Dark eyebrows

Dark eyebrows is a beauty on the face .. It adds so much character to the face .. I have light eyebrows and it's been a weak point for me .. So now I m trying out these .. U should too ...if one doesn't suit u try the next.

Castor oil: Castor oil has a very unusual chemical composition which is found in lesser concentrations in other seeds and oils. Gently massage castor oil for 2-3 minutes on each eyebrow and leave it for some time. Wash them after 30 minutes with lukewarm water and a gentle facial cleanser. Repeat the process only once a day for the consecutive days and stop urgently if any irritation occurs.

Coco-lemon: One is concrete and the other is pulpy but the mixture made from coconut oil and lemon peel can surely help regrow your eyebrows. Take 1/4 cup of coconut oil and blend it in a clean container with sliced peel after which inculcate the mixture in a dark place for a fortnight. Take the mixture and dab over your eyebrows daily from a cotton ball right before going to bed. One can use this as long as they wish provided there is no irritation on the skin, and just avoid direct sunlight on eyebrows for 2 hours right after you apply this to fend irritation from citrus.

Aloe-vera: If you have thinning eyebrow hair due to overplucking then you should definitely try the sap from aloe vera leaves on them. Crush aloe vera leaves and gently massage the juice over your eyebrows and let it seep in. The modulation effect of aloe vera helps in skin healing and increasing growth furthermore.

Onions: The sulphur in onion juice can help in faster and denser regrowth of eyebrow hair. Grind an onion and rub the juice below eyebrow skin with help of cotton balls. Make sure you do not wash your eyebrows so that you derive its full benefit.

Fenugreek seeds (Methi): Make a paste by grinding few fenugreek seeds and apply it on the brows just before going to bed or early morning before taking a shower. One can also mix almond oil to make the paste; the properties of almond oil will help moisturise your skin.

Milky way: Milk and milk products are rich in protein and vitamins. Dip a cotton ball in milk and rub it over the eyebrow area at night. Inherited natural properties of milk provide nourishment to the hair roots and make them grow faster.

Oily Skin: (for both men and women)

People who are prone to oily skin most often notice the problem on their faces because the sebaceous glands, (which produce oil) are larger and more concentrated there. Other areas that may show signs of excess oil include the chest, neck and back. Although hormones levels, stress and health issues can cause fluctuations in the amount of oil a person's skin produces, whether you are prone to oily, dry or normal skin is determined by genetics. Since there is no way to prevent genetic predisposition, oily skin can not be prevented. However, there are things that you can do to control the oil.

Here are some steps you can follow:

1.Wash your face twice a day to remove excess oil so it does not clog your pores.
Choose a gentle face soap that cleans your face well without drying out your skin. Do not use a moisturizing soap that adds oils or moisturizers to your face.
Use warm water when washing your face. Hot water may dry out or irritate your face.
Dry your face thoroughly with a soft towel after washing.
Stay away from harsh soaps or facial cleansers designed to dry out skin. The purpose of washing the face is to physically remove oil and dead skin cells from your face and pores. If you choose a soap designed to dry oily skin, choose the mildest one you can find and only use it when needed.

2. Read product packaging and ingredients list and choose only water-based ( oil free products) if you are prone to oily skin.
Avoid oil-based cosmetics, which add oil to your face.
Wash all makeup off before going to bed. Makeup settles into pores and will clog them if it is not completely removed. Never apply additional makeup without first removing the old.
Do not use cold creams, oils or lotions for makeup removal if you have oily skin. These products are designed to moisturize dry skin and may leave a greasy film on the skin, contributing to clogged pores, oil buildup and acne.

3. Watch to see whether your diet corresponds to an increase in oily skin problems. If so, adjust your diet accordingly.
Avoid oily, greasy foods and heated fats which aggravate oily skin conditions. Replace unhealthy fats in your diet with healthy fats found in foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, and lean poultry and other meats.
Studies suggest that iodine may aggravate oily skin conditions.
Cut back on or eliminate fish and iodized salt, especially during outbreaks.
Eat natural foods and fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Some vegetables known to be especially good for the skin include cucumbers, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables, among others.

Tulle Skirt Tutorial

I love that frilly, femine skirts like this are in style - they can be both fun and elegant at once, and can make us feel like little girls again. I never thought I could love a skirt as much as a maxi skirt, but I may be mistaken…

I set out to make a tulle skirt that was easy to make, with an elastic waistband. The trouble is that if you simply stretch the waistband elastic to fit the tulle and lining layers, as with a basic elastic waistband skirt, you’ll end up with a huge poofy skirt, more dress-up-ish than elegant. Pleating the tulle rather than gathering will help the tulle to lie nicer, but then you have to deal with a closure and opening of some sort on the back of the skirt in order to get it on and off.

With this tutorial, I’ll teach you how to combine both methods to get the perfect tulle skirt – it’s easy to make and looks beautiful. The best of both worlds!

Ready to get moving?


*I’ll give the exact tulle measurements that I used for my skirt, but since we’ll be making lots of pleats and gathers, the measurements will probably work for most sizes from small to large. You can of course adjust for a smaller or larger size by adding more or less width of tulle. For the lining and elastic, you’ll want to measure yourself and cut as described below.
Materials:
Tulle - 3.5-4 yards of 108″ wide tulle
Satin for lining – 2 yards (45″ wide)
3″ wide elastic – enough to comfortably fit around your waist plus seam allowance
*Seam allowances are 1/2″.
Directions:
1. We’ll be using the full 108″ of tulle width for the circumference of the skirt. You’ll just need to cut 4 pieces 108″ by the length you’d like. I cut 4 27″x108″ pieces. I’m 5’6″ and this was a perfect below-knee length for me.
2. For the lining, you can cut it the same length as the tulle (I originally cut mine a couple inches longer to be on the safe side), and as wide as your hips plus about 10″.
3. Sew the short sides together of each tulle layer and the lining as well. A serger works great, and if you don’t have a serger, you may want to use a french seam to keep the edges looking nice.

4. Matching up all of the seams and top edges, baste all 4 layers of tulle together. The most taxing part of this tutorial is matching up so much tulle – it’s hard to see when it’s all layered on top of eachother, but be patient and the rest will be a breeze!

5. Now that the tulle is basted into one piece, pleat and pin the top edge until it’s the same width as the lining. I like to continually pin on opposite sides to keep my pleats even. It’ll take some adjusting as you go to get the pleats right, and if they’re not perfect it’s not a huge deal :).

6. Matching top edges (with lining inside of tulle and both right side out), pin and baste the tulle and lining to eachother.


7. Stretch your elastic around your waist and cut a comfortable but snug length (plus 1/2″ for seam allowance). Tulle skirts are usually worn fairly high on the waist so keep that in mind as you measure. Sew the short ends together.

8. Open seam allowance and stitch each side down, 1/4″ from the seam.

9. Use pins to mark half, quarter and eighth marks around top of skirt and around elastic. Making sure elastic waistband seam is in middle back of skirt (you can choose whether to place skirt seams on center back or on one side), pin waistband to skirt, right sides together, at marks. The skirt will of course be larger at this point than the elastic.

10. Stretching the elastic as you go, use a zig zag stitch to join the elastic to the skirt.

11. Remove any basting/pleating stitches that may be visible from the right side.

12. Trim lining hem to same length as tulle or about an inch shorter if needed (it will then be 1-2″ shorter than toole when hemmed). Press bottom raw edge of lining 1/2″ toward wrong side, and 1/2″ toward wrong side again. Stitch in place.
Great job!

Grab your favorite flats and some pretty jewelry…

Inspired Dress Tutorial

Hi everyone! I did it...I finished the "Green cardigan project" I have been working on. All I needed to do was to take a nice picture. Then, guess what... It SNOWED today! So, you need to wait a little bit longer for me to be able to share the tutorial for that project.

In the mean time, I am going to post a tutorial I did for the Knock-off Series at Kojo Design last week.

I love going through Anthropology and JCrew catalogs; there are many designs that inspire me. My recent knock off project is an Anthro inspired necklace. Usually when I see something I love, I will internalize it and when I create something, the finished item is different than the original one. It definitely has my own twist. That is my way of doing a "knock off". Figuring out how to make then go from designing to creating; it is all such a fun process!

Today, I am sharing a dress I created inspired by JCrew. Here is the original;

Golden Raindrop Dress...


Isn't it gorgeous? The name alone is very dreamy, but this dress is also very feminine and stylish… looks like you can float in the wind. It is made out of chiffon... with a price tag of $750.00!

Wow, I just woke up. It is a beautiful dress, but there is no way that I can justify $750.00 on a dress.

Here is what I came up with;




I call it Ivory Sunlight Dress... (If you have a better name feel free to email me :) )

I used 100% cotton; it is textured, very light weight almost like gauze fabric. I found it at Joann's for 6.99/yd. I used my 40% off coupon for three yards of fabric, so my version of the dress cost me about $13.00! Because I wanted to make it for every day wear, cotton is better choice than chiffon for me.

I am so in love with my new spring dress...


I wish I could just take a small vacation to somewhere very peaceful and quiet. Take only a few books and some necessities (that includes one of my favorite cardigans, just in case I get cold)





Ok, I will show you what I did...

{Top part of the dress}

1. I wanted more coverage than the original dress. I used pattern 3152 by Kwiksew for the top portion of the dress. It is very simple to make, you can make the top in no time. The only thing I did was to bring up the neckline a little. I drew a line 1/2" higher. Also, I used a shorter line for this project. You can use any similar pattern to create the top.




{Cutting & Constructing the skirt and dress}

1. Cut the skirt out. Please use the picture as a guide to get a better idea of what I am talking about. I measured the bottom of the top part of the dress, and it measured 18" finished. So, I cut out...


2 pieces of 13" X 18 1/2" of fabric for the top part of the skirt
2 pieces of 13" X 28" of fabric for the middle part of the skirt
2 pieces of 13" X 44"(it was the width of the fabric) for the bottom part of the skirt

There are a few things... I came up with this measurement pretty randomly. I am about 5'3", if you are taller or shorter than I am; obviously you need to make some adjustments.

Another thing, I used my Serger a lot for this project, how you finish up the seams is totally up to you, depending on that, you will need to adjust the seam allowance as well.

2. Mark the middle of the fabrics for the skirts. This will make it easier for you to make the gather equal later on.


3. Gather the fabrics to make the skirt, sew the top part of each piece with the largest stitches with your sewing machine. I sewed two lines, so that it is easier to make more even and prettier gather. Pull both threads to gather the fabric.
Put top and middle parts of the skirt right sides together and sew. Treat the seam with the method of your choice. Press, repeat the process with the middle and bottom part of the skirt. Then, attach the skirt to the top part of the dress in the same way.



4. Measure yourself under your bust and cut 1/4" wide elastic according to the measurement.

Sew the elastic on the seam line where the top of the dress and the skirt meet (inside of the dress). Don't forget to stretch out the elastic as you go.




{Cutting & making the ruffles for the each row}

1. From the top cut (I used my Serger to treat the edges. If you choose to fold the edges to sew straight line, you need wider strips for this).

1- 2" X 44" strip for the first row

Cut enough 3" wide strips to make a 76" long strip for the second row.
Cut enough 4" wide strips to make a 96" long for the third row.
Cut enough 5" wide strips to make a 128" long for the very bottom row.

For the very first strip, you need to create a curvy shape on both sides. Treat the edge all around it.


For the other strips, sew them together to make a big circle, so that the ruffle will go around the skirt. Treat both sides of the seams with the method of your choice.

2. Make ruffles out of them. Use the same method for gathering the fabric as you did to make the skirt.

3. Attach the ruffles on each seam line of the skirt. I sewed about 1/4" into the ruffles.

Make sure that the ends of the very top ruffles will meet in the middle. It is helpful to pin both sides in the middle before you start to sew.



{Making flowers}

1. Cut strips.

Large -- 3 1/2" X 28"
Medium-- 3" X 20"
Small--- 2" X 18"

2. Treat the edges. Zigzag would work, if you are not planning on sewing them to the dress, you can leave the edges raw too.

3. Use the largest stitch setting and sew in the middle of the strips. Pull the thread to gather the fabric. If you are making a large flower shrink the strips to 10”; shrink to 8” for medium strips, and 6” for small strips.



4. Fold the strips in half horizontally, and fold the end of the strip to start sewing. Sew, and roll the fabric as you go along to make the flower.



5. Sew three pearls on the large and medium flowers, one for the small flower.

6. Honestly, I couldn't decide where I wanted to sew the flowers on. I thought about sewing two of them of the sides too. I hand sewed the flowers in the middle for now, but who knows, I might change my mind later.


If you decided to make this dress, I hope you will enjoy it as much I do. :)