4 Reasons To Drink More Water

Sunday, February 10th, 2008 | Beauty Tips, Diet Tips | 3 Comments

Water is a free health and beauty fluid that should not be forsaken in anyone’s daily routine…

• You will lose weight. Replacing sugary fruit juices and sodas with water will help you relieve excess water weight.
• You will look better. Drinking water naturally cleanses and detoxifies every organ of your body, including your skin. After ridding your skin of dryness and dulling toxins, your newer, fresher skin will shine through. This is how you get that all-natural “glow.”
• You will smell better. Bad breath and body odors can often be attributed to dehydration. Up your water intake to improve any issues in these areas.
• You will feel better. When toxins build up in our bodies, there can be familiar side effects such as lethargy (feeling tired), lack of concentration, and excess mucus. Eww, right? Yet drinking more water may help you sniffle less and give you a needed energy boost.

For best results, drink 64-100 ounces of water a day (8 glasses or five 20oz bottles).

Alternatives To Valentine’s Day Romance

Sunday, February 10th, 2008 | Self Improvement | 1 Comment

As Valentine’s Day is nearing on Thursday, February 14, many are wondering about what they can do for their sweetheart or what their sweetheart will do for them. But what about those of us who are flying solo or would like to celebrate this day in a different way? Instead of waiting around for flowers, roses, and chocolate, try devoting this day to making some other people in your life feel extra-special.

• Give mini Valentine’s Day surprises to your friends and coworkers. Design crafts to give to friends with scribbles of cute quotes and phrases that you all share. Leave pink and red Hershey’s Kisses at your coworkers’ workstations. Make a scrapbook or webpage collage of photos of you and friends and any other cute things you can think of.
• Throw a Girls’ Night. Go to dinner with the girls or declare a movie night. Create a bonding experience by baking cookies together or doing each other’s makeup.
• Volunteer at a nursing home. Visit local care or nursing homes and pass out cards to some of the residents. Sit with them, listen to their stories…this can turn out to be lots of fun! There are lots of different ways in which you can volunteer.

How To Apply Perfect Nail Polish

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Beauty Tips | 5 Comments

Attempting a perfect nail polish job can be anything but settling, especially with unsteady hands and when experimenting with dark or funky colors. However, practice makes perfect! Whether you’re right- or left-handed, below are fail-proof tips to achieve a quick, neat polish job without fuss.

How To Apply Perfect Nail Polish

Tools: You will need a nail file, a nail buffer, a clear polish designed for base and top coat, and a nail polish shade of your choice. If you have very shaky hands, point-tipped cotton swabs will be handy for smudging away any polish that gets on your skin.

• Start by washing your hands so that your nails will be a nice, clean canvas. Hold off on applying moisturizer as your nails will need to be completely dry for nail polish to adhere.
• File your nails into a neat shape with no jagged edges. Then, use a buffer for smoother edges and to flatten any bridges (the smoother your nails, the nicer end-result).
• Apply the clear base coat to your nails. Typically you should only need one coat of this.
• To apply color, rest the base of your painting hand on the surface you are using. Be sure there is no excess polish on the brush to avoid making a mess. Start by positioning the brush in the middle and at the cuticle of your nail. Pull the brush up to the tip as the color glides on. Then, apply to either sides of the middle strip using the same technique, stopping to refill the brush if necessary. Using this technique should eliminate most mistakes. If any polish gets on your skin, quickly scrape it away with the thumb nail of your painting hand or use a cotton swab to clean it up.
• Let both hands dry for a couple minutes, then apply a second coat.
• Apply a little extra polish to the tips of all your nails to prevent premature chipping.
• After your nails are completely dry, apply the clear top coat and let dry completely.

Voila! To maintain a shiny, soft manicure, reapply hand cream every time you wash your hands.

How To Market Your Blog - Smorty Affiliate Program

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

There are lots of options for marketing your blog and using your blog as an advertising venue for other online marketers to make extra cash doing something you love. Frappelattes affiliates with Google Adsense and ShoppingAds currently, to provide readers with alternative resources for their beauty, fashion, fitness, and shopping needs.

Smorty is a newer affiliate program that Frappelattes will partner with. This is yet another way for the site to network with advertisers, and I will be raving about and reviewing more products and services that will be of use to my readers.

On the blogger side, I like Smorty’s services so far. They email new opportunities to you, and you can log in to accept the ones you see fit. Once you accept an offer, you have a period of about three days to review the advertiser, making sure to incorporate the provided anchor text into your blog. Once you have reviewed the post requirements and submit your post, once your writing is approved you will be compensated for the review you have submitted.

If you are trying to push your services, sign up with Smorty as a way to advertise on blogs. Smorty is sure to bring increased results to your site’s monetization efforts.

Valentine’s Butter Cookie Recipe

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 | Recipes | 1 Comment

Baking is a favorite past time of mine as well as many other domestic divas. So, when special occasions come around, I’m always on the lookout for new, healthier baked goods recipes to try. I believe I’ve found a classic recipe for delicious butter cookies that I intend to get creative with more often. These will be shaped into hearts and drizzled with strawberry-colored sprinkles, perfect for your Valentine’s Day get-togethers or treating your special someone.

We will substitute sugar with Splenda (or your favorite artificial sweetener) and a light butter of your choice. Even a treat can can be a guilt-free indulgence!

Valentine’s Butter Cookies

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 tablespoons Splenda
3 1/2 tablespoons light butter
1/4 egg
2 teaspoons cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 ounce colored candy sprinkles
a heart-shaped cookie cutter

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg, cream and vanilla extract. Blend thoroughly (your hands will be your best tool).
2. Form dough into a flattened ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. This mixture can keep for several days.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
4. Roll dough out on a floured board to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes with the cookie cutter and decorate with sprinkles.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 8 minutes.

This recipe serves 4, so feel free to adjust the ingredients to the size of your party, or divide in half to share with your sweetie.

Personal Digest #6 (Newness In ‘08)

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 | Personal Digest | 4 Comments

2008 has so far been a year of newness for me. While there are things in my life that aren’t really ‘new,’ but renewed and refined (my spirituality, my current relationships, etc.), I decided that this would be a year that I really see through to accomplishments in my life, try some different things, and meet some new people.

So Far This Year…

I’ve lost 10lbs and going
Love and peace have become main themes of my spirituality, and I try to keep to these everyday
I chopped up my hair and added a funky color to it
I’ve made lots of new friends to share life stories with

And, what do you know? Frappelattes has a new layout.

Faithful readers keep this site alive, so feel free to suggest content and features to fill up the sidebars and add to the site.

Hope you are all having a blessed, successful year so far!