Cuppa Magic: Relaxing Sleep Tea

As you know by now, I love tea. Black, Green, White, Red, herbal, I love it all. Even that weird savory tea that tastes like soup without the calories. 
So when I got the chance at a deep discount, of course I jumped on it.
I have children-induced insomnia, so I still don't sleep, but it's a valuable part of my bedtime routine now!
This tea is not the typical herbal tasting bedtime tea. It has a prominent orange flavor, but not orange oil flavor, which is usually more bitter and sharp. It's a very relaxing blend.
I like to have a cup white I fill out my bullet journal for the next day, and wrap up the current day before I go to bed.
Get yours here: http://amzn.to/2cn4Zu0

I got this at a discount in exchange for an honest review.

We need to talk about something that no one seems to talk about. 

It's something near and dear to the health and comfort of our husbands, sons, even our brothers technically but sorry Bro, you're on your own in this department. 

I'm talking about underwear. 

As someone who usually ends up buying the men's underwear (and not wearing it) for my household, I just grab the biggest, cheapest bulk pack of colors that don't offend me and of a quality that also doesn't offend me. Style? Boxer briefs. OBVIOUSLY. 

Enter Cariloha. You might remember them from the amazing bath sheet I reviewed. They do bamboo. They do bamboo very, very well. 

These boxer briefs are no exception. Dare I say, they are the most comfortable boxer briefs I've ever bought. Not for myself, but if I had the foresight I'd have got a pair without the fly opening for myself. (Then again I'm eyeing those fitted capris on their site for running, which I apparently do now.)

They are breathable, super soft bamboo so they wash well, the color is beautiful and doesn't get that white halo that cotton and other fabrics can get. Bamboo also discourages bacterial/microbial growth, so if stink is an issue, these may help out a lot. 

In fact, they are so comfortable that my husband actually changed into them to relax in a robe and these undies at the end of a long day. They are great, Check out Cariloha on their website and on Amazon. I'm seriously thinking of getting those capris as a reward for either hitting a weight goal or finishing this Arbonne cleanse thing. Hmmm......

I received a discount in exchange for an honest review. 

Wine Eccentric Wine Aerating Pourer- REVIEW

Hello!!
So I was offered a discount (or free product) in exchange for an honest review of this Wine Eccentric Wine Aerating Pourer.http://amzn.to/24W1hso

I make wine. I drink wine. I still sort of hesitate to say I "love" wine, because then I'm given wines that I don't like at all.
Like most white wines. And most roses. I do like many/most/practically all red wine though, so aeration is a part of my real life.
Sadly, so is losing, leaving behind and breaking aerators.
This aerator comes in a very nice case that makes it appropriate for gift-giving for the person in your life who is into wine (or maybe just always serves it in less than ideal conditions).
Also, it works. It made this weird chicken rose palatable to me, where as normally I'd prefer to be sober.
(Yes I finished the bottle before sitting down to write this review. Also, it's 13% which is high for wine. Don't judge me.)
In all seriousness, this little aerator is very fancy looking, it's "food grade" acrylic, but it sparkles like glass. It makes every pour more satisfying, since it looks, sounds, and tastes better. The design of the spout also helps keep the wine off of your tablecloth (or table. Or your kid's Minnie Mouse placemat, whatever).

There's not much more I can say about it, it looks great and does it's job. Anything less and I'd be unsatisfied; anything more and I'd be concerned. (Seriously, what else would you want an aerator to do??)
All in all, five out of five stars!
That's all I have to say, but if you want to check out the video (I might have done the voice over right after drinking the wine....) you can check it out over on my YouTube page here.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Best. Towel. Ever. -Cariloha - Bamboo Bath Sheet Towels - Review

Okay, so technically it's not a towel. It's a bath sheet. What is a bath sheet? It's a giant, luxurious towel.

 I was offered a discount in exchange for an honest review for a bamboo bath sheet so of course I jumped at the chance!

Here's what Cariloha says about their bath sheets:

Finding quality bath towels that combine luxury softness and bacterial resistance into one amazing towel can be hard to come by, especially at an affordable price. Our earth-friendly bamboo towels are just the answer. They are luxuriously plush, hypoallergenic and snag resistant. Made from a blend of renewable bamboo and cotton, Cariloha towels are perfect for home, gym, car, pool or spa.

• Dimensions: 40" x 70" 
• Extra-smooth, slightly twisted bamboo yarn is loomed perfectly to 600 grams per square meter and features an infusion of special silicon softener, resulting in an even softer, finer hand for increased bamboo-soft comfort. 
• Cariloha bamboo towel are optimized for softness, weight and plushness - not too thin and not too thick - just right. 

I agree!

It arrived quickly (even without Prime shipping) and I was surprised by how massive it is! At a whopping 40" x 60", this bath sheet is big enough for even the tall folks out there. In fact, my husband tried to claim it as soon as he felt it.

For me, it's like being a little kid again, back when the towel wrapped around twice. Only it's better, because this towel is soft, absorbent, and hypoallergenic.

When I say soft, I mean it is ridiculously soft. It's made from viscose from bamboo, which is often used as a silk substitute since it has a similar drape, softness and sheen. (It even burns similarly if you're a fiber fanatic like me and haven't yet had to tell silk from fake silk.) It's also made from Turkish-combed cotton which is deliciously soft and amazingly absorbent itself.

 Fiber content doesn't directly correlate to the quality and feel of the fiber or the finished product, but this towel is better than what even I hoped for from the blend.

 It's got a silky sheen without special care instructions, it's super plush without being "fuzzy", and it's super absorbent without that bad microfiber texture on naked skin. The color I got is Shoreline Grey which is a gorgeous shade of my favorite color (seriously, I've joked before that my closet is 50 shades of grey jersey). The color is gorgeous and rich and a little shiny (yes I know I've already mentioned the sheen).

 One or two of these would be a great gift for a graduation, a wedding, or a new baby. This massive, plush bath sheet screams "luxury" while also whispering "easy care". It would also be a great gift for yourself.

Get yours on Amazon here
or
Straight from Cariloha (check for sales!) here.

I received a discounted price in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links (Amazon affiliate links only)

Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum Review

Like many moms, I'm a big fan of skin care. Anything that can reverse the signs of children written all over my skin is a great thing in my book.

So, when I was offered Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum to review, I jumped on the chance.

I forgot to take a good before and after shot for this, but honestly, I care very little if it actually has dramatic visual results.

This stuff makes my skin feel amazing.

AMAZING. Softer than my toddler's skin. Granted, she gets scaly skin sometimes, but I stand by what I said.

It is a white lotion type serum in an amber glass pump bottle. It smells distinctly of natural rose (it has damask rose oil), so if you hate that smell- you won't like the smell of this.

It takes 2 pumps to cover my face and neck and my skin felt instantly softer. I did have the beginnings of a breakout, which vanished after using it.

I recommend using it on clean skin (the directions also state this) for best results and enjoying the process of rubbing it on. It feels like such a luxury and it smells wonderful. It's a very relaxing thing to do right before bed and improves the skin.

If you'd like to check it out for yourself, find it here on Amazon.

I received this product free or at a discount in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Swissvita Micrite 3D All Use Eye Cream - Review

If you follow my YouTube channel, you've probably seen my admission that I don't usually have much to correct in the eye area. (My first Ipsy bag was all about eye area corrections, and I was NOT into it.)

However, I'm in a sort of sleep regression with my kids right now, so between not sleeping and not hydrating, I'm actually getting some circles and baggage right now.

So, I got the chance to review this for free

The packaging looks very clinical, which is it's own kind of cute. It also has a clear expiration date and ingredients list, and a red seal threaded on that you have to unscrew the cap to remove. A lot of cosmetics and skin care products creep me out because they have none of these things.

It feels nice, smells like nothing, and I didn't have any adverse effects. It takes a very small amount for both eyes, and the small tip makes it easy to dispense such a small amount.

The only thing I don't like about it is that on my skin, there is kind of a slight sticky feeling that I also get from some sheet face mask products. However, after a few days (and no more sleep) I did get some improvement. Again, I don't have much to improve, so I'm not a great measure of magical results. But my eye area did improve. This is about 3 days difference, no makeup, first thing in the morning, in my bathroom light. I was too tired to pay attention to getting the same angle, which I usually try to do with before and afters but those bags could not be concealed by a face tilt anyway.

I also used it on a "fine line" I have next to my mouth that appears whenever I'm tired, dehydrated, etc. and it vanished.

I do like it better than the other eye creams I've tried, including the one I got in my Ipsy bag, which I did eventually try when I was having a rough week and felt warm but didn't really make a difference.

If you'd like to give it a try for yourself, you can get it here on Amazon.




I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

VADHAM Darjeeling Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

You may have noticed by now that I love tea.

Most of all, I love chai spiced tea.

 LOVE.

If there is a variation that exists, I have tried it. Dandelion chai, vanilla chai, pumpkin chai, rooibos chai, Oprah chai. You name it and tack "chai" at the end, I've tried it. So when I was given the opportunity to try this green, loose-leaf chai at a serious discount in exchange for a review, I was IN.

 I know that for the most part, I've been lucky in that most of the things I've gotten to review have been really great. I mean, stretch marks magic oil, The Stone Bearers book, the coffee pourover thing, and an AMAZING bamboo bath sheet which I will blog about soon.

I don't write posts on everything I review, but they almost always end up on my Instagram page, along with my cosplay and makeup attempts. So, here's a little bit of the description on Amazon:

• PREMIUM SPICED ORGANIC MASALA CHAI TEA: Our delicious Indian Masala Chai Green Tea is grown and harvested in the pristine mountains of India. This organic and pure Darjeeling loose-leaf tea combines potent Indian spices to create a healthy tea designed to promote calmness, reduce stress and leave you feeling amazing. Unlike other Masala Chai mixes, powders or concentrates, our pure tea is made using the finest ingredients to create a potent blend of tea with health promoting antioxidants.
• POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANTS AND HEALTH BENEFITS: Masala Chai Loose Leaf Tea has been used for centuries in Ayruvedic medicine to help maintain dental health, relieve stress, improve sleep and to detoxify the body by flushing out toxins. Our Masala Chai tea is chock full of health promoting antioxidants that help cleanse your body and improve your health. Enjoy a delicious cup of our Masala Chai tea to help regain your energy and vitality
• DELICIOUS TASTING PURE DARJEELING TEA: As soon as you open up our Loose Leaf Masala Chai tea, you will notice a fresh and aromatic smell. You can brew our organic Masala Chai loose leaf tea or put it in a reusable K Cup. The spiced green tea is 100% Pure Organic Darjeeling Tea with rare Indian spices and safe to drink on a daily basis. We manufacture our tea in small quantity in order to ensure freshness, quality and aroma.

Sounded good to me! So I ordered it, it arrived in 2 days with Prime shipping and I immediately had to try some out.

 I have found my new favorite chai.

In addition to quick shipping and great packaging, the bag itself is resealable. So no tea tin or ziplock baggies required! (Unlike Teavana teas that cost $50 an ounce and come in a paper bag.... Yes, I'm slightly exaggerating the prices...)

The tea smells and looks great, and it works nicely in a tea ball with looser mesh or the kind with holes instead of mesh without falling out into the cup. (Unlike Teavana tea, and also Adagio and many other loose leaf brands.) Any chance to use my floating flower tea balls makes my tea happier!

 It tastes amazing! The spices are well blended, they are strong without being overdone, unbalanced or waxy (unlike Teavanna's chai teas, which have some kind of weird waxy feel/taste to me. Not that it stops me from enjoying them completely).

Most bagged chai varieties I've tried are weak. Stash, which makes lovely teas has a vanilla chai that is ridiculously bland. I combined it with a plain dandelion tea to enhance the flavor. Same with Tazo, I enjoy most of their tea but without additions, the chai varieties I've tried fall flat. I was a little hesitant about the green tea base, but this is absolutely my favorite chai.

 When I drink chai at home, I don't add milk or sugar (I typically don't do this with any tea or coffee, because I've got other things to do in the mornings. Like deal with toddlers.)  Speaking of which, the only thing that I think is worth mentioning is that since this is a green tea base, it will get bitter faster than black tea would. I've been distracted and come back to bitter tea a couple of times. If I was smarter, I'd set a timer, but I usually drink it in the morning when I'm too tired for logic.

 Overall, this is my new favorite morning beverage. I love this chai. And the price is pretty darn good, too. If you'd like to get some yourself, you can find it on Amazon here. I know that I swung a lot of hate at Teavanna in this post, but I do really like Teavanna. my favorites are the Samurai chai/Maharaja Chai Oolong blend, the Youthberry blend and their almond something or other tea. When I was pregnant I tried basically every rooibos and herbal tea they had.

 As my husband says, we're "beverage people" and if you like your chai to tell you what's in it and when it was made, to be strong enough to handle milk and sugar or not, and to stay inside your manatea or flower or people tea balls, or your fancy ceramic infuser cup, this is a great candidate. And the price is great! When I run out, I'll replace it with their chai sampler pack and see if this one remains my favorite.

 I received this product for free or at a discount in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine. This post contains affiliate links.