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

A Gift & Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Today's post is going to be a craft project I've been working on for what feels like forever. Haha. I have a friend, Jenniffer, who is moving overseas to teach English and I wanted to give her a farewell present that I know she'd love. So, when I stumbled across THIS POST from Accio Lacquer, I knew this was it!

Jenn loves dragons. I mean... LOVES. And sure, I could just buy her dragon stuff, but that's too easy. This had to be something more special than that, because who knows when we'll see each other again. And while these are technically dragon eggs, I'm pretty sure she's gonna flail hard when she sees them. ^_^

Unfortunately, like I said earlier, this project took way more time than I anticipated. I was so rushed to get her package out, that I not only didn't put a card in it, I didn't even put a NOTE! *lame* So, this post will also serve as a farewell letter, but I'll put that at the end so you all don't have to read it if you don't want to.

I wanted to make the eggs special somehow, and I went back and forth a couple times until I settled on an elemental theme. So, I made four eggs loosely representing Earth, Air, Fire, & Water. Here they are:

Elemental Dragon Eggs, Elemental Dragons

Earth Dragon Egg, Earth Dragon

Air Dragon Egg, Air Dragon

Fire Dragon Egg, Fire Dragon

Water Dragon Egg, Water Dragon

Choosing the nail polish was the hardest part, the rest was just time. Seriously, I originally made the Air egg light blue, but it stuck out like a sore thumb. So, I had to redo it completely. I'm glad I did, though. It ended up being my favorite one. >_<

So, that's what I've been up to for the past couple months. It's an easy craft with a really cool end result. If know some dragon lovers it's a great gift idea, too! If you try it I'd love to see yours. I'm Lacque Enthusiasm on Facebook and tabi_maya on Twitter and IG. I hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Jenn,
Who would have known we'd end up such good friends. I still remember when I first started following you on tumblr and thinking, "She someone I'd like to know." You lived a life so different from anything I've ever known. Single, city girl, world traveler vs married mom. Ok, that's being extreme, but you know. You've seen where I live. LOL! If it wasn't for OOR... well, who knows. And now you're off to start a new journey that will lead you to your dreams, and some of mine. Totally jealous. ^_~ I wish you all the best, and honestly can't wait to visit you. I hope you love your gift and have an amazing time with the girls. Wish I was there.
xoxo,
Tabi

Influenster TLC VoxBox

***All items in this review were received for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hi guys! So, I received the Influenster TLC VoxBox a while back. It came packed full of great, useful goodies for moms and families. There was a bar of Ivory soap, Neo to Go, Puffs tissues, a Shell Fuel Rewards Card, a coupon for a FREE Breyers Gelato Indulgences, and Avon Anew Wrinkle Smoother.

I'm thankful that I haven't had to use the nifty Neo to Go yet. But the design is small and spill/leak-proof so you can toss it in your purse to always have with you. Same with the tissues. I've used the Kleenex packs to, but the Puffs packaging is way better. It opens on the narrow end and they don't pull the next tissue out with it, unlike the Kleenex packaging.

Influenster TLC VoxBox

Avon Anew Wrinkle Smoother

 Ok, can we talk about Avon's wrinkle smoother? Holy smokes! I've been really self-conscious about my forehead wrinkles for a while now. I'm a very expressive person and constantly lifting my eyebrows and such. By the end of the day I hate to look at how much more exaggerated they are. But look at the incredible results in my picture (click to enlarge). This is a product line that I'll remember for any future wrinkles to come, for sure!

Breyers Gelato Indulgences

Ok, on to the gelato. Cuz, let's face it, we all love sweet indulgences, right? I chose the Triple Chocolate. Can I tell you, this was so smooth and silky! I was so surprised that a mass produced product would be so good. I've had another brand and it didn't seem much different than their ice cream. So, this is a MUST try. I'll definitely be trying the other flavors!

Finally, I have to tell you about the Shell Fuel Rewards Card. I've never used a fuel rewards program, but I wish I had been. I mean, unless you take a train or bus everywhere, you're driving on a daily basis, right? So, why not save? You can earn rewards in a ton of ways, shopping and dining at places you already go to. It's simple to sign up. You can use my referral link below!

https://www.fuelrewards.com/fuelrewards/welcome.html?RefId=193d54c83460423b8b57b8e41085c17a

So, I loved everything in this box. I'm a very practical person and these items make so much sense to me. I hope you try some out yourself. Make sure to let me know what you think! Later, Lovlies! xoxo~ Tabi

Zoya Tickled & Bubbly Swatches & Review

Happy June! Hopefully, you all will be able to enjoy some relaxation this summer. I've been so unexpectedly busy and June doesn't look like it's going to slow down any. But I did finally manage to get my Zoya Tickled & Bubbly swatches for you all.

All of the polishes were the great formula you come to expect from Zoya. Full coverage in two coats for all the creams except the light pink, Kitridge. It streaked but was fine with a third coat. And I know a lot of people don't like visible nail line, but these glitters have so much shimmer and shine, that it won't even bother you. I actually think it suits the lighter, breezy clothes of summer perfectly. All the glitters are two coats as well.

So, all the colors are absolutely gorgeous, but my favorite combination had to be Wendy topped with it's coordinating glitter, Alma. Alma looks like a light orange on it's own, but over Wendy...WOW! It just made the most gorgeous combination! I think it looks like a sparkling peach-colored champagne... just delicious! Hehe.

Ok, now for the photos. I've got 3 sets for each color. The cream and glitter on their own, the cream on its own and topped with the glitter, and then the glitter as a topper and on it's own. I just really wanted to show comparisons on all the ways you could wear these and the difference in color depending on how you wear them. Enjoy!

Zoya Tilda & Zoya Stassi

Zoya Tilda & Zoya Stassi

Zoya Kitridge & Zoya Harper

Zoya Kitridge & Zoya Harper

Zoya Rocha & Zoya Jesy

Zoya Rocha & Zoya Jesy

Zoya Ling & Zoya Muse

Zoya Ling & Zoya Muse

Zoya Rooney & Zoya Binx

Zoya Rooney & Zoya Binx

Zoya Wendy & Zoya Alma

Zoya Wendy & Zoya Alma

So, which is your fave color or combination? Have you order either of these collections yet? All products can be found online at Zoya.com. Let me know if you plan to! I hope you all have a lovely week!     xoxo ~Tabi

These products were provided for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

JulieG Cruise Collection Wrap-Up

So, since I haven't shown nail art with each color, here's a swatch wrap-up post. All polishes are 2 coats with top coat. Gorgeous shades that can wear right into summer. The stand-out, to me is probably Miami Beach. I don't know how to describe it. It's color ranges from coral to watermelon depending on the light. But not like some of the light corals that are out there. Dark, rich coral. Absolutely eye-catching and not for the anyone afraid of a nice pop of color.

JulieG Rio De Janiero

JulieG Santorini

JulieG Tahiti

JulieG Miami Beach

JulieG Old San Juan

JulieG Canary Islands

If you've gotten this collection I'm sure you're enjoying the fun, bright colors. I sure am. So, that's all for today. I'll be back soon with a new collection. Til then... xoxo ~ Tabi

JulieG Santorini Plus Nail Art

Hiya! Today is JulieG Santorini from the Cruise Collection. I love periwinkle colors so much, and this one doesn't disappoint in the least. There is a very faint shimmer that you can't really see on the nail, but you can catch it in the bottle. One thing I have to say about these polishes is they are super shiny even without topcoat. This one wasn't even thick like the others. Actually, it seems the 3 in this box were fine. Must have been a fluke, because this one is the quality I'm used to. Ok, on to the pics!

JulieG - Santorini

I decided to try a little dry-brush nail art. It was my first attempt and is obviously not that great, but I thought the idea was cute. It was a little busy, though. So, I thought well how about with a solid accent nail? Or AS and accent nail? And there you have it. Hehe.

Thanks for reading! I hope you're all having a great week. xoxo ~Tabi