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OnePlus 11: New Bionic Motor, Picture Quality Engine and updated charging profile officially previewed ahead of launch – NotebookCheck.net News

OnePlus' latest power brick. (Source: OnePlus)
OnePlus’ latest power brick. (Source: OnePlus)

OnePlus has spilled some more specs and features for its upcoming Android flagship smartphone ahead of its launch. They include haptics apparently upgraded with the latest technology to rival those of other premium mobile devices, as well as new software-based frame-rate enhancements. They have been officially confirmed in advance, as well as a charging update for the imminent 11.

OnePlus is currently suspected of using well-worn display panels in its upcoming 11, even as sister brands such as Vivo and iQOO move on to E6 technology in their competing Android flagships.

The company has not done much to dissuade this line of speculation with its latest teasers, to be honest: distracting and deflecting from actual screen technology with new vibration motor technology and Picture Quality Engine frame-rate-boosting algorithms.

All the same, OnePlus implies that it will challenge other new smartphones such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro with its new Bionic Motor system of haptics. The brand claims to partnered with AAC Technologies to sync optimally with a range of third-party apps, and to express “500+” system-wide feedback effects.

OnePlus has not stopped there with the 11 teasers thus far, having just confirmed that it will improve on the 10 Pro with SUPERVOOC 100W charging for its successor’s 5,000mAh battery.

It has revealed this tidbit alongside a preview of its inaugural Dual Port Super Flash Charger, an accessory with both USB type-A and -C ports that also supports the 65W USB-PD standard. Then again, an announcement for both may imply a lack of the new charger in the 11’s box.

Nonetheless, OnePlus may clarify this point among others as it unveils the new premium Android smartphone alongside the new Buds Pro 2 in January 2023.

Buy the OnePlus Nord Buds on Amazon

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Deirdre O’Donnell, 2022-12-31 (Update: 2022-12-31)

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Deirdre O'Donnell

Boiling hot RX 7900 XTX denied RMA as AMD calls 110 °C junction temperature “normal”

RX 7900 XTX has an MSRP of US$999. (Source: Notebookcheck, Max Kukurudziak-edited)
RX 7900 XTX has an MSRP of US$999. (Source: Notebookcheck, Max Kukurudziak-edited)

AMD reportedly denied an RMA request for an RX 7900 XTX card that was hitting a junction temperature of 110 °C with thermal throttling. More importantly, the company called the 110 °C hot-spot temperature “normal” before acknowledging the problem as a genuine issue.

AMD launched the RX 7900 XTX on December 13 with the promise of up to 70% better performance vs the RX 6950 XT. Third-party reviews proved that, although the card performs quite well, the final numbers of the RX 7900 XTX fall short of the 70% target. Some have suggested that the lower-than-expected performance may be the result of faulty drivers and hardware problems. Adding to these controversies, users on Reddit are now reporting that the RX 7900 XTX’s junction temperature can hit 110 °C, resulting in thermal throttling and performance reduction.

For the uninitiated, the junction temperature of a GPU is the temperature of the hottest point on the silicon die. The junction temperature is considerably more than the GPU temperature that we usually measure. For AMD Radeon boards, the max junction temperature is 110 °C. Once the die reaches this temperature, the GPU throttles down impacting performance.

Reddit user u/nero1338 posted on r/Amd that the junction temperature on their RX 7900 XTX was reaching 110 °C causing the board to downclock even when the fans were going full throttle. Upon reaching out to AMD to get an RMA approved, the company initially denied the request stating, “The temperatures are normal. If there is any issue, please contact us back.” The user also tried to get some help from r/AMDHelp where other Redditors also reported having experienced similar behavior from their cards.

Some users on r/AMDHelp suggested op to lower power targets/max boost clocks or undervolting to keep the junction temps from rising. While others advised flipping the PC case to a different orientation.

AMD has since approached the op and has asked them to send the faulty GPU for testing. It remains to be seen whether the issue is a rare occurrence or is widespread. Hopefully, AMD’s investigation will shed more light on the problem.

Furthermore, Andreas Schilling, an editor at hardwareLuxx, claimed on Twitter that “A 110 °C hot-spot with thermal throttling should not be normal”. He also analyzed some RX 7900 XTX models and found out that the issue only seems to affect Made by AMD (MBA) designs. AMD responded to Andreas with “Our GPU team is currently looking into the issue.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time that high junction temperatures on Radeon cards have become controversial, as some RX 5700 XTs were reportedly hitting 110 °C igniting debate around the subject a few years back.

Buy the AMD RX 6950 XT on Amazon

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Fawad Murtaza, 2022-12-30 (Update: 2022-12-30)

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Thomas Noren

Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition retail packaging and real-world images leak online

<a href=Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition retail packaging and real-world images leak online" title="Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition retail packaging and real-world images leak online" />
The Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition has been pictured online (image via Reddit)
The Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition has been pictured online (image via Reddit)

Images of the Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition have shown up online. The console has a Zelda-themed dock and Joy-cons, but does not include a copy of the game with it.

With a Nintendo Switch 2 not due anytime soon and the Switch Pro cancelled, gamers have little to anticipate in the way of new Nintendo hardware. That could change in mid-2023 when the highly-anticipated Breath of the Wild sequel, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, is set to launch. Nintendo plans to celebrate the iconic launch with a new console.

Real-world pictures of the handheld tentatively called Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition showed up on online forums such as Reddit, ResetEra and Famiboards (H/T Wccftech). It shows the retail packaging of the console and the unit itself, which, as expected, contains elements from the game. One gets a Zelda-themed dock and Joy-cons, but the actual console isn’t shown clearly. Additionally, Nintendo could even throw in some goodies inside the box.

A close look at the Nintendo Switch OLED: Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition’s retail box confirms the console will not include a copy of the game with it. While that might come off as odd, especially when Sony and Microsoft include one with their themed consoles, the behaviour sits in line with Nintendo’s overall demeanour. There is no word about how much the custom console could cost, but a US$400-ish price tag seems plausible.

Buy the Nintendo Switch OLED on Amazon

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Anil Ganti, 2022-12-30 (Update: 2022-12-30)

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Lloyd Wiers

Cost of living: A refugee family runs out of food in Hong Kong

Hong Kong – Slouched against the lone, grime-covered, grated window of his tiny apartment in the working-class neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong, there is a look of despair in 41-year-old Rana’s* brown eyes.

One of his feet, visibly swollen, is angled high up against the wall of peeling, off-white paint as the asylum seeker from Bangladesh recalls the recent accident that left him unable to walk for several days.

“I was on a construction site carrying some tools and a metal girder fell on my leg. It hurt so much. I am lucky it didn’t snap anything,” he says.

For decades, many of those like Rana seeking refuge in the former British colony have been forced to scrape by in extremely challenging conditions, from substandard housing to harsh limits on daily activities.

Most asylum seekers in Hong Kong are banned from having jobs, so he was technically breaking the law when he was injured. But he feels his family’s desperate financial situation left him with no choice.

“Sometimes I have to do work, even though I know it’s illegal,” he says, folding his arms with a grimace.

In lieu of paid work, each asylum seeker is given roughly 40 Hong Kong dollars ($5) a day for food by the government via e-cards. But that is only a little more than the 37.50 Hong Kong dollars ($4.82) hourly minimum wage for workers in the city.

The daily stipend is barely enough to get by, especially in what was until recently the most expensive city in the world.

‘What choice do we have?’

With the cost-of-living crunch bleaker than it has ever been and rocketing inflation that has seen everything from food to electricity and clothing become less affordable, the stipend asylum seekers receive has nevertheless remained frozen since 2014.

According to research by the Hong Kong-based non-profit Refugee Union, which is run by refugees and asylum seekers, prices for some food staples have doubled this year. A separate analysis by the NGO Justice Centre found that the average price per kilogramme of Chinese lettuce, a local staple, more than quadrupled from 5.70 Hong Kong dollars to 24.90 Hong Kong dollars ($0.73 to $3.20). In September, Hong Kong’s consumer inflation rate hit its highest level since 2015.

A mother and son in a room
Akter sits with her child on their bed in the family’s small apartment [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

“We ran out of food,” says Rana’s wife, Akter*, as she gazes at the frenetic traffic below.

The couple spends most of their time in their cramped, 200sq feet (18.6sq metres) apartment in a ramshackle tenement building in a neighbourhood infamous for its “coffin homes” – so named because of their tiny size. Their apartment on one of the upper floors can be reached only via a dimly-lit stairwell filled with rat droppings.

Down below, the streets are a cacophony of hawkers and traders selling black market goods. Impoverished elderly women offer up their possessions on mats spread across the ground; others gather rubbish to earn income from recycling.

“We had to sell things in the house,” says Akter, whose tone shifts from initial sadness to pure exasperation. “It’s too much expensive. Everything, everything. The government doesn’t give us enough money.”

After being pushed to extremes a few years ago, Rana began taking on illegal part-time work on a construction site to make ends meet for the family. Yet the risks are enormous. In 2018, he was sent to a Hong Kong correctional facility for 13 months after he was caught working, separating him from Akter.

This November, Rana took up work again, before he was injured when the girder fell on his leg, leaving him temporarily unable to walk or work.

“I don’t want to be doing this. But what choice do we have?” he says, mulling the choice between breaking the law or leaving his family without food.

‘Food is so expensive’

For Akter, 32, the pressure of tending to a two-year-old and a six-month-old takes things to a whole new level. Yet she strides around the room with purpose – to clean, collect toys and deal with any number of issues the day throws up.

“My children are very small,” says Akter, who cooks just one batch of food in a large steel pot each day to feed the family of four. “I’m worried that they aren’t getting enough to eat. But food is so expensive. We can’t afford many vegetables.”

She usually cooks up large rice dishes, and on better days, stews chicken and eggs. The family has never eaten at a restaurant, the couple says.

A kitchen in a small apartment in Hong Kong
The family lives in a small apartment in a neighbourhood known for its so-called ‘coffin homes’ [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

Akter fled Bangladesh in 2017 after she was raped and her family disowned her. Hong Kong seemed to be a land of opportunity, where she could start anew, seek asylum and make a living for herself in a global megacity. But that new life took a while to adapt to. For the first two years, she says, she would walk the streets and simply cry; she barely ate.

Rana meanwhile is a political refugee who escaped Bangladesh when he faced threats due to his involvement in opposition politics. He ended up in Hong Kong in 2016. “I can’t go back home,” he says. “But I can’t live like this.”

The pair, who met and fell in love in Hong Kong, made an effort to carve out a home, taping pictures of loved ones to the wall.

But conditions are grim: cockroaches scuttle all over the one-room apartment – which is just wide enough to fit their bed in lengthways – along the rims of pots and pans and between cracks in the floor. Laundry hangs to dry just above their heads because there is no other space.

“I don’t have friends who can help,” says Rana, with a tired shrug of his skinny shoulders and a blank expression on his face. “We are all in the same situation.”

The status of refugees

Despite its wealth, Hong Kong is one of the most unequal cities in the world. For asylum seekers – a vulnerable, marginalised underclass – there are fewer and fewer ways to survive.

Hong Kong has an estimated 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers, the vast majority of whom are barred from employment. While 143 countries and territories have agreed to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, Hong Kong is not a signatory of either, instead adopting its own “Unified Screening Mechanism” to determine asylum claims.

That means only when asylum seekers’ non-refoulement claims are accepted can they apply for a six-month work permit. But such instances are extremely rare: just 291 have had their non-refoulement claims accepted since late 2009, according to the latest figures from the Immigration Department, and the process can take years.

Hong Kong skyline
Until recently, Hong Kong was the most expensive city in the world [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

According to official data, less than 1 percent of asylum claims have been substantiated since 2014. And 65 percent of those happen on appeal, suggesting there are issues with the initial process.

The result is that Hong Kong’s refugees are trapped in desperate poverty.

The stark divide is highlighted by the fact that the city of 7.4 million simultaneously has more than 125,000 millionaires and 1.65 million people living in poverty.

While the city’s central business district is lined with shimmering skyscrapers, Michelin-starred restaurants and high-end fashion stores, on the pavement below, poor domestic workers, with nowhere else to go, spend their time off relaxing on the torn shreds of cardboard boxes.

A more ‘caring’ society

Mounting pressures nearly culminated in disaster earlier this year amid panic buying as the city’s strict pandemic policies led to food shortages at ParknShop, the only supermarket chain where refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong are allowed to spend their food subsidy, provided by the Social Welfare Department. ParknShop does not sell halal meat, further excluding already marginalised Muslim asylum seekers like Rana and Akter.

A survey released by Refugee Concern Network earlier this year found that 73 percent of asylum seekers were struggling to buy food and ​​about 60 percent were unable to buy other necessities, such as toiletries. The government subsidy for asylum seekers only allows for food items, therefore non-food necessities such as diapers cannot be bought, leaving many reliant on donations from local charities.

In a rare touch of solace, Rana and Akter have been receiving milk powder and diapers from a local charity since the pandemic struck.

A kitchen in a small apartment in Hong Kong
Dwindling food supplies in the family’s small kitchen [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

Beyond the bare necessities of food, other equally serious pressures are cranking up. The effects of climate change and extreme heat have become ever-more tangible in the family’s ageing apartment as record heat struck Hong Kong this year – including some of the hottest days since records began in 1884. In turn, the rising cost of energy has meant that the use of air conditioning is even more costly.

After electricity bills rocketed this summer, in part due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in part due to warmer temperatures, the family was forced out of the house during the peak daylight hours to cool down in public libraries and malls, where they cannot afford to buy anything. “The AC became too much for us to pay,” says Rana. “It was too uncomfortable to stay at home, even if we were doing nothing.”

This perfect storm of worsening conditions means asylum seekers like Akter and Rana risk becoming a forgotten population in the global cost-of-living crisis.

For some, hopes rose when Hong Kong’s new chief executive, John Lee – who pledged in his election manifesto to forge a “more caring society” – was sworn in in July.

But any improvement has yet to materialise for Akter, Rana and their young family as they struggle to stay afloat. Instead, they dream about being given the opportunity to earn a basic living for themselves.

“I would like a future, I want a future,” says Rana, his deep-set eyes beginning to well up as he speaks. “Because now I don’t have one.”

*Names changed to protect privacy

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Raleigh Wrona

52 Small Tips To Make Your Place Look So Much Better This Year

Tackle everything with an easy-to-apply privacy window film, matching wood stain cover, and other ways to tidy up or make small improvements.View Entire Post ›…
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Tama Haslett

Reporting in Gaza, a new year brings the same harsh reality

Gaza City – “What are your wishes for the New Year?”

It is a typical question, but you do not ask it in the Gaza Strip.

If you did, you would open yourself up to strange or angry looks, or someone might think you were making fun of them.

So instead, I have asked the question to myself.

I am a journalist, but I am from Gaza; I have lived through its daily reality, its hardships, and its challenges.

Being a journalist here is a heavy burden.

You report news that can leave you despondent, but it is news that has been repeated for more than 15 years, since the beginning of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, about an ongoing human tragedy that my fellow Gaza Palestinians live through.

We have been writing about the same issues, the same circumstances, the same news of military escalations, and the same suffering, without anything changing.

Does this mean that the lives of the two million people living in Gaza are worthless?

Many Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to deal with the continued suffering and have lost the desire to talk and be interviewed.

Their answers to my questions always begin with the same response: “What are we going to say? Nobody hears or feels us.”

Gaza was not spared a military attack last year.

In August, Israel launched an offensive which ultimately killed at least 49 Palestinians, injured hundreds and displaced dozens.

It is a bloody scenario that keeps repeating itself, and only serves to worsen conditions in a territory that has already collapsed economically, environmentally and politically, an area the United Nations once predicted would be “uninhabitable” by 2020.

When I think back to the three days of the Israeli attack in August, I remember many painful stories of grief and loss.

I do not know how Umm Khalil Hamada would look forward to the New Year without the only child she gave birth to after 15 years of trying to conceive.

How about 11-year-old Rahaf Suleiman, who lost her hand and feet after an Israeli bombing?

How will the people of Gaza forget all this sorrow, sadness and bitterness? How do they carry on knowing that the truce that hangs over them could collapse at any time, with no political solution in sight? How, how, how?

In Gaza, a round of conflict may end, but people feel like they are living through a daily war. A fierce war fought against closed border crossings and travel restrictions, against high unemployment rates, against extreme poverty, and against daily power cuts.

Desperate search for medical treatment

One of the main effects of living in Gaza arises when seeking medical treatment.

During the past year, my mother suffered from pulmonary complications after being infected with COVID-19 twice. Her condition began to deteriorate significantly, and the doctors in Gaza, with their limited resources and dilapidated health system, could not help.

In Gaza, in this case, the best option is to think about treatment in Israeli hospitals. This, however, involves several hurdles: submitting medical reports, requesting a medical referral, security permits, and papers from a human rights organisation to prove that the case is humanitarian.

The Civil Affairs Department is where you go to when you are applying to travel through the Israeli-run Beit Hanoon crossing, known as Erez to Israelis.

Of course, we were not alone. There were tens, if not hundreds, of citizens who were crowding into the building to apply for medical treatment in Israel.

A state of great despair and helplessness afflicted everyone desperately waiting for a permit. Frowning faces covered with sweat, tiredness and anxiety, waiting for an answer that would usually involve a long list of security conditions, and most probably a rejection.

After weeks of waiting and trying, my mother’s request was approved by the Israeli hospital.

But the Israeli authorities refused to give her a permit to pass Erez. No reason was given.

In general, Israel says these measures are necessary for security reasons, but for Palestinians in Gaza, it feels like just another way to punish the population.

So, we turned to our other option – the Rafah crossing, and Egypt.

Here, another journey of complicated procedures began.

It is worth mentioning that the journey through the Rafah crossing is known as “a piece of torment”, as travellers spend long hours waiting on the Egyptian side, before passing through Egypt on a road that takes several hours, punctuated by checkpoints for travellers.

The distance between Rafah and Cairo should not take more than six hours, but with restrictions, it takes longer than 20 hours.

Eventually, my mother made it to Turkey, where the realisation of what life could be like outside of living under a blockade in Gaza.

In video calls, she expressed her sorrow for her children, for the young people who will have to live through what she described as the “cemetery” that is Gaza.

My mother told us that she had been facing death in Gaza, without medical treatment. After she was able to travel and go to Turkey, she had come back to life.

Our conversations would end when our power was cut.

It would leave me thinking about our situation, our reality, and the deterioration of our quality of life.

How do Palestinians in Gaza deal with this? And why is the idea of normal life a mere dream for them?

I do not have answers to these questions, but, with no hope of a resolution in sight, everyone in Gaza I speak to believes that what is yet to come will be even worse. The thinking is that if you are optimistic, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment.

In Gaza, people cannot stop talking about what they predict to be the inevitable explosion of the situation, another devastating war that most think will ultimately arrive one day.

And yet, the general sense is one of worrying ambivalence.

“If it happens, will it be worse than what we have lived through?” is the common refrain. “Then there’s no difference with what we’re already living through.”

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Michele Mongold

Plafond budgétaire : Brown salue la ‘transparence’ de la FIA

Plafond budgétaire : Brown salue la (...)

Zak Brown, le PDG de McLaren F1, n’est pas étonné qu’il y ait eu des erreurs dans le calcul du plafond budgétaire chez certaines équipes. L’Américain reconnait la difficulté de prise en compte de ces calculs, et salue la FIA pour la transparence vis-à-vis de Red Bull et de son dépassement de budget.

“Sa mise en œuvre est très difficile” a déclaré Brown dans le podcast de Marshall Pruett. “Vous avez intérêt à avoir un excellent directeur financier, qui comprenne comment fonctionne une équipe de Formule 1.”

“Vous devez faire des choix, savoir où dépenser votre argent et, évidemment, vous voulez le dépenser dans les domaines les plus performants, qu’il s’agisse du personnel, de la technologie ou autre. Avec la FIA, le processus a été très transparent.”

“La FIA a été extrêmement communicative, je veux dire, il n’y a pas une semaine qui passe sans que nous recevions un mémo, un avis ou une mise à jour. Ils sont donc constamment sur le coup. Je pense qu’ils sont très minutieux. Je ne pense pas qu’il y ait les lacunes que les gens craignaient qu’il y ait.”

Le plafond budgétaire sera “pris au sérieux”

Selon Brown, les sanctions appliquées par la FIA, qui consistent en une réduction du temps de développement aéro de 10 % et en une amende, est un signal fort envoyé aux teams quant aux risques en cas de dépassement : “Je pense donc que ce qui s’est passé cette année n’était pas prévu.”

“C’est malheureux que quelqu’un ait enfreint le plafond, mais il y a des gens comme des investisseurs et d’autres qui ont investi dans le sport sur la base d’un plafond de coûts et l’une des préoccupations est de savoir si cela sera un jour gérable. Est-ce que quelqu’un le respecterait, etc.”

“Donc je pense que lorsque nous avons eu ces quelques infractions, je pense qu’il était important que cela soit traité de manière appropriée et importante pour s’assurer que personne ne dépasse le plafond ou ne le prenne pas au sérieux. Je pense que tout le monde, y compris ceux qui ont eu des problèmes, a pris la chose au sérieux. Je pense que c’était aussi une victoire.”

Il assure toutefois qu’il croit en la bonne foi de Red Bull : “Mon opinion personnelle est que personne ne veut dépasser le plafond.”

“Vous voulez vous en rapprocher le plus possible et c’est une proposition difficile et effrayante parce que si vous avez regardé ce que vous voulez dépenser, vous voulez laisser un dollar sur la table, mais c’est tellement serré.”

“Vous pouvez avoir un accident à deux courses de la fin ou arracher l’aileron avant, vous ne savez pas. Donc c’est un peu un art et une science. Tout le monde doit juste être à l’aise avec l’espace qu’il se donne et avec le temps, je pense que ça deviendra moins étranger pour nous.”

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Emmanuel Touzot

Dubai drops 30 percent tax on alcohol to woo tourists, expats

The changes took effect on Sunday and will run for a one-year trial period, according to domestic media.

Dubai has suspended a 30 percent tax on alcohol and dropped a licence fee requirement previously needed to buy alcohol in the commercial and tourism hub, two major retailers said on social media.

The move is expected to further boost the appeal of Dubai, a part of the United Arab Emirates, to tourists and expatriate residents drawn by its more liberal lifestyle, compared with other Gulf cities.

The changes took effect on Sunday and will run for a one-year trial period, domestic media have said.

“With the removal of 30% municipality tax and a free alcohol licence, buying your favourite drinks is now easier and cheaper than ever,” MMI, one of two major purveyors of alcohol in Dubai, said on its Instagram account on Sunday.

Prices in its stores across the emirate now reflect the removal of the tax, it added.

Another retailer, African+Eastern, confirmed on Sunday the tax no longer applied, but prices would remain subject to a 5 percent value-added tax (VAT).

The Dubai Media Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dubai’s economy has rebounded swiftly from the COVID-19 pandemic, with gross domestic product (GDP) growing 4.6 percent on the year for the first nine months of 2022.

Tourism is a key pillar of the economy, and tourist numbers grew more than 180 percent in the first half of 2022 over the corresponding 2021 period.

Several Gulf states have introduced VAT as they increasingly turn to taxation to boost non-oil revenue.

While the UAE does not impose an income tax, it will introduce a 9 percent corporate tax from June on profits exceeding 375,000 dirhams ($102,100).

But Dubai, home to the world’s tallest building and islands shaped like palm trees, faces growing regional competition.

Saudi Arabia, for example, is investing billions to burnish its tourism appeal with efforts such as the Red Sea Project, while playing host to major cultural and sporting events.

Qatar is also hoping for increased tourism following the 2022 World Cup.

The first casino in the Gulf, where Islamic rules have long kept gambling off limits, is expected to open in the UAE emirate of Ras al-Khaimah in 2026, at a resort being built and operated by Wynn Resorts.

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Anthony Center

Aston Martin F1 promet un développement ‘très agressif’ en 2023

Aston Martin F1 promet un développement

Le directeur technique d’Aston Martin F1, Dan Fallows, a confirmé que l’équipe suivra une voie de développement “très agressive” pour sa F1 de 2023, l’AMR23, après une 2e partie de saison plus réussie que la première en 2022.

L’équipe basée à Silverstone a commencé l’année sur le mauvais pied après avoir occupé la neuvième place du championnat des constructeurs pendant une grande partie de la saison, ayant marqué seulement sept points en autant de courses.

Cela a conduit à un changement radical de philosophie de conception avec un nouveau package à Barcelone en particulier, ce qui a soulevé des soupçons de similitudes avec la Red Bull.

Leurs performances se sont ensuite régulièrement améliorées au fil de la saison, Aston Martin terminant finalement l’année avec le même nombre de points qu’Alfa Romeo, 6e du classement constructeurs.

“Je pense que notre changement de concept a été un facteur très important pour renforcer notre confiance pour l’année à venir,” confie Fallows.

“Nous avons clairement commencé l’année avec une F1 qui n’était pas là où nous voulions qu’elle soit, et nous avons montré notre capacité de réaction et de développement, en particulier durant la seconde moitié de la saison.”

“Nous avons pu valider un principe de conception que nous avons mis en place, et certaines des philosophies que nous adoptons. Elles portent leurs fruits, elles vont nous donner des dividendes en 2O23.”

“Donc, ce que nous essayons de faire pour 2023, c’est d’adopter une stratégie de développement très agressive, tout en nous appuyant sur les leçons que nous avons apprises en 2022.”

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Franck Drui

Avoid Awkward Eye Contact With A Cashier And Order These Products For Slightly Embarrassing Problems Online

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Some may have been sent as samples, but all opinions and reviews are our own. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

1.

A teeth-whitening pen if you avoid smiling with your teeth so folks don’t see your yellowing teeth. This brightens without the irritation of whitening strips that slip and slide all over your teeth. You can use each pen ~20 times and should expect your teeth to lighten four to eight shades.

Reviewer before and after showing the pen noticeably whitened their yellow teeth


amazon.com

Promising review: “I have only used the two original pens that I purchased and can already see an improvement. I am older than 60 and drink coffee daily and red wine weekly.” —vicki houska

Get a two-pack from Amazon for $19.99.

2.

A set of kegel weights to not only help with incontinence but also potentially make sex easier, less painful, and more enjoyable. These are especially great for people who’ve just given birth, though anyone can benefit from strengthening their pelvic floor muscles.

Reviewer holding one of the weights, which is similar in size to a tampon


amazon.com

Promising review: “Since starting, my bladder control has significantly improved. I am now able to sneeze or cough without peeing myself. Yes, that’s right. I am able to hold my pee longer, which means I can actually make it to the bathroom without dribbling on myself. The best part is that just a few short weeks into the program you will have results you can feel. I think every woman who has ever had kids should try this, out. The overall quality of my life has improved. Ditch your panty liners, stop the embarrassing dribbles, no more mad dashes to the rest room because of a weak bladder. Even my sex life has improved; I have control of those pelvic muscles now. Just remember to wash the weights before and after each use with an antibacterial spray, and allow time to air dry before putting them away. I say air dry because if you wipe them dry with a cloth you run the risk of giving yourself a bladder infection or urinary tract infection, and those are no laughing matter. Easy to use, easy to clean, stores away quickly.” —Lady Tauber

Get a set of six weights from Amazon for $54.99.

3.

A foot file so you can consider a second career as a foot model. Rub gently and watch the dead skin and calluses fall like shredded cheese to reveal baby soft heels.


amazon.com

Promising review: “I’m not one to talk about my feet. I’ve had circulation problems for years that are just now resolving and that has lead to deep callouses on the heel of both feet. I bought this on a whim as I have tried other products in the past with no luck. Twenty minutes later I’m touching baby-smooth skin where there used to be deep cracks and rough broken skin. This thing is a miracle-worker and if I could rate it 10 stars I would.” —Gully176

Get it from Amazon for $8.95.

4.

A pack of AirPod cleaners because the last time you offered an earbud to your friend so they could listen along, they audibly gasped in horror. Squish the flexible square into your AirPod speaker, peel it off, and get rid of the ear goop that’s been dulling the sound quality…and disgusting your friends.

Blue square with lots of ear wax on it that was removed from an AirPod speaker


amazon.com

Promising review: “I never usually write reviews but this is an exception. I’ve had my AirPods for over a year and when the sound quality was diminishing, I was afraid they had a short life expectancy and I would need to get a new pair! Even after using cotton buds to clean the AirPods out, I thought that was enough until my friend said there’s stuff built up and hard to see, but there was nothing able to get it out! Enter this product — it literally took five minutes to clean each ear bud effectively and instantly the sound quality was as good as new! Loud, clear, less trouble connecting to my phone, etc. I really suggest giving this product. You don’t need a full square to clean them, so you can pull a piece off or reuse a square with a side you haven’t used! SO happy I found a solution!” —Amazon Customer

Get 24 from Amazon for $15.99.

5.

A pair of super absorbent period underwear for handling your business without leaving you feeling like you’re wearing a wet diaper.


Emma Lord / BuzzFeed, amazon.com

Some reviewers recommend sizing up! For more info, check out BuzzFeed writer Emma Lord’s full Bambody period underwear review.

Promising review:Very comfortable and incredibly absorbent compared to other brands I’ve tried. These are exactly what I needed! I don’t want to have to think about my period every moment or worry about leaking. These give me such peace of mind. I don’t use other products, just period underwear. I was so tired of everything else and even got sick of using cups. So I just wear these for my entire cycle. Heavier days I’m changing every five or so hours, but I’m talking really heavy. Regular days, I can go morning to evening. These are great for sleeping, too!” —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $15.90+ (available in sizes XXS–6X and individually or in packs of two or three in various colors).

6.

An eco-friendly hard water stain-remover that’ll help you wipe away soap scum and residue in your shower so your friends don’t know your apartment is usually a pig sty. It’s biodegradable so the scent won’t singe your nose hairs and make you gag, plus it’s safe enough to use on just about anything — including shower glass, tile, granite, stainless-steel, marble, brass, and porcelain.

Reviewer before and after showing the cleaner removed hard water stains on a glass shower door


amazon.com

Promising review: “I am amazed!!!! I bought this product because of the reviews and wow!!! I just bought my home and my water is from a new well, which stained my toilets and I was so embarrassed when anyone would go to a brand new house with a dirty stained toilet but this did the job!!!! I have used many products and this worked perfectly!!! You need to do a bit of scrubbing but is all worth it. Extremely happy with the results!!!” —Luis Roque

Get it from Amazon for $17.77.

7.

A Tushy bidet attachment if you’re guilty of not wiping well. Not only will it help you use less TP, but it also just leaves you feeling cleaner after you go.


Tushy

This is the bidet I use and 100% recommend to my friends, family, and to you, dear reader. Installation was pretty simple; from start to poop it took about 15 minutes. The sensation is…interesting…to say the least but you definitely get used to it. In fact, I recently moved apartments and it took me awhile to hook up the bidet (I’m a procrastinator, OK?!). Oh how I missed my bidet during this time (and I’m sure my butt felt the same way). But seriously, I cannot stress how life-changing getting a bidet is.

Get it from Amazon for $89 (available in two colors) and Tushy for $99+ (originally $129; available in nine colors).

8.

And don’t forget a before-you-go toilet spray to hide any evidence. Even if you’re one of those weirdly confident people who can poop in a house full of people without issue, having this in your bathroom for others can calm nervous pooers.

The spray


Amazon

Promising review: “New Year’s Day 2019 I wake up at my friend’s house after a night of partying to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon frying in the kitchen. So I get up and say good morning to everyone, get me some coffee, and think to myself, ‘Hey! The entire house smells like bacon. It’s probably an opportune time for me to ‘drop the kids off at the pool’ because no one will notice anything I’m making in the bathroom over what Michelle is making in her kitchen.’ Anyway, I look on top of the bowl and there’s this stuff. For added protection against embarrassment, I pump a couple of sprays into the bowl and do my stuff. Yup now I totally smell bacon and oranges, but not a whiff of anything else that might cause my friends to ask me if I need to see a doctor or something. So now I keep a bottle with me just in case I’m in one of those situations when I have, you know, a brown dog scratching at the back door, but don’t want anyone to know that I’m letting him out.” —D. Grieco Jr.

Get it from Amazon for $8.90.

9.

A tonsil stone remover so you can *finally* treat the root cause of your bad breath. This tool has a built-in LED light so you can easily locate the tonsil stone. Plus it also comes with a syringe to help you wash out the pocket the tonsil stone left behind.


Amazon, amazon.com

Promising review: “I’m in my early thirties and just started getting tonsil stones. Until a few months ago, I never even knew what these things were! I’ve been struggling with cotton swabs to fully remove the stones but couldn’t get rid of them and they would just come back within the week. I received this and OMFG…best investment ever. No struggle holding my phone as a flashlight while awkwardly posing myself in front of my badly lit bathroom mirror. I sat comfortably at my vanity, used one hand, and removed the whole stone in less than a minute. Why did I not know this was a thing? Why have I been struggling? Get it! Stop struggling, suffering, and awkwardly dealing with this ridiculous condition…trust me.” —Wren

Get it from Amazon for $9.98+ (available in three colors and in multi-packs).

10.

A jetted tub cleaner, because who knows when the last time you cleaned it was. (I hate to break it to you, but you’re probably chillaxing in dirty water.) This cleanser is made to flush out soap scum, body oils, and those black flakes that gunk up your tub’s jets.


amazon.com

Promising review: “They don’t call this Oh Yuk! for no reason. I previously used Jacuzzi’s two-part system and this worked sooo much better. I was totally embarrassed not to mention grossed out at how much funk came out. It was NASTY! It definitely cleans your tub. You will probably have to clean the sides of your tub after it’s finished because of how much stuff might come out. I swear I clean my tub on a regular basis, but I was amazed at how much better this worked. Highly recommend!” —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $17.84.

11.

A soil-free AeroGarden Harvest for gardeners who are embarrassingly bad at keeping their plants alive. Good thing this hydroponic system alerts you when it’s time to water and feed your plants.

The AeroGarden in white


amazon.com

Check out my colleague’s AeroGarden review for more deets!

Promising review: “I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend’s sister-in-law who lamented not having a green thumb. I was somewhat apprehensive, having read a few reviews that mentioned pods not spouting. However, in the two months that the sis-in-law has had the AeroGarden, the growth has been tremendous. I’m constantly in awe when she sends me pics of the new growth. Only one pod failed to spout, but she reached out to customer service, and they are sending a replacement for that particular pod. All the others have grown quite large, and last night I received a picture of their dinner using herbs grown with the AeroGarden. Impressive!” —Mary A. Walls

Get it from Amazon for $99.95+ (available in five colors and three styles)

12.

A pack of Schick dermaplaning razors that’ll evict any unwanted stray hairs and help you conquer your PTSD from accidentally shaving off half your eyebrow in middle school thanks to its precision cover. These itty bitty razors are great for stashing in your purse for touch-ups on the go.


amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review: “I’m a hairy gal. Hormonal problems ruled out by my physician; it’s just hereditary. My cheeks, neck, forehead, and chin are covered in a fine ever-growing peach fuzz. If I cease shaving, I shall acquire a boat and thus forth be dubbed blonde beard. My mustache is darker and thicker, something I think a lot of women experience. I have been shaving for a while with a men’s razor (Gillette Fusion ProGlide for reference) and shaving cream but it just couldn’t give me a close enough shave. ENTER SCHICK SILK TOUCH-UP! Holy wow! I’ve been dry shaving my entire face and some of my neck with these and no irritation, plus it is the closest shave I have gotten. No pulling or scraping like other ‘mini razors.’ It’s quicker than doing what I call a ‘dad shave’ in the shower, and I can see what I’m shaving because I’m at my makeup table and there’s no shaving cream obstructing my view (I don’t want to accidentally hack off the hair by my ears or forehead). Plus, I compared this to other (what I call) mini razors and it’s twice the size. So very efficient for doing your whole face, easy for detailing those brows. I love this product and hope that they sell it forever. It works on my peach fuzz, mustache, and brows. If I ever get word that they are going to stop making them, I will hoard them all.” —Dr. Eleanor Abernathy

Get a pack of three from Amazon for $5.67.

13.

A bottle of Drop It — a sulfite and tannin remover — if you’re known in your friend group as the one person who can’t hang. This may help prevent your post-wine headache so you can still enjoy the night with your friends instead of having to leave after one drink to curl up under the covers to soothe your throbbing head.


Emma Lord / BuzzFeed

One bottle can help keep you headache-free for up to 55 glasses depending on how many drops you use.

Promising review: “I drank wine one night and did not use the drops. WOW, my IBS hit me like a knife! This proves that they really do work. I wish I had an option to give this product 10 stars!!!! I have had IBS for several years and last fall my IBS went into overdrive, after trying to figure out what was possibly causing it I realized that I have been drinking more red wine then usual. I researched it and sulfates in wine are known to irritate people with IBS. I put five drops in a glass of wine and stir it with a spoon; it does not change the taste of the wine. My youngest daughter also has IBS. I had her try it and it also cured her sulfate issues. I thought that I would have to give up wine, but no more!!!” —Keywest

Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

14.

A tube of antiperspirant hand cream to dry your hands if you suffer from hyperhidrosis (excess sweating), or if you’re just nervous!

model squirting a dollop of the white cream into their palm


Amazon

Promising review: “I used this product on my 10-year-old son. He sweats A LOT on his hands. He would tell me that he was embarrassed at school and he had problems making friends. My son told me he had never shook a hand outside of mine ever before in his life….. it broke me. As a father, I knew I had to fix this. I set an appointment up with his doctor and got nowhere. The doctor said it’s normal and should go away in the coming years. I asked about surgery and they said it would be around $10,000, so I started saving. Couple weeks went by and I came across this product I asked my son if he was OK with trying it and he desperately said yes. We put it on and his hands are completely dry now. When it worked, he started practicing shaking hands and high fives with his brother. It’s been two weeks now and it is working AMAZING.” —HECTOR LORENZO

Get it from Amazon for $19.85.

15.

A box of wart-removing pads that you apply like bandages so you can be rid of your extra growth. Be gone, appendage!


amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review: “This stuff works! I’ve never had a wart in my life! At first I thought it was a small callus but as months went by it was getting larger. I started to google and realized I had a plantar wart on my thumb! Eww, embarrassing! So I got the freeze off and thought ‘This has to work!’ Nope! I tried the freeze off three times and nothing! I than realized the same thing was happening on my other thumb, a small callus but I knew that the wart had spread! Now I was desperate to get rid of them and knew I had waited too long! Bought the invisible strips and it removed my small wart in four days and my big wart in eight!! I couldn’t believe it. I left strips on for two days then pulled back the dead skin with a cuticle clipper and reapplied! My bigger wart was a little tougher to removed and I had irritated my skin trying to cut it out, so I left it alone for few days before reapplying strip and by the second 48-hour treatment, it was gone! I thought my skin would be damaged but it looks like nothing was ever there!” —Audrey N.

Get 14 pads from Amazon for $6.96.

16.

An odor-eliminating spray because your houseguest is too polite to tell you but they think your living room smells like cat pee. This’ll lift stains and odors fast, and each spray releases bacteria that feeds on the ammonia left behind after your pet’s accidents, eliminating the urine completely and deterring your pet from peeing in the same spot again.

The spray


Amazon

Rocco & Roxie is a family-owned small business named after the Magleby family’s pets Rocco, a labradoodle, and Roxie, a former shelter tabby cat. They make a variety of pet supplies, including cleaners, treats, grooming tools, accessories, and toys.

Promising review: “I have six elderly cats, and a few of them oftentimes leave smelly pee puddles to register their disdain at whatever cats get ‘peed off’ about. It’s not a litter box problem and, although I’ve caught one or two of them doing it, I can’t blame them all. This product works great on fresh messes as well as dried ones. After blotting up fresh pee pods, I saturate the area with Rocco & Roxie’s odor remover and let dry. For dried stinky stuff, I just saturate the area and let it dry. It has a pleasant odor and completely eliminates the ammonia odor. Believe me, I’ve tried all kinds of products, and this one works the best. I buy gallons now just to have on hand. It’s better than smelling that awful pee!” —mona mia

Get it from Amazon for $19.97.

Check out our in-depth review of Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator.

17.

An acne patch for those days when a pimple pops up at the *worst* possible moment. Hydrocolloid, tea tree oil, and calendula oil are gentle on the skin while still drawing out fluids and pus from your pimple.


amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review:I cannot say enough about these patches! They are my skin savior! I actually gave myself a facial where I pushed up all the blackheads and whiteheads from my pores, which is why there is so much puss on the patches (gross, I know), but I couldn’t believe all of that was trapped in my skin!! Woke up and removed the patches, not a single pimple! If I would’ve not put these on, guaranteed I would have woken to multiple pimples in the area. I usually break out when I try to exfoliate and extract, so I only do it when my pores start to look huge and filled (yuck). I am now a true believer, leave the ‘spot treatment’ creams and switch to these! They will pull out that white head and reduce your pimple to practically nothing overnight! And it’s safer than a cream that just brings all that gunk to the surface but doesn’t actually remove it… then when you do you’re left with an oozing pre-scar for the rest of the day! I am now a monthly subscriber. I will never use anything else. In fact, just ordered the XL acne patches to pull out more gunk on my forehead (live in AZ, constantly sweating and naturally oily). Thank you for making such a great product!!” —Jennelectric

Get 40 round patches from Amazon for $8.49.

Our in-depth review of Avarelle’s acne patches gets into the nitty-gritty — why they work, how to use them, and why they’ve earned 33,000+ five-star reviews.

18.

A grout paint pen that’ll cover up the mortifyingly large amount of dirt and grime that has fallen into the cracks. It works like a regular marker, so even the people who failed art can use it. And it beats actually having to clean! ????


amazon.com

Promising review:I don’t hate my old tile as much! My husband and I renovated our ground level to an entertaining area. The tile on the other hand was old and just would have cost way too much money to pull up. Needless to say, the area came out amazing. Now I don’t hate the tile because the grout was so dirty and could not get it clean as much. I highly recommend this product. Now when I walked downstairs I don’t cringe looking at the floor anymore. I will purchase another pen or two just to go over it later on. I’m not embarrassed by my floors anymore.” —LUCYANN

Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two tip widths and a variety of colors).

19.

A TubShroom if your relaxing showers have turned into you standing in a puddle of water for 15 minutes because the drain is clogged…again. This little guy snags the hair you shed before it can collect in the pipes.


youtube.com

Promising review: “I have long hair and recently had a baby. This means the poor tub drain is getting clogged every time we turn around, and we’re spending ridiculous amounts of time with that spiky stick thing you shove down there and then pull out over and over. I figured if this even worked to catch half of my hair then it would be worth its salt. Holy moly. When they say it catches every hair they aren’t kidding. We clean it off about twice A WEEK! And when they say it’s easy to clean, they are right again. A swipe with toilet paper and the hair blob comes right off to be flushed down the toilet. I’ve already told so many people about this product because I love it so much. Fantastic!!!” —sasamo

Get it from Amazon for $12.95+ (available in six colors).

20.

A bra liner so you, a sweaty person, can step outside without the dreaded under-boob sweat. I don’t care the season; I. Will. Still. Sweat.


Amazon

Promising review: “I am a sweat-er and therefore it’s very uncomfortable to sweat under your bra and then be wet. I am so happy with this product. No more being wet and having embarrassing sweat marks.” —Lola

Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (also available in black).

21.

A Squatty Potty, because a bout of constipation shouldn’t leave you down in the ~dumps~. Squatting changes the angle of your anal canal, opening it up so it’s easier for things to exit.


amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review: “What can I say? The process of excretion can only be compared to a real life exorcism where it feels, pleasantly if I may add, that the devil himself is trying to burst out of your gut. Needless to say, the stool changed my life. I found myself creating excuses to run to my magical place and discharge whatever little portion of food was left inside me; I was hooked. Soon people started wondering why I’ve become so distant; the stool had taken over my life. It would have taken over your life too if you would have experienced the kind of pleasure that I was now enjoying; it was my high.” —Dino

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

22.

A bottle of dentist-approved mouthwash for beating swamp breath, whether it’s caused by a medical issue or because you just drank coffee and orange juice. This one’s made sans alcohol so it won’t burn when you swish it around your mouth.

The mouthwash


amazon.com

Promising review: “Why didn’t I find it before? It’s very embarrassing to admit, but I had very stinky breath. It did smell like s..t and I tried many products that didn’t work. Just follow instructions and ‘deep throat’ gargle for 30 seconds or so for best results. I can say that my breath has improved by 50%, which is a huge huge difference. Morning breath is not as bad. I can talk to people with confidence and that all it counts. Thank you Amazon!!!” —Shopper5

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $15.34.

23.

A cuticle oil that’ll restore your shredded nails after a gel mani. A combination of sweet almond oil, vitamin E, and jojoba softens the cuticle and strengthens your claws so you’ll be proud to show them off.

Before and after of reviewer who used the oil, showing that it helped reduce nail breakage


amazon.com

Promising review:This product is amazing. I’ve always had acrylic or dipped nails because my real nails have always been brittle and always break and peel. I decided to give my nails a break and wanted to try and grow them out. I can’t even believe the outcome! They are stronger than ever and growing! I really wish I had taken a before pic to show the difference!” —JOE D.

Get it from Amazon for $8.50.

24.

A denture cleaner if your retainer is coated in some weird white film. These fizzing tablets will blast away odor-causing bacteria, discoloration, and plaque from your Invisalign, retainers, dentures, night guards, and more.


amazon.com

Promising review: “I really loved this product. I am currently waiting for a new Invisalign set. My old Invisalign needed to be cleaned. I read the reviews and decided to purchase. OMG it worked! There was a fresh taste and they were clean. I wished I had found this product sooner. I did let them soak overnight only because I had been wearing them for the last four months. Nothing happened to Invisalign; there was no weakness or anything. Just very clean and fresh. If I could have given the product 10 stars I would have.” —Lisa R.

Get 120 tablets from Amazon for $20.10.

25.

A vegan exfoliating body scrub to slough away the rough bumps on the back of your arms and legs (keratosis pilaris is its name but you may have heard it called “strawberry skin” or “chicken skin”) with a combination of powerful alpha-hydroxy acids.

a split reviewer photo of their arm before and after using the body scrub


amazon.com

Promising review: “I started using this product and my sister told me that she saw the difference it made on my arms from the keratosis pilaris! I see myself every day and doubted that it had made a difference but when someone points it out, it makes it clear and feels for comforting knowing you didn’t waste money LOL!” —denise.m.l

Get it from Amazon for $12+ (available in three sizes). 

26. Some stain-removing tablets for lifting spills, set-in stains, and all the other mess you’ve made. Toss one in with a regular load and your whites will emerge dramatically whiter.

Before photo of a dirty brown sock and after photo of the same sock with most of the stains gone

The Fizz Whizz / Etsy

The Fizz Whiz is a small business based in Brandon, Florida.

Promising review: “Washed my clothes and they came out very clean. I put my sneakers in the wash and they were very gross. They came out so clean that they almost looked new. Will buy again, and recommend.” —Daniel Law

Get 50 tablets from The Fizz Whiz on Etsy for $16.

27.

A nail repair pen because your discolored, dry, brittle fingernails and toenails aren’t ready for manis and pedis just yet.

Before and after of reviewer's toenail showing the pen got rid of their toenail fungus


amazon.com

Promising review: “I cannot believe this stuff actually worked!! I have had toe nail fungus for like a decade thanks to my beloved husband (I got it from him) and I just put toenail polish over it but it is so gross and destroys your nails. I started using this stuff twice a day but then kept forgetting so was only about once a day but surprisingly over the course of about three months turned my toenails, which were getting awful, are back to my normal toenails I hadn’t seen them in 10 years!! I gave my husband a tube and he started using it and started noticing improvements within a month also and asked me for more but I was out. This is probably the best thing I have ever bought off Amazon. So glad I gave this a try!!” —Rebecca Smith

Get four pens from Amazon for $19.99.

28. An aluminum-free deodorant that’ll help save the day when “down there” doesn’t smell so fresh. Obviously you should talk to your doc if your private parts smell funky, but this is an option if they’ve cleared you of any health conditions and you’re still put off by any odors.

Reviewer photo of the deodorant, which looks like regular gel deodorant

lavender sage–scented deodorant

Promising review: “This stuff truly is amazing! It didn’t smell like I expected it to when I opened it up, especially considering I ordered coconut, but that doesn’t really matter. I’m plus sized so i got it to help with the sweat under my breasts, and the crease at the top of my thighs. You know how you get that kinda musty smell when you’ve been sweating in certain parts of your body? This stuff puts a stop to it!! Once you put it on, the scent dissipates and it doesn’t smell like anything at all. I can put it on in the morning and it’s still working when I shower at night. So if you’ve been thinking about trying this, do it!” —Amanda B

Get it from Amazon for $17.49+ (available in four scents).

29.

REMOVE An earwax removal kit if it’s a little embarrassing how often you have to ask people to repeat themselves. Good thing you don’t need your ears to read the 21,000+ 5-star reviews this product has garnered.

Reviewer photo of their finger covered in chunks of ear wax


amazon.com

Promising review: “After messing around with a cotton bud in my left ear (never do this), I managed to fully block all hearing in it. I ran around like a headless chicken for about 24 hours because the pressure in the ear was so intense. One treatment of Debrox and the blockage immediately subsided. Trick is to let it sit in the ear for at least five minutes. Drain the ear, wait another five minutes, then irrigate with the bulb and warm water, never cold. Seldom does a remedy work as advertised; this one does!” —Chazmax1

Get it from Amazon for $16.39.

30.

A powerful glycolic acid peel to help improve pitted texture, reduce fine lines, and soften skin. Glycolic acid helps sort of unglue skin cells, so the softer, brighter layer underneath can emerge. But it can be a bit irritating to your skin so start slowly — especially because this peel also contains retinol, a collagen-boosting ingredient that can make your skin more sensitive.


amazon.com

Promising review: “This stuff is absolutely incredible. In January of 2017 I finally decided to try an at-home peel in conjunction with retinoids. Take a look at the photos I posted and you’ll see how happy I am with my progress (after photo on the right taken June 2017). I’ve used this peel once a week and have had incredible results. Previously I did three rounds of Fraxel, which only resulted in severe pain, peeling, and grossness. Oh yes, and an empty savings account. For 30 bucks every few months I achieved better results than I got at a dermatologist’s office.” —Meredith

Get it from Amazon for $29.95.

31.

A natural shoe deodorizer spray so you don’t have to wash your feet the minute you get home to get rid of the funk from your work flats. It’s made with essential oils and smells like lemon and eucalyptus so you’ll probably want to spray it around the rest of your house, too.

The spray


amazon.com

Promising review: “This product WORKS! You won’t be disappointed. I used to get embarrassed taking off my flats in my office because they smelled so bad, but not anymore! My work flats make my feet sweaty and this spray helps keep the awful odors away at least four to five days (probably longer but I was so excited I just sprayed my shoes again because I liked the smell haha!) The lemon is strong and the eucalyptus I love, so I would purchase again! Although it will likely last a while! I have a little boy who gets sweaty feet also so i’m sure I’ll soon be using this in his shoes also.” —Traeannah Brown

Get it from Amazon for $12.94

32.

A tub of brightening, firming, and rejuvenating eye cream because you’re tired of your mom constantly asking you, “Are you getting enough sleep?” on your weekly FaceTime even though she should darn well know that your dark circles are hereditary (thnx a lot Mom!).


amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review: “This is the second review I’ve done on Amazon. I rarely go out of my way to write a review unless I’m truly amazed by the product. I have terrible sunken-in eyes (due to genetics) that can’t really be fixed without fillers (which I’d never do). No matter how much sleep I get, I have bad dark circles, so I decided that I had to invest in an eye cream. I’m so glad I did! I used a cheap drug store eye cream that really only made it look like I had water under my eyes and it did nothing else. This eye cream is so hydrating and smooth! It really evens out my skin tone and wakes up my face in the morning! I feel so refreshed and dare I say…prettier. It’s boosted my confidence a ton. I’m so happy with this product!” —casie ackerman

Get it from Amazon for $15.88+ (available in three sizes).

33.

An antifungal tea tree balm for treating basically any somewhat embarrassing skin condition you can think of: athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch, and even just dry skin.


amazon.com

Promising review: “I ordered this balm on a whim as a remedy for a skin rash, and was very impressed with its effectiveness! After getting rid of my rash, I decided to try it elsewhere and it worked wonders on dry skin areas like elbows, knees, and feet. I was blown away with how I changed my feet entirely! As a dancer, my feet have always been a war zone: dry skin, callouses, ingrown toenails, and athlete’s foot (all frequent problems over the course of many years). I was always embarrassed to wear sandals or any type of shoes that would show off parts of my feet because of all the dry skin, but sometimes it couldn’t be avoided. This balm has made my feet the loveliest they have been and now I can choose any type of shoes I want to wear without embarrassment.” —anengstrom

Get it from Amazon for $36.33.

34. A pack of clinical-strength antiperspirant wipes that’ll protect you from excessive sweating for up to seven — SEVEN! — days.

Reviewer holding the wipe, which is individually packaged and about the size of an after dinner wipe

Promising review: “Cannot recommend enough!!! If you suffer from excessive sweat like I do, this stuff is a lifesaver!! I’ve always had a problem with underarm sweat and I’ve tried every kind of antiperspirant available and nothing worked. I finally saw this on BuzzFeed and decided to give it a try. I can’t believe I’ve suffered this long without this product. I showered at night, dabbed the wipe on, took another shower in the morning and it’s been almost three days now and almost no sweat! It did itch a little but nothing unbearable and I can deal with that for the pay off!!!” —Kathy

Get 10 wipes from Amazon for $19.99.

35.

A bottle of Burt’s Bees dander-reducing spray if you want your cat’s coat soft, shiny, and free of dander and flakes. It’s made with aloe vera and oatmeal to condition dry skin and reduce redness.

Reviewer's before and after showing the spray dramatically reduced their cat's dander


amazon.com

Promising review: “We have an overweight cat that has trouble grooming her back. She was so full of dandruff and greasy fur that I hated petting her. We took her to the vet, and he thought it was allergies. We tried prednisone for a while, and it was clear she was less itchy, but the dandruff remained. The vet suggested different food, so we switched to a different flavor (different ingredients) in the same line, and there was no change. Our poor girl looked miserable. We decided to try a bath, but she’s 13 years old so we knew she wouldn’t enjoy it. While looking for a shampoo for her, I came across this product and decided to try it before torturing her with a bath. After the first application there was a huge difference! After the second application, her dandruff is GONE. We spray her down and then brush her. She is so soft and shiny! She finally looks healthy, and feels good to pet.” —Amber Steele

Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

36.

A stainless-steel tongue scraper to banish bad bacteria your toothbrush can’t lift. It should help improve stinky breath so you won’t suffer the embarrassment of someone offering you a breath mint.


amazon.com

Promising review: “This product works!! High quality material, well made, easy to clean, corrosion resistant, at least in my experience. I can tell this will last a long time. And, it works!!!! Got rid of a coating on my tongue that other tongue scrapers and the tongue cleaners on toothbrushes did nothing for!! Noticed it got a lot off the first use!!! My tongue looks healthy, and my throat feels better. Once a thicker layer starts on the tongue due to post nasal drip there’s nothing else that got rid of it. It’s easy to hold, and doesn’t gag me at all. It comes with a travel case, which I love because I don’t want anything that goes in my mouth loose in a bag.” —Saffire Dragon

Get two from Amazon for $9.76.

37.

A bottle of dandruff shampoo so you can banish white flakes from your scalp. It’s made with ketoconazole 1%, an antifungal ingredient that’ll tell your dandruff it’s no longer welcome here.


amazon.com

Promising review: “MIRACLE PRODUCT! If you have a flaky scalp from dandruff, BUY THIS. I was about to go to the dermatologist if this stuff didn’t work. Thank goodness I saved myself hundreds of dollars by giving this product a shot. I used it four of five times (over a month) and it cleared my scalp almost completely. One more use and my scalp will be 120% healed! This stuff blew my mind. Totally worth it.” —chris

Get it from Amazon for $15.58 (or Subscribe & Save for $14.80/month).

38.

A soothing mist because it’ll make your skin ~smooth like butter~. Seriously — it’s in the name. It’s especially great for folks with sensitive, red, eczema-prone skin thanks to calming and soothing ingredients like centella asiatica (which we’ve covered) and allantoin. And lactic acid helps unglue the dead skin cells to reveal glowy skin underneath.

model with eczema on their back spraying the mist on their body


Sephora

Topicals is a WOC-founded small business started by Olamide Olowe, who actually ditched plans to apply to medical school in favor of launching her skincare brand.

Promising review: “I looooove this product. I have eczema and it’s so much easier to moisturize my entire body with this spray. It has an herbal smell when you first spray it but it goes away quickly (I like the smell though). My only complaint is that I wish it was bigger!” —clearlykendra

Get it from Sephora for $30.

39.

A pumice cleaning stone for powering through tough rust, lime, and calcium streaks you have to explain to your S.O. are not poop stains — you swear! Give your tired arms a break and let this little guy scrub away discoloration with ease. This non-toxic cleaner is tough on dirt but gentle on porcelain so you can sit atop the listening throne you deserve.


amazon.com

Promising review: “I have very hard water that leaves hard-water buildup and nasty stains. It’s embarrassing to have guests over because the toilets are so gross! I have tried so many products and cleaning solutions — from natural essential oils to harsh chemicals so strong I was lightheaded for the rest of the day. Well, I tried out this pumice stone after reading about it in a BuzzFeed article, and honestly the hype is real! It does take some elbow grease, but the after picture is from only 20 minutes of scrubbing, light enough that I didn’t break a sweat! The stone does get used up, but I think this one should last me a couple years at least. So if you have embarrassing toilets, try this!” —Stephanie Ray

Get it from Amazon for $13.99.

40.

A collagen-coating hair treatment that’ll revitalize a dry, damaged, and overprocessed mane overnight, and is safe for all hair types!


Bek O’Connell / BuzzFeed, Bek O’Connell/BuzzFeed

Promising review: “My hair used to be really soft, and then I discovered hot tools and hair dye. While my hair looks good I really missed the soft texture. This works so well. There are no instructions on the box but I washed my hair with my usual shampoo, towel dried it, worked about two quarter-sized dollops through my hair, let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinsed out. I went to bed with wet hair which usually results in my hair being kind of tangled and rough-looking but I woke up and my hair was as soft and silky as it was before I started coloring it. I’m totally in love with this product, I have long fine hair but this doesn’t leave it greasy or weigh it down. I’ll definitely buy again.” —Ellie

Get it from Amazon for $7.69.

Read our Elizavecca CER-100 Collagen Coating Hair Protein Treatment review to learn more about why my colleague calls it, “the miracle product I’ve been searching for.”

41.

A pet hair roller if you love your fur babies but hate how much they shed…on everything. Roll it over your couch, bed, favorite blanket, you name it, and watch it lift the fur away. See, we can own nice things!!

Reviewer photo of a black pillow covered in white dog hair and you can clearly see which side they brushed with the fur remover because all the dog hair is gone in that section


amazon.com

Promising review: “Where has this been all my cat-loving life? Sticky rollers work fine for clothes, but this is the only product that has ever COMPLETELY removed all the cat hair from my bed. I have a long-haired 20-pound tabby and if you run your hands up his back a few times and fling the hair everywhere, it looks like it’s snowing — he never stops shedding no matter what I do. After using the ChomChom, I can put on a black dress and roll around on my bed and not get a single hair on me. It’s absolutely amazing. Everyone is getting one for Christmas, even if they don’t have a pet. I don’t care, it’s THAT good.” —Stephanie

Get it from Amazon for $28.44.

42.

A pack of DressWeights to hold down your dress so you don’t need to waddle like a penguin until the breeze dies down.

The weight on the hem of a dress


DressStrong

DressStrong is a New York City-based small business. Christina, the owner, came up with the idea in 2012 to save us all from unwanted Marilyn Monroe moments.

Each adhesive should last ~six uses with proper care.

Promising review: “What an amazing invention! I had my bridesmaids use these for my destination wedding. I got married outside by a very windy gazebo and they worked like a charm. Highly recommend!” —kimberlyo143

Get four weights from DressStrong on Etsy for $15.

43.

An eyeliner stamp so no one learns you were today years old when you learned how to finally draw even wings.

Step by step progression of a reviewer stamping the wings on the outer corner of their eye and then connecting the liner to the inner corner


amazon.com

Promising review: “Winged eyeliner has been my thing for over 15 years. Practice makes perfect as they say so, but it turns out that the muscle memory doesn’t work the same when you’re trying to do someone else’s makeup. My daughter needed wings for Halloween, so I ordered this and it worked out perfectly. Since it worked so well on her, I decided that I might as well try it myself. I am a bit of an eyeliner snob because I have big eyes and again have had time to test a lot of products over the years but guys, this is really good. I would buy it even without the stamp part. Unlike most inexpensive brands, it didn’t look like I had an early 2000s-style smokey eye by the end of the day because it had smeared all over my eyelid. It did. not. budge. The only downside is that I’m now stuck thinking about all of the things I could’ve bought with the money I’ve spent on eyeliners that cost two, three, and four times as much.” —Stephany Renae

Get two pens from Amazon for $9.97 (available in six styles).

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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Yuri Antes