Beauty & Grooming

With countless moisturizers out in the market, it’s quite daunting to choose one that will be perfect for your specific skin type and needs. There’s the drugstore variety, prescription-strength, and high-end formulations, plus all the other options in between. Additionally, since people’s skin types vary widely, it’s hard even to make a blanket recommendation.

To help you with this difficult decision, here’s a basic guide that might help you narrow down the ideal moisturizer for you:

Figure Out Your Skin Type

Every skin type will benefit from being moisturized, yes, even acne-prone, sensitive, and very oily skin types. The key to finding the most beneficial type is in the formulation. If you have dry skin, consider emollient-rich hydrating creams. If you have oily skin, go with an oil-free, lightweight, gel-type formula. If your skin is sensitive, stick with unscented and basic formulas. And if your skin is dehydrated, opt for moisturizers that contain humectants such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid, to effectively trap moisture in your skin. If you’re uncertain of your skin type, you probably have combination or normal skin. In this case, it’s best to start with multiuse moisturizers that can give you a bit of everything and go from there.

All-Natural or Scientifically Proven?

The most effective moisturizers are usually those that harness both the power of natural ingredients and scientifically proven skincare ingredients. Take the intensive night cream from Kedma Skincare Philippines for instance. It’s made up of retinol or vitamin A, one of the most widely studied and proven anti-aging ingredients, Dead Sea minerals, and various plant extracts and oils—a perfect blend of science and nature. The wrinkle-fighting powers of retinol combined with the natural minerals, plant extracts, and oils helps in keeping your skin soft, youthful, supple, firm and restoring your skin’s moisture balance.

Decide If You Need Anti-Aging Ingredients

A moisturizer is a moisturizer to an extent, whether you are 22 years old or 65 years old. There are certain skincare ingredients famous for their anti-aging benefits, but they can likewise offer other benefits other than making your skin more youthful. For instance, retinol is hailed as the best wrinkle fighter but is also very useful for acne and acne scars. The thing to know about anti-aging is that it is never too early to start an anti-aging regimen, considering that you start with gentler formulations first and go from there.

Try It Out

You won’t know if your chosen moisturizer suits your skin type until you have used it religiously for at least a month. Provided that you didn’t experience an allergic reaction, stick it out to see its effects once your skin has had time to regenerate itself fully, which is around four to six weeks. It’s also vital to note that you might need to experiment with different moisturizers to find the perfect one for you. So if you’re having problems understanding the needs of your skin, hence, choosing a moisturizer that can address your specific issues, visit your dermatologist to help you out.

Between deadlines and meetings, you could easily get caught up in an unhealthy daily routine. While having a routine could get you through on a lot of situations, it doesn’t allow that much adjustments on your schedule.

Because of this, you could easily forget that you also need some time to look after yourself. Self-care is the term that refers to your overall well-being which encompasses your mental, physical and emotional health as well as in teaching oneself to love and care for it.

If you don’t set aside a time to have time for yourself, sooner or later you’ll feel stressed and overwhelmed. This is why it’s important that you schedule a pampering session every once and in a while. Find out some self-care activities you can try below.

1. Have a salon day

Make yourself feel better about yourself by visiting a hair and beauty salon in Dumfries every now and then. Get as many services as you want.

You can have a massage, haircut, mani-pedi or whatever it is you prefer. While most people might think it doesn’t do much, but taking time to improve your appearance would help boost up your confidence and make you feel better.

2. Take some time off

It’s great that you show commitment and dedication to your work or studies, making it your life isn’t. Learn how to set boundaries between yourself at home and at work. Don’t deny yourself the rest and break you need.

Take a leave and treat yourself to a vacation. It can be a staycation in a hotel, visit a new place or simply enjoy a little me-time. This will give you time to relax and take off your mind from worries. It’s also a great way to keep yourself from feeling burnout and stressed.

3. Choose a hobby

As surprising as it might sound, finding a hobby that you totally enjoy can also become part of your self-care routine. Finding one allows you to get to know more about yourself.

For this once, you’ll be able to focus on yourself and set aside your work as well as responsibilities because it’s about you and nothing else. Now you might be wondering what hobby you should try; the thing is it could practically be anything.

4. Pause and meditate

Having too much on your plate can make you feel anxious about a lot of things. Because of this, you’re constantly worried, and stress may slowly creep into your system.

Unfortunately, many people realize it too late, and it might have already brought so much damage to their health. To avoid the worst from coming, it’s important that you know how to pause and breathe.

During this time, take time to meditate in order to get rid of all negativities in your system. Allotting a good 5–10 minutes every day on meditation would make you feel better and can lessen the chance of depression and anxiety.

Before you start worrying about others, be sure you’re giving enough to yourself. It’s important that you take a few moments to be on your own to get to know yourself as well as keep your mental, physical, and emotional health in check. It’s not about being selfish but more on looking after your well-being.

Your bed is somewhat responsible for giving you a good night sleep. Having a comfy mattress to lie down to could help improve your sleeping habits as well as ensure you’re getting enough rest all throughout the night.

Along with the bed itself, the fabrics you have for your covers and linens may somewhat affect the level of comfort you enjoy as you sleep. If you happen to be shopping a new set of sheets and would like to know what options you have for the material and fabrics, here are some of the most popular types of sheets to choose from.

Bamboo Sheets

If you’re looking for something in between cotton and silk to cover your king-size bed, there’s no better option than bamboo sheets. It goes perfectly well to all types of beds as well as offers the same feeling of luxury as it is with silk.

Unlike with silk, however, its texture is not too slippery and follows the level of breathability of cotton sheets. Although many are against this fabric due to its harmful production process, manufacturers have come up with a more nature-friendly solution. So rest assured you’re still making a good choice if you happen to pick this.

Cotton Sheets

Starting off the list is the cotton sheet. It’s the most common type of beddings which are known to be extremely breathable. It’s ideal to use during hotter days as it does a great job in keeping you cool especially when the sun is scorching. Among all types of sheets, this is proven to be the most popular because of its price and how easy it is to clean.

Silk Sheets

If cotton falls into the affordable side, silk is considered the most luxurious and expensive option. This is due to the fact that the production cost for this fabric is extremely high and hard to manufacture.

It comes from the cocoon the silkworms spin and to which producers carefully unravel and thread together to create a cloth out of it. The process of its production is complicated enough even more so the intricacy of how people have to handle it.

While it is indeed an expensive fabric, when it comes to softness and comfort you’ll never be disappointed. These are naturally hypoallergenic which are perfect for people who have sensitive skin. In terms of washing, they require more delicate handling as they are more delicate than cotton and other fabrics.

Polyester Sheets

Another type of linen material you may want to consider is the polyester. Like the rest of fabrics that have been introduced, the sheets made out of this provides a soft and comfy feeling as the fibers are woven finely.

While it’s slowly making its way to the list, many people may find it a little difficult to sleep on especially during the hot and dry season because the heat can get trap into it. So it is not advisable to use it if you have a particularly warm room.

However, it is extremely resistant to stains, so if you enjoy having your meals in bed or has a kid around who’s very messy, this is just the perfect choice.

When shopping for new sheets, you must always put your comfort on top of everything. By doing so, you’ll easily determine which bedding will be most suitable to your style as well as to your preferences.

The above mentioned are just some of the few types of bed sheets. If you feel like looking for more, feel free to search through your possible options.

Every child wants to have a birthday party, but it can be difficult to plan one that will be as entertaining and fun as the last party. You can organize more activities, prepare more interesting food and drinks, but even these would not assure you of a successful birthday celebration.

So, what can you do to make your child’s party in your Dubai home an inevitable success? The key is to interlace food and entertainment. Here are simple things you can do to make your young guests feel that this is one birthday worth remembering with the help of a catering service in Dubai like Blast Catering.

Provide Refreshments from the Juice Bar

Kids love fruit juices with their interesting flavors and colors. You can serve them refreshing drinks with a juice bar set-up, where they can choose their drink or even mix and match their favorite flavors. Provide reusable cups and a water dispenser too.

Choose reusable cups with lids so your guests can take them home after the party. Get a labeler and assign someone to label the cups for the kids. Labeling it with their names gives children a sense of ownership and will take care not to lose or damage the cup.

Serve Sweet Treats from the Fruit Bar

You can combine healthy fruits and sweet snacks at a fruit bar set-up. Add confectionery such as sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate chips and a chocolate fondue fountain to make it more appealing. Use apples, strawberries, bananas, raisins, pears, blueberries, and even melon for the fruits. The guests can make their own chocolate coated strawberries, three-fruit salad, fruit fondue, and make their creations.

You can provide a small container, so the kids could grab and go. You can also use reusable bento style snack boxes with top lids, so the children will not drip chocolate everywhere.

Fun Pastry and Biscuits from the Grazing Table

You can also provide a snack grazing table laid with bite-sized cakes, cookies and other pastries. You can also add potato chips, vegetable sticks, and even slices of ham and sausages so the children can explore every kind of taste.    You can ask the caterer to prepare them in mini-sizes so Have these served in mini sizes, so your guests can pick one of every item. Reusable containers can also reduce leftovers because your young guests can pack up their meals after.

Any birthday party can have food, entertainment, and fun activities, but you can mix and mingle all three. Your child’s guests will feel entertained with making their own choices and creations, and their taste buds will be satisfied with your birthday food treats. You can provide all of these and add mini-activities such as face painting and photo booths. These will ensure that your child’s party is fun for everyone, even the adults.

Planning a kid’s party can be tricky. But with these food items on your menu, your snack party is sure to be a hit and is something that your child and your guests will remember for a long time!

Brides everywhere put that wedding dress or that picture-perfect wedding location as the top priority before the big day arrives. Everything should be perfect. Everything should be in its right place. And then the boots came.

Now, are you thinking of wearing boots on your wedding day? That Western wedding boot corral seems pleasing and edgy at the same time. Walking down the grassy aisle, you can imagine, would be awesome as the earth beneath you trembles in your excitement.

Well, you can make those thoughts a reality, just start deciding now!

Going Edgy

While white and neat sandals and shoes are typically the choices of brides, some are fighting tradition by going edgier. The sight of boots on a wedding day gives off that Western vibe with flair and hard rock effect. It is fresh and pure, but it also harks back to what rural America is most known for, that cowboy culture, that quintessential farm-loving spirit, that ever-enthralling countryside.

Putting that cultural experience to the utterly traditional and pristine institution called marriage is indeed edgy. Truly, bridal boots define the modern woman: strong, imposing, and yet still leaving men in awe with that finesse.

Varied Types

Bridal boots range in many types, primarily based on cuts. One can find the more common but show-stopping cowboy boots. Or maybe one may see customized or neatly designed ankle and shoe boots. Wellies too are showing other types a run for their style.

When picking among these types, the edginess factor is highest with the cowboy boots and lowest with the shoe boots. It is also noteworthy to consider matching them with your wedding dress as one type — say a wellie — might be a better fit with a certain dress color or accent that matches the rural scene.

Boot colors too can match or give contrast to the dress. You can try a bright, soothing color. Maybe a subtle earthy tone will do. What about ivory? The possibilities are endless.

Design and Style

Design can also make wedding boots channel that personality. It can look more dashingly colorful or dainty. Yet it can also be more contained. Cowgirl boots embellished in floral designs with an ornate bone finish are strikingly perfect for a wedding dress that is as white as ivory.

Corral boots with a glittery inlay and crystal finish are not only designed with confidence in mind, but they are also shining flamboyant. Designs can be humanized and be style-powered, leaving the wedding audience in the complete surrender of the jaw-dropping show.

When choosing designs and styles, match it with your personality for a more realistic effect. Or if you want to surprise people, being bold is always an option.

Choosing wedding boots can get as tricky as choosing a wedding dress. But like wedding dresses that exude the inner beauty of the person wearing it, wedding boots also create that impact.

This time, it comes with some edge, with some personality. So choose “you” when you choose your wedding boots. And let the earth beneath you tremble once more. This time, it is for real.

Are you looking to open a new salon business? Or is your salon business in need of a little touch-up? Making purchases of salon equipment and furniture is a great step to revamp your salon business. When shopping, you will come across multiple salon chairs that vary in quality, size, and prices. With the variety of items at your disposal, making a choice can be a hard task. You can look for a suitable supplier to buy beauty salon chairs. However, what do you look for in a supplier of beauty salon chairs? Here are a few guidelines:

Variety of Items

Beauty salon chairs are available in many types such as manicure seats and barber seats. The seats you acquire will depend on the services you provide in your salon. Walking into a shop where the supplier deals with a variety of items gives you a wide choice of selection. That also saves you the hassle of walking from one supplier shop to another when getting all the chairs you need.

Positive Reviews

Most product suppliers have online platforms to reach a wider audience. Look out for product reviews on the supplier’s online platform. Online reviews from past clients is an indication of the quality of the items you should expect. You can also assess the quality of the supplier’s services from going through the reviews.

Quality

When shopping for seats, you need to acquire seats that will serve you for ages. The durability of salon chairs depends on the quality of the seats. The material which makes the seat should be of high quality. Do not be afraid to seat on the salon chairs to test the feel and assess the quality.

Customer Service

There is nothing more appealing than great customer service. Not only is it helpful to the buyer, but it also says a lot about the supplier. Great customer service is a characteristic of a reliable supplier. The supplier should have a team to walk you through the different items in their shop. The sales person should have adequate knowledge about the items on display. The decision-making process is easier for the buyer when they have the right information about products.

Warranty

Before making a major purchase, it is essential to verify that the items have a warranty. You can trust the quality of a product when a product has a warranty from the manufacturer. The majority of salon furniture has a warranty of about a year. If your chairs experience problems within the stated period, you can go back to the supplier and get a replacement.

The decision to get new beauty salon chairs is among the greatest decisions you will make. However, the process can be daunting if you do not know what you need in salon chairs. Contact a salon chairs supplier for consultation before you make your purchase. The consultation allows the supplier to understand your needs and settle on the ones to purchase. Taking into consideration the most important factors in a salon chair will see that you make the right decision.

Accessories such as jewelry may just seem to be the typical aesthetic upgrades to a person’s fashion statement, but believe it or not, they’re a great investment as well. It won’t mean much, however, if the one you have is in the same design or made up of the same materials as a couple of others as these properties can significantly lower its value on the market. One way to prevent this situation is by purchasing custom-made jewelry, which can get pricey but offers you the benefit of a unique and one-of-a-kind item.

Synthetic Gemstones

While it’s true that natural jewels are prized for their beauty and appeal that don’t need that much modification, there’s a certain quality that synthetic ones have over these; it’s the story that they tell, thanks to the materials used in creating them. A good example of such is jewelry made out of human remains, which is a bit disturbing when you think about it, which serves as a morbidly stylish memento from your dearly departed. You can also have a bit of blood encased in gems, if you’re not that keen on having an entire necklace made out-of-body parts, and some specialty jewelers can make it for you.

Raw Gemstones

Back to the more natural and less disturbing accessories, raw gemstones have become more and more popular these days due to their unrefined look. This only works for certain gemstones, and there’s still a certain pattern that needs to be followed. However, if the jeweler is able to pull this off, you’ll have a piece that has a rough and unpolished aesthetic and expresses defiance of tradition. Bloodstone, onyx, amethyst, and opal are just some of the precious stones that will fit this design. If you don’t want the usual fully finished stones in your gold micro-pave wedding band, then you might want them instead.

Specialty/Fancy Gemstones

Even among these seemingly rare materials, there are still some that are so special that you’ll have a hard time trying to even find one. That scarcity is only the result of those stones’ unique beauty. Given that they are already harder to find than the typical gemstones, you should expect them to be even more expensive. However, if you can afford them, then go ahead and try to get one since not everyone will have it. Just take note that not all jewelers have them in stock, so you’ll have to spend more time and effort searching for them.

Some people may think that these luxuries aren’t worth the price you have to pay for them, but provided that you take good care of them, you can expect a great return for your investment as time passes. Even if you don’t plan on selling them, they can serve as a means of celebrating a special occasion or the life of a loved one to which no amount of money can ever compare.  Whichever you plan to do, just keep in mind that you only deserve the best, so why not go all out as long as your budget permits?

Social media allows for constant communication and uninterrupted connectivity to enhance people’s awareness and knowledge of the world. Wedding planning is among one of many activities that have not escaped the far-reaching impacts of social media. Modern day wedding ideas and wedding planning are vastly different from the way they were before the age of social media.

The use of social media reduces time and travel expenses related to wedding planning. Communicating with wedding planners, for instance, does not always require face-to-face meetings. This can be conducted over messages, live streams, or video chats instead.

Comparison to Traditional Weddings

Social media has transformed the wedding planning process. Traditionally, planning required couples to spend their weekends or time after work browsing magazines, driving to potential wedding venues, and trying out food samples from different caterers.

The process is very different today, as the time couples allot for wedding planning is no longer limited to their spare time. Social media allows couples to discover wedding ideas and conduct meetings from where they are. Couples no longer have to schedule many in-person meetings with wedding planners, as most communication can be conducted over social media.

This also makes travelling for wedding planning more and more obsolete. Couples can do away with physically going to and from meetings with different vendors. Online communication means couples can save in terms of the commute without losing human interaction or quality of service.

Social media also creates a greater drive for couples and guests alike to capture picture-perfect moments with various wedding props and from different wedding related scenery. These pictures will later be edited and posted on various social media platforms.

Social Connections

Social media platforms encourage greater connectivity with friends and family. Couples have the opportunity to share news, form private wedding groups, and upload wedding and reception photos. The wedding’s reach extends further as photos and videos are shared across social media and people actively communicate about the event.

The ability to conduct live streams also allows invited guests who are unable to physically attend the event a chance to experience some parts of the wedding.

Access to Ideas and Information

Modern wedding ideas are no longer confined to those presented in magazines or on television programs. A seemingly limitless collection of ideas, photos, and options are made available to couples through social media. They are also available anywhere and can be accessed through mobile phones, tablets, and laptop computers. Most wedding caterers and venues have websites and social media platforms to browse through and find further inspiration. Social media is a good and efficient resource for couples looking to discover new ideas or to learn new information about weddings from sources all over the world.

However, with so much access to other weddings and wedding ideas, couples can have unrealistic expectations for their own wedding. They may end up spending too much time and money trying to recreate a look and incorporating big ideas into the event. Couples should be careful about setting their expectations as the influence of social media is only beginning to grow and is expected to play an even more intricate role in modern day wedding planning.

Up until the middle part of the 20th century, there wasn’t a universally accepted standard that could be used for judging diamonds. That is until the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) created the 4 C’s of diamonds, a system used to describe diamonds. The 4 C’s stand for clarity, carat weight, cut, and colour and are now a globally recognised standard for evaluating diamonds. But what exactly are the 4 C’s of diamonds?

Colour

This refers to the diamond’s tint. Majority of diamonds inherently have a tinge of brown or yellow in them. Whether mined or manufactured in a lab, the more colourless the diamond, the rarer and pricier it is. The clearest and rarest diamonds are graded D, E, F, for colourless or G, H, I, J for nearly colourless ones. Note that these colour distinctions are immensely subtle that they’re not visible to the naked or untrained eye. However, they can play a huge role in a diamond’s value. You can seek the help of a jeweller from one of the most renowned Hatton Garden jewellery shops if you are looking for a piece of jewellery that has the rarest of diamonds.

Cut

This represents the shape of the diamond but particularly refers to the arrangement and proportions of a diamond’s facets. The precision of faceting in a diamond is vital to its light performance since this will determine how light will play inside a diamond and how you will see the light as it exits the diamond. A diamond with precise proportions will reflect light from facet to facet and disperse it via its upper portion, giving the diamond its sparkle. While a diamond that’s cut too shallow will allow light to escape before it can be dispersed, another that’s cut too deep won’t allow light to reflect to the topmost portion.

Carat

This is a measure of the weight of a diamond. Since huge diamonds are rare, they’re generally considered to be worth more per carat. However, carat weight itself doesn’t determine the true value of a diamond. For instance, two diamonds both weighing one-carat can differ significantly in price when you consider the other C’s: colour, clarity, and cut.

Clarity

This refers to the cleanness of a diamond, both externally and internally. In general, the cleaner the diamond—meaning no visible external imperfections or blemishes and internal flaws or inclusions are visible to the naked eye—the higher its quality. Blemishes include chips, scratches, pits, nicks, and lines, while inclusions include knots, features, clouds, as well as minerals or crystals.

So why do you need to know about the 4 C’s of diamonds? You can shop for diamonds and know which ones are worth your hard-earned money. When shopping around for a diamond, you need to figure out which C is most vital to you personally so that you can end up with a stone that fits your needs exactly. For instance, some people prefer their diamonds to be big and heavy, while others might value cut and clarity above all the other C’s. Keep the 4 C’s in mind the next time you go jewellery shopping.