Manufacturers Where Are the Refills?

I share a frustration with a lot of consumers. Reluctantly I buy a lot of mops to clean my floors. When it's time to replace the sponge head, I can never find my present mop's refills anywhere. It sucks to have to buy a whole new mop when all I need is its replacement sponge. Talk about waste in a throw away society!

Presently I have a Quickie mop. I bought the brand from the drugstore that is a stone’s throw away from my Manhattan apartment. The drugstore no longer sells the mops or its refills. Home Depot has refills for Quickie mops, but not for my model.

I don’t think it’s an accident either. A Google inquiry confirms my suspicions. We can’t get the replacement sponges for our mops frequently due to a business practice called build-in-obsolescience. Manufactures often make subtle changes to the the design rendering older refills obsolete. I’m far from a conspiracy theorist, and I’m chill about many things in everyday life, but I know I’m not imagining this practice as there’s an official name for it!

As long as I’m on a pet peeve roll, allow me to ask, why do mops and a few other tools and devises have to use unique connection systems that only fit the exact model they are designed for? Logically they don’t! There’s absolutely no practical reason except to increase revenue that some very common things everybody owns such as mops, plastic storage carts, or even Apple iPhones can't standardize their replacement parts, for examples, sponge heads (for mops) wheels (for plastic storage carts) or charging plugs (for iPhones) giving customers universal use for newer models especially within the same brands! It’s insane that every damn newer version of a tool or devise uses its own unique size of connection parts!

Of course a short-term solution is to buy extra refills for future use (urrr, accept and give the manufacturer the money). Another course of action is to look for generic knockoffs (i.e., pay a copycat competitor). 

Still, what else can consumers do? Let’s start with mops, shall we? Have you found a mop brand that you’ve been able to get the sponge refills for year after year? If so, it’d surely be my next mop because I’ve had it!😠😡

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Almay Color & Care Tint Stick, Lip & Blush Stick

Almay  Color & Care Tint Stick is new! Nowadays I buy new makeup super mindfully, but these multi purpose sticks are right up my alley. While there’s nothing wrong with experimenting and creating new looks, I always return to simply trying to look like my best self, so cosmetics designed to enhance our natural beauty always call my name. What’s more I’m always tempting by thick multi-tasking sticks that act as both check and lip color. 

Alway claims its Color & Care Tints work with the skin to provide the perfect natural shade with a dewy finish. The stick gives checks and lips a natural flush of color and glow by working with your skin’s PH balance. Formulated for sensitive skin, the multi-tasking stick is smooth and moisturizing to the skin. 

Equally important, the Almay Color & Care Tint Stick has real staying power so you don’t have to reapply it throughout the day. The tint is also buildable.

Since I don’t carry a lot of makeup when leaving home, I love carrying a richly pigmented big multi-stick for both cheeks and lips in a purse! When sticking to natural colors, I don’t have to carry a mirror to reapply it to my lips!

Years ago, consumers had to spend $40 for a similar multi-tasker by NARS called the Multiple that we also had to reapply throughout the day. Not anymore! The Almay Color & Care Tint Stick comes in 5 natural hues. Cost: An affordable $10. Right up my alley! How about you?

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Supermarket Plastic Produce Bags Rock

Let's discuss a bag equally as valuable and practical as a fine leather bag, namely a supermarket plastic produce bag! I’ll explain. 

Dispite buying a few sizes of Ziploc bags, I find supermarket plastic produce bags much more versatile, flexible, and useful for both storage and holding smaller quantities of food one needs to contain before dropping them into the trash. In Manhattan we put garbage down a compacter, as well as, separating it for recycling bins.

I try to be as neat as possible for the benefit of our maintenance men. Food scrapes and toiletries I can fit easily into these bags’ wide opening, and I tie the opening in a Boy Scout knot to close and leak proof it as it goes down the chute. 

What’s more, supermarket plastic produce bags are idea to separate articles that need to be stored away. Plastic produce bags are both strong and thin, taking up no additional space. Christmas decorations can be organized before going into drawers or huge Tupperware containers. What makes  these bags so perfect is again their wide opening, plus you can see your contents to know exactly what’s inside when you go to retrieve your items.

I have also used these plastic bags to enclose liquids such as suntan lotion, face creams, shampoos and conditioners before packing them into a suitcase or on a shelf at home when I fear a liquid could leak. The mess stays inside the bag without leaking on a shelf or inside a suitcase. 

After I arrive at my destination, I place dirty clothes in these bags, as well as, shoes so they won’t touch my clean clothes inside my suitcase.

At home I put raw beef and chicken inside supermarket plastic produce bags to first store them in my freezer, then to defrost the meats in my refrigerator.

If you are without containers to store flour and sugar, you can enclose them inside these plastic produce bags,  the tops secured with our trusty Boy Scout knot. Residual flour and sugar from their packaging ends up inside the plastic bags not inside your cupboards to clean.

They work so well to store all kinds of goods! I highly recommend repurposing your plastic produce bags that you bring home from the supermarket once you remove your produce. Think free storeage plastic bags. Not too big or too small but just the right size for so many jobs! Plastic produce bags never seem to develop holes from their travel home from the supermarket! Don’t toss them out as garbage, re-use them for garbage or storage bags. Personally, I don’t buy as many Ziploc bags as I once did.

Moreover, if you need more plastic produce bags than you carry home from the supermarket, you can buy them from Walmart, Amazon or ReStockIt. Who knew?

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The Honey Deuce

Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

In September there’s a lot of talk about a mixed drink called the Honey Deuce, the official cocktail of the US Open. Created by mixologist Nick Mautone in 2006 and featured in Grey Goose’s cookbook, it features 3 fresh honeydew melon balls to represent tennis balls. At the US Open this year, it costs: $23. Drinking is expensive, no doubt about it.

Here’s how to make the cocktail at home:

The Honey Deuce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces vodka - the US Open uses Grey Goose
3 ounces lemonade - A simple lemonade recipe combines lemon juice, simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) and water.
1/2 ounce raspberry liqueur - the US open uses Chambord
3 honeydew melon balls, for garnish

If making cocktails for a crowd, mix the following larger quantities in a pitcher:

16 ounces vodka, 32 ounces fresh lemonade, 8 ounces raspberry liqueur.

Directions:

1) Fill a tall glass with ice.

2) Add the vodka, lemonade and respberry liqueur. 

3) Stir to mix.

4) Make 3 honeydew balls with a melon baller.

5) Place the balls across the top of the glass. The US Open threads the melons on a skewer.

This is a tasty drink even I (who usually skips mixed drinks for a simple glass of red wine paired with food) finds refreshing probably because during the summer, I drink water flavored with raspberry lemonade water enhancer, the only variety I think has much flavor.

So if you never drink alcohol, a raspberry lemonade flavor enhancer added to a glass of icy water is super refreshing too. Bottles up -- or in this case glasses up ... to your lips!

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Demantoid Versus Tsavorite Garnets

Demantoid Garnets

Tsavorite Garnets

 Photos: jupitergem.com

Did you know that Mother Earth makes 2 types of green garnets? Demantoid garnets were originally found in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1851 and Tsavorite garnets were later discovered in East Africa in 1967.  

Demantoid - Wikipedia

A demantoid Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3 is an andradite garnet while a tsavorite Ca3Al2Si3O12 is a grossular garnet.

Tsavorite is a rich, deep green like emeralds. Its color is derived from chromium and vanadium. A yellow tint from ferric iron is more characteristic of demantoid garnets.

A demantoid garnet has a higher dispersion and refractive index than a tsavorite garnet, giving it more fire*, brilliance* or sparkle.

A tsavorite garnet is harder, registering 7 - 7.5 on Mohs Hardness Scale compared to the softer demantoid garnet at 6.5 - 7.

While both are rare mineral gemstones, high-quality demantoids (from Russia) are often considered the standard for green garnets and are highly sought after for their intense sparkle and rare horsetail inclusions. These inclusions are feathery golden threads of chrysotile that curve to resemble the tail of a horse. 

Tsavorite

Tsavorites are valued for their vibrant green hues and durability. Tsavorites are brighter and cleaner (meaning they have fewer inclusions) than emeralds.

Here’s an informative link to compare the value and desirability of all 3 green gemstones. If you covet an emerald for less money, a green garnet is worth considering.

At Tiffany and Co, I remember seeing demantoid garnets in a showcase that were yellow tinted and sparkled like crazy. Tiffany is known for its top of the line colored gemstones. Once again, we have to marvel at the spectacular beauty and versatility of Mother Nature!

 

₊˚💎𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ 💚 ‧₊˚ 💠 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦  🟢 ₊˚ 💎𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ₊˚

Lesson Time: *Gemstone brilliance is the overall white light reflection from a gemstone, contributing to its brightness and liveliness, while fire is the dispersion of white light into rainbow-colored flashes, created by the gemstone’s (especially a diamond’s) internal refraction. Both are key components of a gemstone's "sparkle," but brilliance is about the amount of white light returned, and fire is about the colorful light shows that occur. This is especially key when determining the value of diamonds. Colored gemstones sparkle far less than diamonds. Color is their most important factor.

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High Jewelry Drops From 3 Elite Jewelers

Let’s do another eye candy blog. IMHO high jewelry is beautiful to behold and also the safer category to browse compared to beautiful yet impractical material things at T.J. Maxx -- which ordinary wage earners could afford but shouldn’t buy mindlessly. So lets began our peruse of the more costly finer things in life, shall we?

The above Ocean Flora Necklace features diamonds and un-oiled, un-enhanced Zambian emeralds, celebrated for their bright green color. Five perfectly matched emeralds total 10 carats. It is part of Tiffany & Co’s Blue Book 2025 collection called Sea of Wonder. Created by Nathalie Verdeille, the design is a tribute to the ocean's lush seascape and inspired by the gentle sway of underwater botanicals. 

 🔷.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ 💠 .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚🔷 .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚💠

Round and pear cut, light and dark sapphires finished with 174 sparkling diamonds

From Harry Winston's Majestic Escapes Collection inspired by wondrous travel locations, the diamond and Sri Lankan royal blue sapphire pieces are named the St. Moritz Necklace and Earrings. The collection, designed by Harry Winston’s artisans, captures the fluidity of the magical snow caped Swiss Alps and brilliant blue sky. If you keep in mind the sapphires are stand-ins representing the mountains, the diamonds are like glittering snowflakes showering the blue gemstones.

  🔷.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ 💠 .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚🔷 .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚💠

Oscar Heyman crafted this platinum multi-colored and multi-shaped Gemstone and Damond Necklace and Bracelet.

The necklace features a vibrant mix of hues from amethyst, aquamarine, beryl, chrysoberyl, citrine, demantoid, green sapphire, mandarin garnet, periot, pink sapphire, blue sapphire, tourmaline, ruby, tsavorite and yellow sapphire. A complementary bracelet (one of several styles) has 12 carats of (390 round) diamonds and colored sapphires. You might as well select a royal blue sapphire ring to have a suite! 

With its reputation of master craftsmanship, Oscar Heyman was commissioned by other elite jewelers, namely Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston to design several of their most iconic pieces of jewelry.

Which high jewelry set would you most like to borrow to wear to a gala?

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5 Body Lotions Similar To EOS

Click to enlarge.

EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lotions claim to add 24 hours of moisture to your skin. Users like its lightweight, non-greasy formula and pleasant scents. The Cashmere Vanilla scent is especially popular. Surprisingly, only Target has a bonafide dupe of it, but there are a number of drugstore moisturizes that offer very similar benefits like moisturizing and norising your skin for 24 hours. With such a claim, at least we know the body lotion will have a rich consistency. I’m going to introduce you to more than 5 choices to consider, including a link to a previous blog (#5) listing a ton of moisturizers costing less. 

Here we go!

1) Up & Up Everyday Moisturizing Body Lotion (Target’s house brand) - 20 oz. Vanilla and White Jasmine + other scents. Cost: $5.49

2) Nivea Soft: 6.8 oz. A classic moisturizing lotion with a creamy texture and a subtle floral scent.

3) Jergens Shea Fusion Vanilla Crush Lotion with Shea Butter and Vitamin E, 14 oz. Like the others on the list, it has deep moisturizing properties to nourish very dry or sensitive skin.

4)  Malibu Hemp Ultra Healing Body Moisturizer For Dry Skin, 18 oz. Aloe Vera and Hemp Seed Oil are main ingredients.

5) My previous blog on Equate dupe moisturizers (Walmart’s house brand) which of course means the original brands are also super moisturizing.

With choice galore you can watch for sales to get rich moisturizers for less per ounce. Watch for drugstores' 2 for 1 deals. No longer are you restricted to buying one brand when it isn’t on sale. Consider another brand! Dupes and some alternatives come in larger sizes of 18 oz - 20 oz to last longer saving you more money.

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Clinique’s Black Honey Dupes

This is #6 Baisen Diary in Honey

Clinique’s Black Honey is a popular shade. First launched in 1971 as a pot of gloss, it was later reformulated and released as the "Almost Lipstick" in 1989, the form customers recognize today.

We can understand why it’s taken over the internet all these years later. Black Honey is a beautiful subtle berry color with sheen that is buildable and flattering on all skin tones! So lovely Liv Tyler wore it in her Lord of the Rings role. 

Clinique calls Black Honey almost lipstick because it is a tint that is sheer with a shine finish.

← Images of the original.

After discovering it at $25 a pop, SAVVY SHOPPERS start looking for inexpensive dupes. Below are six of them:

1) e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Core Lip Shine in Delightful

2) Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm With Avocado Oil in Plum Drop

3)  Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Moisturizing Lipstick in o12 Black Cherry

4) Maybelline’s Glaze Balm in Acai Glaze

5) Covergirl’s Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm in Bliss You Berry

6) Baisen Diary in Honey - This made BuzzFeed’s Wishful List. Fans of it like it better than the original Black Honey as it leans brownish over a more reddish tint. 👆Compare the Baisen Diary in Honey top image with Clinique's Black Honey image below.👇

Original Black Honey on 3 different skin tones.

I have linked the 2 dupes, wearers tend to be the happiest with as nearly identical to Clinique’s original Black Honey Tint, however all 6 dupes have their fans as close matches for less. Look for them on Amazon, Walmart, Target, CVS and Walgreens to find the lowest price. Feel free to highlight the brand and color names, then enter each one in the search boxes of the 5 retailers for comparison to find your honey of a deal!🍯🐝

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Consider Avia Sneakers

Comfortable supportive sneakers are expensive, often over $100, so you might dismiss Avia’s Athletic Mega Performance Sneakers for women as low quality and their $27.98 price tag too good to be true for a supportive sneaker. Avia Men’s Commend Running Shoe at $28.98 is the companion style for men, and another style for women that looks identical to the Athletic Mega Performance sneaker is the Avia Women’s Comfort Performance Sneaker, also selling for $27.98

Customers say Avia sneakers far exeede their expectations! Designed for all day comfort, the sneaker has a polyester upper, ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) midsole; and thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) outsole. Its platform is 2.35”. The upper knit is breathable, and it has a memory foam insole for arch support.

Based on many 5 star customer reviews, I’d give them a try. Pediatrics recommend we buy new sneakers every 6 months for them to maintain their supporting properties -- all the pounding on pavement tends to wear them out quickly -- and for under $30, certainly we can afford to do so!

Avia sneakers are stylish and come in 10 colors.

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Pecans, Pudding, and Cream Cheese, Oh My!

Photo: France C - allrecipes

Called Texas Delight by some, it’s the first dessert I ever made as a child. During the summers, I made it often! My family clipped the recipe from our newspaper under a different name. Pecans, Pudding, and Cream Cheese Delight is a delicious layered dessert well worth the effort and calories:

First Layer: Make an easy pecan crust:

Ingredients:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 stick of soften butter

1 teaspoon cider vinegar (Vinegar is a gluten inhibitor that makes a flaky crust. Bakers call it their secret ingredient.)

1 cup of pecans - We left them whole, but feel free to break them up.

Directions for the crust, your 1st layer:

1) Mix the flour, butter and vinegar together and press the dough into a cake or square baking pan. I use a 9” by 9” pan. Press the pecans evenly into the dough.

2) Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. The dough will start to turn slightly brown. Remove and cool completely.

Second Layer:

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (or Neufchàgel cheese)

3/4 cup of powered sugar

1 cup of very cold whipped cream - We no longer eat Cool Whip, the original whipped topping in the recipe. If you can find a readymade healthy whipped cream topping made from real cream or milk at your supermarket you can use it for convenience. I have a recipe below for making 3 cups of real whipped cream* you can make first and keep in the freezer while making the dessert.

Dirctions for the 2nd layer:

3. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 cup of whipped cream together and spread it on the cold pecan crust. Place it in the refrigerator, the colder, the better.

Third Layer:

Ingredients

2 packages of instant vanilla pudding

2 cups of cold milk

Directions for the 3rd layer:

4) Whip the dry pudding powder into the milk (a 2:2 ratio), mixing for 2 minutes. Spead the pudding over the cream cheese mixture.

Fourth Layer

Ingredients:

2 cups of very cold whipped cream

1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Directions for the 4th layer:

5) Spread the remaining 2 cups of whipped cream as a final 4th layer over the others and garnish with a half cup of chopped pecans.

6) Chill in the refrigerator until set. We always tried to wait at least 3 hours, the colder the better the taste!

Our recipe calls for instant vanilla pudding, but I see in allrecipes, the uploader uses instant coconut cream pudding mix, which I haven’t tried. I know the vanilla pudding is delicious. Nowadays I lighten the recipe with reduced fat cream cheese and milk in the pudding. But! Don’t be fooled, there’s still plenty of calories, and yet not as many as when I made it as a child.😝🌞

🥛🍶🍴🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶

*How to make 3 cups of Real Whipped Cream:

Ingredients: 

Photo: Getty

1 1/2 cups cold heavy (at least 36% fat) or whipping cream (30% - 36% fat). Either will whip into cream.

3 tablespoons sugar (granulated or powered)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions to make whipped cream:

1) Chill your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer.

2) Add your heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Begin mixing on a low speed and increase to medium. Mix until stiff peaks form.

Keep in the freezer while you make the dessert.

🥛🍶🍴🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶🥛🍶

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