Reading 101 - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

In, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), the actress, comedian, writer, producer, director, and the author of this biography, Mindy Kaling shows the readers on a tour of her life and her views on romance, friendship, and her life in Hollywood. This is a fun and easy book to read, and her anecdotes go down easy throughout the book.

Her humor and her awesome character, makes you want to keep flipping the pages for more chuckles and smiles. More than an actual biography, this book has a tone of a twitter feed. Reading this book is like listening to your best friend talk about her day and mess up in life.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I give it a two thumbs up.

SweetReadings :)

Remedies for Dark Circles

 
Dark discoloration of the skin under the eye is mainly referred to as dark circles. Dark circles are common with everyone. Sometimes we can not get rid of these circles no matter how we try.

Some major reasons behind these hideous things are: 

• Heredity
• Aging
• Dry skin
• Prolonged crying 
• Working for long hours in front of a computer
• Mental or physical stress
• Lack of sleep
• Unhealthy diet

Dark circles are not a serious problem, but they do make you look tired, unhealthy and older.

Remedies for dark circles

1. Almond Oil

Almond Oil is a great for the delicate skin around your eyes. Regular use of this oil will fade the darkness away.

2. Cucumber Slices 
Cut thin slices of cucumber and leave them in the fridge to get cold. Take them out and place these slices on the affected area. Leave them for 10 minutes and then wash with water. Cucumber has skin lightening properties and give a very soothing effect on the eyes. They can lighten the color of the skin, increase blood flow and reduce puffiness.

3. Rose Water 
Soak a cotton ball in rose water and put it on your closed eyelids. Rose water works as a good skin toner and it also has mild astringent properties. Being a rich source of antioxidants, rose water can help strengthen skin cells, regenerate skin tissue and rejuvenate the skin around the eyes.

4. Potato
Potatoes have natural bleaching properties that can help lighten dark circles. They can also help get rid of the puffiness around the eyes. Chill a potato in the fridge for an hour and then grate it. Extract the juice of this potato and soak a cotton ball in it. Now place this cotton ball over your dark circles and leave it for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with cold water

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

The New Year is the time of unfolding horizons and the realization of dreams, may you rediscover new strength and garner faith with you, and be able to rejoice in the simple pleasures that life has to offer and put a brave front for all the challenges that may come your way.

Wishing you all a lovely New Year.

The Miracle Seed

Best things come in small packages, just like the super-food: pomegranate. Pomegranates may not be the fist thing you reach for at a supermarket, but it is definitely something you would want to consider on your next trip to the market.

Drinking pomegranate juice benefits our health and skin in many ways. It is one of the few fruits whose juice is beneficial to us. If you drink a glass of pomegranate juice everyday, your skin will start glowing instantaneously. 

Here are some benefits to this miracle seed:

1. Anti-Aging
Pomegranates can rejuvenate your skin internally as well as externally. The oil from the skin strengthens your skin which helps reduces wrinkles.

2. Protection against Skin Cancer
This miracle seed contains anti-oxidants which helps you from skin cancer. It also reduces the effects of sunburns and soothes your skin.

3. Skin-Inflammation
If you are suffering from skin inflammation than use pomegranate seeds to soothe your skin. Many experts recommend pomegranate oil to heal small cuts or skin problems. They also leave no trace of the cut on the skin.

Invest in good beauty products that contain promagrante as their key ingredient.

So, put away those greasy bag of chips and reach out for that handful of pomegranate seeds.

SweetReadings :)

Cooking with Bibi - Chicken Yakisoba

You will not see a lot of this, but once in a while, I like to surprise myself and my husband in the kitchen.

For Christmas this year, I decided to treat my family and friends with a nice cooked meal. I decided to make Chicken Yakisoba.

This recipe was quick and easy to do. It had loads of vegetables and the sauce was a mixture of sweet and sour. Personally, I love the spice, so I added two extra spoons of Sriracha sauce. If you prefer less spice you can stick with one spoon.

Overall, this meal won me many compliments from the family. Now, I'm debating whether I should continue with this kitchen business. What do you think ?

This meal serves 6 people

Ingredients

• ½ head green cabbage
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 5 mushrooms
• 1 small crown broccoli 
• 2 inches fresh ginger 
• 1 large chicken breast 
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 
• 2 (3 oz.) packages ramen noodles
• seasoning packets discarded 
• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional) 
• ¼ cup soy sauce 
• ¼ cup worcestershire sauce 
• 2 Tbsp ketchup 
• (up to) 1 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce 
• 1 Tbsp sugar 

Instructions

1. Before you begin, prepare the meat and vegetables for stir frying. Peel the ginger with either a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon and then grate it with a cheese grater. Peel and grate the carrots with a large holed cheese grater. Remove the core from the cabbage and cut into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
2. Begin boiling a medium pot full of water for the noodles. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the grated ginger, saute for about 30 seconds to one minute (its okay if it sticks to the pan but don’t let it burn). Add the chicken strips and cook until they are no longer pink (about five minutes).
3. Once the chicken is cooked through, add all of the vegetables. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes). Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until tender (2-3 minutes). Drain, return to the pot (with the heat turned off) and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking.
4. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sriracha, and sugar. Use only ½ tsp of sriracha if you don’t want it spicy, use up to 1 Tbsp if you like it hot. Stir until the ketchup and sugar are dissolved. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and vegetables with the heat still on medium high. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce, and heat through (just a few minutes).

Product Review - Argan Creamy Oil Cleansing Treatment

As you all probably know my obsession for Josie Maran's Argan Oil, so here comes another statement about one of her products:

Josie Maran's Argan Cleansing treatment is an excellent product and gentle on the skin. It removes all my makeup and leaves my skin glowing.

It is a cleansing treatment balm, paired with a double sided cleansing cloth, that helps eliminate impurities while hydrating and nourishing the skin.

This treatment is safe for all skin types and for anyone who wants to have clean, nourished, and hydrated skin.

What I love about this balm is that it does not leave your skin sticky or oily. The end result is fine and touchable skin. When removing the cream of your face, you can actually see the residues on the cloth. The only down side to the product is that, it comes with a small piece of cloth.

Overall, I gave this product a 4 star

The Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Treatment can be purchased at Sephora
http://www.sephora.com/argan-cleansing-treatment-cloth-P377569

SweetReadings :)

5 Ways to Make your Perfume Last Longer

I love my perfumes, and I love how it lingers around me. Most perfumes have a unique smell when it touches our skin. Of all the senses, the sense of smell is the most powerful and the most passionate one. You don't want that scent to disappear after just a few hours or even a few minutes.

There are 5 easy ways to make sure your perfume last longer.

1. Apply your perfume right after your shower.

  - When you take a shower your pores open up, due to the steam. Apply your perfume right after the  shower. Your pores will soak in the scent and smell much better.

2.  Moisturize your skin.
 - You don't want to put perfume on your dry skin. So moisturize it! Make sure it looks glowing and healthy.

3.  Don't rub your wrists together.

  - Rubbing your wrists together after your spray your perfume actually breaks up the perfume and makes the scent fade faster.

  4.  Apply at pulse points.
  - Easy and quickest way to make the scent stick, apply on both pulse points on your wrists and behind the ears.

5.  Choose a strong scent.
  - When you are picking a perfume, try to choose strong base notes. Notes such as vanilla,   pine, and musk generally tend to last longer.







There you go! All the above tips work like a charm :)
What other tricks do you have?

SweetReadings :)