Digital Perm

Back in January I read an article in Fashion about this new perming concept – a digital perm. Growing up my mom always had perms and I loved how pretty her spiral ringlets looked. As I got older, perms were out of style and while I have some curl in my hair, the super tight curls didn’t suit me. When I read this article I was intrigued because it mentioned the new trend in perming which included more beachy waves. Anyone how knows me, knows this is a style I wear often as its easier to put some curl product in my hair and scrunch it up then spending an hour blow drying and straightening it. The digital perming technology was created in Korea for Asian hair which is traditionally straight. Looking up photos it was amazing to see how great the curls developed on different types of hair – including types typically didn’t curl. Plus the curl started just under the ears so you didn’t get the super tight curls that started at the top of your head. I was a little nervous to try it but when I mentioned it to Amanda she was also intrigued.

We booked appointments with the women who was featured in the article – Hannah from H20 Goa. She went over the price (almost $300.00) and the rules (it couldn’t be done on hair that had bleach in it). Amanda and I drove downtown to the Koreatown part of Toronto, equally parts excited and nervous. When we arrived Amanda realized she wasn’t able to do it because she had recently highlighted her hair but Hannah suggested trying a straightening treatment which was similar to the perm technology just having the opposite effect. Since we were there and I was going to be about 3 hours she decided to do it.

Hannah trimmed up my hair a little bit and took me back to another area of the salon where she applied this product to my hair and then rolled it into these large rollers. Then she hooked the rollers up to these crazy chords and turned on the machine. After sitting there hooked up to this crazy contraption for about 30-40 minutes the product was washed out of my hair, it was dried and then something else was applied. At this point Hannah suggested a treatment which would help and I agreed so that was added and my hair was wrapped in a plastic bag and I was set under the dryer.  

As soon as everything was washed out I noticed the curls immediately. Hannah styled my hair and showed me the best way to achieve well defined waves. I was very happy with the end result but worried about how it would look when I washed it and styled it myself. I didn’t need to worry as it was easy to manage and replicate. I am very happy that I tried this and would consider doing it again. Because my hair is naturally wavy, I found that this treatment helped give me some defined curls which are easier to manage. I definitely recommend trying this but encourage you to go to Hannah as she was amazing. She explained everything she was doing, made both Amanda and I feel welcome and comfortable and has a wonderful salon.   

Steeped Tea

About a year ago my Aunt Honey got involved with a company called “Steeped Tea”. The best way to describe it is direct person-person sales like Avon, Silpada, Epicure etc. I had actually heard of the company months before this, while watching Dragons Den with my dad. Dragons Den is the Canadian version of Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs pitch their idea/business to a bunch of investors in the hopes of securing funding. When I watched the episode I remember thinking it was the silliest idea, and was surprised when two of the Dragons went in on it.

My thinking (as an avid tea drinker) had been that there were more then enough places out there to buy tea – shops like Teopia, Teavana, and David’s Tea that specialized in unique, high quality tea, in addition to all the grocery store brands you can buy anywhere. In all honestly, I thought this company would be a bust.

So when Aunt Honey mentioned her interest I was skeptical. She smartly decided to host a party herself in order to try the products and see the sales pitch. She invited mom, Nanny and I to come, in addition to her friends and neighbors. I went into that party still skeptical, and not planning on buying anything! While my favorite tea seller Teaopia had been bought out by Teavana (a company whose teas I didn’t much like), I had doubts that this company would have anywhere near the quality/taste I was used to.

I was so wrong!

Every tea we sampled was amazing. Even their Blueberry tea I loved, and I hate both blueberries and fruit tea! I walked away from that party having bought a number of teas, and signing up for the tea-of-the-month club.

When Aunt Honey became an official consultant, I was an immediate customer. Every time I was at her house I was sampling new types of tea, and pouring over the catalogue deciding what else to buy. At current time, I have an entire basket filled to the brim with various flavors.  

Of all the teas I have bought or received from the club, there have only been two I haven’t liked. I drink Steeped Tea daily, and have gotten other people hooked on them. I find myself loving a bunch of fruit flavoured rooibos teas like Clementine Biscotti, Cherry Pie and Georgia Peach – and again, I was the tea drinker that hated anything fruit flavoured  Honestly there is a different type of tea for whatever my mood is! Steeped Tea has completely converted me to their products! I no longer order any tea from Timmy’s or Starbucks, and have given up on my previous favourite brand - Tea Forte. 

Back in October we hosted a party for Honey, where she was able to showcase the teas. Me being the planner I am, I went a bit overboard and turned it into a tea party event. But it was tons of fun! We made Mar-tea-ni’s with one of the products, a heated cider with another, as well as sampled a bunch of the other teas. I also got Uncle Beau to create this really awesome cutout of a tea pot that we had people pose in front of.

For sandwiches we served cucumber-dill-cream cheese, egg salad, salmon, roast beef, turkey, prosciutto and cream cheese pinwheels and banana peanut butter pinwheels. We also served shrimps in martini glasses, mozzarella and tomato skewers, various cheeses and fruits as well as deviled eggs. For deserts I made my famous Baileys cupcakes, as well as a bunch of products from the Steeped Tea line – after eight brownies, oatmeal chai cookies, and caramel walnut scones. (Their baked goods are just as awesome at their teas! And they also have a bath line – and the almond honey soap is the absolute best soap I have ever used!)

We played a bunch of games:

-       Identify the tea game where they had to smell various bags filled with loose tea Steeped Tea items and match them

-       Don’t say tea game where each guest was given Mardi Gras beads that they would lose if they said the word “Tea”

-       Tea-words where guests had to come up with a list of words that had the word “tea”  in it – i.e – chateau, brainteaser, etc.

We gave all the guests party favors of cookies from Monsieur Félix & Mr. Norton (an amazing cookie shop in Markham). It was a wonderful night, and a super fun way to spend an afternoon with some friends and family.

I completely recommend Steeped Tea to anyone and everyone. There are even hot chocolates mixes for non-tea drinkers!

For more information on Steeped Tea - click here!

Tugo

I first heard about Tugo from an actress I follow on Twitter. 

As someone who had a few upcoming trips planned, I was curious and turned to Google. The concept seemed simple enough – a beverage holder that attached to your luggage – but yet brilliant. By no means am I a frequent traveler, but I knew all too well the struggle of trying to maneuver my suitcase with one hand, carrying my purse (always packed to the brim) on one shoulder, and having the other hand holding either my passport/boarding pass or a just-bought magazine. Frequently I passed on getting a beverage, as I was overloaded and weighed down. And it wasn’t just me and my inability to pack efficiently as I had witnessed many airport drink spills and disasters. These disasters weren’t just stemming from trying to juggle too much and walk either. Airport gates and seating areas offer little to no space, and hardly ever a place besides the floor to set any beverage down. I am one of those “check everything over" type of travellers so I like to have both hands available to check and prepare myself before boarding. Doing that while holding a hot coffee has yielded some painful results for my klutzy self.

The more I read over the information on the website, and looked at the photos the more I was sold on trying this product. The price also played a role as $12.95 is reasonable for something that I wasn’t completely sure of or planning to use on a daily basis. So I placed an order for one to try.

When it arrived in the mail I opened the package and got a feel for it. When it came time to pack my suitcase, the Tugo folded down flat and hardly took up any space in my suitcase. After passing through the dreaded customs and security checkpoints, I happily made a beeline for Starbucks excited to try out my new tool. While waiting for my beverage I attached the Tugo, and immedily got asked about it. Once my drink came and was safely nestled inside, I got more questions. By the time I got to the gate, I had about 10 questions/compliments, and a number of people stop and remark on it to their companions. The remark I heard most was “what a great idea!” and it truly is. 

My drink stayed secure inside, never spashing or spilling, and the Tugo stayed firmly in place. The fact that it matched my suitcase perfectly was an added benefit! Once at the gate my husband was jealous that I had with a place to set my drink. He was stuck holding his mocha in one hand, and using his tablet in the other, whereas I could just reach in and out when I wanted a sip. I have used my Tugo on every trip I taken, and not just for my carry-on luggage. On a recent trip I carried just a purse on to the plane, but had quite a wait beforehand at the ticket/check in counter. Attching the Tugo on my checked-suitcase while I still had it, allowed me to enjoy a drink while keeping my hands free to maneuver the line.

The company didn’t just win me over with the product. In the days where customer service often seems to have gone on the wayside, my dealings with this company have been extremely impressive. The type of customer service I am referring to here, is that of companies, call centers, and the types of head offices you often encounter throughout your day to day life. I still find most of my in-person retail/service dealings to be positive – almost always encountering friendly and helpful individuals. Sure from time to time I have come across unpleasant people, but I keep in mind the following. First, that it is impossible to be in a good mood every single minute, secondly that some people just aren’t that friendly/nice to begin with and lastly, that there are reasons why websites like notalwaysright.com exist. Perhaps my years in retail/service are part of the reason behind my mindset, but regardless it’s the attitude I typically have. 

Now my personal experiences are much different with companies, call centers and head offices. Any faceless communication (that done by phone, email, social media etc) often lack basic customer service. When it comes to phones, more and more companies are adopting those horrible automated services. We have all encountered them – having to listen to menu after menu, choice after choice, typically having to repeat ourselves over and over because the “smart” system doesn’t understand what you are saying. I can’t be the only one who often loses control and keeps repeating “operator” with my voice rising each time. Then once you finally speak to another human, it tends to feel very scripted, impersonal and lacking any sort of flexibility or desire to help/assist you in any way. Email is often far worse – responses taking days, and again going off a script which doesn’t always apply to the initial reason for communication. I recently sent a complaint email to Air Canada (and I will be honest, I complain very rarely) and it was over two weeks before I got any sort of response.  I will point out that of course there are many wonderful phone/email customer support people out there, and I have had the pleasure of dealing with some of them. However the entire system is set up in a way where those dealings (in my experience) are usually not positive.

This was not at all the case with Tugo. For Christmas I ordered multiple Tugo’s to give as gifts but due to cross border postal issues (no fault of Tugo or myself), there were a few delays. My e-mail communication with Karen was handled with amazing care and service. The tone was both friendly and helpful, and she went above and beyond to ensure everything worked out. In the end I got my Tugo’s in time for Christmas and the recipients loved them. If I hadn’t already been a huge fan of the product, the way in which Karen handled the situation would have cemented my support of them. I strongly advise travelers to check out this product and give it a try. As for me, I will continue to use my Tugo as often as I travel and hope that someday they come out with a version for a shopping cart! 

If you are in the US you can buy Tugo at: http://goodtugo.com

In Canada they now sell on Amazon.ca at: http://www.amazon.ca/tugo®-Luggage-Drink-Holder-h2otugo/dp/B003U2Z50U

(And just for the record, I was in no way paid/compensated or asked to write anything about Tugo. I just wanted to share information on such a great product) 

Cruise Comparison

I was extremely fortunate to have the unique opportunity to sail on three cruises in the span of a year. These cruises were all Caribbean-based and took place on three separate cruise lines - Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. There are clear perks when you stick with one cruise line and keep sailing with that company - and due to that I wanted to do a personal comparison with my thoughts and opinions. Looking at a number of categories, I have listed my personal favourite out of the three ships. 

Staterooms: Princess 

Princess by far had the nicest staterooms - but that was likely due to our sailing on the mini-suite category. The sofa provided some extra space, and the overall room never felt cramped. As the bathroom had a tub, it provided additional space and I never felt claustrophobic as I have in other bathrooms. The balconies were a bit of a disappointment though, as people could lean down and over and see in. Celebrity is a close second as their balcony staterooms were great. The balconies were covered and private, and the inside of the staterooms also had a sofa making them roomier. The bathrooms were nicely decorated, and while on the small side, still not horrible. 

Royal Caribbean's stateroom bathrooms were awful. Very cramped, and plain. They seemed more like a bathroom from a medical or army ship - very sterile looking and not comfortable. The actual staterooms were also cramped and the walls thin enough you could hear the rooms beside you. The balconies were semi-private as people could look in if they leaned a bit. 

Staff/Service: Princess 

Everyone was incredibly friendly on Princess - no matter what area I was in, the staff and service was welcoming, upbeat and friendly. Celebrity's staff tended to be rude, often ignoring any requests or questions. The main waiter at dinner was awful to my mother and I, only giving attention to my father and husband. The overall atmosphere was the vibe that money talks and unless you were flashing tips around, you weren't worthy or service. Royal Caribbean had some great staff, but on the whole many seemed overworked. When we talked to our waiter and steward they mentioned staffing cuts which had left them with a lot of additional work and it was apparent. 

Pool area: Royal Caribbean & Princess 

Royal Caribbean had an amazing adult pool area, one that mom and I used daily. They also enforced the age minimum which was appreciated. The other pool areas also seemed great - there were special kids pools as well as a family one. Princess had two great main pools (the adult on was pretty small) but I found since the cruise line is aimed to older adults it didn't matter. Princess also had food service at the pool area in addition to the usual bars, that was helpful if you didn't want to go to the buffet but instead remain at the pool during lunch. Celebrity had a horrible pool area. There were just two of them, both very small, side-by-side, one adults and one all ages. Both filled up quickly, especially the all ages one, and many arguments broke out between staff and guests with children who wanted access to both. 

Bars: Celebrity 

Celebrity had excellent choices and variety. There was an entire bar devoted to beer, one to martinis, an ice bar (specializing in vodka) and a fancy wine tasting room. The other bars all offered an array of cocktail options and were decorated in various themes. The coolest bar was the Molecular Bar which had a ton of crazy cocktails - including one that had liquid nitrogen on top!  There was something for everyone - and the choices were endless. Plus the all-inclusive bar package applied to all of these areas. Royal Caribbean had some good options with different themes and decor, and they had Coke machines scattered around the ships. People with beverage packages could use a re-fillable cup and go around and get soda whenever they felt like it. The bars had a number of options and the varying bars had different options. The downfall was the beverage package which could only be purchased if everyone in the stateroom got it. This doesn't make sense as not everyone drinks liquor or soda.  

Princess was the most limited - the bars were pretty straightforward and boring and all of them included the same cocktail list and menu. There was a wine area, but that selection was also limited. They also didn't have any beverage package - besides a basic soda one. 

Ship Features: Celebrity & Royal Caribbean 

Celebrity had a large array of options - pools, casino, shops, multiple bars/clubs, art classes, and a lawn area that had a slew of activities. There were also a bunch of speciality restaurants and other classes/activities in a wide variety of subjects. However the costs attached to this was incredibly high - so many of these I didn't bother utilizing. Based on that Royal Caribbean would be my ultimate choice. They had a similar amount if these actives and features - and the costs were either low or non-existent. 

Casino: Royal Caribbean

I really liked the casino layout and variety on Royal Caribbean. They had some great choices for slot machines - and in differing denominations which is always a benefit. I don't tend to use the casinos too much - but I disliked the automated dealing of Princess and found the Celebrity casino had a ton of the multiple line penny machines - you think it's reasonable but when you play max bet (which you need to for any bonus features) it can be upwards of $4.00 a spin! 

Food: Princess 

Overall Princess had the best food - there was great variety and choice. Everything was delicious - and the main dining room, buffets, pizza area, cafe and burger place were wonderful. We didn't use any of the specialty restaurants but there were only two and it didn't seem to impact the main dining options. Celebrity however puts all the focus on the speciality restaurants which are additional costs. Many of the special dishes like lamb, lobster etc are not served in the main dining room - being reserved for the speciality dining. Royal Caribbean was  in the middle - the main dining room had good food at dinner, but the breakfast and lunch buffets weren't the greatest. We did use the speciality Italian restaurant twice which was an extra $20.00 each and it was incredible. But when looking at the food included in the overall cruise cost my pick would be Princess which was great overall. 

Activities and Entertainment- Princess or Royal Caribbean 

Both Princess and Royal Caribbean had a great mix of actives for all ages. Many of these were free or low-cost. Celebrity seemed to have more higher end actives - often which huge price tags. Bingo for example cost $45.00 for a round. In terms of Entertainment - Royal Caribbean's was amazing. Every show or act was enjoyable. There was also a variety of comedy, skating, music and dance. Princess had a good mix, and was mostly good. Celebrity however was a disappointment - I've never walked out a show on any other cruise. 

Overall: Princess or Royal Caribbean 

Going forward my first choice would be Princess as I was very impressed by them in many areas. While they do tend to geared toward an older crowd, the quieter pace is relaxing which is the main point of a cruise! I would also look into Royal Caribbean as they are a really great line as well and have fantastic entertainment in addition to newer ship designs. If it were up to only me, I wouldn't bother with Celebrity again.