Man-ccessories

I don't know if anyone has ever used the words man-ccessories or man-ccessorize, but if not I'll gladly claim coining the terms. Hehehe! ^_^

Well, it all started when a bracelet someone had made for my husband, Gil, broke. I told him I could remake it, which lead to me teaching him macrame. Gil has always complained about the lack of variety in men's accessories. It's either bling, the puka shell beach look, or a metallic/rocker style. So, making his own was the logical thing to do. Well, he's since expanded from macrame, and has proven to have a great eye. Take a look.

Layering Wooden Beaded Bracelets

Natural, Earthy Jewelry is Totally Gil's Style

He has a laid-back style and personality. He even has a nickname, Chill Gil. (>_<) The natural, earthy look of his jewelry compliments him perfectly, and looks great, if I do say so myself. He's even made me a couple bracelets, the one pictured below being my favorite.

Do You Get an Island Vibe?

Do any of you feel the same, or have a man who does? If you're not a big spender and like to have accessories that match your personal style, this could be a great option. What do you think? Are these styles you or your man would wear?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

xoxo ~Tabi

Dessange VoxBox Review

Hello!! I know it's been a while, but today I have a review for you all. I received the Dessange VoxBox from Influenster. There were actually 2 different collections available, the Oleo Miracle Replenishing and the California Blonde. I received the Oleo Miracle collection.

Dessange VoxBox

I don't know about you, but when I see the claims that some products make, I get a little skeptical. "Salon quality" for one, and any product adding "Paris" to the name always makes me wonder about the validity. Luckily for me, I have a friend in France and I asked her about Dessange. She confirmed that it's a well known, quality product. Step 1 of eliminating my skepticism complete!

Another thing I've been leery of is putting oils in my hair. How can an oil possibly NOT leave my hair looking greasy or building up residue? Actually, I don't wash my hair every day, so I was especially worried about needing to because of the oil. Well, I had no such problems! Consider this skeptic won over.

2 Days Later - No Build-Up

As a matter of fact, everyone in my household has been using the oil. I used it for my daughter's hair because her bath is usually late and requires me to blow-dry her hair. I hate using heat on her hair because she has really fine hair. I worry the heat will damage it. I've actually thought her hair looked dry, lately. So, this has been a welcome addition to our routine and is working great. I will be buying this one.

My husband has dreadlocks and was making his own oil concoctions to treat his hair and scalp. He tried the oil a couple times himself and says it's not bad. Coming from him, that's positive feedback. ^_^ He takes pride in having clean, healthy looking locs and I'd say he's accomplished that.

As for the shampoo, it seems a little runny. My initial thought was that it's because of the oils, so no big deal. But I have super thick hair, and this shampoo doesn't suds up the way other shampoos do. I feel that I can't get the deep clean I need for my hair. It smells nice and I like the results, but at this price point, it's not  for me.

In contrast to the shampoo, the conditioner is super thick. You know how you squeeze the conditioner into your hand and it sort of smooths out into a shapeless blob? Not this stuff. It's so thick that it keeps is shape. And it comes out in a swirl, so it looks like you're holding a mini soft-serve. Hahaha! That's what I call a quality conditioner. Again, though, my hair is so thick, that I'd go through this bottle in no time. But, if I like the results enough when I finish it, I might actually buy it again.

If I were to give a star rating it would be:
Shampoo - 3 out of 5
Conditioner - 4 out of 5
Oil - 5 out of 5

If you've tried any of these, I'd love to hear what you think. Leave me a comment below. If you'd like to join Influenster, here's my referral link: www.influenster.com/r/191699
I hope to hear from you!

xoxo ~ Tabi

**I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.**

Taste Test & Reactions

Growing up Asian-American, I've always liked getting friends to try something they might never get the chance to. It's not hard to convince someone with sweets, but what about savory snacks? I realized early that if I told them what it was, they would be less likely to try it. However, if they tried it first and liked it, they wouldn't mind as much. But if they don't like it, the reactions are priceless!

So, I decided to try this with my co-workers. I know some picky eaters, but are they adventurous enough to go in blind and try my mystery snack? Some did, others just had to know. Watch all their reactions here:

Would you have tried it? Would you like to see more videos like this? Let me know. Have a wonderful rest of the week!                                               xoxo ~ Tabi

Quick Nail Art & a Short Family Story

Sometimes, like me lately, you just don't have time to sit down and do the nail art you really want to. An easy way to get a noticeable result is to use different types of polish.

For this mani I used Julep Paula as a base. If you're a purple/blurple lover, you'll love this. It's probably one of my all-time faves. It is SO gorgeous! For the tips, I used Sinful Colors Blue Persuasion. It's very similar in color, but it's textured. Since I did the tips freehand, they were far from perfect. So, I added a stripe of silver. I was hoping it would hide my messy lines, but alas, I need more practice with my striping brush too. Hahaha! I used Sally Hansen Color Foil in Sterling Silver for the stripe.

Julep Paula & Sinful Colors Blue Persuasian

 

Added a Stripe of Silver

Sorry, I know the pics suck, but I was originally supposed to pick up my half-brother from the airport that morning. As a matter of fact, the 2nd pic was taken while sitting at a Starbucks waiting. It was my first time meeting my half-brother and the first time he & my dad have seen each other in 37 years! It was such a happy week for our family. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and have a blessed new year!                                                                                               xoxo ~Tabi

Bonus: Family Pic! (Blocked out the kids' faces for privacy/safety.)

New Year's Day

I Wore (Super Cute) Flats to Our Holiday Party

That's right. I took the comfortable route, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Seriously, though, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be able to walk around at a party without having to take your shoes off. You wouldn't believe how many women were carrying theirs by the end of the night. Bonus: I can wear these over and over again. They work great with jeans and would look adorable with shorts, too.

Cut-out Ballet Flats

How Cute are These Ballet Flats?

I got them on sale for $29.99 at Rack Room and will be wearing them all the time. It's a much smarter move than the shoes I wore last year that I haven't touched since. Wouldn't you agree? ^_^

So, that's all. Just a quick post to let you all know I'm still around. I hope you're all having a lovely holiday season!                                                                                         xoxo ~Tabi