Latest news with #JG
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
SA nears Financial Action Task Force greylist exit, on-site visit next step
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has confirmed that South Africa has substantially completed all 22 recommended action items outlined in the Action Plan adopted when the country was placed on the organisation's greylist in February 2023. South Africa was greylisted due to deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) regime. During its plenary session held in Strasbourg, France, the FATF made an initial determination that South Africa had substantially completed its Action Plan and warrants an on-site assessment. This visit will verify that the implementation of AML/CFT reforms has begun and is being sustained, and that the necessary political commitment remains in place. According to the National Treasury, the completion of the Action Plan paves the way for the final step before FATF can delist South Africa — an on-site visit by the FATF Africa Joint Group (JG). A statement by FATF on Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring (June 13, 2025) noted that South Africa has undertaken key reforms. These include a sustained increase in investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex money laundering, and the full range of terror financing activities in line with its risk profile, as well as updating its terror financing risk assessment to inform the implementation of a comprehensive national counter-financing of terrorism strategy. The National Treasury emphasised that these improvements to South Africa's AML/CFT regime are particularly important given the legacy of state capture, one element of which was the deliberate weakening of law enforcement and prosecuting institutions. 'Improvements in these domains are critical not just for getting off the greylist, but for strengthening the fight against crime and corruption, and for contributing to the integrity of the South African financial system. Exiting the FATF greylist is a significant step forward as South Africa continues to improve and strengthen its supervisory and criminal justice systems,' National Treasury said on Friday. The on-site visit is scheduled before the next FATF plenary. If the outcome is positive, South Africa will be removed from the greylist at the October plenary. Preparations for the visit are already underway. During the visit, the JG will confirm the country's ongoing commitment to combating money laundering, terror financing and other financial crimes. 'National Treasury commends the efforts and commitment of the law enforcement entities, especially the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation of the South African Police Service, the State Security Agency, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), for the sustained increase in investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex money laundering and terror financing activities. 'This made it possible for South Africa to secure the upgrades of the last two remaining action items, often considered to be the most difficult, in the current reporting cycle,' National Treasury said. South Africa also commended Mali and Tanzania, who were delisted from greylisting by the FATF plenary. 'We also congratulate Nigeria, Mozambique and Burkina Faso, who like South Africa, were deemed to have substantially completed their action plans, and for who on-site assessments were also approved. 'National Treasury pays tribute to the late Advocate Rodney de Kock of the NPA, who played a leading role in preparing the groundwork for South Africa to address the action items, but sadly passed away in January.' The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has welcomed FATF's confirmation that South Africa has completed all 22 action items. 'This is a significant step forward – but not the time for complacency,' the SARB said yesterday. – At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Sydney Morning Herald
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
These are the best and worst moments from the 2025 Tony Awards
Best placement: Cynthia Erivo's balcony bit It's become an awards-show staple: The host schleps up to the balcony seats to mingle with us regular folks and maybe tell a joke or two. Erivo's ascent at Radio City was worth the climb. In a night of a thousand costume changes, her pink candy wrapper of a dress was a zany delight. And the atmosphere up there lent itself to deft comedy – about her height, about Abraham Lincoln and, best of all, about why sitting far away was the best place to watch Jonathan (He Spits When He Sings) Groff perform: 'So please welcome the man who makes everyone wet …' – SH Best nightclub act: Groff as Bobby Darin Showmanship is distinct from acting. It's an elusive, unfairly distributed quality: You have it, or you don't. Groff's dynamite medley – Mack the Knife, That's All and Once in a Lifetime – proved he has it. In this context, merely delivering a song well isn't enough — you have to sell it. It's something that Darin, the subject of Groff's current vehicle, Just in Time, had. At Radio City on Sunday, Groff moved like a man possessed by the need to entertain, straddling a seated Keanu Reeves' head and driven by the rhythm of mad bongos. Please, let him host the Tonys next year. – EV Loading Worst eyeful: Too many pixels This season, virtual scenery reached critical mass on Broadway, in Sunset Boulevard, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Redwood and Maybe Happy Ending. The Tony Awards telecast followed suit, ditching traditional flats, drops and clunky wagons in favour of digital backgrounds that ultimately looked cheesy. Literally cheesy-looking in the case of the excerpt from Operation Mincemeat, a totally old-tech musical performed during the ceremony in front of yellow-washed screens that made the actors look as if they'd fallen into a vat of fondue. Why would the producers of a theatre awards show make such an anti-theatrical choice? For the same reason some of the less artful shows do: It's faster, cheaper and, for audiences who have to be pried away from their own screens, perhaps more enticing. – JG Best homecoming: Asian and Asian American artists win big It was a historic evening for a troupe of Asian and Asian American theatre artists, including Nicole Scherzinger, Francis Jue and Darren Criss, who all won performance Tonys. Marco Paguia also received a Tony for his Buena Vista Social Club orchestrations, and Hue Park won for writing the lyrics and co-writing the book for Maybe Happy Ending, the evening's breakout success. In their speeches, several of the artists made reference to feeling left out or ignored before finding a home in the theatre. Scherzinger, who noted her Filipina, Native Hawaiian and Ukrainian ancestry, said, 'I always felt like I didn't belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home at last.' – ALEXIS SOLOSKI Best sell: Making the plays pop For all their glamour, and their genuine recognition of talent, the Tonys are an industry advertisement — meant not only to sell tickets in New York, but also to give the nominated shows a life beyond Broadway. Musicals, with their colourful numbers, have always had an advantage in making their case for that. Plays, by comparison, have tended not to translate. But there was real charm to the way this year's best play nominees were introduced. With a framed screen of video clips playing upstage, a Tony-nominated star from each show spoke with an insider's affection while giving a synopsis of it: Marjan Neshat for English, Sadie Sink for John Proctor Is the Villain, Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!, Harry Lennix for Purpose, Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California. It was easy to imagine would-be producers and audience members out there, their interest suddenly piqued. – LAURA COLLINS-HUGHES Best 'sing-off': Cynthia Erivo's My Way It's always a delicate matter: how to usher off winners whose speeches go too long. A clever step up from canned elevator music: Erivo singing a passage from the standard My Way, popularised by Frank Sinatra. When Kara Young, accepting her award for Purpose, was still in the thick of her extensive list of thank-yous to those who had made her back-to-back featured actress in a play wins possible, it was a gentle balm to hear 'And now, the end is near / And so I face the final curtain …' – SARAH BAHR Loading Worst placement: Preshow spot for book and score awards Not every scene deserves a spotlight, but relegating the book and score awards to the Tonys preshow felt at least a little rude. What is a musical without its songs? Or its occasionally effortful patter between songs? (And is dance really an also-ran, too?) At the 2025 Tonys, a win for Maybe Happy Ending was practically assured after its wins for book and score, though viewers watching only the main broadcast would never have known this. Couldn't we swap out a drug ad or a few host jokes to show these prizes on the main stage? – AS Best farewell to cynicism: Hester's open heart In the World War II caper Operation Mincemeat, Jak Malone's big song, Dear Bill, is nearly six minutes long. It's a major reason he won a featured-actor Tony, because that is the moment when his character — a middle-aged British intelligence secretary named Hester — opens her wounded heart to the audience. 'They weep for her,' Malone said in his speech, 'they invest in her, they love her for her old romantic heart. And if you watched our show and found yourself believing in Hester, well, then I am so glad to tell you that, intentionally or otherwise, you might have just bid farewell to cynicism, to outdated ideas, to that rotten old binary, and opened yourself up to a world that is already out there in glorious Technicolor and isn't going away anytime soon.' – LCH
The Age
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
These are the best and worst moments from the 2025 Tony Awards
Best placement: Cynthia Erivo's balcony bit It's become an awards-show staple: The host schleps up to the balcony seats to mingle with us regular folks and maybe tell a joke or two. Erivo's ascent at Radio City was worth the climb. In a night of a thousand costume changes, her pink candy wrapper of a dress was a zany delight. And the atmosphere up there lent itself to deft comedy – about her height, about Abraham Lincoln and, best of all, about why sitting far away was the best place to watch Jonathan (He Spits When He Sings) Groff perform: 'So please welcome the man who makes everyone wet …' – SH Best nightclub act: Groff as Bobby Darin Showmanship is distinct from acting. It's an elusive, unfairly distributed quality: You have it, or you don't. Groff's dynamite medley – Mack the Knife, That's All and Once in a Lifetime – proved he has it. In this context, merely delivering a song well isn't enough — you have to sell it. It's something that Darin, the subject of Groff's current vehicle, Just in Time, had. At Radio City on Sunday, Groff moved like a man possessed by the need to entertain, straddling a seated Keanu Reeves' head and driven by the rhythm of mad bongos. Please, let him host the Tonys next year. – EV Loading Worst eyeful: Too many pixels This season, virtual scenery reached critical mass on Broadway, in Sunset Boulevard, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Redwood and Maybe Happy Ending. The Tony Awards telecast followed suit, ditching traditional flats, drops and clunky wagons in favour of digital backgrounds that ultimately looked cheesy. Literally cheesy-looking in the case of the excerpt from Operation Mincemeat, a totally old-tech musical performed during the ceremony in front of yellow-washed screens that made the actors look as if they'd fallen into a vat of fondue. Why would the producers of a theatre awards show make such an anti-theatrical choice? For the same reason some of the less artful shows do: It's faster, cheaper and, for audiences who have to be pried away from their own screens, perhaps more enticing. – JG Best homecoming: Asian and Asian American artists win big It was a historic evening for a troupe of Asian and Asian American theatre artists, including Nicole Scherzinger, Francis Jue and Darren Criss, who all won performance Tonys. Marco Paguia also received a Tony for his Buena Vista Social Club orchestrations, and Hue Park won for writing the lyrics and co-writing the book for Maybe Happy Ending, the evening's breakout success. In their speeches, several of the artists made reference to feeling left out or ignored before finding a home in the theatre. Scherzinger, who noted her Filipina, Native Hawaiian and Ukrainian ancestry, said, 'I always felt like I didn't belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home at last.' – ALEXIS SOLOSKI Best sell: Making the plays pop For all their glamour, and their genuine recognition of talent, the Tonys are an industry advertisement — meant not only to sell tickets in New York, but also to give the nominated shows a life beyond Broadway. Musicals, with their colourful numbers, have always had an advantage in making their case for that. Plays, by comparison, have tended not to translate. But there was real charm to the way this year's best play nominees were introduced. With a framed screen of video clips playing upstage, a Tony-nominated star from each show spoke with an insider's affection while giving a synopsis of it: Marjan Neshat for English, Sadie Sink for John Proctor Is the Villain, Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!, Harry Lennix for Purpose, Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California. It was easy to imagine would-be producers and audience members out there, their interest suddenly piqued. – LAURA COLLINS-HUGHES Best 'sing-off': Cynthia Erivo's My Way It's always a delicate matter: how to usher off winners whose speeches go too long. A clever step up from canned elevator music: Erivo singing a passage from the standard My Way, popularised by Frank Sinatra. When Kara Young, accepting her award for Purpose, was still in the thick of her extensive list of thank-yous to those who had made her back-to-back featured actress in a play wins possible, it was a gentle balm to hear 'And now, the end is near / And so I face the final curtain …' – SARAH BAHR Loading Worst placement: Preshow spot for book and score awards Not every scene deserves a spotlight, but relegating the book and score awards to the Tonys preshow felt at least a little rude. What is a musical without its songs? Or its occasionally effortful patter between songs? (And is dance really an also-ran, too?) At the 2025 Tonys, a win for Maybe Happy Ending was practically assured after its wins for book and score, though viewers watching only the main broadcast would never have known this. Couldn't we swap out a drug ad or a few host jokes to show these prizes on the main stage? – AS Best farewell to cynicism: Hester's open heart In the World War II caper Operation Mincemeat, Jak Malone's big song, Dear Bill, is nearly six minutes long. It's a major reason he won a featured-actor Tony, because that is the moment when his character — a middle-aged British intelligence secretary named Hester — opens her wounded heart to the audience. 'They weep for her,' Malone said in his speech, 'they invest in her, they love her for her old romantic heart. And if you watched our show and found yourself believing in Hester, well, then I am so glad to tell you that, intentionally or otherwise, you might have just bid farewell to cynicism, to outdated ideas, to that rotten old binary, and opened yourself up to a world that is already out there in glorious Technicolor and isn't going away anytime soon.' – LCH
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aurora Mobile: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Aurora Mobile Ltd. (JG) on Thursday reported a loss of $351,000 in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Shenzhen, China-based company said it had a loss of 6 cents. Losses, adjusted for stock option expense, came to 5 cents per share. The provider of mobile data services posted revenue of $12.3 million in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on JG at Sign in to access your portfolio
Buzz Feed
04-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
These 32 Products Are Perfect For Anyone Who Wants Amazing Results With Minimal Effort
We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page. Shopping · Why work harder than you have to? 1. A bio-enzymatic odor and stain spray to help with accidents that happen sometimes. The formula creates a nice, deep-cleaning lather, so pee spots, vomit, and stubborn stains can be easily and thoroughly erased. Promising review: "This pet odor eliminator is a game-changer! It effectively neutralizes unpleasant smells, leaving the room smelling fresh without a harsh chemical scent. Easy to use, it works on everything from furniture to carpets, tackling both surface odors and deep-set smells." — Dan Get it from Amazon for $15.96. 2. An undetectable mouse jiggler for anyone who needs a break but doesn't want to ruin their perfect work attendance. This will make it seem like you're active while you work on a little self-care. Promising review:"Like everyone else, I stumbled upon this product because of a TikTok I saw. Setup was extremely easy and I'm pleased to say that my Teams green light is on all the time now. Workers of the world, unite." — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in four styles). 3. A standing weeder with three steel prongs that grip unwanted lawn invaders by the roots so your least favorite backyard chore will feel more like a claw game. Your yard can still be dandelion free even if you don't put your back into it. Amazon This is made with a bamboo handle and powder-coated steel. Grampa's Weeder is a family-owned small biz that sells tools to make weeding easier. Promising review:"Oh my god, I friggin' love this tool. I bought this on a whim given we bought our first house and know nothing about caring for a yard. Boy has it come in handy. Our new house had a ton of weeds in the front yard and this tool helped me get most of them out in no time. In fact, the process of yanking out the weeds was strangely satisfying! I don't think anyone can say that weeding is fun but this tool made it as close to fun as you can get, especially when you see a long root along with the weed you pulled." — JG Get it from Amazon for $39.99. 4. A rapid egg cooker so you can stop settling for overcooked hardboiled eggs with gross gray yolks. You deserve better. Along with hardboiled eggs, this thing can make omelets and poached and scrambled eggs, all without close supervision. Promising review:"I was skeptical when I ordered it but use it constantly. I live in barracks and do not have a stove. I bought it for boiled eggs but use it much more for breakfast burritos. Super easy. Butter tray, put in egg and water, press the button, and walk away. By time I'm dressed for work it's ready. Throw it in a tortilla and walk out with it. More nutritious than Pop-Tarts. It does hard-boiled eggs well but don't assume thats all its good for. Great for college kids, military people, traveling workers, or anyone without access to a full kitchen." — a.l.s Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in five colors). Check out our Dash Rapid Egg Cooker review for more deets! 5. A Revlon hot air brush for when you wanna look like you have an in-home stylist at your beck and call. Glossy, effortless waves are just a few brushes away! Promising review:"I am a licensed cosmetologist of 30+ years and I couldn't be more pleased! Salon-perfect, shiny, bouncy blow outs! Dries and styles in one or two easy passes ( on damp hair) and provides maximum lift if I style it that way. Easily dries and styles large sections of hair making this THE BEST hairstyling tool! Highly recommend! I use the low setting and cool blast. Surprised and very happy that I don't need med/high settings. Only caveat I have come across so far: the temp/speed setting is in an awkward place to be able to change it while using. Learning curve, I suppose. Otherwise, another GREAT styling tool from Revlon! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️" — ERJ Get it from Amazon for $32.43+ (available in three styles and four colors). 6. Or a RobeCurls heatless hair curler that will give straight and wavy hair effortless waves while you sleep. Just wrap your locks around the satin band, get some beauty sleep, and wake up feeling like elves snuck in to curl your hair. Amazon Emikeni is a woman-founded small business that specializes in heatless hair curling tools. Promising review: "I don't usually leave reviews, but this exceeded my expectations. I've tried heatless curlers like this before that didn't sit flat on the top of my head and weren't bendable, so they were hard to sleep in. I love that it has a wire all the way through it so you can bend it and pull it to the back of your head (I'm a stomach and side sleeper, so I want it away from my face). If you mist your hair with a little water until it's slightly damp and wear it overnight, the curls last all day." — Jane Doe Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in nine colors). 7. A grape and tomato zip slicer to put an end to the agonizing task of slicing tiny fruit. Enough is enough! This dishwasher-safe device will give you perfectly halved bites with just a swipe of the wrist. Promising review: "Saw this on TikTok. Had to try it. LOVE IT. So fast and easy. Washes easily and we just lay it out to dry. But we have also put it in the dishwasher too. Saves us so much time and no more almost slicing fingers cutting tiny tomatoes. Wish I'd had this when the kids were tiny and I needed to cut their grapes. Would've saved me time." – Mermaid Get it from Amazon for $19.01. 8. An automatic toilet cleaning system that shoots a bleach cleanser in your bowl with every flush, keeping things fresh between scrubbing sessions. I don't know why, but the toilet stamps kind of embarrass me — I don't want people to know I'm off-loading my toilet cleaning duties — so this is the perfect solution. 🤓 It's super quick to install, and one cartridge can last up to three months! Promising review:"I used to use those deodorizer tablets for all my toilets in my home, and they worked. However, the chemicals from the tablets would harden the plastic/rubber flap valves in the toilet and cause them to slowly leak overnight. My water bill would be high every month. Once I switched to the Fluidmaster 8300 dispenser, keeping my toilets clean and odorless became easy. Plus, maintenance on my toilets decreased! The cartridges last three months, and replacing them requires no tools. Highly recommend." — Mikiloti Get it from Amazon for $10.49. 9. A rust-removing gel spray – you may be tempted to say "abracadabra" as you use it. It's that magical! The powerful gel clings to rust on contact, so you can watch stains start melting off your tiles immediately; no scrubbing needed. Use this for cleaning bathtubs, showers, toilets, colorfast fabrics, vertical surfaces, and hard-to-reach spots. It's nonabrasive and made with a nonhydrofluoric acid-based formula. Promising review:"Holy wizardry! Seriously, it was more work to clean the mirror over the vanity than to use this product. With almost no effort, this made my dark orange, iron-water shower stall white again. I definitely suggest wearing a mask or bandana and running the ventilation fan if spraying in an enclosed area. Great product!" — Jessica B Get it from Amazon for $11.35. 10. A set of paint touch-up pens for when you start to notice scuffs on your walls but don't want to commit to a full paint job. Just fill the pens up with paint, and you can forgo the whole roller brush entirely. This is also ideal for hiding any oopsies from your landlord when they do a walkthrough, looking for excuses to keep your security deposit. Amazon, Slobproof Slobproof is a small business that specializes in home improvement products. Some reviewers use these for detail work on designs and murals. As an added bonus, these are totally airtight, so the paint in them won't dry out if you don't finish up the paint in the pen all at once. Promising review:"These are genius! They work so well and make it no hassle to quickly retouch small areas that get scratched up. Never knew something like this existed, and now am in love with them!" — Jeff Get a pack of two from Amazon for $14.99 (also available in packs of five). 11. A Roomba robot vacuum because if robots are going to take our jobs, it might as well be the worst ones. It'll clean your floors *and* it even works with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can use voice control! You might as well call this device Rosey because this is Jetsons -level tech. It runs for up to 90 minutes before automatically heading to the dock to recharge. Promising review:"So far, it is amazing! It picks up SO much dirt and hair. We have three dogs and a cat, and my floors are spotless. We decided to get this cheaper one to see if it was something that would work for us and I am amazed! For the first week, we let it run every day. We made sure we picked everything up, and it only got stuck one time. We use it every other day and have it scheduled to run just before we get home. This thing even picks up cat litter! If you are on the fence, try it. Has made my life so much easier not having to sweep every day!" — Kathryn P. Get it from Amazon for $219.99+ (available in two models). 12. And a self-cleaning litter box you can even control from your smartphone — sitting on the couch has never been so productive. It scoops the unmentionables into a separate compartment that you can throw away at your leisure. The hands-free cleaning cycle runs 20 minutes after your cat leaves the litter box, moving their waste to a leak-proof, odor-controlled, and disposable tray underneath. Also grab a bag of scoop-free crystal litter and tray refills, too. Promising reviews:"This litter box is a must for any busy family that struggles to keep up with the daily maintenance of having a cat and a litter box! It works well, and my cat is so happy always having a clean litter box." — Kelsey Decker "I rarely write product reviews but this litter box actually made a huge difference for my house! I have had a cat for about 10 years who decides to do the number 2 about two feet outside the litter box. He has ALWAYS done this, no matter what type of litter or box. I even asked my vet about it, and his response was, "Some cats are just jerks"😂. Then I got this litter box. For the first time EVER, he does ALL of his business in the box! And there is no odor at all!! I love it so much I have two. Would highly recommend!!" — Emily Stokes Get it from Amazon for $199.95+ (available in three styles). 13. Slow cooker liners so you don't have to yank the heavy pot out of the cooker to clean it. You can also use the heat-resistant liners to make two stews at once. Bags! Gotta love 'em. Amazon Bonus! These are also great for cooking cheesecakes. Just wrap the pan in one before dipping it in the water bath to keep it nice and dry. Promising review:"This is a great deal on the multi-pack!!! Since trying these, I always use them when cooking in my Crockpot!! Cleanup is so, so easy. No mess, guaranteed!!!" — Sue Get six liners from Amazon for $5.79. 14. Or oil-proof paper air fryer liners because I know you've been ignoring those burnt crumbs and french fry grease, hoping some enterprising elves might take care of it. Sadly, they're all busy baking cookies and mending shoes, but you can at least avoid future cleaning with the magic of disposable liners. If you'd prefer a reusable option, check out these silicone air fryer liners. Promising review:"These are lifesavers! Makes clean up seem unnecessary. For real. I use the air fryer a lot. I love cooking salmon brushed with olive oil. These liners keep a good 97% of anything from being in the bottom. Maybe more. When you think about how many liners you get, it's really not a bad deal for how much it helps." — Kim Kelly Get 120 liners from Amazon for $12.29+ (available in eight sizes/shapes). 15. A magnetic eyelash set so easy to use, you'll wonder how you were ever intimidated by applying falsies. The kit comes with a magnetic liquid eyeliner that you run across the upper lash line. Then you can just pop the lashes on without having to worry about messy glue or accidentally pasting lashes to your cheek. The kit comes with false eyelashes, magnetic eyeliner, and an applicator. Promising reviews: "With traditional faux lashes, you put the glue on the lash then you have to put it evenly right above your own eye lash. But if your eye tends to twitch or your hand shakes, you end up spending an hour trying to put the lashes on. You just give up. I know I tried and failed plenty of times. I paid big money to let a professional do it. But NOW I DO IT MYSELF!!" — Alfrita Fox "I've tried several different types of false glued and magnetic. These are the EASIEST to apply, most COMFORTABLE to wear, and they stay FIRMLY put until I remove them! I have used the same pair for seven days with no issues whatsoever. I highly recommend this brand of magnetic eyelashes!" — tbear Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in six pack sizes). 16. A dog paw-cleaning device to keep Spot's feet squeaky clean, because you can't exactly put hand sanitizer on a dog. (Seriously, do not do that.) Fill the tube up with soapy water and let the soft bristles scrub away the day's walk. Promising review:"Best. Thing. Ever. This product works like a charm. It gets the sand from between their pads and is gentle enough that even my most stubborn pup tolerates it! I have a terrier/schnauzer who likes to dig, a mini golden doodle who is prissy about her paws, and a standard Labradoodle puppy who is still very fuzzy. We have a farm where it is extremely sandy and we stay in a travel trailer. The amount of sand they were tracking into the camper was ridiculous. It takes me three minutes to clean and dry off all of their paws. Seriously, the best purchase I have made!" — Rachel Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in three sizes and eight colors). 17. Fanola purple shampoo that'll transform your brassy blonde into ice queen blonde in no time. The purple toner counteracts the yellow tones in your highlights and can save you frequent trips to the salon. And since it's just a shampoo, you don't have to add any extra steps to your routine. Promising review:"Thank goodness I found this stuff!!! I'm pretty religious in getting my hair done every 10–12 weeks, mainly because my hair always goes warm and it bugs me. I'm not sure if there were new products used this last time I went to the salon, but my hair turned brassy within four weeks instead of the usual 10. Instead of taking the 40-mile drive to the salon and paying all that money again, I got this shampoo. I used it like shampoo the first night, leaving it in for two minutes. The second night, I used it like a mask, leaving it on for five minutes. Seriously, where has this shampoo been all my hair-coloring life?!" — S. Elison Get it from Amazon for $14.23. 18. A batter dispenser you can use to make perfect pancakes and cupcakes every 👏 single 👏 time 👏. Gone are the days of using a measuring cup and dripping batter all over your stovetop. Now you can focus on the fun part: decorating! Who wants a lopsided Mickey Mouse? You can also use it for cupcakes, too! Promising review:"I'm an old school cook so I was skeptical about purchasing this product. However, I have arthritis and now that I am retired, I am always on the lookout for products to make meal prep easier for me. My husband and I have a big breakfast every morning and we enjoy pancakes. This dispenser made pancake making much easier. I love it. What I was very impressed with was that the batter flows so easy through the container. The dispenser makes the size of the pancakes uniform and even. Cleaning it was very easy. I'm not sure if it is dishwasher safe, but I chose to hand wash it. Nothing to it! I appreciate that this product is brightly colored, as I have a bright kitchen with Fiestaware. This dispenser matches my kitchen decor too. Yay." — Kevin and Mari Cornish Get it from Amazon for $24.99. 19. A WD-40 pen that provides all the same benefits as the spray can (quieting squeaks, lubricating hinges, preventing rust, etc.) but now with an easy-to-maneuver, precise pen tip. You could just walk around your home, touching up every hinge you see! Promising review: "I love WD-40 products and use them for everything. I spray on shovels to keep dirt or snow from sticking, spray around windows and thresholds to deter bugs, clean Sharpies off wood and walls, and, of course, stop squeaky doors. These small direct-point application pens are great. Keep one in the glove box, my kitchen 'junk' drawer, and the house toolbox." — BBP623 Get a three-pack from Amazon for $12.99 (also available with a trucker hat for some reason). 20. A set of drill brushes so effective, you'll be shocked how clean your bathroom used to be. Why spend the energy scrubbing when pressing a drill button will do the trick? It's so important to delegate. The set comes with a 2-inch flat brush, a 4-inch flat brush, and a round brush. The drill isn't included, but you can grab a basic Black and Decker one ($29 on Amazon) that'll do the trick. Promising review:"I thought my hard water stains would never come off my shower doors, but I bought this awesome brush set, and it's amazing! I've tried all the hacks — drier sheets, clean erasers, lemon, vinegar — nothing works like this brush! I used Zep shower cleaner with it! In the picture, the side on the right is the part of the door I cleaned, and I still have to clean the left side." — Traci D. Get it from Amazon for $18.95 (available in six colors and stiffness levels). 21. Ohora semi-cured nail strips offering a professional-looking manicure, even if your past at-home attempts yielded less-than-stellar results. Apply them like stickers, seal them under a UV lamp, and you're done! These waterproof strips will look and feel like a gel manicure and last up to two weeks. Promising review: "Love these nails! The picture is them after a week (still going strong)! I put them on for my honeymoon. I've been in the ocean for hours, and they are not showing any wear. They took maybe 15 minutes to apply — I did use a gel top coat and I think that helped keep them from chipping this long. Will be buying more!" — Amazon Customer Get them from Amazon for $13.50 (available in 21 colors). 22. A pack of disposable shower hair catchers for people who often forget to clean the drain after a shower and too squeamish to maintain a device like the TubShroom. You can just close your eyes and throw these away when they're too hair-infested. Amazon Promising review:"For anyone with long hair, drainage clogging in the shower is a pain. So THANKS to whoever thought of such a simple but clever solution. They stick perfectly and the glue lasts like three weeks. It literally does not let a hair pass, and it's just so easy to place and remove. I wish I had known about this product before! A must-buy." — MER Get a 25-pack from Amazon for $11.99 (also available in a 50-pack and 100-pack). 23. An eyeliner with a wing-shaped stamp so you can just stamp on your cat-eye liner and feel like you hired Adele's makeup artist. No more erasing and retrying one million times! Lovoir Beauty is a small biz based in New Zealand that sells this genius winged eyeliner stamp known as The Flick Stick. Promising review:"I just want to make my morning routine as easy as possible. I love winged liner, but I don't have the steady hand for it without mistakes. This makes the perfect and consistent wing every time. Love it!" — Julie B Get it from Amazon for $14.97 (available in three sizes or a combo style). 24. A breakfast sandwich maker that cooks every part of the sandwich at once and then neatly stacks them together so you can skip the line at your local deli. Those $8 charges are starting to add up, after all. All the removable, nonstick parts on this sandwich maker are dishwasher safe. Promising review:"My college daughter loves this sandwich maker! It's quick and simple and requires no more than an outlet, although I do recommend spraying non-stick on the plates once in a while or at least wiping with a touch of Crisco. This makes cleaning it easier, too. Makes sandwiches just like the fast food joint but at far less cost, and you can do it in your jammies!" — AZDonnamae Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in five colors). 25. A box of Color Catcher sheets to prevent the dreaded "all my clothes are now pink from this one stray red sock" debacle. These handy sheets are designed to grab any dye that leaks or bleeds so you can keep enjoying your white tees even if you're not sorting clothes into lights and darks. Promising review:"These Color Catcher sheets really protect colors from bleeding. It makes all clothes/laundry brighter and looking like new — not that old washed color after just one wash without these sheets. I give this product 5+ stars. Highly recommend. A few pennies spent additionally on your laundry makes one look like wearing new clothes all the time." — Nikita Get 72 sheets from Amazon for $10.95 (also available in multipacks). 26. A game-changing veggie chopper that will make quick work of your prep work. Just add your veggies, slam down the lid, enjoy freshly chopped produce, and then throw the device in the dishwasher when you're done. Now you'll be crying tears of joy instead of tears from onion cutting. Check out a TikTok of the veggie chopper in action. Promising review:"This is one of my absolute favorite kitchen tools! This is right up there with my stand mixer. I save hours a week using this for dinner prep. I HATE cutting up veggies for dinner, and this makes it fast and fun! I can't believe I didn't buy one years ago. This is worth every penny. Easy to use, and I can just throw it in my dishwasher for clean up. I'm obsessed. I will be buying these as gifts. This is an absolute must-have for everyone." — Reviewer 27. A pack of Spin Pins you can use to keep your hair firmly in place, saving you from constantly readjusting or fighting flyaways. One of these coils is as strong as ~20 standard hairpins. Some reviewers note that these are a little too short for super-thick hair. Promising review:"I'm a nursing student and have to wear my hair in a bun every day. I've tried all the bun makers, watched YouTube videos, and spend way too much time on getting my hair into a bun. I was able to make a pretty bun that was secure in under 30 seconds. I thought it was a fluke so I did it again, and then again. I have hair to my mid back, and three of these worked perfectly for me. If I can get my hair in a bun in under 30 seconds, trust can." — Tina Get a pack of three from Amazon for $7.99 (also available in a two pack). 28. A closet organizer *and* shirt folder that will finally address your — quite frankly — alarming dresser. Instead of balled-up tees crammed into drawers, you can enjoy neatly folded T-shirts that are easy to flip through. ThreadStax, Promising review:"Love this. I bought the 20-pack. I love clothes, and I'm a neat freak without a lot of closet space. Now, I can store my shirts and camis on my closet shelves and can see and access each one individually. Wish they were more affordable, or I'd buy even more!" — Wendy I. Smith Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in two sizes and five multipacks). 29. Silver cleaning wipes because the last thing you need is a set of dirty silverware ~tarnishing~ your reputation. These ammonia-free wipes offer long-lasting shine, protect items from scratching, and are soooo much easier to use than polishing pastes. I've used these and can confirm they work super fast! Promising review:"It is very uncommon for me to write a review but this product is amazing. My family's silverware had not been polished in the 15 years since I married my husband. The only time I ever polished anything before it was messy and smelly and took forever. Therefore I didn't have any interest in polishing something that we weren't using. I decided to try these wipes because the price was reasonable. They are easy to use and do a wonderful job! The silverware looks silver! I used four wipes to polish a service of eight, and it took me about 20 minutes. I highly recommend this product!" — Kehrli Get a pack of 20 from Amazon for $9.55. 30. A jewelry cleaning pen you can count on to add new shine to your gems; no costly trip to the jeweler required. As someone who refuses to take off rings before washing dishes, showering, etc., I need this! The pen is filled with a jewelry-cleaning formula that removes dirt and oil and reduces the appearance of scratches, allowing your gems to really shine. Just remove the cap, brush the solution on your jewelry, and wait for it to dry. Promising review:"I have a 2.5-carat wedding ring and have a hard time really finding anything that gets that 'first-day' sparkle back. With the Dazzle Stick, it shines again. Thank you so much!" — Get it from Amazon for $9.28. 31. A Conair handheld steamer that I personally swear by for turning wrinkly balls of fabric back into the pristine garments they were before you left them in the bottom of your closet. It heats up quickly and removes wrinkles in minutes. And you really can't beat the price for how effective it is. I originally bought this steamer for my wedding three years ago, and it's still going strong! It heats up in about a minute and does a great job working through tough wrinkles. It's super small, so it's perfect for one or two garments. Just be careful not to overfill it — it seriously only needs like a splash of water. Promising review: "This steamer was a lifesaver. It can fix any wrinkled clothes or bent fabric props and make a tough wig a breeze to work with and style. I highly recommend. It does have a small water capacity, but you can work with it for a decent amount of time. Definitely good for the price point." — Alexa Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in three colors and also a "travel smart" version). 32. Or if you wanna be really speedy, a bottle of Downy wrinkle release spray you can just spray on and watch the wrinkles magically vamoose. Promising review:"This stuff is the bomb dot com. You just spray it on your clothes, smooth out the clothes with your hands quickly, wait a few minutes and the clothes are wrinkle-free! I hate ironing, so this is magic. Obviously, it won't work on hard creases but wrinkles from the dryer, for example, it will get rid of." — J. Larsen Get two bottles and a mini from Amazon for $16.99. Reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.
