Tag: amazon

to shop / amazon prime day review (sonos, wifi extender, ecovacs deebot)

Prime Day this year was more exciting than prior years due to the extra discounts for Amex cardholders. (This may have been a coincidence.) Review of my new toys:

(1) TP-Link AC750 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender, Repeater, Access Point
I’m the tech support person at home. My Verizon FIOS modem and router is tucked away in a metal cabinet in a closet. While this is easier for the eyes, this is horrible for the wifi connection from the furthest ends of home. This device was a Prime Day flash deal and I happened to check Amazon at the right time of day, but I’d happily pay their current price for this useful device. It was by coincidence that this was also well rated by Wirecutter. FWIW, TP-Link is a Taiwanese brand and I’ve purchased multiple products with no issues.

(2) Sonos One Speaker
Works well with Pandora, Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, etc. Love the sound quality and I can control it from my laptop or phone app. Packaging is as beautiful as any Apple product’s. I didn’t enable Alexa.

(3) ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner
This is my first robot vacuum cleaner. I have yet to schedule it to clean when I’m not home but there is an app for that. It’s super easy to setup and navigates my mostly hardwood floors and rugs seamlessly. When I saw it go under my vanity, bed, couches, tv stand to access areas that would require moving of furniture to vacuum, I was pretty sold. It picks up hair extremely well. It is pretty easy to clean and gross to see how much random dust accumulates! Time is limited so this is one area of my life I happily will defer to bots for. This is a fair priced vacuum. There were additional discounts on Prime Day, but the price today isn’t that far off.

to shop / amazon prime day deal for non-prime users: $5 off $15 any book

Amazon Prime Day has started as of 9pm ET. I’m quite sad my friend missed out on the $45 Instant Pot 9-in-1 deal by minutes, but hope Amazon revives it even for the original $90 deal!

While you need to be a Prime user to partake in most of the deals, here’s a deal for all Amazon users – $5 off $15 any book sold by Amazon.com with code PRIMEBOOKS17 (it didn’t show up when I applied it the first time, I had to return to my cart and re-checkout for it to show). I normally save books I want in the “saved for later” part of my cart and finally ordered the Yayoi Kusama illustrated Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland book:

Image source: Amazon

to pamper / amazon prime beauty sample boxes

For Amazon Prime subscribers, there are a few new “sample” boxes with personal care/beauty trial sized items and the random full sized item. The purchase price of the box gives you a credit to apply to a future purchase in the same category. The Luxury Beauty and Men’s boxes aren’t interesting to me (do you know how long it took me to get the mister to stop using Head and Shoulders?), but the “Beauty Sample Box” looks great if you ever travel/need this stuff for the gym. If any of the links don’t work, make sure you’re logged into your Prime account and try refreshing.

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to cook / amazon prime day deal: instant pot ip-duo60 7-in-1

Note, for Amazon Prime members only (and you can get a free trial…).

The 7-in-1 Instant Pot is now $69.99. It’s an electronic pressure cooker, steamer, and crockpot. You can make yogurt and Chinese fermented sweet rice. The liner’s stainless steel and easy to clean. It’s convenient to sauté and then pressure cook in one pot.

nomnompaleo has a ton of recipes… bone broth, roasts, etc.! I also like Flo Lum‘s videos. Needless to say, it makes a great gift – there are manuals in Chinese, French, Spanish, and English and it’s easy to Google for recipes. This is an Amazon Prime Day Spotlight deal and you only have 14 more hours to claim it!

Other deals worth mentioning? You can get a $10 credit when you purchase a $50 Amazon.com gift card with code GCPRIME16. Cheap Sandisk SD memory cards. Also the cheapest I’ve seen the Kindle Paperwhite.


Image source: Amazon

to pamper / {deal alert} amazon prime day luxury beauty $25 with $50+ purchase

Prime Day is coming up and Amazon got tons of flack last year for a lackluster inaugural Prime Day. I’m not sure what the final list of promotions will have but it looks like they have started festivities early. Prime members can get $25 off $50 from their Luxury Beauty department with code PRIMEDAY25. The credit applies after your next Amazon Luxury Beauty order and has to be for one of these brands and sold by Amazon.com. My recs? I might finally try the La Roche Posay Anthelios serum. I recently tried the Oribe dry texturizing spray and apres beach wave and shine spray. The jury is still out on the apres beach spray, but I really like the dry texturizing spray and already got it in the Iarger size. I also like the Mio dry brush. Somme Institute Transport pads are great for icky skin (previously mentioned). I’m not sure when this deal expires but I assume it will be over after July 12 (Prime Day).
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to pamper / {deal alert} amazon luxury beauty $25 with $50+ purchase

I haven’t been paying attention — Amazon became a luxury beauty destination overnight and their list of brands is really impressive. For a limited time (I’m not sure when it expires), use code LUX25BACK to get $25 credit for purchases over $50 after your order ships. Offer only applies to items shipped and sold by Amazon.com. I’m quite excited that they have the La Roche Posay Anthelios serum and Oribe hair products. Start here or browse their full list of brands (includes a ton of men’s brands).

to shop / {deal alert} baggu, birchbox, amazon, shopbop

(1) I haven’t looked through all of Shopbop’s sale (and really just shop through my wishlist), so am only highlighting this item. I’ve reviewed this Love Sam lace blouse before. Why am I buying another? Oops, I put it in the dryer and it shrunk. $60 is an amazing sale price for this Etoile Isabel Marant doppelgänger and it’s fully stocked in both black and white and most sizes.

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I’ve been taking R&R in Taipei and didn’t bring a laptop with me. After a week of detoxing from a computer, I itched to write real emails and keyboard shortcut my way through my inbox.

  • I’ve been indulging in super affordable tui na and acupuncture and will be sad to give them up once I return home.
  • I’ve come to the conclusion that most food in Taipei is good – no matter where you go. I’m not as diligent in exploring Taipei food options because there are family obligations and because I’m content.
  • Yelp just launched in Taiwan. It’s too new to be of substantial value though. Foursquare was in use.
  • I’ve been thinking of purging (and I’ve been talking about it for years but time has always been a deterrent) and browsed through Marie Kondo’s much talked about book. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten wiser about purchases so there is a lot less to buy in Hong Kong and Taipei. So far.
  • If you have any recommendations for items to buy from Taipei (or Narita airport), let me know! I always end up in Muji and Watson’s for hours. Even though I can read traditional Chinese, it is more tiring. Thus, it’s harder to find reviews on products.

I. Shopping

  • Get $10 off your first $50+ order at Peach and Lily!
  • I always stop at the original Sogo department store in Taipei and did a walkthrough of the first floor, which I usually do not do. They have a HUGE selection of Repetto ballet flats — I think it rivaled the flagship in Paris and definitely beat any US retail outlet. Retail pricing is hefty but there were a bunch of styles that were 40% off.
    • I tried on the new pointed ‘Brigitte’ style (currently 25% off through link). It runs TTS and I never realized before the bow could be tightened. If feels different than the Cendrillon ballet flat due to the lack of curve. It’s currently online at:
    • I also saw a black rubber version of the popular Cendrillon style — perfect for drizzly weather — but I can’t seem to find it online.
    • A Repetto store is rumored to be opening in Soho, NYC this year…
  • Petit Bateau private sale up to 70% off. 3 days left. Sizes are limited.
  • Two thumbs up to the Better Business Bureau! I’d purchased something from a popular home decor e-tailer. I got tired after waiting an year for a backorder and they didn’t respond to my emails. It was too far back for me to contest with my credit card. I filed a case on BBB, who then forwarded it to the local BBB. The e-tailer took immediate action. The e-tailer has similar bad reviews on BBB, so buyer beware.

II. Other

I am not categorizing for the sake of time. I will say that I really wish more RSS feeds didn’t force me to click to their site to read because now I have an exorbitant amount of saved items. I spent a good deal of time bookmarking instead of reading on my flight here. Or is there a way to easily bookmark into folders, on the iPhone, while offline?

III. Watching

  • I detest inefficient browsing. Enter Netflix God Mode. I usually add to my queue on the desktop. (PSFK)
  • How long it takes to binge watch a show. (via Apartment Therapy)
  • I’ve also been on a TV detox, but can’t wait to dig into:
    • Mad Men, last season (AMC)
    • Orphan Black, starting April 18 (BBC US)
    • Grimm, returns (NBC)
    • Call the Midwife, Mr. Selfridge, Wolf Hall (PBS)

to shop / {deal alert} 30% off any print book on amazon

Through Sunday night, get 30% off any print book (up to $10) on Amazon with code HOLIDAY30. See the rest of the sales here.

Image source: Amazon

Parisian Chic, NYT 36 Hours, Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, Ottolenghi’s Plenty More, A Map of the World, Design*Sponge at Home

to shop / the nude lace dress

Sale updates below in italics!

I never saw reason to pay premium for the Diane von Furstenberg Zarita dress when Adrianna Papell executed it just as well. The Adrianna Papell lace overlay sheath dress in blush is currently 55% off at Nordstrom and Amazon for $71.10, and at Loehmann’s for $99.99 (regular, petite and look out for coupons). It runs short, true to size, and is pretty fitted but fully lined in a soft material. The back zipper makes it a bit inappropriate for the workplace, but it can be dressed up with a blazer and a belt.

It also comes in mauve (looks like blush…), navy (plus size, on sale), prussian blue (on sale, here and here), mint green (here and here), turquoise (here and here), white, and coral. Note that the inventory of sizes at all linked sites can change daily.

Now, if you still prefer the Diane von Furstenberg Zarita dress, or they have a color that AP doesn’t, there are a ton of non-classic colors at Saks Fifth Avenue that have been heavily discounted to 65-70% off. Many sizes/colors are sold out, but if you click on the “Choose Color and/or Size” and sign up for the waitlist for soldout colors/sizes, they actually email you if it comes back in stock!