FabSugar

Style For Style: A Gummy Fashion Situation

FabSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:00:22 PDT

I let a friend borrow a lovely ruffled jacket I have, much like this Max Mara Ruffle Front Jacket, $890. Big mistake! Somehow she got gum on the sleeve, which is a mystery because she wasn't chewing gum the entire night (yeah right!). Naturally, I freaked out, but she remained calm. Little did I know that she had a trick up her sleeve.

To see how my friend removed the gum from my jacket,

Yes, you are staring at a piece of ice. My smarty pants friend took one cube and rubbed it on the gum-infested area until the ice had practically melted and the gum had come off. It's hard to tell how long the process takes but if this happens to you, rub the ice on the gum and scratch it off until it disappears. It's labor intensive but worth it if you want to salvage your clothing! Please be mindful of sensitive fabrics like suede and silk.

Source

23 Handy Uses For Vinegar

Emily Co — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:00:23 PDT

It's always a great idea to use the products you have that are already sitting in your kitchen for other purposes. You're saving green and being green! Not to mention, using these natural products will be less toxic for you and the other dwellers in your household. Here are a couple of great uses for vinegar:

Fabric softener. Add about 1/4 cup of vinegar to your laundry load to soften your fabric.
Static-cling remover. Add the same amount to reduce static cling.
Stain remover. Soak your clothes in vinegar to get rid of all kinds of stains.
Gum remover. Heat up some vinegar in the microwave and soak the area that's stuck to the gum. The chewing gum will dissolve.
Air freshener. Remove odor by putting a bowl of vinegar in the place where the smell is emanating. You can also put it in a spray bottle with equal parts water and deodorize the air.
Remove water rings. Mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil and dip a cloth in the mixture and wipe the water ring, moving with the grain of the wood. If a water ring is left on a leather furniture, wipe it down with just vinegar.
Keep cats away. Sprinkle an area with some vinegar to repel cats.
Clean rust. If you have a rusty tool or object, soak it overnight in vinegar. Rinse the objects with water after soaking so the vinegar won't affect them.

Read on for more handy uses.

A Reader Recipe: Vegan Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread

Fit Community — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 01:29:30 PDT

FitSugar reader Whipped recently shared this recipe for vegan chocolate-chip banana bread, which she got from the BabyCakes Bakery cookbook, in our Healthy Recipe group.

So I have been craving some banana bread lately. I want a moist, tender, chocolately chip banana bread . . . and I'd like it healthy, too, please? No butter? No eggs? No dairy?

Yup. Perfect chocolate-chip banana bread. And it's also gluten-free, so no worries if you have wheat allergies.

Read on for the recipe.

Lock Your Love and Throw Away the Key: Love Padlocks Around the World

Tara Block — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:57:04 PST

Shrouded in superstition and romance, love padlocks (aka love locks) are a worldwide trend that have been spotted everywhere from Budapest to Paris to Seoul to Moscow. Traditionally, the padlocks are affixed by a couple to symbolize their eternal love, but the origin is unknown.

What we do know is that in Rome the padlocks on the Ponte Milvio bridge are attributed to Federico Moccia's book I Want You, and the padlock tradition in Serbia began with a legend dating back before WWI about a woman who died of a broken heart. Serbian girls would write down their names with their loved ones on padlocks and affix them to the bridge where the infamous lovers used to meet, Most Ljubavi (the Bridge of Love). In Fengyuan, Taiwan, the locks are attached in pairs to an overpass in the city's train station and called "wish locks." The story goes that the trains generate a magnetic field that energizes the locks, granting the wishes. And according to a legend in Montevideo, Uruguay, there's a fountain where if you put a lock in it with the initials of two people in love, they will return to the fountain and be "locked in love" forever.

Love locks have recently arrived in Venice, Italy, and despite the city of water being known for its romance, Venice's administration is not feeling the love and is worried they'll cause damage to the buildings and bridges. One would think the ritual would be welcomed since they are less destructive than, say, graffiti or gum walls (have you seen those? Disgusting), but if Venice shut down the trend it wouldn't be alone. Paris stripped the locks on several bridges in 2010, and Florence removed 5,500 padlocks on the Ponte Vecchio bridge in 2006. But love perseveres, as usually it's only a matter of time before they return.

Take an international trip with us now to see the locks of love!

Dry Cleaning Dos and Don'ts

SavvySugar — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:43:35 PST

Tough-to-clean sequins and silk shine this time of year, which means regular trips to the dry cleaners. Since the fancy fabrics tend to be used for more expensive items, it's important to care for them correctly. Keep your party wear in celebratory shape by following these essential tips.

Don't bring a giant basket of inside-out items into a random cleaners. You should research beforehand to be sure that the business is reputable and well-established.
Do take stock of your clothing before making the trip. Check to see that all items are right-side-out, yes, but also inspect the tags and take note of any special care instructions.

Don't simply drop your bundle and go. Sure, you have plenty of other things on your to-do list, but it's worth taking the extra time to confirm that your clothing is tended to properly.
Do get to know your dry cleaner. Spend a few extra minutes talking to the person in charge to discuss any concerns and ask about available deals that may cut costs.

Don't shove your ticket to the bottom of your purse. It will inevitably fall into the deepest depths of your bag where the gum wrappers reside until you throw it all away a few days later.
Do keep the ticket in your wallet. Leave it in a place that you look through daily so that you remember to pick up your order on time. If you leave your clothes at the cleaners for too long, you run the risk of pieces getting lost.

Don't immediately hang the clean clothes in your closet. Yes, it's annoying to deal with the plastic wrap, but dry cleaning is a chemical-filled process, and you'll be exposing those chemicals to the rest of your wardrobe.
Do remove the wrap right away. Once the items are uncovered, slide them onto your own hangers and hang the pieces in an area with regular ventilation. It's important to let the clothes air out to ensure that the fabric is chemical-free and ready to wear.

Putting a One-Hour Drugstore Teeth Whitener to the Test

Jaime Richards — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:30:00 PDT

Can an $8, one-hour tooth whitener really work? I had my doubts, and while Walgreens Intense 1 Hour Whitening System ($8) won't get your teeth Ross Gellar-white (not that you'd actually want glow-in-the-dark choppers), it will lighten them a few shades, all under an impressive 60 minutes. But with the good comes a bit of bad. See the full review when you read more.

4 Things a 30-Year Beauty Veteran Would Tell Her 25-Year-Old Self

Jaime Richards — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:05:19 PDT

Beauty editor Lois Joy Johnson has been in the business for around 30 years, starting her career in at Mademoiselle and eventually working with magazines like More and Ladies' Home Journal. "I kind of aged with my reader," Johnson explains.

And as you can imagine, Johnson has picked up a lot of cosmetic tips and tricks along the way. So with that knowledge in mind, what advice would she give if she could go back in time and have a chitchat with her 25-year-old self? To find out the confessions of this beauty editor, just keep reading.

Confused About Floss - Which Type Is Best?

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:00:40 PDT

Brushing your teeth removes food particles and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth, but we need floss to clean in between your teeth. "You cannot effectively vacuum a house with only one attachment," says American Dental Association spokesman Richard H. Price, DMD. "You need other attachments to get into the nooks and crannies. That's what floss does.”

When picking up floss at the store, it's astounding how many varieties there are. If you're confused about which one works best or is right for your teeth,

Unwaxed: This floss is perfect for teeth that aren't too tight together.
Waxed: If the spaces between your teeth are tight, waxed floss will glide easier.
Tape: This ribbon-like floss is meant for those who have wider spaces between their teeth.
Ultra floss: If the spaces between your teeth vary, this floss is right for you. This yarn-like floss stretches thin to fit between tight teeth but also springs back to be slightly thicker for teeth that have wider spaces.
Flossing picks: If it's tough to reach your back teeth or it hurts your fingers to wrap the floss around, these picks have convenient handles to make flossing easier.

The bottom line is that it really doesn't matter which type of floss you use - as long as you use it. Choose one you like that doesn't damage your gums and use it at least once a day. Flossing not only removes leftover spinach and pesky poppy seeds from in between your chompers, but it's also essential for healthy gums. So the next time you go to the dentist, ask for some samples of different kinds so you can try them out and see which you like best.

How to Prevent Bad Breath

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:00:24 PDT

We've all been embarrassed by occasional bouts of bad breath after eating a roasted garlic pizza or a sandwich piled with onions. If you're dealing with bad breath all the time, though, it can be mortifying. So here are some tips to keep your mouth smelling fresh.

Quit cigarettes if you're a smoker.
Get your teeth checked out by your dentist. Cavities and gum disease can cause bad breath.
Brush and floss during the day, every time you eat. When food particles hang out in your mouth, bacteria collects and emits stinky hydrogen sulfur vapors. So keep a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss in your purse at all times to use after coffee breaks, lunch, and snacks.
Drink more water. It'll help keep the bacteria in your mouth to a minimum.
Don't mask your bad breath with sugary mints. They'll freshen your breath briefly, but the sugar will only cause more stinky plaque to build up. If you can't brush, go for sugarless gum instead since chewing increases saliva production, which is your best weapon against bad breath.

What else can help prevent bad breath? To find out,

If you suffer from allergies or sinus infections, postnasal drip in the back of your throat can cause bad breath. So get your symptoms under control with antibiotics or allergy meds.
Keep in mind, though, that certain medications such as decongestants or allergy pills can cause dry mouth, which can also lead to bad breath. When your mouth is dry, dead cells and bacteria accumulate on your gums, tongue, and teeth. When these cells decompose, they produce a foul smell. Water helps, but if your symptoms are really bothering you try switching medications.
Eat yogurt. Studies have found that one serving of yogurt each day reduces the level of odor-causing hydrogen sulfide in the mouth. Be sure to eat ones with active cultures.
Avoid certain foods such as garlic, onions, and alcohol. Once consumed, these foods get absorbed into your bloodstream, are carried to your lungs, and are given off in your breath.
To help prevent the buildup of plague, which can cause bad breath, eat crunchy fibrous foods such as apples, carrots, and celery.
Bacterium aren't a fan of foods such as citrus fruits, berries, and melon because they make the environment in your mouth too acidic, so get your fill of vitamin C. Another plus for consuming vitamin C is that it also helps prevent gum disease and gingivitis.
Chew herbs such as parsley, coriander, spearmint, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary, and cardamom. These all help fight bad breath.
Clean your tongue with a tongue scraper. Use it twice a day to remove bacteria and dead skin cells from your tongue.