Interesting life-hack products to try
We tested three life-hack products which have caused a sensation online in recent times
Online shopping has become an integral part of the new normal. To the customers' delight, the products found online keep getting more interesting day by day.
There are fascinating, yet peculiar devices all over the internet.
Having said that, all of us, at some point, wanted to try at least some of them but were not sure about how they would actually work.
We tested three interesting life-hack products which have caused a sensation online in recent times. Let us check them out!
1. USB coffee mug warmer
Where to find: ZR Shop BD, Qbuy BD, Daraz, Amazon
Price: Tk250-500
Most of us need a cup of tea or coffee to get ourselves going throughout the day. Sometimes when we become engrossed in work and forget about the drink, it becomes cold.
In that case, the USB supported coffee mug warmer could be your best friend.
The product claims to be made of high quality PVC and almost all of them come with pictures of cartoons or quotes on them.
You have to connect it to your computer or a charger and place your cup on the coaster.
We got one from the Facebook page 'ZR Shop BD'. If you ask me, did it actually work?
Yes, but it takes a bit of time. However, within a few minutes, the coaster begins to get hot enough to warm up your beverage.
A faint smell of burning plastic comes from the coaster, which could be ignored.
While looking for reviews online, we could hardly find any on Daraz. The product has an average rating of 3.3 stars on Amazon.
While some buyers mentioned how the product has vanished away the need for reheating coffee while working, a few complained about the coasters getting extremely hot; and some of them pointed out how the heating pads do not get warm enough.
We also could not find any guarantee or warranty for the product on any platforms.
As the product has mixed reviews, it is tough to give a verdict.
However, the coasters are not very expensive and you could try it out once. It could be a cool gift for a friend as well.
2. Electric DIY face mask maker
Where to find: Daraz, Amazon
Price: Tk1,800-5,000
Skin care is a big part of self-love and this machine allows you to make your very own face mask with fruit, honey, herbs etc.
For best results, you can research and experiment a little to figure out which skin-food your face needs the most.
The finished product promises to give your tired face a glowing look with the help of vitamins and collagen.
To make a mask, you will have to pour in some water, fruit or vegetable juice of your choice and one collagen peptide tablet and turn the machine on.
Give it five minutes to form and then pour it on the mask board. In a while, you will get your customised face mask.
The packages usually come with a mask machine, mask board, and collagen peptide tablets.
On Daraz, we found a wide price difference between the products, although almost all of them were from a brand called CkeyiN. Some products were selling for Tk2,000, while some for Tk5,000.
We could not find any major difference between them, except that a few of the more costly ones had some extra tools such as a cleaning brush, gauge cup, and knife.
We looked for some products on Facebook but all were unavailable. No guarantee or warranty was found.
Unfortunately, the only review we could find on Daraz said that the machine did not work. On average, it has four stars on Amazon.
Some users said that it was a fun way to get creative with your skin care routine, but some claimed that the mask dries up too quickly and does not stay on your face for being too slippery.
No Bangladeshi beauty blogger or YouTuber has reviewed this one, but YouTuber Safiya Nygaard in one of her videos said that creating the masks are fun, but she questioned their effectiveness.
Should you buy it? As the masks are 100% natural, there is no harm in trying. However, we suggest you buy the cheaper one to try it out the first time.
3. Electric nose and ear hair trimmer
Where to find: Shaver Shop BD, Exclusive Gadgets BD, Daraz, Amazon
Price: Tk700-2,000
The last gadget can be a great help to make grooming easier. Shaving ear and nose hair is always tougher than shaving facial hair.
The electronic nose and ear trimmers use hypoallergenic curves that allow trimming of nose hair from the top to the sides.
Additionally, you can use the trimmer to curve your eyebrows, as well as remove upper lip and facial hairs.
It claims to have a three-dimensional curved arched head with a 360 degree all-round hair capturing ability to ensure the cleanest trimming without irritating the skin.
The one we found on Daraz was for Tk770 and it comes with one portable trimmer and one cleaning brush. There were no reviews or warranties for the product.
However, if you can expand your budget a little, get the Xiaomi Mijia SOOCAS N1 nose hair trimmer from Exclusive Gadgets BD for Tk1,199.
This comes with a great performance and a 10-minute automatic power-off function.
However, without getting it from the official Xiaomi website, you will not get any warranty.
Finally, if you really want to get a good quality one, go for the Panasonic ER-GN30-K nose ear trimmer from Shaver Shop BD for Tk1,980.
With a good rating of 4.3 stars on Amazon, you will get a one year warranty with this one.
Most customers praised how this one worked well for a long time without any cuts and bruises.
The downside of this device, as mentioned by some buyers, is that the device does not remove the ear and nose hairs.
Instead, it trims them to the extent to which they are not visible anymore.
We think, after agreeing with most of the reviews, the portable trimmer could be a convenient way to remove hair from all those hard-to-reach areas.
However, we suggest you go for brands such as Xiaomi and Panasonic instead of non-branded ones.