Ladies, How to Organize your Make Up

I will share this because I find it helpful for em ladies……..

As you probably already know, it can be a real pain to find just the shade of lipstick you’re looking for when you have to dig through piles of mascara, nail polish and cotton balls, not to mention other lipsticks. It’s especially annoying when you have limited time due to the fact that you’re on your way out to a party, to work or to meet a friend – which is most always the case when you’re putting on make-up  Thus it is time to organize your stash.

Get rid of old and expired items

Your make-up has expiration dates that should be abided by because once they’re “past due” they may not work as well or there could be changes in their scent or colour  Also, the more times you use a personal care item, the more it gets exposed to germs and bacteria. So, just throw them out already and buy new if you have to. The only possible exception is if an item has never been opened, i.e. exposed to air, so it has had no opportunity to be contaminated.

According to Bobbi Brown here are the shelf lives of typical cosmetics

Mascara: three to six months

Cream blush: six months to one year

Concealer, pencils, eye shadow, eye cream: one year

Foundation, lipstick, moisturiser: one to one and a half years

Face powder, powder blush: two years

Sort your stuff

There are several ways you can sort your make-up  by colour  by season, by which outfit it goes best with, e.t.c. Just decide on the categories that will be the easiest for you to navigate when you want to find something. Most often, the best thing to do is to sort your make-up by type of product.

Pick up an organizer

If you don’t already have a train case or another kind of organizer for your make-up  now is the time to pick one up. There should be several to choose from at your local beauty supply store. Alternately, if you would like to keep your make-up in a drawer, on a shelf or on top of your dresser and then just take small amounts of cosmetics and put them in your handbag when you go out, considering purchasing plastic bins, wire boxes, cups or jars and make-up trays to keep your collection in ship shape.

Keeping your make-up in shape

The main thing you have to remember in this regard is to put everything back where you found it after you use it. That means taking the extra couple minutes to put your favourite mascara back with the others instead of just leaving it on the bathroom counter. Also, go through your make-up at least once every six months to clean out items that have expired or that you have quit using.

Well, this would work for you unless you have a room-mate or sister that likes to go through your cosmetics. In that situation, consider buying a lock for your closet or train case. Looool!

Top 7 Tips to Prevent Clothes from Fading

Some people have no idea of these tips..

I, think you would find it important.

1. Read the Care Label

It takes a few seconds, but reading the care labels may save a lot of heartache when your clothes come out of the wash. Check for instructions that may say to wash only in cold, or with like colours  Don't forget to check for drying instructions as well. The label may indicate that the clothing needs to be dried on low, or drip dried.

2. Wash Dark Colours Together

Sorting clothes is a great opportunity to check the care label, and place your clothing in the correct pile. Anyone who has ever washed one red sock with an entire load of whites, knows the pain that can happen when colours fade away. To prevent dark colours from fading, keep like colours together.

3. Turn Clothes Inside Out

Some of the wear and tear that happens on your clothing can be prevented by turning your clothing inside out before washing and drying. Washing and drying clothing is rough on the outside of your clothing. Turning garments inside out will reduce peeling which dulls the look of the fabric. Don't forget to turn clothing inside out when you hang clothes outside to dry. While the sun is an excellent and efficient drying tool, it will zap the colour right out of your clothing.

4. Don't Stuff the Washer

Stuffing the washer is tempting. It will help us save time, right? Well, actually stuffing the washer can cost us quite a bit. It makes the machine work harder and it is tougher on our clothes. Clothing can't come clean or have soap evenly deposited when it is packed into a washing machine. Similarly clothing takes a lot longer to dry when a dryer is stuffed with wet cloths. Clothes need to move freely.

5. Wash in Cold

Colours in cold. This was the unofficial motto of my home growing up. If there is one thing I learned about laundry from my mother, it is that colours get washed in cold. If you want to prevent fading from your coloured clothing, wash them in cold water. Detergents have come a long way in the last several years, and most do as well in cold water as they do in hot or warm.

6. Don't Over Dry

It's easy to let our clothing over. While this is bad for all of our laundry, it is particularly bad for our bright and dark colours. Over drying will cause your colours to fade. Set a timer and don't forget about your clothes. Clothes should be slightly damp when they are pulled from the dryer.

7. Choose a Gentle Detergent.

If you still want to make sure your colours last as long as possible, you can wash on your machine's gentle cycle or hand wash your special clothing. There are several detergents on the market that are formulated to prevent fading and colour loss.

Checklist for your Kitchen

Here they are....

-  Use separate, coloured cutting boards for dif­fer­ent cooked and raw foods. San­i­tize after each use.

- Wash hands thor­oughly every time after work­ing with raw foods.

- Use tast­ing spoons. Do not taste food with fin­gers or with kitchen utensils.

- Store any toxic chem­i­cals (clean­ing com­pounds and pes­ti­cides, for exam­ple) away from any food as far as pos­si­ble, to avoid cross-contamination.

- Store solid or semi-solid poten­tially haz­ardous foods so that their depth is not more than 4 inches to ensure prompt chill­ing and safe stor­age. After the food is prop­erly chilled, you can store it in con­tain­ers that will take up less space.

- Make a hand sink eas­ily acces­si­ble, sup­plied with soap and paper towels.

- Wrap, cover, label and date foods that are stored in refrig­er­a­tors, freez­ers and clearly mark shelves in dry stor­age areas. The best way to label prod­uct and shelves are avail­able from DayDots.com. Check em out.

- Use wip­ing cloths and a san­i­tiz­ing solu­tion reg­u­larly to wipe down work tables, cut­ting boards and other sur­faces that are fre­quently used for dif­fer­ent foods. Please, wash and rinse the wip­ing cloth. Also, the san­i­tiz­ing solu­tion should be changed fre­quently to prevent contamination.

- Use dry side tow­els ONLY for han­dling hot items. If you use a towel that is even slightly moist, the mois­ture in the towel and the heat from the pan cre­ates steam that can quickly burn the hand that removes a hot pan from an oven, caus­ing injury to the hand, pos­si­bly drop­ping the hot pan, ruining the food and cause waste and delays of food going out. That, can affect the effi­ciency of the line. Noooo good!

How to Make Whites, Whiter.

There are many reasons for whites to become dull. A very common factor is hard water. The trace elements in the water can prevent soap from lathering properly and the residue can leave a dull or gray appearance. For slightly hard water, it is possible to overcome by simply adding more detergent.

You can try an all fabric bleach (Bleach for un-bleachable), or an oxygen bleach, but always test for color fastness on the clothing, and add the bleach to the soap and water, BEFORE adding the clothing. Even these ‘safe’ bleaches can cause damage if poured in concentrate, directly onto wet clothing.

You might also try soaking in a solution of water and lemon juice overnight before washing. Then add this soak water into the wash water with the regular detergent when washing.

The final tip would be to hang these articles to dry in the sun. The sun is an excellent natural bleaching tool, which can actually even lighten some stains to the point they are invisible. 

How to Properly Iron Shirts, Pants, and Skirts

This is one of those things I really don't like doing. But, I just got to love it.

Enjoy!

Ironing clothes is one of those tasks that has a tendency to be a bit terrifying, but worry not, it just seems overly complicated. Here, we'll break it down into the three simplest, most common cases: Shirts, pants, and skirts. 

What you’ll need:

 A clean iron (without rust or burnt starch, because that ruins clothes!)

An ironing board

A bit of water, preferably in a spray bottle

Some light starch if you like to use it

Yes, an ironing board really is necessary.  Ironing boards are specially made to make the job easier, but more than that, they're wrapped in special material that's not only flame retardant, but also breathable so that steam is able to escape from underneath the item you're ironing.

Shirts

Ironing shirts is quicker and easier than you might think. It should only take an average of three minutes to properly iron a shirt, and that's doing it the right way.

It's best to start with the sleeves, since they'll be just fine hanging off the sides of the ironing board while you finish the rest of the shirt. Doing it the other way around, and leaving the sleeves for last, will end up causing wrinkles in other parts of the shirt that you've already ironed.

Open the cuffs! This is something that many ironing newcomers get wrong all the time, but it's not just easier to open the cuffs and lay them flat, but it lets you do a better job ironing the whole sleeve, too.

When doing the collar of the shirt, make sure you open it up and lay it flat. Just like the cuffs, people tend to think that this is opposite of what they should do, since they're used to seeing the collar in the down position at all times.

Afterwards, let the shirt hang for a few minutes to fully cool down. Ironing heats the fabric to a very high relative temperature, and the "flatness" actually sets in during the cool down phase, so wearing it immediately could negate some of the hard work you just put into ironing it in the first place.

Pants

There's a reason people say "press" instead of "iron" for pants. Even though you'll still be using an iron, it's gentle pressure and steam that are going to do the work, not so much the motion and heat of the iron itself.

If you've lost your main crease (pressing lines), finding it again is easy. Just lay the pants flat on the ironing board, and line up the seams of the leg to match. The crease is as far from those seams as the fabric goes.

The crease should go all the way up the leg, stopping at about six inches below the waist. If there are pleats, then the crease can go all the way to the pleat. Always set the front crease first.

If you've pressed in a crease, the pants should hang by the waistband for at least an hour or two to set. If you don't put creases in your pants, don't worry about it! Just give them a few minutes to cool.

Skirts

For most skirts, it's as simple as starting at the top and working your way down. An exception would be for skirts that flare out suddenly at the bottom, with what are called "flounces." For flounced skirts, you'd want to start at the bottom, and iron each flounce first, then work your way up toward the waist. Basically, skirts are just plain easy—you just need to be careful about the fabric.

How to Wear Perfume for Men

Applying perfume for men is a science. Unlike the quick splash of aftershave, perfume for men must be carefully applied to key areas of the body. This will maximize the intensity of the scent and keep it present on the skin for hours. Learn the correct way to apply and use perfume for men.

* Select a men's perfume. Test the perfume by spraying a sample on a cloth or paper

*Rate the primary scent and then wait several minutes to rate the undertone scents. The primary scent is the strongest scent and will be most intense when the perfume is immediately applied to the skin. Undertones are used to lift the fragrance throughout the day and provide subtle.

*Use body heat to intensify the perfume. Key hot spots on the body produce more heat and can intensify smells. Apply perfume to hot spots like the neck, wrists and behind the ears for normal wear. Because these parts of the body are exposed to air, additional applications will be necessary. Use this technique for normal wear (i.e. attending a 2- to 6-hour event) or when it will not be necessary to apply new perfume.
*The length of time the perfume will last depends on the oils and alcohol used in the perfume.

*Wear perfume under clothing for all-day wear. For longer wear, apply the perfume to key hot spots under your clothes, like the wrists, chest, back, and thighs. Air slowly steals the scent of perfumes and colognes, so make sure the sleeves of your shirt cover your wrist. The other hot spots also should be covered. This technique will sustain the fragrance all day and is ideal when travelling for a long period of time. For example, when you're taking a business flight.

7 Easy Organization Tips

You should enjoy this! I stole time to share this with you.

The longer you live in your house or apartment, the more stuff you will probably collect, and the more cluttered or crowded it will feel -- unless you have the organizing gene. For those rare few, that ‘where is my stuff’ moment almost never happens. For everyone else, knowing a few tricks lets you bring home the adage ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’

Baskets work in every house, whether it is contemporary, traditional, casual or formal. They are a decorative way to store a range of items, such as, pens, pads, or crayons. Regardless of your style, these charming and inexpensive containers hold a huge variety of items neatly and efficiently.

Just about everyone longs for more kitchen storage space. One key solution: Use containers to store food staples, such as cereal, pasta, sugar, flour, coffee and tea. These range from the utilitarian variety to classy-looking ones made of glass, tin or ceramic. The pretty ones get bonus points for taking up your kitchen decor a notch.

An entertainment center works magic with all the necessary items that accompany a TV these days. Remotes, DVD players, movies and video game consoles can add up to major clutter if not housed well. Add a few decor items, and the entertainment center becomes a focal point that is pulling serious storage duty.

The closet is a major location of clutter and disarray. All right, mess. With shoes, handbags, shirts, pants, jeans, skirts, dresses, hats, ties and daily use, it's no wonder. Say goodbye to all that with built-in drawers, shelves at various levels, double-hung rods, hooks for hats, tie bars and cubbies for shoes. You can have this done professionally or find the necessary pieces to transform your closet at a home improvement store. You and your clothes will be much happier.

Before computers, most homes had big desks with drawers deep enough to hold household files for all the papers, warranties and instruction manuals that must be saved. Storage issues are easily and afford ably fixed with a few simple files and a file cabinet.

Get creative with your furniture choices. Many contemporary designers create pieces that are as stylish as they are functional. Look for decorative items intended to make a bold design statement while still keeping your items on full display. Sometimes the best way to hide something is by stylishly keeping it in plain sight.

How to Clean a Plastic Bottle

Plastic bottles can be hard to clean, but if you are interested in recycling them, they have to be 

cleaned out. Fortunately, there are quite a few quick and easy ways to clean plastic bottles. The 

methods here are useful for not only cleaning out disposable plastic bottles, but also for cleaning 

Thermos containers, baby bottles and any other plastic bottle you care to reuse.

• Purchase a good bottle brush, the type that is used to clean baby bottles. There should be a larger brush on one end and a smaller brush on the other.

• Place some baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) and hot water inside the bottle and let it sit and allow the bottle to rest for several hours.

• Shake the bottle to further work the soapy water around the bottle. Pour out the soapy water and rinse the bottle several times until the soap bubbles are gone. Wash and rinse the outside of the bottle as well and carefully clean out the bottle cap.

• Allow the bottle to dry completely before putting the cap back on. Bottle driers are available commercially, and are very useful if you find that you must wash bottles frequently.

Shoe Cleaning Tips

Whether they’re leather, suede or canvas, shoes get dirty. Get step-by-step instructions for cleaning them, plus tips for keeping them clean and in great shape.

Begin cleaning your shoes by removing and washing shoelaces, then follow the instructions below, based on which material you’re cleaning

Leather

1.       Loosen dirt from the outside of shoes with a soft cloth or brush.

2.       Clean with commercial leather cleaner, or add a little moisturising soap to a damp cloth, rub the shoes in circular motions, then buff with a dry cloth.

3.       Treat with a leather conditioner.

Tip: To remove winter salt stains from leather shoes, combine equal parts water and white vinegar in a bowl, then pat the mixture on shoes with a soft cloth.

Suede

1.       Loosen dirt from the outside of the shoes with a towel. Use a clean pencil eraser to remove dry scuff marks.

2.       Blot (never rub) wet stains with a paper towel and use a damp towel for dry stains.

3.       Finish cleaning with a suede brush.

Canvas

1.       Shake or tap shoes outdoors to remove loose dirt.

2.       Wet shoes with warm water, then scrub with a toothbrush and a mixture of water and detergent. Rinse clean.

3.       Pack the wet shoes with dry hand towels or paper towels to soak up moisture and help the shoes retain their shape while air-drying.

How to Clean a TouchScreen Phone

It was very of necessary i share these as we have a lot of people who don't know how to clean their touch screen phones.

Find how...

 Choose a Microfibre Cloth: it is ideal for cleaning a touch screen. Some devices will have such a cloth included or perhaps you can borrow one you use on your sunglasses.

Turn off the device before commencing to clean it. It is usually much easier to see where to clean when the device is switched off.

Give the screen a once over by brushing it with the microfibre in small circles. This will remove the majority of simple imperfections.

Only if truly needed, moisten a cotton cloth, even the corner of your cotton shirt, and repeat the small circular motions. It may actually be enough to just breathe over the screen and use that moisture to 

clean with.

Brush again with the microfibre cloth to finish off. Don't over-rub though and if there is any dampness left, just leave it to air dry.

Fast Ways to Keep Your Closet Organized

It's a new week and a Monday! 

I bet you had a splendid weekend with my last topic.

Make your mornings easier by organizing your clothes. It's hard to get dressed when you can't find anything! If you clean out your closet regularly and organize your clothes, everything will be much easier to find.

Arrange after Laundry: After you do your laundry remove clothes from dry cleaning bags and hang clothes properly. This keeps your organized.

Get a Garment Bag: A canvas garment bag protects fine suits, dresses, and jackets better than plastic. (Leather, in particular, is susceptible to drying and even cracking if kept in plastic.)

Choose the right hanger: Your closet will look neater if you use just one type of hanger—wood, wire, or plastic.

Arrange folded items: Any clothing that will stretch out of shape should be folded over hangers. When organizing the folded clothing you’ll store on shelves, place heavier items at the bottom of the pile, and lighter ones at the top. After folding, arrange garments by function (workout tops together, business tops together, etc.) and colour (white to nude to bright colours to black). If your closet doesn't have shelves, consider using part of your clothing rod for hanging canvas ones.

Edit your wardrobe.

Take a look at your clothes and assess what you wear most, least, or not at all. Donate the clothing you haven’t worn in a year or more, as well as anything that no longer fits. If an item is severely damaged, toss it out.

Weekend Planning

It’s Friday and most definitely it is a scheduled one for most of you.

Let me draw your attention to this, weekends are short and if you are the busy person, you should plan right.

Here is the shizzle i got for ya!

• Start today with being happy with a lot of relaxation. This will make you have used the entire weekend fulfilled.

• Plan orderly for your tomorrow which is Saturday. Start by getting a very good morning rest before you set out to anything.

• Leave nothing undone which should be done this weekend, your laundry, house cleaning and appointments.

• Lastly, go to Church on Sunday if you are a Christian. It involves the finger of God in the new week ahead.

                  Cheers!

How to Unclog a Bathroom Drain

Bathroom drains take a lot of punishment. Every member of the family uses the sink, the shower and the bath every day. It’s no wonder, then, that these overused waste water outlets can become blocked. If you find your sink overflowing or your bath refusing to drain, check out the tips below on how to unclog a bathroom drain.

Preventing it….

Place a sieve fitting over each drain opening to prevent hair travelling into the drain pipes.

Prevent grease and soap scum build-up by tipping a little bleach or other soap-dissolving agent into the drains every couple of months.

Unclogging it….

Plunger Method: One of the simplest ways to clear a clogged bathroom drain is to use a plunger. Just place the rubber cap of the plunger over the drain opening, ensuring that the opening is entirely covered, and dispense a number of sharp downward thrusts.

Chemical Method: If you can’t access your plunger, chemical drain cleaners like caustic soda work by eating away at the blockage. Care should be taken with their use as they can blind and burn skin. If correctly used, though, these products are extremely effective, particularly for blockages deeper in the drain.

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How to Paint a Room

Proper colour selection is key. They have a dramatic effect on your space. Colours can also change the perception of space around house, turning it cool and energetic, spacious or cozy.

 6 tips on how to paint your room

Clean walls.
Remove dust, dirt, and grease spots (which can ruin a smooth finish) with water, a little mild dish washing detergent, and a cellulose sponge. Rinse walls with clean water to remove the soap residue.

Tape the trim, window, and door frames.
be sure to use painter's blue tape, which can be applied up to a week ahead. Remove tape immediately after painting, before the wall dries, so you don't peel off any paint with it.

Prime the Walls.
Primer or undercoat is a preparatory coating put on materials before coating. It helps maximize the sheen and coverage of paint and gives the finish coat a more uniform appearance.

Brush where you can't roll.
Brush on paint around trim and in the corners of walls, where your roller can't reach, with a two-inch angled brush. Extend out two to three inches from windows and doors.

Use the W technique.

For efficiency, start in the corner of a wall and roll on a three-by-three-foot W pattern, then fill it in without lifting the roller. Continue in sections until you're finished. Paint one wall at a time.

Paint the trim.
When the walls are completely dry, tape where the trim meets the wall. Paint the door and window frames with a two-inch angled brush.

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