Archives for September 2016

Travel: Mr. Sleek Toiletry Bag

September 19, 2016 · Leave a Comment

The Mr. Sleek Toiletry Bag comes in three different colors; we selected pink, and we use it to hold makeup and beauty supplies while traveling, going to the gym, or for makeup redo jobs if we are leaving for a social event directly after work.

Mr. Sleek Toiletry Bag

SIZE AND APPEARANCE
About the size of a purse, it is suitable for discretely carrying to the ladies room for a mid-day emergency beauty touchup (or total overhaul). It is also suitable for using as a handbag/carryall for the gym to hold my jewelry, phone, wallet, makeup, and toiletries for taking a post-workout shower and styling my hair afterward. There are convenient pockets to hold my gym membership card so I can quickly swipe my card and get to my workout.

Mr. Sleek Toiletry Bag

CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN
There is a black plastic hook to hold it upright in place when used in a locker or bathroom, and a handle for carrying it. There is a fair amount of cushioning within the bag to keep items safe in transit. It is waterproof and leakproof, which is particularly useful when transporting multiple beauty products that could cause a mess in your suitcase.

The bag comes with a black eye mask and earplugs, suitable for use to get some sleep while traveling. This bag would be very helpful if you choose to keep your beauty supplies with you while traveling, which I prefer to do whenever possible to keep them out of my luggage and avoid hot/cold weather extremes when luggage is in the trunk of the car.

There are two internal zippered pockets for holding more fragile makeup powders or perhaps jewelry during a gym workout. I use it to hold more expensive beauty items. For example, my Hourglass powder trio is very delicate so I keep it in the box when using it outside of the house, and having a secure pocket to hold it in is very useful to keep it safe.

The deep middle pocket holds a long thin can of hairspray or dry shampoo, face wash and a ton of makeup and beauty supplies, as seen in the photos.

It has multiple side pockets for various makeup pencils, makeup brushes, toothpaste and toothbrush and makeup palettes. The inner side pocket is useful for holding a wallet and different cards, or a small book or journal. The pockets are deep enough to hold a full 8-ounce size tube of lotion or face wash. I carry hand cream in this pocket.

Mr. Sleek Toiletry Bag

CONCLUSION: Useful for carrying all your toiletries and beauty tools while traveling, post-gym workouts, or to discretely redo your look after work before a night out, the Mr. Sleek bag holds a TON of stuff in an easy-to-find internal design that keeps even delicate items securely in place.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyKQ-6XRM1A[/embedyt]

I received this product 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!

Health and Beauty: Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

September 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Last week I eagerly clicked a link on what models were drinking to achieve their luminous skin during NYFW. It was…green tea. Didn’t we know this already? Whether you are new to the skin and health wonders of green tea or a tea devotee, you should definitely try Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea.

OVERVIEW: This is a tangy and crisp Green Tea, perfect for the end of summer, beginning of autumn.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

WHY WE LIKE GREEN TEA:
On average, we try to drink two cups of Green Tea per day. Green Tea makes for glowing, youthful skin; as it reduces inflammation (such as puffy undereye bags), rids the cells of aging free radicals and helps boost the metabolism resulting in more energy and weight management. Green Tea also has health benefits for heart and brain health and is considered beneficial for cancer prevention.

The Green Tea that one drinks can make all the difference in gaining benefits. To get real beauty and health benefits from Green Tea, it takes two things: 1) find a reputable company that produces safe, quality, fresh green tea from whole leaves, not “tea dust” and 2) find an enjoyable flavor you will enjoy drinking consistently

FINDING A REPUTABLE GREEN TEA COMPANY FOR QUALITY TEA:
Two key considerations when seeking a good tea brand is the quality of the tea and the safety of the tea.

TEA SAFETY: StyleChicks recently reviewed the Coastal Tea Company, and we were very impressed with the efforts they take to produce tea that is not only high quality, fresh whole leaf tea, but they strictly regulate their production to sell only small-batch, fresh tea with no trace of radiation or lead. Tea leaves, like other vegetation, is subject to soaking in the nutrients from the ground. Sometimes that ground contains metal traces including lead, and some areas where tea is grown have been subject to high levels of radiation. Coastal Tea Company takes extensive measures to avoid both risks, see more about the Coastal Tea Company here in our review of their Mango Green Tea.

TEA QUALITY: The most value from Green Tea comes from fresh, full leaves containing the highest levels of EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) and polyphenols (the chief antioxidants). These high levels are not found in green tea “dust,” or the leftover remaindered older teas. Look for loose tea that has large, fresh pieces of dried leaves visible within the tea mix and a low amount of “dust” in the mix. Any inclusions to flavor the tea, such as dried fruit, nuts, or petals, should be generous in size and fresh. A fresh tea has a tasty, full aroma.

FINDING A FLAVOR OF TEA YOU LIKE
It is important to find an enjoyable flavor of Green Tea because Green Tea is for some, an acquired taste. It may, in fact, not be YOUR cup of tea if you don’t enjoy drinking it. Green Tea can taste somewhat vegetal, and often requires some sweetener or flavoring to enhance it, especially for someone new to drinking full leaf, fresh green tea. Fresh Green Tea has a richer, fuller taste than many commercially pre-bottled, pre- sweetened sugar drinks with Green Tea as an ingredient.

WHAT MAKES COASTAL TEA COMPANY GINGER MINT GREEN TEA SPECIAL?

Coastal Tea Company’s Ginger Mint Green Tea is a 100% loose leaf sencha green tea blend with dried ginger pieces, lemongrass, and Moroccan Mint. It has a crisp taste without being too tart or bitter. The Ginger is nicely tempered by the mellow Moroccan Mint, which surprised me as a tasty combination of flavors. The Lemongrass was a surprise enhancing ingredient in this blend because typically lemongrass tastes just plain grassy to me. But in this tea blend, playing off the other flavors, it is quite good – sort of a crisp tanginess without being bitter. For those new to Green Tea, a small amount of sugar or honey could be added, but even our non-Tea loving friends and family have enjoyed this blend.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

INCLUSION: Any inclusions to flavor the tea should look fresh as well. The chunks of ginger are plentiful and big. They are full, solid chunk slices, not gritty partial crumbling shards of ginger. How they appear in the pictures is how the tea looks poured directly out of the bag. The lemongrass pieces are plentiful and unbruised. The mint leaves were large pieces of fuller leaves. Notice how all the pieces of tea and inclusions are in good shape, they look fresh and there is no tea dust.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

NATURAL FLAVORS: Coastal Tea Company uses all natural flavorings. There are no chemicals or additives; the flavor comes just from the inclusion ingredients, in this case, the Lemongrass, Ginger and the Mint.

TASTY: Not everyone likes the taste of Green Tea. This Ginger Mint has a crisp, tangy taste; the sweet Moroccan Mint balances the tart taste of the ginger surprisingly well.

FULL LOOSE LEAVES: The tea is actual large leaf and full leave pieces, leaves, not dust or remaindered tea. This is the freshest type of tea, the best of the batch, and it holds the most anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.

PREPARATION
Bring water to almost the boiling point but not a full boil. This makes Green tea brew better and tastes less bitter. Don’t over steep the brew, brew for no more than 2 – 4 minutes.

The tea has a lovely, pale yellow hue and tastes of ginger, lemongrass, and Moroccan mint. I got a second full-pot brew out of the same leaves that were just a flavorful as the first.

CONCLUSION: A tasty, natural tea that has all the benefits I look for in a green loose leaf tea without any of the risks associated with some loose leaf tea brands. I am impressed by the strict standards and precautions Coastal Tea Company undertakes to ensure their teas are fresh and safe.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

Find this tasty tea at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYyVSm2UCG8[/embedyt]

I received this product for testing and review purposes. 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!

Wine Wednesday: Magicdo 12 Colors Glass Paint Set

September 14, 2016 · Leave a Comment

We love to create unique, colorful tablescapes at parties, brunches, gatherings, showers, and special occasion dinners. I like a balance of not too stuffy and formal but not too whimsical – just a nice blend of eclectic and classic with some artistic elements thrown in to keep things interesting. Some attention to details with personalization with color, monogramming and patterns can make your guest feel special and really make a party unique. So I was happy to find this Magicdo Glass Painting set for glassware, it is a way to customize glassware such as wine and champagne glasses for an occasion to give a pulled together look to an event, adding color or personalization to plain glass stemware or mirror surface objects.

Wine Glass painted with MagicdoÂ® 12 Colors Glass Paint Set

WAYS TO USE THE MAGICDO GLASS PAINT SET
Personalized glassware is useful for a party, putting names or initials on guests glasses prevents the accidentally use someone else’s glass. And a custom glass can stand in as a table setting place card for a seated dinner or brunch. It also makes an easy, custom party favor if desired.

COORDINATE TO PARTY THEME: Glass Paint can add color or design to plain glassware to color-coordinate or theme coordinate to other pieces, tying in eclectic or mix and match tableware. Instead of keeping glassware for numerous types of parties or entertaining, one set of plain glassware can be customized for each event. With a little practice, it would be easy to hand paint custom champagne glasses for a bridal couple or special anniversary event to make for a handmade, custom gift.

PAINT PARTY: A fun activity for kids and adults alike, painting on glassware is an enjoyable and easy activity.

VERSATILE ONE TIME USE OR PERMANENT PAINT DESIGNS
Handwash the glasses carefully if you wish to retain the design for more than one use. If you wish to paint the glasses with a different design, the paints wash off in the dishwasher.

TIP: If you intend on keeping the painted result on the glassware for more than one-time use, I would recommend allowing a few days for the paint to fully set before use. While it is dries quickly, it remains tacky for a few days, especially in warm weather.

HOW TO USE THESE PAINTS
These paints are applied on the outside of the glass, so generic glassware can be turned into customized special occasion glassware, adding theme elements, color-coordinated patterns, monograms or names. You can use your existing glassware, or purchase low-cost, plain glasses for the occasion. This particular glass that is used in these photos and video is a simple basic glass that could be purchased at any Bed, Bath, and Beyond or IKEA type store.

For patterns, there are endless stencils for free on sites such as Pinterest, some are available on Etsy, and it is easy to create your own pattern as well. To create a name stencil, I selected a script font in Microsoft Word and printed it out and taped it to the inside of the glass and then just traced over the script with the paint.

THE KIT
This kit consists of twelve non-toxic rich pigment color paints. It is suitable for use for kids 3 and older, teens and adults.

The kit comes with a plastic palette with several wells to hold paint and mix colors, and a large well for water to clean the brushes.

The kit does not come with brushes, but any simple craft store Glass Brush Set, Nylon bristle brush or even some Q-tips can be used to get started.

The paint: The paints are high pigment yet very sheer; it takes multiple layers to build color or a thick dab for opaque pigment. They are high- pigment tints, which make them highly suitable for “glass coloring,” or the filling in an existing or pre-applied outline on the glass. The pigment of the paint seems so intense and opaque; I was surprised to see how sheer it applied. I came to like this, as the very sheer nature of the paint makes it very usable for the less artistically inclined, because no one paint stroke can make or break your design. I like the ability to blend and create a pretty unstructured freehand tinted or stainless glass look.

I liked the two shades of green for creating realistic depth to leaves. I lightly mixed but did not thoroughly blend the shades to have some variegation to the leaves.

HOW TO PAINT:
These paints blended nicely and had a very creamy texture that is easy to use. The layers of paint are very sheer. To create more opaque color, dab it on the glass and allow it to dry for about ten seconds, then feather it out. Paint can also be dabbed on with a sponge or cotton swab for more intensive color. For multiple layers of sheer color, apply it in thin coats, similar to how you would apply nail polish. Since the paint does not absorb into the glass, the first coat is more of a sheer tint and takes multiple layers to create an opaque look.

If you make a mistake, just wipe off the paint with a Q-tip and start again. I got some of the paint on my hands and nails; it washed off quickly with basic soap and water.

CONCLUSION: A fun, relaxing, easy way to create custom glassware to match a theme or color palette for an event, these paints are non-toxic, making them suitable for use by children and adults. As a non-artist with artistic yearnings, I found the sheerness to be very useful to slowly build and blend color into freehand abstract patterns that are manageable to create my own simple artistic creations. Blendable and creamy, it is easy to quickly paint custom glassware that gives a look of expensive artisan glass for entertaining and use as gifts.

Find this great set at Amazon.

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.

Travel: Giovanni Navarre 17″ Italian Stone Design Leather Tote Bag

September 14, 2016 · Leave a Comment

This Giovanni Navarre travel bag is 17″, not as large as a briefcase, and slightly longer than a laptop case or hobo style handbag, yet it holds lots of stuff. Not as cumbersome or heavy as a backpack or a full duffel bag, this can carry all of your gym workout wear with room to spare, especially in the summer months when workout wear is generally lighter. I am also able to carry multiple textbooks in the bag.

Giovanni Navarre 17″ Italian Stone Design Genuine Leather Tote Bag

FEATURES
It comes with a sturdy detachable shoulder strap and handles to carry the bag. The leather has a textured pattern; there is a zipper pull top to provide a full covered closure. There are full around zipper pockets on either end of the bag and a long deep pocket along the length of the bag. The side pockets are suitable for holding shoes, liquid containers, or dirty laundry. The pocket along the front length of the bag is long enough to hold a book, tablet, or water bottle.

QUALITY:
No loose threads scratched leather or subpar workmanship, it looks more expensive than I expected. Handles and strap are sturdy enough to hold the contents of the bag without tearing or pulling on the leather. Zippers are solid. The stone design pattern on the leather emulates the look of a more expensive bag.

FOR TRAVEL OR BEAUTY EMERGENCIES
There is enough room in this bag for a low-maintenance last-minute overnight getaway. It is also roomy enough to hold all of my beauty essentials (makeup, hair styling tools, beauty products) for a trip, or for packing all the makeup and tools needed to prepare for a special occasion, makeover session, wedding, prom or photo shoot. But the reason I use it most often is beauty emergencies due to weather-related mishaps.

New England weather can be tricky: it rains frequently and often unexpectedly, so hair or makeup disasters due to humidity, fog, snow, sleet or rain are almost inevitable. And on special occasion events such as weddings, or important presentation meetings with clients, looking like a drowned rat is unacceptable.

On bad weather days, I bring along this bag with my trusty hair appliances and duck into an out-of-the-way ladies room (or the office building fitness center when necessary) and quickly dry or restyle my hair as needed. The inside of the bag can easily hold my CHI ionic HairDryer with the full diffuser attachment, a set of the T3 Hot Rollers, and a round brush. The long outside pocket can hold an InStyler to quickly straight iron and style damp or even wet hair. The two side pockets can easily hold four full-size styling products such as mousses, sprays, dry shampoos, serums, or other styling aids. I like to keep a hair towel in the other pocket just in case I get drenched, or my makeup bag if a full beauty overhaul is required. If I am leaving directly from work or the gym to go out for the night, this bag is an easy way to keep all my beauty tools in a discrete bag that looks like a large handbag.

Giovanni Navarre 17″ Italian Stone Design Genuine Leather Tote Bag

Find this great bag at Amazon.com

I received this product for testing and review purposes. 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!