Benefits of Baking Soda

Iam not sharing an easy-bake recipe here!
Baking soda has a ton of benefits that are way beyond fluffing a cake. 
And here are some eco-friendly-budget-friendly uses of this magical ingredient. 

For bright teeth: 

• Baking soda is a natural bleach for the teeth. In a small dish, mix 1 tbsp. baking soda with some water and a pinch of salt, and use this mixture instead of the regular toothpaste once a day to get bright teeth.

For hair: 

ever wondered how to get rid of product build-up on the hair like deposition of certain chemicals on the hair because of using a certain shampoo and conditioner for a long time? You get this when you feel that the shampoo or conditioner is no longer acting on your hair Baking soda can help.

• Add a tsp. Of baking soda to regular shampoo bottle. Now use this shampoo to wash your hair. This will prevent product build up
• Alternatively, after shampoo, dissolve a tsp. of baking soda in a cup of water/ apple cider vinegar, and pour this mixture over your hair, and then rinse off with fresh, clean water.
• Dry shampoo: baking soda can also be dusted on the hair, on a day when you don’t want to shampoo, to get rid of excessive oils.

For the body: 

• Relaxing Bath: Mix 2-3 cups of baking soda with ½ cup corn starch, and keep in an air-tight container. Add 1/4th cup of this mixture to your bath-tub to get bubbly bath at home! It will help in soothing the skin, and softening it.
• For the nails: Dip a soft, wet toothbrush into baking soda powder, and use this to scrub around nails. It will remove all dead skin, and soften the cuticle, leaving hands and nails squeaky clean.
• For fungal infection on feet/ hands: Add 1 tbsp. baking soda to a tub full of warm water, along with some almond oil. This will eliminate the fungal infection, and soften the skin too!
• As a body scrub: Take 1-2 tbsp. of baking soda, or more, depending on your requirement, and add only as much water to make a thick paste. This acts as an excellent scrub for the skin, and also for any rough patches.

For the face: 

• Exfoliation: Mix 1 tbsp. of baking soda with 1 tbsp. of water or apple cider vinegar. This is an excellent mild scrub for the skin, and also helps in tightening skin pores (when used with apple cider vinegar).
• Anti-acne: Bacteria on the skin need an acidic environment to grow, and since Baking Soda is alkaline in nature, it disrupts the growth of bacteria on the skin (without disrupting the pH balance of the skin) and helps in fighting acne. Use in the same way as the Exfoliator above. Leave the mixture on the face for 10 minutes after exfoliation, and then wash off with cold water.
• Skin brightening and for getting even complexion: Mix 1 tsp. of baking Soda with a 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and a few drops of olive oil. Apply this pack to your cleansed face for 10 minutes, then wash off with cold water.

Tips and precautions when using Baking Soda

• Don’t get over-zealous. Nothing works over night! Begin with small quantities of Baking Soda, and see if it suits your skin/ hair/ teeth. If it does, gradually increase the amount to permissible levels to get the best benefits. Begin by using it once a week, and gradually increase the frequency to 2-3 times a week.
• 
  

Snack Time: Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

I have always been somewhat of a compulsive snacker. It’s how I get through my day. So in attempt of being healthy; instead of snacking on a whole pack of Sour cream & onions flavoured Pringles, I decided to try something a tad healthier that included veggies and greens. 
With a simple flour, egg, Panko-Parmesan coating, these crisps come together in just 15 minutes and get deep fried to absolute crisp perfection. You can most certainly bake these as a healthier alternative but nothing beats that really crisp, golden-brown crust.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup panko (japanese style breadcrumb) 
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
1/2 cup all purpose flower
2 eggs, beaten 

Instructions

1. Start by heating the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan, set aside. 
3. Working in batches, dredge the zucchini in flour, then dip it into the eggs. 
   
4. Then dredge the zucchini rounds in the panko-parmesan mixture. 
   
5. Add Zuchini rounds to the skillet, 5/6 at a time, and cook until they are evenly gold and crispy. About 1 minute each side.
6. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. 
7. Eat! 
   

When you’re ready to serve, feel free to dip these bad boys in your favourite kind of dipping sauce like Ranch or marinara sauce. Just be warned that you’ll be eating these crisp all day long. 

DIY Project: Cucumber toner

Cleanse. Tone. Moisturize. 

The routine every woman should follow daily!
Here is an all natural- easy-to-make- cucumber toner, that will help you get one step closer to radiant skin. 

Ingredients:
- Cucumber
- Water

1. Peel the cucumber. You may avoid peeling it and just wash it thoroughly. The aim is to clean the cucumber completely.
2. Chop Chop. Now, there can be two ways out. In case you want to use it solely as a toner and would probably use it once or twice a day, you can straight away churn it, sieve out the juice and store. But the aim here is to prepare a facial mist/toner which requires it to be a bit more liquefied. So start by cutting the cucumber in horizontal strokes first. We need very small pieces of cucumber, so go on and give it some vertical cuts as well. 
3. Transfer those fine pieces into a pan.
4. Add water to this pan, roughly of the amount in which these cucumber pieces will be well immersed.
5. Keep the pan on a low flame now for 5-7 minutes in total. We are doing this because we want the cucumber essence to mix with the water nicely. At the same time, do not boil the water or keep it for a long time because that will work against the aim, that is, it will kill the nutrients in the cucumber.
6. Now, put the flame off and let the cucumber water cool down a bit. It would take approximately 10 minutes to cool down to the level we want. Transfer the whole thing to a mixer jar.
7. Churn for around 20 seconds keeping the mixer speed at the 1st level.
8. We have to now sieve the juice out and that will separate the bigger pieces.
9. Filter the juice and collect it directly into a storage bottle or a glass for the moment.
10. Voilaaaa!! We're done. Refrigerate it in a clean bottle and spray as and when required.

Ways You Can Use It:

• As a facial mist- this is my favourite usage type. I just love spraying it on, after my face wash ritual on returning home during the summer hot days. It’s pure bliss!

• Cucumber has natural toning properties, so you can use it twice a day as a toner alone.

• Take out the chilled liquid on a cotton pad and place it on your eyes to get relieved of puffy eyes and soreness.
• Mix it with face packs in the summer. 

Shelf Life:

One time preparation of this cucumber facial toner will serve for around 4 days when kept in the refrigerator. The same procedure can be done with rose petals too instead of cucumber.

The Art Of Contouring & Highlighting.

We all wonder how those celebs have sculpted cheek bones ALL.THE.TIME! It's called contouring & highlighting ladies and gals. Believe it or not, with minimum effort, I realized I can have the same fab-face. Here are some tricks and pics that became my bible, hopefully they will help you as well.

1. Pick your poison: Cream or Powder.

This really depends on what your more comfortable with, while cream tends to give maximum coverage, some women are more comfortable with a lighter texture as powder.

2. Testing.. Testing.

Before settling down, make sure you test out a variety of shades. Dont hesitate to ask for help at the store either, these experts are there for a reason. 

3. Know your face, and what's good for it.

This is actually quite important. Yes there are basic rules to follow, however understanding the shape of your face will help you get to a perfect flawless look. 

4. A pop of blush. 

This will add some colour to your face, and soften the overall look. 

5. Invest in good brushes. 

Using quality brushes is essential to countering. Proper blending is the most important part of the process. And remember, powder-y products require different brushes than cream-y ones. 

6. Whats the occasion

A morning glow look needs different contouring than a dancing night out. 

Most expensive pair of shoes.

I wanted to do a post about expensive shoes, as i was googling information here and there, I came across something that made me go in a completely different direction. As I type in "most expensive shoes", I notice a few pictures that are somehow familiar to me!

It was Dorothy Gale's famous ruby slippers. I am sure you have all watched the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. Its a movie that for generations has been adored by kids (and still is).  

Now before I tell you why those ruby slippers popped up under "most expensive shoes" let me tell you a little bit about the movie. It has been said that its america's greatest and best loved grown fairy tale. The movie has an enormous cultural impact; it has inspired many artists, from painters, to song writers, and even fashion designers. 

Regarding the ruby slippers; they are considered one of the most treasured and valuable film memorabilia in movie history.

There are exactly 4 pairs crafted for filming this production, one is currently displayed at The Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Another pair are owned by hollywood mega-star Leonardo DiCaprio, displayed at the Academy Museum. The 3rd pair was auctioned, and sold for a little over 3 million dollars (hence why it's said to be the most expensive pair of shoes). And last but not least, the 4th pair is no where to be found. I am thinking to set myself on a mission and go looking for these so called most expensive pair. Who's up to join me? 

Flaunt' em curves.

I was watching this last summer's Project Runway, and there was this episode were one of the contestants was throwing flames about a plus size model. So I've decided to dedicate this post to talk about the importance of having a healthy figure. before that I would like to state something; fashion is not about those stick figure models, its about us, the regular folks that have curves and flaunt them proudly. Thanks to our media, people now have this ridiculous idea that slim figures are the "it" girls. Back in the days, when people like Marilyn Monreo and Elizabeth Taylor were in the spot light, it was all about the curves. Todays media promotes being skinny and they have no idea the negative impact this has on the viewers. For example, once I saw a show that presented a 6 year old girl with an eating disorder because she wants to "look like barbie." Other girls starve themselves for weeks so they can look good for prom. what happened to just eating healthy and sticking to that. Designers like JPG and Elena Miro have used plus sized models. Infact, Jean Paul Gaultier used Velvet d'Amor (size 20) to walk in his show back in 2006. So all I want to say to you guys, is that theres nothing wrong with being curvy, hell theres even nothing wrong with being over weight. As long as your confident in your own skin then you can rock anybody's world. 

Cozy Up!

So giving the fact that I live in Montreal; winter weather has been here for a while. Now personally, I haaaaaaaaate this time of year. when you know u can no longer wear those peep toe shoes, or that bright colored summer dress. but what I hate the most is the fact that i have to take out my winter jacket.  its already mid November and I've managed to wear that ugly thing as minimum as possible, thanks to one of this fall's latest trends; chunky sweaters. I took out all the ex boyfriends' sweaters I had and I am finally wearing them with style. Now the best thing about this is that they suit all body shapes, you just have to find the right one for you. 

For the slim gals, you can go with something that has an overall strip (horizontally of course). For the hour glass body, go with something the accents your waist, or simply add a belt there. For the pear shaped body; go with a longer sweater that shows off a bit of shoulder. I am gonna post a more detailed post of what to wear with each body type to give a better idea of what goes best with you, and to give you the confidence boost ;)