly alternatives there to help, one such product being Turtle Bags Pocket Strings.

Presented in a neat pocket sized bag, these are an ideal solution to the problem of having to cart around several bags for life when you’re not really sure if you want to buy anything. The bag is kept neatly tucked away in a small pouch, and you simply unfold it from the pouch when you need it. Rather cleverly the pouch also acts as a small pocket when the bag is unfolded so you can shove keys, or pocket change in there as well.

Turtle Bags have their own reason for developing this range of bags, and that’s to save the Turtles of the world that end up eating our plastic bags by mistaking them for Jellyfish. Plastic bags don’t go to the same magical place as hot air balloons when you let go of them on the wind, and it seems they end up in a Turtle’s stomach if we’re not careful.

As a result we have this mesh based wonder in our possession to save the turtles, cut down on our bag consumption and help the environmental (well go in then, if we must). My initial question was whether the small holes would endanger numerous birds in the same way plastic can holders currently do but these are designed as bags for life rather than one off use and throw away items, so that neatly side-steps that issue.

As for being used in the shopping experience this photo demonstrates the bags capability to cope with even the most absurd of loads: A Gamecube, 7 tubs of wax, and 8 bottles of cosmetics. All completely full to brim with solutions, all creating a heavy strain on the bag and somehow it manages to cope without problem.

So it seems like a rousing success. There are obvious concerns if you try to fill it will anything small that will fall through the holes, and it is a rather fashionable alternate to the bland bags for life (don't let the brown put you off there's numerous other colours). Now the only question I have left is just what am I supposed to empty my cat litter in to without a plastic bag?

Also if you want to see a great take on Corporate Social Responsibility pick up ‘The Corporation’ on DVD.

Brylcreem Years Supply of Wax!

Following on from our 2007 review of a years supply of Brylcreem gel here we are to tackle a years supply of wax, gum and paste. So without further ado, lets see what’s new:

I’ve never really understood the need for makers of wax and gel to put strength scales on their products. After all no one wants their hair style to fall flat half way through the day, and most products are designed to be easily removed at the end of a hard day, so excess thickness isn’t really an issue any more. Most brands seem content to pump out five tubs in to the market, all near identical and pop different stickers on them for strength, hoping to attract every possible audience.

Brylcreem also adopt these same ratings with their strengthometer from 1-4. Thankfully this serves as more than just a way of giving Boots and co more than one product to put on their shelf. Not only does each product have its own rating but they also have completely different textures inside, making them different to apply, and more importantly, different on your hair.

For example “easyStyler gel wax” has a strength rating of two, but embodies a completely different texture to any hair product we’ve seen before. It looks like gel inside, but scooping your fingers in to the mixture reveals it to have both the smooth texture of a gel and the stickyness of a wax. Quite the paradox I’m sure you’ll agree, but it does ultimately go smoothly through your hair, and stick everything together. There’s no excess goo as you may expect from a gel, and the hair doesn’t go stiff like you’d expect from a wax. It really is the best of both worlds in one rather odd mixture.

Then we come to the “reStyler remouldable gum” (with a strength of three) and the “antiStyler scruffing paste”. Both look like something you’d apply to your face rather than your hair, one being a thick creamy mixture, the other resembling a face mask. They both perform the same task, reStyler giving slightly thicker hold in the long term.

Last we have “toughStyler strong wax”, the most conventional of the four it’s the only product to carry a four on the strengthometer, which you’ll notice as soon as you attempt to apply it. The thing is as hard as a rock, and it’s the type of product hairdressers would heat up with a blow dryer first just to get it out the tub. A few scoops and you'll have a tiny portion in your hand, but that will be enough to do an entire head of hair, so it's certainly long lasting due to its thickness.

By separating their different strengths in to numerous thicknesses Brylcreem have clearly given people a reason to choose between them. Choose the mixture you most like the feel of, and how stuck together you want your hair to be (the higher the score, the more you can hold together big clumps of hair) and you're done.

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Hear Your Body Talking CD - Dr. Doris Jeanette

How Much: $29.99 (approx £18)
Where can I buy one: Dr Jeanette.com

I wouldn’t really consider myself to be much of a sceptic, and I can wholeheartedly see the benefit for numerous people of the likes of Stop Smoking, Slimming and new age thinking books and CD’s. So when this new CD arrived from Dr Doris Jeanette I was actually rather interested in checking it out.

*BEEP****

The main focus of this particular CD is on “hearing your body talk” which doesn’t mean stuffing yourself until your stomach starts to grumble. Instead it focuses on 55 minutes of new thinking designed to let you love your body and take better care of it. A little less mind over matter, and more body over mind.

*COUGH***

The three principles behind this are that your body grounds your energy, can sense reality and is the way we meet our needs (by literally dragging us along to them). Without the body everything is merely imaginat...**It’s difficult to hear you, can you turn up your phone??***** ...ion.

What really lets the CD down is that it’s recorded directly from a teleseminar so as with this review you get constant interruptions, coughing, and a beep whenever new people join. There’s even interruptions where the speaker has to stop for people to turn off the sound coming down the phone.

All of these are pitfalls of any teleconference and destined to happen but shouldn’t be on a professional CD. What makes these interruptions worse is that 80% come in quiet moments where they could have been cut out of the audio without disrupting any of the flow of the presentation. Five minutes with a free piece of editing software such as Audacity would have made a world of difference.

Coming back to the main context of the presentation there are some strong points on letting the body rest if it needs too, and generally not overtaking your body when it says you should stop. Not much use for professional athletes or extremely busy CEO’s, but these are helpful tips for those of us who need to slow down the pace of life a little.

There are potential tips and tricks in the CD everyone can take away, it’s just a shame they’re presented in such a way as to be off putting. Case in point: One segment asks the user to relax, you’ve just taken on all the tips and are feeling really refreshed at which point “**PRESENTATION MODE ENABLED**” booms out your speakers, completely removing your refreshed mind.

Donna Karan Collection - CHAOS, Fuel for Men, Black Cashmere, Signature and Essences

Price: £55 each
Available Nationwide: 17th September 2008

In my last review of DKNY I spent almost the entire article talking about how chuffed I was with the apple shape of their latest Delicious range. So when samples of every other product in the Donna Karan collection arrived on my doorstep I was a little under whelmed by their slim black bottles and stuck on labels.

There is however some logic behind this simplistic packaging and reduced colour pallet. The group want to remove your preconceptions of any of these fragrances, they want to give you little more to go on than a sharp snappy title and an applicator to spray as you wish. They want nothing else in your mind but the scent.

And there are some great scents on offer across the range. – “Fuel for Men” has a fantastic cinnamon smell, making every day taste like apple pie. “Black Cashmere” on the other hand sounds like a curry on paper (with masala spices and nutmeg) but its sweet sugary scent pulls all of these fragrances in to a fantastic lingering smell, that is full of taste.

Then we come to the essences, four perfumes based on woodland wonder. Taking the same essences you’d likely find in a spray for your home, Donna Karan raises these scents up to become something even greater. From Lavender to Jasmine there are familiar scents, whilst Labdanum and Wenge introduce two unknown scents to your nostrils, both bringing to mind a Swedish spa resorts and utter relaxation. One final benefit of these four offshoots is that they are designed to be mixed, to be experimented with, so you can create ever more impressive fragrances with your body as the test subject.

Then we have CHAOS, the star attraction of the set. Containing the most ingredients, many of which would seem to clash on paper, its as if your favourite fragrances have been thrown in to the mixing pot in the hope they will produce something even better. One minute you’ll get a whaff of one scent, and then another until you’re not really sure what fragrance you sprayed on in the first place.

Although intended for women this mixture can feel a little unisex at times, often recalling stronger Hugo Boss scents for men. Some will really love it, others will not, but it'll never really be the same smell twice. Grab a sample of it, and be sure try, try, try until you get a feel for exactly what it offers.

This exprimentation is great for the 21st century but what’s really suprising about all of these fragrances is that they have been reissued from as far back as 1992, and perhaps with the exception of “Signature” they still stay strong today. Remarkable given how fashions, hairstyles and lifestyles have changed so much over the 16 year period. In this topsy turvy world one thing is for sure, smelling good never goes out of style.

Free stuff for September 2008

Rule number 3 of becoming a blagger; Companies want you to have stuff for free. Not only that but it can be yours in little more than a few clicks of the mouse. This month proves it as we go global with free TV Shows, Music, Food and even celebrities in the UK and USA.


Free Cosmetics
Searching for a brand name and the words “free sample” is a great way to see if you can get a sneak peak of a product. This month this helped us discover a motherload of samples thanks to Style for free.com. Their site is constantly updated and they chronicle every free sample available in the USA. Bookmark them for free products at the click of a mouse.

Free food clubs
If you like food then you could do a lot worse than joining the Linda McCartney food tester club. Likewise the Fine-T Club promise to send you free samples of their latest. Two minutes work, a lifetimes worth of tea and ready meals.

Free Music
There is a way to get music for free without being handed a huge fine. Sign up for iTunes to get a free song every week, download unknown bands albums at MySpace or get free songs at Woolworths. The choice is yours, as is the money in your pocket.

Free TV Shows
Fancy attending one of your favourite TV Shows and doing it for free?
BBC Tickets, Applause Store, TV Recordings.com and Hollywood Tickets have got you covered for pretty much any show, any where. Or if you simply want to meet your favourite celebrities for free in New York visit Freenyc.net.

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City 13 Album - Better Late Than Never Again

Where Can I Buy One: iTunes, Not on Your Radio, HMV, City13.co.uk
Due: September 22nd

Although I receive a lot of odd requests in my inbox every day, I do often reward the people that are the first to ask for something. The first person to ask me for a free product got one mere days later. Likewise City 13 are the first band to ask for me for a review, and given how hard it is for new bands to break through it seemed only fair to take a look at their debut album: Better Late Than Never.

A little apprehensive about putting it on for the first time in a crowded office of people, I settled instead for a quiet Sunday morning session to make the most of the album. I needn’t have worried about offending the conservative work crowd, the rock stylings of City 13 are a blend of punk and much more relaxed stylings that everyone can enjoy.

At times their rock origins show through with the likes of “Suffer For It” and “Puppet Strings” but they never resort to blatant heavy shouting to add angst to a song. In fact the entire album has quite an upbeat tone throughout. Sure the lyrics may portray the usual stories of “F**K it all” but it’s done in an uplifting way rather than in a grunge like fashion.

Some songs even defy genre descriptions all together. The almighty “To the Darkness” being a particular song that offers strong guitar chords and a fantastically down-tempo middle, bringing you back up for the ending. Guaranteed to get you jumping up and down, it’s a stand out track.

Not sure if they’re for you? The tracks borrow influences from the Offspring, All American Rejects, The Atari’s and Lost Prophets. Even tack 5 “Walking for Miles” has a bit of a feeling of The Calling. If you like one of these bands you’ll enjoy it, like most of them and it’s a no brainer.

Other songs to look out for are Summer Song, and my favourite track “Worst Mistake” for its pure melodic summer style. Lastly “Better Late Than Never Again”, ends the album perfectly with over seven minutes of tight lyrics, finishing with a fantastic guitar solo.

Although you could argue the vocals would benefit from being a notch louder or crisper (a demonic overlay on “Puppet Strings” sounding weak when it should be the strongest line) the overall sound quality is excellent for an independent band debut. To sum up; the focus on instrumentals, manic drum beats and long guitar riffs make them the best thing to come out of Wolverhampton in years.