must-have

quip: The Clarisonic of Toothbrushes

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I had seen advertisements for quip everywhere, and after visiting their website, decided to give them a shot.  Normally, I keep using the same toothbrush for ages, which probably affects its efficacy.  I have tried Sonicare, Colgate (my absolute favorite manual toothbrush is the Optic White), REACH, you name it.  Most recently I had been using a bamboo toothbrush, which I bought as part of my Zero Waste challenge.  I loved it… but I love quip just a little bit more.  My only gripe, and this goes for most toothbrushes, is that the brush head is flat.  That makes it a bit more difficult to reach behind and around back teeth.  I wish the top bristles were angled a bit to ensure that every bit of the tooth is covered. 

Quip offers electric and manual versions of their slim toothbrushes.  Each toothbrush is slim and comes with a holder that doubles as a brush head protector when you travel.  You can purchase sets or individual brushes with or without toothpaste; and no, you don’t need to purchase a subscription.  The electric version requires one AAA battery.  According to the site, the AAA battery will last about 3 months (with daily use).  Quip recommends changing the brush head out after 3 months, so you can change out both at the same time.  When you choose the subscription plan, you are sent a brush head every three months.  I also noticed that a battery comes with the brush head.  If you have chosen the option with toothpaste, you will receive that as well.

Sorry!  I know these aren’t the greatest photos.
We chose black and copper for our brush colors.
The back of the brush has
a tongue scraper.
The whole brush. 


So, how does the electronic toothbrush work?  Well, it reminds me of Clarisonic (hence the title).  Not only are the models stylish… some more than others… they are also travel-friendly, and have a built-in timer.  After applying the toothpaste and wetting the brush head, you press the little button at the base of the brush head.  The toothbrush will begin to vibrate, and you start brushing.  Once 30 seconds have passed, there will be a pause.  This helps the user to make sure the front and back sides of teeth are taken care of.  At the end of the brushing cycle, there will be a couple of pauses during the vibration, letting you know that the 2 minutes are up.

I love that quip mentions that their toothbrush can be as effective as the cheaper manual ones as well as the electric toothbrushes on the market.  They are just making it a little bit easier, especially with the subscription option.  How much does quip cost?  Well, that varies.  The brushes start at $10.00 for manual, and $55.00 for the electric version with three extra brush heads.  You can click here for their store site.  Their customer service is great– when I had questions, I received a response within one day.  Here is an important note:  *If you have an existing subscription and opt out or remove your payment information before your subscription time is up, any refills you would have received will not be sent.  So, make sure to remove the payment method or cancel after your last refill is shipped out. 

Whether you purchase a manual or electric version, quip will spruce up your brushing routine.  If you are interested in trying out quip, I have listed the promo link here.  You will get a free brush head cycle (where they send you a brush head after 3 months for free), and I will too!  To learn more about quip, you can read their FAQ.

Stay beautiful!

Fun in the Sun with Sun Bum!

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I should start by saying that this post should have been up long ago… about four months ago.  So, I extend my apologies to Sun Bum.  I can’t believe that (1) it’s November, and (2) it still feels like summer.  Since it is, I’ve been spending some extra time at the beach.  

Before getting into my beach day with Sun Bum, there are some [awesome] things you need to know about their company.  All of the information came from their website (trustthebum.com), so all credit goes to them:

Sun Bum (est. 2010) has created a top-of-the-line suncare, made for those who love (and live) in the sun.  In order to minimize the risk of skin cancer, Sun Bum has a wide array of sprays, solids, and liquids to protect every inch of your body (including your hair!).  You can even get awesome gear. All suncare products are, “… tested, approved, and recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation,” (trustthebum.com).

Products courtesy of Sun Bum.
Sun Bum at the beach.

Leave-in hair spray.

Sun Bum products are fast-absorbing, lightweight, and non-greasy, which I love.  They are also travel-friendly.  It’s always a plus, since I’m gone a lot of the time.  My suncare routine starts with my hair.  I purchased the Sun Bum 3 in 1 leave in conditioner, which has UV protection.  It smells great and is a wonderful leave-in conditioner.  Then comes the body protection.  I always apply sunscreen to my arms, chest, neck, shoulders, and face.  My legs get a coat when I wear shorts, but that isn’t often. And yes, I know clothes don’t protect you 100% from the rays.   Guess that’s the lazy part of me.  

Anyway, every day I put the smaller size sunscreen in my bag, because I like to re-apply throughout the day.  The other day, we went to the beach, and then took an unexpected detour to Disneyland.  By the time it was 2pm, it was nearly 90 with a high UV index.  I was never more happy to have my Sun Bum.  Before I left the house I used a leave-in hair treatment, that I purchased, to help protect my hair & scalp.  I then used Sun Bum on my usual bits, packed up my bag, and we were off.

The beach near our campsite.

Over the weekend, I was camping out by the beach.  During the day it was sunny and warm.  Many people were in the water or building sandcastles.  By night, the temperature dropped into the low 40s, which is freezing to those of us in SoCal.  Again, it was Sun Bum that protected my skin and hair.    

Cooling spray.

I love everything, so far, that I have tried with one exception.  The cooling spray (not to be confused with the cooling lotion) did not work as I had expected.  When I purchased the spray, I thought it would be like a cooling, fast-absorbing oil.  When it was applied, there was no cooling effect whatsoever.  The cooling lotion, however, is another story.  It is one exceptional product.  My partner ended up with a horrible sunburn on both arms (someone doesn’t think they need sunscreen…), so I applied the lotion.  Within moments, the itch was gone, and the recovery was fast. 

Taking Up a Little Less Space in the Landfill with Facekins

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Image courtesy of Facekins.com

I was sent a sample of Facekins to try out, and I am in L-O-V-E!  For those of you who don’t know, Facekins are washable, reusable fabric facial pads.

I took these with me while I worked camp, and they were such a blessing!  I didn’t have to gauge the amount of cotton facial pads and cotton balls I would need, and the Facekins took up far less room in my kit!  Since I wash my face at least twice a day (morning, night, and in the shower of course!) and always use makeup remover and toner, I go through a ton of cotton.  Okay, not literally a ton, but you know what I mean.  It is one of the softest products to ever touch my face!  It reminded me of something that would be used during a luxury spa treatment.

I also found myself using less product.  At first, I thought it was too good to be true Facekins, but no.  I tested out how far one spray of toner would go on a cotton pad versus the Facekins.  Both items were the round-shape, and were about the same in width.  I tried to do things as error- and bias-free as possible.  I used the same amount of pressure on the spray nozzle, held the spray bottle at the same distance, and as I said, just one spray.  To make sure that the temperature didn’t affect the outcome, both products were used within a few minutes of each other.  My results were that the cotton pad, even though it distributed the product fairly evenly in the beginning, it was nearly gone by the time I was done.  The product on the Facekins pad, however, lasted throughout the application process, which was the same as the process for the cotton pad, and is most likely due to its composition.

Here is how my experience went (and I still do this at home):

–  Morning routine, side 1 used.
–  Night routine, side 2 used.
–  Wash after night routine.
–  Let it air dry while I slept.
–  Repeat.

Now, of course you can throw them in the washing machine.  Because of our location, I couldn’t do that, but it also wasn’t necessary.  I can see how useful having Facekins are.  For those with stubble, these are a wonderful option because you won’t have a bunch of cotton fibers hanging around.

I love that they are:

–  Ultra-plush
–  Reusable
–  Come in a variety of shapes & sizes
–  Multifunctional
–  Soft enough for those with very sensitive skin
–  Saves money (I won’t have to spend near that much on cotton anymore)
–  Saves landfill space
–  Handmade and packaged in Southern California

Ladies, they also make nursing pads!  They help to alleviate soreness, and even work for women who are sensitive before/during menstruation.

Thank you so much, Connie!

View their FAQ page and shop!

Tech Tuesday: KiiTAG 2

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Life n Soul, who brought the world the KiiTAG and amazing Bluetooth headsets, has something new up its sleeve.  While at CES, there were a number of inventions that would make daily life that much easier.  The KiiTAG 2, which is a CES 2015 Best of Innovations Award honoree, is one of those.  It is important to note that the item is not currently for sale.  Their Kickstarter has launched, and I sincerely hope they are able to reach their goal. 
Image courtesy of Kickstarter & Life n Soul
Developed by Founder/CEO Ronny Tsai, the KiiTAG 2 is an all-in-one that is equipped with a flash drive, key finder, voice memo recorder, mini power bank, and so much more!  He wanted to create an all-in-one, pocket-sized device that would provide several functions without weighing down one’s pocket or purse.  Up to four shortcuts can be made on the KiiTAG 2, such as the “fake phone call” (which will give you an excuse to leave a date, for instance, if it starts to go south) or phone finder, all of which can be synced to the dedicated KiiTAG 2 app.  The app, compatible with Android and iOS devices, allows everything to be stored and managed in one place.    
You can support the project on Kickstarter by clicking here.  The KiiTAG 2 will retail for $79.99 and $89.99 for the 8GB and 16GB, respectively.  However, if you decide to back the project, you can get the 8GB for the special price of $60, or the 16GB for $70.  If you live in the United States, shipping is free!