carnivalnights
Member Since: July 23, 2017Reviews
Voilà By Sobeys/Safeway Grocery Delivery & Curbside Pickup
My experience with Voilà by Sobeys was a pretty positive one! Although I consider the prices fairly high, the quality of any produce, bakery or meat items is very fresh and reliable. The site is pretty easy to navigate and even has a Sales section... +
My experience with Voilà by Sobeys was a pretty positive one! Although I consider the prices fairly high, the quality of any produce, bakery or meat items is very fresh and reliable. The site is pretty easy to navigate and even has a Sales section you can shop from just like a flyer. Sometimes it was difficult to locate an item but most of the time you could easily search for items from the search bar at the top. The only real downside to the shopping experience for me was that you could not choose a quantity for produce. For example, you could not choose how many tomatoes or bananas you wanted. It was just “one bunch” of banans that was put into your cart for you. As a single person I do not like seeing food go to waste so I like buying individual items, but for whatever reason this system did not allow you to do so. I am hoping they fix this in the future. Choosing a delivery window was easy and they seemed to have a lot of timeslots and availability, which was great. On the day my order was to be delivered, the driver kept in touch once on the road, informed me beforehand when they were leaving and en route, how long it would be before they got there, and was very friendly and helpful at the door. Everything in my order was correct and accurate, and I would use their service again! -
Voilà By Sobeys/Safeway Grocery Delivery & Curbside Pickup
I received a $25 off coupon for $100 order from ChickAdvisor in exchange for my jonest review of Sobey's new Voilà grocery delivery service. The time windows were very quick. If I wanted to I was able to choose something for next day delivery... +
I received a $25 off coupon for $100 order from ChickAdvisor in exchange for my jonest review of Sobey's new Voilà grocery delivery service.
The time windows were very quick. If I wanted to I was able to choose something for next day delivery. They seemed to have a lot of availability, which was great. I did not have any issue choosing something for a Sunday which is what worked best for me since weekdays are tight with my job.
Their website was a little difficult to navigate. Even when I typed in certain items they would not come up. I had to go through the menus to find them the long way. So I'm not sure if there is something going on with their search functionality that they still have yet to work out. Mostly, though, things were easy to find. There seemed to be quite a bit of variety on the website but nowhere near what is available in store. There were some items I wanted to include in my order that they simply did not have. Thankfully all staples and most versions of those staples were available. I also liked that they have a Sales section you can shop from if you are looking for deals, sort of like you would find in the flyers.
There are two big downfalls for this service that I actually feel are deal-breakers for me personally because I live alone and this service just does not cater to someone like me for these reasons. One, you cannot choose individual produce. With similar delivery services I have always been able to choose 1 banana or 1 tomato like you can if you were in the store. With Voilà, unfortubately, they make you buy produce in bunches of their choosing which is highly inconvenient. They gave me a huge bunch of bananas which made me spend more money than I wanted and also a lot went bad before I could finish them all. I think you should be able to buy as many or as few products as you wish. It doesn't make a lot of sense to force someone to buy an excessive amount of produce that will go to waste, making them spend more money and wasting produce that will not get eaten before it goes bad. There are other services that allow me to buy individual items so I think they need to fix this.
The second thing is that their products are extremely expensive. I think this is more about paying for convenience because I do not mind so much paying the $7.99 delivery fee or a tip for the driver. But the actual food in their stores is so overpriced that I could not afford to buy from this service on a regular basis, especially as a single person, by any means. As an example, a pack of 5 corn was $6.49 and that is just not in my price range. Their Compliments brand items were more reasonable though.
I was informed by the driver they will start charging for bags as well but that you could bring them back to the store to be reimbursed once COVID is over. I feel this might defeat the purpose of grocery delivery for a lot of people because I personally use it because I do not have a car. I would not take bags back for reimbursement since I am too far from most stores and would not get on the bus to get a few cents back for bags. It might be worth it for those who drive.
The driver texted to inform me she was about 20 minutes away, which was great. I appreciated the heads up. She also asked me, since I am in an apartment, if I would like her to come up with the groceries or if I wanted to come down to get them. She was extremely friendly and professional and was wearing a mask. The service was top notch! She explained about the bags, as stated above. She also explained that the double markings on the bag handles were indicative of cold produce that needed to be put in the fridge or freezer right away which I thought was a great touch! All the food was kept at good temperatures: the produce and dairy was all cold and everything frozen was frozen.
Overall, there are things that need to be improved about this service such as the website functionality and perhaps the variety of items compared to that of in-store. For sure I think people should be able to choose the number of produce items they want instead of being forced to buy a "bunch" of Sobey's choosing - that would be my number one issue. But the service people are very friendly. I did need to get a refund for one item and the process was very quick for that as well. I think affordability is the main issue here for most people; it is just out of the price range for a lot of people.
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Becel Salted Plant-Based Bricks
Although I am not vegan, I am someone who is borderline vegetarian and incorporates a lot of vegetarian foods, meals and cooking into my diet every week, and also vegan replacements and plant-based options when and where I can. So I was excited to... +
Although I am not vegan, I am someone who is borderline vegetarian and incorporates a lot of vegetarian foods, meals and cooking into my diet every week, and also vegan replacements and plant-based options when and where I can. So I was excited to try these Becel Salted Plant-Based Bricks, especially since it has less saturated fat than other butter products and uses all plant-based oils. I used it for normal things like buttering bread or toast or in my cooking and could not tell the difference.
I love that you do not have to wait for this to soften out of the fridge! This is the best part about it. It is always soft. I imagine since this is so much fluffier than other butter products it would be good in baking too, but I have not tried that yet.
My favourite way to use this butter though is melted on popcorn - TRY IT! It tastes just like movie popcorn. My new favourite thing!
I think this will be the butter I buy from now on. If you have the option to use a plant-based fat product over an animal-based fat product that tastes and performs the same -- isn't that a no-brainer?
I received this product free to try from FamilyRated but all opinions are my own.
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Maybelline Lash Sensational® Washable Mascara
I'm a bit of a make-up addict and I have tried plenty of mascaras, ranging from drugstore to high end. I would choose this mascara over any $30+ mascara every time. It is the only mascara that does not flake off on to my cheeks throughout the day... +
I'm a bit of a make-up addict and I have tried plenty of mascaras, ranging from drugstore to high end. I would choose this mascara over any $30+ mascara every time. It is the only mascara that does not flake off on to my cheeks throughout the day, and it is also the only one that seems to both darken and lengthen my lashes (despite promises of other mascara commercials). It does not clump at all, and my lashes never stick together; they are always spread evenly. This mascara does not curl my lashes, but the bristles manage to cover all my lashes at the same time. Since it is curved, I use the U to coat all my lashes from the root, and then I use it the opposite way to comb through my lashes and make sure they are coated evenly. Works like a charm! I usually use about two coats and I am good to go, and I find this easy to use on my lower lashes as well. I cannot recommend this mascara enough - it has been my go-to for MANY years now. I did try the Luscious version of this mascara but still prefer this one. I don't think I will ever use another mascara and I will be devastated if they ever take this one off the market! -
Orville Redenbacher Caramel White Cheddar Popcorn
Not only is this the perfect combination of sweet and salty, it's also the best caramel corn I have ever tasted. I would definitely reach for this before any sort of candy, chip or cake. Plus, it's healthier. ;) I received this product... +
Not only is this the perfect combination of sweet and salty, it's also the best caramel corn I have ever tasted. I would definitely reach for this before any sort of candy, chip or cake. Plus, it's healthier. ;)
I received this product free/complimentary for testing purposes but all opinions are my own.
Not only is this the perfect combination of sweet and salty, it's also the best caramel corn I have ever tasted. I would definitely reach for this before any sort of candy, chip or cake. Plus, it's healthier. ;)
I received this product free/complimentary for testing purposes but all opinions are my own.
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Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Like so many other people who review this product, I have been using the cleanser since I was a teenager. Out of all the products that have come and gone from my skincare routine, this has always remained a solid. It is gentle on even sensitive... +
Like so many other people who review this product, I have been using the cleanser since I was a teenager. Out of all the products that have come and gone from my skincare routine, this has always remained a solid. It is gentle on even sensitive skin, has no scent whatsoever and does not irritate my face or eyes in any way. It leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed after you rinse it off without feeling like it has left any residue. Considering the price point of many other cleansers these days, you cannot beat the price point here. A large bottle lasts me almost a year and it’s less than $20. Though I am an adult now and only have the odd breakout to deal with, I attribute my scarce acne throughout my teens into adulthood to this cleanser. Everyone used to ask me why I never got any pimples and I am 100% convinced it is due to my habitual use of Cetaphil. If you are looking for a gentle daily cleanser that will leave your skin feeling and looking visibly clean and refreshed, give this a try. It seems like most people who do never look back. -
Febreze Extra Strength Fabric Refresher
I was excited to give Febreze Fabric Refresher a try since I live in an apartment and sometimes things can start smelling a little stale due to poor air circulation. I also have a cat, and no matter how clean I keep him or his litter box, there... +
I was excited to give Febreze Fabric Refresher a try since I live in an apartment and sometimes things can start smelling a little stale due to poor air circulation. I also have a cat, and no matter how clean I keep him or his litter box, there still seems to be that “pet” scent that lingers every now and then. After testing out this product on various pieces of furniture and also things like running shoes, clothing and pillows, I can say that this product is very effective for short-term refreshing. The scent is quite strong – probably not a good choice for anyone with strong allergies – but it is definitely a fresh scent and not a perfume scent, in my opinion. The scent certainly seemed to linger for about a day, but then I found it had faded by the next. For clothes specifically, I found it lasted a bit longer. I tested the product on my shirt and could still smell the Febreze quite a few days later. I think this is a great option if, say, you are having company and want to spritz a few things and create a fresh scent coming into your home. But if you have strong odors you are trying to cover up, you will likely find yourself having to spray on a daily basis. The product will certainly cover up the scent but in my experience, it did not eliminate the scent. I received this product free to try in exchange for my honest review. -
KVD Vegan Beauty 24-Hour Super Brow Long-Wear Pomade
I was quite impressed with the 24-Hour Super Brow Long-Wear Promade. The texture is very smooth and creamy. Because the product is so soft, you do have to be careful how much you pick up on your brush; a little goes a long way! You can easily create... +
I was quite impressed with the 24-Hour Super Brow Long-Wear Promade. The texture is very smooth and creamy. Because the product is so soft, you do have to be careful how much you pick up on your brush; a little goes a long way! You can easily create a darker, bolder brow or keep the strokes light and hair-like and use a spoolie for something softer. The only thing I would caution is that if you have lighter skin, I would recommend trying these shades out in store. I thought Medium Brown would be a good match because I have darker hair, but it goes on extremely dark, almost like a black-brown. I received this product complimentary for review purposes, but all opinions are my own. -
Schmidt's Lavender + Sage Natural Deodorant
I received Schmidt's Lavendar + Sage Natural Deodorant free to try from ChickAdvisor in exchange for my honest review. I have tried several other natural deodorants before and have not had much success with them. Out of all the ones I have tried... +
I received Schmidt's Lavendar + Sage Natural Deodorant free to try from ChickAdvisor in exchange for my honest review. I have tried several other natural deodorants before and have not had much success with them. Out of all the ones I have tried, however, I will say I liked this one the best even if it still did not perform the exact way I wanted it to.
First off, the scent is extremely strong. At first I thought it was a really nice scent but through the day, it started to smell more and more like bug spray to me. I actually became very self-conscious that that's all people could smell on me. The texture is very gritty and soft. As the product suggests, I did let it melt into my skin a bit, and it was still very gritty and soft and therefore quite messy. The product got all over the outer packaging and squished down under the lid. After each use I ended up having to wipe it down because the package was starting to look a complete mess. It was also all over my hands and I had to wash them after applying the product. This deodorant also never dried down fully for me. It was still wet at the end of the day. I didn't like the feeling of moist armpits; it felt like I was sweating even though I wasn't.
I know a lot of people have reactions to natural deodorants, but thankfully I did not have any sort of reaction to this at all. That was an upside. On days I was not active, it seemed to do the job. On days I was a bit more active, I noticed I had to reapply unlike a regular deodorant which would have kept me odour-free.
There are unfortunately more cons to this product than not, but it has potential.
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MOTRIN Super Strength Liquid Gels
I received Motrin Super Strength Liquid Gels to try from ChickAdvisor in exchange for my honest review. I am someone who initially went on the pill when I was young due to extremely painful and almost debilitating menstrual cramps several days... +
I received Motrin Super Strength Liquid Gels to try from ChickAdvisor in exchange for my honest review. I am someone who initially went on the pill when I was young due to extremely painful and almost debilitating menstrual cramps several days before my period and then during my period. Even after getting on the pill, which helped immensely, I still require some form of Ibuprofen during my cycle and it has always been a lifesaver. I tried this Motrin during the time I would normally require it, a few days before when the cramping starts and then a few days into my period, and they worked really well! They seemed to work fairly quickly, about 15 minutes I would say. I did not notice much cramping after that. I had to take another pill later in the day but that is usual for me. These Liquid Gels are coming up priced at around $16 CDN for 60 capsules, which is fairly affordable. All in all, I would certainly recommend these to anyone experiencing menstrual cramps because they do alleviate symptoms quickly and for a long period of time. -
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