GeekSugar

Ice Red Laptop Bags: For Business and Pleasure

GeekSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:00:56 PDT

Shopping online is so convenient and so much fun, especially when there are websites like Shop It To Me that fully customize your online shopping adventures. But I do love checking out items in person, especially laptop bags, so I can decide whether or not the bag is exactly what I'm looking for. So when these two bags from Ice Red Designs arrived on my doorstep, I instantly outweighed the pros and cons of each. For an all around trendy day-to-night kinda bag, the black vinyl Shine Glossy Laptop Bag can hold laptops up to 17-inches and offers multiple compartments and pockets for your shades, cell, a book and other goodies. It also comes in pink and silver but in my opinion, the black is the most sexiest and sophisticated. It's priced at $70, which is predictable considering it's an all-in-one bag - no need to carry a separate purse with this one!

The red Sirocco Urban Laptop Tote Bag isn't at all what I expected. It's much bigger than it looks on the website, and it kinda reminds me of those padded cooler bags - therefore, not office appropriate. But, if you're in need of a weekend travel bag that's also beach and laptop friendly, this bag is a great option. And with a shock-absorber shoulder strap, it can carry lots of items, without putting a ton of strain on your shoulder. The Sirocco is priced at $70 as well.

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Red Velvet Ice Cream

Yum Community — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:18:47 PDT

Red velvet ice cream?! Genius! Here reader myhousemd shares an amazingly creative recipe that we can't wait to try.

After an impromptu trip to the grocery store to buy this ice cream, my friend and I became absolutely addicted. We didn't even touch the Rocky Road that he bought! We kept thinking about it for weeks afterward, and I decided that I needed to learn how to make it (because that's what I do when I taste something amazing). A Google search gave me nothing. Plenty of recipes for ice cream with red velvet cake, but no red velvet cake flavored ice cream. Having much experience with making multiple flavors of ice cream using multiple methods, I knew it was time to put my kitchen skills to the test. I decided to make my own recipe.

Keep reading to see the recipe!

In Season: Cherimoyas

Sara Yoo — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:07:06 PDT

Don't be fooled by the cherimoya: though this fruit resembles a tiny dragon curled up for a nap, it's quite the opposite from a sour-tempered, fire-breathing reptile. With a texture that resembles custard or ice cream, the cherimoya surprises with a sweet flavor that tasters liken to a blend of bananas, pineapple, papaya, and strawberry. And fortunately for us, it's in season for another few weeks. To learn more about how to prepare this produce curiosity, just read on.

Soothe Sunburn With This DIY Recipe

Michelle Phan — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:25:00 PDT

YouTube star and beauty guru Michelle Phan always has a new tip or two for making life easier. It happens to the best of us, even with the best of intentions, and this week, Michelle tells us how we can alleviate a painful sunburn:

Hi everyone,

Each day it's getting a little sunnier and little warmer outside. It's nice to spend this time outdoors, and while it's also nice to get a little vitamin D for your skin from Mr. Sun, what's not nice are those painful sunburns you're often left with as souvenirs.

Great makeup starts with a good foundation . . . brush, that is

Sunburns can be annoying, painful, and peel-y, and once you have one, they tend to be hard to forget about until they fade away. Your skin needs a little TLC when it's burned. Find out some of my sunburn soothing tips to help out when your golden glow is more of rosy red when you read more:

3 Ways to Make the Most of Your Leftover Wine

Lizzie Fuhr — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:40:22 PDT

We've all been in this predicament: you opened a fresh bottle of wine, poured yourself a glass, then realized weeks later that you wasted tons of vino. This may have been a bummer in the past, but it's time to rethink this age-old problem. Leftover wine does not need to go to waste down the drain; it can be repurposed for sheer culinary delight. Here are three easy ways to make the most of your old wine.

Make homemade vinegar. Pour your leftover wine into a covered container (make sure it's not airtight!) and set it in a cool, dark location to allow it to ferment. The solution will start off murky, but you'll see it clarify with time. Once you see a white skin at the bottom, a bacterial culture known as the "mother," the homemade vinegar is ready to incorporate into your favorite recipes.
The first time you make wine into vinegar, you'll have to wait several months. But after the initial cultivation, you can whip up new batches of vinegar every few weeks using the original mother.
Deglaze your pan. Deglazing may seem like an intimidating term, but chances are you're deglazing your pan all the time without even knowing it - that is, adding a bit more liquid and cooking off the goodness at the bottom of the pan. If you're typically adding stock in this process, add some wine instead to bring a whole new richness and complexity of flavors to your dish.

Keep reading for the last way to make the most out of leftover wine.

6 Stylish Flicks We're Excited to See This Summer

Marisa Tom — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:35:30 PDT

Along with sunnier days, sandal fever, and a whole lot of iced coffee, we're looking forward to the season's onslaught of silver-screen blockbusters and indie films and, of course, the inspiring movie fashion that comes with it. More specifically, we're dying to see what Penelope Cruz will be wearing (aside from that sexy little red minidress) in Woody Allen's To Rome With Love, how Michelle Williams could possibly make us fall in love with her laid-back gamine style even more in Take This Waltz, or what Chloë Moretz's '70s ensembles will look like in Tim Burton's zany Dark Shadows. Just like our affinity to TV fashion, we love watching our favorite celebs transform into their onscreen characters, personality, panache, and all. From the looks of this Summer's movie lineup, we're in for indie-cool separates, Italian vacation wares, and corseted costume drama. Take a peek at the flicks we're most excited to see and style you can emulate (read: shop) now.

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Sony Pictures Classics

Adventures in Ingredients: Aloe Vera

Camilla Salem — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:42:59 PDT

For weeks, I'd been eying these spiky succulent leaves at Berkeley Bowl. I always knew that aloe vera came from this common plant, but never thought I would actually need or want the opportunity to work with it myself. And then there's the whole issue of cooking with it and how to harvest it. It's popular in coconut water these days, but other than that, ingesting it is somewhat uncommon. But those who regularly eat or drink this strange succulent rave about its supposed health benefits, from healing acne to curing cancer.

I did a quick scan of the Internet on how to cut and prepare fresh aloe vera right from the leaf. I found several recipes for smoothies featuring fresh aloe vera pieces and one that served it poached with lime juice. A smoothie sounded more appetizing. Honestly, I got a little bit nervous when I found out that the dark red sap that apparently seeps out should not be ingested or it will cause unpleasant digestive issues. Still, I went for it.

Filleting this piece of aloe vera was a strange experience: I was on the lookout for that dark red sap, though I didn't ever encounter it. The aloe vera gel looked sticky and mucous, not delicious (or even edible). I'd read in a few places that aloe vera on its own is kind of bitter, so of course, I immediately cut off a piece and took a bite. It tasted like nothing, but I did notice a strange sensation in my mouth and my tongue went a little numb. To find out what I did with the fresh fillet of aloe vera, keep reading.

Link Time: Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet Will Design a Mini Skirt Inspired by Ice Cream

FabSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:03:00 PDT

Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet will design a skirt inspired by Magnum Ice Cream - Fashionista
Let Salt-n-Pepa's hot, cool, and vicious look inspire your '90s flashback - Stylelist
One of Barcelona's best-kept shopping secrets: Santa Eulalia - Olivia Palermo
Alessandra Ambrosio gets a (fully clothed) pregnant mag cover - Styleite
Watch Zac Efron show off his bra-unhooking skills - HuffPost Style
Five legit reasons why you need a great tailor - The Fashion Spot
An exposition on Coachella's magical appeal - The Daily Beast
Feast your eyes on The Row's latest python shoulder bag - Bag Snob
All the red-carpet looks from Elle's Women in Music event - Red Carpet Fashion Awards
Cartier, now and then (hint: forever amazing) - Style.com
Jean Paul Gaultier put corsets on Diet Coke bottles - The Cut

Secrets to Saving on Your 7 Favorite Indulgences

Emily Co — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:25:48 PDT

We all have our weaknesses, and yours may be a Starbucks addiction or even an avid book reading habit. Although we advocate saving, we're also a big fan of being able to indulge on occasion. After all, if you keep denying yourself, it might be counterintuitive because you may end up buying on impulse. Here are some ways you can still enjoy your favorite purchases, yet save at the same time:

Starbucks: Sign up for a Starbucks card and you can accumulate rewards such as free drinks. Once you buy five drinks, you get free syrup or soy milk and free refills on brewed coffee, iced coffee, or iced tea. You'll also get a free tall drink if you buy a bag of coffee beans. Once you buy over 30 drinks, you get a free drink for every 15 drinks you buy. As a card holder, you'll also get a free drink of your choice on your birthday.

Frugal secret: You can make your own Starbucks drinks in your own home. Check out Squawkfox's recipe for a homemade Starbucks Frappuccino that costs only 32 cents to make. Don't forget to also check out YumSugar's Starbucks-inspired pumpkin spice latte recipe.
Books: If you got a thing for books, there's always the library of course. But for those who just love permanent additions to their budding book collection, you can consider joining book clubs like Barnes & Nobles, which sends regular discounts and coupons to your inbox. You can also get really cheap indie ebooks for free or for 99 cents on Amazon. Some of the books are actually really good, but check out the reviews before buying if you don't want to waste your time on a dud.
Frugal secret: Shhh, don't let anyone know, but you can get free books from authors, even the acclaimed and famous ones, if you try this trick. A lot of times, you can even get the book ahead of its release. All you have to do is start building up a nice repertoire of really solid and detailed book reviews on Amazon or Good Reads, the social network for book recommendations. If your Amazon reviews are good, people will start voting on them, which may qualify you for Amazon's Vine program, an exclusive club that "invites the most trusted reviewers on Amazon to post opinions about new and prerelease items." And if you're a popular Good Reads reviewer, authors will start reaching out to you to review their books.
Yoga: You can save on yoga classes by subscribing to daily deal sites and keeping an eye out for discounts at your local yoga studio. Lululemon also offers free yoga classes, so you might want to check out your local shop. A lot of studios have free or donation-based classes on occasion, so you might want to check with them, too.
Frugal secret: Become a yoga teacher to get access to free classes. You don't have to worry about teaching taking up too much of your time because I have friends who teach only once or twice a week and still get the perks of a full-time teacher, such as being able to attend classes for free. You can also offer to trade services (writing, graphic design, admin, or whatever skill you can provide) with the studio in exchange for free classes.

Read on for more.

5 Ways to Make Your Day a Little Healthier

Leta Shy — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:06:14 PDT

You know you need to exercise and eat right to look and feel your best, but those two things are easier said than done. It helps to break things up, like with these simple steps to make your day a little healthier.

Resist the pastry case: You know that you need to eat breakfast to boost your metabolism and keep you revved up for the day, but that doesn't mean you should spring for the baked good staring back at you at the coffee shop. Instead of the Starbucks grab-and-go, make these healthy breakfasts ahead of time so you can get out the door fast.
Have a drink: Water's the best thing you can imbibe, but it's not the only healthy thing you should swig - and no, I'm not just talking about red wine. Try drinking water with lemon or green tea in place of plain water when you need a little boost; you'll get much-needed antioxidants and detoxing properties from both.
Load up on greens: Sneak them in everywhere - those green veggies are an important aspect of a healthy diet. Leafy greens, for example, pack a lot of your required daily nutrients in one serving, and can also help reduce your risk of many diseases. Make sure at least one of your meals has a substantial amount of greens to get the most benefit out of your veggies.

Read on for more tips.