Tag: WOMEN & CHILDRENMak

  • Manicure mistakes you are making

    Manicure mistakes you are making

    Manicures may seem pretty straightforward, but there are probably a few things you’re doing that could seriously harm your nail health.
    Not washing your tools
    Sanitizing your tools should be the first step and your number one priority. According to research, the area around and under our fingernails stores the largest amount of harmful bacteria, and if these tools are not being washed with disinfectant you are allowing the spread of germs and risking contamination. In addition, storing tools in a sealed bag, allows bacteria to fester. So the best way to store your tools is in a breathable container and use disinfectant or alcohol to clean them before and after each use.
    Cutting your cuticles
    We’ve all been guilty of doing this because we’ve seen it occasionally done to us by professionals, but, cutting your cuticles is a major health risk, due to the fact that you leave unprotected cuts on your fingers which could potentially get infected. In addition to that, when the cuticles start growing again, they come back flaky and messy looking which completely ruins your look. If you love the look of nipped cuticles, then the best thing for you to do is to use a rosewood stick and push them back. This way you will protect your fingernails from getting an infection while still achieving the aesthetic look that you desire.
    Not using a base coat
    A lot of people believe that a basecoat is unnecessary and a waste of time so they skip this step when they are getting their manicure. However, basecoats were originally created to bind with your natural nails and make your manicure last up to one week longer. This happens because our nails produce natural oils that prevent the nail polish from binding well with the nail, so a base coat keeps the oils out and keeps the manicure or gel polish from chipping.
    Applying thick coats of polish
    We all like a very pigmented look on our nails that takes less time to complete and looks solid, and that automatically makes us apply thicker coats of nail polish. Even though this may seem the best way to go, it is actually a major mistake when you are doing your manicure.
    Thick coats of nail polish take twice as long to dry and underneath take approximately 5-6 minutes which is a recipe for a smudging disaster. Nail polish, in general, is not designed to dry well when it’s thick in order to be protected when it’s housed in the bottle.
    So the best thing to do is apply 3-4 thin layers of nail polish instead of 1-2 thick ones.
    Using Q-tips
    Q-tips are proven life-savers especially when it comes to makeup, so we slowly started incorporating them into our manicure routine as well. When nail polish gets on the skin around the nail, we just get a cotton pad and start wiping, but it takes the slightest motion to bring chaos to the whole look and have to start over from the beginning. The cotton fuzzies, no matter how many millimeters they are away from the wet nail polish have a tendency to stick to the manicure and ruin the whole look, forcing you to start from the beginning. Instead of using Q-tips, use a very thin makeup brush to clean the area.

  • Humor can change your relationship

    Humor can change your relationship

    A sense of humor is an attractive trait. There is abundant cross cultural evidence that shows that being funny makes you more desirable as a mate, especially if you are a man. But once the initial flirting is over, and you are in a romantic relationship, how large a role does humor play?
    For dating couples, use of positive humor (for example, using humor to cheer up your date) can positively contribute to relationship satisfaction. The use of aggressive humor, on the other hand (teasing and making fun of your partner) has the opposite effect. These feelings can fluctuate on a day-to-day basis depending on each partner’s use of humor.
    For long-term relationships, such as in marriages, couples generally share a similar sense of humor – although similarities in sense of humor are not associated with greater marital satisfaction, nor with longer marriages. Perhaps not surprisingly, the research that resulted in this finding also found that couples with fewer children laugh more, compared to couples with a larger number of children.
    In another study, conducted with 3,000 married couples from five countries, both husbands and wives were found to be happier with a humorous partner, but this trait was reported to be more important for the marital satisfaction of the wives than the husbands. Interestingly, both husbands and wives thought that the husband was humorous more often. Regardless, married couples overwhelmingly say that humor has a positive impact on their marriages.
    But what happens when things aren’t going so well? Humor is a great ice breaker and a social lubricant, but can it also help resolve conflict in marriages? In one study, researchers observed 60 newlywed couples when they discussed a problem in their marriage. They coded how much humor was used in the conversation. The couples also completed a measure of life stress. What researchers found when they followed up 18 months later was quite surprising. In couples that reported high stress, the more the husband used humor, the greater the chance the couple would separate or divorce.

  • Homemade malpua

    Homemade malpua

    INGREDIENTS
    1 cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoon almonds, 1 teaspoon saffron, milk as required, 1/2 cup wheat flour, 2 tablespoon pistachios, boiling water as required
    Method
    – For the malpua batter: take a mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, wheat flour and milk as per the requirement. Begin to stir till its a thick flowing batter without lumps. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.
    – Meanwhile, blanch the almonds and pistachios by soaking them in hot water.
    – Next, to prepare the sugar syrup: Put a pan on low flame and add sugar in it along with 1/4th cup water. Stir it well till the sugar melts. (Note: You need to have a 1/2-1 inch string consistency in the sugar syrup or wait until the syrup is sticky. Add saffron in the sugar syrup.
    – Now, we are ready to prepare the malpuas. Put a pan on medium flame and melt some ghee in it. When the ghee is hot enough, take 2-3 tablespoons of the flour batter and gently pour it into the hot ghee. Spread the batter in round shape lightly with the back of the spoon.
    – Fry the malpuas on low to medium flame from both sides until they are golden and crisp. Thereafter, drain them on kitchen towels. Then immediately place them in the warm sugar syrup. Gently coat the malpuas with the sugar syrup with a spoon or small tongs.
    – After a minute or two, remove them from the syrup and place them in a serving tray or plate. Garnish with chopped almond and pistachios along with hot rabdi.