Lume Cube Panel Mini | Best Budget On-Camera LED Light For YouTubers

Lume Cube Panel Mini Review | Content Creators Portable Travel Light

I was looking for a small LED light for video, but wasn't interested enough to buy one. The small LumeCube Panel Mini caught my attention because it looked perfect for my purposes.

The Lume Cube Panel Mini weighs only 3 oz and is about the size of a credit card (3.58''x2.18''x.45''). It's so small that you can slip it anywhere and would especially come in handy you when you travel.

The Lume Cube Panel Mini offers brightness control from 1% to 100% and Flicker-free Color Temperature from 3200K to 5600K. They also included a light panel diffuser & shoe mount along with the panel.

You can attach it with any tripod and vlogging pole because there are two 1/4" threads on 2 sides. The Lume Cube Panel Mini would definitely be of great help for content creators or YouTubers that need that extra light that is not bulky and easy to carry.

What I didn’t like about the Lume Cube Panel Mini is that it seems to be overpriced. Lume Cube spent a lot of money on getting big Youtubers to promote it and you will see these videos flooding your search results with glowing testimonies.

My general experience with the Lume Cube Panel Mini is positive, except the price point at $100 CAD. Lume Cube offers two versions, the Lume Cube Panel Go and the Lume Cube Panel Pro, which are even more expensive.

The Lume Cube Panel Mini emits enough light for video purposes for one person. I was glad that I didn’t buy one size bigger.

I have a video review of the Lume Cube as below:

Lume Cube Panel Mini Review: Best Budget On-Camera LED Light For YouTubers

How a Shampoo Bar Can Help Save The Planet

How to Go Green and Save the Environment Using a Bar Shampoo

The staggering amount of plastic waste we create every year just from our empty shampoo, conditioner, and body wash containers is incomprehensible. I was able to find a number on this – each year 550 million plastic bottles go to landfills from washing our hair.

The tangible solution to get rid of empty bottles would be using anything that doesn’t need plastic bottles, such as bar soap, shampoo bars, conditioner bars, and so on. However, I was not able find products of this nature manufactured by big brands on a massive scale.

Sure enough, I came across some small brands on Amazon and other online stores every once in a while, but it was too expensive and of questionable quality, which prohibited me from trying those.

However, this all changed when I found a big manufacturer that started a line of shampoo bar products that are not overpriced and accessible at physical stores. Garnier Whole Blends Shampoo Bar is the first such product I came across at a local drug store and it caught my attention.

I haven’t found any bar conditioner by Garnier, but I am hoping it will be coming shortly. I am expecting other big brand names will do the same and come up with more bar shampoo and conditioner. Having more brands mass producing them will make them more accessible and affordable.

Another big advantage you get from bar shampoo and conditioner is that when you travel you can toss it in your carry on and don’t need to worry about strict liquid guidelines. I am gradually moving from liquid shampoo and conditioner to bar shampoo and conditioner and will keep an eye out for more by big brand names.

How to Access the Airport Lounge for Free | Best Canadian Credit Cards to Access the Airport Lounge

Which Canadian Travel Credit Cards Offer Free Lounge Access

You don’t have to fly business class or pay a premium membership plan to enjoy airport lounges. Today, I will talk about a few Canadian travel credit cards that offer free lounge access programs and passes to enter.

There are other more expensive annual fee credit cards that offer lounge access, but I will only discuss those have an annual fee of $150 or less.

BMO World Elite MasterCard

- Lounge Access Program Membership: LoungeKey
- Free Lounge Visits Per Year: 4
- Annual Fee: $150

CIBC Aventura Gold Visa

- Lounge Access Program Membership: Priority Pass
- Free Lounge Visits Per Year: 4
- Annual Fee: $139

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite

- Lounge Access Program Membership: Priority Pass
- Free Lounge Visits Per Year: 4
- Annual Fee: $139

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite

- Lounge Access Program Membership: Priority Pass
- Free Lounge Visits Per Year: 6
- Annual Fee: $139

Also, some travel credit cards only provide a lounge access program membership such as Priority Pass or LoungeKey, but do not provide any free lounge visits; you will have to pay for those on your own. I skipped discussing those cards above.

All these travel cards have many other perks and features, including travel insurance. Before choosing any card, do your research and determine what other features are most important to you.

I do have a mini series featuring tips and tricks on Canadian travel credit cards, which can be viewed here: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards Canada Shorts by Ahmed Dawn

Kindle Paperwhite: First Impressions and If It’s Worth the Cost

My First Kindle Paperwhite – Why I Bought An eReader

I donated 75% of my paper books a decade ago and have been sluggish about reading books since then. Most of my reading materials now are online. I attempted to read paper books every now and then, but it was unsuccessful because I felt weird reading something that is not a screen.

I saw people reading eReaders, but kept putting myself off buying one for the various excuses that my mind came up with. Finally, I forced myself to buy an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite to start a new tutorial series on my A Dawn YouTube Channel and my experience has been phenomenal so far.

I like the idea that I can take as many books as I want with me anywhere I go. This feature alone would be a huge plus for getting an eBook reader. Another big difference I noticed is that reading a book on an eReader (rather than a tablet or laptop) is that the screen mimics a paper page and is glare free. It doesn’t hurt the eyes and doesn’t feel like I am looking at a device screen.

The Amazon Kindle ecosystem offers overwhelming volumes of book options and a lot of them are actually free. My Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen even synced all my eBooks that I bought many years ago and forgot about.

I liked my Kindle Paperwhite so much that I am planning to get another eReader, a Kobo Libra 2, which has a different ecosystem. One big advantage the Kobo has is that you can borrow a book from the Toronto Public Library and directly download it to your Kobo device without stepping foot in the library.

I will be sharing more posts about my Kindle and Kobo experiences on my YouTube Channel and on this site.

Proraso Shaving Cream for Men Review | Men's Best Shave Cream

Is Proraso Men’s Shaving Cream Any Good?

I had seen Proraso Shaving Cream on drug store shelves for a while, but didn't feel like buying it for full price. But when I saw it last week for just $6.00 at my local Shoppers Drug Mart, I grabbed it and gave it a try.

Proraso has different versions – the one I picked up was Proraso Green Shaving Cream with Eucalyptus and Menthol. Its blue and white packaging looks classic, distinctive and catches the eye right away.

The moment I opened Proraso Shaving Cream’s cap, the smell of Eucalyptus hit me. Also, it has the classic barbershop smell that reminded me of the old days going to the barber.

I used a shaving brush to lather my face. The Proraso shaving cream felt creamy, but I didn’t get the heavy, rich lather I was expecting. Also, I felt like the lather didn’t stay put too long and I had to rush to finish shaving.

My overall experience was satisfying, but nothing so great that I have to keep using it in the future. Especially considering that Proraso Shaving Cream costs double or triple the cost of other shaving cream, unless you are buying it on sale.

Proraso Shaving Cream is priced at $10-$12 (if not on sale) and I think it can’t beat Nivea Shaving Cream, which only costs $3 - $4. I am willing to try other versions of Proraso Shaving Cream, but only when I can get them on sale.

I have made a Proraso Shaving Cream Review video, available on YouTube, which can be accessed here:

Is Proraso Shaving Cream Any Good?