Archives for September 2016

Islands Miracle Essential Oil Diffuser

September 29, 2016 · Leave a Comment

ABOUT Essential OIL DIFFUSERS

Essential Oil Diffusers are a quick and easy way to add an aromatherapy element to your at-home spa day, to soothe a stuffy nose or a dry cough, or cleanse the air after cooking. A diffuser can remove pet smell from the house, freshen linens, and infuse the air with warm, inviting scents when guests are coming over.

THE ISLAND MIRACLES OIL DIFFUSER DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

This diffuser is an attractive piece with a fresh, light, modern look.

The Island Miracles Oil Diffuser has an attractive leaf pattern that allows the glow of the colored light to show. The light is enough to serve as a nightlight but it not too bright or glaring. There are several colored light shades including green, aqua, yellow, orange, red, magenta-pink, and bright soft white. There is an option for continuous color rotation or to select one color, or no light at all, just the diffuser mode.

The plug is hidden in the back of the device to keep the cord out of sight. The design is modern but feminine and suits several decors. It would look good in a kitchen, bath, bedroom or spa services office such as massage therapy or day-spa.

There is amply-sized water well that is easy to wipe clean. There is a soft sheen to the sturdy exterior of the device.

Island Miracles Oil Diffuser

Islands Miracle Essential Oil Diffuser

HOW TO USE THE ISLAND MIRACLES OIL DIFFUSER

Fill the diffuser with water to the “MAX FILL” line seen clearly demarked on the inside of the fill receptacle.
Add 3-6 drops of your desired essential oil.
Plug in the diffuser.
The Island Miracles Oil Diffuser is very easy to operate. There is one large, simple button on the front of the diffuser, press it once to turn it on. The colored light will appear and will change from one color to the next.
To select a color, wait until the desired color appears in the rotation, and press the button once.
To run the diffuser without the colored light, lightly press the button for the third time.
To shut the diffuser off, press the button a fourth time.

Diffuser set up is easy, although instructions are included if necessary.

RESULTS

The Island Treasures Oil Diffuser scents the room very quickly by dispersing the oils into the air with a micro-fine mist of steam moisture. The steam is a fine enough mist to absorb into the air without leaving the room damp, as some humidifiers can do, yet it adds enough moisture to help soothe a dry cough or make a dry room more comfortable. The scent is not overpowering, it just takes a few drops of oil, and the mist is consistent without spurting or leaking. The diffuser is quiet, the only indication that it is on is the optional colored light and the light stream of steam, there is no noise. I like this feature for using the diffuser while trying to get restful sleep.

POTENTIAL ESSENTIAL OILS TO DIFFUSE AROUND THE HOME

Lavender Oil, Ylang-Ylang, and citrus oil scents are soothing and helpful for restful sleep, spa-day, or making a long soak in the tub more luxurious.
Chamomile promotes a stress-free environment
Peppermint Oil is invigorating, improves mental clarity, and can eliminate the cook odors of fish or other strong food scents. Diffusing Peppermint Oil is also a natural way to deter pests such as bugs and mice without being harmful to children or pets.
Lemon is a favorite scent that makes the house smell clean and inviting with a fresh scent that is not overpowering
Eucalyptus Oil is very helpful for congestion due to allergies, colds, or respiratory issues.
Tea Tree Oil is useful when there is an illness in the house; it is antibacterial and anti-fungal. It can help eliminate airborne virus and bacteria. It is also very helpful for deterring mold and mildew in basements and bathrooms, especially in the shower.
Lavender, Peppermint, and Frankincense have anti-spasmodic properties that are useful for some people with respiratory issues. If you have known medical issues, consult a doctor

Various other diffusing oils including lemongrass, cinnamon, bergamot, and orange, amongst many others, can be used with the Island Miracles Oil Diffuser. Island Miracles also has their own line of Essential Oils that can for use with the diffuser; we will be reviewing the Island Miracles Essential Oils in a future post.

Islands Miracle Essential Oil Diffuser

CONCLUSION: The Island Treasures Oil Diffuser is an attractive piece with a modern floral leaf design. It is sturdy and well-constructed. I really like the silent feature and easy clean-up. The one button use makes it easy to use and adjust without too much fuss. To me, these are standout features.

Suitable for all-season use, it is particularly useful in dry winters when forced air heat can make a room feel stuffy, and no fresh air reaches the room, making the air feel stale. The diffuser makes a thoughtful gift for someone in a new apartment or dorm.

Islands Miracle Essential Oil Diffuser

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find this great Oil Diffuser here.

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ABOUT THIS POST

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.

Makeup Application: Startreasureland Oval Makeup Brushes

September 28, 2016 · Leave a Comment

A few well-known high-end beauty brands have made the oval brush concept very popular. They look like tiny hairbrushes but have soft bristles intended for use on the face. The benefits of oval brushes are that they have excellent control due to the handle shape, they can get into tiny crevices, and there is an incredible color payout. To see if an oval brush set is for you, a good set to try is the ten brush Startreasureland Oval makeup brush set.

TIP: The key to finding an effective but reasonably priced oval brush is finding one with highly packed dense bristles.

The Startreasureland Oval makeup brush set has ten brushes with very dense and tightly packed bristles give a very smooth makeup application that starts out light a thin opaque layer you can buff out to the desired degree of sheerness.

Startreasureland Oval Makeup Brushes

COMPARING OVAL BRUSHES TO BEAUTY BLENDER SPONGES
Both have their place in a good beauty arsenal. While awesome for sheer coverage, a Beauty Blender is less helpful when seeking natural looking opaque coverage, such as on areas such as the undereye area, blemishes, imperfections, or areas that need fuller coverage. So I apply my makeup with an oval brush and blend out to the desired sheerness when needed.

COMPARING OVAL BRUSHES TO TRADITIONAL FOUNDATION & CONCEALER BRUSHES

The Startreasureland Oval makeup brush handles are ergonomic with a wide flat top and rounded easy to grip sides. They make it easy to angle around the face, so you can see what you are doing at any angle, whereas a regular foundation or concealer brush is the shape of a paint brush, allowing you to work your makeup at only one angle, which limits both visibility and blending ability.

Startreasureland Oval Makeup Brushes

HOW TO USE THE OVAL BRUSH SET

The two very large Startreasureland brushes in the set are for setting powder and foundation powder, applying makeup for body or applying powder over a large area. The second-largest can also be used to apply a face primer or even your moisturizer and sunscreen.

While each brush can accommodate any makeup, a liquid or cream texture foundation is applied with the third largest to the medium size brushes, concealer and blush with the medium to the small range (brushes 4-6), and eyeliner and eyeshadow for the smallest and round head brushes. The small round heads are also useful for lipstick, spot blemish concealer application, eyeshadow crease/contour and the thin small heads work for eyeliner, contour, and eyeshadow. I was surprised how nicely the round brush applied a dark, heavily pigmented lipstick into a nice subtle layer of sheer tint, perfect for that transitional autumn timing.

RESULTS
I was surprised by how large the foundation brush is, but when the sides are used, it draws a very defined contour line. The foundation brush maneuvers the angles of the face well. The concealer brushes (generally the 4-6 largest) get in well in the small crevices around the eye and that dark area between the nose and undereye under the brow. I love how sheer the oval brushes get foundation and concealer, even on bumpy areas.

The most important thing I found when using these brushes, is that there is very little wasted makeup. I found with some brushes and sponges, my Beauty Blender type applicators especially, that I lost a fair amount of makeup that was soaked into the sponge, even when the Sponge is used damp. These brushes just help smooth out a thin layer and buff out to your desired level of coverage without wasting much makeup. In short, what you apply to your face directly and brush out, or what you apply to your brush and brush on, is what ends up on your face. It is easy to go heavy-handed at first.

I was also surprised that the round head oval brush as a lip brush was as useful when applying lipstick. Even dark, sticky colors went on sheer and super even with no lumps or bumps. It took a few tries to get used to controlling the brush as a round tip directly on the lips instead of a side-to-side flat brush painting motion.

CONCLUSION

The Startreasureland Oval makeup brushes are useful for powders, creams and liquid makeup – whether foundation, contour, eyeshadow, highlighter, cream blush or even lipstick. This is a very handy set of brushes that are well-constructed with well packed and dense bristles. There is a great color payout, and I love how sheer foundation appears on the face, and I especially like how much control it gives when applying contour, concealer, and eyeshadow. Quality set for a good price.

Startreasureland Oval Makeup Brushes

I received this item for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer it!

How to Infuse Olive Oil

September 28, 2016 · Leave a Comment

My mother’s side of the family (the Italian side) has been in the food business for six generation. Anytime we’d go out to a restaurant with our grandmother, there was always an analysis of any particularly good dish and how she could duplicate it at home. I remember a time we were enjoying a particularly excellent bread that came with a lemon infused olive oil for dipping. It wasn’t a tremendously pronounced lemon taste. There was no acidity to it at all. Just a light, fresh, slight taste of lemon that did not overpower the taste of the olive oil (if you are using a high-quality oil, then it should taste good on its own merits.) It was simply a co-existing lemon note to the olive note.

Of course, Granny made it better at home.

I have tried to duplicate the recipe, but I have always found dedicated olive oil infusers to be messy, or I have had difficulty pouring out the right amount of oil. Whether it is adding it to a recipe or onto a salad, the right amount of olive oil can make or break a dish. So I am very happy to have found Domestic Corner’s Precision No Drip Oil and Vinegar Infuser and Dispenser.

Domestic Corner Precision No Drip Oil and Vinegar Infuser and Dispenser

First off, this is one good looking dispenser. It is made of thick, high-quality glass and has a Louboutin Red stripe where the dispenser button is located. It is also a generous size: 17 oz, which allows for infusing and dispensing larger quantities of oil. If you use olive oil regularly or are feeding a group, it’s great to be able to infuse and decant either a little or a lot of oil.

Second, it is incredibly easy to measure exactly how much oil you want to use. By pressing the button on the bottle, oil is brought to the measuring chamber at the top. You can see the measurements exactly – teaspoon, tablespoon, even milliliters. From there you can easily and precisely drizzle the oil onto your dish. There is no sputtering or uneven pouring, just a slow, controlled dispensation.

If you are interested in infusing your oil, there are plenty of recipes on the internet, but here is my spin on the lemon-infused olive oil recipe: peel the rind of a lemon in thin strips (ideally a Meyer Lemon, as it will have a lemon taste with less acidity.) Twist the strips gently to extract the lemon oil. Add them to the olive oil and leave it in the oil for 12 hours. It will produce a light, fresh lemon taste without being too tart or overpowering.

Domestic Corner Precision No Drip Oil and Vinegar Infuser and Dispenser

An “off-label” use for this item is for beauty. If you use an oil like Safflower Oil on your skin, this is a fantastic way to dispense the right amount of oil for use without contaminating the rest of the product.

Ghome Tiger Eye Bracelet

September 27, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I grew up close to a Natural History Museum, and the gift shop always has an incredible selection of minerals and interesting jewelry made out of real semi-precious stones. Seeing and owning these quality pieces make my standard for gemstone jewelry relatively high. So I was thrilled to find a quality gemstone piece in the Ghome Tiger Eye Bracelet.

Ghome Tiger Eye Bracelet

The bracelet is offered in either a 6mm bead or an 8mm bead size. I chose the 8mm size. It is delicate but still makes a statement. It looks good stacked with other bracelets, but I almost hesitate to use it like that because the individual beads are so beautiful. So if you want to use it as a stacked bracelet, I would recommend pairing it with bracelets that bring out the beautiful colors in the beads and making this bracelet the focal point.

Each bead shows the luminous colors that are found in Tiger Eye stones. While I have collected minerals since childhood and have seen many beautiful Tiger Eye specimens, I don’t think I ever noticed the incredible golden and copper hues in Tiger Eye until I examined this bracelet. It is highly polished and looks far more expensive than it is.

The piece comes in a soft jewelry bag for storage. Since the stones are so vibrant, you will want to keep it in the bag when not in use to avoid scratches and dirt. If it does get dirt on it, you will want to use a soft cloth to clean it so as to avoid micro-scratches that will dull the shine on these beautiful beads.

The bracelet is highly affordable, so it makes a great gift for anyone. It would be perfect for an older child or teen. Adults will love it too for its beauty and quality!

Find it here.

Ghome Tiger Eye Bracelet

I received this item at a discount for testing and review purposes.