While shopping with my granddaughters Kaylina, Lihau and Lilinoe, I stumbled across an assortment of Disney-themed sneakers at Van’s. I fell in love with the Winnie the Pooh shoes ($60) and decided to pick them up a few weeks ago. I can wear them with jeans or maybe with a blazer and bow tie — red, of course. I opted to replace the standard white laces with red ones to give the shoes a stylish pop. My co-workers and friends noticed them immediately, and most were delighted, commenting how cute they are and asking where I got them. I got a few furrowed brows, probably because they’re not a very manly shoe. But my wife, Bridgit, just loves Pooh, and that closed the deal for me.
—Michael Rovner
Cooling gel soothes pain from sunburns
This summer has been one of the hottest I can remember, which translates into more beach time! Sadly, although I’m vigilant about having my kids apply sunscreen, I never remember to apply any myself. For those horrid, itchy, painful sunburns, I highly recommend Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Cooling Gel. With more lidocaine (0.8 percent) than other brands, this is my fave. The aloe promotes healing; the lidocaine takes the pain level down to bearable. The cooling effect of the menthol is just icing on the cake. This lotion is not greasy at all and absorbs quickly. Reapply at the first sign of pain or itchiness. Next time I’ll try to remember to sunscreen! Available at drugstores; Walgreens had it for $7.99.
—Kristi Dagdagan, Honolulu
British television show spotlights amateur bakers
Earlier this year I came across “The Great British Baking Show” on PBS. I was riveted as each week one of the amateur bakers on the one-hour show was eliminated by the judges, English food writer Mary Berry and celebrity chef Paul Hollywood. The bakers come from all walks of life — college students to construction workers. I liked the creativity the bakers have with their flavors and designs, and the respect and civility everyone shows to one another. The British accents are a plus, too. I became obsessed with the show and found past seasons on YouTube along with recipes and videos of master classes taught by Berry and Hollywood on how to make some of the items featured in the Technical Challenges section of the show. Season 4 of the show started earlier this month. It airs at 1 p.m. Sundays on PBS.
—Michelle Ramos
Travel umbrella staves off sun and wind
I love the almost magical cooling powers of my 60-inch silver Sun Mountain golf umbrella — it has made this sweltering summer more tolerable. But when the wind picks up as I’m watching my son’s baseball game, it can be too much umbrella to manage. After weeks of searching, I finally found a smaller UV-reflecting umbrella at Reneux Med & Day Spa on the second floor at 401 Kamakee St. The Coolibar Titanium Travel Umbrella ($45) folds up to a tight 11 inches to fit in my purse and springs open into a 42-inch sun shield. With a UPF rating of 50+, it keeps sunburn at bay. Call 593-7844.
—Donica Kaneshiro
Can opener simplifies pesky kitchen task
Mock me if you will, but I am head over heels for the Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Lid Lifter, aka the best manual can opener I’ve ever used. I was at my wit’s end struggling with an old opener and, in researching a new purchase, read review after stellar review for this device. Not only does it leave the edges of the lid smooth rather than sharp; it has a little device that, with the press of a button, lifts the lid from the can — no mess! The stainless-steel cutting mechanism is easy to latch onto the can, and the knob turns with ease, making quick work of one kitchen task. At $18 it’s a bargain plus more; if you’re lucky, amazon.com might list it for a few bucks less.
—Joleen Oshiro
