By Diane Mapes, contributing writer
What it is: Summer Soles Fragrant Footings, $15 for 2 pair at http://www.summersoles.com.
What it claims to do: According to the Web site, Summer Soles cure sweaty feet by providing a “soft, dry barrier between feet and the beds of shoes.” The trim-to-fit one-size-fits-all insoles, made of absorbent fabric that “captures perspiration from sweaty feet as pressure is applied while walking,” can be inserted into sandals, pumps, mules or flats, but not spongy flip-flops or fabric-soled shoes like Birkenstocks (the sticky insoles can’t grip fabric).
The insoles are said to be especially effective for people with plantar hyperhidrosis (excessively sweaty feet). Summer Soles also claims their product will help make shoes “instantly comfy” and the Fragrant Footings style offers the added bonus of keeping your feet sweat- and stink-free by releasing “microscopic bursts of the finest dry, natural aromas” as you walk.
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By Kristin Kalning, tech editor
What it is: The iPosture, $64.95 from www.iposture.com.
What it claims to do: This little electronic gizmo is designed to improve your posture. The monitor, which is the size of a silver dollar, senses when you slouch and gives you a gentle zap to remind you to sit up straight. If proper posture isn’t enough of a draw for you, the manufacturer also claims that sitting up straight can reduce an average of two inches off your waist and make you more successful, attractive and productive.
My experience: During my teen years, I think I heard my mom tell me to stand up straight about 4,286 times. And if she didn’t say it, she’d pantomime it with embarrassing gestures -- usually in front of my friends.
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By Helen A.S. Popkin, tech editor
What it is: YogaToes by YogaPro, $49.95 plus shipping
According to the manufacturer's Web site, YogaToes do the following:
Exercise your feet to stay healthy & in shape.
Improve and prevent foot problems by stretching & aligning your toes.
Ease the discomfort of hammertoes, bunions & plantar fasciitis.
Recover from stress, strain and overuse. Improve foot strength, flexibility and appearance.
Increase circulation, straighten bent toes, and realign joints.
Improve and reduce the aches and pains associated with poor posture.
My experience: “Make sure that you are getting the authentic YogaToes,” warns the YogaPro Web site. “Beware of imitations.” And indeed there are imitators; Pampered Toes ($9.99) and Healthytoes ($34.99) to name two. You get what you pay for, seems to be the implication. Upon casual inspection however, YogaToes and its imitators seem at least superficially the same. CONTINUED >>
By Diane Mapes, contributing writer
What it is: The Diet Plate (sale price $40, plus postage and handling)
What it claims to do: According to the Web site, the Diet Plate system is “the world’s first, original portion control method of weight management” – and with it, you’ll avoid all the guesswork of maintaining a healthy, balanced diet “whilst losing weight” (as you might have guessed by that “whilst,” the company is in England). The Diet Plate weight management system does this by providing you with “visual management of your daily intake of food.” In other words, the 11-inch plate and the accompanying Calibrated Breakfast Bowl are cluttered with visual clues (illustrations of food, tape measures, arrows, circles, etc.) that tell you how much you should eat of what. Diet Plates come in three “sizes” – male, female and child (this last has a wizard motif) – and are microwave and dishwasher safe.
My experience: When I first opened the box containing my Diet Plate and Breakfast Bowl (they’re a set), I thought they were adorable. Rimmed by a band of light blue (inside of which were affirming messages like “You can do it. Exercise daily. Diet with a friend.”), the plate was cleverly divvied up into different sections. Protein, represented by illustrations of ham and fish, went here; starch, marked by bowls of rice and potatoes, went there. A circle around the outside showed how much pasta you could dish up; a smaller circle in the middle helped solve the sauce dilemma. The Breakfast Bowl was less ornate but still helpful. Colored bands indicated how many cups of cornflakes or shredded wheat you should eat each morning (the booklet offered a breakdown of what line to use for a 200-calorie serving of various cereals). The whole system seemed cute, colorful and ingenious, and I sort of regretted having to cover it all up with food.
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By Anna Chan, health editor
What it is: Victoria’s Secret Beauty Secret Bust-Firming Bra ($48-$68 plus shipping from VictoriasSecret.com
What it claims to do: Give your bust a more uplifted effect by diminishing signs of aging and improving the skin’s ability to retain moisture with DermalRX HydroSeal and Dermaxyl. All you have to do is wear the bra for at least four weeks, eight hours a day, to see an 18 percent boost in skin firmness with results at a peak after eight weeks.
My experience: As a woman who is not so blessed in the chest area and not interested at all in surgical enhancements, I nearly jumped for joy when two readers wrote to us in January and asked us to test this new bust-firming bra. The “more uplifted effect” promised in the product’s description means I look bigger, right? Without surgery? For less than $100? And all I have to do is wear the same bra for four to eight weeks? Well, that part’s a little icky, but still – sign me up!
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By Melissa Dahl, health editor
What it is: Dry shampoo (sometimes called hair powder). There are many different brands out there; we tried Bumble and Bumble’s Hair Powder in brown ($41 for a 4.4 oz. aerosol can).
What it claims to do: Cleanse your hair without water. The powder is supposed to absorb the oils in your hair, letting you go longer between washings.
My experience: I haven’t washed my hair in three days. I may not wash it tomorrow. Either way, with the dry shampoo, you’d never know the difference. Dry shampoo and its dirty, dirty influence on my life these last six weeks have been a little bit magical, a little bit disgusting. CONTINUED >>
By Anna Chan, health editor
What it is: Smooth Away ($14.99 plus $6.99 shipping/handling from www.getsmoothaway.com)
What it claims to do: Buff away unwanted hair and leave skin “so soft and incredibly smooth.” According to the Web site, the Smooth Away pads are covered with superfine crystals that easily, safely, painlessly and quickly remove unwanted hair and exfoliate dead skin cells.
My experience: I hate to admit it, but I’ve been a girl of the more hirsute sort since I can remember, and my excess hair caused me great embarrassment as a child. I tried many hair removal products in my teen years, hoping to find something cheap that would remove hair painlessly. The products I tried usually caused me considerable amounts of pain (from waxing) or pain and very irritated skin (from smelly depilatories). CONTINUED >>
By Jasmin Aline Persch, contributing writer
What it is: PearlyDreams Sleep Enhancing Toothpaste; $19.95, plus shipping; www.pearlydreams.net
What it claims to do: Help you sleep and maintain your teeth. PearlyDreams toothpaste, created and patented by a New York dentist, purportedly works by absorbing through the “thousands of tiny blood vessels in your mouth.” The toothpaste has the natural supplements melatonin, valerian, balm mint and passionflower “known to relax, calm, and help the body drift off to sleep,” according to the manufacturer. CONTINUED >>
by Melissa Dahl, health editor
What it is: 5-Hour Energy, a teeny, 2-fl. oz. drink priced at about $3.99.
What it claims to do:Boost your energy for five hours – without the caffeine crash later.
My experience: I’ve recently discovered that I am becoming old. Not physically old, mind you; I’m still several weeks shy of my 24th birthday. No, the other, lamer kind of old – the kind who secretly wants to be asleep by 11 on a Friday night. The younger of the voices in my head, however, rarely allows this, and constantly berates me to act my age. And so began my quest to find an energy drink that I can stomach – and one that actually works.
Coffee makes me jittery, and most energy drinks taste horrible; plus, many of them have tons of sugar and upwards of 200 calories. That’s what initially drew me to the 5-Hour Energy drink: It has only four calories, and no sugar. I was skeptical that a drink this little could actually do what it claims, but I tried it on a Friday night, at dinner with a friend.
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By Diane Mapes, contributing writer
What it is: Foot Chi Cobblestone Foot Path ($49.90, includes shipping)
What it claims to do: According to the manufacturer, the Foot Chi (pronounced “foot chee”) Cobblestone Foot Path is designed to emulate the “ancient stone reflexology pathways found throughout Asia” in order to “stimulate and regulate acupoints located on the soles of the feet.” Common benefits of reflexology, the literature states, are relaxation, improved circulation, and help with insomnia, sinusitis, allergies, fatigue, stress, anxiety and digestion.
My experience: I decided to break out my Foot Chi on the day after Thanksgiving, when most of us are searching for something – anything! -- to help with that age-old holiday trifecta of stress, fatigue and digestive woes.
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