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23 Degrees of roasted goodness..

April 28, 2011 by 2 Comments
Nothing perks a gal up better than a good cup of Joe. Okay maybe a new pair of shoes or a smile from the hottie you’ve been crushing on is a little better…but let’s be real we all know that doesn’t happen every day. For you coffee drinking gals out there, it is our morning cup of coffee that sets the tone for our day. I know I can’t function without it!
Recently a friend had recommended that I try 23 Degrees Roastery, they are a Toronto company that makes organic fair trade coffee. This appeals to me because they are local, organic and fair trade all good things.
They have five different blends; there is the Mugshot (Espresso), Suckerpunch, Morning Star, Liquid Mettle, and Declawed (decaf).  I tried the Morning Star a light/medium roast which they described as a smooth, mid-bodied brew that brings the scent of fresh fruits to help start, or brighten, your day. Not only did it brighten up my day but that of my fellow co-workers since I thought I’d share this find with the office.  The tantalizing aroma had my co-workers running to the lunch room to see what was a brewing. They all walked and away happily sipping a fresh cup of liquid gold.  
A friend of mine has tried the Mugshot (espresso) because she and her husband have espresso every evening after dinner. They loved it! The only problem was that the bag was not big enough they finished it in 3days!
Next one that I plan to try is the Liquid Mettle described as a rich, full-bodied coffee with chocolate tones, deep wine–like berry and earthy flavours.  Chocolate tones! Deep wine-like berry and earthy flavours! It’s like they made this special for the Ladies! I am waiting until I have the gals over to try it because I think it will be a big success.
Not only is the packaging eye catching with the cool 23 Degrees logo but the coffee is delicious. I highly recommend that all you coffee drinkers give it a try. You can find 23 Degrees on shelves in health food stores throughout Toronto; check out their facebook fan page for more info. 
Happy Brewing!    
Single Gals Approved!

Filed Under: Food and Beverages, Reviews

Naked Juice

April 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
Recently I was working at the Yoga in Motion event in Toronto and one of the vendors at this event was Naked Juice. They did not have a representative at their table just numerous bottles of their Green Machine juice for participants to take.  I usually stay away from bottled juices and smoothies but I thought since it is there and free to take that I would check it out.  The label states that it is a 100% fruit & vegetable smoothie with NO sugar added (Awesome!).  The fruits in this smoothie drink are 2 ¾ apples, 1/3 kiwi, ½ banana, 1/3 mango and a hint of pineapple, the vegetable portion is a green machine powder mix that includes (Spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, spinach, barely grass, wheat grass, parsley, Ginger Root, Blue Green Algae, garlic extract) This is definitely a healthy nutritious juice, now you may be thinking how does it taste? …Like pears! I know there are no pears in this juice but that is what the taste reminds me of bartlett pears. It’s delicious!!

I would not recommend that you drink the whole 450ml bottle in one shot. There is no added sugar but since there is so much fruit the sugar content is still high at 28g per 250ml. I think this smoothie would be great as a post workout drink, use half the bottle and put in a scoop of protein.  The fruit will help restore your depleted glucose and protein for muscle repair.

This is an American company and as far as I can find out they do not sell here in Canada. I am going to assume since they had their product at the Yoga in Motion event in Toronto that means they will be coming to Canada soon. If you see it, give it a try and maybe you can let us know where you found it.
    
Single Gals Approved!
Filed Under: Food and Beverages, Reviews

Melmira Bra & Swimsuits

April 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last month I went to Costa Rica on vacation, and I needed a new bathing suit. I am sure I am like most women in that I hate bathing suit shopping! I rather go to the dentist that is how much I despise the whole progress. I’m 5’ 9” in average shape and I hate bathing suits. I can never figure out why, when standing around in my underwear and bra I look fine (well I can live with it! Ha I guess I have no choice) but put on a bathing suit and lumps and things just seem to appear.  Then you swear you are going to starve yourself until you leave for vacation, go into a depressive state, and possible break out in hives (yes bathing suit shopping is that stressful for me).
Not wanting to go to Bikini Village again, I googled other swimsuit places in Toronto and stumbled across Melmira Bra & Swinsuits. This is not just another run of the mill Swimsuit shop here they actually fit you to your bathing suit.  I went there on a whim and usually you need to make an appointment but fortunately they were able to fit me in that day. I go upstairs which is their swimsuit area, they take me to a fitting room and then a stylist came to talk to me about what I am looking for. I wanted a one piece that was sporty but girlie, for surfing. She asked me to lift up my shirt, I assumed to get a better idea of how big the belly was, but she wanted to see my torso. She said you have a long Torso so we need to work with that, than she was off. She came back with 3 suits to start with, the first one looked great No lumps, No camel toe is this possible?! The second was not so good and my stylist said “take that off that’s awful!” This was not said in mean way it was the truth and we both knew it. The third one was PERFECT, sporty, girlie and OH SO flattering I actually felt comfortable in a bathing suit.
This was my first swimsuit purchase that did not cause me stress, insecurities or hives. My stylist was wonderful; she knew exactly what would work for my body type. I highly recommend this to you girls out there; the gals at Melmira know what they are doing. My stylist knew that because I was tall I need to go a size bigger than I normally would get, and she was right everything she picked fit nicely. I think the biggest problem we make is picking up the wrong size, or the wrong suit design for our body types which makes us discouraged, frustrated and just want to hide.
If you don’t live in the Toronto area I am sure there are other shops that provide the same service, try one next time you need a new swimsuit you’ll be VERY happy that you did, I know I was. I’m going to go back soon and get fitted for some new Bras. FUN! 
Single Gals Approved!

Filed Under: Apparel, Reviews

Keratin Hair Treatment

March 18, 2011 by 1 Comment

So ladies, I have what I call crazy hair, it’s wavy, porous (as per my hair dresser) and frizzy. It becomes like Monica’s hair in “Friends” when she was on vacation with the gang in the tropics – I hope you all remember that episode, and if you do that is me in the summer, maybe not that bad, but it’s not good.

I read about Keratin hair treatments in a magazine and I was thinking of doing one except the price I saw in the article was outstanding at around $600 (because of length, time, product etc…), which I’m sorry I can’t justify spending on. In my talks with my hair dresser he mentioned that the price I read was over inflated and said it would be around $350 or so given my hair length etc…So as a treat to myself I thought I would do it.

I have to say I have not been disappointed at all with the results. My hair is so manageable now and I haven’t had a bad hair day since I’ve had the treatment. For me or for any women I think that is a blessing. With that said I have heard and read that this treatment is carcinogenic because it’s synthetic keratin and not the real stuff that your hair naturally produces. If it is cancer causing which I hope it isn’t I am sold.

There are some additional costs which I should mention, the biggest being that you have to buy specific shampoo and conditioner which is pricey but is needed to ensure you don’t ruin the treatment and to make your investment last longer. There is also the time cost in that you have to be at the hair dresser for about 3-4 hours and you can’t get your hair wet (even rain is a no go) for 3 days. I don’t wash my hair everyday but I do wet and condition it regularly so this kind of made me feel gross. There is also a weird smell from the Keratin that is annoying but it’s not totally offensive so if you can get through all this then you’re fine.

The benefits are that you don’t have to buy or put any other products in your hair, which is a savings depending on the products you use. As well there are time benefits as my hair dries a lot faster and the style lasts so I am not having to do my hair every day.

I wouldn’t recommend this treatment for anyone with fine, limp hair but if your hair is crazy and frizzy and totally unmanageable it’s a big buy from me.

Queen B

Filed Under: Beauty Products, Reviews

Maybelline ‘The Falsies” Mascara…

October 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
I may not be the best person to write a review on this because I really don’t wear make-up except for mascara, and even then I only put it on when I am going out. For years I have used Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara, however when I saw ‘The Falsies’ commercial it was the first time I wanted to try something new. This product boosts that you will get:
Instant false glam in a tube

The Falsies Mascara delivers a false lash look; giving you a full set of voluminous, bold, fanned out lashes and the appearance of no gaps from any angle.

Well, I found it clumpy and yes there were no gaps because my lashes were clumped together. They looked thicker but that’s because I had a big wad of mascara stuck to them. Also I noticed that after a night out, I would wake up looking like Alice Cooper and I am not sure his look was ever considered glam.
Since I do remove my make-up before hitting the sac, I really should not wake up looking like a 70’s rock legend. I believe ‘The Falsies’ mascara is a lot harder to remove, due to its thickness.  This definitely not a mascara that you’d want to have on when hitting the gym…YIKES!
The Alice Cooper look never happened with my Great Lash Mascara, I guess there is a reason why I have used it for so many years, it truly is the best. As for ‘The Falsies’ I’ll pass on this one and just go back to the old tried and true until something else catches my eye.

If your experience was different please let us know, maybe I am applying it wrong.

Single Gals Disapprove 😦

Filed Under: Beauty Products, Reviews

Cookin Greens Spinach, Kale, Rapini and Designer Mix

October 18, 2010 by 1 Comment
Cookin’ Greens are dark-leafy greens that are farm picked and within six hours, double-washed, double blanched, chopped and flash frozen. There are four Cookin Greens products available which include chopped spinach, chopped kale, chopped rapini and a Designer mix which is a blend of spinach, collards, rapini, yellow bean and onion. My favorite is the kale, I would never have bought fresh kale because I have no clue what to do with it. However with Cookin Greens it is easy, I just heat up some olive oil, add garlic, add my Cookin Greens chopped kale, I also like to add sun dried tomatoes, diced chicken breast to make a complete meal. Cooking greens is great for a Single Gal because you can use as much as you need and put the rest back in the freezer. You can add greens to everything when you have Cookin Greens on hand, all you have to do is reach into the bag and grab a handful to toss in pasta sauce, your omelette or stir fry.
This is a great product to add to a healthy diet and the quick easy convince is just what a Single Gal needs. To give it a try look for it at a retailer near you.

Single Gals Approved!

Filed Under: Food and Beverages, Reviews

Kings of Leon had our sex on fire

July 29, 2010 by 1 Comment

Last night the Single Gals team was part of the sold out crowd in attendance for the Kings of Leon show at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. We are big fans of the band, Caleb’s voice can melt the panties off any women and he did just that. Even though he was battling a cold he sounded his sultry best last night. He made our thighs quiver when he sang ‘Sex on Fire’ and ‘On Call’. Matthew KOL guitarist was getting his dirty rock star on when he played Sex on Fire with his mouth, it was much appreciated by the SG Team but he did lack the finesse of Nikki Sixx who would run his tongue down his bass and make a girl wonder what else he could do with that tongue. KOL has added a bassist to the line up, well in true SG fashion I must say we did noticed how hot he was and were thinking future yummo.

Over all the concert was excellent, the band sounded great, looked good but they cheaped out on their set. They only played for 90 minutes and could have easily played for another hour. Last year when we saw them they played for over 2 hours and even threw in a drum solo which was very good, the drummer can play drums, while chewing gum, smoking and drinking beer! God I love a man who can mutli-task. Now I understand that Caleb was battling a cold, but seriously man up dude you are 28 years old. Bon Jovi played a 2.5 hour set last week, and they are 20 years older than you, Jon(48) even had a calf muscle injury but never mentioned it, he just Rocked It!.

So boys you do not get the SG stamp of approval this time, only because of the short set. For future I think you need to take a Rock Star 101 program, that includes such courses as “How to play through a injury/cold/ addiction”, “ How to make your 1.5 hour set last 2.5 hours” and my personal favorite “The fine art of guitar/bass licking”.

Single Gals Disapprove

Filed Under: Concerts / Events / Shows, Reviews

Fulton Umbrella Review

July 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

As single ladies we know that we need to be prepared for the weather and what it can and may do to our naturally frizzy, wavy hair so when it rains umbrellas are a must. I purchased my Fulton Umbrella on a whim as I wasn’t prepared for a storm and was on my way to night school. I normally don’t shell out $40 on fancy umbrellas as I tend to lose and/or ruin them but on this day I decided to invest in a more costly one to see if it did in fact make a difference.

Well single ladies I concede it does. The Fulton Umbrella I purchased is a mini and flexible model and what this means is that even in the strongest wind it may flip over but it is not supposed to break. In the 6 months I have had this umbrella it has yet to break or distort or be thrown into the garbage (if in writing this article it breaks well karma is a b*tch). Not only is the umbrella cute and small and fits in all my purses (granted my purses are gigantic) it actually works really well.

Fulton Umbrellas are approved by the Queen of England and now single gals has approved it as well.

Queen B

Single Gals Approved!

Filed Under: Everyday Products, Reviews

Love Lost and What I Wore

July 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

On Friday July 16th the Single Gals team headed to the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto to see the premiere of ‘Love, Loss and What I Wore’. This off Broadway gem is a monologue from the different life experiences of sisters Dora and Delia Ephron and their friends where they use clothing and accessories to recite various memories. Andrea Martin from SCTV and My Big Fat Greek Wedding will have you in tears when she talks about “The Purse”. Mary Walsh of This Hour has 22 Minutes is also extremely funny when she recounts the story of the first bra fitting. Louis Pitre from the Broadway hit Momma Mia! is stunning (and what a set of legs she has!) The cast is great, the stories are funny and bitter sweet, this is great night out for you and the girls!

Comments from the Single Gals team :

“Absolutely fantasmical!”

“Two thumbs up. The show was witty, intelligent and made me want to go shopping. The only bad thing was that it ended too soon.”

“It’s funny, sweet and there is not one woman I know that could not relate to the stories told. You will leave there reminiscing about your first pair of heels or that favourite shirt and maybe even your first boyfriend”

“The play was funny..All females can relate! Each dialogue has happened to one of us at some time in our lives. It’s funny how after the play we were talking about clothing, shoes and dating”

Love Loss and what I wore will be in Toronto from July 16 until September 4th, for more info go to http://www.lovelossonstage.com/

 Single Gals Approved!

Filed Under: Concerts / Events / Shows, Reviews

Love, Love, Love and Hole

July 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I know that Lady Gaga is taking over the world, but even in her strangely toned down demeanor at Saturday night’s Sound Academy show in Toronto, Courtney Love could still kick her ass and take it back. I’m probably not the best girl to review this considering 1) I’ve had a girl crush on Courtney for 16 years, 2) I had one too many cans of beer at the show (yes they were selling cans) and 3) I have one too many bruises from fighting off the mosh pit to get a closer peek and a sore neck from head banging most of the night. But I have to say that this show rocked my 31 year old world.

Courtney not only looked awesome (although a little on the skinny side), but she sounded amazing. Her voice is as raunchy, rough and delicately rugged as ever. It’s deeper now than it was 15 years ago, but man can she still belt it out. She was surprisingly (and a little disappointingly) calm and cool, staying near the mic for most of the show while at times pulling out her signature “leg on amp position”. I suppose she is forgiven considering she just turned 46. She seemed to control the crowd, who was ready to unleash at any moment, by following up heavy songs with slower songs. I couldn’t believe how intense the crowd was for middle aged grungers; jumping, body surfing and pushing for a better view. Bitchiness did occur, but I think that’s a Toronto thing – we tend to get really uptight at general admission shows when people move in front of us (like it was assigned seating or something?!) But Torontonians generally have a pickle up their ass about most things (I’m allowed to say this cause I was one, but had to get out for that exact reason).

Hole opened beautifully with a sample of the song ‘Pretty On the Inside’ from their debut album of the same title and then went into ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ by The Rolling Stones. They played a varied set from their albums, to name a few; Nobody’s Daughter (‘Letter to God’, ‘Skinny Little Bitch’, ‘Someone Else’s Bed’, ‘Pacific Coast Highway’), Live Through This (‘Plump’ – which was amazing, ‘Doll Parts’, ‘Miss World’, ‘Asking For It’) and even a couple off Celebrity Skin which Courtney apparently despises and thinks of as her sell-out album (‘Malibu’, ‘Reason to be Beautiful’). They could have done without the cover songs as they have a great catalogue, but I thought the band pulled them off (Nine Inch Nails’ – ‘Closer’, Leonard Cohen’s (as Courtney pronounced “Co Hen”) – ‘Take This Longing’, Judy Garland’s (dedicated to her gay fans , of which there were many) – ‘The Man Who Got Away’ ). She didn’t overly interact with the crowd, but she did manage to get a whole gaggle of bras and a bouquet of flowers.

Although it would have been nice to see some of the original band backing her, her new band sounded tight and they let Courtney shine…although I’m sure that was a pre-requisite at auditions. I hope it’s not another 12 years till we see Ms. Love again, but maybe next time it will be in a seated venue like Massey Hall so I can just sit and stare in awe and save my neck from going into a brace.

http://www.holerock.net/

Single Chick

Filed Under: Concerts / Events / Shows, Reviews, The Daily Yummo
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