Review for Cutex nail polish remover pads

I recently went on a trip to india and as usual packed a bottle of nail polish remover and cotton rounds along with my favourite nail polishes. I used it just once mainly because I was busy travelling most of the time. How I wished there was some product that would fit in my purse and help get rid of the chipping manicure that adorned my nails throughout most of my vacation.
Well fast forward to a few months and +Influenster  sent me the #GlamVoxBox with some samples from +Cutex Brands . It was my dream come true.

Just tear off the packaging, pull out a moist towelette and remove the nail polish from all ten fingers in one go. You can do this in the car, the bus, the elevator...well you get the idea. You will never see me with chipped mani ever again.#SoCutex, #HealthyNails  #contest.

#ChoosetoSmooth

This post is my review for Gillette Venus razor and shave cream which was sent to me by Influenster for testing. I quite liked the products. The Razor was amazing. It glides over all the bony areas with so much ease to give a close shave. My legs were baby soft after using the gel and razor and no razor burns or nicks. I normally pick the cheapest disposable razors from the drugstore but not anymore. This was pure luxury.

 Thank you influenster for sending these amazing products.

UnniAppam Recipe

Ingredients:
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1. Rava                - 2cups
2. Cardamom      - 4
3 .Banana            - half ( has to be ripe)
4. Maida(all purpose flour)           - 1 Tbsp
5. Jaggery            - 1 Cup ( melted )
6. Ellu or black sesame seeds  - 2 tspn
7. Cashew nuts  -1 Tbsp

Method:
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1. Put some jaggery pieces into a pot and add little water to cover the bottom of the pot but not enough to submerge the pieces of jaggery. Once all the pieces of jaggery are completely melted, strain it and keep aside.
2. Grind together 2 cups of semolina (rava) along with the cardamom in a mixie.
3. Once the rava gets powdered add to it some pieces of banana and 1 tbspn all purpose flour and grind in mixie.
4. Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl and slowly add melted jaggery till it forms a sticky batter.
5. Next add the ellu and cashew nuts and set aside for 3 hours

6. Heat oil in appa kara and slowly add batter , fry on medium high till edges start browning. Then flip it over to cook the underside. Once its cooked through, transfer from oil to serving plate lined with tissues.

Enjoy hot with some tea.

SpiceVoxBox

I received the SpiceVox Box recently and it was filled with amazing goodies from the company called Influenster  to test and review.

SpiceVoxBox

 The products included were :
1. Veggie Stix by Good Health
This is a healthy option for snacking compared to fried potato chips. My hubby and son love it too. Its crunchy and light and quite yummy.

yummy snacks

2.Organic moisturizer from Boots Botanics:
This is a light soothing moisturizer and helped smooth out all the dry patches in my skin. I have normal skin which tends to get dry in winter. I was quite happy with the performance of this moisturizer. It layered well under my makeup. It has a beautiful rosy scent initially followed by a hint of something citrus like which i didn't quite like. Thankfully the scent is light and doesn't linger so its not a concern. The best part is that it is 81% organic.

moisturizer

3. Sinful Shine Nailpolish :
The nailpolish duo includes a vibrant base coat and a shiny top coat. The nailpolish has a gel technology. Its very glossy and lasts too. My nail polish usually chips the same day due to all the cleaning and cooking i do, but this one started chipping only by the third day. So its good in my books.

4. Soap Box Shampoo and Conditioner:
This shampoo and conditioner is free from the harmful chemicals like parabens and pthalates. It has a light coconut scent and leaves my hair clean and soft. I also love that this company gives water to the needy for every bottle of shampoo purchased. The only con is that it isn't as sudsy as my usual shampoos but it does a good job.

5.Yogi Tea
There were two sample packets from yogi tea. One was sweet tangerine positive energy which was very energizing and the other one was vanilla spice perfect energy. I quite liked these herbal energy teas though how it can give you positive energy , totally beats me. It did make me energetic so i would love to try more from this brand.

6. Not Your Mothers Whip It Up Cream Styling Mousse:
This is my favorite hair product of the month. It smells delicious. You turn the can upside down and press the nozzle to get a dollop of mousse which smells like vanilla cupcakes and all things yummy. Spread it through wet hair and let it air dry for a natural look or use a hair dryer and round brush for insane volume and staying power. My hair style stayed put without a hair spray , for the whole day. I love that this product doesn't stick to your hands and vanishes into the hair with ease. Also the smell.....yummmmmm

7. Killer Cushions from Foot Petals:
These are a comfort insole which you can stick onto your high heeled wedges or platforms. It gives a cushioning effect and also prevents your feet from slipping.

I absolutely loved testing these out and got introduced to products which i normally wouldn't have  noticed. If you too would like to join Influenster  please click on my referral link
influenster.com/r/1232207

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa to warm up your soul

Going to the beach is always a relaxing and grounding experience. Just listening to the waves and feeling the gravely sand between the toes can melt away all the tensions and stress we burden ourselves with. We decided to spend some time relaxing at Seal Beach.
We have always planned to go there on our bikes but finally we had to get a car to go there. It was pretty far off than we thought.

enjoying the feel of sand

and the cool breeze

 There were a couple of houses on the beach. Some people were having a party too, with lots of music and beer. We watched the sunset and came home with a smile. I made some salted caramel hot chocolate and it was the perfect ending to a chilly evening at the beach.

hot cocoa with salted caramel n whipped cream

RECIPE FOR SALTED CARAMEL HOT COCOA:
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1. Boil milk and add some cocoa powder. I used a store bought hot cocoa mix so just followed the instructions on the packet. You can also use cocoa powder that is used for baking.
2. Add sugar as per your taste. I add less sugar since the topping that comes next is going to make it sweeter.
3. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream.
4. Drizzle some caramel sauce on top of the whipped cream.
5. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of the caramel sauce. You may skip this step if you are using salted caramel sauce in the previous step.
Ah Bliss..!! Life can be simple if you take the time to notice the simple pleasures.

Rambo goes to Gym

One fine day Rambo decides to check out the local gym to put some more muscles in order to increase his machoness. The following events ensued and are being reported live from long beach from your efficient correspondent Nisha Menon . (Click on the pics for slideshow)

Will Rambo (who woke up after 4 hrs) ever go back to that gym again. Lets wait and watch for another episode.

Until then its Nisha Menon signing out.

Unni goes International

One day in Long Beach, California, our super macho Unnikrishnan a.k.a Rambo goes out for a walk in the evening to energize his muscles. On his way back home , he met an old wizened American man. They got chatting and became friends instantly. Finally before parting ways, the old man wants to know what Unnikrishnan means. This is what happened...

It was nice to imagine macho Unni say " Hi, I am Lil.. Lil Krishna .. James Bond style !!

My routine these days

My days are fun now that I have figured out a routine. My hotel is cozy and cute.

extended stay america

The bed is big and puffy and feels like sleeping in a big comfy cloud. Everything is nice and cute. We have a small kitchen as well so I get to cook and that is a big timepass. Then there is big bang theory and other funny sitcoms to keep me entertained while Unni goes to work. Moreover Amma is just a call away in skype. So all in all I am happy :)

comfy cloud

lazy boy

yummy cookies

my fav- big bang theory

laundry day

just posing

washer

dryer

chatting with mom

cutesy kitchen

sending Unni off to work ;)

Well thats all from Long beach...ciao

US Ahoy

This year Unni's birthday present was his dream come true. We boarded a flight to Los Angeles on his birthday. It was all last minute. He got an onsite position and immediately chaos ensued in our home. Unni's parents came to help us with the packing. My bro ended up bearing a lot of the junk from my house. Finally after a week of frenzy packing we finally boarded the plane to Dubai and breathed a sigh of relief. At Dubai airport we had a 6hrs transit and that was pretty boring.

Net surfing @Dubai airport

VDay deco

dream car

We finally boarded our 16hr flight to LA from dubai. The journey was fun. I watched a couple of movies,ate a lot of snacks and even managed to sleep a lot. Finally we reached LA. It was a cold windy morning and my nose froze the moment we stepped out of the airport. The hot hot water at the hotel erased all my tiredness. We went out the same evening with Unni's friend and his family. They took us shopping for basic necessities so we can start cooking at the hotel.

Brrr its freezing

 When our first day at U.S came to an end we reveled in our immunity to jet lag until we both sat up at 2:00am with sleep happily eluding us. Now its been 5 days here and slowly we are overcoming jet lag. Unni has adjusted to his new work environment. Hopefully everything will be just as perfect as we dreamed it to be. :)

Cookie time

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies.I got a recipe from joyofbaking website and decided to make some home made chocolate chip cookies to take away my stress and fill my home with the calming aroma of baking.
INGREDIENTS:
1. 1and quarter cups of flour
2.1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3.pinch of salt
4.1/2 cup butter
5.3/4 cup sugar
6.1 teaspoon vanilla essence
7.1 egg

METHOD:
1. Mix the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt.
2.Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer.
3.Then add an egg, vanilla essence to the butter sugar and mix on medium speed.
5. Slowly add the flour and mix at slow speed.
6.Finally add the chocolate chips and some nuts of your choice till you get a sticky cookie dough.
7.Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.Spoon the dough into a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees C for 15mins. Mine was done in 12 minutes. You know the cookies are done when they start turning golden brown at the base.

One got burnt but was yummy still

I added some almonds too in my second batch of cookies.

 Serve with some gripping books to enjoy a lazy evening. Ah pure bliss!!!