Better Homes and Garden August 2014

Fast Fixes for your Foyers

1. Start here - if your entry is a mess, don’t get overwhelmed thinking it needs a major makeover. Hanging a couple of hooks and putting out a big basket for shoes can make a huge difference.

2. Coat check - consider offloading some of those parkas to bedroom closets or underbed storage during the off season.

3. Hide Away - a dresser is pretty brilliant in an entry. Line the drawers with shelf paper or cookie sheets for shoes, and add a tray to turn the top into a drop zone for mail and keys.

4. Grab and go - keep a cute tote bag hanging near the back door. Use it as a collection spot for whatever needs to leave the house next trip.

How to buy Summer’s Bounty Veggies-

Corn -Buy - look for corn with golden to brown silks and healthy green husks. Store - keep corn in its husk until ready to use, or remove kernels from the cob and freeze.

Green Beans - Look for slender, unbruised beans that snap easily. Thinner beans are sweetest. Store - place unwashed beans in a resealable bag. Refrigerate up to a week.

Squash - look for firm, smooth, unblemished squash. For yellow squash, choose smaller ones - the large ones have a lot more seeds. Place unwashed squash in an airtight container and refrigerate up to a week.

Better Homes and Garden December 2013

Putting on Falsies

1. Customize - using tweezers, hold the strip where your own lashes start at the inner corner of your eyes. If there’s any excess at the outer corner, trim.

2. Add glue - holding the strip with your tweezer, apply a very thin as in nearly nonexistent coat of glue straight from the tube. Swipe your finger over the strip to smooth and remove any excess -  globs of glue are a dead giveaway that you’re wearing fakes.

3. Place - wait 10 seconds, then place the strip at the roots of your own lashes with the tweezers. Don’t stress stress if you make a mistake. Simply use your fingers to remove any glue and go back to step 2. Repeat 1 - 3 on your other eye.

4. Curl - after two minutes, clamp with an eyelash curler - it will help your natural lashes blend with the false ones. Seal with mascara.

Put on the falsie after finishing your shadow and liner. It’s tricky to get a smoky eye just right with extra lashes in the way. Before removing, wet a cotton swab with hot water and run along the lash band to soften the glue. You’ll save your natural lashes.