Products to Help You Reset, Relax and Restore

The New Year has been and gone and we're still in the depths of Winter with Spring a long way off. So now is the time to spend a little something on gifts and products that help you reset and renew, if even in the smallest way. Here is our pick of helpful little wonders, for face, body, and home.

FACE & SKIN

There are beauty products, and then there are beauty products! Ever had that feeling that your favorite creme or serum just isn't quite right for YOU? It's time you tried doing it yourself—and it's easier than you think. Bellus All Natural Labs is the ultimate plant-based addition to your beauty routine with its Make Your Own Serum Kit. Simply scan a QR code and enter the interactive experience of creating your own luxury serums guided by Kristina Cimo, the head of Bellus All Natural Labs. These craft customized serums consisting of nature's finest oils such as apricot kernel, rosehip, passionfruit, and jojoba resulting in a personalized set of ointments that will breathe new life into your skin during the harshest winter months and beyond. And when you see your glowing results, tag @bellus_labs! Bellus All Natural Labs is an award-winning, clean skincare and beauty company that brings its private label production into the palm of your hand.


One of the worst things about the pandemic is having to wear a mask (you must) but wearing glasses at the same time. Whether your glasses are sunnies, readers, or your regular specs, you will have found out by now that breathing through your mask fogs up your eyewear. Well here's a handy, pocket-sized solution:FogBlocker Eyeglass Anti-Fog Wet Wipes or choose the Anti-Fog Cloth for longlasting fog-free vision. This revolutionary plant-based cellulose wipes have been created by biotech scientists to safely coat your lenses for fog-free vision that lasts all day.

These little wipes reduces moisture buildup with the ultra-fine, natural microfiber cloth lasting for up to 500 uses that last all day. Can be safely used on all lens types, even coated, PPE plastic guards, and goggles.

BODY & MIND

Bluebird Botanicals is a supplier of varied and high quality CBD products that address most aspects of wellness. Bluebird Botanicals products are crafted by trained herbalists using organic Colorado hemp and premium botanicals. Founder & CEO Brandon Beatty says: "We made these products to help you feel your best every single day no matter what." Starting as a company that produced CBD oil, it has now grown into an entire line of foundational wellness products. These are great products for the time in which we live where building immunity and reducing stress might help keep you out of the path of serious illness. We tried the (delicious and potent!!) CBD Gummies, the Complete Concentrated CBD Oil (luxurious, great for ingestion and external use), and the Dynamic Immune CBD Soft Gels (these are great but do contain bovine gelatin and so are not for vegans). But there are so many products for various needs, including for your pets. All these products were effective in their own way—whether that was to calm, to heal, or to relax and restore. After a few weeks our skin and nervous system felt boosted.

Complete CBD Oil

Sea Witch


HOME & HEARTH

There is no quicker way to bring a sense of luxury and harmony to your home than with a specially scented candle. Well, we have three top recommendations for you in terms of scent and aesthetic. For lovers of minimalist chic with fragrant aromas, RareLumiere candles emit the kind of scents that will have you imagining you've stepped into a European parfumerie. And indeed, each hand-poured creation is elegantly packaged with a corresponding handwritten note included in the box. My favorite scent was "Notting Hill." These elegant, slow-burn cotton-wick candles offer 55 hours of burn time for each candle.

Sea Witch Botanicals All-Natural Essentials Oil Candles are also richly-scented and hand-poured, but this brand is all-natural and scented exclusively with essential oils and plant-derived waxes. Their vegan candles contain no paraffin wax or fragrance oils. And the biggest difference to your usual candle: The wide wooden wicks give a beautiful glow, while the soy candle has a nice, even burn to the bottom. Our favorite scent was "Herbal Renewal" and it surely did renew us with its uplifting and relaxing scent of lavender.

Now who doesn't like a little something rustic, this time out of the wilds of Ohio? The Little Burlap Barn Vintage Mason Jar Candle will transform your humble home into a chic farmhouse with one little spark. Plus, their homey scents will conjure orchards, walks in the woods or a day of baking pies: think scents such as Cran-Apple Pumpkin, Crisp Candied Apple, Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll, and Autumn Breeze. These candles come poured into authentic vintage blue Ball jars with a vintage zinc screw-top lid (keep the lid for snuffing out the candle). Made with 100% soy wax, cotton/lead-free wick, the scent oil is phthalate-free.

In these germ-filled times it's so important to keep your home clean and wipe down all surfaces that comes in contact with the outside world. We were delighted to discover an effective and environmentally-friendly product that has multiple uses around the home, and is as easy to keep clean as it is to be used for cleaning! Pure Sky makes products perfect for fighting germs and grime. Their green cleaning methods make cleaning easy, quick, and stress-free. What a relief to not be tearing through reams of paper towels or cluttering up the kitchen sink with multiple cloths and sponges. This is our favorite product and we're not surprised it's a bestseller: Pure Sky Magic Deep Clean Cleaning Cloth. Works like magic! Simply add water and instantly remove 99 percent of bacteria on your floors and home and car surfaces. It’s designed of patented state-of-the-art composite ultra microfibers, consisting of multifilament yarns that are made of more than 1,000 strands per yarn. It can be used wet or dry, plus it conveniently attaches to the Pure Sky mop pole with clip wings. For more information, visit https://persik.com.

WhistlePig + Alfa Romeo F1

SHOREHAM, VT (September 13, 2023) — WhistlePig Whiskey, the leaders in independent craft whiskey, and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake are waving the checkered flag on a legend-worthy release that’s taking whiskey to G-Force levels. The Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is a high Rye Whiskey selected by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake drivers, with barrels trialed in their wind tunnel to ensure a thrilling taste in every sip.

The third iteration in WhistlePig’s Single Barrel PiggyBack Legends Series, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is bottled at 96.77 proof, a nod to Valtteri Bottas’ racing number, 77, and the precision of racing. Inspired by Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese F1 driver, this Rye Whiskey is finished with lychee and oolong tea. Herbal and floral notes of the oolong tea complement the herbaceous notes of WhistlePig’s signature PiggyBack 100% Rye, rounded out with a juicy tropical fruit finish and a touch of spice.

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by Spectrum Medical Care Center

Nurse Practitioner Ari Kravitz

When I started medical transition at 20 years old, it was very difficult to get the care I needed for hormone replacement therapy because there are very few providers trained in starting hormones for trans people, even though it’s very similar to the hormones that we prescribe to women in menopause or cisgender men with low testosterone.

I hope more providers get trained in LGBTQ+ healthcare, so they can support patients along their individual gender journey, and provide the info needed to make informed decisions about their body. I’ve personally seen my trans patients find hope and experience a better quality of life through hormone replacement therapy.

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Descanso Resort swimming pool and lounge area

Descanso Resort, Palm Springs' premier destination for gay men, just received Tripadvisor's highest honor, a Travelers' Choice "Best of the Best" award for 2023. Based on guests' reviews and ratings, fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor's 8 million listings around the world receive the coveted "Best of the Best" designation. Descanso ranked 12th in the top 25 small inns and hotels category in the United States. Quite an accomplishment!

Open less than two years, Descanso Resort offers gay men a relaxing and luxurious boutique hotel experience just minutes away from Palm Springs' buzziest restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping. Descanso has quickly established itself as a top destination for sophisticated gay travelers, earning hundreds of 5-star guest reviews and consistently ranking in Trapadvisor's top positions alongside brother properties Santiago Resort and Twin Palms Resort.

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