The "Tea Me Tiny" Detox Review

I picked up the 2x14 day Tea Me Tiny Detox teas when they were having their BOGO clearance earlier this year.

The numbers break down:

Each 14 day pack is 29.94 CAD. I picked up 2 packs for 29.94, and with flat rate shipping (9.95$) and tax, I got two 14 day packs for just under 45$. (Actually, I bought this 2 for 1 deal twice, so I ended up with 4 x 14 day detox teas). The shipping was also really fast – I got my tea a few days after placing my orders… but I live in BC and Tea Me Tiny Detox is based out of Calgary. Geographically speaking, even Canada Post could not fuck this up.

Instructions:

Brew half a teaspoon of tea in one cup of boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Drink tea twice daily, 30 minutes before eating.

First impression:

I personally like the taste of this tea. It’s slightly minty and it’s similar to the teas they serve at spas. And since you let the tea steep for at least 10 minutes, it’s no longer piping hot by the time you drink it! The brewing process is simple enough, although I did use three different tea steepers I had at home before finding one that worked well. I don’t usually drink loose leaf tea (but I have a collection of tea steepers at home from tea pots/travel mugs) so I can’t really comment about whether or not the leaves are larger or smaller than normal… but I can say with certainty that this pincer did NOT work. I don’t know if the one we have is defective, and maybe the pincers just didn’t snap tightly enough, but when I used this, tea leaves would constantly escape making tea drinking a little less enjoyable J. What DID work for me is the tea steeper that came with my travel mug. Basically I would fill this with the tea leaves and I would place it in a large mug (the tea steeper has a flat bottom so it stands on its own). Then I would fill the mug with boiling water until it’s just at the top of the steeper. I was never exact with the 1 cup boiling water part… I would say, I drank approximately 1 cup of tea twice daily J

I drank this tea twice a day:

Once in the morning. I would brew the tea just after showering and I would drink it while getting ready.

Once in the evening – time varies more than in the morning. I would sometimes drink it right when I got home, before dinner, or while making dinner… Sometimes I would drink it AFTER dinner if I ended up going out for dinner, or I just forgot.

Review:

The following are my own personal reviews. I have been drinking this detox tea for just over three weeks now (24.5 days if you are counting) so I think I can make an honest enough review about it.

The following are results that are expected when drinking Tea Me Tiny:

1      Increased energy/overall metabolism

Yes, I agree that my energy levels have increased – especially in the morning. I don’t usually drink coffee, but I normally do when I am really tired. I have only had two coffees in the past three weeks (I used to have a lot more). Now, I don’t mean to be Debbie Downer, but the tea IS caffeinated… so that could also help with the energy increase.
No comment about the increase in metabolism (how does one even measure this?!)

2   Appetite Suppression

I    I definitely experienced appetite suppression – no longer am I starving on my way to work. I get to work around 8am (about 1.5 hours after drinking the tea) and I can casually eat breakfast (usually a granola bar or cereal) without the feeling of being super hungry/faint. I also find that I am less hungry on my home from work, but that could also be due to the lunch/snacks I’ve had throughout the day.

3   Weight Loss Promotion

I have lost about 5 pounds since starting this detox back in the beginning of February. My current weight fluctuates about 2 pounds daily (depending on what I eat?) but I am about 5 pounds lighter today than when I first started the tea.

     Improved Look of Skin/Nails/Hair

This would be a big fat no for me. Recently (months before detox), my skin breaks out one giant pimple pre period… Sadly this has continued even with the detox. My nails are healthier – but I’ve stopped painting them and am using a clear nail hardener. My hair is a mess (but I recently just dyed it so that is definitely a contributing factor). In Tea Me Tiny’s defense, I think 3 weeks is too short of a period to be able to measure this… maybe things get better after a month? 

Overall, I am happy with the results of the Tea Me Tiny detox. I’ve been looking for a healthy detox alternative (none of this only drink lemon water with cayenne pepper, or only drink juice for days straight nonsense). I didn’t actively seek one out that had weight loss benefits – that was just an added bonus for me! Honestly, I believe in “everything in moderation” diets, but not drastic ones. I’ve never tried juice cleanses, but the thought of just drinking juice is daunting.. isn’t this an act of starvation? I hate this saying, but it’s very true: you only live once. So why not enjoy what you eat? While doing this detox, it was recommended to cut dairy out of my diet… but did I? Nope. I mean I didn’t go out of my way to only eat ice cream… and I think I only had ice cream a few times (thanks to my brother and his billions ofmcflurries)… and yes I ate chips and I’m sure I also had fries. I’m happy to have done this detox (and the future ones with the tea packages I have yet to open) and I would definitely recommend this detox to others. It’s simple and it lets you detox on your terms. And, you can still EAT! :) 

VB for Nails Inc first impression

Okay so I first heard about Victoria Beckham's collaboration while browsing the interwebs late last week... And I was PUMPED. Firstly, I LOVE Victoria Beckham. Hands down, she is the best dressed celebrity out there. Secondly, I love nail polish!!! I tend to stick with the reds/pinks but I do have a few blue/green shades...

Anyway, so I've actually been seriously pondering what my nails will look like for our wedding. I'm thinking a light pink with glitter for my fingers and then blue for my toes (after all, I need a "something blue"). I'm also considering a bright red for toes since that is my "signature look"... But still pondering...

I was super pumped when I heard about VB's nail polish collab. And I was even more pumped when I read that she did a nude and a red polish! This could not be more perfect timing... So I headed to Sephora in Pacific Centre to check it out. 

Bamboo White Collection on left; Judo Red Collection on right (note: I am holding the Judo Red Collection bottle, the Bamboo White Collection bottle is black!!)

My first impressions (all opinions my own):

The Bamboo White is a little too beige for my liking. For nudes, I prefer if the polish is more on the white or even the pink side... when it's beige, it looks weird with my skin tone...

The Judo Red is a little too orange.... As previously mentioned, I like my reds to be RED. It's really difficult to find the perfect RED red, but if you are looking, I would suggest OPI's Big Apple Red. 

(Side note: in VB's defense, the Bamboo White is described as a white cream nude shade and the Judo Red is described as a red orange cream shade... so they definitely got their description 100% accurate ;) )

In terms of "coverage" the polish goes on smoothly and you get perfect non streaky coverage in just two coats. As for price... well, it's a little bit steep - not Christian Louboutin polish steep... but it's 28$ a bottle and each bottle is about 13ml. To be honest, if the colours were more to my liking, I would've been like, shut up and take my money!! But, since I am not into these two colours, I am happy to pass :)

Big boxes for small items

Last week, Origins had a 20% off anything, plus free shipping deal... so I got some moisturizer. I have been using their A Perfect World moisturizer... which is okay. I like that it has an SPF of 25.. it's a little bit greasy though so I make sure to use just a small amount. Anyway, when I went to check out, it asked me if I wanted "complimentary gift wrapping". I figured, sure why not?!?! Well, when I had to pick up my package at Purolator, I was a little bit surprised by the size of the box!! The moisturizer box is 1.5"x 1.5"x 1.5" and the box it got shipped in is much much larger!

But.. when I opened up the box a few minutes ago, I quickly learned why: the complimentary gift wrapping meant stuffing small items in a large gift box:

Tiny moisturizer in a giant box!

Guess Origins ran out of smaller gift boxes...? Or maybe people always place orders much larger than mine was??!

A man and his 'hog

Kiwi was cold last night so Bobby kept her warm while we were watching Nikita.

Kiwi suffers from a severe case of resting bitch face so she tends to look angry all the time... So don't be alarmed - no hedgies were harmed for this photo op :) 

My two loves!! <3

Happy Birthday, Cakey Cakes!!!

On Februrary 13th, 2012, Bobby bought a hedgehog... who we named Chaos (whose nicknames were Kay-Kay, Cakey-Cakes, etc). To keep things simple, we celebrated her "birthday/anniversary" on Valentine's Day. This year, we are definitely missing Chaos a lot so I wanted to share some of my favorite pics of her:

This is our first picture of Chaos. Bobby bought her from a family and he brought her home in a shoe box with some shavings and some cat food. She spent the night in a medium sized plastic box (no lid!!) with a towel and food and water. The next day, Bobby bought her a cage and the "wrong" kind of hedgehog food. Seriously, Chaos was not a picky eater - she eats EVERYTHING... but for whatever reason, she hated the first kind of hedgehog food Bobby bought her.. and she refused to eat it for two days! Bobby eventually got her the "right" hedgehog food and Chaos lived happily ever after :)

Chaos and her beloved cat food! 

Post birth - here's Chaos keeping watch of the outdoor world while keeping her three little babes warm

More food pics - Chaos LOVED mangoes!! 

Chaos (on left) and Kiwi enjoying patio time

Missing you lots Kay-Kay!! <3

Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Woke up to a card, chocolates (which Bobby ate most of) and candy yesterday! Woo hoo!!

Also just wanted to quickly share the card I made for Bobby. Here's where I got the design idea from - I found this card at London Drugs and I thought it was really cute... however... Bobby never eats toast with butter... 

 

So.... I made one with toast and nutella (everyone on this planet who knows Bobby knows he LOVES nutella!!)

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!!!

Kiwi the dachshund

Caught Kiwi mid stretch yesterday. Hedgies sleep balled up (probably to cover up all of their vulnerable non spiky areas) but even they do daily stretches :)

Kiwi is so stretched out she looks like a wiener dog!!! She's so cute because sometimes she actually uses her food bowl to stretch on. 

Photos of her with her dropcam are often grainy so I labeled which side her head is at ;)

The high heeled tape dispenser.. and the parking dilemma

If you are Canadian, you know that Target Canada is shutting down shop in our home and native land. Liquidation sales started last Thursday… so I hit up Target not once, but twice (!!!) this past weekend. The first trip, I got some nail polish remover and washi tape (a new obsession – although I am not sure where or even HOW to use this stuff) and some Swiffer refill stuff. I eyed a scotch tape dispenser for my desk at work… but decided against it.

We went to Target again yesterday… and I really, really, REALLY had to have this tape dispenser... So I got it. It was 10.49$, plus 20% off.

And so… here it is:

Not a red bottom... labeled so it does not get stolen at work!! (The things people steal at work!!)

Now, this is actually my second super awesome high heel tape dispenser. The first one I also got from Target over a year ago.. this lives on my desk at home J

Okay.. and now for more parking problems:

So I lived in downtown, Vancouver for over 4 years and not once did I ever get a parking ticket. I have lived in Coquitlam for less than a year and I have already gotten two tickets. TWO!!!

The first ticket was due to the West Coast Express parkingmishap. I spoke with Impark and they canceled this ticket for me, so I went on with my life, filing this ticket in the back of my mind… imagine my surprise when I received a lovely letter from Impark mid January telling me that since I have failed to pay for my parking ticket, my account would go into collections. I WAS SO PISSED OFF. I mean, seriously, WHAT TICKET?!?! I was told it was canceled. Since the car is registered under Bobby’s name, I paid the ticket off so that his credit would be unaffected. I tried to call Impark to dispute this “account going into collections” nonsense, but of course, their wait time is like 15+ minutes long… so I wrote them an angry letter and mailed it. I didn’t expect a response from Impark – I merely just wanted to let them know about their incompetence. And to be honest, if the car was registered under my name, I would’ve left the parking ticket unpaid (it was only Bobby’s credit I didn’t want to screw over, but if it were my own, I would’ve battled this out to the very end of time with Impark!). Anyway, I got an email late last week saying I would be refunded for the parking ticket. #winningfeelsawesome.

Anyway, so this morning, when I got to the train station, I had to buy a monthly parking pass and idiot me forgot to make note of my parking stall number before heading to the machines… so I had to run back to my car (in the rain), make note of the my stall number, and then run back to the machine. I almost missed the train.. ugh. All so that I would not risk getting ANOTHER parking ticket. My parking ticket budget of 0$ per year has already gone up by a LOT this year J

Kiwi's favourite place to hang?

Okay so this is the second time I've caught Kiwi on the roof of her hut... And I'm sure she's on there a lot more often!!!

Just another day in the life of Crazy Kiwi!!!

Family Day

So it's Family Day tomorrow so us BC'ers get a long weekend (The rest of Canada has their Family Day next week).

As previously mentioned, I took Friday off so I have an extra long weekend! My mom and I went wedding dress shopping... and I found a dress!! We bought it so I'm glad to have that crossed off my list. I previously bought a plain white dress from Anthropologie... which I am now going to return since I like my wedding dress so much more! :)

So today, we had my family over for Family Day. I made pulled pork (yesterday) and Bobby made pizza - these are our specialties! My mom brought Filipino food and my brother brought spinach dip and a million McDonald's McFlurries for dessert. Seriously, he showed up with NINE. He thought my cousin and his family were also coming, however, they were unable to come tonight because they already had plans... so we had extras:

Only five McFlurries got consumed tonight... which means we have 4 more... ugh!!!!

The first biggest highlight was Kiwi meeting Rupert (my brother's gf's dog). Kiwi was a little bit unsure of Rupert.. and she spiked out and hissed a lot... but she held her own! Rupert was pretty unsure of Kiwi too ;)

The second biggest highlight was getting my family to paint their tiles!!!

My dad painted this mango and hibiscus

My bro and his gf collaborated on the "Starry Night" spinoff at the top right, my mom did the "Bahay Kubo" on the bottom right

Here's the art wall now! We're thinking of adding another row at the top! I know there are still a lot of blank canvasses, but a lot of friends have not painted their tiles yet (we do live out in Suburbia!!)

Today was awesome hanging out with family :)

Tomorrow, Bobby and I are heading into the city for a lunch date... some shopping... also need to return that dress from Anthropologie...

Hope everyone has a great long weekend!! :)

The Day Off

I took the day off today so that my mom and I can go wedding dress shopping. To be honest, I'm kind of dreading wedding dress shopping - I went last year with Najin.. and it's so overwhelming. The dresses are so heavy, random strangers are staring at you... etc. I consider myself a girly girl - I love pink, and wearing skirts and dresses, and polka dots... but I am not a GIRLY girl... and I have never been one to know exactly what kind of wedding/wedding dress I would have.

Anyway, since today is my day off, I decided to hit up Kim's 6:30am PiYo class! I know, its crazy waking up so early on your day off, but since I normally leave for work around 6:45am anyway, it's not like I had to get up any earlier or anything. Plus there was less getting ready to do this morning - no make up, no picking out something to wear. It was just, eat a light breakfast, tie hair up and head out. PiYo is definitely A LOT more challenging so early in the morning. PiYo is pretty difficult itself, but when it's so early and you are just waking up... yea, it's an ass kicker. But it felt great to work out so early :)

Headed home after and had a snack... watched some TV then took a short nap. Now I'm all showered, getting ready for my doctor's appointment and wedding dress shopping... all while hanging out with this 35 month old as of today:

35 months!!!! She's almost three!!

Happy Friday! Hope all my fellow Vancouverites stay dry out there!