Top 5 Halloween Picks!

1- Horror Flick - The Conjuring

This is not your average horror.. this is the REAL deal which is void of cheap jump scares. After all, this movie scored "R" rating purely because it was TOO scary for it to be PG-13!

Here is the synopsis:

"In 1971, Carolyn and Roger Parren move their family into a dilapidated Rhode Island farm house and soon strange things start happening around it with escalating nightmarish terror. In desperation, Carolyn contacts the noted paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, to examine the house."

2- Nail Lacquer - DEBORAH LIPPMANN Wicked Set

Inspired by Broadway's popular musical "Wicked", these enchanting nail colors would sure give you the touch of 'wickedness' needed to complement your Halloween look.

Here is how SEPHORA describes the set:

"This edgy collection celebrating the Broadway musical WICKED's 10th anniversary is as wickedly mesmerizing as the characters who inspired them. Each is named after an original song and captures WICKED's wit and Ozmopolitan charm. “Popular” was inspired by Glinda, a glistening pink in a shimmer finish that was color-matched to the iconic pink dress worn by the character during the "Popular" number. “Defying Gravity” was inspired by Elphaba, a green hue in a cream finish that signifies the extension of Elphaba's skin color. And “One Short Day” is infused with an emerald glitter inspired by The Emerald City, where Elphaba and Glinda journey together."

3- Halloween Treat: "Broken Glass" Cupcakes

Halloween without wacky treats is certainly no fun! Indulge into these deliciously 'gory' cupcakes, slit with broken glass shards (mind you, these are edible glass made with caramel!), oozing with scarlet cherry preserves. Sweetness!

Click here to find out how to make these unique cupcakes!

4- Decoration: Eerie Eyeball Wreath

This aesthetically scary piece of decoration can be hung at the front of your door to welcome your guests at your freakTASTIC halloween party!

The fun part is these can be made on your own with glow-in-the-dark rubber eyeballs, poked with pins, inserted into a foam wreath form. Cool right?

Source: countryliving.com 

5- Halloween Getup For Kiddies - Furry Blue Precious Peacock Baby Costume

I can't decide which is cuter: the baby or the furry snugly costume? This vividly colorful peacock costume would look so adorable on those stinking cute living pumpkins! Check out those webbed cushy feet! And with that flattering plumage, this little guy is sure to be the center of attention!

Cristal Serum by Energy Cosmetics - Spritzing Solution for your Split-end Suffering

It's been quite some time since I did any product review. Time to catch up!

Suppose there is an unexpected get-together or someone is coming to see you on a short notice. Getting ready is not a big deal but what do you do about those ugly split-ends spiking out of your strands that just won't remain unseen no matter how you let your hair be (tied up or loose)? What do you do when you have to battle with brushing through your tangled up hair that just keeps knotting up?

You use hair serum.

Hair serum is your after-wash resort specially designed for unmanageable and frizzy hair by providing them with lubrication and thus makes your life easier! It coats hair with protective layer that forms a barrier against damaging factors like heat, humidity and dust whilst providing your hair with luster it lacked. For the same reason it is always advised to apply some serum onto your hair before you use any hair-styling tool that emits heat.

Hair dyes have caused so much damage that even after avoiding dying for a year my hair is still reaping the harmful effects. So the hair serum I got hold of recently is Cristal Serum Split Ends Seal by Energy Cosmetics. As the description says it is supposed to glue together split-ends.

At the back of the bottle it says,

Fluid having high restoring and fixative value, efficacious in maintaining the hair style both on damaged and natural hair. It is particularly suitable for innovative and free style or to mould the curls. Thanks to the restructuring and moisturizing capacity it restores tone, volume and brightness and repairs the split ends.

My Experience:

• It definitely brightened up my hair by making them lustrous
• It did volumize my hair to some extent (as you can see the difference in the picture below) and gave it some body
• Overall it managed to tame down my hair, but
• It wasn't too effective in taming my short stray strands (I know I need a hair cut)
• And neither 100 % effective on sealing my split-ends =/
• Yet I'm happy that this serum wasn't too heavy on my hair

This 60 ml glass bottle comes with a pump discharge nozzle and it is a product made in Italy. The nice scent is also a plus!

I think Cristal Serum Split Ends Seal by Energy Cosmetics will suit best for those who like to style their locks into soft curls, giving curly locks more definition and shine.

So that's it for now folks! Have a good day! :)

The Crown Fruit: Pomegranate

From their crown to their lovely sparkling jewel-like arils (seeds) and not to forget the plethora of health benefits each of them holds, pomegranates have so much about them that give them this royal charisma among the fruit family.

During my research I wasn't surprised to find out that the pomegranate has been held in high esteem in different folklore, legends and cultures. Due to the abundance of edible ruby-red arils this fruit is bestowed with, pomegranate holds symbolism of power, prosperity, fertility and good-luck.

These are just SOME of the health benefits this wonder fruit is associated with:

1. Cancer Fighter - Packed with high amounts of anti-oxidants, pomegranate is effective in defending against free-radicals and development of cancerous cells.
2. Heart-Friendly - Rich with Granatin B and Punicalagin, these components are said to fight heart-related diseases and lowers the level of bad cholesterol.
3. Anti-aging -  Increases collagen production that in turn regenerate skin cells and reduces appearance of fine line and wrinkles
4. Immunity-Booster - Pomegranates are good source of Vitamin-C which gives it anti-bacterial properties.
5. Fat-Burner - The amazing amounts of dietary fiber it contains will make you feel full and curb your hunger and thus can become a great addition to your weight-loss diet.
6. Maintains Sugar - Studies showed there was no significant increase in blood sugar level after pomegranate juice consumption therefore it's a great drink for even diabetic patients.

Pomegranate juice is also my personal favorite. Just a day back I tried making Pommie-Apple Smoothie at home and it turned out wonderful! The combined health benefits of both fruits found in this drink makes it extra special and tastier.

Bottom right: Close-up of Rubies (arils)

Here is the recipe to make two glasses:

• 3 cups of pomegranate arils (seeds)
• 2 apples
• 1/4 cup water
• Honey according to how sweet you like
• Ice cubes

Method:

Blend all of the ingredients above at full speed until you see a smooth foamy pink mixture. Pour the mixture into your favorite glass and serve immediately.

Tip: Milk or yogurt or both can be included as well to make your smoothie more creamy.

There are MANY ways pomegranate smoothie can be made with. Just use your imagination.
What other variation would you like to make to the recipe above? Please do share :)

On this Eid: The Mishap and The Miracle

So should I start with the good or the bad news? I think I should start with the bad so that this post ends on a happy note :-)

Last evening, which was the eve before Eid... I LOST my phone.
And it's no ordinary phone, it was the brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 gifted to me by my parents just a couple of months ago. I don't know how it happened but it happened while I was out and realized about it being missing when I returned home. Searched everywhere around and about, kept calling on it too and it was ringing but there was no sign anywhere. After half an hour later of continuous calling, someone picked up the call from my phone finally just for a second .. and Then..  disconnected and switched it off.  =|

Stolen : Confirmed.

And like how common sense would say, once someone switches off your phone then he/she has NO intention of returning it back to you. And there are rarely things like goodwill or kindness in such cases. And miracles RARELY happen.

I had been feeling so miserable and unable to feel the Eid festivity since then. Ashamed of being such a disappointment to my parents for being so careless, I couldn't help but beat myself up over it. It was just a phone but of a great sentimental value (plus with its awesome 13 mp camera I didn't feel the need of carrying around DSLR camera) Truly a "Life Companion". But after hours of contemplation I came to realize, it's not like I lost my loved ones (God Forbid) that I'm so depressed about. Maybe it's God's way of making me see and realize there are much valuable things in life we often overlook. So I pulled myself together and went ahead in helping Mum out with Eid foodie prep.

But I hadn't given up completely. I did a very thorough research on tracking lost/stolen phones later that night and regretted I should have done this way before while I still had my phone as a precautionary measure.
But what's the point realizing about that now, right?

Wrong! And I will tell you why soon.

Later this evening, which is the day after my phone was stolen.. Someone magically appeared at my door. And guess what? To my surprise, my phone was returned! Not safe and sound though. Its amazing OLED screen is so heartlessly smashed, so I can't view anything on it, the rest seems to be working fine. Dad says he will try to get the screen replaced, but let's see.

My Galaxy S4 Smashed Screen :(

Had I given up and not been consistently trying to track my phone down, that "someone" who got hold of my cellphone had no intention of returning it back and was easily getting away with it.

I'm no tech-savvy, but through my experience whatever useful information I gathered and learned in my study, I will definitely share in one of my upcoming posts and who knows I might help someone out that way. :) 

This Eid taught me so many good lessons but the most important of which is:

What's taken away from you, was never yours.. If it's meant to be, by God's will it's going to be returned to you.. What matters more is to cherish what's still with you!

With that note... A VERY Happy Eid to all of you! :) :) :)

Wish list - Gold Themed

Today I decided to do something different. Everybody has a wish list they would like to share with everyone, I'm going to share mine according to themes.. Today I'm doing on "Gold" theme. The objects shown below are not photographed by me, but have been collected from internet and assembled into one with bit of tweaking by me.

1- JACOB & CO. - LEOPARD PRINT DIAMOND HOOP EARRINGS

This pair features black and yellow diamonds mounted in 18K Gold. These hoops could make lady of any age look younger and chic, and even if worn alone would look stunning!

2- PACO RABANNE - LADY MILLION ABSOLUTELY GOLD ( Eau de Parfum for Women)

With top notes of blood orange and neroli, heart (notes) full of jasmine and orange blossom, and base notes of amber.. this scent sounds like a "bling bling" glamorous fragrance and pretty intense that should be used sparingly yet fervidly. Just the way I like to use and the way I like my scent to be!

3- PATCHI - CHOCOLATE GIFT BOX

Patchi is a designer chocolate brand and I have once had a luxury of devouring the whole box of their popular gold Lingots .. I'm not much of a chocolate person but I tell you those were divine! I love their packaging too and I wouldn't mind if I'm gifted with one of these gorgeous boxes. ;)

4- BUCKYBALLS - NEOCUBE GOLD MAGNETIC BALLS TOY

This cube consists of 216 powerful Rare Earth magnetic balls which can be shaped, molded, snapped together in uncountable ways! Sounds fun and something nice to keep me busy and distracted from the monotony around.

5- DELAFÉE - GOLDEN HARMONY GOLD TEA

These are young green tea leaves and buds rolled into tea-balls that are tied with flowers (yellow lily, white jasmine and pink amaranth) covered with pure edible gold.. which when placed into a glass teapot, will open up the flowers and diffuse the gold into this fascinating hot beverage. Hmmm ... it's like I'm reading a fairy-tale packed with magic. Besides I LOVE green tea. Be it in any form. Specially these majestic gold tea-balls by Delafée, I definitely want to try once in my life time!

6- ROBERTO CAVALLI - SNAKE WITH FLOWERS BRASS CAGE CLUTCH

Wow! Just wow! Nothing less nothing more do I utter. Every single piece by Cavalli blows me away with awe and admiration. This clutch is one such piece of art that can make into a beautiful accessory for an evening party and bedazzle everyone around you. It can even be paired with another printed clutch as its lining inside. 

Fancy a Soft-Drink .. Closest to Nature?

Recently, my brother got an unfamiliar classy pair of slender green bottles with a self-evident brand name "Bottlegreen | sparkling". It wasn't the fancy floral design printed on each of the bottles that caught my interest but the unique fusion of flavors each were labelled with: "Green Tea & Elderflower" and "Ginger & Lemongrass". So anything to do with green tea and ginger, automatically makes it perfect for an after-dinner drink, right? I'll keep the topic safe for a different post about the appreciable digestive qualities of ginger.. that will be a whole different conversation.

So anyway, before trying anything new I have a habit of doing some research. Bottlegreen drinks are soft-drinks, produced with little or no preservatives, infused with natural ingredients for flavoring and contain only small amount of natural sugar.

To justify the use of small amount of preservatives, they claim:

".. we added a tiny amount of preservative (sulphur dioxide) so you can enjoy our products for longer. Or to put the amount we use into context, a glass of wine contains 10 times more sulphur dioxide than just one diluted glass of our adult cordials!"

Sounds reasonable. And something better to indulge into rather than the other soft-drinks loaded with tons of sugar and preservatives!

Bottlegreen drinks come in a wide range of sparkling pressés, cordials and tonics. According to them, their range of sparkling pressé is created with infusion of naturally sparkling spring water and natural ingredients.

Now the moment of truth: Did I like what was inside those pretty green bottles? As a matter of fact, I certainly did like the drinks. Compared to other popular soft-drinks, these were light on my palette with delicate taste, yet AS invigorating and refreshing. Although, I couldn't tell much difference between the two flavors "Green Tea & Elderflower" and "Ginger & Lemongrass". Probably cz I tried one shortly after the other. Nonetheless, it's always delightful to try something new which is agreeable.
Good pick, Brother!

Presenting you the much awaited ... Saudi Champagne!!

So after earnest requests made by few of my friends, I decided to share the secret recipe of preparing the heavenly Saudi Champagne which I successfully made at home last evening. :D

Before I give out the recipe, let me familiarize you a bit with this awesome cool beverage.
Saudi Champagne certainly does NOT contain alcohol, therefore it's referred to as "Saudi" but does have sparkly nature of the real champagne.. How ironic right? This minty and fruity flavored drink is healthier and a much more refreshing substitute to any soft drink.

It is one of the most popular refreshments which is offered in the menu of every renowned restaurants and hotels in the Kingdom. A pitcher could be charged to you with an extravagant price.. but guess what? Saudi Champagne is NO biggy to make it on your own, it is VERY simple and quick to make at home!

Here is what you need to make a pitcher (4 glasses) :

• 900 ml - chilled apple juice (a good brand)
• 250 ml - chilled sparkling water / Perrier water ( for stronger drink, increase the amount)
• 1 Apple - diced into little square pieces
• 1/2 Orange or Lemon - sliced horizontally into perfect rounds
• few sprigs of mint leaves
• ice cubes

Preparation:

• In a pitcher, add the fruits along with the mint leaves
• Pour in apple juice... stir... the fruits will rise up and float
• Mix in sparkling water 
• Throw in some ice cubes
• Serve immediately and enjoyyyyy! :D

Hope those of you who asked for it are happy now :D  

And the rest of you.. please do try making it and let me know how it turned out! ^_^

LABELLO Vitamin Shake| Cranberry & Raspberry - Because Lips don't Lie & they don't have to!

I'm sure everyone loves lips that don't lie.. but what if these lies are needed to cover up those ugly tell-tale signs of chapped lips?
The sad truth is that sometimes even good lipsticks and glosses are not enough to completely conceal those lips engraved with unappealing cracks and chaps. What those lips need is .. what they are deprived of - your Care and Attention.. AND a lip balm or a chap stick!

What I use and been using since my childhood is the century-old brand LABELLO which comes in MANY fun flavors and colors. I have used LABELLO in Classic Care, Soft Rosé, Pearly Shine, Fruity Shine (cherry & strawberry), Angel Star and recently I got myself LABELLO Vitamin Shake| Cranberry & Raspberry. 


As you take the cap off, LABELLO Vitamin Shake| Cranberry & Raspberry greets you with an uplifting berrilicious scent and the tempting lovely swirls of pink and soft red colors this marbled stick is graced with. The sight and the scent AND the subtitle "Vitamin Shake" would instantly make anyone want to eat that stick - but PLEASE do NOT try that!

This Vitamin Shake turned out excellent in nourishing my lips with essential vitamins and enrich them with moisture so my lips feel soft, smooth and velvety. The delicious flavor makes me want to envelop my lips generously with this lip balm all the time and it also gives a subtle gloss to them which is a plus!

Give LABELLO Vitamin Shake| Cranberry & Raspberry a go and your lips will thank you for so much love and care .. and for never having to lie again!

Selsun Blue Balanced Shampoo - Diminishing the Dreaded Dandruff

Back in those days those anti-dandruff shampoo commercials used to give me funny stupid thoughts like "How can one's hair make so much snowfall?" and I have been one of those lucky people with dandruff-free hair most of my life.... until now :(  
I guess it's cz I recently moved back in Middle East and the tap water supply here is hard water which can be damaging to hair and scalp, and together with extreme high temperature causes dryness, itchiness and flaking resulting in dandruff.

Although, in my case it is not that severe but it looks so unsightly and prominent in my dark hair. My dad recommended and got me Selsun Blue Balanced Shampoo as it was his tried and tested anti-dandruff shampoo (more effective than the other famous brands - his words!). I was amazed to find out that Selsun Blue has been in the market for many years as an over-the-counter brand ( I can somewhat recall the bottle from my faint memory - sitting on my bathroom shelf), it's just in the recent years it's been available commercially. 


My Experience :
I was surprised by the results as Selsun Blue Balanced Shampoo definitely DID make dandruff vanish out of my hair in just one wash like magic! I didn't feel the need to repeat the use more than twice a week because that has been enough to restrain dandruff recurrence. 

However, on the downside my hair became frizzy after the use.. looks like it has a drying effect. So I managed that by:

• not lathering it too much in hair cz that step in itself can result in frizziness
• using an after-shampoo conditioner
• keeping a different shampoo for my regular use
• Selsun Blue Balanced Shampoo for only once or twice a week.

On right: Shampoo texture zoomed in

Product Description: 
Selsun Blue Balanced Shampoo has a nice light aqua/cyan color and a thick texture but a strong medicated smell which is not that unpleasant. The 'magic ingredient' it contains is Selenium Sulfide Lotion (1%) which specifically targets and treats problems like dandruff and tinea versicolor ( a type of fungal infection).

Selsun Blue comes in many versions in it's product line that can suit needs of different people and their hair-type, but the one I got is for "All Types of Hair" and is "pH Balanced". 

My Verdict:

There is no denying Selsun Blue Balanced Shampoo treated and wiped out my dandruff problem and now I don't dread wearing any black outfit. :D

Selsun Blue Shampoo Range