Fareeha Ashraf

Can't Sleep? Try This Simple Trick & Sleep in Seconds

You know those nights when you are laying in your bed and just want to doze off to sleep, because you know your body needs that off time to be able to spring back to functioning mode the next day. On the contrary, however, your mind just refuses to give in and you simply cannot sleep. It might be due to stress, you could be over thinking about something or your excitement levels regarding an upcoming event could be soaring high.

I know I have those nights and I didn’t know what to do about that up until some time back. What happens with me usually is that I keep busy in something when I should rather be going to sleep and when I finally land in my bed wanting to sleep I’m unable to do so. Some other nights I lay awake thinking about

This changed however, after I learned a simple breathing trick from one of my favorite TV shows - ‘The Mentalist’. It is a Crime show which revolves around the character Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker), a former fake psychic who has an exceptional ability of reading people’s minds. He plays mind games to help the police solve murder cases. He joins the CBI in hopes of finding Red John, the murderer of his wife and little daughter.

Simon Baker has such a charismatic personality in the show and his smile is just to die for. I mean just take a look at him. Isn’t he gorgeous!! He captivates the prospective criminals in his mind games in such a way that they themselves commit to the crime.

But it’s not just all about him, the story line and other characters are great too. ;) You must watch this show, I’m positive you will like it as much as I did.

Now onto that breathing trick. In one of the episodes, Patrick Jane tells a crime boss that if he has trouble sleeping he should do this to sleep better:

Breathe in and think/say ‘1’
Breathe out and think/say ‘2’

Repeat until asleep.

After watching this episode I thought to myself that I can use that in my life too (if it really works). So I gave it a go one night. I was astonished when I woke up the next day when I realized that Patrick Jane was right after all. The exercise worked like a charm. Not only was I asleep under a minute I slept like a baby too. I do this often now and it never fails to work.

What this breathing exercise does is that it takes the mind off of whatever is keeping it busy and puts the focus on the numbers and the breathing. This not only puts you to sleep quickly but also gives you a good night’s sleep as your breathing becomes better.
Do give this a try and hopefully you will see a difference in your sleep routine.

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Recipe: Chocolate Pudding

This pudding can be served on its own with a dollop of whipped cream on top or can be layered in various trifles as well.

Ingredients

Cream 1/2 cup

Confectioner's Sugar 1/3 cup

Cornflour 1 tbsp

Cocoa powder 1/3 cup

Boiling water 2 tbsp

Egg yolks 2

Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Milk chocolate 60 gram

Milk 1 cup

Method

1. In a saucepan, warm together milk and cream.

2. In another saucepan, put cornflour, sugar and cocoa powder in 2 tbsp of boiling water. Whisk them together so that it forms a paste.

3. In this mixture, whisk in one egg yolk and then the other one after that.

4. Now, whisk in the mixture from the other saucepan, i.e. milk, cream and then add vanilla essence.

5.Keep the flame on low and keep scraping the sides of the pan. Keep on whisking for 3-4 minutes till its consistency is similar to that of mayonnaise.

6. Take it off the stove and add finely chopped pieces of chocolate and mix.

Pour into a bowl or alternatively serve in four small cups. Cover the top with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator.

Oreo Cheesecake Trifle

'Life is uncertain, eat dessert first'. Whoever said this has life in order I believe. I simply love desserts and this one is so delicious that it has everyone asking for second rounds.
You can either serve it in individual dessert servings or in a big glass bowl.

I used the whipping cream in the form of a powder by Vizyon. Finding whipping cream was quite a task as it is not readily available in every departmental store. I got mine from Victoria Departmental Store for Rs. 580. you get a lot of the powder in this pack which lasts for a long period of time. It is also available in small sachets. for making the whipped cream you have to whip this powder in cold water according to the instructions given at the back.

(Serves 5)

Oreo cookies around 20

Butter, melted 2 tbsp

Chocolate pudding Recipe here

Whipped Cream 8 ounce

Cream Cheese 4 ounce

Caster Sugar 1/2 cup

Crush Oreo cookies in a food processor until small crumbs are formed, or you can place them in a zip-lock bag and roll over with a rolling pin. Divide the crumbs into two parts and keep one for the topping.
Take a large glass bowl and pour half of the crumbs in it which will serve as the base. melt the butter and pour over the crumbs. Mix and press with the spoon.
In another bowl take 4 ounces of cream cheese and use a beater to blend it until smooth. Add in the caster sugar gradually.
Fold half of the whipped cream in it and then spread this mixture over the crumbs crust. Let it sit in the freezer for 15 minutes approx. then pour chilled chocolate pudding over this layer.
Spread the rest of the whipped cream over this, followed by the Oreo crumbs on top.
Chill for atleast 2 hours and then you are ready to serve this delicious dessert.

Do leave a comment below if you would like to try this dessert or if you have share how it turned out. :)

Review: Oriflame Optimals White Foaming Gel Cleanser

Hey guys. Hope you all are doing well. I recently started using the cleanser for normal/combination skin from the Optimals range by Oriflame Sweden and thought to share my views about it with all of
you.

The Optimals range which includes cleansers, day and night creams are now based on the new formula which has the patented antioxidant LINGON 50:50. Antioxidants play a very important role in protecting our skin and keeping it healthy and young. This cleanser can be purchased through Oriflame consultants.

Price

Its original price is Rs. 1100, however, after every 2 or 3 months there are discounts on a number of its products so one should grab them at those times. Its discounted price is Rs. 900.

I had heard that the skin care products by Oriflame are really good so when I became its consultant I thought to give it a try and let me say that I was not disappointed at all.

Packaging

I really like the packaging of this cleanser. It comes in a white opaque bottle with a pump on top for dispensing the cleanser which is of a gel like consistency. You only need a little of this product so I am sure this bottle will last me for a long time.

It claims to have whitening properties, however, I have not yet seen any whitening effects on my skin. But no doubt it does do the task of cleansing the skin really well. It removes any trace of makeup or impurities from the skin and leaves it clean and smooth. Thankfully, my skin doesn't feel dry after using this cleanser, but I go on and use my moisturizer afterwards anyways. It has a slight scent to it but it isn't anything unpleasant.

I applied some eye shadows, eyeliner and lip liner on my arm and then washed it with the cleanser to demonstrate how well it washes off the makeup. Here are the before and after pictures:

Lets take a look at some of its ingredients and the benefits they offer to the skin.

1. Glycerin

It has glycerin which has a number of benefits for our skin. It seals moisture in the skin keeping it hydrated and fresh, it helps fight problems of acne and easily removes dirt from the skin.

2. Sodium Chloride

It is found in a lot of skin care products. It has cleansing properties and leaves the skin smooth and hydrated.

3. Hydrolyzed Cranberry Fruit/Leaf Extract

It is an anti-oxidant which cleanses and nourishes skin.

Final Thoughts

I do recommend this product as it does the job quite well. The only con of it that I could think of was that it can be taken along when travelling as the product might get I believe this cleanser will be suitable for men as well. Do leave a comment below if you have tried this cleanser or wish to do so.

Review: Bourjois Brush Concealer

Hi guys. Today I am going to review a concealer. I am a newbie to the world of concealers and my very first concealer was the Brush Concealer by Bourjois Paris. I bought it in the shade Beige Clair.

To use the concealer you have to twist the bottom part of the sleek tube and concealer comes out from the synthetic brush at the top. I prefer this form of application over others as I am able to precisely control how much product comes out. It also makes the process of application smoother.

My main concern when buying a concealer was that it should effectively hide my under eyes as I have the problem of dark circles around my eyes. I am more than satisfied because it provides enough coverage to hide any blemishes and pimples along with hiding the dark circles. After applying the product you need to blend it out with a brush or fingers work fine too.

Bourjois Concealer swatched on my arm:

After blending out:

My face instantly feels illuminated and fresh after using this concealer. It gives a very nice illuminating and smooth finish on the face without setting into fine lines. Its texture is light and easily blendable because of its mineral formula.

Another thing which I really like about this concealer is that it is not shimmery which one can expect as the product claims to be ‘illuminating’. I definitely don’t want any specks of glitter in my concealer. I apply it to my under eyes as well as my eyelids and any blemishes that need to be fixed. I also apply a little around my nose area. It would also work great for highlighting the forehead, nose, cupid’s bow and cheeks.

I highly recommend this product. I've ran out of t once and this is my second purchase. I got it from Roop Singhar for Rs. 1050.

What are your favorite concealers? Comment down below and let me know.