Ramadan Challenge

Starting off, I want to wish all of you a happy and blessed Ramadan. It is a holy month with lots of meaning, blessings, miracles and THE time to reconnect with Allah!

Saying that, one of the biggest things I've realized is that I don't really go out of my comfort zone during the month. Well.... to be honest I never step out of my comfort zone.....

BUT this year I want to! I want to make some alterations which will hopefully help me out even after Ramadan has gone by.

So to make sure that I actually go through with this, I'm posting this on the internet for the whole world to see 

What challenge do I have in mind exactly?

Well here are the goals for the month

      1) Finish the Quran  

                 I have tried this for the past 2-3 years but sadly I could never. I always end up having some left but this year I will finish it.

      2) Drink 8 glasses of water (minimum)

                 Have you ever realized how we don't drink enough water specially during Ramadan? 

      3)Study

                 I'm going to admit that I don't really study when I should. Since I want to have long term effects, I plan on studying at least 2 hours each day in the start and hopefully increasing it by the end of the month

      4) Good Deed each day

                Whether it is to compliment someone, express my appreciation, give charity, help someone etc. Do at least one intentional good deed. 

      5) Take care if Myself/ Put myself first

                Even though this is the month of giving, I really want to put myself first. I don't think many of us realize how much we put others before ourselves which isn't okay. I am in no means saying that one should lose empathy for others. All I'm saying is take care of yourself as well. Love yourself, work towards being happier, healthier and a better person. 

The challenge seems fairly easy but will I be able to do it? We shall see. 

If you guys want to, you can start the challenge as well!

                 

Ferroro Rocher cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

• 4 tablespoons boiling water
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup castor sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the Frosting:

• 110 ml cream (whipping cream is best)
• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (nutella)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips/ chopped chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c. Line the cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
2. Mix together the water and cocoa powder to create a paste.
3. Mix together the cocoa powder paste with the remaining ingredients.
4. fill the lined cupcake tray up to 3/4 full with the batter
5. Bake for 15 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
6. Cool the cupcakes before frosting them
7. For the frosting, start by melting the chocolate chips with the spread until all the chocolate is melted.
8. Whip the cream until double in volume and soft peaks form. 
9. First add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and mix until combined.Add the mix to the remaining cream and whip again. Leave in the fridge for 2 or more hours for it to set and become firmer.
10. To frost, you can use a star tip (i used a 1M wilton tip). Add a ferrero rocher to complete 

Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!!!

Being younger I was very excited for New Year's eve. Needless to say that has not changed! Every year, like many others, I set goals and resolutions which, lets be honest, are mostly forgotten by time January ends (lol).
To sum up 2018, I would say that it has been a year of realization. I would be lying if I said that this year was great but it was not the worst either. I guess I can't really label it.
This new year I have thought about being a bit more honest with myself and set realistic goals and resolutions which I know I will end up following through with.
Among the things I want to do this new year is read more. I love to read and recently I realized that I have missed it so much! My goal is to read 12 new books in the whole year (which I feel is easily attainable)
Another thing I want to do is study harder. I become lazy when it comes to studying most of the time and I end up not feeling like it. During my exams I realized that the only thing stopping me from studying is myself.
Lastly I want to be myself. I do not want validation from others and I don't HAVE to be accepted by everyone. Only person I need validation from is Myself. I should be able to be happy with my decisions. I should follow through with what I say. I should be me.
 In all honesty, I realized throughout the year that I'm the only one holding myself back from doing things I want to do. I always have an excuse for things. I would either think "wait for the right time", "i do not feel like it", "what will people say" etc. I ended up not being true to myself in the process which is not something I ever want to be. I tried being a people-pleaser because I wanted people to be happy with me and I thought I would be accepted. It didn't work out. I ended up being constantly worried.
I truly believe that 50% of making my year good is in my own hands. The other 50% is in Allah's. 25% will be good and 25% will be a challenge. Might as well make my half good and adding the 25% not in my hand, 75% of my year will be good. That is alot!
In all, I'm grateful for 2018. I learned alot and for 2019, I am hopeful

Lots of love!
Maheen <3

Chocolate chip cookies

Everyone I know loves chocolate chip cookies and when they are homemade, nothing could be better. I have tried alot of recipes over the years. Some made these weird domes, some were too dense, too sweet, too bitter, the list goes on. For this reason I decided to take a basic one and alter it until i created the best one. This recipe is the one I have used for over 4 years now and has never failed me. It rises evenly and is just the right amount of everything. Have it with a glass of cold milk at night and it is the ultimate  and it is heavenly. So without much more waiting, I present to you, my chocolate chip recipe!

Ingredients:
-1 cup butter
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups flour
- a pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
-2 cups chocolate chips

Method:
1. Sift together the salt, baking soda and flour.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat well, making sure everything is mixed.
4. Mix in the flour mixture. Make sure no more flour is left. Best way is to mix in portions.
5. Lastly fold in the chocolate chips.
6. On a baking tray lined with baking paper, drop spoonfuls, leaving atleast 2 inches between each dough ball.
7. Bake in the oven at 250-300°C for 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
8. Place one cooling rack to cool before eating.
Note: to make thicker cookies, place the prepared cookie dough in the fridge overnight and bake the next day.

Festive/Christmassy Haul!

I have spent my childhood years in Canada and when my family lived there, Christmas time was the most magical time of all. The cheery environment, the lights, the treats and to top it all off, the snow. All of this may be the reason why now I am very much in love with the idea of Christmas. Apart from that, I am a winter baby and much prefer the winter months to the summer ones.

In September I got to go back to Canada and it gave me the chance to relive my childhood as well as get some festive things to bring back. Funny enough, I found a few bits and bobs from here as well!

So without delaying the actual post any longer, here are the things I managed to grab;

Tree

Without doubt, the first thing to make an area look christmassy and festive is getting a christmas tree. this one is 120cm and I got it from Esajee's(Rs.2000)

Decorations

Now getting the ornaments/baubles was kind of tricky. I was very specific on the colors and kind of decorations I wanted. No one within pakistan had them in November and I tried ordering from Aliexpress. These came in 8 days and are in 3 different finishes. Shiny, matte and glitter. They are 30mm and in Red and Gold. Made of plastic, they are ideal as Dixie has not spared a single day trying to play with them (7.62 usd for 48 pieces with delivery)

The large M was given to me by my cousin. No idea about where it is from lol

The lights (Rs.230) and the star (Rs.60) are both from Anarkali Crafting (FB page)

the lights have many functions including twinkling and slow fade. The star was made of thermocol and I used a golden marker to color it.

All the presents except for the red tins are real ones I have got for my Christmas themed party near the end of this year!

Candles

The next most important item for me was a good candle. I went to Yankee candles in early October and managed to get the two most amazing scents even though most scents were halloween and autumn related

I prefer getting sample sized candles (1.99cad each) initially and that's what I did. The scents I got were Candy Cane Lane and North Pole

Candy Cane Lane smells like peppermint candy canes and North Pole is more of a vanilla-peppermint scent. 

Accessories

I have very warm feet and so throughout the year I tend to find it hard to wear socks s when winter rolls around, I make full use of it.

The first socks I got were fuzzy socks from Ardenes, At 3.50 cad each, they are pretty great and comfy to wear whenever I want to relax and wind down. In the picture I only have three when in reality there are four. I have been using a pair and cold not be bothered to wash it :p

The next are from H&M and are a set of 5 (14.99 cad).You cant really see on camera but the grey and red have glittery heels and toes. Are they not the most adorable thing??

Last in the sock category are these anti skid Slipper-socks(3.50 cad). I don't even have to let you know why I bought this. You can probably understand

Next are Hats. I got two, a regular beanie and one with a viser.(3.50 cad each) The beanie is more beige toned and the Visor beanie is grey. 

Advent Calendars

It would never be a christmas haul if I didn't pick up some advent calendars.

First is the Sacconejoly advent calendar (6.99gbp). They are one of my favorite everyday vloggers and when they announced they came up with an advent calendar, I ordered it the very next day and I don't regret it. The chocolate is delicious!

Next is the Lindtt advent calendar(13.99cad) my aunt got me. It is larger than the first one but it mostly has the Lindtt balls. I prefer larger chocolate but the 12 had a lindtt teddy and the 24th will have a larger one.Can't wait for that!

The last one I got for myself is the Make Up Revolution beauty advent calendar (Rs.4500) I got from Beautybar.pk. I have wanted to try the brand for so long now and why not try a bit of everything? It has eyeshadows, mini brushes, lip glosses, lipsticks, highlighters, blushers, an eye primer, a mirror and more. The brand itself has good reviews and dupes many high end ones so why not? I may even do a review on it! Also the packing is black and rose gold. How could I resist?

The last Advent Calendar I have is the Lilly's kitchen advent calendar for Cats(rs.25000) that I asked team Endulgence to get along with the Tanya Burr one which will be going to my cousin. Dixie has loved the treats. She has come running as soon as I wake up in the morning knowing she is about the get some. The treats have 3 different flavors and are heart shaped! So Cute!!

That concludes my small haul. Hopefully I'll be able to upload more!

XOXO

My Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Everyone I know loves chocolate. Not a single person doesn't. I have tried alot of recipes over the years. Some made these weird domes, some were too dense, too sweet, too bitter, the list goes on. For this reason I decided to come up with my own. This recipe is the one I have used for over 4 years now and has never failed me. It rises evenly and is just the right amount of everything. Top it off with chocolate ganache and it is heavenly! So without further ado, I present to you, my cupcake recipe!
Ingredients you will need:
-1/2 cup butter
-1 1/2 cup sugar (use castor sugar or grind and sift, measure and use)

-2 eggs
-2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2-3/4 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
-3/4 -1 cup milk

Method:
1. In a clean, dry bowl sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. One by one, add the eggs, beating in between to incorporate it properly.
4. Now mix in the dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the two until just combined. Do not over mix because it will result in a dry cupcake.
5. Line a cupcake tray with liners and fill with the cupcake batter until 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 15 minutes in an oven at 250°C or until skewer when inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes completely at room temperature before frosting. Do not put directly into the fridge to cool as the cupcakes may harden.

Tip: You can add chocolate chips and nuts into the batter as well if you like. I prefer keeping it simple though

Rivaj nose Pore Cleansing Strips (review)

*Before going on, I added graphic pictures to show the results*

The Saturday before the last one, one of my friends came over and we took a trip to Hyperstar. We were basically fooling around and chucking random things into our trolley when my eyes landed on the nose pore cleansing strips and a put them in my trolley as well. Rivaj is a company whos products I have tried before so I didn't have to think about quality when buying the product. Without more delay, lets get to the review.

                                                                Description:

Cleansing nose strips are designed to unclog pores and remove blackheads. The specially created strips adhere to dirt and oil in the most hard to reach areas, once the strip has been removed you will see an improvement and with regular use, the strips help to reduce the long term appearance of pores.

Instead of quoting the directions as is, I will give a summary. Basically you wash you nose with soap and while your nose is wet, apply the strip, smooth out the bubbles and wait for 10-20 minutes. After that, you peel them off.

Each box comes with 6 nose strips packets and the box retails for Rs.275/- each which i thought would be quite the bargain if they worked.

My Thoughts:

I followed the directions and left it on for 20 minutes for maximum adherence. I peeled it off carefully and gazed at the blackheads on the strip. I was quite impressed but since i tend to either scrub my nose or squeeze out the blackheads (you shouldn't do that but I find it satisfying-lol) so I knew I should experiment. Now my mom's grandmother, who lives with us along with my grandmother, has ALOT of blackheads thanks to the many years she has never given attention to them. I though, 'what better way to test the limit than on a very bad case of blackheads?'

Before using the strip. Though they may seem alot, I assure you that they were more than this. They just didn't show up on camera

After using the pore strip. You can clearly see the areas where the blackheads are now gone from. The only areas they remain is where the strip did not stick properly.

Following the directions, I applied the strip to her nose and let is sit for 20 minutes and peeled it off. to my amazement, the strip was practically filled with blackheads and my 'subjects' nose was quite clear. There were spots where the strip had not adhered properly and so the blackheads remained in those areas but apart from that, it was all clear! Definitely would go out and buy more as well as ask everyone to try them out as well. Just make sure the strips adhere properly.

the top seems as though the strips just cleaned the very tips

but the side view shows that the strips grabbed the whole length of the blackhead

There were ALOT!

PROS:

-properly removes blackheads

-tighten pores

-nose feels quite smooth and soft afterwards

-great price range

Cons:

-it may become slightly painful to remove but wetting the strip slightly will help

Rivaj cleansing nose pore strips are available at most Rivaj counters in stores and most probably online as well.