While the United States was preparing to invade Iraq in 2003, the military distributed sets of playing cards bearing the pictures of the “most wanted” members of the Iraqi government. The idea was that as troops played cards they’d become familiar with the faces of the Iraqi leaders. Urban Survival Playing Cards ($11, urbansurvivalplayingcards.com) uses the same approach in imparting practical information on how to survive natural disasters and post-disaster anarchy. (Example: Mix sugar and iodine to pack wounds.) It’s good information for Hawaii residents to master before hurricane season rolls around again.

—John Berger

Bite-size bars with kiawe bean flour make tasty treats

Flours made from protein- rich, gluten-free legumes are surging in popularity, and in Waianae, ‘Ai Pohaku grinds kiawe bean pods into flour using a mill from Argentina. I love the Wai‘anae Gold ‘Aina Bar — deconstructed into bite-size cubes — made with a recipe from Arizona’s native Wichi people. The basic bar is made with raw kiawe bean pod flour, organic peanuts and raw honey, and sea salt from Kauai. The chocolate bar adds organic cacao. Fresh, chewy, tasty, satisfying and energizing, the 6-ounce containers are $10 to $13 at Kokua Market and Down to Earth, and at waianaegold.com; call 478-6492.

—Mindy Pennybacker

Sleek bracelet offers stylish way to hold hair ties

Are you one of those women who always has an elastic hair band around your wrist? Hawaii is hot, and when it’s not hot it’s windy. The best blow-out is often begging to be pulled up into a ponytail by noon.

This find is genius — a sleek bracelet to hold that hair tie. The cuff slips onto your wrist, and then the elastic hair tie rests in the groove. The bracelet originated as a gift from Arni Thor, an engineer, to his wife, Shireen, after he noticed that she often wore a hair elastic around her wrist to the office. The hair tie bracelet by Bittersweet is available at thegrommet.com or the couple’s website, bittersweet.is. The basic stainless-steel bracelet sells for $45, and there are designs in silver and gold that go for $85.

—Lee Cataluna

Tinted moisturizer combines 3 products in 1

I’ve always been wary of tinted moisturizers, figuring they wouldn’t match my skin tone or would be too heavy for Hawaii’s humidity. But then I underwent a sunspot-removal session with Kaiser Permanente board-certified physician assistant Dorothy Maurice, who specializes in cosmetic dermatology. She recommended tinted EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 facial sunscreen with transparent zinc oxide for protection and hyaluronic acid for moisturizing. It’s sheer and lightweight, and I love the easy three-in-one application — moisturizer, sunscreen, foundation — because it evens out my complexion for quick outings when I don’t feel like putting on makeup. And when I do, I just apply my usual foundation over it. A 1.7-ounce bottle is $30 at Kaiser’s Aesthetic Center at 2828 Paa St. in Mapunapuna and other clinic locations — and you don’t have to be a Kaiser member to get services and products. (Look for discounted pricing on amazon.com.)

—Christie Wilson

Nitrogen-infused coffee packs a caffeine punch

Coffee fans have another way to get their caffeine fix, thanks to the N7 Brew by Russell Siu at Kakaako Kitchen in Ward Village. The N7 in the name comes from the nitrogen gas (the atomic number for nitrogen is 7) used to infuse Siu’s signature Royal Kona coffee blend. Adding nitrogen results in a creamier texture with foam similar in appearance to what beer drinkers see on a freshly poured pint of Guinness stout.

Launched last fall, N7 Brew is served straight or poured over ice. A single 8-ounce cup ($4.95) packs quite a punch. I weigh more than 200 pounds, and one cup of this stuff in the morning keeps me wired well into the night.

—Jason Genegabus

A shortlist of newly discovered stuff you have got to see, hear, wear, use or eat. Please keep in mind that featured products may be in short supply and may not be available at all store locations; prices may vary. Tell us what you are loving this week by emailing features@staradvertiser.com.