Lifestyle

We all want to look and feel great at all times. A good appearance is important because it enhances how we feel about our bodies and even relationships. Creating a unique, aesthetic appearance can be pleasing on many levels for men. A good appearance boosts self-esteem and even has the ability to attract the opposite sex. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for men to spend time grooming themselves as much, if not more than women do. Learning how to manscape may vary from person to person; but how much is too much grooming for men?

Many women are attracted to well-groomed men for a plethora of reasons. The focal areas of a man’s body is the face, including the eyebrows, chest, abdomen, and even skin and hair. These areas can be kept clean and polished through many different grooming techniques. Men may choose to shave certain areas to remove hair, such as on their chest, back, or the groin area. This male grooming is often referred to as manscaping. Consequently, the tradition of removing body hair dates back several centuries and has been engrained in ancient cultures to serve different purposes.

Another essential grooming tip for men to keep in mind when maintaining one’s appearance is the amount of cologne worn. Just like everything else, a little goes a long way. Women are often attracted to the way men smell, but too much cologne can have the opposite effect. Additionally, while some men enjoy the luxuries of a tanned body, too much of a tan can be a real turn off. Try to avoid too strong of a tan, avoid excessive time in the sun, or too strong of a spray on tan.

Men’s grooming habits have become increasingly interested in shaping eyebrows. Just like women, the perfect shape of eyebrows can complement natural features of the face. Men may not use any makeup like women do, but a healthy complexion and clean face can make an impression. Finding the right balance between shaving, shaping, and general grooming can be a fine line. Taking care of prominent features of the face can be accomplished through many methods; however, women are generally not attracted to men who spend too much time in this area.

Finally yet importantly, a hairdo can make or break an appearance. There are wide varieties of styles that can be worn to enhance one’s appearance. Hair gel can hold any hairstyle in place for a certain amount of time, but too much hairdo not only kills your cool do but it turns off the opposite sex. A good hairdo can accent finely shaped eyebrows, natural facial features, and even a shaped beard or mustache. All of these require constant maintenance to hold your look, but be weary of spending too much time in front of the mirror.

Women like well-groomed men. They key to man grooming and enhancing one’s outer appearance lies in the methods used. Some of the best male grooming tips are those that do not require chemicals. The best way to enhance your appearance is through natural methods of manscaping.

What is BB Cream?

You’ve probably heard a lot about BB cream recently as it’s taken the Western beauty industry by storm in the last year with Maybelline, L’Oreal and Garnier being just a few of the top beauty brands to recently launch their own BB creams. This on trend beauty product originates from Korea, where it has long been used by Korean celebrities to give them the appearance of perfect, blemish-free skin.

What is BB Cream for?

BB cream usually stands for blemish balm, beauty balm or blemish base and is used as an all-in-one solution for moisturizer, SPF, primer, foundation and serum.

BB Cream is often used as an easier way to create a perfected, blemish-free look due to its all-in-one appeal. BB cream benefits ensure that users can get a clear, matte finish look through one product rather than having to use several, making it often a more economical choice for getting that perfect, dewy skin look.

How to Use BB Cream:

Beauty balm can be applied over a freshly washed face to give a healthy skin glow and “make-up free” look. Alternatively it can be applied as an under base or primer under foundation to help create build, or it can be used as an actual foundation when used over regular or tinted moisturizer. BB cream is typically applied by taking a small pea-sized amount and evenly blending it on the face.

What is the best BB Cream on the Market?

There are lots of top BB creams out there, but according to Allure the top BB creams include:

• Estée Lauder Daywear Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Crème SPF 35
• Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream SPF 15
• Jart+ Water Fuse BB Beauty Balm with SPF 25
• Jart+ Premium Blemish Base with SPF 45
• Brandt Signature Flexitone BB Cream
• Clinique Age Defense BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm
• Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm

What are the best Korean BB Creams?

The listed above creams are mainly Western developed BB creams but to get the best BB creams direct from the original source, you may want to buy a Korean BB cream. Fortunately, you don’t need to go all the way to Korea to pick up one of these beauty must haves, as many beauty supply chain stores sell Korean BB creams and you can also purchase many online from sites such as Amazon and eBay.

Some of the best rated Korean BB creams include:

• Skin 79 Super Plus BB
• Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream
• Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream
• Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream
• HANSKIN Premium Super Magic BB Cream SPF 30

If you look at best BB cream reviews online, you’ll come across a wide variety of opinions on what is the very best BB product on the market and why. To make your search a little less confusing and a more personalized experience, you may want to head out to your local mall or beauty supply store and sample a couple of creams to find out which BB cream is most ideal for your skin type, skin color and the desired effect you’re going after. The benefits of BB Cream can depend on some of these factors.

Planting a vegetable garden is much simpler to do than you may think. All you need is a decent patch of garden, some soil, vegetable seeds, gardening tools and you’re good to get started.

Learning how to grow your own vegetables has become a popular hobby for those looking to become more self-sufficient, as it allows you to get food from your own backyard, and know exactly where it came from.

Growing your own vegetable garden can also be very economical, as once you’ve paid for the initial costs of setting it up, you should be able to get years’ worth of produce that will quickly pay for itself and save you a ton of money on your grocery bills.

Getting started is the hardest part, but to help you out in your vegetable garden quest, here are some top essential vegetable gardening tips:

1.  Start Off Slowly

You may have a picture perfect vision of how you want your vegetable garden to look like, but the chances are you will need to start off fairly slowly in order to not overwhelm yourself or go over budget. Pick a few vegetables you would like to grow the most, and create a plan of action of how you will grow them.

2.  Choose Reliable Vegetables

Some vegetables are much more reliable and easier to grow for gardener beginners while others can require a more experienced set of gardening hands. Be honest with yourself on how knowledgeable you are on gardening and then try to pick a couple of veggies that match your gardening skill level.

3.  Know What to Grow and When to Plant Vegetables

Many vegetables are only ready to harvest at certain times of the year, and so it’s important to plant and harvest your vegetables at the right time of year.

Easy to grow vegetables per season include:

Winter Vegetables:

• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Shallots
• Rhubarb
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Peas
• Spinach
• Leeks

Spring Vegetables:

• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Beetroot
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Spring Onion
• Peas
• Ginger
• Potatoes

Summer Vegetables:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Parsnips
• Silver Beet
• Squash
• Sweet corn
• Tomatoes

Fall Vegetables:

• Broccoli
• Cress
• Swedes
• Turnips
• Parsley
• Onions
• Radish

 

4.  Create Your Garden

How do you want to grown your own veg? Are you planning on creating a veggie garden through digging into your existing garden or do you want to create raised vegetables beds? Digging requires a lot of manual labor but it can be a bit cheaper than the supplies needed to create raised beds. However, a raised bed can often be easier to cultivate and can be a good way to prevent wildlife from eating your crop.

Decide how you want to create your garden, and then get stuck in. The most overwhelming part is starting, so the sooner you start the better. Creating your garden could just take a few hours or it could take you a couple of days depending on how ambitious your project is, so be prepared to dedicate some serious time into setting your garden up. Once you’ve sewn your seeds the hardest part is over and you should be able to quite literally reap the benefits of your hard efforts within a couple of months.

Starting a garden can take a lot of time, effort and planning, but should be more than worthwhile if it provides a steady and bountiful supply of fresh produce for you and your family to enjoy. Your vegetable garden should without a doubt save you money and help you live a more sustainable life – so why not grow your own food and start either planning or creating one today?!

We’ve all seen the show or heard about Extreme Couponing, where everyday moms get carts full of foods for next to nothing due to their vigilant couponing. But how do you start couponing? From watching these shows and even reading about it online, learning to coupon can quickly seem overwhelming and confusing.

Luckily, couponing actually isn’t all that difficult. Extreme couponing can definitely take some time to master, but everyday couponing is fairly easy and should only take an hour or two of your time each week to prepare for. Even if you don’t graduate from basic couponing to extreme couponing status, you can still save a bucket load on your groceries just by learning the couponing 101 basics and utilizing all coupons that apply from week to week.

So just how do you start couponing? Well the best couponing tip is to prepare, which includes:

• How to Get Coupons – The main two sources for coupons are newspapers (either in the newspaper itself or pull outs) and online. Avoid getting overwhelmed by narrowing down a couple of coupon websites you want to use and check back on them daily to find the best and latest coupons to print. Likewise for your newspaper subscribe to just one or two coupon heavy newspapers. Once you’ve identified your coupon sources, you can then start to gather your first coupons. Here is one of our favorite source                                                    https://www.babble.com/crafts-activities/the-13-coupon-sites-youve-got-to-know-about-asap/
• Investing in a Printer – You’re going to need a printer for a lot of the online coupons you come across. While some can be used via your Smartphone or iPhone a lot still can’t, so definitely invest in a cheap printer. Even if you only use your printer for coupons the money you can save from couponing will easily outweigh the cost of the printer.
• Getting a Folder with Coupon Sleeve Inserts – With couponing, it’s essential that you are always 100% organized with your coupons or you’ll quickly find yourself losing them or getting confused on what you have. Invest in a file with coupon sleeve inserts so that you can put your coupons in one place and categorize them.
• Dividing Your Coupons per Store – There are two main stores that are great for couponing – drugstores and grocery stores. Divide your folder up accordingly and label which type or specific stores each section applies to.

Now that you’re prepared it’s time to start gathering your coupons! This is probably the most fun part of learning how to coupon. Couponing is very much like the famous Forest Gump saying “Life’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get!” Some days you won’t find that many great coupons where as others you’ll be amazed at the top money saving deals you stumble across. Unless you have more time to do so, you only need to spend 10 minutes or so a day looking for coupons. Print or cut out any that apply and directly store them in your file. Also bear in mind that for newspaper coupons Sunday is usually the best day for coupons, so you might want to spend a bit longer searching for the best coupons this day of the week.

One you’ve gathered your first week’s worth of coupons, it’s time to go shopping! Pick your grocery or drugstore you want to apply your coupons to and remember these important couponing tips:

• Bring Your File – The most important coupon tip is to always bring your coupons file with you! Don’t be afraid of your file, yes you may look like a bit of coupon nut toting your file around but if it saves you a ton on your weekly shopping expenditures – who cares?!
• Shop During a Quiet Time – The first few times you coupon it’s likely going to take you a while to find all of your coupon products so definitely choose a quiet, off peak time to shop. This should make it easier for you to find products and for an overall less stressful ease into the world of couponing.
• Look for In-Store Coupons – Some stores even provide coupons exclusively inside the store, and will usually be placed nearby the products they’re for. Don’t forget to watch out for these, as they could save you even more on your shopping.
• Watch the Cashier – Coupons don’t always go through properly and sometimes cashiers will make mistakes with them, so always watch the cashier closely to make sure you’re getting all the discounts you’re entitled to.

After your first couponing shopping experience, don’t be disheartened if you don’t achieve the incredible discounts you’ll see on Extreme Couponing – as remember that is a TV show and the people they feature have many years worth of couponing experience under their belts.

Nevertheless, becoming a coupon pro is absolutely within your reach, but you’ll need a bit of practice first. Use our tips to coupon to help you get started. Good luck and happy shopping!

Shocked by your latest monthly cable bill? Or would you just like to reduce your cable bill regardless? Then you’ll likely be pleased to know that lowering your cable bill is very much possible.

Cable bills can easily skyrocket, with hidden fees and services you’re paying for suddenly upping their rates. If you’re unhappy with your current cable fees and would like to see it dramatically reduce, consider these five tips to ensure the best cable deals:

1.  Negotiate with Your Provider

Visit your local cable provider’s store or call them from home and express your unhappiness with your current deal and that you want to see your monthly bill lowered. At first they may seem unwilling to negotiate, but the more you push the issue (especially if you mention that you’re considering cancelling it all together or using a competitor cable service) the more willing they will be to negotiate. Cable service representatives are trained to not let any customers go so they may be able to lower your cable bill down considerably in order to not risk losing you as a loyal customer. There’s no guarantee that this will work, but it’s definitely worth a decent try.

2.  Check with Competitors

Is there another cable provider that can offer you a much better deal? Explore cable competitors and see how their monthly fees compare and contrast to your current cost of cable. If there’s a much more affordable offer out there, either take it or contact your current cable provider and state that you’re going to go with their competitor (who are offering a much more reasonable deal) unless they offer you a lower costing monthly deal. You may be surprised at just how willing they are to negotiate fees once you mention a competitor.

3.  Cancel Your Landline

Do you have a cable bundle that includes a landline? If you do and as long as you have a cell phone that gets reliable service in your house, then go ahead and cancel your landline. Landlines are quite frankly a waste of money for many people in this day and age and just by cancelling this component of your bundle could save you a fair penny each month. As an added bonus, without a landline you won’t get nearly as many sales calls – so what’s not to love?!

4.  Get Rid of What You’re Not Using

Just like with the landline, if you’re paying for any additional services that you’re simply not using (or very rarely use) then it’s probably best to go ahead and cancel. Perhaps you pay for a premiere channel or on demand service that you hardly ever use or there are many cable channels that you’re paying for but simply never watch. Whatever it is, see how much you can save from cancelling the services and if it’s a significant amount be sure to cancel. Cable should be a wise investment rather than a money waster so nip anything in the bud that’s not worth paying for. Extra channels are a huge extra cost of cable.

5.  Sign Up for an Online Video Subscription Service

If you enjoy having access to lots of videos and TV shows but don’t want to pay for the high price that many cable subscriptions demand, then consider signing up for an online video subscription service. These cable TV alternatives are services such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. They make for a great alternative to cable as they allow you to have access to scores of films and television shows for very low monthly fees. What’s more, you could hook your computer up to your television to see these on the wide screen. These services could easily save you hundreds of dollars on a yearly basis, so be sure to thoroughly explore these cable alternatives. These streaming TV options are a surefire way to reduce your cable bill.

Save money on your cable bill today by trying out some of the above tips. Don’t be afraid to negotiate with your current cable provider nor forget to check out what the competition is offering. Good luck!