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The Ultimate Checklist To Get More From Your First Hiking Holiday

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Modern vacations are evolving, and most people now find that sitting on the beach for a fortnight simply doesn’t tick all the boxes. Exploration is now an integral aspect of any great trip, which is why hiking holidays are an increasingly popular solution. Before taking your first, though, it’s imperative that the right preparations are in place.

Here are six key points of focus that will ensure you choose the right pathway.

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Destination | First and foremost, your hike should reward you with a spectacular scene at the finish. Machu Picchu has become one of the hottest attractions as it merges natural beauty with ancient and unique architecture. You can learn more about tours at http://gadventures.com/destinations/south-america/machu-picchu/. Once you’ve seen it for yourself, you’ll be ecstatic that you chose this instead of a beach deal.

Company | Booking with the right operator ensures that you get to experience the best that a place has to offer. However, you also need to consider the party that you travel with. While the rewards make it all worthwhile, there’s no doubt that hiking can be emotionally testing. Travel with friends that are likely to drain the enthusiasm, and it will take its toll on your fun.

Attire | When you dedicate a few days to hiking, it’s imperative that you are made to feel comfortable. The right footwear should be top of the agenda as it will make a telling difference to your trip. Likewise, the best backpack and suitable campaign essentials can remove a lot of stress. In turn, that’ll allow you to enjoy the great outdoors to its full potential.

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Camera | Depending on where you travel, you might not be able to get online during your stay. This is why laptops are redundant. Still, a camera and rechargeable battery allows you to document your adventures to ensure those memories last a lifetime. You can find the best ones at http:/\switchbacktravel.com/best-cameras-hiking-backpacking. Once you return home, those snaps can be turned into artwork for the home. Perfect.

Journey | The last thing you need is to feel uncomfortable before you’ve even reached the destination. You might have to choose coach, but flying directly to the nearest airport is essential. Meanwhile, you should avoid public transportation for the onward trip. Aside from the direct benefits, it removes the stress of knowing you have a nightmare return leg to come.

Injections | Hiking is an incredibly enjoyable task, but you are likely to choose places where dangers could be lurking. Given that nothing is more important than your health, it’s vital that you take action by getting the right jabs and medications. A little online research should tell you what’s needed. It doesn’t hurt to have medical insurance in place too. Still, prevention is always better.

With the right precautions, there’s no doubt that hiking trips can be the most rewarding. Aside from all the traditional joys, you gain that sense of self-satisfaction too. Frankly, there’s never been a better time to book your adventure.

 

 

 

Next Steps If A Relative Needs Home Eldercare

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

For many, it can be a sad or even worrying time when a relative begins to require more and more care. This care can take many forms, but very often it will mean that they need to receive some kind of home care. When this becomes apparent, it can be a shock not just to the individual in question, but everyone around them. In these circumstances, it can help to know what your probable next steps are, so that you can make the most of it all and ensure that your relative receives exactly the care they need. Let’s look into some of the major concerns you will need to consider at this point.

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Is It Really Time? 

First of all, you will likely want to determine whether or not it is really time to find your elderly relative some home care. This might sound like an obvious question, but it is true that a surprising amount of people get put into this situation before it is really necessary to do so. You can be sure that it is the right time to find home care for them if nobody else is able to provide them with the care they really need, and if they are getting to the point where looking after themselves in a basic way day after day becomes difficult or even impossible. Make sure it is really time before you make the decision. 

Choosing The Care

At this point, your most important decision will of course be what care to go for. It is highly likely that, no matter where you live, there will be a huge number of choices for home eldercare for you to choose between. The question here is how to know which are better than the others, something which can be hard to work out at first. To find the right home health care agencies can take some time, and it’s a good idea to have a little patience with the whole process. Remember too that you don’t want to end up choosing the wrong kind of care, or level of care, as this can actually be damaging in the long term. Don’t rush this process, and be sure to include your relative in all of the decisions as far as is possible.

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Levels Of Care

There are many different levels of care which people can need, and it is essential that you work out which is needed in your situation, so that you can be sure that your loved one gets exactly the kind of attention they need. There are so many different individual cases, and no two are ever alike, so make sure you are paying attention to the actual needs of your elderly relative. If you do this, you can be sure of finding them the care they are really in need of, and not just a generic kind of care which can be applied to all. At the end of the day, you need to be sure that they are being treated as an individual, otherwise they are unlikely to be happy with the end result.

Reacting To The Body While Recovering From Injury

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Receiving an injury to your body is one of the most unpleasant experiences that any human being can go through. Whether you have received this injury from your workplace or simply while playing sport in your own time, for the near future, your life is going to change. Once you have gone through the proper care or what may be perceived as the right kind of care, the next step is to heal up. This stage is all too often overlooked by ourselves as we think that once we’ve been given the all clear to go home from the nurses and or doctors, we forget about the little things. However, this is the crucial time when we should be listening to our bodies and reacting to how we feel and how the body is reacting. Recovering from an injury back to health isn’t a done deal. It takes consistency and an understanding of what your body is demanding to make sure, no damage from the injury is permanent.

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Routine rest boosts repair

When it comes to making sure injuries don’t persist once you’re away from the surgery table, getting the maximum amount of rest out of the day, is the key. You have to start making a routine whereby you will stick to like glue and operate under like clockwork. Set yourself a bedtime and stick to it. The more often and the longer your body is in REM sleep, your body is able to release chemicals that will help to boost your repair. Keep in mind that the more you sleep, the more relaxed your muscles will be and the less stress your mind will also be. You should also make a routine of rest during the day. No matter what you’re doing, assign yourself a certain amount of time to either take a nap, lean back and simply focus on breathing or just stop what you’re doing and read a book. The more you’re able to implement a routine of slow, calm periods of rest in your day, and the longer you can sleep during your recovery, the more you’ll be able to boost the body’s natural repair systems.

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Prolonged pain and malpractice

The unfortunate truth is, that even though they are highly trained and incredibly smart, doctors, surgeons, nurses and all another manner of healthcare staff do make mistakes. It’s even more unfortunate when you realise that this is more often than you might think. If you are suffering from prolonged pain, and despite your doctor setting you an amount of time that describes the chronic pain period, you have gone over it and still feel abnormal amounts of pain, it may be wise to contact a trustworthy malpractice attorney. They can help you deal with any medical malpractice that has or is having a detrimental effect on your life and mental health. If you have been misdiagnosed, received negligent nursing care, medication errors, and other forms of hospital malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation. For the ongoing pain you are feeling that should have dissipated a long time ago if so according to your medical examinations, you should be seeking the proper correction owed to you.

Photo by Max Pixel

Eat well to feel well

Say you broke your arm, or perhaps had a form of cancer and have since had treatment, the body is craving good nutritious food at the point of recovery. Chowing down on fatty foods with high contents of salt and sugar, will in no way help your body to repair itself quicker. You need to eat well to cleanse your body from the inside because after going through a traumatic experience, there are many chemicals left to float around our system. Not only will the chemicals injected by the hospital have a slowing effect on our everyday lives, but the vast amounts of endorphins and other natural chemicals our bodies secrete in this kind of situation, make us feel heavy and slow. Rich oxygenated foods, such as green leafy vegetables and dense fruits, as well as healthy portions of lean meat, supply the nutrition needed to help recover from injury. You should also be consuming nuts because this type of food is rich in good healthy oils and fats the body actually uses to function.

Reacting to what your body is telling you to do is sometimes met with a degree of suspicion. When you’re trying to recover and repair after an injury, you don’t feel the same for more than a day at a time. However getting the right amount of rest every day without fail, and eating healthy to aid the repair of tissue and bone, can boost your chances of a full recovery. Make sure that you have been properly taken care of and if not, try to pursue the correct action to remedy this situation.

 

 

 

 

Exploring Goa in a different way with Goa Unlimited..!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Goa has always been my most favourite place on this planet and it always will be. I have been to Goa so many times and yet I am always ready for my next visit. There is so much to Goa that however times you may visit, there is always something new to discover about it, and thats the best part. You cannot get tired of exploring Goa, and when you have experts who can guide you through the most unexplored parts of Goa, you simply can’t ask for more.

I am talking about Goa Unlimited, who can be your idle travel partners in Goa. Read the full story here

ALPS Beauty launches a wide range of Bharti Taneja’s Makeup Essentials!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

In todays life when we are loaded with options in terms of cosmetics, very few times we end up being fully satisfied with the quality. more often then not, we just juggle between trying new products each time, but finding products that satisfy our need of apt shades, or their lasting long, or their overall quality if a tiff.

But no more, say goodbye to your cosmetic woos as ALPS beauty launches a wide range of Bharti Taneja’s Make Up Essentials.Bharti Taneja’s makeup brand offers the wide range of products to treat yourself to affordable and skinfriendly makeup products.

According to a report, India’s retail beauty and cosmetics industry is likely to almost treble to $2.68 billion by 2020 so, it won’t be wrong to say that every new invention in the industry is setting a trend.

“There is an increasing awareness about protection of the environment. Therefore, the popularity of eco-friendly products will increase in the days to come. Apart from the ‘back to nature’ trend, there is also a ‘total well-being’ trend sweeping the world. People are more aware about herbal healing and the harmful effects of chemicals. They will opt for eco-friendly products,” says Gunjan Taneja Gaur, Permanent Makeup Expert and Executive Director- Alps Beauty.

Some of the key products are

*Contour Ultima Palette*
Comes with 4 shades, Contour Ultima Palette has Bronze, Brown, Silver and Gold colour in the pack. It is perfect to create best facial shape, contouring or highlighting your features. Along with this, it can be used for light and simple eye makeup as Bronze shade can be applied for bronzing, Brown for eye contouring and Silver & Gold for highlighting. Bring this two in one Contour Ultima Palette and gift yourself a glamorous make over. I personally loved this palatte.

*Water proof long lasting base*
Now even water can’t wash away your makeup. Welcome the all new Water Proof Long Lasting Base that keeps your skin healthy, glowing, and naturally beautiful. This silicone based pre base has filwax which not only diminishes wrinkles and open pores but also lift up your skin to make it look young. It also gives a very smoothing effect on your skin by filling the imperfections. Enriched with Vitamin E, it lets you carry makeup throughout the day without any woes.

*Picture Perfect Face Primer*
No more imperfections! This Picture Perfect Face Primer creates a smooth base for make-up, correct areas of redness, uneven tones & at the same time moisturize your skin; leaving it perfect for a click. Enhanced with Vitamin E extracts, skin is tightened, toned & nourished; surpassing all your expectation. We bet it’ll be your number choice the moment you’ll apply it on your skin. Be cautious, you might get obsessed with its goodness!

*Two way cake*
Crafted to give a flawless, matte, and breathless look, this two way cake is great for final touchups. It offers the advantages of having both foundation and powder in a single product! The heart of this product is its Vitamin E formula which nourishes your skin and gives a perfect and smooth texture. It is superb for a dream matte finish that your heart is yelling for. Besides, its carefully constructed packaging makes it easy to use & super easy to carry.

*Sweet Seduction Lipstick*
Name says it all! This Sweet seduction lipstick gives your lip a super hot look. And if you’re looking for a lipstick which stays all day long and gives Matte look. Then, this is it! Bharti Taneja’s Makeup Essential Sweet Seduction Lipstick is your dream product. It comes with full pigment along with Vitamin E agents which keep it stay on your lips for about 18 hours without making your lips look or feel dry. Thanks to Vitamin E, it also delivers the nourishing properties of a balm. Go, grab one, you seriously need it. I have been hooked to it and using it regularly since a week and I am so impressed with its shades, its texture and most of all the fact that it truly stays on. Whether you eat or drink, the lipstick doesn’t smudge and I love it

*Eye Shadows*

I am totally bowled over by the shades of the eye shadows available, the colours are so interesting and the ease of applying them becomes as added value to buy all of these. Another unique feature is the way these shadows and base can be bottled on top of each other and make yourself a small and neat carry away make up kit.

Trying to Get Pregnant? Do These Things

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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If you’re trying to get pregnant, apart from doing lots of the obvious, there are a number of things, which although they’re fairly simple, might just help you to accomplish your mission and get that positive result a little quicker. They may also help you have a happier, healthy birth too….

Get Checked Out

Both you and your spouse, when you decide that the time is right to start trying for a baby, would do well to head off to your doctor, or even better a fertility specialist, to have yourselves checked out. This is particularly important if you have existing medical issues because knowing how they could affect the process will help you to do things the right way and maximize your chances. It’ll also give you a good opportunity to ask a professional any questions you might have about pregnancy and fertility in general.

Monitor Your Cycle

Did you know there’s a brief window each month when you are way more fertile? Surprisingly, a lot of women don’t realize that this is the case, and that means that they don’t focus their efforts on trying for a baby during their most fertile period, resulting in another month of disappointment.

If you want to get pregnant fast, then it makes sense to monitor your cycle, so that you know exactly when you’re ovulating and should get to work trying to make that baby! Remember, you’ll be super fertile for 36 hours after you start ovulating, so make the most of that time!

Start Taking Supplements

Taking supplements, specifically folic acid, but a multivitamin couldn’t hurt, is a must for any woman who wants to get pregnant in the near future because it can actually increase your body’s chance of conceiving. Not only that but if you do get pregnant, it will help to protect your unborn baby from birth defects.

Eat a Healthy Diet

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If you’re a junk food queen or you tend to avoid eating too many vegetables. Now is the time to make some positive changes to your diet. The healthier you eat now, the better equipped your body will be to deal with a pregnancy, and the more likely things will happen to you. So, start stocking your cupboards with lean meats, fruits, veggies, legumes and whole grains, and keep the junk to a minimum. It’ll make a huge difference.

Relax

If there’s one thing that will stop an otherwise healthy woman from getting pregnant when she really wants to more than anything else, it’s stressing about the situation. If you stress when you don’t get pregnant, and you stress about your life, in general, more than necessary, you are only going to hurt your chances. Why?When you’re stressed your body releases cortisol, which fights off progesterone, preventing any eggs that do get fertilized from progressing into a pregnancy. So, take it easy, try some relaxing acupuncture for fertility or learn to meditate. It will not only increase your chances, but it’ll help you stay happy while you try to conceive.

Give Up Smoking

If you’re a smoker, you know that it’s bad for you and you know that it will be extremely bad for any baby that comes along, but if you’re thinking you can wait to give up until you actually get pregnant, it’s time to think again. Why? Because smoking is not only an unhealthy habit, but it really hurts your chances of getting pregnant. Many of the toxins found in cigarettes; the ones that cause cancer and heart disease, can also have a negative impact on fertility, in some cases damaging the fallopian tubes and decreasing the mobility of sperm to such an extent that you might have to try for years before having any success. Luckily, if you give up smoking, things can improve pretty fast, so do it now. There are lots of organizations and health professionals who will help you quit, so don’t be scared. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon occasionally – quitting isn’t easy, but if you do your very best to try, it will help you to get pregnant more quickly.

Lose Weight

We all know that being more than a few pounds overweight is really bad for us, but many of us don’t realize that being overweight can make it pretty difficult to conceive. There are a few reasons why this is the case, but the main one os that being overweight is more likely to lead to female menstrual problems because of the excess level of estrogen released into the body by fat cells. This can make tracking your cycle and getting pregnant much more difficult. When you’re overweight, the cervix often tends to be deeper-set, and that can make it more difficult for sperm to get where they need to be for conception to take place.

Although, if you need to, you should definitely make a real effort to lose weight, you shouldn’t start starving yourself or exercising excessively because that can cause problems i the fertility department all of its own. What you’re looking to do is strike a balance.

Sleep More

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If you aren’t getting your full quota of sleep each night, then you’re more likely to have irregularities with your periods, which again could make it more difficult for you to get pregnant. Not only that, but the pineal gland can be detrimentally affected by a lack of sleep and since it is responsible for producing several hormones that are involved in fertility, this can be quite damaging to your chances. Then, there’s the fact that if you’re fatigued, you’re less likely to want to have lots of sex, which is kind of vital for making a baby.

Getting pregnant is one of those things where it’s so easy for some people and seems to take forever for others, but as long as you’re both healthy, if you relax, take your time and tray as many of the things above as possible, chances are it will happen for you sooner or later (hopefully sooner).

Are Spin Bikes Really Effective for Toning Body..

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Bicycling can be beneficial when adding it to your normal workout routine. However stationary bikes can only tone up your body. If you want both the benefit of a cardio workout and the ability to tone muscles then you should consider looking into Spin Bikes.

Some people have a misconception when it comes to biking. Many believe that biking solely focuses on endurance, that however is not the case. Recumbent and spin bikes work to both increase endurance and build lower and core muscles simultaneously, making it the perfect pick for people who want to double up on their workouts.

What are spin bikes?

Spinning bikes are built different than traditional stationary bikes. Instead of sitting upright, its build is slightly angled, putting your body in a position that has to use its muscles to support you while cycling.

Other stationary bikes position your body to sit upright, hence leading to less effectiveness on toning muscles. The slightly bent angle will help tighten your core, leading to an increased workout for your core muscles including your abdominal muscles.

Spin bikes will usually be less comfortable than stationary bikes because their main focus isn’t to let you leisurely stroll along, it’s to build muscle while also focusing on endurance training.

Why should I choose a spin bike?

Traditionally stationary/recumbent bikes don’t tone your body and can lead to lower back pain. The support built into normal bikes don’t give you the best form when cycling. If you’re looking for a great cardio workout that maximizes its effectiveness while also fitting in the ability to tone your core muscles, then a spin bike is going to be a good fit for your individual needs.

Spin bikes will help you tone a handful of different muscle groups. Because of the angle of the seating, spin bikes will help you tone your core, upper and lower back, and all of your leg muscles. Pumping up the resistance on your bike can also lead to more muscle gain in your lower body, providing you with maximization of both lower and upper body strengthening.

Spinning bikes also give high impact training. When you’re focused on pedaling at faster rates you’re going to find that your abdomen will automatically contract and expand. Hence making it perfect for toning your abs.

Another extra feature that individuals tend to overlook is that you can use spin bikes to workout your upper body as well. You can do this by switching the position of your arms and practice with using one hand at a time.

What features should I expect?

Most spinning bikes are going to have a few core features different from traditional bikes or stationary bikes. Spin bikes tend to offer higher resistance than most other bikes, making it more ideal for muscle training. They will also usually have more extensive and physically challenging training programs, however they still offer beginner options.

The resistance will usually end up ranging from minimal to expert, giving you many options to either tone down or drive your workout to be even more intense. Extra features can be included in some spinning bikes, however these are not necessary. The main features you want on your spin bike is a good pedaling system, right size for your body (as some spin bikes do not support shorter or taller people), and a decent range in customization (personal profile input, program settings, etc).

As mentioned above, other bikes tend to force you to sit upright and will allow you to more leisurely workout. Spin bikes however do not give you the opportunity to slack and sit back, instead they will help force you to keep your own body supported.

Most of the good spin bikes fall under $500. You need not to consider any high-end bikes, provided if you are not planning for intense cycling and training for cycling leagues.

In conclusion

Spin bikes may slightly start to sound scary, as these features tend to seem like they are more suited for experts, that is not the case. These bikes are great for experts and beginners as well.

The extra benefit of muscle toning will also seem to frighten individuals away. You should not let the seemingly “lack of support” scare you. Because of how these bikes are built you will automatically be strengthening your core muscles, thus leading your body to become stronger and lead to more muscle growth. The extra force will also help you have better posture, more stability, and help balance.

 

This post is written by Paul Schoff from FitnessAbout.com. He is a vegan bodybuilder and a passionate blogger. He believes in holistic development and cuts the BS promoted my media about health.

Empty Nest Syndrome: 5 Ways To Live Your Life When The Kids Have Gone

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Goodbye for now (source)

It’s the moment many parents dread: the day when the kids leave home and start a new life of their own elsewhere. They have flown the nest, and the poor parents are left behind to pick up the pieces. Either that or they finally breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to having the house to themselves again.

If you are suffering from empty nest syndrome, there is helpful advice online on how to deal with the grieving process. You may also benefit from speaking to a counsellor if you are particularly struggling with the loneliness you feel now that the kids have gone. Of course, life isn’t over for you, and you are more than just a parent. Rather than dwell in sorrow for too long, take the time to start living your life for yourself again.

Here are five ways to live your life after the kids have flown the nest.

1. Go back to work

You may have given up work to have children, so consider getting back into the career you started years ago. Alternatively, think about something where you can use your parenting skills, such as a career in nursing. Going back to school can be scary if you have been out of education, but courses such as the master’s in nursing education can be done online and at home.

2. Reconnect with your partner

Having kids takes its toll on any relationship, so now is the time to fall back in love with your partner all over again. You probably sat at home and stressed about the kids together when they were still at home, and you are likely to do this now they’ve left. Stop it! Spend time with your partner doing the things you both enjoy doing, and create new experiences together that are all about the two of you, and nothing to do with the children.

3. Meet new people

Whether you go it alone, or bring your partner with you, find ways to meet other people. Sites such as Meetup.com will direct you to groups and places where you can make new friends of any age. Not only that, but you can take part in some fantastic new hobbies that will distract you from any empty nest feelings you are suffering from.

4. Do something with the house

What you do with your house is up to you, but you may want to empty your kid’s room and use it for something new. You might want to convert it into a study, guest bedroom, or a den, as possible examples. Redecorate it as you want, and you may find the change of decor helps you to deal with your happy but grief-stricken memories of time at home with the kids. You will never forget your children, but constant reminders are bound to trigger your tear ducts for a while.

5. Look after yourself

You won’t feel good about yourself if you are stuck in empty nest syndrome. Sitting at home on the couch all day, with a box of chocolates in one hand and a handkerchief in the other, is not going to do much to help your mood. Instead, focus on a healthy lifestyle, such as joining a gym or a dance class to get your body into shape. Not only will you benefit your body, but the ‘feel good’ chemicals released during exercise will be good for your mind, as well.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Inspiration From Your Favorite Celebs

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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If you are struggling for wedding inspiration, it’s a good idea to turn your attention to the celebrity world for some A-list matrimony ideas. Known for being stylish and well ahead of the curve when it comes to trends, you can be sure that the rich and famous will organize weddings that dazzle and delight all that attend. They are such big occasions, there’s no wonder that the paparazzi are always hot on their heels, ready to take some sneaky pictures of these remarkable weddings.

Celeb Dresses

No matter which celeb is getting married, you can always guarantee that they will be wearing an absolutely stunning wedding dress. And some celebs even take inspiration from the rich and famous who have come before them. Take Miranda Kerr, for example. When she married Evan Spiegel, she chose to wear a white gown that was inspired by the dress that Grace Kelly wore when she married Prince Ranier. If you want a celebrity worthy gown, make sure you choose a statement dress that will really wow all of your guests. 

Celebrity Engagement And Wedding Rings

Every A-lister takes their engagement and wedding rings very seriously, and it’s important that you do too. After all, you will have to wear them for the rest of your life! You can find out about all of the different celeb ring trends by checking the 77 Diamonds website. You will see that right now, lots of celebs are choosing rings in yellow gold and oval-cut diamonds. Maybe this style of ring will take your fancy!

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Venues Of The Rich And Famous

There are lots of celebrities who prefer to have small and intimate weddings with just their immediate family and close friends in attendance. This is because they want to get married discreetly away from the prying eye of the media and paparazzi. However, there are other those celebs who want a huge celebration, no matter who is in attendance. So, you need to figure out which type of wedding you’d rather have a small church wedding or a lavish ceremony in a stately home.

Hair And Makeup

It’s also a good idea to look at some recent celebrity weddings to see what the current big trends and styles in wedding hair and makeup are. Other the past few years, there seems to have been an increase in popularity in brides wearing their hair up. Recent brides like Michelle Williams went with this look, for instance. When it comes to makeup, lots of celebrities prefer a neutral look. It’s a good idea to keep your makeup neutral as well, as applying too much might make your skin quite oily. Plus, it could seriously age your wedding photos in a few years’ time! But remember, no matter what kind of makeup you go with, make sure it suits your skin tone.

 

Hopefully, this blog post has helped you get some great wedding inspiration from the celebs. It’s a good idea to flick through some glossy magazines too for even more great ideas!

Avoid a Storm in Your Teacup: Knowing Your Oolong from Your Matcha

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

While tea is most commonly associated with the British, its popularity across our own nation is on the rise. So it’s time to start getting to know your different types of tea, how and when to serve them and the different benefits that they can have on your health. For now, let’s stick to three of the most commonly consumed varieties of tea: black teas, green teas and tisanes.

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Black Tea

Black tea is the most widely tried type of tea in the West. It is made of young tea leaves that are picked at a young age, withered, rolled, fully oxidised, and fired. Who knew such an extensive process went into making the leaves that fill tea bags in our local supermarkets and grocery stores? Different blends are available. This is a trend that has been carried out by the British for many years. Certain strengths and qualities are chosen for different tastes. For example, you may get a strong breakfast tea or a light afternoon tea. If you have more sensitive taste buds, it’s good to bear in mind that teas from different regions have different characters and signature flavours. Some of the most popular signature teas hail from Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgiri. Others are processed in specific ways that affect the flavour. An example of this is Lapsang Souchong. The leaves for this tea are smoked over a pinewood fire to give the final result a deep, smoky flavour. When it comes to brewing your tea, it all comes down to personal taste. Some prefer to add sugar, others honey, some lemon. Most will add milk to black tea.

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Tisanes

Tisanes are floral or herbal teas. Technically, a “tea” has to originate from the Camellia sinensis plant, the label has been increasingly attached to blends created from other species of plant. These teas are more of a novelty, offering beautiful colours, aromas and flavours. There are seemingly endless varieties of tisanes available, from Chamomile options to laso Tea which claims to aid weight loss. So make sure to read up on whichever type you opt for in order to understand its ingredients, qualities and how its consumption may affect you.

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Green Tea

Green teas are easy to identify: the fact that they are not oxidised in the process of manufacturing them, they retain their natural colour. They are heat processed to eliminate the enzyme responsible for the oxidisation process that gives black tea its distinctive colour. Chinese varieties tend to have been roasted or pan fired, while Japanese varieties are more frequently steamed. Popular varieties of green tea to try out include matcha, Sencha, dragon’s well, and gyokuro. Make sure to do your research when it comes to storing your chosen type best. Some will taste much better when stored in cool temperatures or dark atmospheres.

Finding the best blend of tea for your personal tastes, whether black, green or tisane requires experimentation and plenty of trial and error. So it’s time to start exploring the world of tea!

 

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