how to do sun stripping

By Lilly Wallace

After contouring and strobing, a new makeup trend called "sun stripping" is becoming the coolest new way to wear bronzer. It is very easy to do and results in a realistic bronzed look that anyone can wear beautifully. With just a little bronzer and a brush, you can look like you spent all day at the beach getting the loveliest healthy-looking tan!

Things You'll Need

Matte bronzer

Blunt face brush, preferably non-round (as shown in photo below)

 

Sun stripping is meant to mimic a natural tan. It's that type of sun-kissed look you get when the sun rays hit the high points of your face, mainly on the bridge of your nose and the apples of your cheeks.

Step 1

Apply your foundation and concealer as per your usual routine, and dust a thin layer of powder to set in place.

Step 2

With a blunt, non-round face brush, begin to draw a strip of bronzer from one apple of the cheek to the other passing over the center of the nose.

Step 3

Elongate the bronzer towards the temples.

Step 4

Clean up the brush and blend the edges to soften them and give a more natural look.

How To Remember 90% Of Everything You Learn

 Whether you’re learning Spanish, a new instrument, or a new sport, we could all benefit from accelerated learning. But the problem is, there’s only so much time in the day.

The key to accelerated learning is not just putting in more hours, but maximizing the effectiveness of the time spent learning.

The Bucket And Water Analogy

Let’s say you were to fill up a bucket with water. Most buckets should not have any problem retaining the water inside, until it starts overflowing at the top.But in reality, this isn’t how our brains function. In fact, most of the information that enters our brain leaks out eventually. Instead of looking at our brain’s memory as a bucket that retains everything, we should treat it for what it is: a leaking bucket.

While the leaky bucket analogy may sound like a negative connotation, it’s perfectly normal. Unless you were born with a photographic memory, our brains weren’t designed to remember every fact, information, or experience that we go through in our lives.

How To Remember 90% Of Everything You Learn

The development of the Learning Pyramid in the 1960’s — widely attributed to the NTL Institute in Bethel, Maine— outlined how humans learn.

As research shows, it turns out that humans remember:

5% of what they learn when they’ve learned from a lecture (i.e. university/college lectures)

10% of what they learn when they’ve learned from reading (i.e. books, articles)

20% of what they learn from audio-visual (i.e. apps, videos)

30% of what they learn when they see a demonstration

50% of what they learn when engaged in a group discussion.

75% of what they learn when they practice what they learned.

90% of what they learn when they use immediately (or teach others)

Yet how do most of us learn?

Books, classroom lectures, videos — non-interactive learning methods that results in 80-95% of information going in one ear and leaking out the other.

The point here is that instead of forcing our brains on how to remember more information with “passive” methods, we should focus our time, energy, and resources on “participatory” methods that have proven to deliver more effective results, in less time.

This means that:

• If you want to learn how to speak a foreign language, you should focus on speaking with native speakers and gain immediate feedback (instead of mobile apps)
• If you want to get in shape, you should work with a personal fitness trainer (instead of watching Youtube workout videos)
• If you want to learn a new instrument, hire a local music teacher in your city

Ultimately, it comes down to this…

Time Or Money?

How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t have time to do X…”

I’m certainly guilty of this myself, as I’ve made excuse after excuse about the lack of time I have in my life.

But time is the greatest equalizer of all. No matter who we are, where we are in the world, or how much we strive for efficiency, there are only 24 hours in each day. Every single minute is unique, and once it’s gone, it can never be regained, unlike money.

So if we all have 24 hours in a day, how do we explain the success stories of young millionaires that started from nothing, or a full-time student going from beginner to conversation fluency in Spanish after just 3.5 months? They learned how to maximize for effectiveness instead of only efficiency.

Let’s say person A spent one hour learning a language and retained 90% of what they learned. And person B spent nine hours learning and retained 10% of what they learned. Doing simple math, person B spent 9x more time learning than person A, only to retain the same amount of information (A: 1 * 0.9 = B: 9 * 0.1).while the exact numbers can be debated, the lesson is clear. The way to have more time is not to go for small wins, like watching 5-minute YouTube tutorials instead of 15-minutes, but to go for big wins, like choosing the most effective method from the beginning. Or constantly relying on free alternatives, when investing in a premium solution can shave off months, if not years, worth of struggles, mistakes, and most importantly, time.

It’s making the most out of the limited time we have by focusing on solutions that deliver the most impact, and saying no to everything else.

The ability to retain more knowledge in an age of infinite access to information and countless distractions is a powerful skill to achieve any goal we have faster.

By learning how to remember more information everyday, we can spend less time re-learning old knowledge, and focus on acquiring new ones.

how to train a rabbit

Litter Training & Litterbox Issues

Yes, you can litter-train your bunny! But, spaying or neutering has to come first. It is almost impossible to litter train an unspayed or unneutered rabbit. If you can’t resist letting bunny have the run of the house immediately, be prepared to have him consider your house as one very large litter box. Once this habit is established, it is very hard to change. It is far better to spend the time in the beginning and enjoy your fuzzy friend’s good manners.

Buy the right boxes--and get more than one!

 Bunnies like to have enough room to stretch out in their boxes and, if you have a bonded pair, you have to allow enough room for both of them.

We recommend medium to large size cat litterboxes (just the ordinary tray-type ones; not the deep or covered varieties. Your bunny will probably appreciate -- and insist on -- having more than one litter location.

If you have large bunnies, there is another great litter box alternative available at most large hardware stores (like HomeDepot or Lowes). These are very roomy...and inexpensive! 

Get the right litter.

There are several important litter do's and don'ts when it comes to bunnies:

Do choose:

• Yesterday's News, Crown Bedding (or similar) recycled newspaper pellet litter / animal bedding
• Carefresh (or similar) paper pulp litter / animal bedding
• Wood stove pellets (these are used as fuel for woodstoves, but are actually great as bunny litter pellets.)
• Ground corncob pet litter / bedding
• Always check the label. Don't buy litter that cedar, cedar oils, zinc or the clumping clay.

Do NOT choose:

• No clay litter! This can cause serious respiratory problems.
• No Cat Works litter! This can cause zinc poisoning and death. Read more.
• No Pine or Cedar litters! These can also kill your rabbit. Read more. 
  
  

Get yummy Timothy Hay.

NEVER use hay that looks dusty or moldy or smells bad. It can kill your bunny.

You can buy Timothy Hay in bags from most pet stores, and that will do just fine. If you have a little more time, see if you can find a specialty store, feed store, or farm that sells Timothy Hay. This tends to be even yummier to discerning bunnies.

Fill the litter box properly

If you've had a bunny before, you know that you can do nothing right...especially not the first time. So, it might take some trial and error to find the 'proper way' to fill the litter box (according to your bunny, that is).

Start with around one inch of litter, and cover that with Timothy Hay.

Prepare to do a little clean-up.

Nobody's perfect. Your bunny will probably have a few accidents as he or she is learning to use the box.

Always remember: rabbits do not respond well to physical discipline. They have been designed to be easily frightened and broken; never physically discipline your rabbit. You and/or your rabbit could end up seriously hurt and your rabbit will end up terrified of you rather than your loving companion.

The most effective cleaning solution for bunny pee accidents is white vinegar. It's a good idea to get a spray bottle and fill it with white vinegar or vinegar and water. You can also use Nature's Miracle enzyme cleaner, but this is a bit more expensive.

How to litter train your bunny.

1. Choose your location

While you are litter training your bunny, he or she will have to stay in an enclosed area. So, before you start training, choose and prepare the training area. A bathroom, utility room, or other small room without carpeting is a good place to start the training. You can also use a cage or an x-pen.

• If you are training in a room with slippery floors, put a rug or towel down for the bunny to lay on.
• Trim your bunny's nails. This will help him or her feel more comfortable on a slippery floor. 
• Be prepared to confine your bunny for a while. You can't let him out into any other room until he is always urinating in his box.

2. Prepare the litter box

Use 1" of litter covered with Timothy hay. Add in some of the rabbit's poops and urine-soaked paper or hay. Place the litter box whereever the bunny seems to prefer to use, which is often a corner.

3. Add bunny

When you first let her into the training area, stay in the room. When she leaves droppings on the floor, immediately put both bunny and the droppings in the litter box. Tell her what a good bunny she is and pet her. Spend as much time as you can with her and when you have to leave, put her back into her cage or enclosure. A baby gate (not light plastic) works well to divide a room into a manageable space. Repeat this often until she has the training room mastered. Only then can you let her out into another room.

• Clean up accidents ASAP.
• If the rabbit likes to dig and moves the box around, you can use a large metal clamp to fix it to the side of the hutch. They can be purchased at most hardware stores. You might also drill a small hole in the side of the box and secure it with twist ties.
• Let the litter box stay a little dirty while the rabbit is learning. If you keep it too clean she will think that she is not supposed to use it. You can dispose of organic litter directly in the toilet or into the compost pile. Wonderful fertilizer is an added bonus of sharing your home with a rabbit.

4. Expand the area

After you are sure that your bunny is urinating only in the box, it's time to expand her area. Repeat step three in additional rooms.

Don't be afraid to use multiple litter boxes until your rabbit exhibits the appropriate litter box behaviors. Be sure and clean up behind any "accidents." If you witness your rabbit urinating outside their litter box, pick your rabbit up and place them in their litter box. Don't scold your rabbit, rather praise him/her once inside the litter box.

You can set a schedule while your rabbit is enjoying out time. Every 10 minutes place your rabbit in their litter box and praise them. Have a treat ready and offer it if they actually use the litter box. As time progresses, you can space out the amount of time between the reminder visits to their litter box. Time, patience, praise and consistent work will help your rabbit reshape their behavior.

For more information & advice on Litter Training

• Litter Training - Rabbit Network
• Litter Training - Exotic Pets
• Litter Training - HRS

Spraying & Urinating

If your rabbit is spraying you or items in your house in order to mark them with his/her scent, there is a solution. Yes, female buns can spray their territory too. Schedule your rabbit with a knowledgeable rabbit vet for a spay or neuter. Once the hormones are gone, the desire to spray territory with urine will go with it.

how to make Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake Recipe

If you want to make a  homemade chocolate cake from scratch, this is a simple, yet easy recipe to make. It's one you are certain to enjoy.

Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups butter or margarine, softened
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup milk

---

How to make Chocolate Cake:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour three 6" X 1 1/2" round cake pans.
3. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter, eggs and vanilla.
5. Gradually add sugar.
6. Beat on medium to high speed for about 3-4 minutes until well mixed
7. Alternately combine in flour mixture and milk to batter while beating.
8. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.
9. Pour equal amounts of batter into greased and floured round cake pans.
10. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.
11. Check with a toothpick to se if it is done. Bake a few minutes more, if needed.
12. Remove from oven and allow cakes to cool in pans for a few minutes.
13. Place cakes on a wire rack, to them allow to completely cool.

Frosting Cakes:

1. If you want to make  your own frosting, see How to make Chocolate Frosting
2. Place one round cake on a cake plate.
3. Spread frosting on top.
4. Repeat this for the third cake.
5. Frost top of the third cake.
6. Frost the side for the cake.

How to Block Calls in Android, Manually and Automatically

It’s dinner time. You’re just sitting down when you get a call. On the other line, a robotic voice says: “We have important information regarding your credit accounts. Please hold to speak to a representative.”

*click*

How many times has that scenario happened to you or someone you know? Even if the answer is “once,” that directly translates to “too many times.” It’s scammy, annoying, and downright rude.

If you have an Android phone, though, you don’t have to deal with it. There are actually a few different ways to go about blocking numbers on Android, and we’re going to talk about a few of the easiest ones today.

Block Numbers Right From the Dialer in Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and Up

If you’re on a phone that already has the latest version of Android (Marshmallow), then we have good news: call blocking is just a few taps away. This is a long-requested feature that Google finally brought to the table starting with Android 6.0.

The easiest way to do this is to long-press the number in your call log, then select “Block number.”

 

Unfortunately, that only works on stock Android, so if you have a Samsung Galaxy device (or other non-stock phone), you’ll have to use the slightly more convoluted process: go directly to the call blocking list.

The good news is that accessing the call block list is basically the same on every device, though the menus may be named slightly different things—for example, on stock Nexus devices, you tap the three-dot overflow button to access the dialer’s menu, where you’ll tap “more” on Samsung phones to get to the same place.

So, with that in mind, go ahead and jump into the dailer (or the “phone app” as it’s often referred to). Once there, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right (again, on Samsung phones it reads “more”).

 

Choose “Settings,” then the “Call blocking” option.

 

This is where you’ll add the numbers of callers you’d like to ignore. Simply tap the “Add number” or “Block list” option, and key in whatever the number is. You can also choose a contact here, assuming you’ve saved the number of the annoying caller. 

 

When someone from this number calls you, the phone will auto-block it. No ringing, no notification. Nothing. This raises the question: if someone calls and the phone doesn’t ring, did they ever really call at all?

Automatically Send Calls to Voicemail in All Versions of Android

If you’re on an older version of Android that doesn’t have automatic call blocking, there’s another option: automatically send calls to voicemail. This method also works on stock devices running Marshmallow, if you’d prefer not to block calls entirely, but it’s not available on new Samsung phones like the S7 or S7 Edge.

Since Google decided that it makes sense to have two apps that can handle contacts (the dialer and Contacts app), there are two different ways to get this done. Regardless of which app you’d rather use, the first thing you’ll need to do is navigate to the contact you want to ignore, then edit their entry in your address book.

Once you’re in the “edit” menu, tap the three-dot overflow button in the top right. In this menu, there’s an option that reads “All calls to voicemail.” Tick that box.

 

The biggest difference between this option and auto-block is that it’s universal for the contact. So if you have two numbers listed for the same person, it will send both of them to voicemail; with the blocking feature, you can just block one but allow the other to get through.

The result here is identical to the blocking feature: no call, no notification (unless they leave a voicemail, of course). It’s almost as if they never called at all. Spooky.

Block Suspected Scammers and Spammers with Mr. Number

If you’re looking for what’s arguably the smartest ways to block calls on your Android phone, look not further than Mr. Number. This is an incredibly full-featured app, but we’re just going to focus on its call-blocking capabilities. Once you get in on the block action, though, you should definitely explore the app a bit more. It’s neat.

If you’re just looking to block all telemarketer or spam calls, Mr. Number can actually this automatically. It has three  types of auto-blocking: scam/fraud, suspected spam, and hidden numbers. Each of those categories can be toggled individually, too. It can also block individual numbers.

To enable these features, the first thing you’ll need to do is (of course), install Mr. Number. I shouldn’t have to say that, but I’m doing it anyway. For completeness.

Once the app is installed, open it and tap the overflow button in the top right corner, then select “Settings.”

 

In the Settings menu, there’s a section titled “Call Blocking.” That’s what you’re looking for. Tap the “Blocking Enabled” button. It may also read “Blocking Disabled” if you just installed the app.

In this menu, you can choose to block specific numbers, or toggle the aforementioned categories. There are actually several automated options here: Scam or Fraud, Suspected Spam, Hidden numbers, International Numbers, and Not in my Contacts. You can control each of these as needed.

 

Alternatively, you can just tap the “Numbers on my block list” option to add specific numbers. Just tap the plus sign in the bottom right to open the blocking menu. You can choose from a few different options: a number, a contact, numbers that begin with specific digits, or recent calls or texts. That’s crazy-granular control. You can block an entire area code if you want!

 

When someone on your block list tries to call (regardless of you entered the number manually or it’s part of the auto-blocking feature), the phone will ring for about half a second or so before Mr. Number can kick in. Once it does, however, it’ll send the caller to voicemail and leave a notification letting you know that it blocked a number. You can then tap the notification to read more information about the number, including comments left by other users as to what the nature of the call was. Neat, right?

How to Remove a Sensor or Device from SmartThings

 

If you have a sensor or device connected to your SmartThings setup, but you no longer want it, it’s actually really easy to disconnect from your system.

SmartThings comes with its own line of sensors and devices that you can add. It’s not a huge product line by any means, but the good news is that you can also connect third-party devices to your SmartThings setup, likePhilips Hue lights, Belkin WeMo outlet switches, and even smart thermostats.

However, if you no longer want a specific device connected to your SmartThings configuration, here’s how to remove it quickly and easily without any fuss.

First off, open up the SmartThings app on your phone, and select the “My Home” tab at the bottom.

 

Next, tap on the “Things” tab toward the top of the screen.

 

Here, you’ll see a list of all the sensors and devices that you have connected to SmartThings. Both SmartThings-branded devices and third-party devices will appear in this list.

 

Next, simply tap on the device that you want to remove.

 

Tap on the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

 

Select “Edit Device” when the pop-up appears at the bottom. 

 

Tap on “Remove”.

 

Tap on “Remove” again on the next screen.

 

Tap on “OK” to go back to the list of devices.

 

At any point in the future if you want to re-add that device to your SmartThings setup, you can easily do so by simply going through the process of adding a new device to your configuration. Otherwise, if you plan on getting rid of the device and selling it, just make sure that you’ve removed it and factory reset it if it requires that.