Month: May 2016

Beer

No Label Brewing Company – Strawberry Blonde Ale

by Beers and Beautiful Things

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Another fruit beer!

No Label Brewing Company is based out of Katy, Texas and I know absolutely nothing about it.  Hopefully, after I travel to Texas next month, I’ll be a little more informed.  This was my first strawberry ale in a while (a lot of breweries tend to stick with peaches and raspberries).

This beer didn’t retain a lot of head but it was very smooth.  It was a little orangey, lighter colored than in the photo, but I had to use a filter to bring out the pink in the label. For some reason the lighting in my house washed it (and me) out…that’s what I get for wearing peach on beige…

Anyway, the point is:  I can’t say this beer had a lot of flavor but my BREATH smelled like strawberries, which was pleasant as hell.

 

Beer

Epic Brewing Company – Lil’ Brainless Raspberries

by Beers and Beautiful Things

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Dude, I wanted to like this more than I did.  It was a pretty watery beer with zero head. But you know what? It was “Lil” Brainless Raspberries, not Brainless on Raspberries.  You get what you pay for and this was the “diet” version on all accounts.

The beer had an orange-pink color and a nice little tartness at the front end. I could see myself luring in some of my friends who like rosé with this beer. It just wasn’t what I typically love BUT, it’s a fruit beer and that’s this season’s theme.  I’m glad I tried it once and at 5.2% ABV, it’s great for gardening (which is what I did today and why I’m wearing a 15+ year old t-shirt).

My blog isn’t about all the great beers that I’ve tried, it’s more about passing on my recommendations. If you want my opinion, go for the real Brainless in the bottles.

Drinking: Lil’ Brainless Raspberries by Epic Brewing Company. Salt Lake City, UT.

Wearing: Camo T-Shirt, $8.

Beer

Rio Grande Brewery – Pancho Verde Chile Cerveza

by Beers and Beautiful Things2 Comments on Rio Grande Brewery – Pancho Verde Chile Cerveza

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Rio Grande Brewing, owned by Sierra Blanca Brewing Company, made a super cool beer infused with green chiles.  It is refreshing yet smokey with a little bit of heat at the end. I first had this beer at my favorite bar, Powerhouse, in south OKC.  They had used it as a float in a Tomatillo Bloody Mary.

Consider this a novelty beer.  Not for every day but something that could pair well with roasted corn, pulled pork, cheese….oooh…a chicken chili.  If you paired this with a Tex Mex dish at a dinner party, your guests would flip.  Feel free to steal my idea, because I stole it from Powerhouse. Try this beer.

Drinking: Pacho Verde Chile Cerveza by Rio Grande Brewery. Moriarty, NM.

Wearing: Show Me Your Mumu Tank (Similar here).

Beer, Hair & Beauty

TO ØL – Sur Amarillo & Kylie Cosmetics Lipkit

by Beers and Beautiful Things

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My two favorite things this spring are To Øl’s Sur Amarillo and Kylie Cosmetics Lipkit in “Candy K”.

First off, this dry-hopped sour is legit.  Not too sour, not too hoppy.  It’s foamy and earthy.  It has a good amount of carbonation too.

And this Lipkit, yes, I had to stalk the internet to find out when a restock was about to happen.  Kylie Jenner has built herself a product that literally sells out in seconds.  It’s so hard to snag one, they might as well be Phish tickets. Anyway, I lucked out and grabbed one and a Matte Metal this month (I’ll review it later).  After trying out this lip liner and lipstick, I’m fairly certain I’ll be buying more.  It’s not tested on animals, smells like vanilla, looks very pretty, lasts for several hours, and is comfortable to wear.  It’s worth the price tag and the shame that comes with buying into celebrity-endorsed products. These lipkits are amazing and did I mention that they are cruelty-free?!

Drinking: Sur Amarillo by To Øl.

Wearing: Kylie Cosmetics Lipkit in Candy K, $29 And Show Me Your MuMu Black Crisp Mal Top, On Sale for $80.

 

Beer

Denver Beer Co. – Graham Cracker Stout

by Beers and Beautiful Things

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When I was in Denver for New Years Eve, I tried Denver Beer’s C3PO which had chocolate and coconut added.  It was phenomenal. It was like a booze smore. I wanted 400 bottles of it.

Unfortunately, it was a special infusion of their Graham Cracker Porter and only available at the tap room or in growlers.  So I got a 6-pack of these guys and they aren’t bad!  I would recommend this to anyone who likes sweet flavors and not a ton of alcohol. But I would HIGHLY recommend you trying C3PO if you’re in the Denver area…and obviously, if they have it on tap.

Drinking: Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Stout. Denver, CO

Wearing: Long Sleeve Swing Dress by Nasty Gal. (2 years old)

Hair & Beauty

Cruelty Free Hair – R+Co

by Beers and Beautiful Things

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It’s hard to find good beauty products that legitimately work and aren’t cruelty free.  R+Co has been around a few years but I just now started to invest in the line this year.

It was hard to spend $25 on a bottle of shampoo.  Really hard.  But it’s also hard to watch videos of what animals go through when companies test products on them. I want that to end and I want to support brands that are cruelty-free.

So my love affair with R+Co was born because of my bleeding heart and because I was out of shampoo and conditioner when I went in for my 6-week highlight appointment.  My stylist suggested the Gemstone Color Shampoo & Conditioner which have a nice fragrance.  The cute packaging is a pluss.

My real favorites have been the Pinstripe and the Park Ave.  Pinstripe is a good detangler and smoother. Park Ave makes blowdrying my naturally curly hair much easier.  I don’t need to run my brush through my hair so many times because the balm really takes hold and helps straighten.  Tinsel is a great smoothing oil that you can use before and after blowdrying.  I like to use it as a moisturizer on lazy days when I don’t want to wash my hair or style it.  I rub it on the ends and braid or put my hair into a bun.

The next product I want to try is Dallas thickening spray ($28).  It does the same thing as the volume mousse I have (but the bottle I’m trying to use up is tested on animals).  Once it’s empty, I’m definitely switching to Dallas.