sin one let TRIED TESTED Cotton buds are a very convenient product for use in first aid, cosmetics application and baby care. In fact, cotton buds (also known as cotton swabs) have an endless variety of uses from cleaning jewellery, dusting electronic goods to implementing them in arts and crafts. Cotton buds consist of a small wad of cotton wrapped around the end of a small rod or stick, made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. We put five leading supermarket brands of cotton buds to the test. They were all very similar in price but how did the quality of the products compare? I SUPERQUINN EUROSHOPPER COTTON BUDS SIZE: 200 buds PRICE: VERDICT: These buds are packed in a Dap rectangular package that is very flimsy.
The lid fell off far too easily and then refused to click back on properly, making it a potential bathroom disaster. The sticks were one of the thicker and therefore stronger we tried. Both the product and price get a thumbs-up, but it's let down by the poor packaging. Rating: DUNNES STORES COTTON BUDS SIZE: 200 buds PRICE: STORES Cotton Buds 200 35. 111.
v8 a VERDICT: Another rectangular box and it's only slightly less flimsy than the Euroshopper one. It's advised to keep cotton buds away from small children, so surely they should be packaged in containers that aren't easy for little fingers to negotiate? The sticks were the flimsiest of the products tested. Good price, but poor packaging and product. I COTTON BLOSSOM COTTON BUDS (FOR ALDI) SIZE: 200 buds PRICE: VERDICT: These are nicely packaged in a sturdy round Cation container, with a lid that stays listen firmly on. The sticks are a bit on the skinny side and not very COTTON BUDS sturdy.
However, the product did have one of the more generous portions of cotton per bud. Rating: TESCO MY BABY'S COTTON BUDS SIZE: 200 buds PRICE: VERDICT: These come in a strong square container. There's a bit of a knack involved in closing it, but once closed, it stays firmly shut. These were the only product tested that had a white stick, which is more Cotton buds appealing than some of the brighter colours on offer. The sticks had a good thickness and strength, a generous amount of cotton and were very easy to use.
Rating: ISEREE SOFT COTTON BUDS SIZE: 200 buds PRICE: VERDICT: This product features another rectangular plastic container that is flimsy and bursts Half the sticks are ISEREE open easily. coloured pink and half of them are COTTON BUDS blue. However, both shades proved 200. to be on the flimsy side. The skimpy amount of cotton and skinny sticks made for just a so-so product.
Rating: Dates for your diary The Dublin Docklands Market is open in Mayor Square from 12 noon to 2pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. Special offers are available on bathroom products in Lidl from today. Irish Independent Thursday 7 August 2008 FEATURES 37 'I haven't let Spina Bifida hold me back' Helen Riney went to an allIrish school, played the piano and violin with the Dublin Youth Orchestra, bought an apartment by herself and now has her dream job. Lucky her, you might think, but it's been a tough road for the 30-year-old to develop such an independent life. Helen was born with Spina Bifida, and while she can walk short distances with the aid of crutches, she also needs a wheelchair.
But this hasn't stopped her living as full a life as possible. She went to college in DCU and lived on campus, spent a year studying in Germany, and says that her college years were the best of her life. She loves helping people and now works as a Youth and Respite Services Coordinator with The Irish Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (LASBAH). In her teens, she took in IASBAH's Summer Independence Project, which was the highlight of her year. She's now involved in running the Project.
Here, she tells Sue Leonard about living with a disability. 'W hen tion there I that was was I a born, hadn't percepmuch ability and would not achieve in life, but my parents didn't accept that. They always made me feel that anything was possible. "I wasn't really aware of my disability until I was at a mainstream primary school. Some of our classes were upstairs, and I remember I would have to be lifted up the stairs.
"I used my crutches most of the time at school, but I couldn't run around in the school yard. I wasn't able to participate in Irish dancing, and all that made it harder to make friends. "It didn't help that I was very small for my age. The other children did not really accept me. It was only when we got older that they started to accept that my disability was just part of me.
"I went on to an all-Irish school on the Stillorgan Road. I liked languages and did well there I got 430 points in my Leaving Certificate. I loved music and played the piano and the violin. I got all my exams and played with the Dublin Youth Orchestra. I absolutely loved that.
"Socially, though, life was difficult. I was pretty much relying on my parents all the time for lifts. It made me different to everyone else. I couldn't go out in a group. It was awkward.
It used to get me down. "College, though, was wonderful. I went to DCU to do applied languages, and I lived TRUE LIFE Rating: down. I was feeling isolated. I needed my own space so that I could entertain friends.
I love socialising. I go out with my college friends once or twice a week. We go out drinking, we go to nightclubs, or we might go for something nice to eat. "My friends at IASBAH are important to me too. We can discuss all the personal things, such as incontinence and self-esteem issues that we would not discuss with able-bodied people.
"After I left college, I learned to drive. That was probably the best thing I ever did for myself. I have an adapted car; a Nissan Micra. I drive to and from work, and sometimes I drive home from a night out rather than drinking. I love the independence.
'T ing, here living is a making alone. downside beds Hoover- and to washing is hard on me physically. I get tired after a day's work, and end up cleaning at the weekends. I can manage my everyday shopping, but I need help from someone for the big monthly shop. "I get away for holidays now and then, though I have to have someone with me.
My parents have a place in the south of France. I get there about once a year. Next year, I'm going to New York. That will be brilliant. "I don't have a boyfriend.
That used to really upset me, especially when I was in my teens and saw my younger sister out enjoying herself. But I've come to terms with it now. It would be nice if I found someone in the future. But it's not a fixation any more. "I think teenagers with Spina Bifida today have a better chance to achieve than we had.
Perceptions have changed. There is more awareness now. People in the street are more accepting. They ask you how they can help. "The main message to get across, now, is that independence is a priority.
"They should be given self motivation and a sense of self belief that they can achieve the same as anyone else. "It annoys me, though, that when you gain independence, you lose your entitlements. When I started working I lost my medical card, yet I'd need to visit my doctor much more than able-bodied people. And because I work I'm not entitled to home help. It's catch 22." Self-belief: Helen's parents taught her anything was possible on the campus.
It was great. I made a lot of friends, and enjoyed going out drinking. Those were probably the best years of my life. I spent one of those years in Germany, in Heidelberg, and that was fantastic. It gave me a great deal of independence.
After DCU, I went to the Michael Smurfit Business School. "After college, I moved back with my parents and that was tough. I went for a lot of graduate interviews; they'd look at you, and you'd know straight off that you weren't being accepted for the position. It was much easier for my friends. "I worked in the Central Bank for two months, and then I got a job with a German financial company using my language skills.
I stayed there nearly a year, but I wasn't very happy. The work itself was great, but there was a feeling that I wasn't accepted. My disability, I felt, went against me, even though I was highly qualified. "It was frustrating. But you keep going on and making the most of it.
One summer, I worked at UCD for their disability service. That was great. I enjoyed helping other people. Then I spent three-and-a-half years with a lobby group, 'People with Disabilities', doing web design. "When I saw my present job, at IASBAH advertised I jumped at it.
I started here last November and I love it. I organise family weekends, seminars, socials, and other respite weekends. But a major part of the job is the summer project. he project started in the mid-Eighties. It gives people with Spina Bifida hydrocephalus the opportunity to develop their independence, social skills and confidence in a fun environment.
They live in for a week. "I came for a couple of years from the age of 13. It was the highlight of my year. It's an opportunity to make friends. "I bought my apartment in Carrickmines around the same time that I started this job.
Living at home was getting me For more information visit www.iasbah.ie.
