Archives for 2018

Just Getting Better with Age: Asombroso Gran Reserva Five Year Extra Ãejo Tequila

April 27, 2018 · 4 Comments

When you think Tequila, what comes to mind? Margaritas? Lime and salt accompanied shots? Tequila has long been considered the liquor that brings the party, but it can be so much more. We recently had an opportunity to experience Asombroso Gran Reserva Extra Ãejo, a Tequila to be savored and enjoyed. It is a sipping Tequila, aged five years in French Oak Barrels, imparting a flavor, unlike any other Tequila you may have had before. If you fancy the idea of combining the bright, fresh taste of Tequila with the slow, savoring the experience of enjoying a good scotch or cognac, then you will enjoy Ultra fine Tequila like Asombroso Gran Reserva Five Year Extra AÃ±ejo. Because like you, gentle Style Chicks readers, its’ just getting better with age.

Tequila fine enough to be enjoyed and savored in a snifter

ABOUT FINE TEQUILAS

There’s tequila and then there is tequila. Technically, there are three kinds of tequila.

First, there is “Silver” Tequila, the patron saint of margaritas. It instantly ups everyone’s favorite party drinks’ festivity factor as a highly versatile base for a slew of fruity flavors. With its’ earthy agave flavor, most Silver Tequilas are generally part of a mixed drink or reserved for doing shots, often college-frat style.

Then there is briefly aged “reposado tequila”, which has had a respectable two to twelve-month “resting” that is just long enough to mellow the bite and the earthy taste. It’s more of a Blanc than flavorful, perhaps a bit fruity or caramel-like, but not sweet. It does not require watering down, and makes a more enjoyable shot of Tequila shots than a Silver; something to drink along the way within an evening as a compliment to the meal or occasion, but not a destination unto itself. But reposado tequila is a stand-up guy of liquors nonetheless, elevated above the college bar variety of tequilas. A slightly more grown-up tequila, albeit a grown-up on holiday if you will.

Then there’s the third kind of Tequila: “Extra AÃ±ejo”, or extra-aged. Extra AÃ±ejo has been aged at least three years in oak. They are a deep golden color and often have a honey and smokey taste like a good scotch. As you can imagine, they are less well-known than their party-hearty Tequila brethren. The longer it ages, the better it tastes, evoking a Cognac kind of vibe over time. It is a luxury item of distinction not intended to be obscured by other flavorings (i.e. used as the liquor in a margarita). It is a sipping Tequila. A cultured, artisan, higher echelon tequila.

Asombroso Gran Reserva Five Year Extra AÃ±ejo Tequila: fine enough for a snifter

All that being said, why drink luxury Tequila?

We recently had an opportunity to experience Asombroso Gran Reserva Five Year Extra AÃ±ejo Tequila, a Tequila to be savored and enjoyed.

PRESENTATION

It comes in a beautiful bottle, reminiscent of heavy art glass. There is a heavy golden engraved style stamp logo. It comes wrapped exceptionally well, there are two heavy duty Ziploc style seal bags over an inner bag, wrapped in black gift tissue paper in a thick sturdy inner box, shipped in a well wrapped outer box. It is housed for safety in transit and yet like a gift. While I love prettily package products as much as the next gal, it makes me wonder whether to expect a regular but pretentious tequila or the fine malt scotch of tequilas.

Artisan-style heavy bottle

What’s Special About Gran Reserva Extra AÃ±ejo

Gran Reserva is a 100% blue agave Silver that is aged 5 years (well past the three-year minimum required for finer Tequilas) in new French oak barrels. What is so special about that? Blue agave is what gives that bright, fresh taste to Tequila, and aging it is what mellows the bite. The longer it is aged, the smoother it is. Oak Barrels gives the cognac or scotch smokey overtone. Aging in NEW French oak barrels optimizes this taste and makes it distinctly Gran Reserva. This gives premium AÃ±ejo a full-bodied taste that critics have compared to an aged Cognac or Armagnac.

Aged Five Years in New French Oak Barrels for a distinctive taste

Gran Reserva is to be savored, this is decidedly not your run-of-the-mill Tequila for doing shots. There is a wonderful aroma as soon as you open the bottle. It is best served in a snifter, not a shot glass in order to allow it to breathe, to enjoy its aroma and see its’ lovely golden honey glow. While it certainly could make a marvelous mixed drink, obscuring its’ flavor and aroma would in part miss of what makes this drink so exceptionally distinctive.

MY EXPERIENCE: PUTTING GRAN RESERVA TO THE TASTE TEST

Anejo Tequila is their 100% El Platinot, aged five years in French Oak barrels. The result is a full-bodied tequila that reminds me somewhat of a fine Armagnac.
I enjoyed the aroma of honey and vanilla notes for literally, a full five minutes before tasting. There are buttercream and toffee, yielding to a smooth caramel finish. The main event didn’t disappoint! The smooth caramel finish was exceptional, leave me looking forward to the next occasion to experience this wonderful tequila.

100% De Agave Asombroso Ultrafine Tequila Extra Anejo is 80 Proof

WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO DRINK A FINE TEQUILA?

Ideal for an event, bachelor’s night, passing-the-bar celebration, or any evening worth celebrating, Gran Reserva Extra AÃ±ejo offers a traditional crowd-pleasing liquor in a distinctive, upscale way that makes for a unique experience for your next event.

If you like the idea of a scotch tasting party, a fine tequila like Gran Reserva Extra Anejo is probably something your friends have not tried but would make for a unique and memorable group tasting experience.

Still need a good excuse to start drinking ultrafine tequila? Asombroso is having a Buy one get one 50% until Cinco de Mayo, May 5th (hint, hint…).

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find Asombroso Gran Reserva Five Year Extra AÃ±ejo Tequila at

https://shop.asombrosotequila.com

Until Cinco de Mayo, take advantage of the Buy One Get One deal

We received Asombroso Gran Reserva Five Year Extra AÃ±ejo Tequila in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.

The Answers to Your Questions About The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil

April 20, 2018 · 13 Comments

Here at Style Chicks, we were so excited when we heard that The Ordinary was going to be making a Sea Buckthorn Oil. And now it’s here! We ordered it the second it was available on the website! But we’ve gotten a lot of questions from our faithful readers about what Sea Buckthorn Oil is, what it does, and why our entire office is giddy about The Ordinary’s new offering. Last year we published an article about Sea Buckthorn Oil, so we decided to pull some highlights from that article so you’ll know why it is so amazing for skin, and our thoughts on The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil.

WHY SEA BUCKTHORN OIL IS AWESOME

The â€œhostess with the mostestâ€ of the Style Chicks Favorite Skincare Ingredients series, Sea Buckthorn Oil has over 200 nutrients to work wonders on delicate eye skin, wrinkles & stretch marks.

WHAT SEA BUCKTHORN DOES

Sea Buckthorn Oil is an ingredient worthy of your skincare routine. With over 200 nutrients to nourish the skin, it heals skin damage including scars, burns, and abrasions. It soothes eczema and treats acne. But my favorite thing about Sea Buckthorn Oil is it treats aging skin and sun damaged skin as if it is an injury or wound, and Sea Buckthorn Oil thinks it must remedy the situation immediately. I feel ya, Sea Buckthorn. So it â€œcalls the troopsâ€ together, making repairing cells â€œrescueâ€ the aging skin by working overtime building as much collagen as possible.

That makes Sea Buckthorn a great ingredient in a vitamin C serum, as C provides the building blocks for collagen while Sea Buckthorn tells the skin to make collagen. Go team!

Sea Buckthorn Oil reduces wrinkles, fine lines and acne (c) Can Stock Photo / Goruppa

WHAT EXACTLY IS SEA BUCKTHORN?

A.K.A. the â€œwonder oil,â€ Seaberry or Hippophae Rhamnoides, Sea Buckthorn oil is extracted from small orange berries.

Sea Buckthorn Oil is like a whoâ€™s who of nutrients including vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, E, K, and P; carotenoids; flavonoids; amino acids; phenols; folic acid; organic acids; 20 mineral elements, and essential fatty acids. It uniquely contains all four omegas: omega-3, omega-6, omega-7, and omega-9.

This cocktail of repairing nutrients is what makes Sea Buckthorn Oil so useful for general skin care and the repair of eczema, wounds, scars, stretch marks, and aging skin concerns including wrinkles and fine lines. It works wonders on the undereye area.

OTHER SEA BUCKTHORN FEATURES AND FACTS:

Sea Buckthorn is very gentle and ideal for the undereye area and plump wrinkles and lines upon application.
Organic Sea Buckthorn oil can immediately reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines because it plumps up the skin.
A bit about these 200 nutrients, they have a variety of skin care applications, These nutrients have a variety of skin care applications including soothing the redness of sun damage, nourishing skin, providing C and E, and serving as a super-anti-oxidant.
Sea Buckthorn can make clear serums (like Vitamin C) appear opaque or cloudy.
Sea Buckthorn also gently but effectively treats acne and fades acne scars, including stubborn adult acne

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THE ORDINARY 100% ORGANIC VIRGIN SEA-BUCKTHORN FRUIT OIL

Sea Buckthorn is an excellent addition, I added two drops to my standard nighttime beauty mega mix. It is gentle yet effective, powerful but non-irritating. I like how pimples shrink but they are not left dry, red, or flaky. Skin is smooth, even and soft.

On application, it does not sting or makeÂ my skin feel tight.

After the first use, active acne blemishes reduce a bit, skin feels toned and soft. The blackheads practically leaped off my face they start purging so fast, especially around my nose.

I experienced no redness, dryness or irritation after use, even around the sensitive under-eye area.

PRODUCT QUALITY

We love products that contain Sea Buckthorn but didn’t realize how little Sea Buckthorn bang for our buck we got in some other Sea Buckthorn products we’ve tried until we saw what The Ordinary’s Sea Buckthorn looks like in its’ true concentrated form.

Many products containing Sea Buckthorn are cream to a dark peach color product. The Ordinary Sea Buckthorn, however, is a deeply saturated red-orange color that even when just a few drops are used in a clear or light color moisturizer turns it bright Oompa Loompa Orange.

Fortunately, this product for use when you will NOT be seen by the masses, use it at night. And it washes off clean without any scrubbing, so no fear of daytime orange residue.

CONCLUSION

So that’s the skinny on The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil. Definitely one worth adding to your personal beauty arsenal, because it really does all the things.

We are excited to see how The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit OilÂ improves our skin care game in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for future Sea Buckthorn updates to get our thoughts on the results of regular use of this exciting addition to The Ordinary product line.

FindÂ The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil here.

TINY BUT FIERCE: Handmade Bella Mini Travel Makeup Brush Set with Mirror Travel Case

April 12, 2018 · 5 Comments

What would we do without our makeup brushes, they turn us into beauty ninjas. But lugging around full-size brushes requires a full-size makeup bag on vacation, at the gym and for touchups before after-work dinner or drink plans. That is cumbersome and impractical. While there are always the applicators that come with the makeup, these are generally of poor quality. We recently tried Bella Mini Travel Makeup Brush Set with Mirror Travel Case. Unlike mass production brush kits, these brushes are hand-made in the USA and meet our on the go beauty needs with a face blender, cream shadow, eyeshadow and fine eyeliner brush in a mirrored case.

The handy Belle mini brush set is about the size of a cell phone case and holds four quality brushes and mirror

WHAT THIS SET CONTAINS

THE CASE: The shiny metallic case is roughly the size of a phone. It has a sturdy zipper and contains the four brushes. The brushes each come with plastic cap sleeves to keep them nice and protect the bristles when not in use. The inside of the case holds a mirror for on-the-go touchups.

This Bella Mini Travel Makeup Brush Set has four brushes in a mirrored case:

Face blender brush
Powder/Dry eye shadow brush
Cream shadow brush
Ultra-fine eye liner brush

The Bella case zips open to reveal four brushes that can be used to apply or blend all your on the go makeup

MATERIAL QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

We find many mini brush sets, even those from higher-end boutique beauty stores, to be rather cheaply made. We use them a few times and they break or the bristles fall out. They also aren’t all that effective in applying or blending product. This set, however, is constructed with quality materials including durable brass ferrules, the finest hair for bristles that do not shed in use or during washing. I found they withstood powder, cream, BB Primer, Foundation, shadow, gel liner, and concealer.

Bristles that do not fall out, are soft, high quality and durable

MY EXPERIENCE USING THE BELLA MINI COSMETIC BRUSH SET BRUSHES

DRY/POWDER EYESHADOW BRUSH: Many of my favorite eyeshadow palettes, such as the Urban Decay Naked series, come with quality brushes that enable a smooth application, so for touchups or post-gym shadow re-dos, I want to use a quality brush as well. I find the eyeshadow brush comparable to the UD brushes I use both in the soft feel of the bristle, the stiffness that picks up the shadow, the lack of fallout upon application, and ease of use.

Bella dry eyeshadow brush loads color well without fallout. Shown here with Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow, my go-to work day neutral eye base shade.

At just shy of four inches, (9.8 cm) this eye shadow brush is an especially nice size for the UD Basics/UD Basics 2/UD and UD Naked Petite Heat, the five shadow compacts that are perfect for pocket or purse but don’t come with a brush.

The ideal size for purse size mini palettes or palettes that do not come with a worthy shadow brush

This brush is just the right size and function, with a thicker base that thins out for better blending. It applies shadow exceptionally smoothly, I like it just as well as my full-size $30 brand name boutique eyeshadow brush.

Blends smoothly and evenly with no fallout

CREAM EYESHADOW BRUSH: For use with cream shadows, I also find this useful for re-applying a base or blending my YSL Eclat or re-applying liquid or cream concealer for mid-day touchups. I use cream eyeshadows less, but find that cream shadow brushes tend to not pick up product evenly, or that there ends up being a fair amount of waste. This brush deposits product without streaks, I like the smoother application, I can get a nice thin coat of shadow.

In a pinch, I find it useful for precise creamy/liquid highlighter, such as MAC Strobe highlighter on the cheekbones. It is not as thicker a diameter as the dry eyeshadow brush, the bristles are straight.

Cream Eye Shadow brush is thinner in diameter for precise application without streaks

EYELINER BRUSH: This brush has a cap when closed, so it can transport some product on the brush is you choose to “pre-load it” with liner product when you are at home such as mineral powder, gel or cream liner from a pot, such as Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wearing Eyeliner Gel or Maybelline’s cream liner, then you have it for touchups without having to carry the liner product. The cap fits onto the end of the brush to make a long handle which makes it easier to create a thin line or cat-eye liner. The cap stays put, and it is steady enough for doing a thicker cat-eye or heavy liquid liner on the go for a transition from a work look to after dinner eye makeup look.

The liner brush tip is not too hard, not too soft. It doesn’t drag or skip on the application. Angle it for a thin or thick line.

I also find it useful to wet the brush either with water or a drop of Visine to create a liner out of dry eyeshadow, I especially like lining my eyes with a few of the UD Basics, such as the black shade, or if I am doing a particularly heavy lash look, a thin line of the taupe eyeshadow applied with the thick end of the brush gives some definition without giving too dark of a look around the lower lashline.

Ideal for wet shadow liner application or shadowing over liquid or cream liner

Lastly, this is a nice size for pressing a bit of eyeshadow over the top liner to powder it down into place, make the line more even, intense and long-lasting.

FACE BLENDER BRUSH: The bristles on this are exceptionally soft and fluffy, but it still blends contour, foundation, powder, and blush very well. The versatile cream, liquid and powder use of this brush makes it a nice go-to item for your bag. It blends makeup well without streaking.

The versatile Bella Face Blender Brush works with both creamy foundations and powder makeup

It is soft to the touch but stiff enough to apply powder in an even thin layer.

The face blender brush is SO FLUFFY yet is stiff enough to blend smoothly

I particularly like this brush for blush touchups during the day, and it works well after a gym workout or while traveling to use it for BB Primer or foundation. By pinching down on each side of the head, it becomes an excellent fan brush travel dupe.

CONCLUSION

This Bella Mini Travel Makeup Brush Set with Mirror Travel Case features four easy to grip, ergonomic handles, soft bristles, portable, attractive, sturdy storage. The set is highly versatile, attractive, durable, fits in even the smallest of makeup bags, and contains brushes that are ergonomic, easy to use, sturdy, and offer an exceptionally smooth application. The set comes with a no-hassle money-back guarantee and one-year return window. A great gift for yourself, a friend, a constant traveler, or anyone who would appreciate quality craftsmanship in a portable and practical brush set.

Style Chicks received the Bella Mini Travel Makeup Brush Set with Mirror Travel Case in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.

Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt How to Best Use

April 10, 2018 · 9 Comments

How to Best Use Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

We live in a day and age that a 13-step skincare process is not uncommon. But what if you could skip the other 12 products and just used one decadent product for multiple beauty needs?

Well now you can, with the incredibly luxurious Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt.

Wild Beauté Coconut Tangerine Melt is made of only two ingredients: Organic Cold-pressed Coconut Oil, and Organic Cold pressed Tangerine Essential Oil. The two ingredients work in tandem to provide the skin with intense hydration. And the scent is absolutely amazing: I’ve been wearing it as my fragrance lately instead of perfume!

Wild Beauté Coconut Tangerine Melt

TIP: To add a little bit more decadence, use a small silver spoon to measure out the amount you want to use. I use a beautiful vintage spoon, and it looks gorgeous next to the jar on my vanity table!

How to Use Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

FACE

You probably don’t need me to extol the virtues of Coconut Oil, but it’s worth spending a bit of time on since this is an especially high-grade, well crafted Coconut Oil.

Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil maintains more of the beneficial aspects and is a truer form of the oil. In traditionally pressed Coconut Oil, a lot of what makes Coconut Oil helpful is “cooked off” since heat is used. So when looking for Coconut Oil, always look for a Cold-Pressed one like Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt.

Tangerine Oil has antifungal and antiseptic properties, which makes it ideal for skincare, especially as a gentle treatment for acne. It also helps to heal skin – great for dabbing on acne scars!

Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

Ways I Love to Use Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

Everyday: I love using a thin layer of Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt under my sunscreen on days I know I’ll be in dry conditions, like forced heat in an office. My skin doesn’t get oily but remains dewy all day. It is also a fantastic lip primer. I haven’t had completely smooth lips since I was four, but Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt makes my lips smooth and ready for lipstick!

Intense Moisture Mask: As a soothing Sunday Night treat, I take a generous amount of Coconut Tangerine Melt, melt it slightly between my fingers, and smooth it over my face. Then I place a hot washcloth over my face, put on some relaxing music, and rest for twenty minutes.

The Experience

It smells amazing, and when my twenty minutes is up, I gently massage my skin to allow every last drop of moisture to absorb. My skin is so smooth and glowing, and it stays incredibly soft! Putting on makeup on Monday morning is so much easier since I have soft, plump skin to work with. And I don’t limit it to just Sundays, I use it as a moisture mask anytime my skin needs a shot of extra moisturizer!

Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

HAIR

Ah, using Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt on hair. Your hair will thank you for this. Once a week, I like to melt some and use it as a hot oil treatment, and then wrap my hair in a hot towel. I leave it in for about an hour and then rinse it out. The result? My hair is amazingly shiny and soooooo soft! I also do mid-week treatments on my ends to keep them healthy.

It is also fantastic for second-day hair. I take a small amount and emulsify it between my hands, and then scrunch it into my hair and massage my scalp with it. My hair looks bouncy, shiny, and smells fantastic. It works the same if you want straight hair, just use a light hand.

Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

BODY

Want the most decadent shave you’ve ever gotten? Use Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt as a shave cream. Apply it to your legs before you get in the shower, and let it set in the steam for a few minutes before you shave. Not only will you get the smoothest shave of your life, but your shower will smell amazing!

I also love using it as a post-shower moisturizer. It gives my arms a healthy glow and makes them so soft. I especially love it on elbows, knuckles, and the bane of my beauty existence, my cuticles. It moisturizes my cuticles and keeps hangnails from forming.

MAKEUP

Makeup is fun. Taking off makeup at the end of a long day is not fun. But using Wild BeautÃ©Â Coconut Tangerine Melt to take off your makeup at the end of the day is a luxurious experience that you will look forward to. No more falling asleep in your makeup!

Just take a bit, rub it between your fingers, and spread it over your face. It will gently remove your makeup, even waterproof mascara. Gently wipe your face with a soft towel, and your face will be clean and moisturized at the same time!

A little makeup hack I love: if your skin is looking a little dull during the day, pat a tiny bit of Coconut Tangerine Melt onto your cheekbones, brow bone, or anywhere else that could use a little glow. Instant highlighter!

Something else we love about Wild Beaute products: they are made by a small company of four women. This means they know exactly what constitutes a great beauty product, because they are making the products that they need and use themselves!

I love women-owned companies who just want to help other women! And as the icing on the cake, Wild BeautE supports Wildlife conservation and protection and works with global organizations to protect animals worldwide. And they are cruelty-free!

Where to Find It

Find Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt at http://wildbeaute.com/product/coconut-tangerine-melt/ for $40.

Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt

Style Chicks received Wild Beaute Coconut Tangerine Melt in exchange for our unbiased review and received compensation for our time and effort. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.