2017 Favorite Things

My favorite post every year! Enjoy the spectacular items mentioned below for yourself, sister, mother, girlfriend, wife or BFF! As always I only recommend things I absolutely love and have purchased with my own coins! Prices range from $12 to $400+. (See also 2016, 2015, 20142013)

Bath & Body: All things L’Occitane! I am IN LOVE with this company and on my next international trip I will be making a serious extra effort to visit one their SPA’s. I personally use two of their scents: Shea Butter Body and Hand Cream – I keep one in my car, at work, in my handbag and on my nightstand. I also use the Almond line: Shower oil, Supple skin oil and Milk Concentrate. LOVE!!! LOVE!!! LOVE!!! 😍

Accessories: I found a couple of wonderful scarves (Gucci, Banana Republic), a black card holder (Saint Laurent), a black Apple watch band (Casetify) and a gold sparkly pen (Swarovoski).

Skincare and Makeup: These two categories deserve a post all by themselves (stay tuned…) because I WENT IT! For the purpose of this post – gift ideas- I will just mention a fancy compact mirror (Chanel), lipstick (Saint Laurent) and Lila Eyeshadow Palette (Natasha Denona).

Are you still with me? Good! Because this is year FIVE (5) of Bri’s favorite things I am going to do a giveaway!!! The gift will be a Shea Butter hand cream – my absolute favorite!!! To enter, send me an email and tell me your favorite item from this year’s FAVORITE THINGS. The winner will be notified via email on Christmas Day! Good luck!!!!

Cooking with Apple Watch

s38rg-sblv-sel-201509_GEO_USI love my Apple Watch. One unexpected place I’ve been using it a lot is in the kitchen. Ever throw something in the oven, set the timer, then wonder to the other side of the house? Sure, the timer does goes off but my stove is a basic model and the timer is not very loud. Often times I miss it going off.

This is where my Apple Watch helps. I turn on the oven then throw whatever I’m cooking in (yes, even while it’s pre-heating). As I’m walking away I raise my wrist and say, “Hey Siri.” Siri automatically wakes up and then I say, “Set alarm for 6 pm or Set alarm for 20 minutes“. The alarm magically gets set and 30 minutes later, my wrist beeps and/or gently vibrates depending on my settings. That’s my reminder to go and check on my dish! I can dismiss the timer or snooze. There is no way I will not hear / feel this handy dandy reminder (really, you can use this feature for any type of alarm. I’ve just found it particularly useful for cooking – and waking up in the morning)

So I decided to check out what other apps or features are useful in the kitchen and I found one particularly helpful – Epicurious Cooking Instructions With New Smart Timer App.  “You select a food you want to cook on your iPhone—maybe roast beets or a pan-seared steak—the screen tells you to set your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or get that cast iron pan on the stove, and then your phone beams a step-by-step timer to your wrist. It’ll count down the time, vibrate at any important moment (like when you should flip that steak), and then right before the steak is done, provide a few words and a thumbnail image that shows how you can tell the dish is done—something along the lines of, “The steak is browned but soft when poked in the middle.” (FastCodeDesign)

#HappyCooking and check out the short video demo below.

Aunt Flo in iOS9

Apple completely missed the boat with the launch of if it’s Health Kit app in iOS8 by ignoring women’s health issues, namely Aunt Flo. Now, in iOS9 (release date is September 16th), Apple is revisiting this monthly activity and will be integrating data from a popular Period Tracking app with Health Kit, allowing women everywhere to track their cycles.

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icon175x175The app is called Clue and I’ve told you about it before. From The Verge, “… for people who already use Clue, that change means that they’ll soon be able to see their period and fertility tracking information alongside their other health and fitness data.” The app is very simple to ue and works just like any other period tracking app. It shows dates for PMS, Period and your fertile window. Clue is available for iOS and Android. You can go ahead and download it now and enter your LMP data to get a head start.

Now, while we’re on this topic… if you’re not using a Diva Cup during this time of the month, I feel bad for you son. (see also THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN MENSTRUATION).

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Apple Watch Hacks

I absolutely love people!!!! (most days). We are so creative and inventive when it comes to coming up with inexpensive ideas to get things we want and even to get things done. This is one of the reasons I visit site like Mashable and Lifehacker daily!

So, now to the Apple watch. People love Apple but also hate the restrictions and the sometimes the expensive pricing models. If you want a Gold Apple watch, get ready to fork over $10K-$12K. Bands are also pricey ($49-$449) and may not be the exact design you prefer. A few ambitiously amazing people have found hacks to resolve both these issues! From spray painting your watch gold to adding an ordinary band to having your Apple watch gold plated by a regular jeweler ($400 for 24K gold plating). People are even requesting more hacks!!! Amazing stuff, right?!! Enjoy the short videos below and get ready to smile! 🙂

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