Laura

I was looking for unique, portable gifts to bring with me on a trip. Initially, my internet search was for washi wrapped tea tins, which brought me to the Japan Avenue website. Naturally I was sidetracked by all of the fun items they have, and I instead purchased several Daruma Dolls.

The shipment arrived within a week, and the dolls were quality!

My husband and I love a robust coffee, we prefer beans, and we like to buy in bulk. We discovered Blackout Coffee about a year ago, and Brewtal Awakening is our fave! A 5 lb. bag lasts about 6 weeks, and the beans stay fresh in our canning jars. Dee-licious!

During COVID times and in the gradual re-opening, I was unable to book an appointment with my hairdresser for almost 6 months. As a result, my hair grew longer than I would have ever allowed it, and I discovered that I kind of like having long hair! In fact, I decided I would see just how long my hair would grow if I left it alone. Will it stop? Will it grow forever? Fun experiment! It is now approaching my lower back.

Longer hair requires a lot of care, because you are maintaining the old stuff you used to cut off. I've got ends that are 5 years old now! I realized I needed to use higher end products to ensure my hair looked its best. I've experimented with a number of lines, and I recently discovered Olaplex.

After one month of use - and I never review until I feel I can make a fair assessment of a product - I LOVE this line! I use #3 (Hair Perfector), #4 (Bond Maintenance Shampoo) and #5 (Bond Maintenance Conditioner).

As a frame of reference, I wash my hair every other day.

I initially purchased the Conditioner, and chose a free sample of the Hair Perfector. Within a week I could see the difference, and bear in mind, I have been experimenting with excellent lines for several years, so I thought my hair already looked pretty healthy. I took the plunge and purchased the Shampoo a week later, and again selected the free sample of Hair Perfector.

This combination of products has done wonders for hair I was already pretty happy with. My hair has a soft shine, it has body, it looks "hydrated" - not dry and brittle, and the ends look healthy. I have "good hair day" energy every day!

5 STARS

I am 63 with normal skin. I've been looking for a skincare line that isn't heavily scented and loaded with chemicals. I purchased Froya's "complete system," and used it for 3 days.

My experience with the products:

Froya Organics balms are thick and heavy. They melt into your hairline just enough to give you that effortless “forgot to shower . . . again” aesthetic.

If this is a “glow,” then flypaper is skincare. It leaves a shiny, sticky film on your face that feels like it’s waiting to catch bugs.

The face scrub? It’s less of a scrub and more of a resurfacing project. I half expected to find sawdust in the sink.

My experience with the company:

3 weeks after purchase, Froya sent me an e-mail and offered a 10% discount on my next purchase if I left a review. I tapped 2 stars in the email and—voilà!—I was redirected to their website, where I was promptly not allowed to leave a review.

When I clicked on the virtual assistant, it responded that the review section was under maintenance. Suspicious . . . maybe . . . ? So, I lowered my rating to 1 star.

UPDATE: Note the reply from Froya below. This arrived a few hours after I posted the note above in my review.

Interestingly, I was notified of Froya's response in an e-mail that stated: "If we do not hear from you in 3 days, Froya may not recognize your review as genuine."

Trust me shoppers: My review is genuine.

UPDATE TO UPDATE: They clearly use a "Reputation Management Service" to aggressively take down criticism. This practice walks a fine line. I was asked to edit or remove certain statements. I did, but I have maintained the spirit of my review, which was honest.

It’s a shame Froya chose to pursue a review that didn’t flatter them. Had they simply let it go, it would have faded into the glow of the many positive reviews, and I may not have felt so put-out and disturbed —or nearly as compelled to share just how profoundly disappointing my experience was.

As others have noted: BUYER BEWARE

I had purchased several notebooks as stocking stuffers at Christmas. I kept one notebook for myself. Not only did I love the sentiment on the cover, the quality is terrific.

I keep binders of notes for work, and this notebook withstands a lot of scribbling and page flipping. The spiral binding stays in place and the paper doesn't tear. The front and back covers are sturdy and this is a big part of what makes these notebooks so durable. I am so pleased with the quality that I have purchased a few more.

I need notebooks that will take abuse to the last page, and these spiral bound notebooks do that. Grocery story notebooks do not.

I mix a combination of Chocolate Brown and Ginger with my conditioner and it keeps my hair color fresh, with beautiful highlighting in the sun.

We were so happy to receive our beautiful strings of teal lights so quickly, and in time for a village celebration called Night of Illumination. Our porch is glowing and colorful!

My husband and I established Acorns accounts several years ago, and have enjoyed watching our "change jars" fill with little effort on our part. In a world where most payments are made electronically, this is where our spare change goes. It is a perfect alternative to quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies.