MiO Liquid Water Enhancer - Peach Tea

Any other enhancements to speak of?

So I had seen these commercials advertising these little bottles of flavored goo for you to stick in your water to make it taste like something other than just water.

Admittedly I had been a powder packet girl.  I started off with Propel (the gateway drug as it were) and while at the store browsing Propel flavor choices, I saw all other kinds of options such as Hwaiian Punch, Ocean Spray as well as (my eventual go-to) Crystal Light.  So when I saw the little squirty bottle of water flavoring, I was curious.

It reminds me of chocolate syrup versus powder: you can always tell the difference.  Sometimes powder doesn't mix well.  The worst is when you can taste when it hasn't all dissolved.  (Yeah, not a fan of that, I'm not.) 

But which one tastes better?

Depending on the mixing, both are pretty good.  Finding a good flavor is also a plus.  But I have to say, I like me the MiO. 

The 1.62 fl oz little squeezy bottle of "water enhancement" claims to make 24 servings.  The last box of powder packets I got from the store came in a quantity of ten.

Per the powder directions, you were to add one packet to 16.9 fl oz (500 mL) of water.  The MiO, however, in its convenient packaging makes it easy to add as much or as little as you want.  (I'm usually one that likes a lot of flavor, but - like the bottle says - a little MiO goes a long way.)

The last box of packets claimed 5 calories per serving.  (MiO claims no calories.)

Neither require refrigeration (which I think is a no-brainer, but I typed it anyway).

What I found a little humorous on the bottle on the back above the nutritional facts was the statement "contains 0% juice".  Really?  Seriously?  You mean after all your promises of health and... oh wait, no.  You never proclaimed such things, did you little squirty bottle of MiO?  Sure, the front of your bottle says "natural flavor with other natural flavors", but really?  No juice?  (No worries.  I didn't think you contained any juice to begin with.  But you sure make my water taste yumscious!)

Overall, it's a nice little change up to all the powders I've used and/or have seen in recent years (and I'm a Kool-Aid Queen, born and raised!!!)


Would I ever try this again?  Seeing as I had pretty much positive things to say about it, I believe it's pretty easy to assume the answer is YES.  Peach originally was the only flavor I could find.  Now I see all their other flavors and am eager to try them all.  (There's a Pokemon joke in there somewhere, I know it!  I'm just too tired to care.)

http://www.kraftbrands.com/mio/

Kraft Foods Global, Inc.
Northfield, IL 60093-2753
USA
(800) 431-1002

Argan Magic - Nourishing Hair Cream

Hello there my lovelies.  (Miss me?)

I'm taking a break from working on a story right now (aka distancing myself from what some may call writer's block) and distracting myself with a review.

And look!  It's not about food, either.  (Bazinga!)

Now, I love me some food, don't get me wrong, but I just haven't had anything too... new and/or interesting to write about.

Instead, being as frolicious as I am, I am constantly in search of products to use on my hair.  Not many people know the curse of the curls.  Sure they're sexy and awesome and are only adorned by delicious individuals such as myself, but I digress.  (LOL!)

Seriously, I would love to find a product that I could use in my hair that would feel like I have nothing in it at all, that wasn't damaging to my locks, looked and smelled good, and (most importantly) didn't cost me an arm, a leg, my first born, and a kidney for something the size of a bottle of aspirin.

Seriously!!!

But as my luck with all sorts of things - toiletries, clothes, medications, etc. - once I find something that works for me, it either gets really difficult to find or (as most often is the case) gets discontinued.

Now admittedly despite popular belief, I'm really not that girly.  I'm more of a tomboy with occasional feminine leanings in the ways of clothes and such when the mood strikes me.  But ever since I was little, my hair has always been a chore.

Post-parental-splittage, my mother cut my once down-to-my-ass-length of hair to hella short.  I believe she did this in an attempt to make shortcuts due to being a newly single parent.  Unfortunately however snickers and jokes from others (mostly children) accompanied with the random pointing and laughing caused me to hate my then hairstyle, and I forbade my mother to ever come at my curls with anything resembling a blade or scissors.

So "The Beast" (as I ever so endearingly refer to my hair) began to grow out and at the rate it grew, snails and turtles were whizzing by me at mach-bajillion, cackling as they spied my hair.

Eventually it grew out and is presently (on an average day) a little over my shoulders.  (I say this since it is its own creature and dries differently each day looking longer one day and shorter the next.)

Welcome to my world...

Conditioner (not that two-in-one shit - I mean in its own separate bottle) is a close personal friend of mine.  Without it, I could not pass a grooming implement of any kind through my nappy waves of wonder.  After a while, it just wasn't enough.  I would use a brush or comb to work through the tangles quickly before it dried (which it does quickly) and would either put it in a bun or braid or something non-poofy.  Then I'd spritz down any fly-aways with some hairspray and voila!

Over the years, I have embraced my curls and don't mind showing them off, but I just can't the poofy crap.  I really can't.  Most of the people who have ever played with my hair always want to fluff it out.  (They're dead now due to my insatiable need to kill anyone who fucks with my hair.... and by fuck, I mean do shit that pisses me off like FLUFF IT OUT!)

What makes you think I want to look like the Bride of Frankenstein?

Ya feel me, dawg?!  (<=== don't ask)

So like Arthur and his knights, I myself have always sought after the Holy Grail of a simple yet aesthetically pleasing way to make my hair not look like a dandelion on crack.

One attempt was made while at the CVS/Pharmacy one day perusing the hair care aisle.  Two go-to products of mine did not seem to be carried by the store, and I didn't feel like trekking across town, over hill and dale, meadow and glen... in search of what I affectionately call "hair goo".  Instead I investigated what they had and came up with this... stuff.

The front of the bottle looked promising with its statements of "hydrates and conditions" and "eliminates frizz" as well as "provides soft, flexible hold".

Now the consistency of the cream is a little thicker than I'd like, but I felt it was something I could work with.  It smelled nice though... wasn't overpowering or nasally offensive.  At times it made my hair feel a little dreadlocky before it dried (and my hair takes FOREVER to dry naturally). Word!

Something I really didn't like about this product was that it didn't blend too well in my hair.  After combing the tangles out, I would put a little nourishing hair cream in my hand, rub my hands together, and then start at the ends since they have the tendency to dry first and stay irritatingly dry if not properly moisturized.

A little more product, repeat to the middle section of my hair.

A little more product... top of my head.

A little more product... flip my head over, hair down, exposing the hair against my neck... and apply.

With my go-to "I know this shit works" stuff, I have never experienced any kind of build up, but alas, this Moroccan Beauty Secret has the tendency to do that on my noggin.

At first I thought "Oh, maybe I'm using too much," but then I would use much less with the same result.

This morning in fact, I used some of the bottle I had recently bought (there's not so much in there anymore) and did not notice until on my way to work that I had white streaks in my hair.  Kind of like when you find you haven't wiped your mouth properly after brushing your teeth, and the people at work think you look rabid.  I took a tissue and tried to blend it in.  It was never a lot, but enough to bother me.

Wait... white stuff in my hair... anyone else thinking about Something About Mary?

Anyway, the only reason I'm using it now is that I haven't had the chance to buy anything else, and as it is, I have various "spells and potions" on my dresser that I'm slowly killing off with the promise of never using them again.

Waste not, want not.  (I don't like throwing stuff out unless I absolutely have to.) 

Would I ever try this again?  Um, no.  Yeah, it smelled nice, and didn't break the bank too bad being around ten bucks for the 8 fl oz bottle, but it just felt too sticky and cakey, and I love my curls a little more than that.

http://arganmagicbeauty.com/shop/index.php/shop/nourishing-hair-cream.html
http://arganmagicbeauty.com/

Distributed by: Jocott Brands
Los Angeles, CA 91406
(Made in the USA)