Honest Review

Omega 8003/8005 Juicer

Masticating juice extractor.

The Omega 8005 is a single-auger, masticating juice extractor. It crushes produce to a pulp before squeezing out the juice. Reviews say this kind of extractor is very versatile. In addition to juice, it can make pasta, baby food and nut butters — tasks that centrifugal juicers can’t do.

Acme Supreme Juicerator 5001

Most efficient juicer.

Unlike most juicers, the Acme Supreme doesn’t automatically eject the fibrous leftover pulp, so it’s a bit more difficult to clean. However, reviews say that this machine can squeeze 20% to 35% more juice than ejection models like Breville Juice Fountain juicers. Experts say this can be a money-saver if you make a lot of juice. Although this juicer is more efficient, it is tougher to clean

Black & Decker CJ525 CitrusMate Plus

Citrus juicer.

If you merely want to juice citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, the Black & Decker citrus juicer dispenses juice directly into its 1-liter pitcher. This model has adjustable pulp control along with small and large cones for different-sized fruit. The CitrusMate Plus is merely an electric version of a hand reamer and can’t juice anything other than citrus. You’ll need a juice extractor if you want to juice vegetables or other fruits

Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL

Best juicer overall.

The elegant Breville Juice Fountain Elite is the big winner in the two best juicer reviews we found. The Fountain Elite’s advantages are its 1000-watt motor and extra wide, three-inch feeder tube, which means users can skip chopping food into smaller pieces. Reviews say the aluminum Juice Fountain Elite is efficient at squeezing the most juice from produce. With dishwasher-safe parts, it is easy to clean. The Breville juicer comes with a one-year warranty (three years on the motor).

Trader Joe’s Purify Sea Salt Scrub - it’s like a beach day in a jar

Have you ever wondered why your skin looks so amazing after a day at the beach? It’s even and smooth because the sand and sea water exfoliate it to perfection and, as if to reward you for your diligent sunblock application, it’s also moisturized and touchably soft. Post-beach cleanup might be a pain, but post-beach skin is totally worth it.

Which kind of stinks for those of us that live in the northern hemisphere - today is the Friday before Labor Day and heralds the end of beach season. Thankfully the good people at Trader Joe’s have somehow packaged the best of the beach in a 22 oz tub - and they sell it for under $6! (I know!)

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Trader Joe’s Purify Grapefruit Chamomile Sea Salt Scrub (try saying that three times fast) is my favorite body scrub - and not just because I love everything about Trader Joe’s. It’s cheap, it’s filled with natural ingredients (sea salt, a mix of sunflower/soybean/apricot kernel oils and essential oils plus vitamins E and C), and it gets the job done. What’s not to love?

Exfoliation is the secret to velvety smooth skin and is an essential first step to more advanced beauty maneuvers (like self-tanning) but it can be a bit of a pain, literally. Artificial exfoliants can be too harsh on your skin, so some hard-core beauty junkies resort to making their own - and let’s face it, it would be relatively easy to mix up your own at home - but could you do it for under $6? And could you make it smell like a tropical drink?

I really enjoy using this - all I have to do is scoop some up and scrub away. I focus on the trouble spots (knees, elbows and feet) and then rinse it all off under a warm shower. A word of warning - this stuff will leave you quite oily (like you are after a massage) so I always leave time to take a full shower after use. Soap will take away the excess oil but will still leave your skin moisturized. Now you can have summer skin in the middle of winter - how awesome is that?

Here’s hoping that Rick Santorum gets the Trent Lott treatment

More Republicans oppose Santorum’s remarks. More Republicans have joined the call for Senator Rick Santorum to apologize for his recent remarks. The group, Republican Unity Coalition, includes former president Gerald Ford and Mary Cheney, the daughter of current Vice President Dick Cheney. They describe themselves… [different strings]