Makeup for Beginners!

I am not pro at makeup but i am learning a little bit of makeup skills with time, at least that's what i think haha anyway,  i consider myself a beginner so i thought why not share whatever tips i have with you girls too and explore the colorful world of makeup together. lol it sounds quite dramatic

Firstly  DO NOT spend loads of money on expensive makeup brands unless  you know what you are doing rather than practicing experimenting. My sister and i used to use makeup before getting married very rarely, just lipstick? we didn't know own much. Most of makeup at shadis were borrowed from cousins(yes we were very dumb).My cousin from US had been staying in Pakistan during the time when we actually thought of buying some makeup products because it was our wedding and we wanted to buy a few bits for us to use later and she came to our rescue.There were many foreign makeup brands available in Pakistan when we we surfing for makeup products.Out of all we chose The Body Shop® because they were the only one who had their franchise opened in Islamabad at that time and secondly what i knew of body shop that they make their products naturally and are quite reasonably priced.

My sister, cousin and myself went to their outlet in F-10 Markaz. It was a considerably a small shop but it had what we wanted.Following is the list of things we bought.(Buy whatever brand you like because this is just a guideline to let you know what are the must haves in beginner's makeup bag)

1. Skin Primer-Matte It

Primer helps you create a smooth base for foundation and trust me this product does what it states. I had initially done makeup without primer out of laziness but when primer is applied before foundation, it shows the difference.

2. Concealer

Concealer is to conceal blemish, redness or uneven skin tone.It can be used before or after foundation. I use it after because i think it helps me cover my blemish better.This pencil concealer from Body shop gives an okay coverage but variety of good concealers are available in the market. You just have to find the right one for you.

3. Foundation

Liquid Foundation gives  light to medium coverage and give a flawless finish. The best thing about body shop foundation is it does not make my face orange or pink, the shade goes quite well with my actual skin tone.Although, they don't have a lot of  shades variety in this range but it worked for me.

4. Pressed Powder

Okay now i do two things with pressed powder. First i use powder over foundation to give it a finish look and its a must when i am using liquid foundation but Sometimes when i am in a rush or just taking my girl to a nearby park what i do is i use concealer to cover whatever spot i have on the face and then cover it with powder so that it blends well and gives a finish and smooth look, quickly stain my cheeks and lips and i am readyyyyy.

4. Blusher

Blusher is very important i think. Just a little bit of color on cheeks can make your face bright and fresh .When you are doing complete makeup then of course you can not avoid it but if you are in a rush then add a little bit of color to your cheeks, bared faced or like i do when going to park with concealer and pressed powder and voila. you are ready to face the world with your beautiful rosy cheeks:D

Apart from the above mentioned things there are two/ three more must haves

6. Lipsticks 

3-4 basic colors(pink, peach and one darker shade of your choice i use usually). You can choose colors of your choice.

7. Mascara

There are so many kind of mascaras available in the market that it can make your mind go crazy. I would say choose a simple one. When you are learning it is better not to go overboard with products which will eventually make you hard to handle them.Know how to use them first then buy and experiment with whatever product you want.

8. Eye Pencil

Eye pencil can be used as kajal or eye liner as well. It is actually easier to use as eye liner than a liquid one.

The list can be made longer and longer because makeup has endless options but for beginners i think things mentioned above are enough to practice on their face without going too much wrong or adventurous. Sooooooo enjoy making yourself look pretty and comment if you found this read any helpful.

Window Sill and Plants

Window sill decoration is one thing that after coming to UK i found very interesting.we dont know much with the sill back home, our windows are most used to put curtain on. But i never knew this space could add so much to the room.Personally, I feel it is the best place to incorporate plants in your room, one because of natural light and second they look so pretty on the sill, even from the outside and I LOVE INDOOR PLANTS.They give a fresh and soothing effect to your room,the key is to find plants that grow fine inside and don't require much of sun light or air outside.A couple of years back,the only indoor plant i was familiar with was money/jade plant and i could vouch for its growth without putting any effort at all.If anyone of you still want to know, It can grow in water bottle or you can put in a pot and just water it (yes no hassle plant it is). I'd never thought of any other plant to be placed indoor until...

source:google images

My husband got me two very beautiful plants, peace lily and the other one's name is still unknown. I tried googling its name but in vain anyway they like light however, direct sunshine can damage plant leaves. A mixture of light and shade is great, if you can provide it. i had put peace lily in one corner of the sill, paired it with a jar filled with pot pourri and forest candle which i already had and fortunately their colored coordinated so well with the plant.
                             

In the middle of the sill, i have put the un-named plant(if anyone knows the name, please leave a comment below) i have paired it with two candles again.I kind of like plant and candle combo for some reason and these scented candles is quite a rave these days but i like candles for the aura they create, very dramatic and cosy feel. I might find something else to pair it with,so far there is plant and candle theme going on. Btw this plant surprised me with a purple flower a few days back and i was like what no you are not meant to do that. I will post its picture some other time.

And i was still left with one corner of the sill,here i thought of  incorporating books which is the best decorating item, be it antique, new, hardcore, paper back , small , big.  This idea is inspired by www.desiwonderwoman.com, credit should be given where its due.I have used my husband's old books and actually put the cover of black one on the book below it because its cover was brown and in little rough condition.

 Sooooo one fine day, on our trip to local super market, while grocery shopping my husband found this pink beauty called Tillandsia cynea and he knowing my newly found love for plants instantly asked me whether i wanted this or not, it was an instant love. You can see the pictures below, it looks like a desert flower because in the midst of thick grass like leaves, there is this pink bract where purple color flowers emerge from and gave me a pleasant surprise when i saw it the first time.

SO HOW DOES THE SILL LOOK WHEN THESE THREE BEAUTIES ARE COMBINED?

Let me know do you like it or not and share the pictures of your plants or window sills?

Painting!

When weather gets cold, we mums have to find activities that can keep our little monsters busy and entertained. It is a little complicated for a two year old,they are high on energy and hard to sit down  calmly. Since you cant give them coloring pencils or crayons because in my case Fafa has a habit of chewing things up so she cant be trusted with them as of yet. But i took the risk of water paints with her. I cant let her do it alone for various reasons but under my eye she was quite good with them and enjoyed the activity. I laid a plastic mat for her to sit on, gave her some white paper sheets and water paints with those big brushes(which are perfect for her age since obviously she cant draw anything so they were good for random strokes or playing with colors).

Eventually, she got bored of using brushes and wanted to use her hands. Initially i didn't want her to use hands but then i thought first; they are water paints and can be washed away easily, second;what's the point of painting? if she cant touch and feel the colors.Sometimes we have to learn to let kids free and she enjoyed painting with hands more(though she got paint on her face and clothes as well but it was okay, i gave her bath afterwards).

Tips:

Keep  old clothes/apron for kids when painting because they will get stained no matter how much you try to play it clean. That way kids and mums both wont have to worry about the clothes and will focus on enjoying the painting session.

Always make sure that kids do painting under your supervision, you don't want them to paint your walls(removing paint from the walls wont be fun for you).

Have fun painting:)

Dahi Bhalay

Source:Fauzia's Kitchen

Prep Time: 45 minutes    Cook Time: 30 minutes          Yield: 7-8 servings

Ingredients for Bhallay:

Maash daal     2 cups

Ginger paste   2 teaspoon

Garlic paste    1/2 teaspoon

Salt                 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin powder1 teaspoon

Green chilli     1

Yogurt             2 table spoons

Baking soda    a pinch

Water              1/4 cup

 Ingredients for assembling final dish:

Yogurt                  2 cups

Sugar                    1 table spoon

Salt                       1 tea spoon

Red chilli powder 1 tea spoon

Cumin powder      1/2 tea spoon

Method:

Soak Maash daal overnight or for about 6-7 hours. Drain all the water out of daal and put the first set of ingredients in the blender and blend until the mixture is smooth, the consistency should be medium thick. Don't add more water until needed otherwise the mixture will turn runny enough and make it difficult for you to make bhallas.

Now put the blended mixture into a bowl and whisk with the help of fork or hand whisk for good 5 minutes, this will make bhallas light and fluffy.Cover mixture with a piece of cloth for 15 minutes and then mix it again for one more minute and now time to heat oil in the frying pan.

When the oil is hot enough to fry then lower down the flame to medium. Now carefully lower tablespoon of mixture in oil and fry until golden. Place on kitchen towels to remove excess oil.

Once bhallas are done, take a bowl of warm water, add salt in it and mix. Dunk bhallas in water for about 2 minutes.Gently squeeze water out of bhalla by placing them between palms of your hands (do this process on each bhalla individually).

Now it's time to use second set of ingredients list, Put salt, sugar, red chilli powder and cumin powder and yogurt in a bowl, whisk well.I use Greek yogurt which is quite thick in texture so you can always put water or milk to adjust the consistency as per your requirement.

Take a serving bowl, cover the bottom with bhallas , dont over crowd or put bhallas on top of each other. Pour yogurt over bhallas and cover them well. Drizzle Tamarind Sauce(i did not drizzle tamarind sauce on bhallas in the picture but without it bhallas taste bland so it is a must). Sprinkle some chaat masala as per your linking. Cover dish with a cling sheet or lid  and put in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes so that yogurt is absorbed in bhallas .

Enjoy!

Halwa Puri Chanay

Falling leaves

Allah's creativity never ceases to amaze me, the color combinations,patterns everything so beautiful mashaAllah.

Autumn Must Haves

Since we are bidding Good Byes to summer, it is about time we prepare ourselves for beautiful weather of falling leaves, AUTUMN. I used to enjoy winter in Pakistan as much as i enjoy summer here in the UK. Reason is known to everyone who knows what it's like being in Pakistan in summer season. But I am getting used to and pretty much started liking UK winter as well. Anyway, since summer season is almost over  minus one or two sunny days here n there.So, i thought why not prepare for autumn. I have actually put my sandals and a couple of summer dresses away to make space for some shawls, jumpers, scarves etc.

There are a few things that i always keep in my fall/winter wardrobe.

CAPE SHAWLS

I am in love with shawls be it any form: cape shawls or pashmina shawls or kashmiri shawls etc. Cape shawl looks so classy on both western and desi clothing.It is good enough for autumn chill and give you a very stylish look without any effort. Above two are from NEXT

COAT

Who can deny the need of nice coat in autumn/winter? This one is from Next as well. You can buy it one or two basic colors and pair it with any outfit unless you are a coat collector and buy it in any possible color available.

SCARVES

Scarves can add a very different look to your outfit. Even a plain simple dress can outshine with a nice scarf. As in summer we can easily get away with colorful clothing but colors can get a bit dull in winter so nice colorful scarves can make your outfit not only interesting but also give you a nice cover up.

BOOTS

Investing in a good boots is a MUST. I buy one or two pair, wear till it gets battered and then buy a new one.(this has started post marriage) When i got married, i went nuts shopping shoes. SO ya i am less insane now hehe....