All the Things we Found and Tried this Month [August 2019]

You know that feeling when you stumble on a new product or service or show? And you want to tell people about it, because sharing is caring, and the people should know if it is good or bad or will change your life. Welcome to all the things we found this month, a monthly series where we share all the random little things we liked, loved or would rather just skip.

 

#1 Trained Podcast

 

I found this podcast after Nike Master trainer, Kirsty Godso, shared an episode about sleep and it taught me so much. Every subsequent episode I’ve listened to has been equally as enlightening, useful, educational and easy to listen to.

 

Trained is a podcast produced by Nike and hosted by Ryan Flaherty. Ryan is the senior performance director at Nike and he trains top athletes. Each episode they bring you conversations with leading experts in what they call the 5 facets of training; movement, recovery, sleep, nutrition & mindset. The episodes are roughly 30 minutes each.

 

Get it here (Free)

 

#2 Consol Lemon Squeezer

This is a brilliantly simple (and affordable) hand citrus squeezer. Firstly, the actual squeezer has a sharp and pointy tip which allows you to get more juice out of citrus a lot easier. Secondly, the juice goes directly into a jar, no mess. It also allows you to squeeze and store juice in the fridge without transferring to another jar. I love it so much I use it daily (or I love citrus so much, but same same).

 

Get it from Consol Stores (R45)

 

#3 H2O Over the Countertop Water Filter

Disclaimer, I didn’t just discover the H2O water filter this month. I’ve had it for over a year. But whilst listening to a podcast on drinking water and hearing the guest go on about how she hated the taste of water until she hit upon the right water filter, I immediately thought of my H2O water filter. Not to sound dramatic but I now understand how water can in fact taste better or worse. I have the over the countertop water filter which was relatively simple to install.  I use it to fill up the water in my fridge and my water bottle which then goes everywhere I go. As a result, I drink more without thinking. It’s the most efficient long-term solution to filtered water that doesn’t require a single plastic bottle.

 

Get it here (from R4350)

 

#4 Pukka Organic Latte Cacao Maca Magic

I got this on a trip to the UK, because I’m the type of person who find perusing different grocery stores looking for new things fun. It’s divine, but admittedly taste more like a chai latte than a cacao one. There’s a nice spiciness too and it pairs wonderfully with oat milk.

Get it here (£17.51 for a pack of 4 – unfortunately I can’t find it locally)

 

#5 Acne Oil 

Zissy got this as a sample in a Faithful to Nature order and kindly gave it to me when I had the first of my two big skin breakouts this month. Being too scared to use anything too harsh on my sensitive winter skin, I decided to give this a try. It felt great on the skin, wasn’t too oily and was very gentle. Although it wasn’t a miracle treatment, it did a great job at calming down the breakout – the next morning redness was reduced and the size of my bumps had decreased. I used it consistently throughout the month and had the same results. If you’re looking for a natural cost effective solution this is a great option.

 

Get it here (R47)

 

#6 Nike 21km Training Plan

Regardless of whether I’m planning for a race or not I like following a training plan. Knowing what I’m doing in advance makes it easier and quicker to wake up and workout. I also like having varied runs which include speed training, slow runs and longer distances. I’ve made my way through all the Nike Running plans and love them. I like how they set out the various runs and explain what each run is and what it does. They’ve also helped me improve my paces by pushing me to include faster runs and maintain pace. I just finished the 21km program with an actual 21km race at the end and am restarting it again.

 

Get it here (Free)

 

#7 Pick N Pay Italian Herb Flavoured Bulgur Wheat

This appears to be part of a new Pick n Pay range of healthier products. It’s also the first time I’ve tried Bulgar Wheat and won’t be the last. It’s like brown rice in texture but the grains are smaller. The herb mix is actually delish and it’s an easy grain to add to dishes that need a grain. Expect a recipe with bulgur wheat soon.

 

Get it at Pick n Pay (R25.99)

 

#8 Simple Truth Coconut Oil Spray

I’ve been using this instead of a non-stick baking spray in both preparing cake and cookie tins and in a pan to cook omelettes. It’s just coconut oil and doesn’t leave you in a coughing fit after spraying. The only thing is that because it’s coconut oil, in the winter when it’s cold the spray hardens into a coconut oil waxy texture. This doesn’t appear to affect its effectiveness.

 

Get it at Checkers

 

#9 Woolworths Cuticle Oil

This is part of the new Woolworth’s vegan beauty range and made its way into my shopping cart thanks in part to a very good saleslady and my dry winter hands. I’m a at home manicure person and this oil makes those at home sessions feel a little more pampering. It also leaves my cuticles delightfully soft and my nails with that glossy sheen you get at salons.

 

Get it here (R39.99)

 

#10 Edamame Beans

I like boiling or steaming these and then popping them out of their shells and sprinkling with salt for a quick snack. I’ve also added them to pasta salads like here. I’m including them because while I’ve been having them for years, I don’t always find them and recently came across them. If you haven’t tried them let me introduce you to your new favourite savoury snack.

 

Get them here (R54.99)

 

#11 SafeWay Mixer

This is not your investment piece of kitchen equipment. It’s your until-you-can-get-that-investment-piece, spare or travel set (I’m not the only one who travels with a blender right?). It may not be super powerful but it’s small, includes a stick blender and mini mixer and doesn’t cost a small fortune and it lasts for years. The only piece of advice I have is; Don’t use the stick blender to blend anything with turmeric or spices that have a tendency to stain. It gives the white plastic a yellow stain which is near impossible to remove.  I also don’t love the whisk; it tends to make a mess, but the other pieces make it a win.

 

Get it here (R319)

 

#12 Lamelle Beta plus peel

I recently visited the Lamelle offices and as my luck would have it, it was during the worst breakout I’ve had. I wasn’t just dealing with one giant pimple, I had a dozen small ones littered on my chin. They treated me to their Beta plus peel, which is made up of a 15% Salicylic acid solution. It is effective for the removal of black and whiteheads and congestion. It’s also anti-inflammatory and claims that it will calm aggressive inflammatory reactions in inflammatory acne. It turns out the claims are true, because the next morning I woke up with most of the bumps gone (red spots had remained). Skin peeling was minimal, just slight dryness on my chin where the bumps had resided. With the few remaining small bumps, I have been using their Clarity active control spot treatment and every day the area gets clearer. This has honestly been the quickest diffusing of one of the biggest breakouts I’ve experienced in recent years and it’s a treatment I’d definitely do again.

 

If you want to see how the peel is done, visit our Instagram page and watch our “About Face” highlight reel.

 

The Beta plus peel is offered at aesthetic clinics like Skin Renewal (from R825)