New Products → Style Chicks → Page 4

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.

How to Use Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger

August 9, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I like to keep my hair in optimal condition, and I’m a firm believer in regular trims to keep hair looking healthy. Since my hair grows very fast (I’m not complaining), going to the salon for trims would be quite costly, so I learned to trim my hair myself. The one absolute necessity for at-home hair trims: a fantastic, top of the line set of cutting shears.

Marks Gouger just launched an amazing set of hair tools, and I was eager to try their cutting shears since my previous set had been getting less precise. I am thrilled with this new set.

Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger

The shears come packaged in a lovely case. The case keeps the shears from getting damaged. I like that there are multiple points to keep the shears from moving in the case: a snap to keep them in place, as well as a well-crafted sleeve for the pointed edge. It also comes with a soft cloth to clean the sheers after each use.

Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger Case

The Japanese Stainless Alloy is a strong and sturdy material that makes the shears feel substantial but lightweight. The shears are easy to maneuver. The handles are comfortable even when I’m trimming at odd angles, which makes the task a lot easier and faster.

Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger

I am very enthused about the adjustable tension hinge. The problem with my last pair of shears was that the hinge came loose and made precision cuts difficult. With the ability to adjust the tension, I’m comfortable that I won’t have any goofs due to the shears being unstable.

One of my favorite uses for these shears is trimming off split ends all the way up the hair shaft. Splits don’t just happen at the absolute end of your hair, they occur all the way up. The way I take care of that is by taking very small sections, twisting the length of the section tightly, and then trimming off the splits and frays that occur all the way up. This technique does indeed take a lot of time if you have a lot of hair like I do, but hair looks so much better if you take the time to do it! The cut is quick and precise. If you have a blunt cut or blunt bangs that you trim yourself, these are the perfect shears!

Here is a video of how I trim splits:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbPzv9RsknA[/embedyt]

Find them at Amazon.com.

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

Primiracle Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo

June 9, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Primiracle Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo

It seems shampoos often accomplish just one goal, whether it protects color, or it is clarifying, leaves hair volumized or shiny, reduces dandruff or helps stimulate new growth. Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo packs in several shampoo objectives into one product by having a slew of natural ingredients that are great at hair care multi-tasking.

Like many people, I have a go-to shampoo intended towards certain objectives: I have one that clarifies, one that helps my hair color or new highlight retain their vibrancy, another that treats my scalp to moisturizing ingredients that give an invigorating scalp massage and encourage lush hair growth. The combination of ingredients in Natural Restorative meets many of my shampoo objectives.

INGREDIENTS

Aloe Vera: My Grandmother kept an Aloe Vera plant in her kitchen to treat burns and abrasions by cutting a leaf and applying the gel inside. Long used in skin care, Aloe Vera is also very useful as a non-chemical based treatment for dandruff and to keep the scalp healthy. It also contains proteolytic enzymes which repair dead skin cells on the scalp. It promotes hair growth, prevents itching on the scalp, reduces dandruff and conditions your hair.

Peppermint oil is used for hair growth and scalp stimulation. It feels cool and invigorating while giving the scalp a good lather. It regulates the pH balance of the scalp skin, which quells yeast and dandruff on the scalp. Peppermint Oil binds to hair follicles which increase blood flow thereby encouraging hair follicles to grow hair. It is rich in fatty acids, so it can treat the scalp without drying hair, which is a perk over many dandruff shampoos. It also makes hair smell fresh and clean.

Rosemary Oil is a blood circulation stimulant that is hair-growth inducing. In addition to clearing up an oily scalp without excessively stripping the hair, Rosemary has Antioxidants to combat pollution and harsh chemical products. It is also antibacterial which helps reduce dandruff production.

Argan Oil gets a fair amount of press as a hair conditioning ingredient. While it has hair softening and conditioning properties, it is most useful for conditioning the scalp and keeping hair follicles in optimal condition.

Don’t you love getting a long, relaxing scalp massage during a shampooing at a salon? Massage your scalp the same way with this shampoo, because each of these ingredients are valuable assets in natural hair care, and I found my scalp benefits from allowing the shampoo to stay on my hair an extra minute or so after a good massage to encourage blood flow, get my hair clean and release tension. I usually wash the ends of my hair out first, then my scalp and then the whole length of my hair.

SCENT
The scent is suitable for men and women, primarily a fresh scent of the Aloe, the Argan with a hint of the Peppermint and Rosemary.

APPLICATION
The shampoo lathers after working it into the hair a bit, and rinses clean.

RESULTS
I had just colored my hair a few days before, and the first shampoo after coloring I am always concerned about stripping the color. The shampoo did not strip my color but still left my hair feeling very clean and fresh. It has been difficult for me to find a shampoo that both protects my hair color but can remove styling product or deep conditioner residue from the hair, so I am glad to see a product that accomplishes both.

Primiracle Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo

Tea Tuesday: Collect Teables Shakespearmint and AgathaChristea

April 5, 2016 · Leave a Comment

It is Tea Tuesday here at StyleChicks. I am a big tea fan, and always love to try new flavors and brands. I also find that tea is pretty popular and can often make a nice gift for either gender. I especially like when a tea gift can be combined with something else the gift recipient might love, such as music, literature, or art. So I was excited to see the themed series Collect Teables The Tea Book.

Aprilâ€™s theme is perfect for a tea loving bibliophile and makes a nice housewarming gift or for other occasions that your pithy bookworm friends would enjoy as a tasty treat while reading their favorite books. This line of CollectTeables teas are styled and named after famous literary authors, playing on alliterations of their pen names or actual names to entitle their teas. Each bag comes with illustrations of the author and a nod towards thematic elements from their most famous works depicted on Artistically Drawn Foils. And, for the especially clever, hidden references to their works are also seen in the images. Can you find them in the photo below?

I tried the two currently featured authors: AgathaChrisTEA and William ShakeSpearmint (see what they did there?) The beloved crime novel writer Agatha Christie/ChrisTEA is Earl Grey, and Shakespeare/ShakeSPEARMINT is, of course, a mint tea.

Every month a new themed series of Collect Teables will be released. They will include musicians, philosophers, politicians, or animals.

Haven’t heard of Collect Teables or theteabook.com? That’s because they are new, very new in fact. As in starting April 3rd and for a limited run kind of new. They are a new startup that is making some traction with their Kickstarter.

Check out the website at http://www.theteabook.com/collectteables/ and see their Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theteabook/the-teabook-the-smart-way-to-store-share-and-serve

Nice-to-know features:

The TeaBook and Collect Teables are zero waste companies. All Collect Teables are shipped box-less to reduce waste in shipping and packaging. (quoted from the Tea Book website).
All Collect Teables teas are Certified Organic by OCTO, and Certified Kosher by KSA.

I tried out both and think the Agatha Chris TEA makes for a fun inclusion to serve at a book party or mystery dinner themed night, they can help make for an easy decorating theme and conversation piece, as seen in the photo below.

Find these lovely teas at http://www.collectteables.com.

CollectTeables Agatha ChrisTeas

Collect Teables Shakespearmint Tea