Influenster VoxBox

[myvoxboxreview]

Watched the REVEAL Men, a new fragrance from @calvinklein #REVEALMORE Received from influenster for testing purpose as a part #VoxBox #contest    

[myvoxboxreview]

Review of the PlasticRig 2.0

I was very well impressed to receive a brand new unit from Influenster (such great and generous folks there!) on December 2014, when the FedEX man knocked on my door, and as I peeped at him through the door, I wondered in what kind of mischief and spending craze my husband had gone into, especially considering the large dimension of the shipping package.

After opening the package, I exclaimed, "Oh great!, just another one more thing fighting for space on my countertop".

After a crazy unboxing session and noticing how well the thing was put together, I expected about that much effort in the selection of materials chosen for the construction of the Keurig machine. As far as I am concerned, there is not a single metal part save for the metal "fakey fakey" plastic handle.

I washed the parts with "mild" detergent, which is something I don't really know, I filled the Keurig water reservoir up to the maximum because, why not? So I excitedly put a cup underneath while fumbling with the drain pan that doesn't really belong there, when I want it to stay there, it kinda stays there but then again, it is so easy to knock it out of place that I wonder whoever was designing (probably a whole committee) was thinking. After a few rinsing sessions per manual instructions, I was excited to brew a cup of tea to see how hot the water was and how the machine operated, before adding too many variables of keurig cups, flavors and so on (in an experiment we always try to reduce the amount of variables to achieve good results).

So yeah, I am looking for the perfect amount of water to be poured that will accommodate my drinking habits and you know, fill my cup to the rim with some room to slurp it. Well guess what, the machine, which I am thinking is quite capable of, resists and throws a fit saying, "OK sir (not knowing I am a woman), you can only put 4 oz or 6 oz." First of all, what the heck is an oz? Is it 30 grams, 30 ml's, or 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons and a drippity droppity more? Is it the fluid kind or the dry kind, or perhaps the wizard of oz? And the box says 9 different brew sizes which clearly don’t apply for hot water.

So the machine won't let me set the amount of water it will dispense, so I needed to do some basic math. I can pour 4 oz + 6 oz for a total of 10 oz. Or I can pour 6 oz + 6 oz for a total of 12 oz. Well, not knowing the volume of my mug, I decided that 12 ozeezes would be good. I was wrong. But that is not the best part.

Oh LORD in heaven what on earth is that plastic taste? What an awful awful flavor that came through the first cup. Down the drain and start again. Nope, still there...and rinse and repeat. So, what would you know, plastic + hot water = plastic water. I am thinking perhaps the dangling bonds or volatile organic compounds are spewing off the plastic and bonding or dissolving in the water. Utter gross. Think plastic water bottle all day in the sun in the car kind of gross.

I am so so so glad I paid absolutely nothing for this machine because boy would I resent and regret it so much. I would be foaming at the mouth trying to get a sense of why the heck was it designed in such a clueless matter? What happened to stainless steel? Too posh for a $150 machine that costs more to ship it (due to shipping volume) than to produce it in a factory in China because we Americans are so incapable of manufacturing this? Whew..

Ranting aside, I read that I can pour vinegar down the water reservoir or even add 10% hydrochloric acid to get rid of the dangling bonds (maybe the plastic is too porous) and wait overnight etc. Well, I am a busy person and I never got the chance. It is not a problem you see, this clearly is a feature and I am simply "brewing it wrong," as the late Steve Jobs would have said.

And then I ended up with two carafes one plastic (boo) and one stainless steel and the carousel thingamabobber that allows me to browse the free sample selection of kcups (2.0 firmware version) and go "weee!"

Disclaimer: I received this product(s) complimentary to test and/or review from influenster​ but this fact does not affect my review in any way. 

[myvoxboxreview]

REVEAL Men Calvin Klein Perfume Review

I received a sample of calvinklein REVEAL Men perfume for review and immediately the first thought was to give it to my husband. And I did give it to him but he is not much of perfume wearer (is there a word like that??) He previously had purchased a CK perfume and loved it. So I gave REVEAL Men to him and he did like it but he was not too impressed with the staying power of the perfume. So only thing I could do for a fair review was to try it myself, hence I did. The smell is amazing, just the way I like it: not too overpowering. I might just end up using it all by myself cause it smells very nice. But I too felt the lasting power of the perfume was not so great. Because of this reason, I am not sure if I will purchase the full size or not.

And Influenster did also sent a CK card holder which was nice: not anything amazing but does the job of holding few business card.

Disclaimer: I received this product(s) complimentary to test and/or review from influenster​ but this fact does not affect my review in any way.