June 7, 2018 - Oh My Heartsie Girl

June 7, 2018

Let’s Talk-DIY with Pearls

Let’s talk about pearls. Yes, good old-fashioned pearls. The same ones Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel made famous by layering strands of the highest quality gemstones in various lengths around her neck. The fashion industry would never be the same, and the world turned to pearls as haute couture.

Girls That Wear Pearls — Image Source: 2 Geeks Who Eat

But the days of Chanel are gone. That was decades ago. Pearls have since waned in popularity, often looked at as jewelry your mother or grandmother might wear – or so we thought.

All it takes to know pearls are back is a flip through your favorite fashion or couture magazine. Even celebrity gossip mags are filled with images of Hollywoods A-list sporting bracelets, studs, necklaces and the likes. According to Accessories Magazine, so popular have pearls become that their price is even starting to spike significantly.

Image Source Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies

Right about now, you’re probably thinking about digging your own pearls out of storage. We wouldn’t blame you; repurposing and reusing your own strands can save you a pretty penny and make you super chic in the process. We’ve got you covered with some DIY ideas of our own.

Earrings

The great thing about pearls is there customizable and easily manipulated. Why not go with a nautical theme for your summer beach vacation? Here’s how to create an awesomely unique pair of earrings:

Mark a spot in the center of two like-sized seashells and make a small pin hole in each. Next, grab a strong adhesive and delicately glue two loose pearls to the inside of the shell (note, it’s recommend you go with faux pearls to avoid damaging any highly valuable gemstones you have lying around the house). From there, you can use craft wire to weave the two together using the previously drilled hole. You can apply the same basic process to string bracelets and necklaces as well. Make something of your own that speaks to you! There are no rules. For more inspiration, The Pearl Source regularly posts ideas and instructions.

Knotted Bracelet

Pick your poison: Leather, twine, a thin piece of wire…even fishing line for you outdoor types! A knotted pearl bracelet is a killer look popular on the red carpets and silver screens that you can easily pull off yourself without spending a fortune.

Here’s what you’ll need: 16 pearl beads pre-drilled (head to any crafts store to find some) and approximately 2.5 yards of cordage of your choice. Hook the pearls onto the wire with knots on both ends. Tip: You can space them however you’d like, and you can vary the spacing, too. If you’re having trouble finding the materials and your local store, you can always order loose pearls online. Sites like Laguna Pearl offer them at a discount.

Headband (and Other Accessories)

This one is easy. Pick your favorite headband (or handbag, denim or leather jacket, cuff, etc.). Using a strong adhesive (avoid a hot glue gun), dot your item however you’d like with as many pearls as you’d like. Again, it’s recommended you go with faux pearls for this as depending on the adhesive you use, you may end up damaging the pearl. Ivanka Trump is clearly a fan of the look (albeit at a slightly higher price point).

A Simple Choker

Grab a piece of leather cord or ribbon that you’re fond of and make sure it’s a snug fit around your neck (but not too tight that it impedes your ability to breathe!). Cut the cordage into two equal halves, then use a tapestry needle to make a small hole on the end of one the cords. Thread a four-inch piece of 24-gauge gold wire into the hole, create a wrapped loop, then trim any excess wire that remains. We know – it sounds complicated. In reality it’s not as hard as we’re making it sound. Check out this post for further instruction that provides each step one at a time, with pictures!

Happy crafting!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might receive a small commision, if you make a purchase using this link.

June 7, 2018

5 Myths About Credit Cards

Incomplete knowledge is often considered dangerous, be it about any product or fact. Especially, if there are rumours about financial products like Credit Cards it proves to be very harmful. Either people stop using such products or lead to the incomplete use.

Digitisation has led to use of credit cards and debit cards everywhere. You can find Merchants Account in all sorts of business. Be it on a big scale or small scale

The write-up below will throw the light upon the most common Myths About Credit Cards.

Carrying A Credit Card Leads To Credit Card Debt:

This is the most common myth about using credit card. It causes no harm to your money. You can often listen to things like make use of prepaid cards or debit cards but it hardly matters. It is same as using prepaid or postpaid sim, either way you have to clear your bills.

Use of credit cards is convenient and makes your payment fast and reliable through Credit Card Machines

You Should Use Only One Credit Card:

There is no such limits as long as you can keep the record of all your credit cards and pay the bills on time. If you are responsible enough to keep the track you can use as many cards as you want without any sort of losses.

Don’t Accept Increase In Credit Limit:

Well, it can add up to your advantage if you manage your expenses and know how to use your credit card well. The amount of credit card limit you use is referred to as utilisation. Lower the utilisation higher is your credit score. If bank increase the credit limit but you do not increase your expenses it ends up in your favour.

Opening A Credit Card Will Hurt the Credit Score:

Well it doesn’t make much difference if your credit score is high say above 700s. And opening a credit card only drops your score by 5 points. Credit score is useful only while you take up loan, to reduce interest rate, so there is nothing to worry about.

Carrying Balance On Your Credit Card, Helps You Score:

Well, it’s yet another myth. Clearing off your balance at the earliest before due date, helps you score. Pending amounts only adds up to penalties.

Now, that you are cleared up with the use of credit card and false myth associated along. You can make use of credit cards. If you run a business and looking for POS Machines to cater all sorts of digital payments, you can look forward to the machine provided by Merchant Account Solutions.

Credit Alerts:
How to Manage Your Credit Card Repayments with a Debt Consolidation Loan
Women to Claim Credit for Their Accomplishments
How to Manage Your Credit Card Repayments with a Debt Consolidation Loan
How to Become Debt-Free

June 7, 2018

How Anti-Aging Products Prove Their Efficacy Claims

There are literally thousands of products promising to turn back the hands of time. Using anti-aging products is one of the most common beauty hacks for looking younger, but it’s far from a silver bullet.

Some anti-aging products really do soften fine lines, improve skin clarity, and build up collagen. Others are nothing but a waste of money. Yet all anti-aging products claim to solve our skin woes. So how do manufacturers come up with all their claims and how do you know if they’re legitimate?

Unfortunately, topical beauty product claims aren’t usually regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Manufacturers primarily rely on four tactics to prove the efficacy of anti-aging products.

Third-Party Testing of Beauty Products

One of the most common ways to obtain efficacy statistics for products is through third-party testing. Companies like The Benchmarking Company that specialize in beauty product testing base results in quantitative and qualitative consumer research.

Third-party testers use a variety of measures to gauge whether a product actually delivers results. Some are performed in-home, meaning that the consumer who’s acting as a tester uses the product at home as other consumers would. The product research company then tracks their independent thoughts on how the product worked throughout the testing period.

The tests produce verified consumer claims that are then used for marketing purposes. It’s not uncommon for manufacturers to discover benefits they didn’t even consider before the third party consumer testing.

Testing Beauty Products in a Laboratory Setting

Some beauty product manufacturers go the extra mile to definitively show results in terms of actual improvement to the skin, not just consumer opinion. These tests are performed in a laboratory setting under the direction of researchers.

When you see claims like “80% improvement in moisture retention” or “75% reduction in fine lines” those are typically obtained through laboratory testing. The researchers will take baseline measurements before product use and then observe the changes at intervals during the testing period.

Consumers should pay attention to who does the laboratory testing. It’s best for testing to be done at an outside facility rather than at the manufacturer’s testing facilities.

Expert Reviews on Anti-Aging Products

Today, there are a lot of influencers providing their seal of approval for beauty products, which their followers see as proof positive of efficacy. It’s not uncommon to see anti-aging products that prominently display awards received from expert reviewers like a beauty magazine or well-known skin specialist. The opinion of these high-profile reviewers is regularly used in marketing on product packaging, ads, and websites.

The Allure Best of Beauty Awards is a perfect example of how expert reviews can help substantiate efficacy claims. Their beauty editors test out dozens upon dozens of products to determine which ones live up to the hype. Only those that really wow their panel end up receiving an award.

FTC Advertising and Marketing Regulations

Since the FDA classifies most topical anti-aging products as cosmetics (unless they change the physical structure of the skin and are then considered a drug), the products need to be proven safe to use, but they don’t need FDA approval to verify they work as claimed. However, there are Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advertising and marketing regulations for cosmetics, and under FDA law marketing claims should not be misleading.

If the FDA finds that a manufacturer is making drug claims for a cosmetic they can take action. For example, if a manufacturer claims that an anti-aging cosmetic boosts collagen production that’s a drug claim because it would be altering the structure of the skin. If the product is a cosmetic that hasn’t gotten FDA approval to make a drug claim a warning letter will be issued. Dozens of companies have received warning letters in regard to topical skin care products, including heavyweights like L’Oreal and Peter Thomas Roth.

With so many options available and loose FDA regulations finding anti-agers that actual work can be a daunting process. Your best bet is to look for products that have been independently tested and use ingredients that are proven to be effective.

This post may contain affiliate links and I might receive compensation if you make a purchase after clicking on a link.