A Taste of Italy with Panino Giusto

A new year means new experiences, and now is the perfect time to eat lunch at recently opened Panino Giusto in Cupertino. Right before the holidays kicked in, I was invited to a tasting lunch.

Panino Giusto is an Italian restaurant that started out in Milan, Italy. They quickly became known for their artisanal menu and for sourcing fresh and local produce and have opened 22 locations worldwide. Cupertino is their first US location and a big reason why you should make your way over to visit them for lunch or dinner.

For starters, we had fresh squeezed juices, cheese plates, salads and cured meats. Among the cheeses we tried was their well-known 30-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It was my favorite among the ones we tasted and one I highly recommend. We also tasted a variety of cured meats and my favorite was their 27-month old prosciutto crudo.

We tasted 3 of the most popular paninis from the menu: the Milano 2015, Madras, and Giusto. Each panini paired was paired with a different wine and I would ask a server what they would recommend if you drink wine with your panini. I loved the ambiance in the restaurant and enjoyed being able to eat in the outdoor area. There is a lot of detail in each panini and it is apparent through the taste. Each one had a fresh taste, and the flavors of each one surprised me. I never knew I liked anchovy until I tried the Giusto sandwich.

Of course, my favorite part of any meal is dessert and we indulged ourselves with chocolate pear cake, panna cotta, tiramisu, and apple tarts. Dessert paired nicely with a warm cappuccino made using their espresso machine. Our tasting lunch felt like an all day thing, but that was one of the nice things about it. There is no rush when eating at this spot and it makes a great place to hang out and enjoy the food that has been prepared. 
There are plans for this restaurant to open a location in SF and LA, but don’t wait to try a panini or 2 in their first US location!

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Photos by Blair Heagerty

November Birchbox Unboxing Review

I love experimenting with new beauty products, but buying a full-size bottle of anything is sometimes too big of a commitment. What if you don’t love this product despite all the reviews you looked into? Well Birchbox has your back! For only $10 a month you can get a monthly delivery of 5 beauty products, all picked just for you.

This month, my November Birchbox contained:

ARDENCY INN Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged EyelinerBalance Me Tinted Wonder Eye CreamNumber 4 Jour d’Automne Smoothing BalmBenefit They’re Real! Lengthening MascaraJuliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume

These items arrived just in time while I was deciding what makeup and beauty products to bring along with me as I packed my weekend bag for my trip to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving. Everything in the box was travel-sized, and so I tossed everything in to my makeup bag.

The theme for this month was The Finishing Touch and all of these products seem to have the gool of topping off or completing a look. I love Benefit products, and have used the They’re Real eyeliner before. I cannot wait to try the lengthening mascara in this box for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner look. Ardency Inn, Balance Me, Number 4, and Juliette Has a Gun are all beauty brands I have never heard of before. The Number 4 smoothing balm sounds really appealing to me since I’ve chopped a few inches of my hair I feel like I am experiencing frizzy hair a lot more often than with my longer locks. The Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun is a elegant, spicy Cetalox scent. Cetalox is not something I am familiar with, and I tend to love floral/citrusy perfumes, but have learned that cetalox tends to be a base in most fragrances. I can’t wait to see what that smells like and how exactly it translates into not being a perfume.

If any of the samples you receive are life-changing, shopping for a full size product on Birchbox is pretty easy. I’ve linked full size products of these samples below in case you’d like to shop them from this box, but to get this month’s box with the 5 beauty products, sign up at birchbox.com/November. If you sign up, you can get another FREE top-rated mascara by Benefit when you use code FREEFAVE at checkout.

Hopefully you enjoyed my review and unboxing and stay tuned for more holiday gift ideas and sales later this week.

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This post is sponsored by Collective + Birchbox; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Popsugar’s September Must Have Box

Popsugar sent me a Must Have Box this month and it was full of amazing fashion, beauty and food related products. I am pretty excited to share with you what my favorite items were from this month’s box were and what I still need to try.

The September #MustHaveBox included:

Jack and Lucy adjustable wide brim hat
Flint retractable lint roller
GFB dark chocolate coconut bites
NCLA mani E.R. kit
Briogeo deep conditioning mask
Smith & Cult lip lacquer 

Right off the bat, I was stoked to see the black wide brim hat from Jack and Lucy. It is adjustable and is in a classic color. I have had an obsession with hats as of late and this one is going to get plenty of wear this fall.

I was excited to try the Smith & Cult lip lacquer in the shade The Warning. It applied smoothly and had a nice pigment. I felt very put together with the Flint lint roller, especially because I had been in the market for a new lint roller. My last one ran out of sheets and I was not sure if I should repurchase it or look for something else, so this came at a good time.
The Gluten Free Bites (GFB) are not exactly new to me. I’ve tasted similar bites at work thanks to one of my coworkers, but I was not wowed by them. The dark chocolate coconut bites flavor was delicious and one I could definitely see myself buying again along with chocolate cherry. 
Ive had the NCLA Mani-ER kit in my purse ready to use in case I need to touch up my nails, but I have not needed it so far. I love the packaging and it comes with all the essentials to keep your nails nicely manicured.
I have not tried the Briogeo deep conditioning mask, but it is my plan to use it over the weekend. I recently had a hair cut to keep my hair healthy, but this may be what I need to help me feel like my hair is refreshed.
It had been a while since I had a box delivered to my door, but I am so glad I restarted my subscription because this month’s box really spoke to me. If you are interested in next month’s box and are new to the service, sign up and use code SHOP5 for $5 off when you sign up here:
http://link.popsugar.com/u.d?JYGpq_xCVXyt0Nc0tuzj=311

If you received the September Must Have Box, let me know! I’d love to hear what your favorite item was.

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Mornings with Modern Oats

I’ve never been the biggest fan of oatmeal. Despite knowing the health benefits it can have, I’ve always found the taste either bland and kind of a boring way to start the day.
A few months ago, Modern Oats sent me some of their oatmeal to try and I now wonder if everything I knew about oatmeal was a lie! Modern Oats was founded in 2013 with the goal to “Change people’s perception of “old fashioned” oatmeal.” Besides their focus on taste, Modern Oats oatmeal is gluten-free and and contains Non-GMO Verified oats and artisan selected fruits, nuts and seeds.

To sample, I was sent Chocolate Cherry, Mango Blackberry, Apple Walnut, 5 Berry, Nuts & Seeds and Goji Berry. I was not expecting the fruit in the oatmeal to taste as good as it did. My experience has been that the fruit bits in oatmeal tend to be really small and taste like they have been preserved. The fruit really stood out to me and added enough sweetness to the oatmeal. The Nuts and Seeds flavor did not come with fruit, but I added some fresh strawberries and it totally made my morning.

I enjoyed all of my Modern Oats samples at work. I feel like I am always in a rush in the morning and prefer to sleep an extra 10 – 15 minutes instead of making myself breakfast. I loved that these were conveniently packaged to be a portable (and recyclable) bowl. I kept a few at my desk and used the hot water dispenser in the kitchen to fill the cups before enjoying. My favorites among these samples were Goji Blueerry and 5 Berry.
Each container has a recipe to create 2 oatmeal cookies. While I didn’t have a chance to bake any since I really enjoyed eating these for breakfast, I would like to try making cookies out of the Apple Walnut and Chocolate Cherry flavors.

Since these were really easy to prepare, and tasted really good, I would not hesitate to purchase these to keep in my cubicle and as part of a future camping or hiking trip.  Modern Oats proved itself to be the perfect, healthy, anytime, anywhere snack. Their new flavors sound intriguing, Coconut Almond and Vermont Maple, and both sound like they would make delicious oatmeal cookies.

To try Modern Oats, you can search for them using their store locator or order from Amazon. let me know if you have tried Modern Oats and what your favorite flavor is!

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I received samples for review from Modern Oats. All opinions expressed are my own.

Evian Mineral Water Facial Spray Review

When it comes to my daily fitness routine, we can pretty much say it is non-existent. I walk back and forth to work everyday, and bike on occasion, so it I am not completely inactive. My all-time favorite exercise is swimming, and the biggest reason for that, besides it being a great workout, is because I am not a fan of sweat. I like stepping out of the pool and feeling refreshed and it gives me more satisfaction than any other workout.
Unfortunately, going swimming all the time is pretty hard for me to do, particularly due to the hair maintenance.  I have enjoyed dance workouts, like Zumba and Barre classes, and have liked yoga classes. I’ve struggled finding a routine I enjoy as much as swimming, but also something that doesn’t leave me feeling like a hot mess.

That’s where Evian Facial Spray comes in. I received a sample of it to review and it has already started helping me feel like less of a mess. It was really warm these past few weekends, and while I was working up a sweat for work, I used this facial spray to cool off and rehydrate my skin. How will this help with swimming? Well, this spray not only rehydrates skin and remove sweat, but it is capable of removing chlorine (or salt water) after swimming and is versatile enough to tame fly-away hair! I have yet to taste the chlorine removal to see how effective it is, but I am excited to try it for that.

But what am I spraying on my face (or hair) exactly? Evian is the brand behind mineral drinking water, and that unique water is what is behind their mineral water spray. No water has the same mineral content.
The 5 oz spray can is the perfect size to carry around, and I already know if I plan on visiting my sister in Japan, I’ll need to bring one of these to cool off and rehydrate me skin. This has definitely earned a permanent spot in my gym bag and now I just need to get myself back on a routine. One step at a time though.

What do you think of Evian Facial Spray and have you used it after a work out? Let me know!

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Evian and Brandbacker. All opinions and views expressed are my own.

T3Micro Twirl 360 Styling Iron Review

11/9/15 Important Recall Notice: T3 has issued a safety recall on the Twirl 360 Motion-Sensing Auto-Rotating 1.25” Curling Iron (MSRP $230) in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. The clamp on the tool can detach while in use, posing a burn hazard.
If you’ve purchased one before November 2014, please stop using this tool immediately. For information on how to send in your tool for repair, please contact T3 consumer services at 1-866-8880 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or visit T3 online at www.t3micro.com and click on the “Product Recall” link at the bottom of the page here. 
Thanks to iFabbo, I had the chance to test out the new T3Micro Twirl 360 Auto-Rotating Styling Iron. I realize it might sound silly that I, the girl with curly hair, would jump at the opportunity to try out this styling iron to curl my hair, but trust me when I say it takes a lot of product to get the curls I have. I do typically wear my hair curly, but my natural hair can get pretty frizzy if I don’t apply products to it immediately after stepping out of the shower. (I’ve bounced between Tresemme and Herbal Essance Mouse, but splurged at Sephora recently and am trying the Mousse and Styling Cream by Living Proof, which I feel is less heavy and a bit more natural looking.)
However, I would always admire girls who could curl their hair using a curling iron. I would have “gorgeous” curls for special occasions when my Mom or family friend would spend a pretty long morning curling my hair, applying hair spray, and generally commenting that my hair was perfect for curling since it was thick and could hold the shape of the curl.
I never became an expert or knew how to curl my own hair, but it is always something I’ve wanted to do. Enter the T3 Micro 360 Motion-Sensing Styling Iron. When I first saw this curling wand, I could hear a chorus singing “Hallelujah”. My typical curls are pretty relaxed, but I dream of having seriously glam curls without as much work as I remember my mom going through when curling my hair as a teen.

The T3Micro Twirl 360 promised beautiful waves and curls. (Waves are another item on my beauty  bucket list.) The gyroscopic technology detects motion and triggers automatic barrel movement with the simple twist of your wrist to create easy, flawless curls. Add the T3 Tourmaline Technology of ionic, infrared energy from the Tourmaline gemstone to fight frizz and you should have the perfect combo to achieve fabulous curls!

I really had high hopes for this styling iron. At first glance, I thought it was a beautiful item and I absolutely loved the rose-gold detail. It also had some great features and looked really simple to use.
I will admit that my first attempt using the wand was, in short, a disaster. It was a bigger wand than I was expecting, but as I would clamp my hair under the lever, I would have trouble finding the GO button again. And by the time I hit it and flicked my wrist to move the styling iron to the right position, I had my hair close to heat barrel too long and kind of burnt the bottom part of my hair. I think there was a lot more user error on my part, and initially didn’t understand how the curl would work thanks to the fact that I had reviewed a similar iron before, but definitely not the same as this.
I had started out styling my hair without a mirror when I first began using the T3 Twirl, so that may have also been where I went wrong. I felt flustered and a little bummed I had burnt my hair after also trying to curl the same area with no good results. I had also attempted to reduce the heat of the barrel by trying to press the power button and GO button simultaneously, but was unable to figure out how to lower the temperature.
I do feel a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to get it right the first time (and having to put my hair in a bun since curls were just not forming due.) I took photos of my frizzy hair from before, but really felt bummed I was not good at this right away and for not getting an after shot. I didn’t want to be late for work, hence the bun I ended up doing that day, but I haven’t given up hope that this could work for me and give me the curls I desire to have.
That being said, I don’t think this is the right styling iron for beginners. I am sure if I watch videos on Youtube I can get the hang of it, but I would have been hesitant splurging on this without any prior experience with a similar curling tool. This particular model retails for about $230.  It is a gorgeous device in person, but I recommend watching some tutorials and starting with low heat to avoid potentially burning your hair.
Stay tuned as I attempt this again (once my hair heals) and for the before and after look (or at least some parts of my hair) curled with this styling iron.

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