Sue Zann Toh

If eyes are the windows to the souls, then make the most of your eyes with these top 5 tips for gorgeous eyes.

1. Making Small Eyes Look Bigger

Create the illusion of larger eyes by using these makeup tips and tricks:

a) Use eyeliner on the outer rim of your eye lid. Blend the eyeliner with a cotton bud to soften the line. Brush a light shade of eyeshadow on the upper outer lid, just below your eyebrows.

b) Curl your eye lashes! Invest in a good eye lash curler that fits the contour of your eye. Curling your lashes will instantly make your eyes appear bigger, even before you add mascara.

c) Try wearing false eye lashes… they’re easier to apply than you think!

d) Apply a generous helping of mascara. Try waterproof mascara to help prevent smudging, and remember to replace your mascara every three months, even if there’s plenty left in the tube. Mascara is a common makeup product where bacteria will grow. Prevent eye infections by replacing your mascara every 3 months.

2. Colored Contact Lenses

Enhance the natural color of your eyes with contact lenses. Regardless of whether you wear eye glasses or not, colored contact lenses can brighten up your eyes. There are two types of colored contact lenses, enhancement tint and full color tint. Enhancement tint is translucent and will lift your existing eye color. A full color tint is a deeper opaque tint that can dramatically alter your eye color and look. Contact lenses should always be fitted by an optometrist.

3. Solutions for Light Colored Eyebrows and Eyelashes

Sick of drawing in your light colored eyebrows and eyelashes? Try tinting your eyebrows and eyelashes. Visit your local beautician for this quick semi-permanent tint, it should take about 15 minutes. Add definition to your features and simplify your daily makeup routine. You can skip the mascara and eyebrow pencil for a few weeks with a eyebrow and eyelash tint.

4. Late Night Eyes

Too many late nights can leave your eyes looking tired, puffy and blood shot red. Although you may not feel so fresh the next morning, you can look fresh by using refreshing eye drops to clear up redness and dedicated eye gel to cool and reduce puffiness around the eye. Store your eye gel in the fridge for future use to reduce puffiness. Drink plenty of water and avoid salty foods and alcohol, which may dehydrate your skin, especially around the eyes.

Alternatively, if you have a bit more time in the morning, try chilled cucumber slices place over your eyes. The natural astringents in cucumbers helps to bring down the puffiness from a late night out. Tea bags dipped in water and chilled in the fridge or freezer also works wonders for puffy tired eyes. The antioxidants from tea leaves helps to soothe and prevent permanent damage to the delicate skin around the eyes.

5. Remember Your Eyes in Your Beauty Routine

The skin around the eyes is the most delicate of skin on your body. Remember to avoid the skin around your eyes when using your facial cleanser. Warm water is all that is needed to clean the skin around your eyes. Use eye makeup remover to completely remove any makeup around the eyes, don’t use your normal cleanser or soap, as they may dry out the skin around the eyes, promoting early wrinkles and fine lines.

Invest in a good eye cream or eye gel. They are formulated especially for the delicate skin around the eyes and won’t irritate eyes. It’s never too early to use eye creams or gels! The earlier you start, the longer your wrinkle free days will be.

And remember, a good night’s sleep is one of the best beauty defenses against tired, puffy and red eyes. Get good rest, at least eight hours a night, for gorgeous, fresh, stunning eyes.

Keep your hair gorgeous throughout winter. With heaters often on indoors, hair can become dry, brittle and prone to split ends. Here are the Top 5 beauty tips for keeping your winter hair healthy and shiny.

1. Protect Your Hair From the Sun

Although the temperature is cooler, your hair, like your skin, can still be damaged by the sun’s harmful UV rays. Protect your hair from sun damage by wearing a hat while outside. This will also protect the delicate skin on your face from sun damage. Sun damage hair feels dry and brittle, and is often prone to breaks and split ends. If you don’t like wearing hats, invest in a good finishing spray with UV filters.

2. Shampoo School

Help keep your hair’s protective natural oils by not washing your hair too often. Your hair will adapt to a less frequent washing routine if you leave it as long as possible between washes. Try using a shampoo formulated for dry hair, they are often milder and won’t strip your hair of its natural oils.

Give your dry hair a little more attention by using a small amount of conditioner in your hair before you shampoo. This will help prevent the shampoo from washing out the natural oils your hair needs for health and shine

3. Give Your Hair A Treat

Nourish dry and brittle winter hair with a weekly deep conditioning treatment. Got a little extra time? Give your hair an ultra nourishing treatment by applying your favourite deep conditioning treatment and wrapping your hair in a shower cap and towel. Leave for 30 minutes then rinse completely. Your hair will thank you for it!

4. Banish Dull Hair

Dull hair is often the result of product build up. Product build up could be any styling products not properly removed by your usual shampoo or conditioners that are too rich or not properly rinsed out. Hair that is lacking in shine and lustre can be easily fixed by using a clarifying shampoo whenever needed. Take care not to use clarifying shampoos too often, it can cause your hair to become dry!

5. No More Split Ends

Dry, winter hair can be prone to split ends. Prevent and get rid of split ends by getting a regular trim every six to eight weeks. Not only will regular trims keep split ends at bay, but you’ll love the feeling of freshly cut hair throughout winter.

Caprioskas have to be one of my favourite alcoholic drinks (not that I drink so much). It’s so simple to make so you can’t really get it wrong. It’s tangy and refreshing and perfect as a summer cocktail. Just a word of caution, this is a strong drink and not for the uninitiated!

You’ll need a cocktail shaker and a pestle (or rolling pin!) for this recipe.

Ingredients

(Per person)

• 0.5 cup of crushed ice
• 2 shots of Vodka (about 30 mL or 1 fl.oz.)
• 1 lime cut into half wedges
• 1 teaspoons of brown sugar (or however much you like)

Instructions

1. Add the lime wedges and brown sugar into the cocktail shaker and crush together with the pestle until the lime juice has been released.
2. Add the vodka and crushed ice to the cocktail shaker and shake vigourously until mixed.
3. Pour the mixture into a glass and enjoy!

Optional

To make a Caipirinha, replace the vodka with rum.

Fruity caprioskas are a delightful variation on the traditional caprioskas. Try adding 2 pieces of fruit such as lychee, mandarin or strawberries, or 2 teaspoons of mixed berries after Step 1, crush with the lime wedges and sugar, then continue with Step 2 and 3.

Made famous by Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City, the Cosmopolitan is the ultimate chic chick drink. Not only does it look gorgeous with it’s pink colour, but it tastes absolutely divine.

You’ll need a cocktail shaker and (of course) a martini glass for this recipe.

Ingredients

(Per person)

• 1 shot of Vodka (about 30 mL or 1 fl.oz.)
• 0.5 shot of Cointreau (about 15 mL or ½ fl.oz.)
• 0.5 shot of cranberry juice (about 30 mL or 1 fl.oz.)
• 1 wedge of lime
• Crushed ice

Instructions

1. Chill the martini glass by filling with crushed ice.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add the Vodka, Cointreau and cranberry juice. Squeeze the lime wedge to release the juice and add to the shaker with some crushed ice.
3. Shake well.
4. Throw away the ice from the martini glass and strain the mixture into the glass.
5. Garnish with a cherry, slice of orange peel or slice of lime and enjoy!

Optional

Some people think that using real lime fruit is a little too tangy and sour. In this case, you can replace the lime with lime juice or lime cordial. I don’t usually recommend this, but some people may prefer Cosmopolitans this way.

A New York style Cosmopolitan has a little more berry flavour to it. To achieve this, add ½ shot of Chambord (a raspberry liquor) to the cocktail shaker before shaking it.

I got this recipe from the side of the Rice Bubble’s box. I haven’t tried it yet, but I did buy the ingredients that I needed. Sounds yummy and easy enough to make.

Ingredients

• 200 grams white chocolate (chopped)
• 100 grams milk chocolate (chopped)
• 2 cups of Kelloggs Rice Bubbles

Instructions

1. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave (in a microwave safe dish) until almost all melted. Remove and stir until all melted then add to the Kelloggs Rice Bubbles until well combined.
2. Gently press the rice bubble/white chocolate mix into muffin trays to form a cup (use a spoon). Put the muffin trays with the rice bubble/white chocolate mix in the fridge for an hour or until set.
3. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave and use a pastry brush to paint the inside of the rice bubble cups with the melted milk chocolate. Put the rice bubble cups back into the fridge and remove about 30 mintues before serving.
4. To serve, put ice cream and/or fruit in the rice bubble cups.

Suggestions

I can imagine filling these cups with vanilla ice cream topped chocolate sauce and sprinkled with chopped peanuts, that would be delicous! You could even add cubed bananas and you have a new way to serve banana splits.

I don’t know if it’ll work, but you could try using Kelloggs Coco Pops instead of Rice Bubbles for an extra chocolate treat. Perhaps using milk chocolate (in place of white chocolate) and dark chocolate (in place of milk chocolate) would suit Coco Pops better.

Final thoughts

I personally think this recipe is so easy that even kids can make it. It would make a introduction to cooking for kids!

A very yummy and delicious snack that’s super simple to make. It’s guaranteed to be a party favourite. All you need is three ingredients and a microwave!

Ingredients

• 3 Mars Bars (regular size)
• 3 oz butter (85 grams)
• 3 cups of Kelloggs Rice Bubbles

Instructions

1. Melt the Mars Bars and butter in the microwave using a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second sessions with stirring between each session until Mars Bars and butter are well combined.
2. Add the Mars Bar and butter mix to the Rice Bubbles and gently combine well with a wooden spoon.
3. Press the mixture into a rectangular baking tray.
4. Refrigerate the pressed mixture for a couple of hours or until set.
5. Remove from refrigerator and cut into cookie sized pieces.

Optional

Try topping the Mars Bar Slices with chocolate. Simply melt some white, milk or dark chocolate (whatever your preference) in the microwave. Dip each slice in the melted chocolate to form a chocolate base or top, depending on how you present them.

Another option would be to fill a decorating bag with the melted chocolate and using an icing tip, decorate the slices as you wish. Draw lines, waves, circles or if you’re daring enough, try a flower or a smilie.

So it was time again to do something different in our lives, something we haven’t done before, something fun and exciting, but not too exciting and not too strenuous! The idea of horseriding came up during the South West holiday in 2005. I wanted the chance to go horseriding, but time didn’t permit it (I hadn’t initially planned it). So when we came back to the city, I marked it in my to-do list… “Go Horse Riding!”.

I found a sweet riding estate not too far from Perth city. It’s called, Brookleigh Equestrian Estate, located about 45 minutes from Perth in Upper Swan. As it was my first horseriding experience and I was the one organizing this “adventure”, I thought we’d start off with a leisurely trail ride.

We were given a quick introduction on:

• how to get on a horse
• how to get off a horse
• how to make the horse move
• how to make the horse stop
• how to turn the horse

My first impressions were “I don’t know if I can do this!”, but once we got going, it was a rather pleasant experience. My horse’s name was Solomon, he’s one of the older and more experienced horses used for trail rides. He seems very easy going, almost too easy going! He has his speed and when I tried to get him to walk a little faster, it was almost like he was saying to me, “No, not today”.

We didn’t get to trot or gallop on the trail ride, but we did have to navigate the horses through a rather large puddle of water and up and down hills. You wouldn’t think that hills were such a big deal, but there’s a bit of a technique to it. At the end of the day, I thought this particular horseriding trip was just the right mix of adventure, relaxation and fresh air. I can’t wait until our next horseriding trip!

Visit Brookleigh Equestrian Estate.

AQWA, formerly known as Underwater World, is Western Australia’s aquarium. AQWA is located about 30 minutes north of Perth city in Hillarys Boat Harbour. The aquarium is set out as a guide to WA’s coastline with four distinct areas,

1. Far North Coast
2. Shipwreck Coast
3. Perth Coast Marmion Marine Park
4. Great Southern Coast

AQWA offers more than just an aquarium for looking at fish and sharks. They have “AQWA Adventures” which includes diving or snorkelling with sharks (!) and whale watching during the whale migration months of September to December. They also have a cafe, bar and gift shop for souvenirs and can accommodate kid’s parties. They can even host a sleepover under the shark’s aquarium for kids. I was a little disappointed that the sleepover was for kids.
My favourite area of AQWA was the Shipwreck Coast. Its main attraction is the underwater tunnel running through a large aquarium filled with grey nurse sharks, stingrays or mantarays, hundreds of fish and a couple of large loggerhead turtles. It’s quite an experience as you stand on the conveyor belt while a giant grey nurse shark or smooth sting ray glides over your head! I loved the experience so much, I went around the circular tunnel at least 3 times!

Another one of my favourite areas of AQWA was the touch pool. The pool is home to stingrays, Port Jackson sharks, many fish, slate pencil urchins, starfish, a cuttlefish and more. I got a thrill out of sticking my arm elbow deep (and more!) to say hello to the stingrays, starfish and my favourite, the Slate Pencil Urchins. It was a bit more difficult trying to touch the fish, as they would swim away when they saw your hand coming too close.

There were many wall aquariums around AQWA as well, filled with colourful fish, lobsters, seahorses, seadragons, jellyfish, anemones and more. There was even an enclosure for crocodiles (only little ones) and outside, there’s Seal Island, where 2 female seals swim and play, and the Stingray Bay, the shallow pool of water where 2 species of stingray happily coexisting together.

If you plan to visit AQWA, make sure you give yourself at least two hours to wander the aquarium. There’s so much to see and learn (and touch!) and you wouldn’t want to be rushed. Keep in mind, this is a kid friendly place, and there’s going to be many children running around and making a lot of noise, so bring your patience with you.

See photos from our AQWA trip in the AQWA photo gallery page.

Visit AQWA’s Web Site

Our trip to the South West of Western Australia in 2005 took us 9 days and 8 nights. There were 4 of us travelling this time, so we stayed at a variety of accommodation, including hotels, motels and chalets.

I booked the accommodation for this trip. I did my research on the internet and ended up using a variety of methods to book our hotels, motels and chalets. Most of the reservation were made using the HotelClub.com web site.

• 
  Night 1 - The Clifton, Bunbury (motel)
• 
  Night 2 to 4 - Gazebo Lake Chalet, Margaret River (chalet)
• 
  Night 5 and 6 - Karri Valley Resort, Pemberton (chalet)
• 
  Night 7 - Karma Chalets, Denmark (chalet)
• 
  Night 8 - The Esplanade Hotel, Albany (hotel)

Select the attraction you would like to read about. These were the attractions we visited during our South West Holiday ing 2005.

Day 1

Serpentine Fall
Big Swamp Wildlife Park

Day 2

Dolphin Boat Cruise
Busselton Jetty and Underwater Observatory

Day 3

Quindalup Wildlife Park
Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse & Tour
Quay West Bunker Bay Resort
Wine Tasting @ Evans & Tate
Wine Tasting @ Vasse Felix

Day 4

Boranup Forest
Boranup Maze
Swim @ Hamelin Bay
Mammoth Cave Tour

Day 5

Trout Fishing @ King Trout Restaurant & Marron Farm
Climbed the Gloucester Tree

Day 6

Warren Tram
Wine Tasting @ Hidden River
Canoeing @ Karri Valley Resort

Day 7

Tree Top Walk
Ancient Empire Walk
Pentland Alpaca Farm
Wine and Cheese Tasting @ Ducketts Mill

Day 8

Natural Bridge
The Gap
Blow holes
Wind farm
WhaleWorld
Swimming @ Middleton Beach