![Essentiel Elements Bathe : Skincare Bar [ Fresh Neroli ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/136032.jpg)
This Skincare Bar is cute enough at the start, but it’s the lather that matters and you seem to get less the more you use it. That makes for a frustrating Bathe despite its dainty appearance and Fresh Neroli scent. It would work better as a hand soap.
my rating : 2 of 5
This “may be the best tasting Ultra yet!” according to the can, but that’s not much of a promotion. Carbonated Energy drinks are inherently flawed and this Monster is no exception. It does have a relatively pleasant “citrus taste”; it’s based on the Ruby Red grapefruit; but the bubbly sting, however mild, takes you out of the Fantasy.
my rating : 3 of 5
Is Sarah McLachlan Better Broken? Perhaps. This is her best (non-Christmas) album since Surfacing. That’s not saying much; her last two are pretty bad; but it’s a mildly pleasant surprise. What’s shocking is her breakup with longtime producer Pierre Marchand, though his absence isn’t immediately apparent. Highlights include Reminds Me, featuring Katie Gavin, Wilderness and Gravity.
my rating : 3 of 5
2025
What A Nightmare On Elm Street has to do with beverages may be initially confusing, but consuming an Energy Drink to stay awake does make for a clever connection. Too bad the name seems to negate that fact by putting the emphasis on the Dream Demon Freddy Krueger himself. Don’t Sleep would’ve been better. The indistinct flavor is described as “tart fruit punch”.
my rating : 3 of 5
This is apparently a sequel to Man Down; the album Ice Cube put out less than a year ago. It’s about on par, but these beats; easily the best parts of the set; bang even more consistently, at least before it takes a clumsy turn near the end. Highlights this time around include Guess What, Ratchet Ass Mouth and a grumpy old Scarface on Act My Age.
my rating : 3 of 5
2025
The fact that these are sold as Kids’ Scissors makes the neon colors; they’re available in purple, pink, green and blue; more forgivable than they otherwise would’ve been. I’d prefer plain black handles, but they get the job done when it comes to cutting everything from paper to grown-up beard hair.
my rating : 3 of 5
You’ll be doing yourself a major disservice following the “serving instructions” of this Cheesecake Sampler, which says to thaw it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. It’s good that way but tastes a lot better store-frozen; perhaps one of the best-tasting desserts I’ve ever consumed, in fact. It’s a damn shame it isn’t marketed (supposed) to be eaten that way.
my rating : 4 of 5
“Each bottle of Callaway Blue spring water contains refreshingly pure water straight from the Georgia mountains,” the promo reads. Distilled is the best, but this is a nice natural; “minimally processed”; alternative. For rock water, it tastes better than you might expect, especially when you drink it cold.
my rating : 4 of 5
Watermelon and Grape are generally two of the best natural/artificial fruit flavors, so this combination is a welcomed addition to the growing list of 3D Energy Drinks. The underlining taste is about as good as you’d expect. It’s the carbonation, not so much the sting but the fizziness, that dampers the experience.
my rating : 3 of 5
This album, coming after the EP Release, is the official follow-up to Sex Packets. It’s not as addictive or imaginative, but there are some Parliament/Funkadelic-inspired beats to groove to. Highlights include Tales Of The Funky and Kiss You Back, but the best song is Family Of The Underground; an affiliate collaboration led by what sounds like a gorgeous organ riff.
my rating : 3 of 5
1991
These Puffs may be “made with real Reese’s peanut butter”, but you can’t really tell from the taste. They’re good but not very peanut-buttery. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are better and, if that’s an unfair comparison, so is Peanut Butter Crunch; a similar cereal without the bits of chocolate.
my rating : 4 of 5
If not for MVP being controlled on the ground in the final round of his bout with Jared Cannonier; a flashy KO seemed near after knocking him down in the first two; every UFC 319 win would be a noteworthy one. Tim Elliott gets a surprise victory over Kai Asakura. Carlos Prates and Lerone Murphy deliver stunning back-to-back first-round spinning-back-elbow knockouts. Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis.
That last bit is somewhat of a head-scratcher; not because Chimaev starts the fight with his relentless wrestling as expected but that Dricus Du Plessis has no answer for it over the course of five rounds. I thought he’d find a way to win; he said he would and there is indeed a brief Silva/Sonnen-like moment near the end; but it’s as if, as Daniel Cormier suggests, his gameplan was to exhaust Chimaev, which never happens.
my rating : 4 of 5
2025