Almay Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Eye makeup is such  a guilty pleasure ..You can pile it up like my previous review of almay i intense eyes shadow but its difficult to remove and you often end up with raccoon eyes.This look is as dramatic as the previous one but not as attractive especially to the Hubs..

Enter almay oil free makeup remover pads.They are 80 to a tub and are easily available. In fact cost wise they are comparable to even the store brands hence they are economical

As per the product brief using them Your lashes feel soft and beautifully conditioned, they are perfect for contact lens wearers and they are Hypoallergenic & Ophthalmologist tested.




Pros

1. They do work for contact lens wearers.I wear contacts and they are quite soothing and moist and have never irritated my eyes. To be on the safer side I also wash my eyes after using them
2. They are heavy duty and are able to clean out the gunk of the mascara ,eye shadow and eyeliners 
3. Economical and enough to last you a good time .This makes it easy to rotate as all eye makeup related items should be ideally rotated in around 4 months.

Cons

1. They are thin hence I require at least 2-3 to remove heavy duty makeup .For lighter runs maybe 1 can do
2. The pads create some sensation but that abates in 5-30 seconds

Overall I like them and will rate them as 3.5 out of 5 namely as they are hypoallergenic and safe for contact lens wearers.They get the job done quickly.Good bye Raccoon eyes and Hello bright eyes...

Its an Ice cream Day - Homemade Strawberry ice-cream

Wowza.... Thats what I thought when I managed to snag this amazing ice cream maker at this amazing price. All the features and details are in the link so please have a look.The link also provides a small video.Ok so lets get the facts straight , I bought this cause

1. Ive been dying to get my hands on an ice cream maker and let loose creatively for my sweet toothed duo - The hubs and the baby 
2. Wow... Organic ice-cream , Rose , Kulfi and did anyone say low fat and gelato - I'm sold
3. Cuisinart - Do I say more..Its the creme de la creme 
4. It works ...Ice-cream in less than half an hour
5. Soft serve consistency right away and firmer consistency after ripening an hour or two in the freezer
6. Its soooo simple to use..... Even the baby can do it 
7. Its fun to watch.. Hubby had too much fun.. A kid in an ice-cream shop
8. Easy to clean as well

Cons...

1. Just a bit noisy but hey leave it on and forget about it for 20-25 minutes

So I was fully satisfied with it and for the price and convenience I'll give it 4.5 stars out of 5

Enough said ...so lets put our money where our mouths are ie lets start with the fresh strawberry or any other berry ice cream. I have the recipe booklet and this is straight off from there.For a 1.5 quart ice cream lot here's the recipe courtesy Cuisinart 

1½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled
¾ cup whole milk
²∕³ cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
1½ cups heavy cream
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Put the strawberries into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse strawberries until rough/finely chopped (depending on preference). Reserve in bowl. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir in reserved strawberries with all juices. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. Turn on the Cuisinart® ice cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Its too easy - Make sure ur freezer bowl is chilled atleast overnight and so are all your ingredients. Place bowl on base and add paddle (it doesnt lock) .Finally cover with the lid and pour through spout .I churned it for extra 5 minutes ,It came out much more creamy 

 - Buy and Try .... Its too good 

Book Roll

So these past weeks have gone by planning , planning and planning for Sanskriti's birthday and I thought that enough is enough and I need my literary fix like yesterday.. So here's an update of what I and Minime have been Reading....

The new adventures of curious George (Image courtesy Amazon.com) -Margaret and H.A.Rey

You know I never used to like the concept of curious George - A monkey making mayhem (Egads) and then the poor man with the yellow hat dealing with the consequences .Thanks to the minime's fascination with curious george I have actually revised my opinion. I don't like his messes though but having given birth to his twin i can surely empathise with the "Man in the yellow hat" .By the way what is his name?

This is a nice collection of stories specially one where george tours a chocolate factory. We always eat miniatures chocolates when we read this story.Here george almost annihilates the chocolate factory but saves the day. There is a super cute story with missing puppies.I love the story where george makes pancakes.I think one should make pancakes to accompany this story .Then there are some more nice ones about george going to the zoo , movies etc.Ill give the book 4 stars out of 5 for variety, content and specially almost all of them feature a visit to someplace- I like that .Enjoy the book.....

What I'm reading this week

Cupcake , cakes and sweet confections are on my mind - what with all the parties and the birthdays...But lets mix it up with something exciting and TADA -I have sweet frothy reads with a tough of murder thrown in. I ordered this mix from the library and as usual when it rains it pours from our Library. I went to the library and asked the librarian that I had some holds and could I please pick them and the librarian responded with a grin that I had a lot to pick up - Guess what 23 in all.... I love this about the USA and will definitely miss them when I set sail for our Homeland....
Here are some of the books that I got

1. Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck ( A Donut Shop Mystery )

Aside from the fact that this country is awash with donuts and a dunkin in every corner... hell the WAWA next door is open 24 hours ,this book made me want to eat more.... The tag line is some crimes cant be sugar coated.Image courtesy Amazon.com. I give the book 3.5 stars out of 5.I like that this mystery is set in a winter carnival setting.Staying in the east coast these 5 years..I can feel the chill brr brr hence I love her donut recipes and can actually imagine making some. The entire mystery is surrounded by chaos during a snowstorm and I love the camaraderie between the protagonist and her friends. All in all it is a cozy mystery perfect for winters and cups of coffee.

2. Book, Line, and Sinker (A Library Lover's Mystery) by Jess Mckinlay( Image courtesy good reads)

This is such a nice book .I actually like the whole setup behind the book. The author takes pains to set up characterizations and the bon homie is so palpable. I love the whole small town library setup. Ever since ive started frequenting the libraries here I have had an urge to understand the nittie grittie and actually the behind the scenes -"I am actually a part of the library" feeling that this book gives. The mystery is mildly gripping and so is the romance going on. A murder is committed and a known person is a suspect.There is enough red herrings to keep you hooked.There is pirate lore and hidden treasures as well as an old murder mystery is solved and a hint of a serial killer.You actually feel like you are living in the same town and all the characters become so dear to you that I have already ordered and devoured the other books in the series. 3 out of 5 not just for the mystery but the layout and the premise of a small town library.

Read these books and you wont be sorry . A very pleasant way of passing the time.

There's Party on my Mind

Spring is around the corner and there's party on my minds.. Ok ok not like a party party but a birthday party for a two year old. Hey..I never claimed to be uber cool.With a toddler under two your social life does revolve around toddlers. Nevertheless I intend to be well coiffed (thanks to my hair straightener) and well made up.For this recipe you need

1. Almay Intense i-color 402 smoky i for blues .The kit contains a dark blue, golden and silver trio.

2. 5 Minutes 

Apply and you're done...What ???You're saying it cant be done for a day birthday party...Well lets just see...Almay Intense i -color comes in a trio of colors with its own shadow brush.The Back contain instructions to apply the shadow.

Directions

1. Apply darkest shade (bottom) from lash line to crease blending upwards. 

2. Apply medium shade (center) just above the crease and blend well for a smoldering effect. 

3. Apply lightest shade (top) to the brow bone and/or corners of eyes to highlight.

This eye-shadow works perfectly for brown eyes as well.The best part is that the colors are not on the too intense side and can be easily worn indoors , outdoors ,in the day time as well as night time.Just add another swipe to make it pop more.The shadows are soft and easily blend with fingers too. I specially love to highlight my eyes with more blue. Its compact and easy to use and the colors can also stand in for a swipe as an eyeliner in a hurry. 

Here are the shades against my hand as an illustration for skin tone.

Here is the final product

So definitely this is a keeper .It is also available as a trio for hazels and browns.Try it ......

Baby Shower Cake

Aaahhh the pitter patter of little feet is approaching and thankfully not yet for me but for my Neighhbor. I attended my first baby Shower with all its traditions. For us north Indians its called "Reetein" or rituals where its a merry group of women wishing all the best to the soon to be mom and the incubating Baby. I was given the honor of making the Shower cake and the Soon to be Mom's reaction was worth it all.

This is a freehand style of cake but it needs lots of time to ripen. The cake was a simple cake mix topped by butter-cream icing. Two coats of icing later we were ready to roll. Make sure u chill the cake and add the cake topper at the last

Best part home made marshmallow fondant can be used but make the toppers and cure for atleast 2 days. Stuff the shoes with crumpled paper towels to keep its shape.Make the Baby Rattle and decorate it with strips of fondant and sprinkles. I also had hubby draw some onesies and then help me cut them out.

Here's the cake in all its glory...Wish you both (New mom and Baby ) All the best

Heres the template and link I used...It was excellent
Shoes Template and guide

My first purse cake - Happy Birthday Sivaranjini

Yummy Pink fondant tinted in different colors  Icing and cake -these are a few of my favorite things... When the occasion called for another birthday cake for one of my close friends i decided to go on a different tangent and make something more personalized.. So here's to you Ranjini -pretty lady with pretty tastes

Heres the cake in all its glory

Heres the sectional

The inspiration for the cake came from Baketitude.com and an amazing site www.easy-cake-ideas.com

The cake was a funfetti candy cake with yellow buttercream icing.I used Marshmallow fondant for detailing.I took a round cake and split it in the middle .I sandwiched the halves together with buttercream to make it stand upright and let loose on it .

You will need almost one whole bag if marshmallow and 2 pounds icing sugar to make enough fondant.Let the Handles stay upright and in the fridge till the last moment .Insert them only at the last moment. You can insert 2 toothpicks each in each handle to make it stand..


Next up.. Happy Birthday Amit and Jaya.. Watch this space for more updates .....