review Archives - COOLCURATION

March 24, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: Is £2,999 Worth It?

Last updated: March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional, financial, or purchasing advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The Apple Studio Display XDR review everybody has been waiting for. Seven years on from the Pro Display XDR, Apple has finally returned to the professional monitor space -- and this time, at a price that won't require a second mortgage. Sort of. At £2,999, the Studio Display XDR is still a serious investment, but for the first time in a long while, Apple's premium display actually makes sense for a wider audience of creatives and professionals. Whether it makes sense for you is a different question entirely.

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5 — Stone cold

Published by Stiv in Apple, Reviews, Technology lover

Tags: apple, creative tech, designers, HDR, Mac, mini-LED, monitor, review, studio display

March 23, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL Review | Worth £219 in the UK?

Last updated: March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The Fairbuds XL review you didn't expect to go like this: Fairphone's over-ear headphones are not the compromise you'd assume. The sound is genuinely fun, the build is impressively sustainable, and there is a single control feature that every major headphone maker should have nicked by now and somehow hasn't. They're not perfect — the ANC and feature set have real limitations — but as a statement of intent about what consumer electronics could look like, these headphones are hard to argue with.

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5 — Stone cold

Published by Stiv in Audiophiles, Reviews, Technology lover

Tags: audio, eco-friendly, fairphone, headphones, noise cancelling, review, sustainable tech, wireless headphones

December 23, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

ESG Investing With JPMorgan Personal Investing

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

Cool Factor: 3/5

ESG investing with JPMorgan Personal Investing gives UK investors a managed, hands-off way to back companies with stronger environmental, social, and governance credentials. I hold several pots on the platform myself, all set to the socially responsible investing (SRI) style at the maximum risk level, so this is a view from real use. The portfolios are transparent and backed by MSCI analytics. But when the platform sits under JPMorgan Chase, named the world's largest financier of fossil fuels, the contradiction is hard to ignore. Here is my take.

This ESG investing JPMorgan review is based on my own pots in the SRI style, plus a close look at the methodology and the wider context, rather than on marketing copy.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Published by Stiv in Android apps, Apple apps, Carbon conscious, Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Reviews, Services, Technology lover

December 13, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

LastSwab Review: Is This Reusable Cotton Bud Worth It?

Last updated: 24 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor: 4/5

This LastSwab review has been a long time coming. At CoolCuration we're big fans of anything that shrinks our carbon footprint, and a reusable cotton bud that replaces up to 1,000 disposable swabs sounded almost too good to be true. Spoiler: it's not. The LastSwab by Danish brand LastObject is one of those quietly brilliant inventions that makes you wonder why we ever settled for the single-use version. Here's how it holds up after extended use.

Published by Stiv in Carbon conscious, Designers, Fashionista, Gift Guide, Green Living, Reviews, Self-care Champion, Travel lover

Tags: design, designer, eco swab, gift, LastObject, LastSwab, LastSwab review, lifestyle, plastic-free bathroom, product, qtip, reusable cotton bud, review, sustainability, sustainable, sustainable bathroom, travel, zero waste