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 finds of the month, a monthly series where we share all the random little things we discovered and are enjoying.
#1 Zone3 Attack Swim Goggles
I’ve documented my goggle struggles at length. TL; DR: After pair one started leaking mid-Midmar Mile last year (aka the worst possible time for them to decide not to work), I went on the hunt for a new pair of goggles. I spoke to countless salespeople, bought 3 different pairs – all of which fogged and leaked. The final straw was the last pair leaking during this race which will go down as the worst water experience of my life. I learnt that it’s best not to take the advice from a sales person who doesn’t swim; that no, I don’t need to look in the kids section thank you very much, and the place to look for goggles is a place that specialises in the sport of swimming.
I randomly came across the Zone 3 attack goggles on Twitter one day (and they say scrolling is bad for you). They have rave reviews, look sporty and are under R500! With little to lose, I bought a pair for our little family swim team (they do returns, and we had a race coming up that weekend in which we’d all require a pair of goggles that didn’t leak).
I didn’t want to speak too soon, because I thought the last pair I bought was good until I got into a lake, swam 50 metres and all hell broke loose. It’s now been two months since I purchased them, and I’ve had two other swimmers test them out too.
They’re not 100% fog proof. I’ve found that they tend to fog more when there’s a big difference between outside air temperature and water temperature; and that they get a little fuzzy the longer you swim. However, it’s never bad enough that I can’t see where I’m going. They also have mirrored lenses which acts as a pair of sunglasses would, making them ideal for outdoor swimming. I’ve found them plenty comfy (even after being hit in the eye mid race). Most importantly, and the reason why I’m sharing these, is that THEY DO NOT LEAK. I’ve swum in both a pool and lake with them and never had a leak. They’ve ended my goggle struggles.
Get them here (R450)
#2 Universal Vision Himalayan Crystal Salt
I love a bath, even better if I can drop something extra in the water to soothe sore muscles. These Himalayan crystal salts are huge rocks of pink salt that you add to your bath water prior to soaking in it for 20-30 minutes. Crystal salts are good for soothing sore muscles and joints, skin irritations and helping with dryness.
I’m big on Epsom salt baths and these salts work just as well but have the added plus of leaving your skin feeling softer (and salty).
Originally, I was going to tell you that they take a long time to dissolve (over 30 minutes), but then I read the instructions which state that you can reuse a salt rock until it’s fully dissolved. A good thing to know considering some are enormous.
Get them here (R45 for 1kg)
#3 Magneto LED lamps
If you frequent any of the big retailers there’s a 99% chance you’ve seen a tower of these magneto LED lamps. If you have the Eskom se Push app on your phone there’s a 100% chance you need them. Out of the few load shedding lamps we’ve tried, these are without doubt the winners.
They come in two different sizes. The large ones are charged using a plug, whilst the smaller ones are charged with a USB cable. They both have a USB port that allows you to charge your phone, making them not just a light but a little power pack as well.
The large one is incredibly bright and easily lights up an entire room. It also has a button that allows it to immediately go on when plugged into the wall and the power goes out. You can also manually turn it on or off, so it doesn’t need to remain plugged in.
The smaller ones aren’t as bright but they’re good for providing enough light in small rooms and as a reading lamp and they’re incredibly long lasting. You do need to manually switch them on.
Get them at Builders, Pick n Pay, Makro or Game (R99 for the small one, R199 for the large one).
#4 Nakd Banoffee Pie Bars
Our go to snack bars – Nakd Bar has just come out with a new flavour – Banoffe Pie. They taste like dried banana and are delicious. They’re also vegan, gluten free, GM free, Kosher and have an ingredient list that consists of fruit (dates, raisins, bananas) and nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts) and some salt. That’s it. They’re a great snack option and this flavour may be a favorite (but we say that about every flavour ;)).
Get them from Dischem / Food Lovers (R19.95)
#5 La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +
This was recommended to me by one of our Instagram followers, Cindy, in response to me sharing my struggle and series on adult acne. She said it helped calm her skin down and that’s it’s never looked better. She paired the recommendation with a selfie of the most glowy fresh looking skin.
I immediately went to research the product and let’s just say La Roche Posay know how to sell themselves with words. Effaclar Duo + is a hydrating mattifying gel-cream. They call it Anti-marks, anti-imperfections, anti-recurrence complete care to help rapidly clear existing spots, prevent their appearance and limit the risk of marks.
The key active ingredients are Procerad™, a patented anti-marks ceramide which helps to protect against the appearance of brown and red marks. Mannose, which stimulates the skin regeneration and APF, which helps to durably restore the skin’s balance. Other impressive ingredients include Niacinimide, Zinc & Salicylic acid.
The claims at the back say;
Immediately: Hydrates the skin.
From 12h: Helps improve the appearance of imperfection (redness and texture)
From 8 days: Significantly reduces imperfections. Fades Marks.
Durably: reduces the likelihood of future breakouts. Tones down persistent marks.
Immediately my skin did feel hydrated and calmed. It is a very soothing product which is gentle. No tingly sensations here. The next morning, I felt my active spots had reduced and were looking less angry. Within 8 days my active spots had changed from active bumps to flat scars. 3 weeks on, my scars haven’t budged and I have experienced a few small pimples, however they have cleared fairly quickly and I wouldn’t call them acne flair ups. It could be that with prolonged use it would fade them. It should however be noted that I am on experiment 2 in my adult acne series (high dose vitamin supplementation), which I believe is the truer contributing factor to the acne flareup ceasefire. (If you want to follow that series, subscribe to our newsletter here).
In summary, I think this is a good product in an affordable price range to help calm acne flare ups and congested skin – is it magic? no, but it helped calm my skin and I’ve enjoyed using it.
Get it here (R249.95)
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