• Ingredient Glossary & Guides
    • The Best Beauty Ingredients You Will Love Glossary Guide
    • Skincare Ingredient Guides
  • Beauty
    • Better Beauty Sleep
    • Beauty Expert Advice
    • Clean Beauty
    • Cosmetics
    • How to…
    • Discontinued Clinique
    • Makeup Tools & Brushes
    • Science of Beauty
  • Haircare
    • Hair Growth
    • Hair Growth Devices
    • Hair Maintenance Products
    • Hair Styling Tools
    • Haircare Tools
  • Skincare
    • Adult Acne
    • Anti-Aging
    • Skin Devices & Topicals
    • Skin Tools & Devices
    • Science of Skincare
    • Waterless Beauty
  • Contact
  • About
    • About Our Features: How Our Product Reviews are Unique
    • Disclaimer
    • Disclosures
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

Style Chicks

Expert Beauty Reviews | Skincare Ingredient Guides

You are here: Home / Archives for Lifestyle / Food

Food for Fun & Food for Beauty

Foodies Unite

Recipe ideas for entertaining, and recipes for feeding beautiful hair and skin. Food, smoothies, dessert, and drink recipes to try for Kentucky Derby, Summer picnics, and more.

Healthy Food: Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

September 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

The Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer is very easy to use, and it creates, long, curly, even spirals. Once I got the hang of it, it was easy to create very long continuous spirals, the second one I did was more than four feet long with no breaks or tears! It makes a nice thin cut that makes for crispy, even spirals of veggies or fruits. The size of the spirals it creates is ideal for use as a pasta substitute.

CONSTRUCTION
The spiralizer is simple to put together; you don’t need directions, but it comes with step-by-step instructions. The only thing I would mention is to make sure to push the top semi-oval bar piece in tightly.

I like that the device has three suction feet to keep it stable during use. You don’t particularly have to hold the device down while using it, although there is a spot to put your finger just to stabilize it if needed.

EASE OF USE
As the name indicates, it is a vertical spiralizer, which it turns out, is exceptionally easy to use. I thought it might require a lot of elbow grease, but it takes very little effort to turn the handle to make a spiral.

I tried zucchini and carrots; the zucchini spiralized very quickly and easily. The carrots took a few more tries to get an even rhythm going, but it still was easy to rotate the handle and get an even spiral out of the carrot.

One of my favorite parts about this spiralizer is that I didn’t have to stop and re-adjust the vegetable mid-spiralizing. It just vertically rotates downward until it is a tiny stub of veggie, which can still be spiralized, just a bit slow-going at the very end. This is an advantage over horizontal spiralizers, which require pausing and readjusting.

Another thing I like is the spiralized results go into a clear drawer under the device instead of falling out onto a plate next to the spiralizer. This seems to make for tighter, neater spirals and easier clean-up. For cleaning off the blade, it comes with a tiny bristle brush similar to a vegetable brush.

These very long spirals can make for a beautiful meal that is simple to make.

PREPARING THE FRUITS & VEGETABLES FOR SPIRALIZING

It is important to cut the vegetable or fruit so that it has a flat top and bottom so that the two points that secure the to-be spiralized item can grasp it well. I also thought positioning it slightly at an off angle towards your choice of the two blades makes for a more consistent curl to the spiral. They curl up tightly like very long curly fries; there were very few chips of pieces.

It would be possible to do thicker, fibrous fruits and vegetables, cut away the seeds from fruit whenever possible.

Cut vegetables such as carrots and zucchini into about 5″ long pieces so they fit comfortably into the device. Larger pieces do not fit well.

Note that there are two blades, so if you feel you need to hold the spiralizer during the process, be mindful of the second blade, so you don’t cut yourself.

CONCLUSION: VERY easy to use vertical spiralizer, it takes very little “muscle” to create spirals, it is something an elderly person could do with ease or a supervised child. The spirals are amazingly long, they are not weak or broken, they are tight, springy, beautifully appetizing spirals. Spiralizing a vegetable is very quick and easy to do. Quick to make spirals and quick to clean up.

Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

Find it at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvqNeZmek-M[/embedyt]

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!

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Food, For the Home
Tagged: Britons Verdick Spiralizer, Health, Healthy Eating, Zoodle

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

August 28, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

This Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask set is a splendid idea that we wish we knew about at the beginning of the summer, but we sure are glad we tried it: Cocktails On The Go, sturdy “Travel Flask” drink packets to hold pre-made cocktails to transport to your destination. Remember Capri Sun packaging from when you were a kid? It is the same concept but improved upon: you fill these flasks yourself, with your own cocktails, wine or other mixed drinks. They are like deluxe, reusable, sturdier DIY Capri Sun cocktails for grown-ups.

ABOUT COCKTAILS ON THE GO TRAVEL FLASKS
A sturdy collapsible container that can stand up on its’ own which comes in in two sizes, (individual and enough to serve a group) they can withstand being in your bag without puncturing.

The caps have a secure seal wrap for the first time they are opened, and they screw on tightly, so you don’t have to worry about leakage in transit. The caps stay on securely, so you can drink at your leisure. The cap opening is the size to fit a medium straw.

The kit comes with a funnel that fits perfectly into the smaller cap mouthpiece (my regular drink funnel was too large) so pouring the contents into or out of the container packets is a snap.

The larger travel flask bag is clear, holds 32 ounces, and has colorfully imprinted all sort of cocktails that are suitable for carrying in a Cocktails On The Go container. The smaller travel flask bag in this set are individually sized at 16 ounces and holds enough to last for a long afternoon. The individual flasks are fairly discrete and look like regular lemonade or iced tea beverages for, ahem, covert cocktail occasions.

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

The travel flask packets both chilled well, within about 20- 30 minutes, and they stayed reasonably cool during use. I also tried the individual travel flask bags in the freezer for about an hour and got a nice light slushie amount of freeze, which melted down nicely on a hot day. The travel flask bags held up well and did not pucker or crack. Due to the alcohol content of most cocktails, The Cocktails On The Go contents will not freeze completely in a standard freezer.

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

We find these Cocktails On The Go items particularly useful for two reasons:

1) Cocktails On The Go individual packets are ideal for taking along to a picnic, tailgating, a day at the beach, BYOB occasions and restaurants, outdoor concerts, “glamping” camping or other outdoor activities that make bringing a full mini bar of glass bottles along is impractical if not a prohibited task. Do all your mixing in advance, and clean up is simple: roll it up (or lay flat) and put it back in your bag. They are reusable and when I used the funnel they were easy to clean out and air-dry before their next use.

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

2) Have specialty drinks pre-made for a party: We have two friends who make these AMAZING margaritas, but they spend almost the entire picnic, party or BBQ making them for all their guests instead of enjoying the event! We are giving them a set of Cocktails On The Go travel flasks, so they can pre-make their delicious concoction and have some fun at parties instead of just playing bartender the whole time. The larger Cocktails On The Go travel flask is intended for serving multiple drinks, so you can still pour the drink into each person’s drinkware and add garnishes as you desired.

RECIPE IDEA FOR COCKTAILS ON THE GO

Try this recipe in Cocktails On the Go Travel Flasks for delicious end-of-summer drink, suitable for your last days at the beach, by the pool, or taking in a concert on the green:

Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set

Limoncello Martini Recipe

1/2 ounce limoncello
1-ounce vodka

Shake with ice and pour. Chill until use.

In the video below, we do a “Hard Lemonade” variant on the Limoncello Martini to modify it to drink at a more leisurely pace. To compliment the Limoncello, add a good Lemon soda or sparkling drink, (here we used the French Soda brand Lorina), and add a simple syrup to taste, such as your favorite Raspberry syrup.

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

CONCLUSION: Reusable, sturdy, easy to use and easy clean up, these Cocktails On The Go travel flasks are a great idea to hold pre-made cocktails for a day at the beach, or to make individual cocktail recipes in advance and have more time at your party for socializing instead of mixing drinks.

Find these great drink holders at Amazon.

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Food, Travel
Tagged: Cocktails On The Go Travel Flask Set, Drinks, Entertaining, Glamping, Tailgating, Wine

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:

  1. The quality of the tea itself
  2. Being able to choose the type tea you like
  3. 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

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 of the Month Club Snowflake Flavor

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA FLAVOR OVERVIEWS

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

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

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 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:

  1. You select the types of tea you want, not a variety or mystery pack selections – unless you ask for a variety selection.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:
  4. Choose 3 or 6 months and your shipment dates.
  5. You can cancel at any point
  6. 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.
  7. Free shipping
  8. You won’t be billed on signup, rather just before shipment.
  9. 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]

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.

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Food, Gifts, Health, Spa Economy, Tea, Weddings
Tagged: Bridal Tea, Loose Tea, Tea, Tea Club, The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

Beauty Food: WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

June 12, 2016 · Leave a Comment

WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

You can have the best skin and hair care products in the world, but if your skin and hair aren’t healthy, it’s pretty hard to compensate, no matter how talented you are. So Style Chicks is going to be starting a feature called “Beauty Food” where we discuss foods and ways of cooking that lead to a healthier inside and a more vibrant outside.

Vegetable Noodles, more frequently referred to as “Zoodles”, are becoming quite popular, and with good reason. Vegetable noodles are a healthy alternative to carb laden pasta. Not only are making a low-cal swap-out, but you are adding valuable nutrients to your diet!

I’ve been interested in spiralized vegetables for awhile now, but the ones I looked seemed to require a little more elbow grease than I am willing to put in. So I was thrilled to find the WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer: it looked easy to use, easy to clean up, versatile, and the price point is great. Plus the handle is a fun shade of pink!

This spiralizer comes with three blades: a Thick Spiral Blade, a Thin Spiral Blade, and a Ribbon Blade. A major plus for me is the de-coring feature; it automatically and cleanly keeps the core out of your spiralized vegetables.

Another big perk is the ease of use. The pictures I took were my first try using the Spiralizer. I’m no master chef, and nearly any kitchen gadget I use requires a test run before I get it right. With this spiralizer, I was able to get perfect, beautiful spirals the first time after reading through the easy to understand directions.

If you need inspiration for recipes, you will find endless mouth-watering ideas on the Internet, and don’t forget to check out Pinterest as well. Amazon also has many Kindle books with excellent recipes too.

I am currently enjoying sweet potato chips that I spiralized with the thin ribbon blade and then toasted. They are absolutely amazing, and so much more flavorful than what you find in the store (and sweet potatoes are fantastic for your skin!) My next projects are Zoodle Lo Mein and making decorative (and edible!) roses out of apples.

I am so happy with this spiralizer and can’t wait to keep using it!

WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

WonderEsque Tri-Blade Compact Spiralizer

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Beauty, Food, Skincare
Tagged: Beauty Food, Hair, Skin, Spiralizer, wonderesquespiralizer

  • Newer Entries
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Previous Entries

Search Style Chicks

Pages

  • About the Style Chicks
  • Contact Us
  • Discontinued Clinique Products Guide Lost Clinique You Love
  • The Best Beauty Ingredients You Will Love Glossary Guide

Review + Guide Topics

  • Accessories
  • Adult Acne
  • Anti-Aging
  • Beauty
  • Beauty Expert Advice
  • Beauty Tools + Devices
  • Better Beauty Sleep
  • Black Friday & Cyber Monday
  • Body
  • Clean Beauty
  • Cosmetics
  • Curly Hair Care
  • Decor
  • Discontinued Products
  • Entertaining
  • Essential Oils
  • Exercise
  • Fashion
  • Featured
  • Food
  • For the Home
  • Fragrance Free
  • Gadgets
  • Gifts
  • Green Beauty
  • Gym Beauty Bag
  • Hair
  • Hair Care Devices & Tools
  • Hair Growth
  • Hair Growth Devices
  • Haircare
  • Health
  • How to
  • How to…
  • Ingredient Glossary
  • Ingredient Guides
  • J-Beauty
  • Jewelry
  • K-Beauty
  • Life Hacks
  • Lifestyle
  • Makeup
  • Makeup Tools & Brushes
  • New Products
  • News
  • Organic
  • Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatments + Conditioning Remedies
  • Product Review
  • Product Updates
  • Science of Beauty
  • Science of Skincare
  • Sensitive Skin
  • Sephora
  • Shoes!
  • Skin Tools & Devices
  • Skincare
  • Spa Economy
  • Style
  • Tea
  • Technology
  • Things I want
  • Travel
  • Unscented
  • Vanity Table
  • Waterless Beauty
  • Weddings

Welcome to Style Chicks

Since 2007, we are your trusted source for expert hair and skincare reviews, in-depth ingredient guides, and info on hard-to-find and discontinued beauty products. Whether you're looking for smarter skincare choices, hair growth options, clean beauty cosmetics reviews, ingredient glossary, better beauty sleep, hair care tips, beauty how-to guides or trying to track down your holy grail favorite, we’ve got you covered.


Copyright © 2007 - 2025 STYLE CHICKS