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Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths Review

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Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths ($6.99) is one of several new makeup brush cleansers that launched for Spring 2016. If you’re one of those people that’s lazy about cleansing their brushes or you just want an easy way to clean brushes between shades you’ll want to grab a pack of Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Clothes […]

The post Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths Review appeared first on Musings of a Muse.


LaurEss’ Casual Chic

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I bought this during LaurEss’ final days in 2015. I wanted to get as many of their mattes and satins as I could, since other indie vendors’ mattes and satins didn’t have the color payoff that I wanted or didn’t work with the way that I apply my makeup. Casual…

Copy Olivia Wilde’s Chic Milkmaid Braids From The 2016 Oscars

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Yesterday at the 88th Academy Awards, actress Olivia Wilde was a stunning sight with her dark locks styled into an intricate braided updo. If you’re looking to achieve an inspired look for your next night out, here’s how to get a similar hairstyle for yourself.

5 Easy, Genius Beauty Hacks From Behind the Scenes at the Oscars

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It's the afternoon after the 2016 Oscars, and our inboxes are overflowing with how-tos for all the glam hair and makeup we gazed at on the red carpet. We're getting all the important details to you as fast as we can; see: our roundup of the night's best beauty trends, names of this year's best Oscars lipsticks, and details on all those sexy smoky eyes. But we know what you really want the most: Those really easy, sneaky tricks that the world's best makeup artists use to get the world's most famous faces looking their most flawless (and staying that way). So here ya go—five genius tactics, plus inside scoop on why they work so well.

1. Prevent harsh liner.
Defined eyes are a must for photo-heavy occasions like the Oscars, but as we all know, sometimes black liner can look too harsh, when you're going for a more natural look, while brown can look too warm and gray too subtle. That's where violet came in last night. This jewel tone can be used to take the edge off black liner; Reese Witherspoon's makeup artist Molly R. Stern used it in this subtle way for the star's "crisp, clean eye", tracing Chantecaille Luster Glide Eye Liner in Violet Damask over black cream liner to soften the color and the line. Meanwhile, Brie Larson's eyes exemplified how more obvious violet can be a subtle and brightening alternative to neutrals. Makeup artist Rachel Goodwin used Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Purple Choc, a deep violet, on her lash line and waterline.

oscars-2016-beauty

2. Add oil to your foundation.
Here's the red-carpet trick for preventing full-coverage foundation from getting cakey and drawing attention to fine lines and blemishes: Spike it with a drop of face oil, like Brigitte Reiss-Andersen did for Amy Poehler. “It’s one of my favorite tricks," she tells us. "I mix a drop—no more—of oil into the foundation to thin it so I can build layers without it looking pasty and heavy.” She mixed a few drops of Kiehl’s Daily Reviving Concentrate into Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude Makeup in Vanilla Shell. Bonus: You'll add radiance to the skin and hydrate it.
kiehls-daily-reviving-concentrate

3. Keep your mani flawless and glowy.
Nude nails are everywhere right now, and for some reason, we feel like dry, sad cuticles look even more obvious without the distraction of a bright polish shade. That's why we're already employing the trick Rachel McAdams' Oscars manicurist, Tom Bachik, used. He treated her hands to a few drops of L'Oreal Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Facial Oil. He tells us he prefers using face oils to traditional cuticle oils: "They have a unique blend of multiple oils, so they're super conditioning." They're also designed to penetrate deeply to give the skin—including cuticles—extra long-lasting hydration and a healthy glow

A photo posted by @tombachik on


4. Try strobing your eyes.
To brighten Julianne Moore's eyes and amp up their natural shape, makeup artist Elaine Offers traced inside her waterline with a softly reflective pencil that matched her skin—L'Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner in Highlighter. Doing this eliminates the pink tones naturally found at eyelids' edges while subtly diffusing light into the entire eye area.
loreal-silkissime-highlighter

5. Get all this stuff off your face before bed—gently.
If celebrity makeup artist Pati Dubroff managed to fully cleanse her face after attending Elton John's viewing party, you really have no excuse. She even posted an Instagram shot of the products she calls "the best of the best" for removing makeup gently. "I really wanted to just fall into bed," she told us on the phone bright and early. "But I had to take those ten minutes and get my skin perfectly clean or it would have been a real disaster." She started with Bioderma wipes followed by the micellar water; makeup artists have long sworn by this French brand. "Everyone in the fashion world knows it's the best," Dubroff says. "It feels like water but breaks down makeup like nobody's business, and it's not too harsh around the eyes." Then she used 001 Exfoliating & Conditioning Cleanser, plus her pick for the best post-event, pre-sleep moisturizer: Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Nourishing Oil.

A photo posted by patidubroff (@patidubroff) on


Watch Highlights of Oscars Nights Past:

The Weekly Drugstore Makeup Sales (2/28 - 3/5)

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[This is a preview of this blog post. To read the full post, please visit my blog by clicking the title above. Thank you!]

The Most Important Trait a Designer Can Have Is...

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Humility (noun hu·mil·i·ty \hyü-ˈmi-lə-tē, yü-\) : the quality or state of not thinking you- or your ideas- are better than other people's.


Disclaimer: There is a lot of verbiage these days that (rightly) emphasizes the need to self-love, to be confident, proud, and strong. Humility is not ever at the expense of being confident in oneself or one's work- instead, it is the tool that allows one to be even more fearless in design. Humility in one's process is not the antithesis of pride in one's work.

And now, ladies and gents, this is why humility produces the best designs, is the best trait a designer can have, and is a timeless tool that can transform both your product and its impact:

There is humility in embracing the subjectivity of design.


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(www.enlighten.com)

The idea that a designer knows best what is for his or her design is the downfall of designers everywhere. What is best for a design has a lot more to do with the needs of the user than it does the talent a designer can offer. Good design is functional, efficient, and simple: it gets the job done in a way that minimizes the need for a user to even think about the actions they are doing to get to their goal. (Read Don't Make me Think!) Even better design is all of those things and also beautiful, clean, and warm. (Good design is like a virtual hug, a good cup of coffee, or a spoonful of Nutella, basically.)

All of this stems from the idea that good design is subjective. You know the expression "it's not you, its me?" Good design says "it's not you, it's everyone else." As the designer, you don't matter: the only people who do matter are the users. And because of this, you're inevitably going to come across situations where you feel strongly about something that nobody else does, and somebody else feels strongly about something you couldn't care less about. The only way to overcome the nagging voice in our head that tells us that we know best, that we don't need to ask anyone else because our design is fine the way it is, is humility. Humility- the killer of the ego, the one force that is able to lower the ignorant walls we place around ourselves that prevent us from acknowledging that design is not, and never will be, a one-size-fits-all situation: it's subjectivity is where all the innovation and creativity comes from, after all!

There is humility in admitting defeat.


"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."
- Joseph Chilton


"OK that's cool Joseph Chilton, but being wrong sucks."
- Me


In class at General Assembly, one of our projects is to add and design a new feature to an existing popular website that caters to a diverse set of personas. After performing market analyses and creating sitemaps last week, we started working on low-fidelity wireframes. One of my instructors, Pete Sheeran, walked by me as I was sketching my first wireframe... with a pencil. He stopped and looked right at me. Then he took my pencil and left. (I actually have't seen it since.) Why?

Because Pete was trying to teach me what I've been trying to teach myself for years- to be fearless in failure. Lines won't always be straight, and undoubtedly I'll draw a button (or six) where there shouldn't be any. But drawing in pen instead of pencil allows me to embrace the idea of failure and come to terms with its reality, and just as importantly, the humility to admit defeat. What does erasing every thirty seconds offer me in the long run? Being able to see the mistakes I will make- to point at them, to recognize them, to own them- well that's just looking fear in the face and refusing to give into its magnetic pull. Why shy away from my first and second iterations and their messy mistakes when they are, after all, a testament to my growth?

There is humility in empathy.


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(www.topnotchlearning.com.au)

Empathy in design is the ability to design not just with the user in mind, but for the user's mind. The only way to do so is to incorporate every important aspect of a user's life in the design. After all, a user isn't using your product in a vacuum- he or she is living a life full of frustration, joy, exhaustion, hope, love, sadness, and every other real emotion that makes life beautiful. And good design will reflect that reality.

You just can't have empathy without the humility to recognize that someone else's experiences matter just as much as (if not more than) yours in the first place. And you can't have good design without empathy! A user-centric design is one that involves the designer constantly having the foresight to put themselves into someone else's shoes, and the humility to continue to do that until a design is not just their's- but everyone's.


There is humility in consultation.

"I know I just asked for your opinion, but is it possible your opinion could just be a little... I don't know... better?"


Part of the design process is constant consultation- not just with the user, although that is necessary, but also with our peers. Having the humility to understand that we don't have all the answers, that sometimes, our peers in the field have the experience we need to perfect our designs, is crucial. And there is humility in consultation, for sure: getting past ourselves to go and ask others what they think, and then, hardest of all- to implement feedback in a meaningful way- is the crux of good design.

A lot of this comes from understanding that we don't lose anything by asking others for their opinion. What's the worst that could happen? We don't incorporate it, and then what? But by asking, and then asking again, and then again, we are ensuring that every step of the way our product isn't only incorporating feedback from the user, but also from brilliant-minded people in the field who might have an entirely new, wonderful perspective on an idea.

There is humility in good design.

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(www.someecards.com)

Good design isn't always about creating something new, flashy, and groundbreaking- sometimes, embracing good design also means embracing the conventions of good design that have worked (and will continue to work) well. Why reinvent the wheel? There is humility in accepting the limitations of existing UI and recognizing that some things that are industry standard are industry standard for a reason.

Ultimately, good design is at the expense of the biggest obstacle standing between our design and it's full capacity: ego. Ego stands between a designer and the design, a constant, daunting, looming force that causes us to second guess feedback and to stand by it- sometimes relentlessly- when we are wrong. Ego stands- tall and proud- between us and our greatest designs. And, if we let it, and don't continue to beat it down with humility- inevitably between us and our greatest selves.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.











Drug Prices Double Over 7 Years

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TRENTON, N.J. – The average cost for a year’s supply of a prescription drug doubled in just seven years to more than $11,000 – about three-quarters of the average annual Social Security benefit.


That’s according to the latest study of price trends for widely used drugs conducted by AARP, the senior citizens advocacy group. It finds prices for existing drugs, driven entirely by manufacturer price hikes, have been rising more quickly since 2007 and will likely continue to do so.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.











How Gyrokinesis Can Help You Live a Healthier Lifestyle

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Gyrokinesis: not a meat-filled wrap, but a unique lifestyle that promotes healthy living.

via GIPHY



The University of Texas at Austin is among the first universities to have a class dedicated to Gyrokinesis - a movement method that exercises the mind and body while creating functional strength through rhythmic, flowing sequences.

Each class begins on chair with gentle movement to open up the senses and fluid spinal motions to prepare the body to explore more complex movements with agility, and ease. We attempt to gain "soft focus" with the eyes to take in all our surroundings and soak in nutrients from the environment. Inhaling deeply while sinking our sit bones into the edge of the chair and lifting the skull off the spine, we lengthen the back and allow space between each joint. Imagine the spine as a hollow shaft of bamboo. Throughout the various Arch and Curl series, the goal is to keep lengthening the spine.

This method was developed by Juliu Horvath, a Romanian-born Hungarian dancer. After injuring his Achilles during his time with the Houston Ballet, Horvath began practicing meditation and yoga. He explored profound energetic experiences for six years on island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands in 1977 and developed "Yoga for Dancers." This system includes the exploration of energetic pathways in the body.

He returned to New York and began teaching the system to professional dancers. As the demand for his classes increased, Horvath refined his system to fit people at all walks of life and called it the Gyrotonic Method. Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis quickly became internationally renowned to encompass over 7800 trainers in 52 countries.

Gyrokinesis is based on a philosophy that the body has its own energy pathway and through circular movements and breathing we can open those pathways. Rigorous stretching complement therapeutic mobility to encourage muscle relaxation. Joints release tension on their own time. Through circular motions, Gyrokinesis increases core strength and creates flexibility in muscle fibers.

Just one month in, I leave each session with an ethereal vitality that lasts throughout the day.
Not only do I remain exhilarated throughout the day, the incessant fatigue in my body diminished. Gradually flowing from one move to the other, the choreography is beautiful and pleasurable to perform. Here are the benefits of Gyrokinesis:

You develop an agile mind and body.

via GIPHY



You can cure that 40-year-old shoulder or prevent it from happening.

via GIPHY



Even Regis and Kelly gave it a shot!



So to wrap things up:

via GIPHY

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.












Clinton And Trump Should've Reported Some Gifts To Their Charities As Personal Income, Tax Experts Say

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Millions of dollars in donations to two charitable foundations associated with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump may not meet the legal standard for charitable gifts, four tax law experts tell The Huffington Post.


Clinton and Trump command hundreds of thousands of dollars for their speeches and appearances. But not all of this money goes to them. Significant portions of it are directed to the charitable foundations bearing their names.


To qualify as true charitable gifts, donations made to the Donald J. Trump Foundation or the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation must come with no strings attached. As the Internal Revenue Service puts it, they must be made "out of detached and disinterested generosity."


But as HuffPost reported, many of the donors to Trump's private charitable foundation got something in return from the billionaire at the time they gave to his foundation. Similarly, the Clinton Foundation received millions of dollars in exchange for 16 speeches given by Hillary Clinton, according to a list released by the foundation.


Rich people like Clinton and Trump pay accountants and lawyers huge sums to prepare their taxes; it's likely that those people could offer justifications for how the candidates reported their income. But neither the Trump campaign nor Clinton's team would tell HuffPost how they assigned money to their foundations. The IRS will not discuss individual taxpayers. And the tax experts who spoke to HuffPost said they struggled to see how such large sums donated in conjunction with appearances could be considered anything but personal income.


Donations that are part of a quid pro quo, in which Trump or Clinton did something in return for the gift, are considered payment for services rendered and part of their income, according to the IRS rules. Such donations to a foundation must be reported as part of the candidates' taxable income. 


In IRS speak, this is called the "fruit of the tree" doctrine, which says that an individual who earns income cannot transfer that income to a third party in order to avoid paying taxes on it. The person who earns the money must report it as his or her own gross income, even if the person doesn't directly receive the money.


Suppose, for example, that your neighbors offer to pay you to speak at their kid's school. You agree to do it and tell them that in lieu of payment, they should "give the money to PETA." (You hate fur in this hypothetical.) You never see the money because it goes to PETA. But to the IRS, it's still income that you earned and that you're obligated to include on your tax returns.



When you do something for someone, you get income.
Alice Thomas, a law professor at Howard University


Hillary Clinton's tax returns and financial disclosures do not contain any mention of more than a quarter-million dollars that Goldman Sachs paid to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for a speech. Trump has not released his tax returns -- despite IRS assurances that he's perfectly free to do so -- so there's no telling yet whether he might have reported donations in lieu of appearance fees as part of his earnings.


There is no evidence that the Clinton Foundation or the Trump Foundation did anything improper, said Alice Thomas, an associate professor of law at Howard University and an expert on nonprofit tax law.


"This is an individual taxpayer issue," Thomas said. It's the individual who "exercises control over where [the money] goes," she emphasized. "I'm providing a service, but instead of giving me the check, I'm telling you to give it to the nonprofit."


From a tax law perspective, that kind of transaction is "pretty simple," Thomas said. "When you do something for someone, you get income." 


Open For Business With Trump


According to tax experts, the Donald J. Trump Foundation's IRS reports do not resemble those of a typical private foundation. Unlike public charities, private foundations do not solicit donations from the general public; their funding typically comes from the members of one wealthy family. But tax returns filed by the Trump Foundation from 2001 to 2014 list dozens of non-familial donors, many of whom did business with Trump enterprises.


Over the past seven years, Donald Trump has directed more than $4 million to his foundation, but none of it came directly from the man himself.


In 2011, Comedy Central gave the foundation $400,000 -- money that the network told HuffPost it had given in exchange for Trump's appearance on Comedy Central's "Roast of Donald Trump." In 2013, as Trump was busy raising his political profile through frequent appearances on Fox News, the company gave the Trump Foundation $10,000. A spokeswoman for Fox News declined to discuss the gift.


Watch Comedy Central's "Roast of Donald Trump":





"The basic analysis is that these donations should be counted as income," said Roger Colinvaux, a professor of law and director of the Law and Public Policy Program at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.


"Under the law, you can't have a contribution if there's a quid pro quo," explained Nick Mirkay, a professor of law and associate dean for planning and initiatives at Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska. "If Trump said, 'I will appear in exchange for you making a contribution,' then the money should have been reported on Trump's income tax returns."


But because Trump hasn't released his tax returns, there is no telling whether he reported this money.


Clinton's Millions


Hillary Clinton is connected to two major foundations, one of which has received money only from Clinton family members. The other is the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Commonly referred to as the Clinton Foundation, it's a public nonprofit with thousands of individual donors, and it collects the majority of its funding from the public at large.


When Hillary Clinton has requested donations in exchange for speeches, the money has gone to the public charity. The former secretary of state has earned millions for this larger foundation. According to the Clinton Foundation's website, "speeches by President, Secretary, and Chelsea Clinton have helped support the implementation of the Clinton Foundation's work."


Last year, the foundation released a list of nearly 100 speeches given by the three Clintons since 2002 (no specific dates were given). The list includes 16 speeches given by Hillary Clinton that brought in between $2.95 million and $6.25 million for the foundation. A foundation spokeswoman declined to offer any additional details about the speeches, but said that the list "gives the public an unprecedented level of transparency into the Foundation."


One company on the list is Goldman Sachs & Co., which gave the Clinton Foundation between $250,000 and $500,000 in exchange for a speech. The Wall Street bank also paid Clinton directly for speaking, including $675,000 in fees for three speeches in 2013.


See Clinton speaking at the Goldman Sachs "10,000 Women" Dinner: 





No one with the Clinton campaign or the Clinton Foundation would explain why the fee for one Goldman Sachs speech was reported as part of the foundation's revenue and the fee for other Goldman Sachs speeches were reported as part of Clinton's personal income.


But individual taxpayers aren't supposed to pick and choose which earnings they classify as income and which they direct to a foundation, tax law experts told HuffPost. "Overall, there are only very narrow exceptions to one's ability to sign away or waive income," said Mirkay, of Creighton University. "Otherwise, people would do it all the time."


Looks Like Quid Pro Quo


Getting answers about donations that were made as payment for services is just as difficult with Trump's spokespeople as with Clinton's.


Mutually beneficial relationships between Trump and donors to his foundation can be traced back at least to 2005, the year Norwegian Cruise Lines paid the Trump Foundation $100,000 "in lieu of an appearance fee for Melania Trump," a spokeswoman for the cruise line told HuffPost. The Trump campaign declined to comment on whether his wife reported the money as income.


The following year, a couple from New Zealand gave the Trump Foundation $10,000 for a 30-minute meeting with The Donald. Phil and Corinna Jones, the owners of a get-rich-quick seminar business, were ecstatic about the get-together. "You just can't underestimate the value of this sort of one-on-one time with someone like Donald Trump," Phil Jones told reporters.



This isn't something that we mere mortals have to deal with.
Nick Mirkay, a law professor at Creighton University


Some of the foundation's donors, including Comedy Central and Norwegian Cruise Lines, admitted giving to the foundation in lieu of paying appearance fees. But 18 other donors to the foundation (all of which appeared to benefit from relationships with Trump) declined to discuss why they donated or what sort of business they may have with him.


These include media companies like NBC, which aired Trump's reality show, "The Apprentice," and gave the foundation $500,000 in 2012, as well as tenants in Trump's buildings and companies that supply goods and services to his real estate holdings.


In 2007, the Trump Foundation collected $4 million from Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWE wrestling franchise. That was also the year that Trump appeared with McMahon on the WWE's signature broadcast, "Wrestlemania." McMahon gave another $1 million to the foundation in 2009, when Trump reprised his role on the show. A spokeswoman for WWE said the company paid Trump a separate appearance fee, but she wouldn't elaborate.


Watch Trump attack McMahon on "Wrestlemania":





Over the past four years, a New York-based ticket reseller named Richard Ebers has become the single biggest backer of the Trump Foundation, giving more than $1.8 million. Reached by phone, Ebers refused to say whether Trump had ever done anything in return for those donations.


But "if he's telling them, 'Pay the money to the foundation,' then that's clearly what we call an assignment of income," said Mirkay. "Under the law, you're treated as having accepted the income nonetheless."


An Exclusive Club


Trump's financial disclosure forms, which presidential candidates must file with the Federal Election Commission, list all the income he reported in 2014 but do not contain any mention of the money from Ebers. A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign declined to comment.


Likewise, Clinton's disclosure forms -- which span the last 15 years, covering her time as a senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate -- do not make any obvious mention of the money she earned for the Clinton Foundation in exchange for her speeches.


None of this necessarily means that Trump or Clinton has bilked taxpayers out of revenue. More information from both candidates' camps would be helpful.


The purpose of the relevant tax law, though, is to avoid a situation where a person takes income in the form of charitable gifts and then uses that money for his or her own benefit. In other words, let's imagine that a reporter named Christina makes a million dollars a year writing for The Huffington Post. But she tells HuffPost to send the money instead to the Christina Wilkie Foundation. While that foundation, in turn, gives a few thousand dollars a year to a veterans group, it also pays for Wilkie's travel, meals, a car and a phone. Effectively, Wilkie has avoided paying any taxes on her income, yet still has the money at her disposal.


Over the past several years, the Trump Foundation has boosted Trump's political career with donations to conservative groups (though it also gives money to mainstream charities). The two Clinton foundations spend much of their money on undeniably charitable pursuits, but they have also fueled the former president's globe-trotting lifestyle. 


"It's a very rarified world we're talking about," Mirkay said, "the level at which you have a foundation and you're commanding these fees. This isn't something that we mere mortals have to deal with."


As Trump moves further along in the Republican nominating contest, his competitors and their campaign surrogates have urged the billionaire to release his complete tax returns. Every major-party presidential nominee since Jimmy Carter has made public at least two years of tax returns. The Clintons have released their tax returns for each year since Bill Clinton became Arkansas attorney general in 1977.


But Trump has not seemed eager to open his personal books. "I fight like hell to pay as little as possible [in taxes]," he told CBS last year. "I'm a businessman, and that's the way you're supposed to do it."

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.











Relying on Friendship in a World Made for Couples

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(Photo: PeopleImages.com/Getty Images)

By Briallen Hopper

I've been accused of romanticizing friendship, and it's true, I do. I tell my friends I love you on a regular basis, I celebrate Galentine's Day every year, and I have a Golden Girls votive candle that I like to light at night when I'm counting my blessings. I'm not ashamed to admit that my friends are my world. They are responsible for most of my everyday joy, fun, and will to live. But that doesn't mean I think friendship is easy.

Related: 25 Famous Women on Female Friendship

Solid, lasting, intimate friendship is not effortless for anyone. But it's particularly difficult for single people. In addition to all the usual challenges friendships face (envy, crazy-busy-ness, Hillary vs. Bernie), unpartnered people have to reckon with the reality that for us the stakes are higher. When friendships are your primary relationships, friendship isn't just important: It's existential.

My friend Lucy vividly conveys the stakes when she describes her practice of getting together with friends a couple times a week as a "feral prevention plan." For people in pairs, a certain amount of socialization is automatic, but single people have to schedule frequent friend time in order to prevent what Lucy calls "the slide from solitude into loneliness," and what I tend to experience as the slide from keeping it together to falling apart. Lucy starts to feel deprived after three days without friend time; I can only make it through one or two before I start to get antsy.

It's difficult to organize your life around friendship in a world that's built for couples, and it's doubly difficult when your time with friends is seen as a fun extracurricular instead of a basic human need. As my friend Mara says: "People describe me as a social butterfly, but it's mostly because if I don't make plans with friends, I am literally all by myself staring at the wall in my apartment (or more likely at the TV)." TV can definitely take the edge off, which is how I ended up memorizing most of the dialogue from 30 Rock, but nothing can adequately replace the presence of people you love.

Related: The Secret to Staying Friends in Your 30s

Single women deal with their intense dependence on friendship in different ways. Some of us rely on a best friendship that's as complicated as a love affair, or a few close friendships that are as familiar as a family. I've tried both, with mixed results: My passionate friendships have proven to be as combustible and doomed as any other kind of passion, and the blissful chosen-family lifestyle I loved in my 20s, which I remember as a soft-focus montage of weekly gin nights and impromptu picnics in the park, has become impossible to sustain in my 30s. These days my oldest friends and I live farther apart and spend more of our time on work and caregiving. We fit each other in between deadlines and other demands, and often make do with Facebook and phone tag. Any serious fun requires child care and/or coordinated vacation time and is scheduled two to six months in advance.

Because individual friendships are subject to distance and decay, friendship in my 30s has meant learning to roll deep. Sadie, a single friend of mine who has adopted four daughters, told me, "I could call 15 to 20 people in the middle of the night for anything, and they could call me" -- and as someone who is contemplating single parenthood myself, I know that is the level of support system I'm gonna need. But it takes a mountain of effort to build and maintain 20 strong friendships, and to open yourself up to 20 friends' worth of middle-of-the-night calls. I should know: In the past few months I've taken several late-night calls, and I've made some, too.

At times I've felt overwhelmed by the demands of balancing many close friendships. Once I failed to respond to a faraway friend's email about her sick partner when I was consumed by caring for a single friend with cancer, and afterward I felt too guilty about it to pick up the thread. Another time I had to defend myself to a partnered friend who told me that caring for people with life-threatening illnesses was beyond the appropriate bounds of friendship because "that's what lovers are supposed to do for each other." (He failed to explain what those of us without lovers were supposed to do.) At its best, having many close friendships can feel like having an army of guardian angels ready to mobilize within minutes. At its worst, it can feel like the world's most invisible form of emotional labor.

Related: I Feel Destined to Be Single, and That's Okay

Because single women often put friendship at the center of our lives, it can be hard for us to be friends with people who see friendship as peripheral, as many partnered people do. A close friend once told me that her priorities were her kid, her partner, her work, her friends, in that order, like suits in a deck of cards. In her life, a kid thing would always trump a partner thing; a work thing would always trump a friend thing. This was the best way she knew of trying to impose some order on life's complexity, but to me it seemed like a terribly reductive way to think about human relationships -- plus, it was no fun to know that I would always be the lowest priority in her life. Our friendship didn't last.

Even when both people make the relationship a priority, friendship across the lines of marital status takes work. One of my closest friends, Jean, married the love of her life the exact same month that I was dumped by the love of mine, and over the past decade our paths have continued to diverge. She's steadily ticked off all the socially sanctioned boxes of "adulthood" -- getting married, having kids, getting a "real job," buying a house. She even wrote a book. Meanwhile, I've done none of these things. At times our differences have stretched us both to our limit, but our friendship has lasted because of our refusal to project the stereotypes of smug married motherhood or carefree/pathetic single childlessness onto each other. We're both allowed to complain about our lives; we're both allowed to revel in them. Fourteen years in, our friendship is as stable and precious as anything in my life, but we're both aware of the ways it could become fraught. When Jean gave me Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend this Christmas, she said earnestly, "I want you to know that I'm giving this book to you because I think you'll love it and I really want to talk to you about it! Not because the friendship in the book reminds me of us!" There's often a thin layer of anxiety on top of the bedrock of our love.

I think it's this layering of love and anxiety that motivates me to celebrate my friendships with such fervor: because I know they are fragile as well as durable; because I know they can survive love and loss and remain Thelma-and-Louise strong right up to the edge of death, but they can also be shattered by work stress or political disagreements or a single text that should never have been sent. At a reading recently, the novelist Hanya Yanagihara said, "Friendship is the most underrated relationship in our lives ... It remains the one relation not bound by law, blood, or money -- but an unspoken agreement of love." She makes friendship sound awfully romantic, and it is, but the fact remains that it's hard and scary to go through life knowing that your most important relationships are chronically underrated and legally nonexistent. Which is why I light my Golden Girls candle every night and invite my friends over for Galentine's cake, and why I try not to leave my love unspoken. In a world where friendship is often difficult or invisible, I am trying to bake and write and speak and pray my friendships into the future.

More from The Cut:

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25 Famous Women on the Best Advice They've Ever Given -- or Received
The Best, Worst, and Sparkliest Oscars Looks
Walking Away From My Soul Mate Was the Best Thing I've Ever Done
Winning the Breakup in the Age of Instagram

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Sabudana / Sago Nutrition Facts, Health & Beauty Benefits

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Sago pearls or Sabudana Facts

Today I am going to share the health benefits, nutritional facts and some recipe of Sago Pearls. Tapioca Sago is also known as Sabudana in Hindi and Urdu whereas in English it is usually referred as 'Tapioca Pearls' or ‘Sago.' It is one of my favorite foods and after doing a bit of research, here I am with an extensive article on it.


What is Sabudana Made of?

Sabudana from Tapioca roots

The Sago Pearl or Sabudana is made of Tapioca Root; the white colored, opaque seeds are formed by processing of Tapioca root. Tapioca roots are pulped and crushed through different machines, and a milky compound is extracted, this milky compound is then roasted or boiled to form globules. These globules range from 1mm to 7mm in diameter, but the commonly manufactured form varies from 1mm to 2mm in diameter.

The ready to cook Sago balls turn into translucent, spongy and soft form after cooking. Sago is known for its immaculate taste and nutritional benefits; its popular dishes include Sabudana Kheer & Sabudana Khichadi. Usually, Sabudana is considered an exquisite food for infants, old-aged people, and patients. The translucent spongy balls are magnificent in taste and easy to digest, with its known soothing and cooling qualities of the human body.


Sago Pearls / Sabudana Nutrition Facts

Sabudana nutrition facts

Sago or Sabudana is one of the rich sources of carbohydrates, and the white globules are known for their quick energy boosting property. Sago contains a nice amount of Iron, a tiny amount of protein with the feeble amount of Calcium, Vitamins, and other minerals. 100 grams serving of Sago can yield up to 350 Calories with 85.5 grams of Carbohydrates and 0.2 grams of Protein. You can refer the chart below for complete nutrition facts:




Sago Pearls / Sabudana Beauty Benefits

Sabudana beauty benefits

You might be shocked to read about the beauty benefits of Sago Pearls / Sabudana. The fact is that these pearls owe a great deal of benefits for skin and hair as well.

1- Natural Skin Exfoliator

Sabudana can also work as an excellent skin exfoliator, just grind some Sago pearls and mix them up with a few drops of milk to create a thick paste. Now exfoliate your skin for fifteen minutes and let it rest for some time on your face, and then wash it off with lukewarm water. The tapioca root works as a brilliant cleanser for your skin with its organic remedial qualities. You can also try these homemade facial cleansers for a glowing smooth skin.


2- Face Mask To Eliminate Scars & Smoothen Skin

Sago Pearls can also be used to make different face masks that can heal scars and smoothen the skin. You can try the following facemasks below:


Sabudana with Honey & Lemon Mask

Crush 50 grams of Sago pearls and blend it with a few drops of honey and lemon. You can also add some milk to create a nice thick paste. Now apply this mask on your face and let it rest for half an hour. Wash off your face with fresh water and feel the incredible difference in your skin texture. This mask can be used twice in a week, and you can notice dramatic effects on your face within a few weeks.


Sabudana with Avocado Mask

Avocados are one of my favorite ingredients for a face mask. I have also posted about different avocado face masks that you can easily try at home. Crush 50 to 100 gram of Sago pearls and mix it with crushed and peeled avocados. Add some milk to create a paste and apply it on the face for half an hour. Wash it off with lukewarm water.


Sabudana with Chamomile Tea Mask

Crush some sago pearls and mix it with chamomile tea (you can also use the tea from already brewed teabags). Add some milk and blend it well for 5 to 10 minutes. Now apply this mask on your face for 15 to 20 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water.


3- Enhances Hair Growth

Sago Pearls combined with olive oil can improve the growth of hair. Just crush some sago pearls and mix it with olive oil. Now apply this paste on your hair from roots to strands.


4- Prevents Hair Fall

Sabudana is manufactured by processing of tapioca root that has numerous benefits for hair too. You can try some of these protein treatments for hair to avoid the hair fall problem or you can also try Sago pearls and egg mask on your hair. Just crush some sago pearls and blend it well with one or two whole eggs. You can use the egg-beater for the same purpose. Apply this thin mask on your hair strands and let it rest for half an hour. Wash it off with some shampoo.


5- Hair Nourishment 

Crush some sago pearls and blend it with some yogurt, rose water and honey. Apply the thick paste on your hair strands for half an hour and wash it off with some shampoo. You can try this mask twice a day.

Sago Pearls / Sabudana Health Benefits

Sabudana health benefits


1- Perfect Pre/Post Workout Food

Sago contains high amount of carbohydrates and they can serve as a very good alternative to energy/post workout supplements. Our body needs a lot of energy to rejuvenate from the strenuous workout and Sago can help you refuel the lost energy. Sago pudding or kheer are the best foods if you are looking for good energy source that is easily digestible. A nice Sabudana dessert in breakfast can really help you stay alert and energetic throughout the day. It is known to enhance the natural glucosamine production in the body that can improve the overall movement of joints and recovery of muscles around it.


2- A very nice antidote for Hypertension

100 grams of Sago contains around five milligrams of potassium. Potassium is known to enhance the blood circulation and overall cardiovascular system. Sago has been counted amongst the top remedies for hypertension. From the ancient times tapioca root has been used to cure stress and hypertension and it holds an important role in ayurvedic treatment of cardiovascular problems.


3- The Perfect Energy Boosting Food

Sago is the best source of energy, with its high energy refueling capability you can feel energetic all the day. Sago is usually prescribed to patients to enhance their energy level and to expedite the recovery phase.


4- Helps the Digestive System

Sago also helps in the improvement of the overall digestive system. The contents of tapioca root are known to heal many digestive ailments including Bloating, Constipation, Indigestion, Flatulence and Acid Reflux. Sago is also prescribed for patients with Gastroenteritis disease, the soothing and cooling effects mellow down the heartburning and stomachache. Sago enhances the production of digestive enzymes and overall bowel movement by protecting the intestines from getting dry.


5- Quick Weight Gains

Sago can help you gain weight quickly within weeks. The tapioca root with its rich calorie contents can increase the weight of individuals with eating disorders and poor appetite. Sago is also prescribed to carcinoma and tuberculosis patients because it recuperates the weight by these lethal diseases. Sago is usually served as breakfast for kids in India and Pakistan because of its nutritious and healthy ingredients.


6- Improve joints and bone health

Sago contains calcium, iron and other minerals that help in improvement of bones and joints. Sago increases the production of Glucosamine, which ultimately affects the density of bones, flexibility and joints movement. The increased level of glucosamine boosts the production of synovial fluid that is found in small quantity between joints and tendon sheaths and responsible for the smooth movement of joints.


7- Keeps the Body Cool

Sago is known to eradicate excessive heat from the body; usually, the use of antibiotics result in the production of excessive heat, and it can be effectively controlled with the use of Sago. In sub-continent and Asian-pacific countries, doctors prefer the usage of Sago especially for the treatment of diseases involving the consumption of medicines on a regular basis. Sago along with rice has a pleasant cooling effect on the body by controlling the excess bile production. Sago Khichadi is a popular recipe that features the rice and Sago combo.

Sago / Subdana Recipes

Sabudana recipes

There are various dishes that are made with Sabudana, I am going to share the recipes of famous Sabudana Khichadi and Sabudana Kheer in another post later on. Do not forget to share your thoughts on this post :) and stay tuned for more beauty and health tips from FS Fashionista.

Spring Wishlist

DivaDebbi's Red Carpet Report Card Academy Awards 2016

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#OscarsSoWhite. Well, we knew it would be an interesting night, as all eyes and ears were on Chris Rock opening monologue at the Oscars. Interesting too, that if the Oscars are "so white" a black host was chosen long before the nominations were announced.  Rock wasted no time getting down to business, perfectly skewering Hollywood for it's underrepresentation of minorities in the business. According to Rock, if the Academy had voted on who would host, Neil Patrick Harris would be standing there instead. Touche...We got it, but the jokes grew tiresome and less funny as the night wore on. #SometimesLessIsMore. Ya know???

It was a somewhat dull night, to some extent because the nominated films were not blockbusters, but for the most part, small independent films. Translation? Not a lot of people saw them.  The Red Carpet was a tepid affair too, even the duds were few and far between damn it. Leo of course, got what he deserved. Happily.

Trends included shimmering sequins, trains and strapless gowns...now let's get to it.


A+
Magnificent Cate Blanchett in magnificent Armani Prive.
Breathtaking.

Charlize Theron, always stellar.  Here in Dior with Harry Winston jewels.
Sublime.
A Team
Julianne Moore in Haute Couture Chanel.
I would have loved it more in navy, but still stunning.

Jennifer Garner, never more stunning than in this one shoulder
sequin trimmed "revenge" gown.
Well played.

Margot Robbie, languorous in liquid gold Tom Ford. 

Saorise Ronan in and exquisite emerald green Calvin Klein gown
in homage to Ireland

Isla Fisher, lovely in Marchesa

The dependably gorgeous Naomi Watts in Armani Prive


Jason Tremblay in Armani. The kid is a cross between George Clooney and Cary Grant.
And boy, the boy can act.  One to watch.
The B Team
Brie Larsen is Gucci.  I felt the belt and color overwhelmed the
dress and Brie. Awful hair. Wonderful work in The Room. Congrats
to the new J. Law




Alicia Vikkander and Belle from Beauty in the Beast in Louis Vuitton.
She has had an OUTSTANDING awards season. This to me was a rare miss.


Sophia Vergara must have a sleeve allergy. Never seen her anything
but strapless. Nicely, this is more fluid than her usual bombshell
numbers, but the result is world's most gorgeous Mother of the Bride


Jennifer Lawrence's Dior had a vaguely moulin rouge vibe to me.
Not bad, not her best, just like the tepid Joy she starred in.
Rooney Mara in Couture Givenchy.
I wanted to love it. Somehow she looks a bit
like an angelic Victorian Christmas tree ornament
that could be hung from her top knot.

The C Team
The Bridesmaids, Tina and Reese


Rachel McAdams in August Getty Atelier.
Loved the color and the cut but the wrinkled fabric cheapened it.


Kate Winslet in Ralph Lauren
"and up from the ground came a bubbling crude...."

The D List
Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell for Georgia O'Keefe


Patricia Arquette. Happily, she didn't do a face plant.
Top. Heavy.
The F Team
Amy Poehler as Madame Butterfly


Kerry Washington in Versace for the Pleasure Chest

Olivia Wilde in pleated Valentino Coverall's.
Sorry, not a fan of side boobage


Heidi Klum, who, along with Christina Hendricks, have never gotten
it right on the RC.  My offer now stands for both;
I will style you for free and pay my own expenses.

NO ONE over the age of 8 could covet this dress.

So there, you have it Lovelies...8 minutes passed my deadline. Hope it's still worthy of a peek.  See you at the Emmy's.

Night night...

xox,
DD
Please click on the TITLE to be directed to the full DivaDebbi blog post!

International Giveaway-LomiLomi 7 Skin Scheduler Mask Box

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After a thorough review on ‘LomiLomi 7 Skin Scheduler Mask Box’, it is time to let you experience its benefits. The scheduler box contains 7 sheet masks that target specific skin care concerns. These sheet masks are abundantly rich with serum, easy to use, have excellent skin adhesion and provide visible results. Here is a quick brief of these serum enriched masks: Mask 1- Aloe

The post International Giveaway-LomiLomi 7 Skin Scheduler Mask Box appeared first on BeABrideEveryday|Indian Beauty Blog|Makeup Blog|Fashion Blog|Nail Art|Skin Care.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian- Baccarat Rouge 540

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French department store Printemps was one of Baccarat's collaborators for the brand’s 250th anniversary.

I didn't pay much attention to the news about the perfume Francis Kurkdjian created for the 250th anniversary of Baccarat back in the summer of 2014. After all, only  two hundred and fifty crystal bottles were produced,  priced at €3,000 for 100ml (and later $4,000),  and I didn't think I was ever going to get to smell Baccarat Rouge 540 any more than I would ever own any of the special anniversary edition products commissioned for the event, among them a 27.6 feet tall crystal chandelier and a €20,500 tiara. Interestingly enough,  nearly two years later you can still buy one of the 250 crystal spiral bottles featuring 160 cut facets on Baccarat's website (a completely unaffiliated link. I would be so lucky).  I'm not sure what became of the tiara.


It all changed late last year when Maison Francis Kurkdjian was allowed to release Baccarat Rouge 540 under its own name and make it available everywhere the brand is sold.


What does a perfume named after the temperature (Celsius) required to achieve Baccarat’s signature ruby red color smell like? The process of creating the iconic red crystal involves a gradual heating of 24-carat gold powder with clear crystal. It's actually an excellent metaphor to the perfume, proving again that when Mr. Kurkdjian is good he's really really good.

The official list of notes (citrus, jasmine, saffron, sage, ambergris, oakmoss, cedar) doesn't tell the whole story. Rouge 540 has both an amazing clarity that is typical to Kurkdjian's work and an intense heat. The spices, orange, and bright classic floral veil feel celebratory, like the atmosphere in a ballroom with tall ceilings, huge marble-paneled fireplace, decorated with human-size white flower arrangements, and yes, lit with a thousand crystal chandeliers for the most luxurious celebration during the holidays. Saffron and orange have that Christmasy association of warmth (think of the modern classic Theorema as well as MDCI's Les Indes Galantes that was also released in 2015). It's immensely pleasurable, yet differs from the above perfumes in its formal polish and shine. You're not exactly lounging in your flannel pajamas when wearing Baccarat Rouge 540, but even if you do (and I most certainly did), you're still dreaming of sparkling lights reflected in countless gleaming window panes.

There's another interesting element to Baccarat Rouge 540: an almost animalic, skin-like facet. Where the more typical holiday perfumes tend to be more gourmand and juicy, there's only a sheer fruitiness to MFK's creation, and while the perfume is definitely sweet it's not quite dessert-like. This fragrance feels more intimate; like dancing in the arms of a partner and stopping every once in a while to nibble on sweet delicacies from a silver tray before returning to your waltzing. You get a bit flustered here and there, but never actually sweaty (no cumin here, or maybe just a ghost of it). One of the tall windows is open and lets the chilly winter air inside, mixing and wafting the scent of the flowers that were flown in from afar and the balsam fir garlands. The dancers' fineries remain almost miraculously crisp as everyone keeps twirling under the lights, wishing the magical night will never end.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian- Baccarat Rouge 540 ($300, 2.4oz) is available from osswaldNYC.com, Luckyscent, Twisted Lily, Bergdorf, and select Neiman Marcus locations.


Top image via alumind.com. Original Baccarat Rouge 540 bottle via the brand's website, and MFK's promotional image from a press release.

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Treat Her In Style: The Stylish Ideas For Mothers Day This Year

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Mothering Sunday falls on Sunday, 6th March this year, three weeks before Easter and the UK’s second largest religious holiday. This represents an opportunity for us to celebrate the unique relationships that we have with our mothers’ and grandmothers’, while it also enables husbands to acknowledge the great job that their wives are doing as…

The post Treat Her In Style: The Stylish Ideas For Mothers Day This Year appeared first on Life in a Break Down.

What’s the best way to get rid of bed head? Episode 122

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Does this bed head product really work? Sasha asks…Can Ma Cherie Perfect Shower fix your bed better than regular water? Is this worth the money or is it nothing more than water mixed with leave in conditioner? Let’s begin by talking about what causes bed head. First, you have to realize that there are two different […]

DIY Facial Serum for Night

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DIY Facial Serum for Night By Sanchita To begin with, I have extremely sensitive, acne prone, oily skin that is always on the verge of breakouts. Due to this reason, I avoid moisturizers (except for aloe vera gel) all my life. However, as I am approaching towards late 20s, I have been noticing that the [...]

The post DIY Facial Serum for Night appeared first on New Love - Makeup.

Shopbop Big Event Sale 2016

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It’s here! One of the biggest Shopbop Sales for 2016 has just launched! The first Shopbop Big Event 2016 sale is tiered, and the discount you...

Head over to Raging Rouge to read the full post!

Shopbop Big Event Sale 2016

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It’s here! One of the biggest Shopbop Sales for 2016 has just launched! The first Shopbop Big Event 2016 sale is tiered, and the discount you earn depends on the amount you spend! Orders over $250 = 15% off Orders over $500 = 20% off Orders over $1000 = 25% off This sale ends on […]

The post Shopbop Big Event Sale 2016 appeared first on Raging Rouge.

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