Category: Review It!

Review of anything under the sun except food.

A Reliable Web Hosting – Hostinger

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on A Reliable Web Hosting – Hostinger

I subscribed to a new web hosting back in May 2022. It took me months to scout around for the one. In the end, I decided to sign up with Hostinger. All the transfers and setup were smooth sailing. I officially move my blog here in June 2022.

Throughout the setting up, I only encountered one issue and it was fixed promptly. It’s actually not really a big problem and not their problem too. It is simply having one link not updated as the database was copied from the previous server. All I need to do was to change the link manually in PhpMyAdmin which I totally forgot. Fortunately, the support was helpful. They helped me with it. It was done promptly even though it was already midnight.

The communication was easy. While I was waiting, they had a shift changed and I was informed of it. When the new support took over, I didn’t even need to repeat the problem. It was handover properly. They knew what was going on. Then, they gave me two options. One way was that they guide me through it while another was to let them do it. I told them I need to go off and couldn’t go through the fix with them as it is late already. They assured me that they will fix it and update me via my email.

When I woke up in the morning, it was fixed. They even sent a copy of the chat and what they had done to fix the issue. The support was phenomenal! I’m impressed.

Hostinger

I highly recommend Hostinger if you are looking for new hosting to move to.

From My Angle, Review It!, Tech Stuffs

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Simple Review

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Simple Review

I’ve always heard of Max Factor but have never used its products before. I got the Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara as one of the products in its Christmas cracker. It was given as free gift when you fulfilled a certain purchase requirement from Boots UK. Here’s the unboxing of the Christmas crackers for 2022.

OK, let’s start with the review. The Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara is being marketed as high-volume and definition mascara. The mascara is formulated with a volumizing formula that is able to provide your lashes 4 times their volume. It is also smudge-proof and provides a clump-free finish.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Review

I’ve not used mascara for God knows how many years because I’m just being lazy haha… My makeup routine is very basic now. Quite excited to have mascara now and will try to use it as much as possible so that won’t waste it. It’ wa’s not cheap. In the UK, it’s selling at £11.99. I’ve seen it in Watsons Malaysia before but I’m not sure about it now. I tried looking for it on Watson’s website, but there’s none.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Review

Anyway, I’ve used it twice since opening it. It has the typical mascara smell.

Big Wand

I’ve never seen such a chunky mascara wand haha! Look at the brittles. It’s rather sharp, hard, and the design isn’t that ergonomic. It’s painful when it touches the rim of the eyes. This is my first time experiencing such an unpleasant mascara application. I don’t have big eyes, so the brush isn’t that user-friendly for me. It’s too big for my eyes making the application quite difficult. Furthermore, the fear of having it touch my eye isn’t making it any easier to use.

I read people’s reviews on their official website and found that the majority are not happy with the new wand design. Apparently, it was different back then. I do agree with the badly-designed wand it’s having now.

Comparison
Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Review

Left: With one-layer application. It’s fast-drying.
Right: Original lashes.
It does look promising. Can see my lashes clearly now.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Review

I applied it to both eyes in the photo above. Two coats of mascara. Nothing dramatic. Great for those who want a natural look. It does curl the lashes. It’s not too obvious in the photo below because I have hooded eyes.

It does add volume but definitely not 4 times for me. Maybe if I apply more layers but I dislike applying so many layers. 2 is the maximum for me.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara Review
Smudge-proof, Waterproof, and Easy Removal?

I used it for over 8 hours. I didn’t get any irritation. There were no smudges. However, it’s not waterproof. I tried to apply some water to my lashes and it stained the tissue paper. In other words, it can be removed with water but you’ll need more effort I guess. Just use a makeup remover to save all the troubles. It is very easy to remove. There is no need to pull and tug your lashes or eyelid to clean it.

Conclusion
ProsCons
Smudge-proof
Smooth formula
Adds volume
Easy removal
Curls the lashes
Dries fast
No irritation		Not waterproof
Big wand
Not ergonomic
Sharp and hard brittles
Expensive

If the wand is not this big, not painful to use, and waterproof, I would say that it is a good mascara to use. I won’t buy this for sure because I need a waterproof one. However, for now, I don’t mind using it until it’s time to toss it out. Don’t waste. Not cheap ok? Besides, I can always get a cheaper mascara that performs better than this that I used last time (Maybelline Volum’ Express Hypercurl is no longer in the market but the Hypercurl is still available, should still work the same).

Girl Stuffs, Review It!

Quick Review KLEENSO PESSO Eco Ant Bait Effectiveness

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Quick Review KLEENSO PESSO Eco Ant Bait Effectiveness

I did review another ant bait a few months back. It’s the ARS Natural Ant Bait. This time, I will share about KLEENSO PESSO Eco Ant Bait.

In fact, I’ve used this before and it did work very well. No mess at all. We didn’t see any ants around for quite some time since then. However, we all know it will certainly come back sooner or later. Found them in another area of the house so decided to get this again.

I didn’t have the chance to see ants going into it but somehow, a few days later, no more ants were in sight. Unlike ARS Natural Ant Bait that you can see the ants carrying the granules to the nest and leaving some of the granules scattered along its path. There wasn’t any mess with KLENSSO PESSO.

You can even put it in any orientation you like without worrying about the bait falling out from the container because it’s not in granule form. This is more versatile if you want to put it in a narrow area.

I do recommend this if you are looking for effective ant bait. I got Kleenso Pesso Eco Ant Bait here https://invl.io/clfbdhh from Shopee.

Health is Wealth, Review It!, Vlog

Realme C35 Unbox, Camera Test, Quick Review

Posted on By sweet surrender 1 Comment on Realme C35 Unbox, Camera Test, Quick Review

If you’ve been following me on my social media accounts, you would know that I’ve gotten myself a new phone last month. It’s a Realme C35 (6GB + 128GB ROM). It costs RM799. Initially, I wanted to get a Realme 9 (6GB) but too bad no stock. I’ve been using it for over a month now. In this post, I’ll give you a quick review of it.

Realme C35
Realme C35 Unbox
Camera Quick Test

The photo quality isn’t bad. At least better than my old phone. The 50MP AI Camera sure helps.

However, I dislike the colour profile of the video in certain lighting conditions. The most obvious is if I do my cooking video with the natural lighting in the kitchen. It’s very pastel and dull. Still prefer Huawei’s. Here’s the first full video I did with it. You can compare my other cooking videos with this one.

Aside from that, I dislike it does not have a beauty filter feature for Video mode whether for the front or back cameras. I thought this feature is very common to have because my old phone has it and it’s even cheaper than this.

Oh well… What can you ask for with such a price? It’s acceptable to have such shortcomings. You can’t have everything.

Don’t even talk about stabilizer for the camera haha… It’s impossible to have it for such a price. That is too much to ask for LOL!!

Saving Photos/Videos to External MicroSD Card

I did encounter a problem with configuring the phone to save photos/videos to the external microSD card. Tried looking for solutions online but found nothing. In case you are having this problem too, do check out the post I did last month, Realme C35 – How to Save Photos/Videos to SD Card . However, not all apps have the option to save the files to the microSD card. It’s OK. As long those from the camera go to the card will do.

Overall Quick Review

After using it for over a month and having gone to Singapore with me, I would say that it is not a bad phone at all with a price of less than RM800. It performed better than expected. At least for my usage.

The battery usage is up to its claim. It could last me more than 36 hours or even longer if I hardly use it. For my daily usage, I’m not a heavy user as I spend more time on my computer than the phone, I will still have at least 50% remaining after the last charge over 18 hours ago.

If I’m using it heavily for content creation (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Capcut, XHS, photo editing), it will roughly drain 10% to 20% of the battery’s life. Usually, I will spend about 1 to 2 hours on it.

Well, this is a new phone, the battery should be able to last long. If it doesn’t then there’s definitely a problem with the battery and you will need to bring it back to the shop.

Meanwhile, for the processing power, so far so good too. Not lagging and I don’t have many apps installed anyway.

In conclusion, it is good enough for my usage and the price is within my budget. It did exceed my expectations. Not too bad.

Where to Get?

You can get the Realme C35 (4GB RAM + 64GB ROM) here in Shopee (https://invle.co/clen7pc). Mine is 6GB + 128GB ROM which you can find easily in physical mobile phone shops. While the SD card I’m using is SanDisk Ultra microSDXC USH-I 128GB (https://invle.co/clen7y8)

Realme C35, Review It!, Tech Stuffs

Hotel Boss Singapore – Easy Access, Convenient, Good Location

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Hotel Boss Singapore – Easy Access, Convenient, Good Location

I was supposed to post about Hotel Boss in the last post but I totally forgot about it. This is the hotel we stayed in on our previous trip to Singapore. So, here you go. I did a short review on my Instagram a few weeks back. I will write about it in more detail in this post.

There were 4 of us. After looking around many OTAs, the only one that could fit the 4 of us in one room is Hotel Boss (500 Jln Sultan, #01-01, Singapore 199020). The price wasn’t cheap at all. After conversion to Ringgit, it’s RM3K+ for 5 days and 4 nights! Gosh! I can stay comfortably in a 5-star hotel in Malaysia with the best service provided at that rate. Then again, the key problem is with our currency because it is just too weak.

Getting There

We took a taxi from Changi Airport to the hotel. It was around SGD30 (inclusive of the airport surcharge and 25% peak hour charge). The taxi ride was not cheap but with the night-time arrival, a 14.5kg bag, our individual hand luggage, and two elderly, getting a taxi is more sensible.

You can also get on the MRT and ride to Lavender station. The station is located about 200m from the hotel.

Upon Arrival
Hotel Boss

I was expecting the concierge to greet us and help us with the luggage but no. No help was rendered. Instead, he tried to look away and avoid eye contact with me. I know you saw me, dude! I’ve stayed in many 4-star and 5-star hotels for work and leisure over the years in many countries and even worked in one before. This is not how a 4-star hotel should be. Heck! Even a 3-star hotel gave better service than this.

Was greeted with a busy lobby. In fact, it was packed the whole day. It’s a busy hotel. We made our way to the reception counter to check in. I’m so glad that the front office staffs were attentive, friendly, and patient.

The Room

We stayed on the 19th floor. The highest floor. The room could fit 4 pax. It has two queen-sized beds. There wasn’t enough space for our check-in luggage and we had to put it in between the two beds otherwise there won’t be space to walk. Luckily we only had one. Imagine 4 people traveling and each with a piece of check-in luggage.

Hotel Boss

Not only that, the room does not have a cupboard too. There wasn’t an iron and ironing board. You will have to go to the 4th floor to use it. There’s a laundry area with coin-operated washing machines, dryers, iron, and an ironing board there. Oh! There wasn’t a laundry bag in the room. However, you can request it if you need it. It’s FOC.

Bottled water, coffee, tea, sugar, and creamers were provided. There’s a TV, kettle, fridge, and safe box. In-room WiFi is included in the room.

Hotel Boss

By the way, the floor wasn’t carpeted. It was cold and there were no bedroom slippers provided. I called the operator to ask for it. They came fast. That’s good. I had a good experience with the operator and the housekeeping staff during my stay. Do take note that they don’t provide face towels. Only bath towels.

Hotel Boss

Our room had a balcony. No view though. Just balconies of other units.

Do note that the check-out time is 11 am. If you need a place to store your luggage after check-out, you can store your luggage near the entrance. The concierge will help you with it.

Breakfast

By the way, our room didn’t come with breakfast. If there’s breakfast included, it would be even more expensive. I would say that just go to the nearby food court called Kopitiam or any food establishments along the way to the MRT or go to Bugis and have local food at the market.

Conclusions

It’s expensive for Malaysians due to our weak currency. However, it is still high without currency conversion based on my expectations. If it’s on par with other 4-star hotels that I’ve stayed in before, then I would say it is reasonable but it’s far from that. It felt more like a 3-star but I’ve stayed in a 3-star hotel that provided more than this before.

As for the staff performance, they were good except for the concierge that night when we arrived. Meanwhile, the room was small, and everything was basic but the sleep experience was OK. Cleanliness and maintenance were good enough too.

The best part would be the location because it is very strategic and convenient.

Book the Hotel

If you would like to book this hotel, feel free to BOOK HERE.

Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore, Review It!