Archives for August 2016

Travel in Style: GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack

August 21, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I was pleased to have the opportunity to use the “GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack”. The ten piece pack consists of an aluminum card wallet that measures approximately 4 3/8″ by 3″ by 7/8″, and comes with six top-loading card sleeves, two side-loading card sleeves, and one Passport sleeve. The top-loading card sleeves include five extra slim design for regular wallets, and the side loading cards include one extra slim design. Amongst these cards, are RFID sleeves, which provide additional protection for your card in and out of the GECKO wallet. The top loading cards and the Passport sleeve are imprinted with useful information to have on hand while outside the home or to travel, such as a tipping guide, a medical information card that can be personalized, a map with time zones, along with other helpful information. The wallet is a sleek, attractive chrome, it easy to carry, fits into a schoolbag, backpack, purse, pocket or briefcase. Suitable for men, women’s, teens and kids.

GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack

The technology is that the aluminum coating creates a “Faraday Cage”. This is named after a British scientist who discovered a way to create a grounded metal screen surrounding a piece of equipment (in this case the RFID information on your credit cards) to exclude electrostatic and electromagnetic influences (such as unauthorized scanning devices used to swipe credit card info). In layperson terms, it is a way to block nefarious thieves from using scanners to get to the RFID on your cards to get your identity, credit, and debit card information without you even being aware of it. Not just any metal box creates a Faraday Cage, so storing your credit cards in an Altoids Tin, for example, cannot prevent digital theft of RFID information via an unauthorized scanner.

I will have a use for all pieces of the pack and have already utilized everything but the passport sleeve.

COMPETITOR RFID PROTECTION WALLETS
Previously, I had purchased an aluminum wallet that looked very similar to the one in this set but this Gecko wallet is heavier, sturdier, and much better constructed, inside and out. The other one I bought quickly broke. I’d thought perhaps it was defective and returned it for a replacement, but that soon broke as well. A broken case can be held together, but won’t offer any protection.

THE GECKO WALLET
With eight credit sized card sleeves and the aluminum wallet, at least fourteen cards can be protected. To use both the sleeves and the wallet together for extra protection, I place the sleeved card in the middle of the wallet pockets. Then any non-magnetic strip cards, such as my ULTA and Sephora Insider Rewards Cards and hotel and restaurant and museum loyalty program cards, I put those in the outer pockets of the wallet. This gives the most protection and space for sleeve protected cards in the center. If you have a wallet you already prefer to use, such as a checkbook wallet or french wallet, the sleeves can offer some protection to your individual credit cards in your existing wallet.

GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack

The GECKO kit also comes with a Passport Protector. Newer passport books have RFID chips in them like a credit card does. Which unfortunately means that all the information on your passport is insecure. For those who travel, this Gecko passport protector is an excellent security measure. It is durable and easy to use. There is so much to worry about when traveling; a secure passport takes one thing off your mind.

GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack

CONCLUSION: Higher quality durability and ease of use than competitor’s RFID wallets, the GECKO wallet, and passport holder are both useful and effective. Though it is unfortunate we need to protect our cards; I feel much more comfortable having a high-quality product like the Total RFID Theft Protection Pack to address the problem.

GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack

Find the GECKO Travel Tech Total RFID Theft Protection Pack at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKwaaWk6lxo[/embedyt]

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and received compensation for my time and effort. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

August 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Here at StyleChicks, we consume lots of tea. And like clockwork, every six weeks we make a large loose leaf tea order. This order consists of our favorite greens; some whites and oolong, a matcha and a vanilla black. It would be easier to be on an auto-order to keep our favorites coming and try some new flavors, but to date, we haven’t found a tea of the month club that meets our needs. An issue we have experienced with monthly clubs is not having the option to select the kind of tea you want.

There is some potentially appealing Tea of The Month offers out there, but when it comes down to it, there are three factors we particularly value that are make or break for us choosing a tea club:

The quality of the tea itself
Being able to choose the type tea you like
Terms of service that are acceptable to live with and not a hassle to change, pause or even cancel.

With these three criteria in mind, we examined the Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club. You may know them from their quaint Cafe in Troy, New York, or the Ballston Spa that serves their teas. Or Whistling Kettle may be new to you. When we had a chance to taste many of The Whistling Kettle teas, we were so excited to try them all, because all the teas smell truly knock your socks off fantastic! It was hard to decide which tea to brew first!

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Endurance Flavor

THE QUALITY OF THE TEA

Whistling Kettle Teas are loose teas. The inclusions such as nuts, berries, dried fruit, or other petals are large or at times, even whole pieces. The tea leaves fresh are the full leaf or larger leaf pieces, not dust or remnants. The close up photos show the teas as they came out of the package: colorful, full and fresh quality. And as soon as you open the tea container, the first thing you notice it smells absolutely delicious. As we tried each flavor, one was better than the next. Even the black teas smelled delicious. For example, one black tea, the flavor “SnowFlake” had wonderful scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and almond. And the almonds pieces in the black tea were full almond slivers or larger chunks of almond, not ground up almond powder or just an almond flavoring. The color of the brewed tea as a lovely dark golden amber hue and the tea tasted delicious, even on a second brew. That is another nice feature of these teas, most of them can do a second brew as tasty as the first.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Snowflake Flavor

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA FLAVOR OVERVIEWS

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

In addition to the Snowflake black tea described above, we tried several varieties of The Whistling Kettle teas to assess the quality of their products. Some of these teas included:

BANANA DULCE: I am not a fan of the scent of banana, but the aroma of the Banana Dulce in the container reminded me of these tasty candied banana chips I ate as a child and the brewed tea both smells and tastes like fresh baked banana bread, with flavors of coconut and graham cracker. It is a testament to a tea product that even a not well-liked flavor can be tasty if done right. Whistling Kettle Banana Dulce is an organic decaf blend and brews to a lovely pale shade of gold.

VANILLA SILK OOLONG: I am particularly fond of Oolongs, sort of a bitter but sweet champagne kind of taste. This Oolong has a delicate orange cream scent and has a mild sweetness to it that is not too sticky or overpowering.

SCOTTISH CARAMEL TOFFEE PU-REB: This is unlike other teas I have had, it has a pleasant toffee aroma and good sized toffee chunks that balance out the earthy tones of the pu-erh. It is sweet, but not overpoweringly so. Pu-erh is an aged, fermented red tea that is sometimes mistaken for a black tea. This one smells like a bakery or candy store; the aroma is fantastic. It is an energizing tea and a good alternative to coffee or colas for an afternoon energy boost.

EAST FRISIAN BROKEN TEA: This is a breakfast tea, it is malty, not sweet or flavored. It brews to a wonderful, dark color.

ENDURANCE: As the name implies, this organic tea is energizing and is intended to increase stamina. It is also a Pu-Erh tea and has fruity inclusions such as Organic Cinnamon, Organic Goji Berries, Organic Schizandra Berries, and Organic Nettle Leaf. The berries are whole, and the tea blend makes for a lovely looking brewing process, especially if you brew them in a glass teapot. Medium caffeine content and it smells absolutely delicious.

GOLDEN STARFRUIT: This green tea was one of my favorite of the bunch, with a notable aroma that is worthy of serving guests when you want to spoil them a bit with a delightful treat. There are big chunks of starfruit, and it has a wonderful tropical taste without being sugary sweet. If you want the benefits of green tea but you dislike the taste of green tea, this is a delicious way to enjoy the benefits of green tea. Lovely light golden hue upon brewing smells delicious to the last drop.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Golden Starfruit Flavor

LEMON SOUFFLE HONEYBUSH: A caffeine-free creamy Rooibos blend suitable for drinking at night and winding down and relaxing. A beautiful yellow-gold with a mildly tart lemon flavor that has lovely bright blue and yellow inclusions in the tea. If you are avoiding caffeine at night but want to drink tea, this is also tasty as a cold iced tea beverage.

I liked every tea I tried, and some of them such as Snowflake, Golden Starfruit, and Endurance I loved! These teas were amongst the best we have tasted, and after years of loyalty drinking the same brand, we were convinced to drinking The Whistling Tea Kettle teas.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA CLUB TERMS
While these teas and other flavors are sold individually on their website, there are 15 types of Tea of the Month Clubs available.

Something that sets this tea club apart from the others:

You select the types of tea you want, not a variety or mystery pack selections – unless you ask for a variety selection.
Amongst the 15 types of Tea Clubs, choose all green, all black, all chocolate, Endurance teas, Herbal teas, Discovery packs, amongst others. The Tea Tasting Club is a club for tea lovers who want to try as many types of tea as possible.
Get 2-4 oz of each of the Loose teas with big pieces of inclusions of nuts berries, and petals, not pre-bagged tea dust or remnants with artificial flavoring instead of the real thing.
FLEXIBLE TERMS:
Choose 3 or 6 months and your shipment dates.
You can cancel at any point
You can change the type of club whenever you wish. Drink Green Tea in the summer and switch to the endurance and stamina teas during the cold, dark winter months.
Free shipping
You won’t be billed on signup, rather just before shipment.
Reasonable prices without hidden fees

SUMMARY:
I enjoyed all The Whistling Kettle teas I tried, and The Whistling Kettle offers several rare, hard-to-find, and exotic teas within their subscriptions. It ‘s hard to locate an organic, fresh, tasty tea brand with lots of variety amongst their loose leaf teas. I also love seeing when a tea has a generous inclusion of berries, nuts, petals, and other flavorings. The teas look so attractive, smell divine and brew to beautiful golden hues. There was no “dust” or remaindered teas, everything was fresh, not an overstock. They have tea flavors I have never tried before, and the Endurance teas are surprisingly energizing. We would recommend giving them a try; the Tea Clubs offer a great way to drink your favorites or try some new teas!

Find the Tea of the Month Club at The Whistling Kettle.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-V43l8MJkc[/embedyt]

Skincare: InstaNatural Glycolic Facial Peel

August 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Glycolic Acid makes for one of my favorite peels; it whisks away dead, rough skin to reveal soft, even, younger skin. It exfoliates gently and efficiently. InstaNatural makes a non-stinging Glycolic Facial Peel that works in one minute or less.

InstaNaturals Glycolic Facial Peel

WHY USE GLYCOLIC PEELS
Even though they are a strong acid, Glycolic Peels are much gentler to the skin because it melts the “glue” that binds together older, dead skin with healthy skin, without harming the healthy skin or the fresh skin that is revealed underneath the older skin. This is much more gentle on skin, especially older skin because it does not scrub or pull on the skin the way scrubs and exfoliators tend to do. Because of this, Glycolic Acid Peels are particularly useful for skin that has begun to lose collagen. If you use Retinol Serums and Vitamin C serums, this is an excellent way to remove dead skin and accelerate dead cell turnover. Glycolic Acid addresses many skin concerns at once: adult acne, blackheads, wrinkles, age spots, uneven skin tone, flaky skin, and enlarged pores. It is not too drying for wrinkled skin, and it is not irritating to acne.

UNIQUE FEATURES
This works in under a minute and is paired with Hyaluronic Acid, Sunflower Oil, and Vitamin C to immediately nourish and treat the newly revealed skin.

APPLICATION
The peel is a clear, slightly heavier than a watery consistency, not as thick as a gel. It applies easily with the fingers, but because it is not a gooey gel, it swabs on evenly with a cotton pad, just like a toner. There is not a strong scent to it; it is neutral in the aroma. It quickly absorbs and does not feel sticky to the touch. I applied the peel to my face, neck, hands and decolletage. It did not burn, but towards the end of the minute I felt it on my skin, it felt warm, but my skin was not red, inflamed or uncomfortable.

When I read the instructions to apply it for one minute or less, I expected it to either not do very much or to burn quickly. Neither was the case. But make sure to read the directions, this is not the kind of Glycolic Peel that you leave on for 10-15 minutes. I tried using it for more than a minute or two a couple of times, but it is indeed too potent for leaving on the skin for longer than the directions indicate, so I stick with just using it for a minute, maybe two on less sensitive areas. However, it also does not leave skin raw or irritated; I could apply sunscreen and makeup afterward and go out in public without my skin looking like it had a sunburn, as can happen with some types of peels.

The peel washes off quickly and easily, and my skin was not irritated, which is a perk for using a Glycolic.

RESULTS
My skin was very soft and even, although I did not have visible amounts dead skin sloughing off except for some on my jawline. The next time I washed my face later that evening, there was more light exfoliation of dead skin. My skin looked very dewy and fresh. I have a new blemish that became drier and subsided after using the peel, and I have been using it to fade a few darker spots and a small acne scar. The blackheads on my nose diminished after one use. My hands felt soft, and my ragged cuticles and hangnails exfoliated off quickly. It did not irritate the delicate skin areas but left them soft. This seems gentle enough to use more than once a week, even if you use serums such as Vitamin C or Retinol.

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find InstaNatural Glycolic Facial PeelÂ at Amazon.

I received this product for free. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!

Hair: Curlfriends Tame Smoothing Serum

August 15, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Curlfriends Tame Smoothing Serum

Back in the 1990s, it was easy to get defined curls. But it took a LOT of product.

These days my hair has mellowed from the corkscrew curls of my youth to a loose curl with some waves. So it takes some products to restore my hair to its previous bouncy, tight curls. My hair has also changed consistency as well. It used to be as silky as could be, but now it needs a little smoothing.

I had previously tried the Curlfriends line, and was quite impressed, but I hadn’t tried Curlfriends Tame Smoothing Serum until now.

I first tested the serum on a day that it was boiling and humid, and as the day progressed, there were torrential downpours. I had set my hair in curlers just to try to tame them a bit, but my hair started to get frizzy as soon as I took out the last roller. I applied the serum and was pleasantly surprised to see that my hair not only smoothed down but was incredibly shiny and bouncy. It stayed that way all through the downpours that afternoon, all without hairspray.

A tip on how to use it: you don’t need much of the serum. My hair is nearly waist length, and I used less than a dime-sized amount. Run the serum between your hands to warm it slightly, and then slowly start picking your curls up from the ends and working your way up. I used the remainder to smooth off the crown and add some shiny volume. Going slowly is the key: if you go too fast, you will just end up tugging at your curls and end up with needless frizz.

I’m a big fan of the ingredients in this serum as well: Wheat Protein and Aloe Vera to add volume and plump the shaft of your hair, and Rosemary, which has some backing for its ability to fight hair loss. I’m also a fan of what it doesn’t have – no alcohol to dry out your hair!

I love the smell – somewhere between a light bubble gum and candy flavor, but not adolescent scented. It’s just a nice, fun scent that fades in about an hour. I am typically pretty hard lined about hair products being scent-free, but I really like the scent of this product.

Find it at Amazon.

I received this product in exchange for testing and review purposes.

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