The hardest part of doing gel manicures at home is definitely taking them off. SensatioNail sells removal kits, but I went about it the old fashioned way and soaked my nails in acetone while watching an episode of Friends, and peeled off the polish along the way. Because of the lengthy removal process, I wouldn't do this routinely, but unlike the first kit, I'm definitely keeping this! I actually was really impressed with this kit and was looking up other polish colours to purchase. It's great to have on hand and to use for any upcoming events and/or special occasions because you don't have to worry about the polish chipping off the day of.  SensatioNail's Express Gel One Step Polish Manicure Kit is available to purchase at Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart.

How often do you go to the nail salon?

Not too long ago, I reviewed Oko Creations' Reusable Makeup Removal Pads, which were a great alternative to disposable cotton pads. This time, I will be reviewing their Reusable Panty Liners ($18.95/2 pack) and see how it stands up to regular panty liners. Oko Creations has liners for panties and thongs, both of which claim to be waterproof, providing great protection for light flow days to leakages, and are made with 2 layers of absorbent hemp (58% organic cotton, 40% hemp, and 2% polyurethane). How does it stay on? The panty liners stay put with a snap enclosure that wraps around your underwear. Now, onto the review!

Before I start, this is your TMI warning, because it's about to get pretty darn personal here.

Now that that's out of the way, let me start by saying that my period last around 5-7 days with the first 2-3 being the heaviest. I also have fairly sensitive skin, so I almost always get a rash from using pads and/or liners, usually from the 4th day onward. I'm also not comfortable using tampons and/or menstrual cups so I just rash it out until I'm done my cycle. This is one of the reason why the reusable liners intrigued me so much - if it could help with my rashes, then I would be forever grateful! I'm also only going to be reviewing the regular liners, cause I absolutely hate thongs. Now, cut to me actually using the liners:

Before: I decided to save these liners for the 5th day onward because I wasn't sure how well it perform. Upon first impression, the liners were easy to use and the snap enclosure did a good job keeping the liners in place, but the snugness of my underwear definitely helped with this too. The liners were extremely soft and comfortable - way better than regular liners. They actually helped my rash situation and I was rash free this cycle!

 During: This cycle was fairly light, so the liners were up against light spotting - nothing crazy here, but I would advise against wearing for anything but spotting. The reason for this is that some of the spotting I had was able to transfer onto my underwear - not enough to soak through but there was some coloration that made me panic a little, but nothing more happened here. Because I was a bit unprepared to change the liners and forgot to bring a bag to put the soiled one in, I wore it for a full day and actually noticed that there was less of an odor compared to when I wore regular liners.

After: The liners are super easy to take care of as you just pop it into the wash with your regular underwear, and considering that a cycle is usually once a month, this is pretty low maintenance. I know what you're wondering - did it stain? And the answer is... yes. I know, I wish I could say otherwise, but like all light coloured fabrics, the blood does leave a stain. Because of this, I wish the liners were a darker or different colour because it does look a bit off putting, but at the same time it's a darn liner and you really can't expect too much here. As for storage, I just fold them and put them in my pad drawer. 

Based on my experience with Oko Creations' Oko-Liners, I will definitely recommend them if you have very light days at the end of your cycle. I'll continue to use these and much prefer them over my regular disposable liners. BUT, I would be sure to use them only on my lightest days to prevent any accidents, or use them when my skin starts to get irritated so I can prevent a rash forming. If you're interested in purchasing these liners, check out Oko's website to order online or find a retailer near you :).

Do you use any reusable menstrual cycle products? Which one is your favourite?

Let's be friends!

Tsujiri hit Toronto not too long ago with their Dundas location, serving matcha based desserts and drinks. But their fairly new North York location manages to serve up savoury matcha dishes as well. To be honest, I was never really interested in Tsujiri. Don't get me wrong - I love a good matcha latte, but there was just something about matcha noodles that sounded so unappealing to me. But we ended up giving Tsujiri a shot because most restaurants in the area were closed and we didn't feel like having a hot bowl of ramen because the weather itself was pretty warm. 

I got the Sapporo style Miso Tsuke Soba along with an Iced Matcha Latte.

The matcha flavoured soba is served cold on a plate with the broth on the side - the idea is to dip the noodles into the broth rather than eating the noodles straight from the broth. I found this to be quite an interesting way to eat noodles, and it's pretty genius cause it works for both hot and cold weather. Upon first bite, you can really taste the matcha in the noodles adding a little bit of bitterness and sweetness to the noodles. After a a couple bites though, it becomes a secondary lingering taste to the perfectly balanced salty broth. I do wish we were given spoons for the broth though because it was so delicious - plus it's pretty hard to get all the toppings, such as corn,out of the broth without a spoon.

The iced matcha latte was delicious and probably the best iced matcha latte I've ever had. I believe there was two to choose from and I got the sweeter of the two, but it was just sweet enough to balance out the slight bitterness of the matcha and kind of reminded me of brown sugar.

Maybe it was fate, or maybe it was a happy accident - but nonetheless, my friend and I enjoyed the food a lot more than we were expecting to and we'll definitely be coming back for more!

What's the most unique matcha dish you've ever had?

Let's be friends!