FLIRTING TIPS FOR GUYS
Social working, parties, and other social activities would bring about new relations into our life. This would not only add friends to our life but also intimate partners. Boys fail mainly to attract a girl, as they are two opposite poles and hence unable to understand each other thought. They are many talks about this mutual understanding. Mutual understanding is still under research to check whether it is possible or impossible for boy and a girl to understand what each other’s mind talk.
Let us keep this understanding away for a moment, which is great sea. Let us just now brush with a tiny drop in that mighty sea that is flirting. It is not so easy with any boy to adapt such a culture to a girl easily. Lot of emotional and sensational issues is involved in being trained for flirting. Building confidence is the main theme of flirting. One has to develop skill and confidence level before mastering the art of flirting. Though there are many flirting tips floating all about, there might be a situation bringing the entire empire one day due to a silly misunderstanding. Now let us see some of the intimate flirting tips for guys. These tips are based on deeper understanding of the girls’ expectation and your actions.
Flirting Tips for Guys:
1. Showing interest: Interest is what it is all about. In any little thing to be liked or loved, one needs interest. Everyone would get elated just because of the interest others have on us. This would be a simple tip, which one must follow in a social activity. Have interest on people and love moving with them. Girls get easily impressed when special interest is focused on them. A boy can make them feel special just by showing a silly interest on them. Hence, do not take things light and jovial. Show interest on girls. This would be the initial stage of attraction. Showing interest means listening to them quietly and enjoying their words almost. Smile regularly at all chances where you can really show them that you are interested in them.
2. Smile Regularly at them: Smiling would be one of the best flirt tips for a guy. However, this is not a simple as it means. This would be one of the dangerous flirt tips to follow too. Smiling would vary depending on the situation, person, and your type of smile. Do not fail to find the types of smile at any source. Sometimes your smile would look very wicked that you may jut mess up with a girl. Smiling in unnecessary situation would never bring glory to you. Smile at them when they expect, when they like to be praised. Smile gloriously when they speak and have a look at you. Make a sign that you are listening to them by a gentle smile and ahead shake when they turn to you on the conversation going on.
3. Develop Talks: Do not forgo a situation to talk to people. Try to make something different in your causal style of dressing or something very attractive that make people to come over and ask to you. Do not go out too pompous. Have your own style with a slight change that make people turn over at you when you cross them. This would be some source to develop your talks. This flirt tip is all about developing the conversation with the girl who interests you and it would require number of days depending on the girls’ nature. Be regular to show something new to her and make her have constant short looks at you. This would be also a tip for eye contact.
4. Have Eye contact: Eye contacts are just similar to smiles. They vary very greatly from person to person and from situation to situation. Initially try to have occasional and short eye contacts. Make the girl know that she interests you. Next, move a step forward to have regular short eye contacts. Do not have a constant look and this would mean different to her. Eye contacts are not just looks they are the language that both boy and a girl speaks in common. Eye contact makes one can understand that they are involved.
5. Build Confidence: Raising the level of confidence would be the most important part of a flirting tip especially for a guy. Never lose confidence that too at social parties when your girl moves away with other guy. Just be cool and smile always for all little things too. She will get into you slowly. Have an optimistic attitude in your actions and move with confidence.
6. Be the First to make a move: Waiting for someone to approach would be portraying only a lower attitude man. A man with higher attitude and confidence would make the first move. Making the first move does not mean just moving closer all of a sudden. Movement must b gradual right from the flirt tip one and gradually implementing every tip toward the girl.
7. Make varying actions: Be sure to attract them with variations in voice tone. Try to develop a style especially for you. Styles may include a specific action such as tossing fingers, smacking lips, clicking tongues, hands in pocket, running hands through hair pleasantly. All these would be noticed for individuality.
8. Communicate: Communication would be the best flirt tip that would strengthen your actions. This would be the base for all you dating ideas. Try to get a communication link such as phone number or email id. Now messages them initially in a friendly. Do not forget to pinpoint that you are interest in dating with them. However, at the same time do not just hit it on the nail. Try to beat around the bush until you reach the level of proposing a date.
9. Smell good: Above all the flirt tips the most important one to be followed at dating would be to smell good and pleasant. Do not be too jazzy at the site. Try to be pleasant with your individuality. The individuality here refers to the smell of your self. Try to be unique in this. Select a flavor that would depict your character, make an impression that you are calm, and compose. Make sure that this flavor becomes your immediate identity.
10. Dating: Remember that every woman wants to feel special and that was the first flirt tip. So do not try group of women and they finally get disgusted. So choose a girl and get intimate with her emotion before trying in for a date. Develop conversations in such a way that she feels secure and emotionally attached to you. After such a situation, dating would be preferable. Never try to take a drunken girl on a date. This would spoil your genuineness. Develop friendship and slowly other intimate relationships and then look for dating.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP A GIRLFRIEND
TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP A GIRLFRIEND
There are many troubles involved in holding a relationship longer than the troubles we underwent to fix the relationship. Especially when it comes to love, dating, and relationship between a boy and a girl lot of factors come into the context of discussion. There are many reasons that the relationship gets affected easily. There can be no priority assumption for why the relationship is spoiled. All would be given equal priority. Many bys only care things until the relationship is fixed. They fail to follow the same measures to maintain the relationship everlasting. Many focus on the concept of only dating and forget what relationship is all about.
Tips on how to keep a girlfriend:
1. Remember though girls would seem to be dissimilar they are not so. Whatever character a girl may posses; she is an addict of praise and love. Once a man learns to praise her soul and lover her heart he would be the luckiest person to get the relationship on going.
2. Girls may be rude, sharp, or blunt. Whatever it may seem to be they always have the heart of a kid. They expect a lot and get disappointed a lot. Remember children expect a lot. Special care and attention would be needed to any kid. Likewise, special care and attention would be needed fore girl. Especially after dating this would become more specific girl would be always having a waver thought about guys. They tend to doubt guys. They test them often in all chances. After dating, a girl tends to check whether the guy gives the same importance to her. She checks whether he gets charmed by her presence and not bored after a single date.
3. Remember you are the king and she is the queen. Queen always like to win. Let the arguments be simple or complex it does not mind make her win and see the reflection of the action. You will be the luckiest person in the whole of the world to get such a love blooming out. Every kid would like to win the conversation or the game he or she plays. Likewise, a girl would expect to win every little thing in your life. Lose little things for her to hold her near your heart.
4. A girl would expect the warmth of her mother from her husband. Make sure that you give the warmth she expects. Make her feel secure in your hands. Make sure that your present to protect her in all means. Never be over protective to jail her freedom. That would the worse case that a girl would turn you out. A girl always fears to lose any closest relationship she ahs obtained. However, never fails to cut off any relation that breaks her freedom. Be careful about that. If you are right in your choice of choosing a girl never, break her freedom. Be cool on whatever she does.
5. Gift her in all possible ways. Girls would like lovely cute gifts regularly rather than a single large gift on a special occasion. Make her feel special everyday she lives. That would develop your relationship to the highest level than dating.
6. Select the best spot she likes and make special arrangements before you go in for a date. Make sure she enjoys a lot from the dating. Get ready with food the scene and other facilities that she would feel pleasant with. Never value money higher than your love. Spend money to buy her happiness. Dating would be the best spot to show that you value her more than anything does. Whenever you get silly issues in-between, immediately fix for a date and get ready. Silly or great whatever the level of issue may be a girl would get relaxed when she know that you need only her in the whole of the world. Show her the amount of love you have towards her at the date.
7. Whether you share everything with your girl or not that does not matter. It may even be your policy to hold your secrets with you. However, never show a girl that you are hiding something from her. Always make sure that she never gets an impact that you do not share things with her. Try your maximum to share even the simple scenes that you underwent. Act smart if you do not want to share great secrets.
8. Be punctual and do not make her wait. Girls hate waiting long. Boys would love waiting for a long time. Be ahead of her in all parties. Wait to receive her with a smile.
9. Never tell a lie to her and are caught. Girls would remember things for a longer time and never forget it easily. Be sure that you tell things correctly and clearly. If you a let a lie out and later were caught with, your own blunders then that would break relationships. Girls would not tolerate lies and cheating. The main issue is that they have many self-esteems and they do not want to lose it at your lies and be fooled.
10. Be on her side always.
There are many troubles involved in holding a relationship longer than the troubles we underwent to fix the relationship. Especially when it comes to love, dating, and relationship between a boy and a girl lot of factors come into the context of discussion. There are many reasons that the relationship gets affected easily. There can be no priority assumption for why the relationship is spoiled. All would be given equal priority. Many bys only care things until the relationship is fixed. They fail to follow the same measures to maintain the relationship everlasting. Many focus on the concept of only dating and forget what relationship is all about.
Tips on how to keep a girlfriend:
1. Remember though girls would seem to be dissimilar they are not so. Whatever character a girl may posses; she is an addict of praise and love. Once a man learns to praise her soul and lover her heart he would be the luckiest person to get the relationship on going.
2. Girls may be rude, sharp, or blunt. Whatever it may seem to be they always have the heart of a kid. They expect a lot and get disappointed a lot. Remember children expect a lot. Special care and attention would be needed to any kid. Likewise, special care and attention would be needed fore girl. Especially after dating this would become more specific girl would be always having a waver thought about guys. They tend to doubt guys. They test them often in all chances. After dating, a girl tends to check whether the guy gives the same importance to her. She checks whether he gets charmed by her presence and not bored after a single date.
3. Remember you are the king and she is the queen. Queen always like to win. Let the arguments be simple or complex it does not mind make her win and see the reflection of the action. You will be the luckiest person in the whole of the world to get such a love blooming out. Every kid would like to win the conversation or the game he or she plays. Likewise, a girl would expect to win every little thing in your life. Lose little things for her to hold her near your heart.
4. A girl would expect the warmth of her mother from her husband. Make sure that you give the warmth she expects. Make her feel secure in your hands. Make sure that your present to protect her in all means. Never be over protective to jail her freedom. That would the worse case that a girl would turn you out. A girl always fears to lose any closest relationship she ahs obtained. However, never fails to cut off any relation that breaks her freedom. Be careful about that. If you are right in your choice of choosing a girl never, break her freedom. Be cool on whatever she does.
5. Gift her in all possible ways. Girls would like lovely cute gifts regularly rather than a single large gift on a special occasion. Make her feel special everyday she lives. That would develop your relationship to the highest level than dating.
6. Select the best spot she likes and make special arrangements before you go in for a date. Make sure she enjoys a lot from the dating. Get ready with food the scene and other facilities that she would feel pleasant with. Never value money higher than your love. Spend money to buy her happiness. Dating would be the best spot to show that you value her more than anything does. Whenever you get silly issues in-between, immediately fix for a date and get ready. Silly or great whatever the level of issue may be a girl would get relaxed when she know that you need only her in the whole of the world. Show her the amount of love you have towards her at the date.
7. Whether you share everything with your girl or not that does not matter. It may even be your policy to hold your secrets with you. However, never show a girl that you are hiding something from her. Always make sure that she never gets an impact that you do not share things with her. Try your maximum to share even the simple scenes that you underwent. Act smart if you do not want to share great secrets.
8. Be punctual and do not make her wait. Girls hate waiting long. Boys would love waiting for a long time. Be ahead of her in all parties. Wait to receive her with a smile.
9. Never tell a lie to her and are caught. Girls would remember things for a longer time and never forget it easily. Be sure that you tell things correctly and clearly. If you a let a lie out and later were caught with, your own blunders then that would break relationships. Girls would not tolerate lies and cheating. The main issue is that they have many self-esteems and they do not want to lose it at your lies and be fooled.
10. Be on her side always.
GUIDE TO GLYCOLIC ACID SKIN CARE
GUIDE TO GLYCOLIC ACID SKIN CARE
Glycolic acid is not any chemical as the name indicates. It is a natural fruit acid or alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) just like our lemon juice (citric acid) .To state its properties it is colorless and odorless and easily soluble in water. Concentration of above 10% would be a hazardous on skin. In skin treatment, it is mainly used as an exfoliant and moisturizer. It is used for the treatment of eczema and acne. It can also used to reduce wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation. It peels out dead skin cells
For aged persons this would be of great help. Products with this glycolic acid would remove dead cells on skin that keeps you more aged. It acts as good sunscreen and moisturizes skin. One must be careful about its concentration. It is as powerful to remove rust form metals. Hence, concentration of low glycolic acid must alone be used in the skin care kit either prepared at home or bought readymade.
Storage of the products made with glycolic acid and application of such products are also very important. The action would be very severing in young children. In addition to exfoliation, the AHA's rejuvenate skin by,
stimulating skin repair
increasing collagen production
increasing skin thickness
improving elasticity
an effective acne treatment
improving skin texture
improving skin tone
decreasing enlarged pores
Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid ($45.00)
Excellent for all non-sensitive skin types, especially normal, dry and mature. Apply after cleansing and toning.
Ingredients:
Water, Glycolic Acid, Arginine, Whole Leaf Aloe Vera, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Safflower Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Dimethicone, Squalane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Micellized Vitamin A, Micellized Vitamin E, Oleth-2, Polysorbate 20, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea.
Anti Wrinkle Kit
Erase fine lines and wrinkles with our weekly exfoliating kit containing our Anti-Wrinkle Cream fortified with Vitamin C to plump up your skin!
Nighttime Royal Alpha Balance Moisturizer
Gently exfoliate overnight with this rich cream that contains 5% pure liquid royal jelly, Glycolic Acid, and hydrating hyaluronic acid.
Glycolic Acid Exfoliating KitUncover beautiful skin with this deep Exfoliating Kit.
Fade Away Skin-Lightening Cream
Dark spots and even the acne marks will fade away permanently.
Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 10% Clarifying Gel
Glycolic Acid 10% Clarifying Gel helps clarify your skin, increase cell turnover and smooth out a rough texture while reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging. Oil-free and excellent for T-zone oiliness, it is ideal for normal, aging, oily, combination or problem skin that may also be environmentally damaged.
Ingredients:
Water, Glycolic Acid, SD Alcohol 40, Glycerin, Arginine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Salicylic Acid (Beta Hydroxy Acid), DMDM Hydantoin, Ammonium Hydroxide.
Direction for Use:
Dry skin types may also want to apply a moisturizer or hydrator after application. Not for extremely sensitive skin.
Glycolic acid is not any chemical as the name indicates. It is a natural fruit acid or alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) just like our lemon juice (citric acid) .To state its properties it is colorless and odorless and easily soluble in water. Concentration of above 10% would be a hazardous on skin. In skin treatment, it is mainly used as an exfoliant and moisturizer. It is used for the treatment of eczema and acne. It can also used to reduce wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation. It peels out dead skin cells
For aged persons this would be of great help. Products with this glycolic acid would remove dead cells on skin that keeps you more aged. It acts as good sunscreen and moisturizes skin. One must be careful about its concentration. It is as powerful to remove rust form metals. Hence, concentration of low glycolic acid must alone be used in the skin care kit either prepared at home or bought readymade.
Storage of the products made with glycolic acid and application of such products are also very important. The action would be very severing in young children. In addition to exfoliation, the AHA's rejuvenate skin by,
stimulating skin repair
increasing collagen production
increasing skin thickness
improving elasticity
an effective acne treatment
improving skin texture
improving skin tone
decreasing enlarged pores
Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid ($45.00)
Excellent for all non-sensitive skin types, especially normal, dry and mature. Apply after cleansing and toning.
Ingredients:
Water, Glycolic Acid, Arginine, Whole Leaf Aloe Vera, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Safflower Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Dimethicone, Squalane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Micellized Vitamin A, Micellized Vitamin E, Oleth-2, Polysorbate 20, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea.
Anti Wrinkle Kit
Erase fine lines and wrinkles with our weekly exfoliating kit containing our Anti-Wrinkle Cream fortified with Vitamin C to plump up your skin!
Nighttime Royal Alpha Balance Moisturizer
Gently exfoliate overnight with this rich cream that contains 5% pure liquid royal jelly, Glycolic Acid, and hydrating hyaluronic acid.
Glycolic Acid Exfoliating KitUncover beautiful skin with this deep Exfoliating Kit.
Fade Away Skin-Lightening Cream
Dark spots and even the acne marks will fade away permanently.
Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 10% Clarifying Gel
Glycolic Acid 10% Clarifying Gel helps clarify your skin, increase cell turnover and smooth out a rough texture while reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging. Oil-free and excellent for T-zone oiliness, it is ideal for normal, aging, oily, combination or problem skin that may also be environmentally damaged.
Ingredients:
Water, Glycolic Acid, SD Alcohol 40, Glycerin, Arginine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Salicylic Acid (Beta Hydroxy Acid), DMDM Hydantoin, Ammonium Hydroxide.
Direction for Use:
Dry skin types may also want to apply a moisturizer or hydrator after application. Not for extremely sensitive skin.
BEST NEUTROGENA SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
BEST NEUTROGENA SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
Neutrogena Advanced Solutions At Home Micro Dermabrasion Body Refill Kit ($24.00)
This kit was designed to work with Neutrogena Advanced Solutions At Home Micro Dermabrasion Body System.
This kit includes:
· Body Resurfacing Cream, 3.5oz: This nourishing cream contains botanical natural extract, which are in composition, same as that used by a dermatologist in micro dermabrasion treatment. It includes antioxidant vitamins. The natural ingredients include multi-crystal resurfacing complex, which are aluminum oxide mineral crystals. This ingredient is mainly used to renew cells by 40%.The entire product acts as an excellent cleanser kit along with the rejuvenating fragrance of jasmine and other summer fruit flavors.
· Body Foam Sponge Head: This sponge head is mainly used as a scrubber all over the body. Especially used on areas of sun damage, scaly skin, roughness, and cellulite and stretch mark. It uses the aluminum oxide mineral crystals to retexture skin. This is also used for massaging purposes.
· Polishing Triangle Head: This is a rough polishing head to scrub feet and heels. Do not use on face.
Areas of Application and Uses:
· Chest
· Arms and Elbows
· Stomach and Hips
· Legs
· Feet
Specifications:
Suitable for 20 Treatments
Dermatologist Tested
Free of artificial color
Neutrogena Wave Power-Cleanser ($14.00)
This is a cleaner that performs well than your manual cleansing techniques. It is battery operated. The vibrating machine vibrates and massages foam deeply into the skin pores to remove dirt, make-up, and oil from deep into your skin. It is all done just with a single click.
The kit includes:
Power-Cleanser Attachment Head
14 pads (2-week supply)
One AA battery
Refills Available
Directions of Use:
Neutrogena Wave is water resistant and can be used at the sink or in the shower.
Simply attach a disposable pad to the attachment head.
Hold the power-cleanser under running water to activate foaming pad.
Turn on cleanser by pressing power button and gently massage over face. Avoid the delicate eye area.
Rinse face thoroughly and dispose of pad after each use.
Neutrogena Body Oil, Original Formula ($9.00)
This product is very light sesame oil that immediately vanishes into your skin on application. The fragrance gives a fresh feeling that we could feel clean all the daylong.
It includes:
Isopropyl Myristate
Sesame Oil
PEG-40
Sorbitan Peroleate
Propylparaben
BHT
Fragrance.
Directions of Use:
Apply directly after bath on damp skin.
User Comments:
I suffer from EXTREMELY dry, itchy skin in the fall and winter due to eczema. I swear by Eucerin original on my body and yes even my face nothing else works...until now. When I get out of the shower, I lightly towel dry and apply this oil all over my legs, arms everywhere and it is absorbed so quickly into my skin but keeps my skin feeling moist and soft all day not itchy and tight feeling like I am used to. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with dry skin. I also put a few drop in the bath with my sons for extra moisturization for them! Reviewer: TAM, Massapequa, New York
Neutrogena Visibly Firm Face Lotion SPF 20 ($18.00 )
Neutrogena Visibly Firm® Face Lotion SPF 20 is a moisturizer. On regular application it maintains elasticity and tightness of skin. This would make you look firmer, smoother and younger. It prevents collagen breakdown sue to rays from sun. It is an exclusive dermatologist-tested Active Copper® formula. It absorbs quickly and will not clog pores.
Specifications:
Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)
Fragrance-free
Non-greasy
Allergy tested
Directions for Use:
After cleansing, apply all over your face and neck in place of your daily moisturizer.
Ingredients:
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Zinc Oxide 1.9%Inactive Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Copper Tripeptide 1, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Panthenol, BHT, Arginine, Soybean Sterols (glycine soja), Tocopheryl Acetate, Squalane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate-20, Laureth 7, Polyacrylamide, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Ultramarines
Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer, SPF 30 ($12.19)
This product acts as moisturizer. It protects skin from UV rays and maintains the texture. It even skin tone and brightens the clarity of skin. It contains Soy, which is natural available skin brightener and hence prevents decolorization and reduce blotchiness. It also contains Helioplex, an advanced patented sunscreen complex, penetrates six layers of surface skin to give you advanced protection against aging UVA rays to help prevent premature signs of aging and future discoloration caused by the sun.
Specifications:
SPF 30.
Hydroquinone Free.
Dermatologist Recommended.
This non-greasy, fast absorbing formula hydrates skin leaving it soft and smooth.
Non-comedogenic.
Hypoallergenic.
Gentle enough for sensitive skin.
It Includes:
Active Ingredients:Avobenzone (3%), Homosalate (12%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (1.7%), Oxybenzone (3%).
Inactive Ingredients:Water, C12 15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Glycerin, Panthenol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Silica, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Methylparaben, Steareth 2, Polyacrylate 13, Behenyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Steareth 21, Mica, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Disodium EDTA, Polyisobutene, Arachidyl Glucoside, Pentaerythrityl Tetra Di-T-Butyl, Hydroxydrocinnamate, Boron Nitride, Polysorbate 20, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Benzalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.Directions of Use:Apply to face and neck in the morning.WARNINGS: (From Product Label)For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. If product gets into eyes, contact occurs, rinse thoroughly with water. Discontinue use if irritation or rashes appear. Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.
Neutrogena Advanced Solutions At Home Micro Dermabrasion Body Refill Kit ($24.00)
This kit was designed to work with Neutrogena Advanced Solutions At Home Micro Dermabrasion Body System.
This kit includes:
· Body Resurfacing Cream, 3.5oz: This nourishing cream contains botanical natural extract, which are in composition, same as that used by a dermatologist in micro dermabrasion treatment. It includes antioxidant vitamins. The natural ingredients include multi-crystal resurfacing complex, which are aluminum oxide mineral crystals. This ingredient is mainly used to renew cells by 40%.The entire product acts as an excellent cleanser kit along with the rejuvenating fragrance of jasmine and other summer fruit flavors.
· Body Foam Sponge Head: This sponge head is mainly used as a scrubber all over the body. Especially used on areas of sun damage, scaly skin, roughness, and cellulite and stretch mark. It uses the aluminum oxide mineral crystals to retexture skin. This is also used for massaging purposes.
· Polishing Triangle Head: This is a rough polishing head to scrub feet and heels. Do not use on face.
Areas of Application and Uses:
· Chest
· Arms and Elbows
· Stomach and Hips
· Legs
· Feet
Specifications:
Suitable for 20 Treatments
Dermatologist Tested
Free of artificial color
Neutrogena Wave Power-Cleanser ($14.00)
This is a cleaner that performs well than your manual cleansing techniques. It is battery operated. The vibrating machine vibrates and massages foam deeply into the skin pores to remove dirt, make-up, and oil from deep into your skin. It is all done just with a single click.
The kit includes:
Power-Cleanser Attachment Head
14 pads (2-week supply)
One AA battery
Refills Available
Directions of Use:
Neutrogena Wave is water resistant and can be used at the sink or in the shower.
Simply attach a disposable pad to the attachment head.
Hold the power-cleanser under running water to activate foaming pad.
Turn on cleanser by pressing power button and gently massage over face. Avoid the delicate eye area.
Rinse face thoroughly and dispose of pad after each use.
Neutrogena Body Oil, Original Formula ($9.00)
This product is very light sesame oil that immediately vanishes into your skin on application. The fragrance gives a fresh feeling that we could feel clean all the daylong.
It includes:
Isopropyl Myristate
Sesame Oil
PEG-40
Sorbitan Peroleate
Propylparaben
BHT
Fragrance.
Directions of Use:
Apply directly after bath on damp skin.
User Comments:
I suffer from EXTREMELY dry, itchy skin in the fall and winter due to eczema. I swear by Eucerin original on my body and yes even my face nothing else works...until now. When I get out of the shower, I lightly towel dry and apply this oil all over my legs, arms everywhere and it is absorbed so quickly into my skin but keeps my skin feeling moist and soft all day not itchy and tight feeling like I am used to. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with dry skin. I also put a few drop in the bath with my sons for extra moisturization for them! Reviewer: TAM, Massapequa, New York
Neutrogena Visibly Firm Face Lotion SPF 20 ($18.00 )
Neutrogena Visibly Firm® Face Lotion SPF 20 is a moisturizer. On regular application it maintains elasticity and tightness of skin. This would make you look firmer, smoother and younger. It prevents collagen breakdown sue to rays from sun. It is an exclusive dermatologist-tested Active Copper® formula. It absorbs quickly and will not clog pores.
Specifications:
Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)
Fragrance-free
Non-greasy
Allergy tested
Directions for Use:
After cleansing, apply all over your face and neck in place of your daily moisturizer.
Ingredients:
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Zinc Oxide 1.9%Inactive Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Copper Tripeptide 1, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Panthenol, BHT, Arginine, Soybean Sterols (glycine soja), Tocopheryl Acetate, Squalane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate-20, Laureth 7, Polyacrylamide, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Ultramarines
Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer, SPF 30 ($12.19)
This product acts as moisturizer. It protects skin from UV rays and maintains the texture. It even skin tone and brightens the clarity of skin. It contains Soy, which is natural available skin brightener and hence prevents decolorization and reduce blotchiness. It also contains Helioplex, an advanced patented sunscreen complex, penetrates six layers of surface skin to give you advanced protection against aging UVA rays to help prevent premature signs of aging and future discoloration caused by the sun.
Specifications:
SPF 30.
Hydroquinone Free.
Dermatologist Recommended.
This non-greasy, fast absorbing formula hydrates skin leaving it soft and smooth.
Non-comedogenic.
Hypoallergenic.
Gentle enough for sensitive skin.
It Includes:
Active Ingredients:Avobenzone (3%), Homosalate (12%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (1.7%), Oxybenzone (3%).
Inactive Ingredients:Water, C12 15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Glycerin, Panthenol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Silica, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Methylparaben, Steareth 2, Polyacrylate 13, Behenyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Steareth 21, Mica, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Disodium EDTA, Polyisobutene, Arachidyl Glucoside, Pentaerythrityl Tetra Di-T-Butyl, Hydroxydrocinnamate, Boron Nitride, Polysorbate 20, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Benzalkonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.Directions of Use:Apply to face and neck in the morning.WARNINGS: (From Product Label)For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. If product gets into eyes, contact occurs, rinse thoroughly with water. Discontinue use if irritation or rashes appear. Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.
AGING SKIN CARE TIPS FOR WOMEN OVER 50
Aging Skin Care Tips for Women Over 50
Natural aging is inevitable. However, when it affects the skin it shows off greatly. To keep oneself young, one should keep their skin tight with care. Taking care of wrinkles, scaly skin is the main problem for women who near 50.Women who are greatly concerned with both health and beauty have to be clear that both are inter related. Maintaining your health mean maintaining your beauty.
Skin care tips for women who are over 50
1. Carrot juice right from your young age would work greatly to keep your skin intact. You resemble to be just twenty. However, if have not followed this then it is not going to be a problem. Always have a carrot or carrot juice at least thrice a day during your meals. This keeps your skin shining and tight.
2. Try to get some aromatherapy oils and add a few drops to your bathing water. This would give you the essential of a mild aromatherapy treatment.
3. Milk lotion or milk powder along with certain fruits depending on your skin type would do a very great bath.
4. Do not ever over do moisturizing to your skin. This will loose your skin at your fifties. Your skin would start hanging more than usual. Have limited moisturizing if your skin is very dry.
5. Do not blush your face with any make up especially near your cheeks. This would darken the wrinkled skin areas and show you more elderly.
6. Have moisturizing lotions and soaps only after forties.
7. Having lemonade on the fresh day of morning would act as detoxicant removing all unwanted waste and toxins from your body. It also clears your skin base and gives shine to the withered skin.
8. Apply facial mask once in a week to your face, neck, hands, and legs. Leaving any of these parts would do no use to your treatment. If possible, apply a light mask all over your skin.
9. Stay active with simple and light exercises. Go in for yoga to relax your mind. This would avoid tension shown in your face and would reflect that your heart is peaceful.
10. Keep your lips soft and moistened. Have a light lip-gloss. Never apply Vaseline. This would turn your lips black. Try to apply essential oil available to moisten your lips.
11. Take care of black marks around your eyes. Have a sliced cucumber or tomato always on your closed eyes when you go to sleep. This would cool you down as well as remove black circles.
12. Collagen promoted vitamin C. This prevents your skin from wrinkling. Try to get collagen boosting products ion your skin care kit. Always have natural collagen filled fruits like blueberries and then go in as a secondary option of skin care kits.
13. Keep your physic hydrated. Drink more water this would keep your skin elastic and well maintained too.
14. Have a balanced diet above all to maintain the cheeks and avoid eye pits that show you really aged.
Natural aging is inevitable. However, when it affects the skin it shows off greatly. To keep oneself young, one should keep their skin tight with care. Taking care of wrinkles, scaly skin is the main problem for women who near 50.Women who are greatly concerned with both health and beauty have to be clear that both are inter related. Maintaining your health mean maintaining your beauty.
Skin care tips for women who are over 50
1. Carrot juice right from your young age would work greatly to keep your skin intact. You resemble to be just twenty. However, if have not followed this then it is not going to be a problem. Always have a carrot or carrot juice at least thrice a day during your meals. This keeps your skin shining and tight.
2. Try to get some aromatherapy oils and add a few drops to your bathing water. This would give you the essential of a mild aromatherapy treatment.
3. Milk lotion or milk powder along with certain fruits depending on your skin type would do a very great bath.
4. Do not ever over do moisturizing to your skin. This will loose your skin at your fifties. Your skin would start hanging more than usual. Have limited moisturizing if your skin is very dry.
5. Do not blush your face with any make up especially near your cheeks. This would darken the wrinkled skin areas and show you more elderly.
6. Have moisturizing lotions and soaps only after forties.
7. Having lemonade on the fresh day of morning would act as detoxicant removing all unwanted waste and toxins from your body. It also clears your skin base and gives shine to the withered skin.
8. Apply facial mask once in a week to your face, neck, hands, and legs. Leaving any of these parts would do no use to your treatment. If possible, apply a light mask all over your skin.
9. Stay active with simple and light exercises. Go in for yoga to relax your mind. This would avoid tension shown in your face and would reflect that your heart is peaceful.
10. Keep your lips soft and moistened. Have a light lip-gloss. Never apply Vaseline. This would turn your lips black. Try to apply essential oil available to moisten your lips.
11. Take care of black marks around your eyes. Have a sliced cucumber or tomato always on your closed eyes when you go to sleep. This would cool you down as well as remove black circles.
12. Collagen promoted vitamin C. This prevents your skin from wrinkling. Try to get collagen boosting products ion your skin care kit. Always have natural collagen filled fruits like blueberries and then go in as a secondary option of skin care kits.
13. Keep your physic hydrated. Drink more water this would keep your skin elastic and well maintained too.
14. Have a balanced diet above all to maintain the cheeks and avoid eye pits that show you really aged.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
GUIDE TO WRITE ARTICLES IN A BLOG
Getting Started -- Picking a Topic For Your New Blog
From LOLcats to LEGOs
Almost every day I see some n00b posting on the web developer sites, "What should I write about? Give me a topic that I can make lots of money with!" Conversely, on the writing sites, I see writers who are certain they know what they want to write about -- but they don't know how to get the blog part started. This series of articles is about the nuts and bolts of starting that blog, ranging from picking a good subject to choosing domain names to building the site, and finally to monetizing the sucker once it starts to grow.Over the course of this series of articles I'm going to develop a blog from the ground up, and we'll start with picking that all-important topic. No topic? No blog. There are three basic types of blogs: personal, informational, and entertaining.Personal blogs are about the blogger's life. If you have an interesting life, you might find success telling everyone else about it. Personal blogs can also be promotional, if you're a celebrity (author, actor, musician, etc.) trying to sell your work. I've purchased books, for example, because I liked the author's blog. (Cory Doctorow, I'm looking at you.) And if you're a snarky famous author who can make taping bacon to a cat funny? You're golden.Here's some examples of personal blogs, with writers from all walks of life:Homesteading HousewifeBaghdad BurningCory Doctorow's craphound.comWWdN: In ExileThe second type of blog is informational. Here are some examples of informational blogs, across a broad spectrum of topics:Miss Snark, Literary AgentDomain Name JournalTMZ.comLEGO Blog: The Brothers BrickThe common denominator here is that they're giving information on a specific topic -- they're full of reviews, instructions, education and data. Name any subject at all, and I can guarantee that somewhere on the internet, somebody's talking about it in an informational blog. Being funny, and giving the blog a personal touch, helps gain readers.
However, writing coherently and with sufficient detail to interest your readers is most important.The third type of blog is pure entertainment. Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats is a classic example. So is Cute Overload. Entertainment blogs exist purely to amuse. And many are wildly successful; there's just something about funny cat pictures that attract lots of people. I'll confess to looking for new LOLcats at least three times a day.My personal advice for picking a topic to blog about is to chose something you're very familiar with and that you're good at. Select a topic that you can put your heart and soul into, be it a blog that is entirely jokes or a blog talking about the literary world. You need to be able to write with authority, and with a confident voice. Your blog will be much better if you know the in-jokes and the pitfalls and the little finicky details that only an expert can grasp, and you also need to be able to be accurate and reliable with your information.(We once accidentally confused the superheroes Firestorm and Firestar in a news article and a famous Eisner-award winning comic book writer working on a Spider-Man project noticed. And then he mocked us on his high-traffic site, after we had fixed the error. There are risks to covering news on subject you're not 100% familiar with -- and neither my assistant nor I are all that good with Marvel superheroes. Ah, well, it was a free link from a highly ranked site.) Despite the pitfalls, it is not at all unusual for a would-be blogger who wants to Get Rich Quick at writing (ha!) to pick a topic they're not familiar with. There's generally one of two reasons for them to do this.
The blogger has heard that a topic makes lots of ad revenue. Ads about the lung cancer mesothelioma on Google Adsense, for example, are reputed to have clicks in the $100 each range because of law firms competing for patients. It's a cancer caused by asbestos, and there's lots of litigation involved. I personally suspect that these high-dollar clicks are more of an urban legend than anything else, but there are lots of mesothelioma blogs created by people chasing those famed dollars.
The writer is copying a popular blog. They want to be the next TMZ or Boing!Boing! and they try to match the format. Surely, they think, to be the next TMZ, all they have to do is read the news that TMZ posts, rewrite a few articles, and voila -- they'll start attracting the traffic that TMZ has.
The end result of picking a topic you're not already familiar with is generally less than satisfactory. Yes, a skilled writer can research almost any topic and create a coherent article about it. However, what brings readers back is that little extra "something" that comes from experience mixed with passion for a topic. You might be able to write a short article about a topic that you've no personal experience with after plentiful research. But can you maintain the quality of your blog for hundreds of posts, while being enthusiastic about the subject?To take a mesothelioma blog as an example -- If you're not a doctor, or researcher, or patient, and you write a blog about mesothelioma, you'll simply be parroting what you've read elsewhere. Since your readers will find the same information on other blogs (and likely written with more authority, by experts) they probably won't come back and they won't tell friends. You'll struggle to attract traffic. On the other hand, a blog by a doctor who treats mesothelioma, or a patient who's trying to survive it, will bring in lots more readers. There will be that personal touch there. If you write about what you know -- be it LEGOs or the publishing industry -- you'll have more success. However, when deciding what you're going to write about, there are some additional issues you want to take into account.The first is audience. Is there anyone who wants to read it? And how much competition will you have?For example, if you're a farrier who's a total expert on the history of horseshoes from antiquity through the present ... you can probably write a fantastic blog about horseshoe history. But don't expect to get much of an audience. Your blog will likely only appeal to a small number of historians, the odd writer trying to figure out if his hero's horse would have shoes, and perhaps a few other farriers. On the other hand, if you expand your blog's focus to cover shoeing in general you'll appeal to more readers, and if you can expand it more with snarky tales about your quirky customers (think, James Herriot) and the horses you've worked on, you may start to attract the general public. Add some horse training tips, and articles on conformation, breed traits, and equine behavior, and you will appeal to ever more readers.It's perfectly okay to have a blog with a narrow focus, if that's what you want. However, you won't have as many readers. If that doesn't matter, then skip this section about "audience" and write a blog about what's in your heart. There is nothing wrong with writing something for a very limited audience. (There is, however, a point of diminishing returns when you broaden the focus of the blog. If you cover horses in your blog ... and also baseball and flower arrangements, your readers may go, "Huh? We're only interested in 1/3rd of the articles here and we don't want to wade through everything else to find them. Buh-bye.")A secondary concern is how you'll monetize it.This is only something to worry about if you want to make money. There are plenty of bloggers out there who aren't the slightest bit interested in making moola. However, if you're thinking of making advertising off the blog, you want to make sure that the focus is something that won't send advertisers screaming into the night.These subjects are commonly forbidden by advertisers: alcohol, tobacco, gambling, firearms, drugs (legal and illegal), excessive violence, adult content, warez, and hacking/cracking. In some cases, sites with a focus on religion, politics, or certain flavors of activism may also not be allowed. Copyright violations will get you banned too, so be careful about the content you post. (None of my readers would be so stupid as to copy/paste somebody else's work into your blog without permission, right? You guys are smarter than that.
However, you also have to be careful if you hire someone else to write something for you. Make sure it really is their work. We'll cover the ins and outs of hiring other people to write for you in another article.)A blog reviewing sex toys and porn? Is right out as far as Google Adsense is concerned. But you could check -- if you really want to review adult items, you might find a distributor or two that offers commissions on their dildos. (Hint: Look for an "affiliate" link on their home page.) And there are a few banner advertisers who specialize in adult content; you'd have to ask around to find them. Plus, I hear tell that you can get, umm, free samples from certain distributors for the purpose of writing reviews and you get to keep the samples, though I have no personal experience with this. The mind boggles. That would definitely be a blog where a pen name would be required ... but I digress. On the other hand, picking another topic as an example -- a blog about poultry, done by a poultry breeder? Might be surprisingly and fairly easily profitable with mainstream advertisers. Most advertisers wouldn't have an issue with the subject matter. There are quite a few chicken aficionados out there; more than most people realize. It's not a topic which is overly commercialized, so you might be able to swap ads for advertising purposes with other bloggers, forums, and web sites. You wouldn't have a huge amount of competition. And aside from pay-per-click and pay-per-view advertising, you could also make commissions on affiliate sales of poultry-related items from vendors on Amazon and eBay (eBay offers commissions to bloggers) -- and items like incubators, exotic hatching eggs, supplies and collectibles can be pretty pricey. This is one example of how a "non-mainstream" subject might work.We'll cover more about advertising and affiliate sales in the future, but for now, just be aware of common-sense issues with advertising, and think about the logistics of making the blog pay for itself when picking a topic.Now, I said above that I'd be developing a blog from the ground up over the course of these articles. The topic I've chosen for myself is, "Exploring Arizona." I'm an Arizona native, and I would be doing this anyway -- my home state is something I know and am passionate about. I can talk about Arizona all day. And, for added reader interest, and to stand out from the crowd, I can add the twist of hiking with goats. I'm mildly disabled and use a goat as a pack animal. This is unique enough that my blog should be memorable! However, aside from hiking, I can also cover special events, tourist destinations, museums, and the like. It'll be a blog about what makes Arizona special. On the audience end, I know that there are significant numbers of potential readers -- both residents of the state who might be interested in a day trip or short vacation, and foreign tourists. We have lots of visitors who might find the blog useful, particularly if I include itineraries, advice on lodging, and mileage. And as far as monetizing it, Adsense won't have an issue with the topic, nor will many other advertisers. There should be lots of matching ads, as well. And I may be able to sell items for a commission on the blog, ranging from camping and hiking gear, to hotel rooms and airfare, to music downloads on themes to match the articles. (Yeah, music. A little-known secret is that both iTunes and Amazon have decent commissions on music downloads.)Over the next several articles, as I develop my new blog, I'll cover a number of subjects including registering a domain name for your blog, site design and setup (including optimizing for search engines), how to write articles that will bring in traffic, site publicity, how to deal with content thieves, and building your search engine rank. A new article will be posted every Wednesday, so watch this column or subscribe to the RSS feed.
From LOLcats to LEGOs
Almost every day I see some n00b posting on the web developer sites, "What should I write about? Give me a topic that I can make lots of money with!" Conversely, on the writing sites, I see writers who are certain they know what they want to write about -- but they don't know how to get the blog part started. This series of articles is about the nuts and bolts of starting that blog, ranging from picking a good subject to choosing domain names to building the site, and finally to monetizing the sucker once it starts to grow.Over the course of this series of articles I'm going to develop a blog from the ground up, and we'll start with picking that all-important topic. No topic? No blog. There are three basic types of blogs: personal, informational, and entertaining.Personal blogs are about the blogger's life. If you have an interesting life, you might find success telling everyone else about it. Personal blogs can also be promotional, if you're a celebrity (author, actor, musician, etc.) trying to sell your work. I've purchased books, for example, because I liked the author's blog. (Cory Doctorow, I'm looking at you.) And if you're a snarky famous author who can make taping bacon to a cat funny? You're golden.Here's some examples of personal blogs, with writers from all walks of life:Homesteading HousewifeBaghdad BurningCory Doctorow's craphound.comWWdN: In ExileThe second type of blog is informational. Here are some examples of informational blogs, across a broad spectrum of topics:Miss Snark, Literary AgentDomain Name JournalTMZ.comLEGO Blog: The Brothers BrickThe common denominator here is that they're giving information on a specific topic -- they're full of reviews, instructions, education and data. Name any subject at all, and I can guarantee that somewhere on the internet, somebody's talking about it in an informational blog. Being funny, and giving the blog a personal touch, helps gain readers.
However, writing coherently and with sufficient detail to interest your readers is most important.The third type of blog is pure entertainment. Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats is a classic example. So is Cute Overload. Entertainment blogs exist purely to amuse. And many are wildly successful; there's just something about funny cat pictures that attract lots of people. I'll confess to looking for new LOLcats at least three times a day.My personal advice for picking a topic to blog about is to chose something you're very familiar with and that you're good at. Select a topic that you can put your heart and soul into, be it a blog that is entirely jokes or a blog talking about the literary world. You need to be able to write with authority, and with a confident voice. Your blog will be much better if you know the in-jokes and the pitfalls and the little finicky details that only an expert can grasp, and you also need to be able to be accurate and reliable with your information.(We once accidentally confused the superheroes Firestorm and Firestar in a news article and a famous Eisner-award winning comic book writer working on a Spider-Man project noticed. And then he mocked us on his high-traffic site, after we had fixed the error. There are risks to covering news on subject you're not 100% familiar with -- and neither my assistant nor I are all that good with Marvel superheroes. Ah, well, it was a free link from a highly ranked site.) Despite the pitfalls, it is not at all unusual for a would-be blogger who wants to Get Rich Quick at writing (ha!) to pick a topic they're not familiar with. There's generally one of two reasons for them to do this.
The blogger has heard that a topic makes lots of ad revenue. Ads about the lung cancer mesothelioma on Google Adsense, for example, are reputed to have clicks in the $100 each range because of law firms competing for patients. It's a cancer caused by asbestos, and there's lots of litigation involved. I personally suspect that these high-dollar clicks are more of an urban legend than anything else, but there are lots of mesothelioma blogs created by people chasing those famed dollars.
The writer is copying a popular blog. They want to be the next TMZ or Boing!Boing! and they try to match the format. Surely, they think, to be the next TMZ, all they have to do is read the news that TMZ posts, rewrite a few articles, and voila -- they'll start attracting the traffic that TMZ has.
The end result of picking a topic you're not already familiar with is generally less than satisfactory. Yes, a skilled writer can research almost any topic and create a coherent article about it. However, what brings readers back is that little extra "something" that comes from experience mixed with passion for a topic. You might be able to write a short article about a topic that you've no personal experience with after plentiful research. But can you maintain the quality of your blog for hundreds of posts, while being enthusiastic about the subject?To take a mesothelioma blog as an example -- If you're not a doctor, or researcher, or patient, and you write a blog about mesothelioma, you'll simply be parroting what you've read elsewhere. Since your readers will find the same information on other blogs (and likely written with more authority, by experts) they probably won't come back and they won't tell friends. You'll struggle to attract traffic. On the other hand, a blog by a doctor who treats mesothelioma, or a patient who's trying to survive it, will bring in lots more readers. There will be that personal touch there. If you write about what you know -- be it LEGOs or the publishing industry -- you'll have more success. However, when deciding what you're going to write about, there are some additional issues you want to take into account.The first is audience. Is there anyone who wants to read it? And how much competition will you have?For example, if you're a farrier who's a total expert on the history of horseshoes from antiquity through the present ... you can probably write a fantastic blog about horseshoe history. But don't expect to get much of an audience. Your blog will likely only appeal to a small number of historians, the odd writer trying to figure out if his hero's horse would have shoes, and perhaps a few other farriers. On the other hand, if you expand your blog's focus to cover shoeing in general you'll appeal to more readers, and if you can expand it more with snarky tales about your quirky customers (think, James Herriot) and the horses you've worked on, you may start to attract the general public. Add some horse training tips, and articles on conformation, breed traits, and equine behavior, and you will appeal to ever more readers.It's perfectly okay to have a blog with a narrow focus, if that's what you want. However, you won't have as many readers. If that doesn't matter, then skip this section about "audience" and write a blog about what's in your heart. There is nothing wrong with writing something for a very limited audience. (There is, however, a point of diminishing returns when you broaden the focus of the blog. If you cover horses in your blog ... and also baseball and flower arrangements, your readers may go, "Huh? We're only interested in 1/3rd of the articles here and we don't want to wade through everything else to find them. Buh-bye.")A secondary concern is how you'll monetize it.This is only something to worry about if you want to make money. There are plenty of bloggers out there who aren't the slightest bit interested in making moola. However, if you're thinking of making advertising off the blog, you want to make sure that the focus is something that won't send advertisers screaming into the night.These subjects are commonly forbidden by advertisers: alcohol, tobacco, gambling, firearms, drugs (legal and illegal), excessive violence, adult content, warez, and hacking/cracking. In some cases, sites with a focus on religion, politics, or certain flavors of activism may also not be allowed. Copyright violations will get you banned too, so be careful about the content you post. (None of my readers would be so stupid as to copy/paste somebody else's work into your blog without permission, right? You guys are smarter than that.
However, you also have to be careful if you hire someone else to write something for you. Make sure it really is their work. We'll cover the ins and outs of hiring other people to write for you in another article.)A blog reviewing sex toys and porn? Is right out as far as Google Adsense is concerned. But you could check -- if you really want to review adult items, you might find a distributor or two that offers commissions on their dildos. (Hint: Look for an "affiliate" link on their home page.) And there are a few banner advertisers who specialize in adult content; you'd have to ask around to find them. Plus, I hear tell that you can get, umm, free samples from certain distributors for the purpose of writing reviews and you get to keep the samples, though I have no personal experience with this. The mind boggles. That would definitely be a blog where a pen name would be required ... but I digress. On the other hand, picking another topic as an example -- a blog about poultry, done by a poultry breeder? Might be surprisingly and fairly easily profitable with mainstream advertisers. Most advertisers wouldn't have an issue with the subject matter. There are quite a few chicken aficionados out there; more than most people realize. It's not a topic which is overly commercialized, so you might be able to swap ads for advertising purposes with other bloggers, forums, and web sites. You wouldn't have a huge amount of competition. And aside from pay-per-click and pay-per-view advertising, you could also make commissions on affiliate sales of poultry-related items from vendors on Amazon and eBay (eBay offers commissions to bloggers) -- and items like incubators, exotic hatching eggs, supplies and collectibles can be pretty pricey. This is one example of how a "non-mainstream" subject might work.We'll cover more about advertising and affiliate sales in the future, but for now, just be aware of common-sense issues with advertising, and think about the logistics of making the blog pay for itself when picking a topic.Now, I said above that I'd be developing a blog from the ground up over the course of these articles. The topic I've chosen for myself is, "Exploring Arizona." I'm an Arizona native, and I would be doing this anyway -- my home state is something I know and am passionate about. I can talk about Arizona all day. And, for added reader interest, and to stand out from the crowd, I can add the twist of hiking with goats. I'm mildly disabled and use a goat as a pack animal. This is unique enough that my blog should be memorable! However, aside from hiking, I can also cover special events, tourist destinations, museums, and the like. It'll be a blog about what makes Arizona special. On the audience end, I know that there are significant numbers of potential readers -- both residents of the state who might be interested in a day trip or short vacation, and foreign tourists. We have lots of visitors who might find the blog useful, particularly if I include itineraries, advice on lodging, and mileage. And as far as monetizing it, Adsense won't have an issue with the topic, nor will many other advertisers. There should be lots of matching ads, as well. And I may be able to sell items for a commission on the blog, ranging from camping and hiking gear, to hotel rooms and airfare, to music downloads on themes to match the articles. (Yeah, music. A little-known secret is that both iTunes and Amazon have decent commissions on music downloads.)Over the next several articles, as I develop my new blog, I'll cover a number of subjects including registering a domain name for your blog, site design and setup (including optimizing for search engines), how to write articles that will bring in traffic, site publicity, how to deal with content thieves, and building your search engine rank. A new article will be posted every Wednesday, so watch this column or subscribe to the RSS feed.
FEDERAL LOAN REPAYMENT
Repayment
The maximum repayment period you are eligible for is determined by your federal student loan balance at the time of consolidation. The following table shows you the loan balance ranges and the maximum repayment terms associated with the ScholarPoint Consolidation loan:
Student Loan Repayment Terms
Loan Balance Eligible Term (Months) Eligible Term (Years)
$20,000 - $39,999.99 240 20
$40,000 - $59,999.99 300 25
$60,000 and Greater 360 30
Note:
By default, your student loan term will be set to the maximum loan repayment term. You may, however, request a repayment loan term less than the maximum. There is no penalty for early repayment of school loans, so by making larger payments you may pay off your federal school debt sooner.
Repayment Schedules
There are several options available for repayment of your student loan. To help you choose the one right for you, read and evaluate the options.
Level / Standard:
Level repayment is the most common payment schedule option. Borrowers repay the equal installments over their repayment period. The minimum monthly payment is determined by the amount of the loan and the length of the repayment period. Generally, this option is the fastest and most economical method of repayment. Use our online calculator to estimate your monthly payment on a level repayment schedule.
Graduated:
Borrowers who make graduated payments will begin repaying their loans at a lower payment amount than normal and increase payment amounts over time. With ScholarPoint, you have choices including selecting a plan where your payment covers interest only for the first two years, then increases for years three through five and recalculates at a level plan for year six and on. The amount of interest paid over the life of the loan is higher with this option than with level repayment from the start, but it does allow you to pay less per month for the first five years which will give you greater flexibility.
Income Sensitive:
With an income sensitive repayment schedule, the monthly payment amount is adjusted annually to reflect changes in the borrower's income, based on the total monthly income and student loan debt. This option may be used for a maximum of five years and must be applied for after you have received a disclosure statement. If you select this option, you will be assigned a level repayment plan until you have applied for and been approved for this plan.
If you encounter hardship and are concerned that making your payments may become difficult, contact your lender or guaranty agency immediately. By taking early action to help yourself, you will receive assistance to help you avoid default. Some options available to you are the following:
Deferments let you postpone monthly payments.
Forbearance allows you to reduce or delay payments.
Forgiveness eliminates your obligation to repay all or part of your loan (forgiveness is primarily granted for permanent or total disability or death).
Change your repayment plan to either a Graduated or Income Sensitive Repayment plan.
The most important thing to do is to contact your lender or guaranty agency before any problems arise. This will allow you to work together to find a suitable solution.
Extended:
You may repay over a 25-year period on a Level or Graduated plan if you have loans totaling between $30,000 and $40,000.
The maximum repayment period you are eligible for is determined by your federal student loan balance at the time of consolidation. The following table shows you the loan balance ranges and the maximum repayment terms associated with the ScholarPoint Consolidation loan:
Student Loan Repayment Terms
Loan Balance Eligible Term (Months) Eligible Term (Years)
$20,000 - $39,999.99 240 20
$40,000 - $59,999.99 300 25
$60,000 and Greater 360 30
Note:
By default, your student loan term will be set to the maximum loan repayment term. You may, however, request a repayment loan term less than the maximum. There is no penalty for early repayment of school loans, so by making larger payments you may pay off your federal school debt sooner.
Repayment Schedules
There are several options available for repayment of your student loan. To help you choose the one right for you, read and evaluate the options.
Level / Standard:
Level repayment is the most common payment schedule option. Borrowers repay the equal installments over their repayment period. The minimum monthly payment is determined by the amount of the loan and the length of the repayment period. Generally, this option is the fastest and most economical method of repayment. Use our online calculator to estimate your monthly payment on a level repayment schedule.
Graduated:
Borrowers who make graduated payments will begin repaying their loans at a lower payment amount than normal and increase payment amounts over time. With ScholarPoint, you have choices including selecting a plan where your payment covers interest only for the first two years, then increases for years three through five and recalculates at a level plan for year six and on. The amount of interest paid over the life of the loan is higher with this option than with level repayment from the start, but it does allow you to pay less per month for the first five years which will give you greater flexibility.
Income Sensitive:
With an income sensitive repayment schedule, the monthly payment amount is adjusted annually to reflect changes in the borrower's income, based on the total monthly income and student loan debt. This option may be used for a maximum of five years and must be applied for after you have received a disclosure statement. If you select this option, you will be assigned a level repayment plan until you have applied for and been approved for this plan.
If you encounter hardship and are concerned that making your payments may become difficult, contact your lender or guaranty agency immediately. By taking early action to help yourself, you will receive assistance to help you avoid default. Some options available to you are the following:
Deferments let you postpone monthly payments.
Forbearance allows you to reduce or delay payments.
Forgiveness eliminates your obligation to repay all or part of your loan (forgiveness is primarily granted for permanent or total disability or death).
Change your repayment plan to either a Graduated or Income Sensitive Repayment plan.
The most important thing to do is to contact your lender or guaranty agency before any problems arise. This will allow you to work together to find a suitable solution.
Extended:
You may repay over a 25-year period on a Level or Graduated plan if you have loans totaling between $30,000 and $40,000.
LOAN PROCESS
Loan Process - Federal Student Loan Consolidation
Please note that ScholarPoint is not offering a Federal Consolidation Loan at this time.
ScholarPoint is the ideal place to consolidate your federal student loan online. We designed our technology platform to provide you with the most simple, instant and complete online student loan experience. As a national direct education lender we handle every step involved with funding your loan, so you never have to deal with anyone else from application to disbursement.Get Started Consolidating Federal Student loans with ScholarPoint.
Your online application will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Once you sign electronically (E-sign) you are finished and we start the steps to get your loan ready for funding. It's that easy! Other student loan lenders may say they're fast, however they only collect your personal information in order to send you a long paper application - which can add weeks or sometimes months to the time it takes to get your student loan funded.
After You Apply
ScholarPoint's mission is to make federal student loan consolidation easier for you. We will post the status of your application to your online account and send you regular emails to keep you informed. Our innovative system allows you to the track up-to-the-minute status of your loan in a private and secure online environment.
Funding
It takes 4-6 weeks to complete processing and fund your new consumer direct consolidation loan. Your new consolidation interest rate will the lowest federal base rate available on the date you completed the online application. Once your loan is funded, we will post a disclosure statement on the My Account page that provides your official loan terms. The My Account page is only available to borrowers who have started an application.
During or just after funding, your loan will be transferred to one of our funding and servicing partners. These ScholarPoint partners assume ownership and loan servicing responsibilities for your loan, and you will be notified of this transfer by ScholarPoint and our partner. Any ScholarPoint loan transferred to another party maintains the rates and benefits offered through ScholarPoint. We are available to answer any questions you may have about this part of the process.
Grace Period Hold Requests
When you apply, you can request that we hold your application until the end of your Grace Period. If you are in your Grace Period and have Stafford loans, you may be receiving an interest rate that is 6/10th less than what it will be when in repayment. If you have Subsidized loans, the government is paying your interest. When you consolidate at the end of your Grace Period, you will receive the lowest rate possible and still have the government pay your interest for the longest possible time.
Please note that ScholarPoint is not offering a Federal Consolidation Loan at this time.
ScholarPoint is the ideal place to consolidate your federal student loan online. We designed our technology platform to provide you with the most simple, instant and complete online student loan experience. As a national direct education lender we handle every step involved with funding your loan, so you never have to deal with anyone else from application to disbursement.Get Started Consolidating Federal Student loans with ScholarPoint.
Your online application will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Once you sign electronically (E-sign) you are finished and we start the steps to get your loan ready for funding. It's that easy! Other student loan lenders may say they're fast, however they only collect your personal information in order to send you a long paper application - which can add weeks or sometimes months to the time it takes to get your student loan funded.
After You Apply
ScholarPoint's mission is to make federal student loan consolidation easier for you. We will post the status of your application to your online account and send you regular emails to keep you informed. Our innovative system allows you to the track up-to-the-minute status of your loan in a private and secure online environment.
Funding
It takes 4-6 weeks to complete processing and fund your new consumer direct consolidation loan. Your new consolidation interest rate will the lowest federal base rate available on the date you completed the online application. Once your loan is funded, we will post a disclosure statement on the My Account page that provides your official loan terms. The My Account page is only available to borrowers who have started an application.
During or just after funding, your loan will be transferred to one of our funding and servicing partners. These ScholarPoint partners assume ownership and loan servicing responsibilities for your loan, and you will be notified of this transfer by ScholarPoint and our partner. Any ScholarPoint loan transferred to another party maintains the rates and benefits offered through ScholarPoint. We are available to answer any questions you may have about this part of the process.
Grace Period Hold Requests
When you apply, you can request that we hold your application until the end of your Grace Period. If you are in your Grace Period and have Stafford loans, you may be receiving an interest rate that is 6/10th less than what it will be when in repayment. If you have Subsidized loans, the government is paying your interest. When you consolidate at the end of your Grace Period, you will receive the lowest rate possible and still have the government pay your interest for the longest possible time.
SCHOOL LOAN CONSOLIDATION-FEDERAL LOANS
School Loan Consolidation - Federal Loans
Due to legislative changes affecting federal student loans and turmoil in the financial markets, ScholarPoint has suspended its Federal Consolidation Loan program. Please contact your financial aid office or current lender to apply for a consolidation loan.
Combine your existing federal student loans into one new loan online in just 10 minutes with a student loan consolidation from ScholarPoint.
Top Reasons to Consolidate:
Lower Monthly Payments up to 53%
Secure a fixed interest rate as low as 6.625%
Defer payments up to 3 years
Why Should I Consolidate My Student Loans?
Since federal student loans are just about the lowest interest loans you'll ever have, it makes sense to secure a low fixed rate and payment for the remaining loan term, especially if you're repaying other debt at higher interest rates. We believe we have developed the best online platform out there to help you accomplish this yourself without any pushy sales people calling you. Thousands of graduates and parents have already chosen ScholarPoint for our combination of convenience, service and savings.
Benefits of a Federal Student Loan Consolidation
It's not just about lower payments in the short term; here's a complete list of benefits for consolidating college loans with ScholarPoint.
Lower Monthly Payments up to 53%
Secure a fixed interest rate as low as 6.625%
Defer payments up to 3 years
Cut your interest rate another .6% by consolidating during your grace period*
Reduce your monthly bill-paying paperwork
Flexible repayment plans
Pay no penalty for early repayment
No credit check, no co-signers needed and no fees
Ready to Get Started?You can apply anytime after you finish school or once your loans go into a grace or repayment period. Use our application to enter your loan information and quickly access your new consolidation interest rate and repayment plan options. If you like what you see, you can e-sign your application. It's that easy.
Information You'll Need for the Application
Personal information - Date of birth, address, phone, driver's license and email.
Reference information - Names, addresses, and phone numbers of two references.
Current Loan information** - Loan type, loan holder, approximate rate and balance.
* Grace discount applies to loans taken out prior to July 1, 2006. **Please call us for help identifying your current loan information.
Due to legislative changes affecting federal student loans and turmoil in the financial markets, ScholarPoint has suspended its Federal Consolidation Loan program. Please contact your financial aid office or current lender to apply for a consolidation loan.
Combine your existing federal student loans into one new loan online in just 10 minutes with a student loan consolidation from ScholarPoint.
Top Reasons to Consolidate:
Lower Monthly Payments up to 53%
Secure a fixed interest rate as low as 6.625%
Defer payments up to 3 years
Why Should I Consolidate My Student Loans?
Since federal student loans are just about the lowest interest loans you'll ever have, it makes sense to secure a low fixed rate and payment for the remaining loan term, especially if you're repaying other debt at higher interest rates. We believe we have developed the best online platform out there to help you accomplish this yourself without any pushy sales people calling you. Thousands of graduates and parents have already chosen ScholarPoint for our combination of convenience, service and savings.
Benefits of a Federal Student Loan Consolidation
It's not just about lower payments in the short term; here's a complete list of benefits for consolidating college loans with ScholarPoint.
Lower Monthly Payments up to 53%
Secure a fixed interest rate as low as 6.625%
Defer payments up to 3 years
Cut your interest rate another .6% by consolidating during your grace period*
Reduce your monthly bill-paying paperwork
Flexible repayment plans
Pay no penalty for early repayment
No credit check, no co-signers needed and no fees
Ready to Get Started?You can apply anytime after you finish school or once your loans go into a grace or repayment period. Use our application to enter your loan information and quickly access your new consolidation interest rate and repayment plan options. If you like what you see, you can e-sign your application. It's that easy.
Information You'll Need for the Application
Personal information - Date of birth, address, phone, driver's license and email.
Reference information - Names, addresses, and phone numbers of two references.
Current Loan information** - Loan type, loan holder, approximate rate and balance.
* Grace discount applies to loans taken out prior to July 1, 2006. **Please call us for help identifying your current loan information.
ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOOL LOAN CONSOLIDATION-FEDERAL LOANS
Eligibility
We can help you get started right away. Here is what you need to be eligible for a Federal Consolidation loan with ScholarPoint:
One or more eligible Federal Student loans with combined balances greater than $20,000.
Generally you will have graduated, left school, or be attending school less than half time. The exception being if loans are or have previously been in a grace period or repayment.
Loans must be in a grace period, deferment, forbearance or in repayment status at the time of application.
Only one Federal Consolidation Loan Application may be in process at a time. If you have another application in process it will need to be cancelled prior to applying with ScholarPoint. You can cancel other applications by contacting those lenders via phone, fax, email, or regular mail. You may use our cancellation form letter as a guide to cancel an existing application.
Loans must be in good standing and not in default. If you are in default, a series of on-time payments can correct this.
If you have consolidated previously, you must have at least one additional loan not previously consolidated or you must be consolidating two previous consolidations together.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact our
showMailSPEncodedLink("Assistance","customer support team");
customer support team. Apply for a Federal Consolidation Loan > -->Loans eligible for Federal Consolidation:
All Federal Stafford Loans
All Federal Direct Student Loans
Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
Graduate PLUS Loans
Federal Perkins Loans
Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL)
Nursing Student Loans
Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)
Auxiliary Loans to Assist Students (ALAS)
National Direct Student Loans (NDSL)
Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL)
Federal Consolidation Loans (you must have multiple consolidation loans or at least one loan not previously consolidated)
We can help you get started right away. Here is what you need to be eligible for a Federal Consolidation loan with ScholarPoint:
One or more eligible Federal Student loans with combined balances greater than $20,000.
Generally you will have graduated, left school, or be attending school less than half time. The exception being if loans are or have previously been in a grace period or repayment.
Loans must be in a grace period, deferment, forbearance or in repayment status at the time of application.
Only one Federal Consolidation Loan Application may be in process at a time. If you have another application in process it will need to be cancelled prior to applying with ScholarPoint. You can cancel other applications by contacting those lenders via phone, fax, email, or regular mail. You may use our cancellation form letter as a guide to cancel an existing application.
Loans must be in good standing and not in default. If you are in default, a series of on-time payments can correct this.
If you have consolidated previously, you must have at least one additional loan not previously consolidated or you must be consolidating two previous consolidations together.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact our
showMailSPEncodedLink("Assistance","customer support team");
customer support team. Apply for a Federal Consolidation Loan > -->Loans eligible for Federal Consolidation:
All Federal Stafford Loans
All Federal Direct Student Loans
Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
Graduate PLUS Loans
Federal Perkins Loans
Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL)
Nursing Student Loans
Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)
Auxiliary Loans to Assist Students (ALAS)
National Direct Student Loans (NDSL)
Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL)
Federal Consolidation Loans (you must have multiple consolidation loans or at least one loan not previously consolidated)
STUDENT LOAN CONSOLIDATION STEP BY STEP
Student Loan Consolidation Step-by-Step
You understand the benefits of consolidating student loans such as lower monthly payments and the ability to pay a single bill rather than writing 5-10 different checks each month. But what exactly is the process of consolidating student loans?
Student Loan Consolidation: Overview
Because of the additional benefits of federal student loans, federal and private loans must be consolidated separately. If you have both types of loans, it’s recommended that you begin by consolidating your federal student loans first, as this will result in the greatest cost savings.
Step 1: Verify your current loan standing
Your current student loans must be in good standing and not in default status. If they are, you’ll need to make the payments required to get them paid up to date before consolidating student loans.
Common questions and concerns:
Q. My loan is in forbearance or deferred; is this considered being “in good standing?”A. Yes, as long as you have not defaulted on your loans, you can consolidate with ScholarPoint.
Step 2: Gather required information
You’ll need the contact information of 2 friends or family members and the names and addresses of your current loan companies. To save yourself a step, ScholarPoint can instantly access all of the necessary information about your current lenders from the National Student Loan Database system during the application process with your permission.
Common questions and concerns:
Q. Will those I list as references be responsible for paying my loan if I default?A. No, your references are not cosigners. Like any lending institution, we collect reference information just in case we can’t reach you by mail or phone once you have a loan with ScholarPoint.
Step 3: Apply online
It’s important to note that just because you submit an application with ScholarPoint to consolidate student loans; this does not mean that you’re required to accept the loan. If, and only if you like the rates and payment terms, you can electronically sign for acceptance of the consolidation loan via ScholarPoint’s secure system. If you’d prefer to physically sign the application, you can print, sign, and mail it directly to ScholarPoint for processing.
Common questions and concerns
Q. The application asks for my social security number, will you run a credit check to consolidate my federal loans?A. No – there is no credit check required at any point during the process of consolidating federal student loans.
You understand the benefits of consolidating student loans such as lower monthly payments and the ability to pay a single bill rather than writing 5-10 different checks each month. But what exactly is the process of consolidating student loans?
Student Loan Consolidation: Overview
Because of the additional benefits of federal student loans, federal and private loans must be consolidated separately. If you have both types of loans, it’s recommended that you begin by consolidating your federal student loans first, as this will result in the greatest cost savings.
Step 1: Verify your current loan standing
Your current student loans must be in good standing and not in default status. If they are, you’ll need to make the payments required to get them paid up to date before consolidating student loans.
Common questions and concerns:
Q. My loan is in forbearance or deferred; is this considered being “in good standing?”A. Yes, as long as you have not defaulted on your loans, you can consolidate with ScholarPoint.
Step 2: Gather required information
You’ll need the contact information of 2 friends or family members and the names and addresses of your current loan companies. To save yourself a step, ScholarPoint can instantly access all of the necessary information about your current lenders from the National Student Loan Database system during the application process with your permission.
Common questions and concerns:
Q. Will those I list as references be responsible for paying my loan if I default?A. No, your references are not cosigners. Like any lending institution, we collect reference information just in case we can’t reach you by mail or phone once you have a loan with ScholarPoint.
Step 3: Apply online
It’s important to note that just because you submit an application with ScholarPoint to consolidate student loans; this does not mean that you’re required to accept the loan. If, and only if you like the rates and payment terms, you can electronically sign for acceptance of the consolidation loan via ScholarPoint’s secure system. If you’d prefer to physically sign the application, you can print, sign, and mail it directly to ScholarPoint for processing.
Common questions and concerns
Q. The application asks for my social security number, will you run a credit check to consolidate my federal loans?A. No – there is no credit check required at any point during the process of consolidating federal student loans.
CONTINUE EDUCATION ABROAD EVEN WHEN DOLLARS VALUE FALLS
Keeping Study Abroad Affordable as Dollar Sags and Schools Raise Study-Abroad Fees
With the U.S. dollar at an all-time low and continuing to lose value to other currencies, many college study-abroad programs are becoming increasingly expensive. Colleges’ study-abroad costs have gone up 10 to 15 percent in the last few years due to the flagging dollar, reports Karin Fischer in the Chronicle of Higher Education (“Declining Dollar Has Colleges Scrambling to Cover Study-Abroad Costs,” Dec. 6, 2007).
If you’re drawn to the idea of study abroad but concerned about being able to cover the rising costs, you may be able to find lower-cost program options in less popular destinations and in countries where the dollar holds more value. By opting for a lower-cost destination, you may be able to keep your study-abroad program more affordable and minimize your need for student loans.
Study-Abroad Costs on the Rise
Almost 60% of study-abroad students from the United States choose a program in Europe, reports Fischer. According to the Institute of International Education, the top study-abroad destinations are the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France.
But with the dollar down 5 percent against the pound and 10 percent against the euro in 2007 alone, students in European programs are finding that their dollar-based budgets don’t stretch as far as they used to. The purchasing power of their U.S. dollars is down from even just a few short months ago: Since the beginning of the fall semester, the dollar has already tumbled 8.5 percent against the euro.
Scrambling to keep up with the rapidly sinking dollar, some schools are cutting back on program offerings and raising program fees to students, even re-setting already-published costs for upcoming programs. Austin College in Texas, for instance, has already adjusted the price of one of its Greece courses four times since May.
Studying Abroad on a Budget
Despite rising costs and a declining dollar, you may still be able to find study-abroad options that are financially feasible and that minimize your need for student loans. As you’re filling out your study-abroad applications, here are some things to keep in mind:
Consider programs in South America, Africa or Asia where currency exchange rates are more favorable and your dollar will stretch further.
Ask your study-abroad advisor about less mainstream destinations that may have less expensive programs.
Select a short-term, instead of a semester- or year-long, study-abroad program.
Check whether your study-abroad program qualifies for federal financial aid, so you can use your federal grants and college loans to help pay your program tuition and fees.
Make sure your study-abroad program is approved by your school for transfer credit, so you don’t end up taking classes that you can’t count toward your graduation requirements.
Budget for higher living costs due to the declining dollar.
Financing Study Abroad
You can usually apply your federal financial aid awards to school-approved study-abroad programs — check with your financial aid office. NextStudent offers a variety of federal parent student loans, graduate student loans, and undergraduate college loans to help you finance your study-abroad program. You can also search the over 5.9 million scholarships in our award-winning Scholarship Search Engine for awards available specifically for foreign study programs.
If your study abroad costs still exceed your available financial aid, even after grants, scholarships, and federal parent and student loans, NextStudent’s Private Student Loans could provide the additional financial assistance you need. Federal student loans generally offer more attractive terms than private student loans, so make sure you take advantage of your federal financing options first.
With the U.S. dollar at an all-time low and continuing to lose value to other currencies, many college study-abroad programs are becoming increasingly expensive. Colleges’ study-abroad costs have gone up 10 to 15 percent in the last few years due to the flagging dollar, reports Karin Fischer in the Chronicle of Higher Education (“Declining Dollar Has Colleges Scrambling to Cover Study-Abroad Costs,” Dec. 6, 2007).
If you’re drawn to the idea of study abroad but concerned about being able to cover the rising costs, you may be able to find lower-cost program options in less popular destinations and in countries where the dollar holds more value. By opting for a lower-cost destination, you may be able to keep your study-abroad program more affordable and minimize your need for student loans.
Study-Abroad Costs on the Rise
Almost 60% of study-abroad students from the United States choose a program in Europe, reports Fischer. According to the Institute of International Education, the top study-abroad destinations are the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France.
But with the dollar down 5 percent against the pound and 10 percent against the euro in 2007 alone, students in European programs are finding that their dollar-based budgets don’t stretch as far as they used to. The purchasing power of their U.S. dollars is down from even just a few short months ago: Since the beginning of the fall semester, the dollar has already tumbled 8.5 percent against the euro.
Scrambling to keep up with the rapidly sinking dollar, some schools are cutting back on program offerings and raising program fees to students, even re-setting already-published costs for upcoming programs. Austin College in Texas, for instance, has already adjusted the price of one of its Greece courses four times since May.
Studying Abroad on a Budget
Despite rising costs and a declining dollar, you may still be able to find study-abroad options that are financially feasible and that minimize your need for student loans. As you’re filling out your study-abroad applications, here are some things to keep in mind:
Consider programs in South America, Africa or Asia where currency exchange rates are more favorable and your dollar will stretch further.
Ask your study-abroad advisor about less mainstream destinations that may have less expensive programs.
Select a short-term, instead of a semester- or year-long, study-abroad program.
Check whether your study-abroad program qualifies for federal financial aid, so you can use your federal grants and college loans to help pay your program tuition and fees.
Make sure your study-abroad program is approved by your school for transfer credit, so you don’t end up taking classes that you can’t count toward your graduation requirements.
Budget for higher living costs due to the declining dollar.
Financing Study Abroad
You can usually apply your federal financial aid awards to school-approved study-abroad programs — check with your financial aid office. NextStudent offers a variety of federal parent student loans, graduate student loans, and undergraduate college loans to help you finance your study-abroad program. You can also search the over 5.9 million scholarships in our award-winning Scholarship Search Engine for awards available specifically for foreign study programs.
If your study abroad costs still exceed your available financial aid, even after grants, scholarships, and federal parent and student loans, NextStudent’s Private Student Loans could provide the additional financial assistance you need. Federal student loans generally offer more attractive terms than private student loans, so make sure you take advantage of your federal financing options first.
TOP 10 COLLEGES AND STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
2008 Online College Rankings Spotlight Availability of Financial Aid
The Online Education Database recently released its second annual Online College Rankings list, highlighting the top 41 undergraduate online degree programs in the country.
Enrollment in online education programs has grown considerably over the past five years. In 2006 alone, enrollment rose by 10 percent, with nearly 3.5 million students — almost 20 percent of all U.S. higher education students — enrolled in at least one online course, according to The Sloan Consortium.
This upsurge in online enrollments may be at least partly explained by the flexibility online degree programs offer. With their right-at-your-desktop virtual classrooms and classes that can be taken around the clock, online programs are able to accommodate the schedules of non-traditional students who might otherwise be unable to attend a college or university. From stay-at-home parents who can’t make the commute to full-time professionals who can’t attend classes on a typical college schedule, these non-traditional students, in growing numbers, have been able to capitalize on the flexibility of online degree programs, as well as on the availability of financial aid and student loans.
Top 10 Online Schools of 2008
In its rankings, the OEDb measured online programs in eight areas, including acceptance rate, student-faculty ratio, and availability of financial aid. In the financial aid category, the OEDb rated schools on the percentage of their students who are awarded financial aid.
The OEDb’s top 10 online schools of 2008, along with the percentage of their students who receive financial aid, are:
Upper Iowa University (100%)
LeTourneau University (99%)
Liberty University (99%)
Nova Southeastern University (94%)
California University of Pennsylvania (83%)
Grand Canyon University (90%)
Regent University (84%)
Champlain College (75%)
Westwood College (100%)
Tiffin University (96%)
Financing Your Online Education
As a student in an accredited online degree program, you generally have the same college loans and financial aid options available to you as brick-and-mortar students. Depending on your financial aid situation, you could qualify to receive need-based federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants, Perkins student loans, and subsidized Stafford student loans. You may also be able to obtain additional funds from non–need-based private student loans and Federal PLUS Loans, Grad PLUS Loans, and unsubsidized Stafford student loans to help pay for your online education.
3 Types of Financial Aid
Like brick-and-mortar college students, as an online degree student, you may have three basic types of financial aid available to you:
1) Federal Financial Aid
Federal financial aid may be either need-based or non–need-based. You’ll need to submit a FAFSA each year to qualify for most types of federal aid. Federal financial aid can come in the form of grants, which never have to be repaid; work-study awards, which you’ll have to earn throughout the semester, but which also won’t have to be repaid; and low-interest parent and student loans.
2) Institutional Financial Aid
Your school may award scholarships, grants, or student loans out of its own endowment. These institutional awards may be merit-based, need-based, or both. For its need-based awards, your school may require its own financial application in addition to or in lieu of the FAFSA. Make sure you check with your financial aid office.
3) Private Student Loans
If the education-related costs of your online degree program exceed your available federal and institutional financial aid, you may be able to get the additional funds you need with NextStudent’s Private Student Loans. Our Private Student Loans have no application deadlines, so you can apply at any point throughout the year, to fit your online class and tuition schedule — even if you missed the deadline to apply for federal financial aid.
In general, though, federal college loans offer more attractive terms than private student loans, so you should always look into your federal financing options first.
Once you graduate, you may even be able to consolidate your private student loans with a NextStudent Private Student Loan Consolidation.
The Online Education Database recently released its second annual Online College Rankings list, highlighting the top 41 undergraduate online degree programs in the country.
Enrollment in online education programs has grown considerably over the past five years. In 2006 alone, enrollment rose by 10 percent, with nearly 3.5 million students — almost 20 percent of all U.S. higher education students — enrolled in at least one online course, according to The Sloan Consortium.
This upsurge in online enrollments may be at least partly explained by the flexibility online degree programs offer. With their right-at-your-desktop virtual classrooms and classes that can be taken around the clock, online programs are able to accommodate the schedules of non-traditional students who might otherwise be unable to attend a college or university. From stay-at-home parents who can’t make the commute to full-time professionals who can’t attend classes on a typical college schedule, these non-traditional students, in growing numbers, have been able to capitalize on the flexibility of online degree programs, as well as on the availability of financial aid and student loans.
Top 10 Online Schools of 2008
In its rankings, the OEDb measured online programs in eight areas, including acceptance rate, student-faculty ratio, and availability of financial aid. In the financial aid category, the OEDb rated schools on the percentage of their students who are awarded financial aid.
The OEDb’s top 10 online schools of 2008, along with the percentage of their students who receive financial aid, are:
Upper Iowa University (100%)
LeTourneau University (99%)
Liberty University (99%)
Nova Southeastern University (94%)
California University of Pennsylvania (83%)
Grand Canyon University (90%)
Regent University (84%)
Champlain College (75%)
Westwood College (100%)
Tiffin University (96%)
Financing Your Online Education
As a student in an accredited online degree program, you generally have the same college loans and financial aid options available to you as brick-and-mortar students. Depending on your financial aid situation, you could qualify to receive need-based federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants, Perkins student loans, and subsidized Stafford student loans. You may also be able to obtain additional funds from non–need-based private student loans and Federal PLUS Loans, Grad PLUS Loans, and unsubsidized Stafford student loans to help pay for your online education.
3 Types of Financial Aid
Like brick-and-mortar college students, as an online degree student, you may have three basic types of financial aid available to you:
1) Federal Financial Aid
Federal financial aid may be either need-based or non–need-based. You’ll need to submit a FAFSA each year to qualify for most types of federal aid. Federal financial aid can come in the form of grants, which never have to be repaid; work-study awards, which you’ll have to earn throughout the semester, but which also won’t have to be repaid; and low-interest parent and student loans.
2) Institutional Financial Aid
Your school may award scholarships, grants, or student loans out of its own endowment. These institutional awards may be merit-based, need-based, or both. For its need-based awards, your school may require its own financial application in addition to or in lieu of the FAFSA. Make sure you check with your financial aid office.
3) Private Student Loans
If the education-related costs of your online degree program exceed your available federal and institutional financial aid, you may be able to get the additional funds you need with NextStudent’s Private Student Loans. Our Private Student Loans have no application deadlines, so you can apply at any point throughout the year, to fit your online class and tuition schedule — even if you missed the deadline to apply for federal financial aid.
In general, though, federal college loans offer more attractive terms than private student loans, so you should always look into your federal financing options first.
Once you graduate, you may even be able to consolidate your private student loans with a NextStudent Private Student Loan Consolidation.
Monday, October 20, 2008
CREDIT CARD OFFERS ON OCTOBER 2008
ABN AMRO BANK
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• The unique offer “World is Your” is specially designed by ABN AMRO Bank just for you. Enjoy 4 Days & 3 Nights stay at any of the 250 RCI properties in India & around the world at a very nominal fee without being a RCI member. The Exclusive offer is valid for a couple & 2 children. (Till 31st Dec 08) Dinning Offer
• Get discounts at over 1400 restaurants across the country ranging from 15-30%. You also get discounts on hotels, chemist and many more. Dining Plus card is valid for 1 yr from the date of its issuance.
• 0% Surcharge on Fuel Transactions anywhere in India, The program gets you a waiver of transaction fee of 2.5% on petrol purchases across any fuel outlet in India
AXIS BANK
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• Choice Hotels India offers over 30 hotels across 23 destinations under the international brands of Comfort, Quality and Clarion. Choice Hotels India is a part of Choice Hotels International, one of the largest and most widespread lodging franchisors of the world with over 5,000 hotels across the globe. Enjoy up to 20% discount on rack rates at Choice Hotels India. (Till Dec 08).
• The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach Kerala and enjoy a 10% discount on the prevailing Holiday Offers (for a minimum of three nights' stay) (Till Dec 08)
• Enjoy 20% discount on rack rates at Fortune Hotels. (Till Dec 08)1)Domestic and International Ticketing - Axis Bank Cardholders (Debit / Credit) will get 5% cash back on all Domestic airfares 4% cash back on International airfares displayed on Akbartravelonline.com.2) Hotel Bookings and Holiday Packages - Axis Bank Cardholders (Debit / Credit) will get 10% cash back Hotel Bookings and 15% cash back on Holiday Package prices displayed on Akbartravelonline.com.3)10% cash back on Carnival Cruises and Star Cruises.
Shopping Offer
• 10% discount on the desktops & notebooks of Dell. (Till Dec 08)
• Shop at TBZ - The Original with your Axis Bank Credit Card and take home fine jeweler studded with some Spice rewards!
• Spend a cumulative amount of Rs. 1, 00,000 over a period of 3 months at Adora Outlet with your Axis Bank Credit Card and get a Gift Hamper or Voucher worth Rs. 20,000, courtesy Adora.
• Flat 15% discount to Axis Bank Credit Cardholders on tele shopping (for cities as detailed herein below) of any product listed on its website fnp.in. (Till Dec 08) • Sifymall offers a wide range of brands, products and gift certificates, coupled with some really great shopping deals. Axis Bank Cards has got you a special pricing on a select set of products. What’s more, use your Card to buy any product from the list to get a pearl pendant absolutely FREE!!Entertainment Offer * Get 50% of cash back at all the Multiplexes across India through your Axis Bank Corporate Card*Exclusive offer for Axis Bank corporate credit card holders,a discount up to 20% on hotels 7 computers
• You can now cruise around in the luxury of Hertz's chauffeur driven cars with a 35% discount on car rental charges. (Till Dec 09)
• Get 15% more music at select Music World Stores across India. Axis Bank brings you 15% off Gift Vouchers at India's largest music and home video retail store. This offer is applicable on Axis Bank Credit. (31st Oct 08).Barclays Credit Card Credit Card Offers Travel Offer• Get 500 cash back offer on domestic flights with Yatra Barclaycard Platinum* 10% cash back offer on flights booked through yatra.com*Amazing discounts & special packages on Holiday resorts.
Shopping Offer
• See the offers for your Barclays Card at Futurebazaar.com * Get heavy discounts on top apparels, footware,furniture & many more on Barclays Times card. • You can also see the city wise offers for your Barclays credit CardEntertainment Offer*Get smashing discounts on latest blockbuster movies, concerts & high profile shows.Citibank credit Card offers Travel Offer • Get 20% discount on priority pass and availed this over 500 airport VIP lounges over 275 cities across World through Citibank Platinum credit Card.
• On 10000 JPmiles you can have a complimentary upgrade voucher with the Jet Airways Citibank credit Card.
Shopping Offer
• Get 25% cash back with the Citibank Cash back Gold card.Petrol Offer
• No transaction fee applicable on Indian oil Outlets, if you use the Citibank Indian Oil Credit Card.
• You can save 5%evertime you fill the fuel from IOC pumps
DEUTSCHE BANK
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• Travel offers for Platinum Card holders..Entertainment Offer
• Log on to Bookmyshow.com and book a ticket through you Deutsche Platinum Credit card today & get another movie ticket absolutely free.
Petrol Offer
• With Deutsche Bank you won’t have to pay 2.5% surcharge at petrol pumps across India (for all petrol transactions between Rs. 400/- to Rs. 4000/-). In addition you get 2.5% savings as part of your Savings Plan. HDFC Credit Card Offers Travel Offer*Get special cash back discount on retail spends from 15 september to 15 November.
• 5% Cash back on domestic air transactions above Rs.10,000 through domestic airline websites (2.5% on transactions below Rs.10,000)
• 5% Cash back on all rail transactions through www.irctc.co.in*Get up to 50% discount on car rentals from Hertz-Rent-a-car, through IBTC membership.*Free Airmiles across leading airlines on redemption of reward points.*Through your HDFC Bank Visa Credit Card, you can enjoy the Thailand Grand sale.*Get 10% cash back on domestic & international airlines & hotel booking through www.yatra.com.
Shopping Offer
• Shop online using Direct Pay and avail discounts only for HDFC Bank's customers.• See more offers for HDFC Bank Visa cardholders.
Petrol Offer
• Enjoy 0% fuel surcharge on BPCL petrol pumps with your HDFC Bank Credit Cards
HSBC
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• Deals made on MakeMyTrip.com using HSBC credit card, get: 3% cash back on domestic airlines tickets; 5% cash back on international airline tickets; 10% cash back on hotels and holiday packages.
• 10% off on Globus and Cosmos vacations on Europe & North America. (Till Dec0s8)
• Get 10% off on Costa cruises & Norwegian Cruise Lines. (Till Dec08).
Shopping Offer
• Exclusive offer for HSBC Gold card Holders
• To know more shopping deals in your city.
• Buy movie tickets online through bookmyshow.com using your HSBC Credit Card and avail of fabulous discounts. (Till 1st Jan 09).
• 25% off on your first online purchase through bookmyshow.com
• 20% off on your second online purchase through bookmyshow.com
• 15% off on your third online purchase through bookmyshow.com
• Shop with your HSBC Credit Card at Westside to enjoy an additional 5% off on purchases. This is over and above the discount of up to 50% offered by Westside!
• More Discounts and offers on HSBC Gold Visa card.
SBI
Credit card offers
Travel offer
• Privilege Circle Program get discounts for your dream vacation with your SBI card.Shopping Offer*Get Rs.500 off while shopping through www.homeshop18.comPetrol Offer
• Save 2.5% on transaction fee with SBI Gold Card.
•Buy fuel from any of the petrol pumps of Rs.400 to Rs.3000& get 0% surcharge.
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• The unique offer “World is Your” is specially designed by ABN AMRO Bank just for you. Enjoy 4 Days & 3 Nights stay at any of the 250 RCI properties in India & around the world at a very nominal fee without being a RCI member. The Exclusive offer is valid for a couple & 2 children. (Till 31st Dec 08) Dinning Offer
• Get discounts at over 1400 restaurants across the country ranging from 15-30%. You also get discounts on hotels, chemist and many more. Dining Plus card is valid for 1 yr from the date of its issuance.
• 0% Surcharge on Fuel Transactions anywhere in India, The program gets you a waiver of transaction fee of 2.5% on petrol purchases across any fuel outlet in India
AXIS BANK
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• Choice Hotels India offers over 30 hotels across 23 destinations under the international brands of Comfort, Quality and Clarion. Choice Hotels India is a part of Choice Hotels International, one of the largest and most widespread lodging franchisors of the world with over 5,000 hotels across the globe. Enjoy up to 20% discount on rack rates at Choice Hotels India. (Till Dec 08).
• The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach Kerala and enjoy a 10% discount on the prevailing Holiday Offers (for a minimum of three nights' stay) (Till Dec 08)
• Enjoy 20% discount on rack rates at Fortune Hotels. (Till Dec 08)1)Domestic and International Ticketing - Axis Bank Cardholders (Debit / Credit) will get 5% cash back on all Domestic airfares 4% cash back on International airfares displayed on Akbartravelonline.com.2) Hotel Bookings and Holiday Packages - Axis Bank Cardholders (Debit / Credit) will get 10% cash back Hotel Bookings and 15% cash back on Holiday Package prices displayed on Akbartravelonline.com.3)10% cash back on Carnival Cruises and Star Cruises.
Shopping Offer
• 10% discount on the desktops & notebooks of Dell. (Till Dec 08)
• Shop at TBZ - The Original with your Axis Bank Credit Card and take home fine jeweler studded with some Spice rewards!
• Spend a cumulative amount of Rs. 1, 00,000 over a period of 3 months at Adora Outlet with your Axis Bank Credit Card and get a Gift Hamper or Voucher worth Rs. 20,000, courtesy Adora.
• Flat 15% discount to Axis Bank Credit Cardholders on tele shopping (for cities as detailed herein below) of any product listed on its website fnp.in. (Till Dec 08) • Sifymall offers a wide range of brands, products and gift certificates, coupled with some really great shopping deals. Axis Bank Cards has got you a special pricing on a select set of products. What’s more, use your Card to buy any product from the list to get a pearl pendant absolutely FREE!!Entertainment Offer * Get 50% of cash back at all the Multiplexes across India through your Axis Bank Corporate Card*Exclusive offer for Axis Bank corporate credit card holders,a discount up to 20% on hotels 7 computers
• You can now cruise around in the luxury of Hertz's chauffeur driven cars with a 35% discount on car rental charges. (Till Dec 09)
• Get 15% more music at select Music World Stores across India. Axis Bank brings you 15% off Gift Vouchers at India's largest music and home video retail store. This offer is applicable on Axis Bank Credit. (31st Oct 08).Barclays Credit Card Credit Card Offers Travel Offer• Get 500 cash back offer on domestic flights with Yatra Barclaycard Platinum* 10% cash back offer on flights booked through yatra.com*Amazing discounts & special packages on Holiday resorts.
Shopping Offer
• See the offers for your Barclays Card at Futurebazaar.com * Get heavy discounts on top apparels, footware,furniture & many more on Barclays Times card. • You can also see the city wise offers for your Barclays credit CardEntertainment Offer*Get smashing discounts on latest blockbuster movies, concerts & high profile shows.Citibank credit Card offers Travel Offer • Get 20% discount on priority pass and availed this over 500 airport VIP lounges over 275 cities across World through Citibank Platinum credit Card.
• On 10000 JPmiles you can have a complimentary upgrade voucher with the Jet Airways Citibank credit Card.
Shopping Offer
• Get 25% cash back with the Citibank Cash back Gold card.Petrol Offer
• No transaction fee applicable on Indian oil Outlets, if you use the Citibank Indian Oil Credit Card.
• You can save 5%evertime you fill the fuel from IOC pumps
DEUTSCHE BANK
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• Travel offers for Platinum Card holders..Entertainment Offer
• Log on to Bookmyshow.com and book a ticket through you Deutsche Platinum Credit card today & get another movie ticket absolutely free.
Petrol Offer
• With Deutsche Bank you won’t have to pay 2.5% surcharge at petrol pumps across India (for all petrol transactions between Rs. 400/- to Rs. 4000/-). In addition you get 2.5% savings as part of your Savings Plan. HDFC Credit Card Offers Travel Offer*Get special cash back discount on retail spends from 15 september to 15 November.
• 5% Cash back on domestic air transactions above Rs.10,000 through domestic airline websites (2.5% on transactions below Rs.10,000)
• 5% Cash back on all rail transactions through www.irctc.co.in*Get up to 50% discount on car rentals from Hertz-Rent-a-car, through IBTC membership.*Free Airmiles across leading airlines on redemption of reward points.*Through your HDFC Bank Visa Credit Card, you can enjoy the Thailand Grand sale.*Get 10% cash back on domestic & international airlines & hotel booking through www.yatra.com.
Shopping Offer
• Shop online using Direct Pay and avail discounts only for HDFC Bank's customers.• See more offers for HDFC Bank Visa cardholders.
Petrol Offer
• Enjoy 0% fuel surcharge on BPCL petrol pumps with your HDFC Bank Credit Cards
HSBC
Credit Card Offers
Travel Offer
• Deals made on MakeMyTrip.com using HSBC credit card, get: 3% cash back on domestic airlines tickets; 5% cash back on international airline tickets; 10% cash back on hotels and holiday packages.
• 10% off on Globus and Cosmos vacations on Europe & North America. (Till Dec0s8)
• Get 10% off on Costa cruises & Norwegian Cruise Lines. (Till Dec08).
Shopping Offer
• Exclusive offer for HSBC Gold card Holders
• To know more shopping deals in your city.
• Buy movie tickets online through bookmyshow.com using your HSBC Credit Card and avail of fabulous discounts. (Till 1st Jan 09).
• 25% off on your first online purchase through bookmyshow.com
• 20% off on your second online purchase through bookmyshow.com
• 15% off on your third online purchase through bookmyshow.com
• Shop with your HSBC Credit Card at Westside to enjoy an additional 5% off on purchases. This is over and above the discount of up to 50% offered by Westside!
• More Discounts and offers on HSBC Gold Visa card.
SBI
Credit card offers
Travel offer
• Privilege Circle Program get discounts for your dream vacation with your SBI card.Shopping Offer*Get Rs.500 off while shopping through www.homeshop18.comPetrol Offer
• Save 2.5% on transaction fee with SBI Gold Card.
•Buy fuel from any of the petrol pumps of Rs.400 to Rs.3000& get 0% surcharge.
PLAN YOUR WEDDING
How to Get Ready Before You Go Shopping for a Wedding Dress
Going shopping for a wedding dress is one of the most exciting parts of a woman's life. Picking out a dress for this very important day in your life can be awe inspiring and daunting at the same time. Some women who start shopping for a wedding dress are not prepared for the actual job of doing the shopping. There are a few must know things that you need to know before you go shopping for your wedding dress.
Step1
Look at your finances before you go out to shop for your wedding dress. You need to figure out a budget for your wedding dress before you step into that first gown. This is a very important step that is often overlooked. When you do not have a set budget in mind before you go shopping for your wedding dress, it will be very easy to over spend on your dress. Be realistic when you are setting a budget for your wedding dress. This is a once in a lifetime purchase and should be treated as such.
Step2
Look through many bridal magazines before you start shopping for your wedding dress. It is good to do a lot of research of what types of wedding dresses are available. If you have never looked into the many types of dresses available, you will be amazed at the variety. Take your time looking through the magazines. Cut out any pictures of wedding dresses that you feel drawn to.
Step3
Look at the different basic styles of wedding dresses that you are drawn to. There are ball gowns, mermaid style, and A line dresses to name a few. You need to have an idea about what type of style wedding dress that you would like to wear on your special day. One of the first questions that your bridal consultant will ask you is what type of wedding dress you were looking for. You should have a style in mind, strapless or not, and how beaded and lacy you would like your dress. This does not mean that you can not change your mind as you try dresses on. This will just give your bridal consultant a place to start when pulling wedding dresses for you.
Step4
Try on as many wedding dresses as you need to. It may take you three dresses to find your dream wedding dress. It might take you many more then that. Try on everything in the store that catches your eye. It may be the wedding dress that did not look good on the hanger that fits you perfectly for your wedding day.
Going shopping for a wedding dress is one of the most exciting parts of a woman's life. Picking out a dress for this very important day in your life can be awe inspiring and daunting at the same time. Some women who start shopping for a wedding dress are not prepared for the actual job of doing the shopping. There are a few must know things that you need to know before you go shopping for your wedding dress.
Step1
Look at your finances before you go out to shop for your wedding dress. You need to figure out a budget for your wedding dress before you step into that first gown. This is a very important step that is often overlooked. When you do not have a set budget in mind before you go shopping for your wedding dress, it will be very easy to over spend on your dress. Be realistic when you are setting a budget for your wedding dress. This is a once in a lifetime purchase and should be treated as such.
Step2
Look through many bridal magazines before you start shopping for your wedding dress. It is good to do a lot of research of what types of wedding dresses are available. If you have never looked into the many types of dresses available, you will be amazed at the variety. Take your time looking through the magazines. Cut out any pictures of wedding dresses that you feel drawn to.
Step3
Look at the different basic styles of wedding dresses that you are drawn to. There are ball gowns, mermaid style, and A line dresses to name a few. You need to have an idea about what type of style wedding dress that you would like to wear on your special day. One of the first questions that your bridal consultant will ask you is what type of wedding dress you were looking for. You should have a style in mind, strapless or not, and how beaded and lacy you would like your dress. This does not mean that you can not change your mind as you try dresses on. This will just give your bridal consultant a place to start when pulling wedding dresses for you.
Step4
Try on as many wedding dresses as you need to. It may take you three dresses to find your dream wedding dress. It might take you many more then that. Try on everything in the store that catches your eye. It may be the wedding dress that did not look good on the hanger that fits you perfectly for your wedding day.
WEDDING TRADITION IN SUDAN
A bridegroom ceremony is a common wedding practice in the Sudan. The bridegroom is welcomed to the wedding site with an auspicious decoration called the umbul-umbul, a type of 'wedding announcement'. The mother of the bride gives the bridegroom a garland of flowers, welcoming him into her family. She also gives him a 'keris', a hidden message encouraging him not to be disheartened while toiling for his family. The bridegroom welcome is followed by a procession of ladies with candles, who pray for the ceremony. The bride and groom sit next to each other under an umbrella in front of the entrance to their future home with a veil covering both of their heads. The umbrella is held over the couple's head, serving not only a very practical purpose by also symbolizing esteem and respect. The bride and groom bend forward and kiss the knees of their parents, a ceremony called sungkem, asking for forgiveness and blessing and promising to continue to serve their parents. This wedding ritual is held in front of a gargoyle fountain. Water flowing from the gargoyle suggests the continuous flow of priceless parental love for their children. A chosen man and woman, sing a special song called kidung on behalf of the parents, advising the couple to treat each other well and to live in harmony. Kidung also invokes blessing upon the couple. An egg breaking ceremony, called nincak endog, requires the couple to stand facing each other in front of their house. The bridegroom stands outside the entrance and the bride stands inside. The ceremony is conducted by the Sudanese equivalent of an American 'maid of honor', who remains an advisor throughout the marriage. In this ceremony, seven broomsticks are burnt and thrown away, dramatizing the discarding of bad habits which endanger married life. The groom is pronounced master of his house when the egg is broken. His bride cleans the his foot with water from a kendi, an earthen water jug which represents peace. Then she breaks the kendi and crosses over a log into the house, demonstrating willing obedience to her future husband. She is fed a dish of turmeric sticky rice with yellow spiced chicken to symbolize the last time the parents of the bride will feed their daughter. The groom remains outside for another ceremony, which is enacted before him by a couple who sing. During this ceremony, the groom, via the vocalists, requests to enter his bride's house, and she consents when he agrees to confirm his Moslem faith. Having done so, the couple is given a barbecued spiced chicken to pull apart on a signal from the 'maid of honor'. According to tradition, the one who gets the larger piece will bring in the larger share of the family fortune. The ceremony also portrays the importance of working together to acquire fortune. Following the wedding ceremony, dancers shower the bride and groom with wedding flowers to insure a fragrant future for the couple. A sawer, made of turmeric rice, coins, and candy, is thrown at the couple. Rice is a symbol of prosperity, and yellow is for everlasting love. The coins remind the couple to share their wealth with the less fortunate, and the candy bestows sweetness and fragrance upon their marriage. Seven candles are lit representing the direction the couple should follow to bring about a happy married life. A betel nut set near the couple is a reminder that different customs should not spoil a harmonious marriage.
BANK LOANS
Bank Loan
Where to go to get a fair deal on a bank loan
A bank loan is now available from an increasingly broad range of lenders, but the interest rates vary wildly too. To get a good rate, you need to think about what the loan is for, what your credit record is like, and whether you need extras like repayment insurance.
A bank loan is an amount of money agreed with the bank that you borrow, and repay with interest across an agreed term. Usually, you’ll pay equal monthly instalments- part of which is the loan amount, and part of which is interest. So you will pay back more than you originally borrowed. Personal loans are usually economical up to 5 years- (although many banks will lend across up to 7 years). Thereafter consider a home loan if you have equity in your house. Before getting a bank loan consider carefully whether you need to borrow, and what it’s for. Debt consolidation, for example, can cost dearly- so be sure to get the best rate.You can get a bank loan from plenty of places- not just banks. Supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury’s have banking arms which will lend to you. Consider also internet banks like Cahoot, Smile or First Direct. Finally, if you’re in credit difficulties, there are specialist lenders like Purple Loans who can also help.Note that the interest rate you pay on your bank loan will not necessarily be the one you see quoted in literature. Usually the rate is based on your creditworthiness, which will be ascertained partly on your credit history (this is known to most financial organisations) and partly on the information you give on your application form. If you’re deemed to have good credit, you’ll get a lower interest rate than a bad debtor. If you’re refused credit, the bank won’t have to tell you why; but you do have the right to see your credit record, which is held at credit reference agencies like Experian. It usually costs £2, and if your record is wrong, you can have it changed free of charge.
Where to go to get a fair deal on a bank loan
A bank loan is now available from an increasingly broad range of lenders, but the interest rates vary wildly too. To get a good rate, you need to think about what the loan is for, what your credit record is like, and whether you need extras like repayment insurance.
A bank loan is an amount of money agreed with the bank that you borrow, and repay with interest across an agreed term. Usually, you’ll pay equal monthly instalments- part of which is the loan amount, and part of which is interest. So you will pay back more than you originally borrowed. Personal loans are usually economical up to 5 years- (although many banks will lend across up to 7 years). Thereafter consider a home loan if you have equity in your house. Before getting a bank loan consider carefully whether you need to borrow, and what it’s for. Debt consolidation, for example, can cost dearly- so be sure to get the best rate.You can get a bank loan from plenty of places- not just banks. Supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury’s have banking arms which will lend to you. Consider also internet banks like Cahoot, Smile or First Direct. Finally, if you’re in credit difficulties, there are specialist lenders like Purple Loans who can also help.Note that the interest rate you pay on your bank loan will not necessarily be the one you see quoted in literature. Usually the rate is based on your creditworthiness, which will be ascertained partly on your credit history (this is known to most financial organisations) and partly on the information you give on your application form. If you’re deemed to have good credit, you’ll get a lower interest rate than a bad debtor. If you’re refused credit, the bank won’t have to tell you why; but you do have the right to see your credit record, which is held at credit reference agencies like Experian. It usually costs £2, and if your record is wrong, you can have it changed free of charge.
OFFSHORE BANKING
Offshore Banking
The undoubted tax benefits of keeping your money in a foreign country; weighed against the regulatory downside.
Offshore banking isn’t necessarily only for the very rich. It means avoiding the British taxation system by putting your money in a country with a more favourable (i.e. cheaper!) tax structure. If you run a flourishing business or have just received an inheritance; give some time to evaluating offshore options before popping the money in a tin under your bed.
Offshore banking is confused in many people’s minds with private banking, because both are largely the preserve of wealthy people. But the difference is clear. Private banking is indeed banking by private relationship, and is definitely for high net worth earners. Offshore banking literally means banking under a different financial regulatory regime to the one in place in your home country. It is therefore primarily a tool either for expatriates or for those for whom it is most tax efficient to move money out of the UK. As we actually have a very equitable tax system (in many countries the top rate of tax is 50% or more), it is in practice only the more well-off people who engage in offshore banking. Tax havens where UK tax regulations do not apply include the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and further afield Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.Offshore banking also refers to the breadth of investment opportunities available under these different countries’ regimes; but that also means you don’t have the protection of the UK’s Financial Services Authority, and there are plenty of scams operating offshore, so get advice before you invest. All the main banks and private banks have offshore divisions which will assist you; many fund management houses (e.g. Lazard, Hill Samuel, Rothschild) also provide offshore investment, or you can head for a specialist consultancy such as Walbrook or Brown Shipley & Co.
The undoubted tax benefits of keeping your money in a foreign country; weighed against the regulatory downside.
Offshore banking isn’t necessarily only for the very rich. It means avoiding the British taxation system by putting your money in a country with a more favourable (i.e. cheaper!) tax structure. If you run a flourishing business or have just received an inheritance; give some time to evaluating offshore options before popping the money in a tin under your bed.
Offshore banking is confused in many people’s minds with private banking, because both are largely the preserve of wealthy people. But the difference is clear. Private banking is indeed banking by private relationship, and is definitely for high net worth earners. Offshore banking literally means banking under a different financial regulatory regime to the one in place in your home country. It is therefore primarily a tool either for expatriates or for those for whom it is most tax efficient to move money out of the UK. As we actually have a very equitable tax system (in many countries the top rate of tax is 50% or more), it is in practice only the more well-off people who engage in offshore banking. Tax havens where UK tax regulations do not apply include the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and further afield Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.Offshore banking also refers to the breadth of investment opportunities available under these different countries’ regimes; but that also means you don’t have the protection of the UK’s Financial Services Authority, and there are plenty of scams operating offshore, so get advice before you invest. All the main banks and private banks have offshore divisions which will assist you; many fund management houses (e.g. Lazard, Hill Samuel, Rothschild) also provide offshore investment, or you can head for a specialist consultancy such as Walbrook or Brown Shipley & Co.
BUSINESS BANKING
Business Banking
What to look for when selecting a business bank account
Due to laziness alone, we often do our business banking with the same people our personal bank account is held with. If you shop around, you won’t get much of a better deal financially (rates and services are generally almost identical) but you will find banks who offer better service, better personnel and advice.
Business banking is very different to personal banking. To begin with, your choice of banks is different and much more limited than with your personal bank account. You won’t get the benefit of the new rash of internet banks- but the high street banks are becoming more competitive for your business custom. This is because business banking is where they usually make some money.You should expect at least to get your first year’s business banking free (provided you remain in credit). Thereafter you’ll be expected to pay a fee per transaction, so factor that into your cost base. You should also expect access to a business banking advisor; who is there to help. Tales of woe abound about these people- plenty of business advisors never call you up except to try to sell you things like mortgages, but Barclays in particular is improving by having advisors who are specialists in particular businesses e.g. construction, technology etc.You should also get some sort of credit- even if it’s a card you pay off each month. And before opening your account, see what overdraft and loan facilities are available- you may not need them now, but you should know what their attitude to lending is so you’ll be prepared when you need it.Finally, you have some options that may not be immediately apparent. As you may not be in your branch so often, smaller regional banks may be preferable to the big high street banks. The Allied Irish Bank, for example, has an astonishing record for looking after its business banking customers, but might not have been on your list.
What to look for when selecting a business bank account
Due to laziness alone, we often do our business banking with the same people our personal bank account is held with. If you shop around, you won’t get much of a better deal financially (rates and services are generally almost identical) but you will find banks who offer better service, better personnel and advice.
Business banking is very different to personal banking. To begin with, your choice of banks is different and much more limited than with your personal bank account. You won’t get the benefit of the new rash of internet banks- but the high street banks are becoming more competitive for your business custom. This is because business banking is where they usually make some money.You should expect at least to get your first year’s business banking free (provided you remain in credit). Thereafter you’ll be expected to pay a fee per transaction, so factor that into your cost base. You should also expect access to a business banking advisor; who is there to help. Tales of woe abound about these people- plenty of business advisors never call you up except to try to sell you things like mortgages, but Barclays in particular is improving by having advisors who are specialists in particular businesses e.g. construction, technology etc.You should also get some sort of credit- even if it’s a card you pay off each month. And before opening your account, see what overdraft and loan facilities are available- you may not need them now, but you should know what their attitude to lending is so you’ll be prepared when you need it.Finally, you have some options that may not be immediately apparent. As you may not be in your branch so often, smaller regional banks may be preferable to the big high street banks. The Allied Irish Bank, for example, has an astonishing record for looking after its business banking customers, but might not have been on your list.
BEFORE GETTING YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
What to look for when selecting a bank account
Most banks now offer at least three types of bank account. Even basic accounts offer a cashcard; premium accounts have a whole raft of services bolted on. Very few current accounts remain just a place to put your cash, so tot up the benefits and shop around before deciding where to put your salary each month.
A bank account is no longer just a place to put your money so that it’s safe and you can write cheques. For starters, current accounts can offer interest- but rates vary wildly. The good internet banks can offer up to 30 times as much interest as the high street banks!But there are plenty of other things you should be aware of. Do you get a cashcard, a cheque guarantee card, a switch card (or all three in one card) with your bank account? Ask what charges are like- for going overdrawn or for simple services like getting an extra statement sent out. Overdraft fees vary from 8% to 34%! And can you get an overdraft at all- some banks offer £500 with no questions asked; others will expect you to fight tooth and nail.A new breed on the scene is the premium bank account. These charge a modest fee (£5 to £10 per month) and offer a bunch of extras, usually cheaper borrowing, travel insurance, roadside rescue and shopping. If you use these services, maybe that’s a good economy.And do you have easy access to your bank and more importantly your manager? NatWest have stopped using call centres and offer you direct access to your branch- in general that’s a good thing.Finally watch for special services that might be a bonus. Abbey National for example offers “sweeping”- automatically putting spare money each month into a savings account, offering you better interest. Many internet banks also allow you to offset interest on your current account against a mortgage.So tot up the benefits- your bank account should include extras and benefits, it’s no longer the same as a piggy bank or a box under your bed!
Most banks now offer at least three types of bank account. Even basic accounts offer a cashcard; premium accounts have a whole raft of services bolted on. Very few current accounts remain just a place to put your cash, so tot up the benefits and shop around before deciding where to put your salary each month.
A bank account is no longer just a place to put your money so that it’s safe and you can write cheques. For starters, current accounts can offer interest- but rates vary wildly. The good internet banks can offer up to 30 times as much interest as the high street banks!But there are plenty of other things you should be aware of. Do you get a cashcard, a cheque guarantee card, a switch card (or all three in one card) with your bank account? Ask what charges are like- for going overdrawn or for simple services like getting an extra statement sent out. Overdraft fees vary from 8% to 34%! And can you get an overdraft at all- some banks offer £500 with no questions asked; others will expect you to fight tooth and nail.A new breed on the scene is the premium bank account. These charge a modest fee (£5 to £10 per month) and offer a bunch of extras, usually cheaper borrowing, travel insurance, roadside rescue and shopping. If you use these services, maybe that’s a good economy.And do you have easy access to your bank and more importantly your manager? NatWest have stopped using call centres and offer you direct access to your branch- in general that’s a good thing.Finally watch for special services that might be a bonus. Abbey National for example offers “sweeping”- automatically putting spare money each month into a savings account, offering you better interest. Many internet banks also allow you to offset interest on your current account against a mortgage.So tot up the benefits- your bank account should include extras and benefits, it’s no longer the same as a piggy bank or a box under your bed!
SHAPING YOURSELF
Legging it up
General:
Strap the 5-pound ankle-weights around your ankles. Start with one set to set of five reps, work up to 10, and finally to three sets of eight reps each.Inner thigh Starting position: Lie on your back on a mat or towel. Raise your legs together upwards towards the ceiling, your knees straight. Keep your feet flat and parallel to the ceiling, heel to heel with toes pointing in opposite directions.
Motion:
Open your legs as wide as you can, so that you form a wide 'V'. Then, bring them back together heel to heel. The entire motion of opening and closing is considered one rep. Repeat as directed.
Front thigh Starting position:
Sit on a high chair or table, legs hanging down together, knees slightly bent, back straight.
Motion:
Extend your left leg front wards and out by straightening your knee so that your leg is almost parallel to the floor. Hold for a few seconds and return to starting position. Repeat as directed. Now, extend your right leg in the same way. Repeat as directed.
Outer thigh Starting position:
Stand with feet slightly apart at about arm's length behind a chair. Hold with both hands the back of the chair.
Motion:
Keeping your back straight, extend your left leg backward without bending your knee - as far as, you can go. Return to starting position. Repeat as directed.Now, extend your right leg... Repeat as directed.This exercise also shapes your bottoms and hips.
Back thigh Starting position:
Once again, stand behind the chair, holding the back. Tilt your body forward without bending at the waist.
Motion:
Kick your left leg backward by bending your knee. Repeat. Now, kick with your right leg. Repeat as directed.Calf and ankle This exercise should be initially done without ankle-weights for the first two weeks.
Starting position:
Stand on the balls of your feet on the edge of a step with your toes pointing slightly outwards.
Motion:
Raise your body up on your toes, then slowly lower yourself down as far as possible. Do it slowly and smoothly without bouncing. Repeat as directed. If your feet develop a cramp, stop immediately. Continue only after the cramp has gone.Waist not, want notAh, this is where we come to those famous love handles at the side of the waist. They are particularly visible if you wear short cholis or a fitting T-Âshirt. This exercise will do the whittling-off trick. Don't wear your ankle weights for these exercises. Pick up your 5-pound dumbbells - one in each hand. If you are wary of corns appearing at the bottom of your fingers, wrap the rods of the dumbbells with Turkish cloth napkins.
General:
Start with two sets of ten reps with each arm, You can work up even to ten sets of ten reps with each arm!
The correct way to grasp the dumbbells are:
The overhand grip:
Keep your dumbbells on a table and place your palms over the rods. Curl your fingers downwards and around to grip them.The underhand grip. Keep your dumbbells on a table and place your palms under the rods. Curl your fingers upwards and around to grip them.With weights in both hands
Starting position:
Hold dumbbells in overhand grip. Stand with your feet apart and back straight. Your arms should hang straight down at your sides.
Motion:
Lean to the left side from your waist as far as you can go. Don't swing your hips. Then, learn to the right side from your waist as far as you can go. The entire motion of leaning to the left, then to the right, is one rep. Repeat as directed.With weight in one handStarting position: Grasp your dumbbell in your left hand. Your right hand should be empty. Stand with your feet apart back straight. Let your arms hang down straight at your sides.
Motion:
Lean to the left side from your waist as far as you can go. Return to starting position, Repeat as directed.Now, grasp your dumbbell in your right hand. Keep your left hand empty. Lean sideways to the right from your waist as far as you can go. Return to starting position. Repeat as directed.
General:
Strap the 5-pound ankle-weights around your ankles. Start with one set to set of five reps, work up to 10, and finally to three sets of eight reps each.Inner thigh Starting position: Lie on your back on a mat or towel. Raise your legs together upwards towards the ceiling, your knees straight. Keep your feet flat and parallel to the ceiling, heel to heel with toes pointing in opposite directions.
Motion:
Open your legs as wide as you can, so that you form a wide 'V'. Then, bring them back together heel to heel. The entire motion of opening and closing is considered one rep. Repeat as directed.
Front thigh Starting position:
Sit on a high chair or table, legs hanging down together, knees slightly bent, back straight.
Motion:
Extend your left leg front wards and out by straightening your knee so that your leg is almost parallel to the floor. Hold for a few seconds and return to starting position. Repeat as directed. Now, extend your right leg in the same way. Repeat as directed.
Outer thigh Starting position:
Stand with feet slightly apart at about arm's length behind a chair. Hold with both hands the back of the chair.
Motion:
Keeping your back straight, extend your left leg backward without bending your knee - as far as, you can go. Return to starting position. Repeat as directed.Now, extend your right leg... Repeat as directed.This exercise also shapes your bottoms and hips.
Back thigh Starting position:
Once again, stand behind the chair, holding the back. Tilt your body forward without bending at the waist.
Motion:
Kick your left leg backward by bending your knee. Repeat. Now, kick with your right leg. Repeat as directed.Calf and ankle This exercise should be initially done without ankle-weights for the first two weeks.
Starting position:
Stand on the balls of your feet on the edge of a step with your toes pointing slightly outwards.
Motion:
Raise your body up on your toes, then slowly lower yourself down as far as possible. Do it slowly and smoothly without bouncing. Repeat as directed. If your feet develop a cramp, stop immediately. Continue only after the cramp has gone.Waist not, want notAh, this is where we come to those famous love handles at the side of the waist. They are particularly visible if you wear short cholis or a fitting T-Âshirt. This exercise will do the whittling-off trick. Don't wear your ankle weights for these exercises. Pick up your 5-pound dumbbells - one in each hand. If you are wary of corns appearing at the bottom of your fingers, wrap the rods of the dumbbells with Turkish cloth napkins.
General:
Start with two sets of ten reps with each arm, You can work up even to ten sets of ten reps with each arm!
The correct way to grasp the dumbbells are:
The overhand grip:
Keep your dumbbells on a table and place your palms over the rods. Curl your fingers downwards and around to grip them.The underhand grip. Keep your dumbbells on a table and place your palms under the rods. Curl your fingers upwards and around to grip them.With weights in both hands
Starting position:
Hold dumbbells in overhand grip. Stand with your feet apart and back straight. Your arms should hang straight down at your sides.
Motion:
Lean to the left side from your waist as far as you can go. Don't swing your hips. Then, learn to the right side from your waist as far as you can go. The entire motion of leaning to the left, then to the right, is one rep. Repeat as directed.With weight in one handStarting position: Grasp your dumbbell in your left hand. Your right hand should be empty. Stand with your feet apart back straight. Let your arms hang down straight at your sides.
Motion:
Lean to the left side from your waist as far as you can go. Return to starting position, Repeat as directed.Now, grasp your dumbbell in your right hand. Keep your left hand empty. Lean sideways to the right from your waist as far as you can go. Return to starting position. Repeat as directed.
QUICK MAKE UP TIPS
This holiday season you might say that old fashioned glitter and glamour is back
Holiday Hair and Benefit Makeup Trend #1: Healthy Bronzed Skin
It may be cold and snowy out but you’ll look like you just flew in from sunny California. Achieve the look with a tinted moisturizer or bronzing powder.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #2: Sparkling Eyes
Forget twinkle toes. Make your eyes the center of attention with a little sparkle. Achieve the bare essential makeup look with glitter eye shadow and eye liner, optional: apply jeweled false eyelashes.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #3: Glossy Lips
Plain lips become beautiful lips that look moist and dreamy with the right shade and lots of shine. Achieve the look with shiny lipstick in shades of pink or plum, or use a non-color gloss over a subtle shade of lipstick.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #4: Upswept Hair and Loose Waves
A casual upswept do adds a bit of sophistication to your holiday look minerals makeup. Achieve the look by sectioning hair into two parts--below and above the ear. Twist and pin the bottom section into a tight bun. Sweep the top half back and tease out individual strands of hair. Loose waves bring back the 1930s era with style. Achieve the look with a large barrel curling iron.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #5: Glitter Nails
All that glitters is golden for nails this season. Glitter adds the perfect finishing touch to beautifully manicured hands. Achieve the look with tinted or clear glitter nail polish. Or, add jeweled rhinestones to polished nails.
Holiday Hair and Benefit Makeup Trend #1: Healthy Bronzed Skin
It may be cold and snowy out but you’ll look like you just flew in from sunny California. Achieve the look with a tinted moisturizer or bronzing powder.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #2: Sparkling Eyes
Forget twinkle toes. Make your eyes the center of attention with a little sparkle. Achieve the bare essential makeup look with glitter eye shadow and eye liner, optional: apply jeweled false eyelashes.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #3: Glossy Lips
Plain lips become beautiful lips that look moist and dreamy with the right shade and lots of shine. Achieve the look with shiny lipstick in shades of pink or plum, or use a non-color gloss over a subtle shade of lipstick.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #4: Upswept Hair and Loose Waves
A casual upswept do adds a bit of sophistication to your holiday look minerals makeup. Achieve the look by sectioning hair into two parts--below and above the ear. Twist and pin the bottom section into a tight bun. Sweep the top half back and tease out individual strands of hair. Loose waves bring back the 1930s era with style. Achieve the look with a large barrel curling iron.
Holiday Hair and Makeup Trend #5: Glitter Nails
All that glitters is golden for nails this season. Glitter adds the perfect finishing touch to beautifully manicured hands. Achieve the look with tinted or clear glitter nail polish. Or, add jeweled rhinestones to polished nails.
WEIGHT LOSS SECRETS
Skinny Woman
1. Skinny women believe in eating regular small meals and not overeat...The secret to being a Skinny woman is to eat regularly, small meals 4-6 times a day so that you make up for your calorie requirements for the day without overeating.The idea is to give a gap of only 2-3 hours between your meals to remain a Skinny WomanTo be a Skinny woman the trick is never to be hungry or else you tend to overeat and gain excess weight. 2. Optimum Exercise is what Skinny women believe in... Skinny women believe in optimum exercise say an hour a day and not overdoing it.The secret to being a Skinny woman is to have a good exercise regime of about half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. This kind of an exercise routine would help reduce weight (as early morning exercise results in burning more fat and also exercise in the evening lets your metabolism burn more fat while you are sleeping) and retain that perfect figure. After you have shed those extra kilos, then to remain the Skinny Women you want to be would take only light exercise 2-3 days in a week.3. For that Skinny Woman sexy looks...Skinny woman are not only health conscious but also work out to have that great curvy figure and sexy looksSkinny Woman has toned muscles that not only enhance their beauty but also result in burning fat.Skinny women eat out very rarely and even if they really go out and pamper their taste buds they do not gain weight as a result of a high metabolism rate with a good exercise regime. Skinny women take good care of their body and exercise for half an hour 2-3 times a day for that curvy sexy look. 4. Skinny women do not deprive themselves of any food... Skinny Women eat everything that they like but just keep off a few high calorie sugary foods, alcohol ...Skinny women don't give up on the simple pleasures of life like going to fast food joint, bars or even enjoy a yummy piece of a birthday cake. It's just that they very rarely indulge in such high calorie diet. For an overweight woman to loose weigh the best thing to do would be to give up a few things like soda, alcohol and high sugary foods. 5. Skinny women believe in supplements... Skinny women know how to use supplements in the right manner. Skinny women know how their body functions and make use of the knowledge and take supplements when they decide to go on a diet or a strict exercise regime to loose weight. They do not just have supplements and sit by for the excess weight to just vanish in thin air but make all the efforts required from their side. For losing weight and enjoy those great looks just put to practice all the tips on the page, but to do it the best and the Skinny Woman way and enjoy life while being Skinny it would be ideal to follow the tips along with a weight loss supplement. 6. Skinny women consume water... Skinny women carry their bottle of water wherever they are. Their bottle goes with them in their car, in the purse, on their worktable, or at home. Even if they don't drink lots of water they avoid coffee, fruit juices and sodas. Skinny women drink a lot of water in the same manner you would like to drink a diet soda or a fruit juice. Water plays a vital role for the Skinny Woman in losing weight and also has the below mentioned benefits....· As water intake increases the fat would decrease· For burning off all that excess fat water is very important· If you consume approximately 3-4 ounce bottles of this magical fluid -water - then losing weight will not be a problem any more...You will be surprised to see that you have lost an amazing 5 pounds in your very first week of drinking water.Want to be a Skinny Woman? Just log on to http://www.nowloss.com/best-weight-loss-program-for-woman.htm to discover the treasured secrets of a Skinny Woman. Let weight loss experts Denise Austin and Jillian Michaels help you to discover the new "YOU".
1. Skinny women believe in eating regular small meals and not overeat...The secret to being a Skinny woman is to eat regularly, small meals 4-6 times a day so that you make up for your calorie requirements for the day without overeating.The idea is to give a gap of only 2-3 hours between your meals to remain a Skinny WomanTo be a Skinny woman the trick is never to be hungry or else you tend to overeat and gain excess weight. 2. Optimum Exercise is what Skinny women believe in... Skinny women believe in optimum exercise say an hour a day and not overdoing it.The secret to being a Skinny woman is to have a good exercise regime of about half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. This kind of an exercise routine would help reduce weight (as early morning exercise results in burning more fat and also exercise in the evening lets your metabolism burn more fat while you are sleeping) and retain that perfect figure. After you have shed those extra kilos, then to remain the Skinny Women you want to be would take only light exercise 2-3 days in a week.3. For that Skinny Woman sexy looks...Skinny woman are not only health conscious but also work out to have that great curvy figure and sexy looksSkinny Woman has toned muscles that not only enhance their beauty but also result in burning fat.Skinny women eat out very rarely and even if they really go out and pamper their taste buds they do not gain weight as a result of a high metabolism rate with a good exercise regime. Skinny women take good care of their body and exercise for half an hour 2-3 times a day for that curvy sexy look. 4. Skinny women do not deprive themselves of any food... Skinny Women eat everything that they like but just keep off a few high calorie sugary foods, alcohol ...Skinny women don't give up on the simple pleasures of life like going to fast food joint, bars or even enjoy a yummy piece of a birthday cake. It's just that they very rarely indulge in such high calorie diet. For an overweight woman to loose weigh the best thing to do would be to give up a few things like soda, alcohol and high sugary foods. 5. Skinny women believe in supplements... Skinny women know how to use supplements in the right manner. Skinny women know how their body functions and make use of the knowledge and take supplements when they decide to go on a diet or a strict exercise regime to loose weight. They do not just have supplements and sit by for the excess weight to just vanish in thin air but make all the efforts required from their side. For losing weight and enjoy those great looks just put to practice all the tips on the page, but to do it the best and the Skinny Woman way and enjoy life while being Skinny it would be ideal to follow the tips along with a weight loss supplement. 6. Skinny women consume water... Skinny women carry their bottle of water wherever they are. Their bottle goes with them in their car, in the purse, on their worktable, or at home. Even if they don't drink lots of water they avoid coffee, fruit juices and sodas. Skinny women drink a lot of water in the same manner you would like to drink a diet soda or a fruit juice. Water plays a vital role for the Skinny Woman in losing weight and also has the below mentioned benefits....· As water intake increases the fat would decrease· For burning off all that excess fat water is very important· If you consume approximately 3-4 ounce bottles of this magical fluid -water - then losing weight will not be a problem any more...You will be surprised to see that you have lost an amazing 5 pounds in your very first week of drinking water.Want to be a Skinny Woman? Just log on to http://www.nowloss.com/best-weight-loss-program-for-woman.htm to discover the treasured secrets of a Skinny Woman. Let weight loss experts Denise Austin and Jillian Michaels help you to discover the new "YOU".
FLIRT TIPS FOR WOMEN
Flirting is a whole-body experience. It engages the eyes, tickles the mind, and awakens the senses.
While you may think that flirting is something we learn, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that we are born knowing how to flirt. Flirting behaviors are exhibited by dozens of cultures and animals from birds to fruit flies.
Research into human mating behaviors at bars and clubs have revealed that successful flirtations all go through a similar sequence of events. Nonverbal cues such as arching brows, swaying hips, and tossing hair all cue a man that you're interested. Once one of you breaks the ice by speaking, the other person has the option of turning towards you, acknowledging your presence, or turning away.
If it's the former, and all goes well, your conversation will lead to deeper interest as both of you lean forward and your gazes wander from the face to other parts of the body. The sense of touch becomes involved as you touch his hand in empathy, or he puts an arm gently on your back to guide you through the crowd.
As the night wears on, your bodies will eventually become “synchronized.” In other words, your body position and movements will mimic the other person's. When he glances down, you will glance down. When you pick up your glass to take a sip, he will pick up his. At this point, you can congratulation yourself on a successful flirtation: you're both clearly interested, and it's time for exchanging phone numbers.
What does this research mean to us? It's all very well to know how flirtation works, but how can we nudge it along?
Today I'm going to give you three flirting techniques backed up by science that are guaranteed to get you to that initial conversation with a man.
1. The Best Flirtation Technique of All Time
First of all, what's the single most successful technique that women can use to invite a man to approach?
(a) Ask for his help with something? (b) Toss your hair while gazing straight at him? (c) Dance seductively by yourself? (d) Give him a big smile?
Got your answer?
The winner, hands-down, is (d) Smile.
It's amazing that something so simple could have such an amazing effect, but men around the world will tell you the same thing. When men are getting up the courage to approach a woman, most will pick the average, friendly-looking girl over the beautiful, bored ice princess.
Approachability matters. A smile shows a man that you're friendly, that you're willing to acknowledge him, and that he won't have to fear getting rejected when he approaches you.
Plus, a smile puts us in our best light. Studies have shown that women with open, friendly body language are perceived as more attractive than women with closed, negative body language. Quite simply, a smile is the cheapest beauty treatment you can apply.
2. Do I See You?
Next, there's nothing more crucial to a developing flirtation than eye contact. This is where shyness can be a great hindrance. If you are too shy, embarrassed, or overwhelmed by butterflies to meet his gaze, he may think that you are rejecting him.
On the other end of the scale, a steady gaze is equally disconcerting. In the animal kingdom, a stare is a threatening nonverbal behavior, and human beings find it creepy. Someone who steals a glance at you is infinitely preferable to someone who checks you out brazenly without hiding his gaze.
Eye contact should be brief, a mere recognition that both of you see one another, and then ended by glancing down. After all, lowering your lashes can be as seductive as meeting his gaze in the first place, especially if it's accompanied by a shy smile. Up your seduction power by glancing at him again within thirty seconds to a minute after your first glance.
3. He Can't Flirt with You if He Can't Get to You!
Last of all, make sure that you are physically accessible to being approached! We often go out in groups, and there's nothing more intimidating to a man than a woman surrounded by a half-dozen of her best friends.
Very few men will feel comfortable braving the stares of your friends while he tries to chat you up, so if you are out with a group, give any secret admirers a chance to approach you when you're on your own. Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom, or go buy a round of drinks. Keep your body language open and scan the room with your eyes. Some women even dance by themselves to allow a man the opportunity to approach.
Similarly, don't be in such a hurry to get to your destination that you are gone before Mr. Perfect can raise his hand to wave you down. Take your time, enjoy the journey, and keep your eyes open and your head up. A woman who's strolling pleasantly and looking around her is much more approachable than a woman who's striding down the street, lost in thought.
If you enjoyed these flirting tips, there's so much more to learn! Discover my FREE “How to Be Irresistible to Men” newsletter series and 6-Part Mini-Course, chockfull of great tips on how to do everything from getting more male attention to online dating. It's all backed by the latest research into how men and women meet and mate.
While you may think that flirting is something we learn, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that we are born knowing how to flirt. Flirting behaviors are exhibited by dozens of cultures and animals from birds to fruit flies.
Research into human mating behaviors at bars and clubs have revealed that successful flirtations all go through a similar sequence of events. Nonverbal cues such as arching brows, swaying hips, and tossing hair all cue a man that you're interested. Once one of you breaks the ice by speaking, the other person has the option of turning towards you, acknowledging your presence, or turning away.
If it's the former, and all goes well, your conversation will lead to deeper interest as both of you lean forward and your gazes wander from the face to other parts of the body. The sense of touch becomes involved as you touch his hand in empathy, or he puts an arm gently on your back to guide you through the crowd.
As the night wears on, your bodies will eventually become “synchronized.” In other words, your body position and movements will mimic the other person's. When he glances down, you will glance down. When you pick up your glass to take a sip, he will pick up his. At this point, you can congratulation yourself on a successful flirtation: you're both clearly interested, and it's time for exchanging phone numbers.
What does this research mean to us? It's all very well to know how flirtation works, but how can we nudge it along?
Today I'm going to give you three flirting techniques backed up by science that are guaranteed to get you to that initial conversation with a man.
1. The Best Flirtation Technique of All Time
First of all, what's the single most successful technique that women can use to invite a man to approach?
(a) Ask for his help with something? (b) Toss your hair while gazing straight at him? (c) Dance seductively by yourself? (d) Give him a big smile?
Got your answer?
The winner, hands-down, is (d) Smile.
It's amazing that something so simple could have such an amazing effect, but men around the world will tell you the same thing. When men are getting up the courage to approach a woman, most will pick the average, friendly-looking girl over the beautiful, bored ice princess.
Approachability matters. A smile shows a man that you're friendly, that you're willing to acknowledge him, and that he won't have to fear getting rejected when he approaches you.
Plus, a smile puts us in our best light. Studies have shown that women with open, friendly body language are perceived as more attractive than women with closed, negative body language. Quite simply, a smile is the cheapest beauty treatment you can apply.
2. Do I See You?
Next, there's nothing more crucial to a developing flirtation than eye contact. This is where shyness can be a great hindrance. If you are too shy, embarrassed, or overwhelmed by butterflies to meet his gaze, he may think that you are rejecting him.
On the other end of the scale, a steady gaze is equally disconcerting. In the animal kingdom, a stare is a threatening nonverbal behavior, and human beings find it creepy. Someone who steals a glance at you is infinitely preferable to someone who checks you out brazenly without hiding his gaze.
Eye contact should be brief, a mere recognition that both of you see one another, and then ended by glancing down. After all, lowering your lashes can be as seductive as meeting his gaze in the first place, especially if it's accompanied by a shy smile. Up your seduction power by glancing at him again within thirty seconds to a minute after your first glance.
3. He Can't Flirt with You if He Can't Get to You!
Last of all, make sure that you are physically accessible to being approached! We often go out in groups, and there's nothing more intimidating to a man than a woman surrounded by a half-dozen of her best friends.
Very few men will feel comfortable braving the stares of your friends while he tries to chat you up, so if you are out with a group, give any secret admirers a chance to approach you when you're on your own. Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom, or go buy a round of drinks. Keep your body language open and scan the room with your eyes. Some women even dance by themselves to allow a man the opportunity to approach.
Similarly, don't be in such a hurry to get to your destination that you are gone before Mr. Perfect can raise his hand to wave you down. Take your time, enjoy the journey, and keep your eyes open and your head up. A woman who's strolling pleasantly and looking around her is much more approachable than a woman who's striding down the street, lost in thought.
If you enjoyed these flirting tips, there's so much more to learn! Discover my FREE “How to Be Irresistible to Men” newsletter series and 6-Part Mini-Course, chockfull of great tips on how to do everything from getting more male attention to online dating. It's all backed by the latest research into how men and women meet and mate.
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