Drinks and Nail Polish

Description: "MAXIM Cafe Menu" Instant Matcha Latte
Cost: $2.99 for a pack of 4 at Mitsuwa

Ajinomoto General Foods' MAXIM Cafe Menu Instant Matcha Latte is a delightful product find I made yesterday while waiting for our table at Newport Seafood Restaurant. The taste is great and compares to what you'd order in an Asian boba house. The powder fizzes and dissolves completely when you add water, so there is no annoying leftover residue at the bottom of your cup. Skip the tea shop next time - At $0.75 per serving, the quality and convenience of this product wins out. There are also many other flavors available that I will now be open to trying as well (Cafe latte and matcha latte shown above).

Gatorade's G2 is an awful low calorie version of the real thing and should be avoided. The taste was unpleasant enough that I disposed of the beverage during my workout and had water instead. I am not a fan of any low calorie beverages; since I don't often have soda or energy drinks anyway, I prefer the full-flavored thing when I do!

Description: Sally Hansen Insta-dri Nail Color
Cost: $4.99 at Target

New to drugstores is Sally Hansen Insta-dri Nail Color. It features a large, flat brush that lends itself to a one-stroke application. Color applies evenly and dries quickly. I've gone through many different brands of nail polish looking for one that would apply light, milky colors evenly and this is the first that's delivered. I've always been frustrated with other formulas that streak, apply unevenly, or don't dry quickly and need many coats. I will get rid of the rest and only buy this product when at drugstores from now on. With 24 shades available, my fingers and toes will have plenty to choose from. (Note: I don't know how this compares to the professional brands unavailable at most drugstores: OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Orly, etc.)

Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse

Description: Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks
Cost: Currently $19.99 from Target, marked down from $26.89

After owning a laptop for 2 years, I finally bought myself a cordless optical notebook mouse. I checked its review on Amazon after I got home and was satisfied with the 4.5 star rating from 121 users. It comes in several colors, but I went with the black since the other colors have a metallic sheen to them, which I find tacky. Target's current special is cheaper than Amazon's price of $25.42, so it's a pretty good deal. It comes with a mouse, wireless receiver, and 1 AA battery. I thought I'd have to deal with trying not to cut myself on the clam shell packaging, but it's perforated and broke open easily. Set-up was a snap. I'm still trying to get used to a smaller mouse, but everything's working great so far. This was an inexpensive purchase I probably should have made sooner rather than later for the sheer sake of my computing convenience!