Mirai Purifying Body Serum

The serum is enriched botanical cocktail of astaxanthin, shea butter, Japanese Green Tea, Jojoba Oil and Hyaluronic Acid. It is packed with all the good stuff and none of the bad stuff like parabens, bad synthetics, preservatives and dyes.  It promises to moisturize, prevent the visible signs of aging from skin damaging UV rays, inclement weather, and estrogen depleting hormonal changes caused by aging. The airless bottle helps protect against product degradation and keeps the formula fresh, plus it looks kind of cool on my nightstand. While the company promised a light herbal fragrance, the scent reminded me a bit of turmeric. I was a bit hesitant in using the serum in the daytime as being Indian I don’t want to use products that make me smell like curry. I personally didn’t notice any turmeric in the ingredients list but turmeric is a very good for the skin but I just rather not smell like it. I have used the serum every day night before bed and I woke up with smoother and softer skin. The serum is concentrated and lightweight so only a little is needed to provide results. I would get this again and would love to try the other products from Mirai Clinical.

Marie Claire January 2015

Hang Photos Like a Pro

1. Know your freebies - when buying from a dealer or gallery, make sure to ask if the price includes the frame. For a lot of first-time buyers, it does.
2. Defray costs - hit up Ikea for budget frames, or join Michaels mailing list and wait for coupons, which can custom framing prices nearly in half.
3. Use your accents - if your room has a bold accent color, try matching the frame to that. Got a neutral palette? Match the color of the floor.
4. Separate lights and dark - lights frames help a space look bigger. Darker ones draw attention to the fact that a room is small.
5. Master the salon - when collaging a bold or colorful work with less eye catching ones, don’t hang the focal piece in the middle. Use the pinwheel technique: disperse artwork loosely around the center of the wall. And use frames of a single hue.
6. Tame the mix - if salon style chaos isn’t your thing, try hanging art of different sizes and mixed media [a mask, an etching, a painting, a photo, etc] in a grid a bold but restrained effect.

Benefits of Meditation

1. Improved concentration - experienced meditators’ brain show more activity in the areas that control attention and focus than those of people who don’t meditate.
2. Weight control - in preliminary studies, meditators who practice “mindful eating” (focusing attention on the sensory experience of a meal) were able to control overeating more successfully than non-meditators.
3. Better memory - meditators have denser gray matter in the hippocampus (which is connected to memory and learning)
4. Less uneasiness - after analyzing nearly 19,000 studies on meditation. Researchers found that mindfulness practices ease anxiety.
5. Decreased stress - studies has found that meditation can reduce the expression of genes linked to inflammation and stress.

Book Review - American Heart Association Grill It, Braise It, Broil It: And 9 Other Easy Techniques for Making Healthy Meals

Photo Credit - Random House

Ah, a cookbook that has different techniques to cooking delicious and healthy foods!  The cookbook employs 12 different cooking techniques to help put nutritious food on the table. Readers will learn how to make many great recipes like stir fried pork tacos and risotto with edamame from the microwave.  The cookbook is packed with 175 recipes and is organized by cooking technique used. Each easy to read recipe is accompanied by nutrition facts and along with helpful tips. There are also blurbs in the beginning of each recipe that provides additional information.

The one downside of the cookbook is that it only has 8 full page colors photos and it seems to be placed in a random locations. The book also has instructions on each technique, helpful guidelines on cooking and preparing foods, how to stock a healthy kitchen along with many other useful information. There were a couple of recipes that look delicious and have minimal downtime. A great cookbook for people who are actively trying to eat healthier.

**Disclaimer - I received a free copy for my honest feedback**

LAQA & Co. Lip Lube Pencil - Menatour

The purple lip balm goes on smoothly and has a satin shine finish. The glossy lip pencil is enriched with peppermint and shea butter to soften and hydrated lips. It is playful enough for Spring or Summery days as it is not thick or heavy.

Xtreme Lashes GlideLiner Long Lasting Eye Pencil - 185 Black Pearl

The creamy long lasting gel eyeliner is enriched with vitamin E. It goes on smoothly and smudges well for 2 seconds before staying put all day. I love the color and how it goes on. But it was very hard to do a small line and the eyeliner goes on very thickly. Also, don't press too hard because the point keeps breaking off for me. :(

Tocca Cleopatra Sapone Soap

The sweet scented soap is packed with kukui nut oil, blue-green algae and vitamin E. The creamy soap is scented of grapefruit and cucumber.  The beautifully wrapped in hand-made decorative paper makes it a beautiful gift for hostess present. The bar of soap went on smoothly and felt like butter on my skin. It made my skin smooth, soft and delicately scented. Although, it was a treat to use, it is a bit pricey for $12 as the bar didn’t really last that long.

Book Review : Fried Chicken by Rebecca Lang

Photo Credit - Random house

Two little words that bring happiness, joy, love, and excitement to my heart. No, it's not "love you" from my significant other, but the words "fried chicken" when I ask what is for dinner.  When I was given the opportunity to read the cookbook for my blog, I jumped for joy. I have tried cooking fried chicken in different ways before, dredge in flour, covered in panko, sprinkled with black pepper and even saturated with beer batter. As soon as I cracked opened the book I realized I was in a different level when I saw there was three types of frying - skillet, deep frying and combination. Combination frying? I had never heard of it but oh, how the recipes look so enticing and delicious! 

The cookbook is packed with over 50 family friendly recipes. The Southern classic takes a global trot around the world with ethnically inspired flavors such as Saigon Street Wings, Chinese Lollipop Wings, Mexican-Lime Fried Chicken Tacos, and Korean Fried Chicken with Gochujang Sauce along with mainstay recipes such as Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Chicken Fingers and Gluten-Free Southern Fried Chicken. Most of the recipes are beautifully photographed in color. The instructions are clear and concise and easy to understand. The author also includes the recipes for all sauces and sides (if included) as a separate recipe. Which is nice, because I really wanted to make the chicken and waffles but I am a more of a frozen or mix type of gal than making it from scratch. In the beginning, Rebecca Lang spends some time explain smoking points of fats, types of chicken and even how to cut, wash and prepare the chicken. The cookbook is a comprehensive guide for how to make the fried goodness.

I think no matter how hard I want to cook every recipe like in Julia and Julia, it might be best if I don't otherwise I may not even fit into my fat pants. I didn't try an exact recipe from scratch but I used some of the recipes as inspiration for my own cooking. I never knew adding a bit of curry powder in the flour would add a nice complex flavor to the chicken. This book is a definite treat for anyone who loves fried chicken or likes to experiment with new flavors.

Disclosure - I received this book for free to provide my honest opinion.