#it’s like. splotchy metal texture

[the-trans-dragon]

I tried to let Daisy get some enrichment out of a metal bucket I bought, before I use it for a plant project. Two very unexpected things:

1) She refuses to sit in the bucket

2) She licks the bucket. With VIGOR. Suspicious vigor. I don’t know why the bucket is irresistibly delicious to her, but I have taken it from her in case it is somehow toxic.

[rottingraisins]

What materials do you use when drawing?

Oh god my traditional art tends to be these like. Mixed media monstrosities using every single type of paint I own so this will inevitably get sort of long BUT generally:

- for lineart: waterproof ink if i want very clean, professional looking lineart, ballpoint pen (i have one of these 4-in-1 ones that i rlly love) if i want messier, "angry" lineart

- for light colors (like here): watercolor, let it dry & do multiple layers to get more depth into the shadows, i also like to add some texture with watercolor pencil

- for solid, vibrant colors (like here): gouache, i LOVE gouache its rlly intuitive and fun 2 paint with, my one tip is to mix it until it gets a little foamy before starting to paint, otherwise it will look kind of uneven (though that can be charming in itself i think)

- like i said i also mix them a lot! i almost always do skin in watercolor cause you can get it to look rlly fun and splotchy but use other paints for the rest of the drawing

- i also sometimes use china ink (more vibrant than watercolor but less opaque than gouache, good if you want this very even sort of ductus that almost looks printed) and acrylic (WEIRD AS HELL and pretty much impossible to paint over in anything that isn't also acrylic, i only use it for highlights + on surfaces that my other paints dont stick to e.g. leaf metal)

- lastly: I do a LOT of digital trickery after I scan my finished paintings, not only do i make the colors more vibrant and fuck around a lot with overlays, I also sometimes make the background a different color from the white of my sketchbook (did this for pretty much all of these). Blend mode: multiply is your friend!!

Hope this helps! 👍

[jxckspxcer]

Jacks Hands | Quick Headcanons

Skinny fingers and they’re always cold. (”Very Small Hands” Chase meant skinny, Jack has long skinny skeleton hands y’all).

Fingers are pretty flexible, he can bend them backwards.

He can’t feel certain sensations super well, he can feel pressure and minor temperature changes if he rubs his hands together enough. The sting of cuts can still get to him, especially in the palm area, but the fingers and knuckle-region can get pretty numb (it’s worse when he’s cold). 

This makes him touch things pretty roughly if he really wants to feel them. With work he keeps his touch light, but if he wants to feel something he really presses into it. Which makes putty and textured fidgets preferential (most of his spinner rings are textured– but also have a kinetic/audio sensation he can feel so they’re already Good).

Lack of pain makes petting his cactus easier.

His fingerprints have been burned off, so instead he took a soldering pen and just slapped a burned J into his thumb so he can still use finger print scanners.

There is never a time when his hands look fine. His hands as translucent as his skin gets, showing sharp blue veins. 

They are frequently cut, cracked or burned. Scars old and new accumulate like cross hatches, and a fun thing to do is to look at his hand and guess where any new red marks came from. It could be as likely as cutting his hand during work, or as vague as he smacked his hand against a door frame cause he couldn’t be assed to watch his body as he moves. 

He tries to keep them moisturized, because dry skin just makes these injuries worse, but they do get dry very easily, given the amount of chemicals he works with regularly. If you date him, he’s going to make you moisturize too, because dry skin feel bad mkay? 

He alternates between growing out his nails, picking them off (nail file who? nail clippers? No he RIP THEM OFF or break them– or use scissors like a weirdo), painting them, picking at the paint. If he’s treating himself he’ll get acrylics (not super long ones you heathens he’s a wORKING MAN).

When painting his own nails, it’s usually just a solid color, sometimes multiple solid colors. He rarely goes out of his way to design them himself, unless it’s a simple two-tone or maybe a single dot of gold in each black nail— He just gets bored after a while. Plus, they always chip. It’s acrylics that get fancy.

Also, like most people who paint their nails regularly, they’re tinted yellow when not painted. 

He likes gloves because they keep his hands from further getting cut up, keep his digits toasty and usually, USUALLY, keep him from picking at his scars. Sometimes he’ll double up with rings, because having a fidget is better for that.

Can’t tell me this boy hasn’t broken his fingers a few times. There’s little bumps if you run your finger along his, and a notable chunk missing across the back of his knuckles on one hand when a not-so-sharp piece of metal slammed very hard down on his fingers (it went down to bone). 

Speaking of notable scars: On the same hand there’s an ancient bite mark that left a slight raise around the pinkie-side of his hand (palm and outer sides). And on his other hand there’s two divot missing on the palm of his hand on the pinkie side, from trying to grab rocks when sliding down the side of a sheer edge. ‘

Twin crescent marks on his inner palm in both hands, from clenching fists. 

His hands are also very splotchy, from ancient burns and scars and such, between the natural pale, the effect of wearing fingerless gloves most of his outside time and scarring, his hands are like little works of injury art.

He can crack his knuckles VERY LOUD and he thinks people who find bone cracking gross hilarious and will purposefully do it to wig you out.

His hands can be shockingly stable for all the damage done to them. When he gets in the zone, Jack is capable of being remarkable still for someone so amped up all the time. But he definitely prefers getting the changing chopsticks, which allow him to attend to minor details up close. Because unless he is in the zone, his hands can carry a small tremor. More reasons why his bots are bulky and industrial. 

He’s always moving them, gesticulating, tapping, fidgeting, scratching, picking, rubbing. Unless he has something in his hand (which he will usually still fidget with), his hands aren’t still unless he’s asleep or TRYING TO BE STILL.

Hand Related Things: 

Can Play Piano ; 

Has a super fast typing speed (over 100wpm) though accuracy leaves little to be desired (auto-correct is a godsend) ; 

He can do coin tricks and was of course that kid in school who could flip his pencil around his fingers in really cool ways ; 

He struggles with button holes– most his buttons are snap buttons or chunkier buttons (more reasons he hates wearing button-ups) ; 

While he kicks a mean kick, his punches leave much to be desired. He might be stronger than expected, but he already hates close-combat, so he doesn’t practice punching as much as kicking people out of his space. Likely to break his hand, holding nothing back, he rather just swipe at your face with his nails.

He gets tattoos on his fingers eventually, they’re his first forays into tattoo territory.

related hcs: x (accessories)

[d-a-anderson]

The Deer Church

This short is based on a dream I had last night. It disturbed me enough that I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I wrote it down. I may expand it to flesh out the themes and context.

H. P. Lovecraft is known for “cosmic horror”—that is, his assumption that we live in an uncaring universe that feels nothing for us, so that its true nature is so alien that it is existentially dreadful.

My subconscious seems to be working with a kind of “ecological horror”—that is, that nature is uncaring, and if it ever felt something for us, it has now turned against us. And that an uncaring Nature can be as alien and dreadful as a cosmos that is wholly and perniciously “Other”.

Image: "Cernunnos", or the “horned god” of Celtic polytheism, on the Gundestrup Cauldron, c. 150 BC

The forest beyond the town broke into a clearing. I could see the ravine that had once been a river, now dammed up to make way for work on the mines.

Old, metal-wire fences teetered on the edge, and dead trees that had long since fallen hung down the other side. The air smelled musty, and the mud stuck to the side of my galoshes.

I noticed where the fences curved away, hugging the only path out of the forest. There was a landbridge leading to the other side of the ravine. It seemed impossibly thin for its height against the river basin, like a sidewalk’s width, and moss-covered signs hanging on the fence were too dirty to be readable. I noticed a set of tracks leading across the landbridge—what looked like deer tracks, caked in the mud, still wet.

“Hello there?”

A voice echoed from across the river basin. At the other side of the landbridge, I saw an elderly woman who seemed to be dressed in black, with fine gray hair pulled in a bun. Her dress seemed to me vaguely reminiscent of a nun’s.

“Hello,” I said, projecting my voice. A faint echo came back.

“We have a church here,” said the lady. “Would you like to see it?”

“Across this path?” I asked. “Are you sure it’s safe to cross?”

“Of course it is—here, let me show you.”

The lady crossed part way across the dirt path, and I could see the grandmotherly wrinkles on her face. She seemed to traverse it easily, without even minding the closeness of the fences to the steep drops on either side.

“See? Come on over now. Lots of people come this way. We have a beautiful church just up the side of this hill.”

I had a soft spot for churches. Ever since growing up in New England and attending Sunday school as a child, I loved old Protestant churches—their pews, their well-worn hymnals, and the musty homeliness that came with them.

“Oh,” the lady said. “You’ll just love our church then. It’s by far the finest here in the west. What brings you out this far?”

“I’m surveying for the developers.”

“Mhm,” mumbled the lady, seeming unconcerned with my answer.

I minded my footing as we passed along the path. The wire fences seemed to hold the ground together, even as the path got muddy. The lady seemed unfazed, but I stuck my hand out to grasp the chainlinks as we stepped. The wire jingled in that dull, steely way, and I could see the waves travel through it as I clutched it with my unsteady hand.

“See? It’s not so bad.” The lady muttered again. And as I watched my feet, I saw in the ground again: deer tracks. Or, at least, deer footprints. Were deer this big? I didn’t know; I’d never been a boyscout.

“There we go. Up this way now. I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

I followed the lady up the hill where a loose footpath was made. The dirt, moss, and mud were held in place by wood planks that looked like they must’ve been placed there long ago. The lady held up her skirt against the mud, and I could see the hose beneath her dress.

“Here we are—the old, dear church,” she said.

I looked up, slightly winded. A few paces from us was an old, decrepit church. Vines covered the side of its walls and dark mold crawled up the sides of its brick foundations. The wood-step path led up to its threshhold. There were no broken windows and they weren’t boarded up—but they were too dark to see inside.

“It’s small,” I mentioned.

“Oh, but that gives it some charm,” she said. “We don’t need those big churches like some people do. You should see the inside—it’s quite special.”

Still entertained by the idea of nostalgia, I walked up the path, following the lady. A sign read “Dear Church” in metal lettering, nailed over the double doors—but the “a” in “Dear” was missing, and instead had been scrawled into the wood.

“Come in, dear,” said the lady. I entertained her as she opened the door for me, and I neglected to ask her name. I suppose I didn’t want to offend her.

I stepped inside, and the mustiness of the air outside was exponentially thicker beyond the doors. When my eyes adjusted, I could see the lobby of a normal, small-town church—much like ones I grew up going to Sundays in.

Except there was a pervasive mold. Not just the kind of mold you’d see in a condemned house—at least, I’ve never been in a condemned house before, or one like this before. It wasn’t the kind of mold you’d expect in a house—it was white, furry, with splotches of green in some places. It wasn’t quite the kind you’d see on a piece of cheese in the fridge before throwing it out, but something close to it.

And it was everywhere. On the seats’ cushions on either side of the doors as you walked in. On the tablecloth where greeters must’ve delivered their programs to visitors. On the carpets of the floor, trailing up the staircases, leading up on either side, onto the doors leading to the main room. On an old coffee dispenser that must’ve been there for decades.

“It has its own special charm,” said the lady. “Quite humble compared to other churches, don’t you think?”

I managed to hide a frown of disgust, careful not to touch anything, and instead nodded at the lady—still, wishing not to offend. She seemed unperturbed by the extreme state of growth, and, still daintily clutching the sides of her dress, stepped up the stairs, which split to either side of the greeting station.

“The architecture is… interesting,” I managed to comment without stammering too much. She nodded without looking at me, but still visibly smiling.

“Sister Mary? We have a visitor who wishes to see the church.” The lady announced as she reached the top of the stairs. A door creaked open, which I assumed must’ve led to a balcony in the main room.

Another elderly woman, not too different in complexion, but now in a gray dress rather than black, entered the lobby.

“Ah, how nice. Glad to see we can have another visitor.”

I proceeded up the opposite stairs, doing my best to play it nice and congenial. Surely this wasn’t a functioning church? Either that, or I’d landed myself into some kind of cult. Still, some impulse in me wanted to see beyond the layers of ruined upholstery and drywall, all caked in this thick, soft, white layer of fungi. Or, maybe, I wanted to entertain what the rest of it looked like as it was out of gross curiosity.

Until I noticed, on the upholstered benches leading up to the main double doors, where the main room would be, what looked like a mannequin’s head sitting on the cushions. It was completely covered in the white, moldy moss, so that its features were indistinguishable. The layer of organic gunk was so thick that it seemed to have solidified in place, like the fungi had hardened so that it had the visible texture of plaster. Next to it was an arm. I didn’t dare touch it.

“Ah, don’t worry about those,” the lady called Sister Mary said. “We like to leave things as they are here. Come on in—you have to at least see the auditorium.”

Sister Mary walked to the double doors and opened them, gesturing for me to enter.

I looked inside. It looked like a church’s auditorium all right, if a bit modern in style. A small flight of stairs, split on either side of an exit below, led down to pews in angled rows facing a central pulpit. The ceiling sloped downward, and the whole room had a pentagonal shape, roughly big enough for two hundred people.

It was a mess. The wood of the pews was so water damaged that it was discolored from brown to black. Scrap pieces of wood laid about, I took note, as I descended the staircase, feigning curiosity and amazement. After all—only two elderly women, right? And, of course, mold was everywhere.

I was taken to a figure to my left. Another mannequin—this time, seated, like where a deacon would be. Totally covered in white and splotchy green fungus, like someone had plastered it with the stuff. The features were totally indistinguishable, and even the hands were so coated that it had no fingers; they just looked like mittens. The stuff was covered on the seat too, like the head and arm was in the lobby. I had the visceral sense, whether incorrect or not, that the figure was part of the seat now.

And as I stepped downward and the floor creaked, I could see the pews from an angle; I could see more heads on the seats, as if they were fungi themselves, either placed there or growing out of the upholstery, but now indistinguishable either way. They all faced the pulpit, as if to receive a sermon.

Daring to look at the pulpit, I couldn’t make out the figure behind it. The felt-covered stage, the wood of the pulpit, was all completely covered in fungus. Instead of standing like a pastor would be, the figure was seated behind the pulpit on the floor, and I couldn’t see its face. All I could see was what must’ve been a pair of antlers protruding from its head.

“What do you think?” Said one of the sisters. “Please meet our brother, Hern.”

Out stepped from the balcony a large man in a patchwork sweater. He wore a mask that seemed to be caked, solid mold, carved in the shape of a rudimentary face.

My eyes darted to the exit, just below the balcony, as I watched this hulking man descend the staircase, coming to flank me.

“Hern is the custodian here,” a sister said. “He can take care of you.”

I stepped toward the exit, still feigning interest in my surroundings. Some scrap wood, fallen on a table at the back of the auditorium, was within my reach. I picked it up, flipping it in my hand like it was a toy, smiling innocuously. Hern slowly walked up toward my rear, and I could feel the floorboards give under his footsteps. I looked up at the balcony and noticed, behind the sisters, what seemed like child’s drawings of a series of faces. One had two sets of eyes beneath a mask.

“What’s with the drawing with the two sets of eyes?” I asked.

At that moment, Hern grabbed me in a headlock with one arm from behind. I felt a strong pressure at the left side of my neck. Was it a needle? Was I about to pass out? No. Was it a gun? No—it felt like just two massive fingertips, dirty, with rough nails, digging into my skin. He must’ve been feigning a gun. I gave a shove against the headlock, still gripping the wood scrap in my hand.

“Let me go!” I yelled. Hern was a head taller than me and the headlock held fast. So I reflexively did the one thing I could: I took the wood and slammed the sharp end above my head in an attempt to stab his face through its mask.

“Let—me—go!”

On the third try the headlock loosened, and I darted for the exit ahead of me, intent with all my might to make it to that thin little landbridge, the one with the oversized deertracks, and to get to the other side of the ravine.

[ragwitch]

Soooo. Now I'm back with a prompt, because you deserve all the good things in life and I'll make it one step closer to a full prompt list! Because I saw that you were hoping that you'd get enough! Well here's one more! Darcy/Bucky soulmate au (where you only see in black and white before you meet your match). Ps. Never done a prompt before so idk if that is too specific or not specific enough but I like your writing style enough to let you take whatever liberties. I'm just here for the meetcute

I have A LOT of feelings about this kind of soulmate verse!!! This is more than I meant to write, and probably a lot of extra stuff that you didn’t need outside of your meetcute, haha! But I definitely want to play with this again, so thank you so much for the prompt! I really hope you like it.

Pairing: Darcy Lewis/James Bucky Barnes

Rating: T

When Darcy Lewis was sixteen, she did not believe in soulmates. Her parents weren’t soulmates and they were the happiest couple she had ever met. None of her friends had soulmates and they were falling in love left and right. Soulmates, the Hues, were fairy tales and the people who claimed to have them, see them, were stuck up liars.

She had Values, and the sharp brightness of the sun or the glitter over water, or the deep absorbing darkness of a shadow at night were just as beautiful as any color a Hue could claim to see.

_

At twenty, in the desert, after electrocuting a man to the ground, Darcy Lewis stood next to Jane Foster.

“The night,” Jane whispered, staring up to the sky with sudden tears rolling down her cheeks. “The night has hues. Oh my god.”

If Jane Foster, the most practical, scientific, no-bullshit person Darcy had ever met, could see hues then they must be real.

At twenty, Darcy Lewis believed in soulmates.

After the Destroyer had been destroyed and Thor had vanished, Jane drove them both to Las Vegas to the nearest pigmented shopping district. Jane bought a can of Night Without Light paint (Value #5279832 and nearly black to Darcy’s eyes) and Darcy bought a gallon of Kernels paint (Value #1854) to paint her room in.

“That’s…a little obnoxious,” Jane said, wincing at the hue card in Darcy’s hand.

“Perfect,” Darcy said with a shrug.

They bought patternless clothing, dresses and shirts and pants all in one value, one hue. Darcy picked everything based off it’s name. Cockatrice, Envy, Electrical Storm, Life Blood, Bitter. Jane bought Deep Lake and New Growth and Dirt.

“People will think you’re Hued,” Jane whispered into Darcy’s ear in the dressing room.

“Perfect,” Darcy said with a shrug.

There was a department of hues for the body, eye powders and lips stains and nail varnishes. Jane wrinkled her nose at it all. Darcy bought one thing, a lipstick called Kiss Me.

“They look silly,” Jane said on the way home after stopping at a gas station. “I never knew how silly everyone looked, dressed in values. Spreading them on their faces. They don’t match. It’s all…splotchy.”

Darcy stopped wearing any makeup but the hued lipstick and her Value #9999999 eyeliner and mascara.

“The world doesn’t match,” Jane told her, out in the desert while she stared up at the sky. Darcy wondered if she was still looking for Thor, or if it was the hue of the stars and the dark sky that she was in love with now. “They tell you everything will be in hues, when it happens. But the world is designed for Values, we’ve built over all the colors.”

The next day Darcy wore her shirt the hue of Envy because she burned with it.

_

When Darcy was twenty-four she believed in soulmates, she believed in Hues, and believed she would never meet hers, would never match Jane’s descriptions of grass and sky and skin to their actual tones.

“But you’re so young,” Thor told her as Jane napped, upright at her desk.

“Only eight percent of the world sees hues,” Darcy said, scribbling with pigmented markers into a blank notebook. Orchid and Cerulean were nearly the same value, a reminder that her world was incomplete, missing information.

“And how much of the world is your age or younger?” Thor asked. “There is no age-limit on meeting your soulmate.”

“I don’t have five thousand years to wait, Thor,” Darcy said, raising her eyebrow.

Thor smiled. “You believe I am Jane’s soulmate.”

Darcy stared at him. “Of course you are.” He had landed and Jane’s world was in color. Those were the rules.

“Perhaps,” Thor said with a shrug. “I would like that to be so. We have always lived in color on Asgard, and we have the notion of a soulmate but no proof of it like Midgardians. Do you know what I think?” Darcy didn’t want to know what he thought. She didn’t want Thor saying anything but that he loved Jane and Jane loved him and it was a perfect absolute that brought Hue to Jane’s life.

“What?” she asked finally, because Thor had been patient.

“I landed, and I proved Jane’s work,” Thor said, and his fingers brushed against Jane’s hand, making hers twitch and reach for him even in sleep. “Tell me my love’s heart does not belong to her work, that her soul is not entwined with the stars.”

_

Finding your life’s purpose was about as easy as finding your soulmate, as it turned out. Maybe Thor had been right about Jane. They were still in love, that much was clear. What was clearer was that Jane’s priority was understanding, perfecting, and protecting the pathways of the universe. And Thor’s priority had always needed to be Asgard. Still in love, but not at once, not in rhythm together. And Jane still saw hues.

So Darcy had a degree and after the disaster of the Accords she found her calling. Unfucking the relationship between the world and it’s heroes. She loved it. She woke up everyday ready to kick ass. She felt fulfilled and purposeful and happy and satisfied.

She stared at the world and she counted every shade, the thousands of values in the moving ocean, in the streets of cities, in the sky. Orchid and Cerulean were close but they were not the same. There were more than 999,9999 little strands of light to see in the world. It was an infinite spectrum of value and it was beautiful.

_

The world did not end. Not when it was supposed to. Not when they promised it would.

That was good too. That would make Darcy’s job a lot easier. Heroes saving the day always did.

_

She almost didn’t notice, not at first. The heroes were trailing into the tent, one after the other, and it was a gloomy day, although by all rights the sun should have made an appearance for their victory. The world was muted, values blending softly together.

It was the Black Widow’s hair she noticed first. A low value, but bright and…words she didn’t know. The Black Widow’s hair…was hued. Everything. Everything was hued. Darcy gasped, a broken rattling breath, and fell back into her seat. Her skirt on her lap was vivid, saturated, strange and violent and Bitter.

“Bucky?”

She looked back up and Captain America had The Winter Soldier by the shoulder, worry between his eyes as the man—there was so much to see, she felt dizzy with it—stared raptly back at her.

“Hues,” Bucky said.

Soulmate, she thought. And some tiny, silly voice at the back of her head thought, Not bad, Darcy.

“Well shit,” Tony said and Darcy realized they really ought to talk about how ridiculous the hues on his suit were. Even if only eight percent of the population had to see them. “Let’s give them a minute.”

One by one the others left the tent—it was in a value, the tables and chairs were all valued too, as if a part of her world hadn’t changed when it had—but with the flick of the curtain Darcy could see that the outside world was riddled with hues and it made her heart pound. Bucky Barnes hadn’t moved, only watched her warily. She stood up and nearly laughed at herself. She was wearing the most…obnoxious colors. She must have spent the last seven years of her life looking like a color-blind Hue.

He was dressed in values but the hues of the room, the hues of her, of his hair—rich and warm and she wanted to touch it—bounced off the polish of his metal arm.

“You’re so…” he started and then swallowed heavily, eyes growing big as if he just realized he was about to speak out loud. But he came closer until they were standing just a step or two apart. She felt like she was learning a whole new language without being given any words. She had understanding and no vocabulary.

“How does anyone do this?” Darcy asked, finding his eyes and feeling shy and urgent all at once, feeling like their sharp pale color was peeling away all her secrets. “It’s everything at once.”

“You…” he started again and Darcy watched his eyes drift down to her lips. “That’s…quite a hue.”

“Kiss Me,” she said.

Bucky blinked at her and then before she could explain, he was there, warm hand pulling her closer by her cheek and mouth slotting over hers. Darcy made a sound, half-surprised and half-excited, and then her arms were over his shoulder and he was groaning as she returned the kiss, wanting every texture and flavor of him all at once. There was Hue in this too, she thought, the warmth of a mouth was a color and the taste of a man’s breath was a color and the feeling of fitting against a body so much larger and brutally stronger than her own was a color.

They pulled apart with a gasp and Darcy grinned, seeing the electric splash of her lipstick smeared across his mouth. She lifted her thumb to wipe it gently away and he leaned into the touch.

“The hue,” she explained, smiling at him. “It’s called Kiss Me.”

A new hue spread over his cheek and Darcy touched that too.

“It’s a good name for it,” he said, the blush (she had a dress called Blush and she wondered if it would match this) fading from his cheeks as he nestled her closer against him, and Darcy’s skin blossomed at every lick of touch. “A hue like that feels like an instruction.”

“Follow it again,” she said, watching his eyes change, darken. (Value or hue, who cared now?)

“Yes ma’am,” he said, and kissed her again.

[alicethecook]

Indian Cooking - North Indian Breads

New Post has been published on https://homekitchen.info/indian-cooking-north-indian-breads/

Indian Cooking - North Indian Breads

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The world over, Indian food is largely perceived as curries. While this isn’t strictly true-considering the large amounts of spices and their quantities and types used-it is really quite inevitable, unless one is aware of the cooking styles in this country.

India is a land of abundant cultures and sub cultures, each having their own unique way of cooking, with very little in common between them. Cooking styles vary, and so do tastes, textures and spices used. However, three main spices are common throughout India- Turmeric (Haldi), Salt (Namak) and Red Chilli Powder (Mirch). Keeping these as a base, Indian cooks create a huge variety of dishes by varying add-on spices.

In this article, I’ll introduce some common and not so well known north Indian breads. For the record, the term ‘North India’, from a cultural point of view, includes New Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Rajasthan. Except New Delhi, which is more of a cosmopolitan city-state, all these places have their own distinct food culture and traditions. It is therefore slightly unfair to club them all in a single term when discussing food, but it will have to do for the purpose of this article.

North India typically has a multitude of griddle (tava) baked breads made with unleavened dough for the most part. The base dough for most consists of whole meal flour mixed with water and a little salt, the whole of which is then kneaded to a soft pliable consistency. This is then made into different types of breads as below.

Roti or Chapaati

For this bread, a small ball of dough is rolled out flat (about 1 – 2mm) in a circular shape (about 6 inches in diameter), these are dry baked on a hot griddle until splotchy brown and cooked through. The Roti has a few variants which are mentioned below.

Phulka

A very close relative of the Roti, Phulkas are cooked on one side on a griddle and then laid on an open flame, which causes the Roti to puff up, at which point it becomes a phulka. The term ‘phul’ means to puff up or to bloat, hence the derivative Phulka.

Makki Ki Roti

This is a favorite winter time roti made using corn flour (makki ka atta). After making a simple dough with water (and perhaps some grated veggies like radish or carrots) a ball of the dough is pressed down on a piece of cloth or flexible plastic, as the dough is very brittle and doesn’t hang together. When the circle is roti sized, it is flipped over on to a hot griddle and usually served with vegetable pickle or sarson ka saag (mustard greens).

Ulte Tave Ki Roti

Literally translated, this means ‘Rotis cooked on an upturned Griddle’. Made the same way as normal Rotis, these are about double the normal thickness and placed on a hot griddle after wetting both sides of the uncooked Roti with water. This makes it stick to the griddle that in turn produces the desires effect when the griddle is upturned and the roti exposed to a naked flame. These Rotis are normally eaten with non-vegetarian dishes, but that’s mostly a matter of individual preference.

Missi Roti

A Missi Roti is actually a normal roti, made with the normal dough as described earlier, to which various other types of flour and spices have been added. There isn’t any fixed recipe for this – it’s each one to his own here. One simple example would be to mix equal proportions of whole meal wheat and gram flour with some red chilli powder, salt, kasuri methi and perhaps a little cuminseed, add some water and make a soft dough. You could also knead in a little oil if you like. When done, cook on a hot griddle like a normal Roti.

The Tandoor

The Tandoor is an upright cylinder with an outer sheath of metal and an inside made of a very thick layer of baked clay. Rotis made inside it are plastered to the inner walls. When roasting meats or cooking kebabs, the food is threaded on long metal skewers or Seekhs hence the name of the very popular kebab – Seekh Kebab.

Tandoori Roti

Similar to Ulte Tave Ki Roti when rolled out, these are cooked in the Tandoor. After rolling, the roti is placed on the inside walls of the Tandoor and left to bake. Tandoori Rotis are usually a little more than double the thickness of normal Rotis.

The Kashmiris have a variant called Lavasa, which too is quite bland as it doesn’t have any seasoning. The dough uses refined flour as opposed to the wholemeal flour used for the Tandoori Roti. While it can be eaten with anything, it is typically eaten with highly spiced Kashmiri style mutton stews.

Tandoori Paratha

Tandoori Parathas are made much the same way as Lachha Parathas. The only difference is that they are cooked inside the Tandoor, rather than a hot griddle.

Naan

Naans are made using dough made of refined flour with a leavening agent of some sort. Some use fermented dough, others may use yeast and few people mix active yoghurt into the dough. The end result however, is the same – the dough must rise. Naans vary in size from a few inches across to a monster I’ve personally had the pleasure of demolishing, which was a little more than 1.5 feet in diameter. Typically, Naan’s are cooked in the tandoor, though an oven does the job too. Coal however, delivers a flavor that cannot be matched by a conventional oven.

Stuffed Naan (Amritsari)

Amritsar is an important city in the state of Punjab. The stuffed Naan takes its name from this city and is also called Amritsari Naan. A stuffed naan is made using the Naan dough, stuffed with a filling similar to a stuffed paratha and usually rolled into a circle. It is then stuck to the inner walls of the Tandoor to cook.

Paratha

There are many types of parathas and they’re all high calorie and quite delicious.

Typical Paratha

A thin layer of oil or clarified butter (ghee) is spread on the surface of the rolled Roti and folded until it’s a square about an inch across, with oil being spread on every un-oiled surface that’s exposed upwards. It is then rolled again and the process is repeated a few times. The Paratha is then cooked on a hot griddle, with liberal splashes of oil or ghee. The final result is a crisp (or not) bread that is multi layered and tastes quite good with just about anything. Typically, it isn’t eaten with non-vegetarian dishes. In ethnic Muslim cuisine, this is also called Roghani Roti, where ‘Roghani’ refers to ‘fat’.

Stuffed Paratha

The stuffed paratha starts out as a Roti rolled out, in the centre of which is placed a dollop of stuffing (spiced, mashed boiled potatoes, cauliflour etc). The Roti is then picked up by the edges, sealed (by pressing together) and then rolled out again. This is then cooked the same way as a Paratha. Typically it is served crisp, with yoghurt (sometimes whipped) with pickles. An idea after-paratha drink is sweet, milky tea.

Lachha Paratha

A Lachha Paratha is composed of many layers – many more than a normal paratha. Also, the layers here are horizontal as well as vertical, as opposed to only vertical in a normal Paratha. This is made by rolling out a Roti, spreading oil or ghee on the surface and then cutting it into strips. These strips are place one on top of the other and holding the pile by both ends, twisted into a roundish shape. This is then rolled flat and cooked on a griddle. Another way of making this is to make a long cylindrical shape with the dough, coating it with oil and starting from one end, making it into a wheel shape with concentric circles. As with technique #1, this is then rolled flat and cooked on a hot griddle, or in a Tandoor.

In the context of Muslim cuisine, this is also known as a Warqui Paratha, where Warqui means ‘leaves’ and is similar to the word Warq, which refers to the beaten silver or gold sheets that are used to decorate sweets.

Roomali Roti

This is more of a technique than a recipe. Literally translated ‘Roomal’ means ‘Handkerchief’ and the Roomali Roti is just that. A very soft, thin and large bread that folds and bends just like cloth. While it can be eaten with just about anything, it is a particular favorite when it comes to making rolls or wraps.

Cheela

Cheela is a variant of the Roti that is made with gram flour instead of the normal wholemeal wheat flour. However, unlike the humble Roti, there’s considerable scope for creativity here. Various additions can be made to the basic gram flour mixture like finely chopped onions, green chilli, coriander and just about anything else that has been well drained, like the outer flesh of tomatoes for example. The Cheela is also quite well seasoned, usually with Ajowan (carom, ajwain, or bishop’s weed), powdered black pepper, red chilli powder and coriander powder (dhania). After mixing everything together with a little water to make the dough, Cheelas are cooking just like Parathas, on a hot, flat griddle, brushing each side with a little oil before turning over.

Kulcha

The Kulcha is a variety of baked flat bread that is made using refined flour. It is leavened with baking powder and active, whole milk yoghurt. It can be eaten as is or lightly toasted in a pan or toaster. It tastes slightly sour and is sometimes garnished with chopped coriander leaves on top. Kulchas are usually eaten with a chickpea curry and are also good with Indian pickles for breakfast.

Another variant is the Kashmiri Kulcha. Made with a dough that is quite similar to the one used for Tel Varu, the Kashmiri Kulcha is quite different from the normal Kulcha. While the normal Kulcha is slightly sour tasting and quite soft, the Kashmiri Kulcha is quite crisp and rusk-like. It comes in two flavors – sweet and salty with a spot of cumin seed. The Kashmiri Kulcha too is normally eaten with tea – Sheer Chai, Kahwa or normal tea.

Bhatura

Bhaturas are one of my all time favorites. Usually thick and soft, they can be crispy too and are traditionally eaten with one of many varieties of chickpea curry. Refined flour forms the base for this bread, which is leavened with yoghurt and yeast and flavored with a little sugar and salt. After rising, the dough is rolled out and pulled from one side to make it slightly elongated, after which it is deep fried in hot oil.

Puri

Puris are made using the same dough as that for the Roti. The only difference is that a little oil is added and the Puri dough needs to be stiff as opposed to soft for the Roti. After allowing the dough to rest for 30 – 90 minutes, the dough is taken off the main mass in a hunk, rolled into a ball, a corner dipped in oil and then rolled in a circular shape to about 4 inches in diameter. When frying, the Puri must inflate and swell out, which is usually accomplished by tossing hot oil over it from the pan in which it’s being fried. When lightly brown on top, it is taken out and drained. Puris are usually eaten with potato or chicken pea curry. In some parts of India, puris are also eaten with a sweet mango puree or semolina halva (a sweet dish made using clarified butter, nuts and roasted semolina)

Another variation is the Luchi. Using the same dough as the Puri, it usually more than 2 feet across, sometimes nearly a meter in diameter. Luchis are made on festive occasions and obviously require special utensils for the oil and for retrieval. Quite light in texture, they are shallow fried, not deep fried like the Puri.

Sheermaal

Sheermaal is a baked flatbread from ethnic Muslim cuisine. It is made using a dough comprising refined flour, milk, a pinch of salt, sugar, clarified butter (ghee) and Vetivier (kewda). This dough is rolled into circular shape about 2 – 3mm thick. The saffron is mixed with some warm milk and used to brush the bread from time to time when it’s baking in the oven. This gives the bread its characteristic orangish yellow color. When done the sheermaal must be brushed with some white (freshly churned) butter and served immediately.

Bakarkhani

Bakarkhani is a spongy, thick, round bread that has its origins in ethnic Muslim cuisine. Made with leavened flour, mawa and eggs, it is baked in an oven and is usually eaten with mutton dishes such as Nihari or Korma. The preparation process is quite time consuming as the dough needs to be kneaded for hours then rolled out and folded over (with clarified butter and flour sprinkled on every fold) several times before it is ready. When the dough is ready, it is rolled into disc about a centimeter thick and 4 to 5 inches in diameter. These are then sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked. While baking they are basted twice with whole milk. The texture of Bakarkhani can be a bit dry at times, however, considering it is eaten with curries in most part, this feature actually helps soak up and retain flavor while eating.

This bread too has a Kashmiri variation called the Katlam. The only difference is in the size, where the Kashmiri version is usually smaller and crisper than its mainline cousin. Like many Kashmiri breads, it is eaten with hot tea.

Bhati

The Bhati is quite unlike any other Indian bread. Predominantly eaten in the state of Rajasthan, Bhatis are made with unleavened wholemeal flour dough into which a little salt and clarified butter have been mixed. The dough is shaped into small balls and baked in a moderately hot oven until brown on the outside and soft on the inside. Bhatis are traditionally served in a container that is then filled with clarified butter. They are eaten after being allowed to soak for a while.

Tel Varu

This bread is Kashmiri in origin. Tel Varu closely resembles a bun and is sprinkled with sesame seeds on the crust, which is quite crisp. Slightly salty in taste, it is made with normal bread dough – really a local variation of bread as we all know and love. Tel Varu is usually eaten with Sheer Chai, which is salty Kashmiri tea.

… and that completes the list, though there are probably a few regional specialiaties I’ve missed out.

[ad_2] Source by Sid Khullar

[kingjamesonfawkes]

18. Stumbled into supernatural being’s home -  Hayseed x reader 

[From Jailbird’s Prompt List] Feel Free to Send in Prompt Requests for october! 

Every year your group of friends held the tradition of going out in the first week of october to pick out Pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, go on a hayride, eat fresh corn on the cob and caramel apples, basically celebrate everything that was your favorite parts of the season, including your personal favorite: the corn maze. The corn maze was always your favorite, since you were a little kid and your dad would take you through the maze on his shoulders, letting you choose the directions you would walk in, even if he knew you were getting the two of you more and more lost. And those fond memories, and now the tradition of doing it with your friends made the corn maze your favorite part of the visit to the pumpkin patch. 

You were at a new farm that you haven't ever been to, and were excited for the challenge of a new corn maze that you didn’t already know all the twists and turns of. And more eager about it than your friends, you accidentally got yourself separated from them. No big deal, you thought, We’ll just meet up at the end. But the twists and turns through the stalks of corn, taller than you by at least a foot, had you turned around, despite your normal sense of direction. You saw a parting in the corn, where it looked like stalks had been broken as someone crawled through were they weren’t supposed to, probably someone impatiently pushing their way through the barriers, ruining the sport of the thing, in your opinion. 

But curiosity got the better of you and you peeked through the small gap in the corn. There was a small, run down and decrepit storage shed that looked like it probably at one time held supplies for the field and maybe farm equipment. It was decorated on the outside, if you could even call this tetanus-lined minefield decorations, with large pieces of metal scrap that were bent in interesting shapes, and had been vandalized on the outside with sloppy paint marks and char from where someone possibly had lit it on fire. Something about it called to you, and curiosity was again taking hold of you, and before you knew it, you were on the other side of the barrier, approaching the shed with a delicate sensibility of awareness, keeping track of where you put your feet, less you step on something sharp and dangerous, since it didn’t look like cleaning up over here was the main priority. 

Whatever had compelled you to come this far was pulling you to the door as if to say “come on in!” although you were cautious and quiet, though you were sure that no living person had been in this shed in a long time. You pressed on, pushing gently against the door, but despite your efforts to be quiet, it swung slowly open with a loud creeeeaaak, and you held your breath instinctively at the unsettling noise of the rusty hinges. Your eyes darted around the room, landing on a dimly glowing pair of eyes affixed to the burlap mask of a towering scarecrow, the tips of the mask and ends of his hair burned like hot embers, and for a split second you thought you heard him growl low under his voice. You almost screamed, but felt it catch in your throat and you choked out a small noise of fear instead, taking a big step backwards on the worn wooden front step. This step wasn’t as careful as your previous ones had been, and you hit a patch of rotten wood, foot breaking through the rotten wood and getting yourself effectively trapped here with this living scarecrow, this monster. 

He approached you, trilling a rather sinister sounding chuckle from under the mask, like he was amused at the fact that you had trapped yourself, his gait was slowed and hobbled by a prosthetic peg leg, with a matching prosthetic arm on the same side, both a bright orange that seemed to jump out of the dark space of the shed. He stopped in front of you, and from the twilight lights of the sunset you could see him better, and saw the patchwork that ran across his skin, which was pale white and utterly the same as human skin, save for the splotchy marks and monstrous texture like the flesh of the deceased. He put a gloved hand to your mouth, stopping you from screaming.

“Whatcha doin’ in my ‘ouse, lovely,” He said with a cackling laugh, “Decided ta bring me a pretty little treat, eh?” He pulled the burlap mask over his face with his metal hand, leaving it perched on top of his head, and giving you a good look at his face, which had the same unnerving flesh of his body, covered in stitches where he looked like he was patched together. His bright amber eyes pierced yours deeply as he leaned in to survey your face, squinting and grinning as he turned your head with the hand over your mouth. He let go shortly after, and leaned down to pull your foot out of the hole. 

“Now tha’ I saved ya,” He said, overstating his act as a great feat, looking up at you from where he was knelt to help your foot out of the hole, his hand still on your calf, and slowly making its way up to the back of your knee, and as he stood up, up to your thigh and then.. Was this scarecrow coping a feel? “‘Ow ya gonna repay me?” He purred as he leaned over your shoulder to your ear. You were speechless, you didn’t know if you were frightened or allured by the patchwork man in front of you. 

 “I ain’t hinkin’ much,” He said, pulling back and looking at your face again, “Jus’ a kiss.” Before you could respond he had his mouth pressed against yours, his thin lips kissing you and his tongue parting your lips, sweeping you up in a deep passionate moment of indulgence as his mouth explored yours. He pulled back after a moment, grinning at you with his messy eyebrows raised, and you thought briefly of the cliche about seeing fireworks when you kiss someone. 

[zyandahl]

Haircut:

More sad Dahl trying to sort out some issues, and also Nae gets a haircut:

----

He’s trying to be present, trying to focus, to enjoy her company, to pay attention-- to at least seem like he’s paying attention. She sees right through him, though, like always, and thwacks him lightly on the ear with the hilt of her dagger.

He looks up.

She’s holding the knife by the blade, bouncing it as she eyes him, one brow raised, expression demanding an explanation.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, looking down at his lap.

He can feel her shrug through the way it jostles the mattress. The spare bedroom mattress she’s been staying on most nights of late. She’s leaned against the headboard, all relaxed confidence, lazy limbs everywhere. Any viewer would swear this were her bed, her room, her house.

He’s seated on the edge of the bed, all tight nervous fidgeting and averted eyes, prosthetics tap tapping against each other as he adjusts again, then again, chewed lips, quiet sighs.

“Don’t apologize,” she says, and he’s not looking at her but he knows she’s rolling her eyes. “Apologies mean fuck all when we both know you ain’t gonna stop. What’s wrong?”

Not ‘what’s wrong with you’-- she knows better. A pointedly gentle question instead, careful and soft only ever with him.

He sighs again, wrist taping his knee.

The door’s closed, it’s just them.

They could be any age like this, just the two of them. There was no age, no time, without each other. A constant.

‘My world revolves only ever with you in it.’ He remembers the words, the pained expression twisting her features, and he’s pretty sure he remembers the context. He’s pretty sure.

They could be anywhere in their lives when they’re like this. They could be kids, growing up side by side, in their childhood bedroom, identical twin girls except not. It could be before he hurt himself, or after. It could be while he was going to school in Dalaran, or when he left before finishing. It could be Silvermoon, before Dyrihm lived with them, or during that time, or in the aftermath. Or Pandaria. Or now. Or some future time, as the prospect of living (existing?) without moments like these with his sister is unfathomable to Dahl.

They followed each other through life, leapfrogging from one disaster to the next, and yet never doing what the other was doing. Never going through the same struggles, be they internal or external. Never the same, in any real way, he supposes now.

He never thought of it that way before.

He spent so long trying to look different-- never intentionally to not look like her, but to not look the way he had, to not look like a woman (whatever that means), which amounted to the same in the end. He tried so hard to look different. And now, he supposes, he really has succeeded.

“Wake up, frowny face,” she says, flicking him in the ear with her finger this time. “I know you’re getting laid, so this ain’t pining like it used to be. What’s wrong.”

He breathes in, deeply.

They tell him it’s unnecessary but not breathing still feels wrong, feels like panic, like dying without the big finish. All crescendo, no end.

He wants to start with ‘Did you know’, a casual opener, but it feels ridiculous. Of course she knows. Everyone knows. Every careful, casual set up feels wrong and foolish, reminds him he’s stupid--

‘--so fucking stupid--’

-- so he shakes his head and blurts out, “We look different now.”

He doesn’t look at her face, can feel her confusion from a few feet away. “Uh, yeah,” she says, like it’s obvious.

‘--so fucking stupid--’

“Wasn’t that kinda the whole point?” she adds, and she’s leaning over sideways, body angled over the edge of the bed so she can see his face, catch his eye, while he’s intently focused on his staring contest with the floor. “Nobody mistakes you for a girl anymore. That’s good, right?”

He nods.

It’s good.

That part is good.

“Then what’s the problem, bucko?” she asks, gentle-- careful and soft, only ever gentle with him.

“We don’t look like twins anymore,” he says finally, and the act of saying it stings his eyes, sharp and hot. He can feel color rising, splotchy, up his face.

She scoots closer, no longer leaning against the headboard, still tilted sideways trying to catch his gaze with her own. “Who told you that?” she asks, and he can’t tell if it’s meant to mean that someone lied to him, or that she didn’t think he’d ever notice on his own. And the worst part is that he wouldn’t have.

She knows him. Better than anyone, she knows him. She knows him inside and out better than anyone else has ever known him, himself included, and he thinks she probably knows him better than she knows anyone else as well-- herself included.

He shakes his head. “Met a few new people. They didn’t realize we were even siblings.”

That sting is back, behind his eyes.

How could their lives (existences?) have changed so much…? Dahl remembers being a child with Nae, making forts in their bedroom. She stole treats from the kitchen, and he made toys for her, and they were happy.

He knows that’s a lie. He wasn’t happy at that age in any situation other than hiding in their shared room with Nae, eating honey cakes by candlelight when they were supposed to be asleep. She was the only thing he had worth living for, and the only reason he’d lived at all.

He spirals in her silence, feeling stupid for not noticing, stupid for caring, stupid, stupid--

‘--How can you be so smart and still so fucking stupid--’

“Well, we can probably fix that,” she says.

He blinks until his vision isn’t blurry, trying to process her words, and turning to squint at her. “What-- what do you mean?”

She shrugs, giving him her gentlest smile, which is still sharp in so many ways. “There are ways to make us look more similar again. Like what clothes we wear--” She holds up her hands in mock defence when he frowns at the suggestion. “Though I know you’d never be caught dead in my form fitting leather,” she says, snickering visibly at ‘caught dead’ before adding, “And your fabric textures are important and all that. And obviously I wouldn’t be great at my job in flashy colors.”

His frown deepens.

She shrugs, a relenting gesture that says ‘you’re right, you’re right’, and continues with, “So probably not the clothes. But there’s other ways. Like hair.” He watches as the idea takes hold in her mind, can see it on her face when she’s decided. There’d be no stopping her now if he tried. “Yeah, fuck it, I’m getting a haircut.”

“You don’t have to--” he tries anyway, guilt eating at him.

She shoves his metal shoulder gently, and his body sways. “Shut up, I’m getting a haircut. Not the same as yours, but maybe, like, just one side shaved, you know?”

He tries to picture it.

“Right or left side?” she asks, all grinning and confidence, all gentle only ever for him. She’s off the bed already, moving to the door, and she opens it before he can ask her where she’s going. “DYRIHM!” she all but screams down the hall, grinning widely at her excuse to be disruptive.

“WHAT?” Dahl hears Dyr yell back, muffled from another room-- the kitchen, maybe?

There’s a throb of nostalgia in his chest for this, for living together with the both of them. He hopes, deeply, that Frost doesn’t mind too much. He wants to keep this as long as he can, to recreate that best year that he really does remember most of.

Nae calls, “COME CUT MY HAIR!” and gives Dahl a toothy smirk over her shoulder, delighted, he suspects, in the same nostalgia he’s feeling. Of course she doesn’t process it as an aching soft warmth like he does; more likely it feels like a shot of hard liquor to her, burns all the way down and makes her brain buzz.

There is silence, and then footsteps, and then Dyr is in the doorway looking at Nae, bewildered and trying not to laugh as he wipes his hands on a towel. There are scissors in his pocket.

“Did someone die?” Dyrihm asks, lightly, and Dahl can’t blame him. He’s never known Nae to change, frankly, anything about her appearance. She’s always loved the way she looks, calls herself perfect and means it.

Instead she shrugs and says, “Nah, I just want us--” she gestures between herself and Dahl, “-- to match again. Been too long.”

Dyrihm's sass is cut abruptly short. "Oh," is all he says at first, obviously surprised, then he softens into something fond. "Hmm... I think I can manage that." 

Nae grabs the desk chair and settles herself on it backwards so she can lean on the back, facing Dahl. “Just one side,” she says.

“Left side,” Dahl blurts.

Her grin is pleased as she nods and says, “Left side it is.”

Dyrihm steps up behind her and gestures for Dahl to readjust in front of her, and he slides behind her with his scissors, a small smile on his face, which Dahl can never resist returning. "All right, handsome," he says to Dahl, playful. "You wanna model that for me?"

[dazombi3fari3]

Hey doll hey!! How’s your day/night going? Great I hope. I woke up a bit late today (around 10:30 Am)…. my body just needed a bit more sleep today. I really didn’t feel like playing around with my makeup when I first woke up … so I was going to do a simple naked look but then I go my Beautylish order and wanted to play with the makeup items I ordered from them … so I ended up just doing one of my go to basic natural looks. Today I am wearing Ralph Lauren Romance perfume…. Let’s jump into today’s Face of the Day ….

Base:                                                                                                                                                         I primed my face using Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer ($54 at Sephora) and just a tad bit of Tarte Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer ($39 at Ulta) around the pores of my cheek area. I used the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter ($44 on the Beautylish website) in the shade #3 Light/Medium to give my skin that lit from within glow. For foundation today I am using Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation ($44 on the Beautylish website) in the shade 3 Neutral. I took the Hollywood Flawless Filter up under my under eyes so I chose not to use a color corrector today instead I just used 3 little dots of Flower Beauty Light Illusion Full Coverage Concealer ($9.99 at Ulta) in the shade L3-4 Light. I quickly set my under eyes using Believe Beauty Matte Blur Loose Powder ($5 at Dollar General) in the shade Translucent. Before setting my face I decided to try a few new cream products that I purchased that came in the mail today. First I contoured using Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand ( $38 on the Beautylish website) in the shade 2 Medium/Dark… I used it around the perimeter of my forehead, hollows of the cheeks, and the bridge of my nose. I then highlighted the bridge of my nose, cupid’s bow, tops of the cheeks, center of the chin, and high points above my brows using the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand ($39 on the Beautylish website). I then set the rest of my face using Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder ($45 at Sephora) in the shade 2 Medium (this is also the powder I’ll use for touch ups today). After setting my face I really didn’t think I needed to bronze but I wanted to add just a bit more color to the skin so I lightly warmed up my face using Benefit Boxed Bronzer ($30 at Ulta and Sephora) in the shade Hoola.

Eyes:                                                                                                                                                         I primed my lids using P.Louise Base ($10 pound sterling/ $12.08 USD on their website… can also be found on the Morphie website for $15) in the shade Rumour 0.5. For today’s eye look I used the Pixi by Petra Hello Beautiful Face Case ($24 at Target and on their website) in the color story  Hello LA Angel. I created this look using both bronzer shades in this palette. I started by using the lighter bronzer (Natural) from lash to brow. I then used the deeper bronzer (Beach-y) in the crease to add a tad bit more depth… it’s subtle but does give dimension to the all over look. I then lightly tapped the shade Sand (gold with a slight rose undertone metallic) all over the mobile lid to add a hint of glow. I used the deeper bronzer (Beach-y) along my lash line to give the lash line some life and highlighted the inner corners using the shade Sunny (icy white with a gold shift metallic). I lined my lower and upper waterlines using Charlotte Tilbury The Classic Eye Powder Pencil ($22 at Sephora) in the shade Audrey (soft dark brown) I set my brows using Believe Beauty Eyebrow Styling Gel ($4 at Dollar General) in clear and then filled in my brows using Believe Beauty Brow Defining Pencil ($4 Only at Dollar General) in the shade Dark Brown. I carved out my brow line using the BH Studio Pro Brow Highlighter ($5 on their website) on the matte side and set the brow line using the shade Clean (a bright vanilla matte) and then went back over the brow line with more of the shade Sunny and then layered more of the shade Clean over that so that I could add a hint of glow without it going over board. I coated my upper and lower lashes with 2 coats of Milani Dangerous Lengths Mascara ($9.99 at Ulta).

Cheeks and Lips:                                                                                                                            Since I did the cream highlighter and was really loving the effect of it I chose not to use powder highlighter today. For blush today I chose Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-HR Blush ($29 at Sephora) in the shade Seduce (rosey nude matte). I lined and then filled in my lips using NYX Suede Matte Lip Liner ($4 at Ulta) in the shade Wipped Caviar (a reddish pink nude). I topped the lips off using ColourPop Creme Lux Lipstick (discontinued was limited edition) in the shade Uno Mas (medium dusty coral).

Final Thoughts:                                                                                                                                      I really enjoyed all the products I purchased from the Charlotte Tilbury brand!! I truly loved just how fresh and perfected my skin looked today. The 4 products I used today were definitely standout hits for me. The only product that I have left to play with is the Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Beauty Light Wand in the shade Goldgasm… this one is just a bit of a let down because the gold is so yellow based that I don’t see it being able to work for me … I’m going to try it tomorrow to see if I can get it to work for me.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter: A+++!!!                                                             This stuff is amazing!!! It’s so pretty on the skin. It’s a doe-foot applicator and so I used about 3 swipes for both sides of my face 2 swipes for my forehead and 1 swipe for the center of my face and neck. The directions say to use a foundation brush but I just rubbed it in with my fingers and it gave me a really soft lit from within glow. This product is similar to the BECCA Backlight Primer Filter, but I think just from this first use that it’s a better than the BECCA one is. Even with a full coverage foundation on today I could still see the glow peeking through the foundation. I know I will be repurchasing this one when I run out… it’s so darn good.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation: A+++!!!!                                                  Dolls!!! This foundation is beautiful! I mean truly BEAUTIFUL!!! It’s a demi-matte finish that is full coverage and super pigmented. A very little of this product goes a very long way! I dispensed 5 pumps and applied this the same way I would all my other foundations and that left my skin flawless but I had way too much product. This foundation didn’t bunch up around my nose or my forehead (not that I have much trouble with foundations doing this, however with super full coverage foundations like this one I do tend to get a bit of bunching up texture in those areas). I’ve only used this foundation for the first time today and I can already tell this is going to be my new favorite foundation. I know for sure I will repurchase this when I run out.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand: A+++!!!                                                           Normally I skip contouring my face because I’m just not that good at it, and I most definitely never cream contour because it always scared me. But after binge watching beauty videos on YouTube and watching so many Beauty Gurus using this product one day I decided to order it and give it a go…. SO DARN GLAD I DID!!!! At first I was worried because the product is really rich in pigment when you first apply it … I held my breath and began to blend it in with a beauty sponge and the final outcome was so flawless, so perfectly contoured that I couldn’t believe my eyes! It even looked amazing on my nose (and I have always had trouble with my nose when it came to bronzing it because the tip on my nose is so big). Now I didn’t use this product on the tip of my nose, but I did use it on the bridge and it looked so good. This product is super creamy but not so creamy that it streaks or goes splotchy. The tone of the product gives that natural looking shadow to the skin. This is another product I just know I will be repurchasing when i run out.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand: A+++!!!                                                     Hands down my favorite of all time highlighter!! Most cream highlighters go patchy on me really quick… this one did not. I even applied a bit more AFTER setting my face and it didn’t go patchy then either. The shade is perfect for my skin tone. Even after setting my face you can still see the glow from this product. Without setting the face it made me look so ethereal and so fresh faced that I toyed with not setting the face … but it’s the first time i am using these cream products and wanted to give them their best chance, so I set my face. Once again … this is a product I will repurchase when i run out.

I am seriously impressed with the Charlotte Tilbury products I tried out today. Even though it is a full coverage foundation, I don’t feel I’m wearing any foundation. In fact today is the first day in a while that I love the way my skin looks up close. There is no texture or cakey looking skin, and there is no powdery look to the skin and I have not only setting powder, but a light layer of powdered bronzer and blush on my face too.

Ms Tilbury knows her makeup!! That is so evident.

Well that’s all for now dolls. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day/night and that you are in good spirits and health. Remember …. Save a spoon for a bit of lipstick.

XOXO

My Basic Natural Go To Face of the Day Hey doll hey!! How's your day/night going? Great I hope. I woke up a bit late today (around 10:30 Am)....

[riannagraphics]

Printing My Linocuts and Drypoints

Today I printed my linocuts and drypoints. Below I will include pictures and discuss what I think went well and what I could have done better. 

LINO PRINTING

I feel like my lino prints could have been made better by coating the surface of the lino more evenly, and cutting into the lino deeper. This isn’t as much of a problem with the first set but with the second, and the other collections of prints, the ink in the cut out parts shows through aswell. This is also from putting too much ink in certain areas. 

First Print - Colour Variations:

The first print (originally in black) has quite a light colour, with a gradient effect where it moves from dark at the top to light at the bottom. I changed the colour from black and white to different colours to see how the lino cut would look if I used different inks. I think the pinks and purples fit the witch best. I liked how much texture the print holds, and in my opinion it bares resemblance to crumpled up cellophane. 

First Print - Inversions:

I inverted the images on photoshop and changed the colour to pink. I like the metallic look of the inversions, making it look like it has been covered with some type of foil. I also think it makes the black stand out even more.

Second Print - Colour Varations

Third and Forth Prints:

I don’t think these prints were as successful because the lines were almost all filled in the first one, and in the second the splotchy effect of the ink makes it harder to see the image.

Fifth Print - Colour Variations:

Fifth Print - Layering Colours:

Sixth Print and Inversions:

[dylan-lowe-blog]

Texture Planning

I’ve done some exploration into the various materials I’m going to need to represent on this model, I’ll talk about each in terms of the style I want to pursue and how I plan to achieve that with the technology.

--Style Guide--

Red Paint

I want to explore this kind of splotchy dusty paint with damage and rust toward the edges.

I think I can achieve this by layering paint, dust and rust layers and using masks between them. I think the smart masks that ship with substance might be just what I need.

Glass

I’m interested in trying to replicate the stained or scratched look in the following images, as if the windshield had been dusty before being cleaned.

I plan to do this by hand painting the wiper marks. I’m not sure how this will look with glass that has no interior behind it. I’ll either need to find a nice opaque solution or model a simple interior.

Wood

The wood for the back panels will be quite damaged. I want to try and  get some colour variation between the different pieces.

I plan to add a wood material to all pieces and then use the projection tool to place the logo across the pieces as in the concept. I’m interested in learning Substance Designer and the wood might be the material where I start.

Lights

I want to try and replicate the bumpy ribbed look of the jeep headlights.

I will create this either in painter or designer, i’m sure this will use heavy use of the normal channel.

Rubber

I want to try and add tyre tread entirely through textures, along with this I will need to create a rubber material.

I think I will initially try to do this using the height map and brushes in painter, if that doesn’t work I will model in the detail and bake out a new normal map.

Rough and Glossy Metals

The glossy metal would be used for things like the light rims, bumpers, door handles etc. The rough would mainly see use on the tray.

--Reference Artists--

nikie monteleone

Izat Abdraimov

Nikita Nikiforov

Adnan Chaumette

Patrizio Scherini 

Michał "Veezen" Kalisz

Adnan Chaumett 

Musaab Alazawi

[luxelipssinkships]

Cutie Pie

I know, I know this is going up super late but my box sat on my porch while I was in Europe! Anyway, Let’s get into some quick initial thoughts about these products.

Blinc Electric Eyes Palette $45.00

“This palette features a combination of 5 highly-pigmented, jewel tone eyeshadows. The shades beautifully pair together to give you a gorgeous, golden eye look. This formula blends effortlessly, and is long-lasting.”

I was so excited to get this palette in the box, especially after seeing Kathleen Light’s review of it. I love pressed pigments, the texture is like molten metal and they last forever on my eyes. The color scheme of this palette is very wearable, especially for the upcoming fall months. Here are some swatches of each shade.

Orpime

  This warm bronze is probably my favorite color in the palette. It can be worn alone or blended in with any of the other shades for the perfect smokey brown eye.

Rhodoni

  This shade reminds me a lot of MAC’s Cranberry shadow, but much more metallic.

Vanadini

  This is a lovely, wearable rose gold color. This is perfect paired with big fluffy lashes and lots of bronzer!

Autuni

  A yellow toned gold like this goes beautifully with some black dusted in the outer corner of the eye and black winged liner.

Sphene

  This color is much less metallic than the rest, but it gives a lovely subtle shimmer to the lid.

Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip in Beeper $6.00

“greige rose”

“This thin, lightweight formula smoothly glides on the lips leaving SUPER intense pigment with a bold, ultra-matte look. It is very long lasting and 100% kiss proof AKA no transferring!”

I actually already have this lip color, so I handed this over to my sister. The formula of these Ultra Mattes is very drying on my lips, so I am actually not the biggest fan. I much prefer the Ultra Satin Lip formula.

Bare Minerals Invisible Light Translucent Powder Duo $32.00

  “This silky and ultra-fine combination of setting powder and finishing powder instantly vanishes on all skin tones. Enjoy an even, long lasting, natural looking, luminous complexion.”

I was so surprised to learn we were getting a full size Bare Minerals product in this months box. While Boxy Charm always has great products, they rarely have big name brands like this in the box. These powders remind me a lot of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, except less subtle. I have yet to try these on my face, but swatched they feel very finely milled and blendable.

WinkyLux Uni-Brow Universal Eyebrow Pencil $12.00

“One brow pencil to rule them all! Simplify your brow game with this 2-step pencil. It’s firm texture gives maximum control so anyone can be a brow boss.”

The packaging alone has me falling in love with this little brow pencil! The angular edge of the pencil and dry formula make this perfect for sketching out the tail end of my brows.

Project Beauty Spray. Set. Go. Make Up Setting Spray $32.00

“Keep your make up fresh all day long. Just spray, set & go! You’ve got this, gorgeous!”

I love setting sprays, so getting one in the box was so exciting! I haven’t tested this out yet to see how long lasting it is, but the initial spray felt nice on my face, not tightening or overly splotchy.

Total worth of this month’s box: $127.00

All in all, I totally loved this month’s box! Every product, save the Colourpop lip, is exciting and beautiful. Let me know how you liked the products in your box this month!

Glowingly yours,

Jess

July Boxy Charm 2017 Cutie Pie I know, I know this is going up super late but my box sat on my porch while I was in Europe!

[ohmyglossblog]

HIIII! Oh. My. Gloss. It has been ages since I’ve sat down and blogged! I’m so happy, but also I’m so embarrassed that I haven’t written anything for so long. It has actually been really busy for me the last few weeks, I have tons to blog about. So hopefully I will get to catch you up on all the things that has been BACKED UP FO REALZ! First, is VDL’s Expert Metal Cushion Foundation that I got a couple weeks ago. I have been using it non-stop ever since I got it. I love it, but I do have some issues with it. Keep reading for more details!

  Just a quick brand overview, VDL is a brand launched in 2012 by the LG Household & Health Care. All of the cushions that they have come out with I believe are the metal plate type. This one is the newest 2017 model of the metal cushions. The case is very sleek and has a dark metallic eggplant purple hue to it. I bought mine with a refill and it came with an expert texture puff in the case and a cover/strobing puff with the refill. I really like the expert texture puff, it applies a thin layer of product on the skin so it doesn’t look splotchy or uneven. You can also use it with a makeup brush, pump the desired amount on the plate and apply it on the brush.

There are 10 shades that you can pick from in this line. #Winning already. I got the shade A207, a pink/neutral toned medium-dark beige. A207 is not completely pink or cool toned, there is a hint of yellow. At the store, it was the darkest shade they had, which is a half a shade lighter than my skin tone. I think next time I’ll try the V207 which is a dark beige with a yellow undertone. Nevertheless, I’m satisfied with the color I got and the color selection.

The metal plate has a radial burst of tiny little holes that dispense the foundation on the metal plate as you push on it. It seems more sanitary than a regular sponge type cushion since you are getting a fresh pump everytime you use it and you can clean the metal plate with a wipe. Pressing in the center of the with the cushion on top has given me an even dispense of the foundation, or you can press the outer edge with your thumbs as well.

  The coverage is medium to high and I can get away with not using concealer under my eyes to cover up my dark circle and the occasional zit. The texture of the foundation is light but creamy. Adheres very well to the skin and sets quickly. It has a light glowy satin finish and is moisturizing without the extreme dewy finish. I don’t feel that my skin feels dried out with this on all day. It really looks perfect all day. It did crack on the upper lip area but on the larger area of my face I don’t have to touch up, even if I did, I did just because I have a habit of touching up. Using a primer beforehand, especially the VDL Lumilayer primer or MAC’s strobe cream added more luminosity and helped the adherence of the foundation on the skin.

One issue that I have with this cushion is when I go to touch up it looks a little thick and cakey, a little bit uneven. I found that I have to wipe clean the area, like on my upper lip, then touch up. I’m glad that it last well on most all of my face that I don’t have to retouch often or at all. Other than that I don’t have much of an issue. I really love this cushion. I can’t stop using it. Maybe because it’s so close to my natural skin tone! It is OMGB approved!

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I hope my next post won’t have such a big gap like this one did hehehe.

VDL Expert Metal Cushion Foundation Review HIIII! Oh. My. Gloss. It has been ages since I've sat down and blogged! I'm so happy, but also I'm so embarrassed that I haven't written anything for so long.

[the-trans-dragon]

I learned a few things. The ‘splotchy’ texture on galvanized metal is called ‘spangle.’ Galvanized metal has a layer of zinc coating it to protect it from rusting. Lastly, I learned that the bucket smells like fucking fish for some reason.

I hid it somewhere Daisy doesn’t know about (a cabinet she’s never seen open lol) and she’s SNIFFING AT IT with great intensity.

I’m going to move it somewhere even harder to get to, because Daisy is absolutely the kind of cat to pry a cabinet open to lick a bucket

I tried to let Daisy get some enrichment out of a metal bucket I bought, before I use it for a plant project. Two very unexpected things:

1) She refuses to sit in the bucket

2) She licks the bucket. With VIGOR. Suspicious vigor. I don’t know why the bucket is irresistibly delicious to her, but I have taken it from her in case it is somehow toxic.

[alicethecook]

Indian Cooking - North Indian Breads

New Post has been published on https://homekitchen.info/indian-cooking-north-indian-breads/

Indian Cooking - North Indian Breads

The world over, Indian food is largely perceived as curries. While this isn’t strictly true-considering the large amounts of spices and their quantities and types used-it is really quite inevitable, unless one is aware of the cooking styles in this country.

India is a land of abundant cultures and sub cultures, each having their own unique way of cooking, with very little in common between them. Cooking styles vary, and so do tastes, textures and spices used. However, three main spices are common throughout India- Turmeric (Haldi), Salt (Namak) and Red Chilli Powder (Mirch). Keeping these as a base, Indian cooks create a huge variety of dishes by varying add-on spices.

In this article, I’ll introduce some common and not so well known north Indian breads. For the record, the term ‘North India’, from a cultural point of view, includes New Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Rajasthan. Except New Delhi, which is more of a cosmopolitan city-state, all these places have their own distinct food culture and traditions. It is therefore slightly unfair to club them all in a single term when discussing food, but it will have to do for the purpose of this article.

North India typically has a multitude of griddle (tava) baked breads made with unleavened dough for the most part. The base dough for most consists of whole meal flour mixed with water and a little salt, the whole of which is then kneaded to a soft pliable consistency. This is then made into different types of breads as below.

Roti or Chapaati

For this bread, a small ball of dough is rolled out flat (about 1 – 2mm) in a circular shape (about 6 inches in diameter), these are dry baked on a hot griddle until splotchy brown and cooked through. The Roti has a few variants which are mentioned below.

Phulka

A very close relative of the Roti, Phulkas are cooked on one side on a griddle and then laid on an open flame, which causes the Roti to puff up, at which point it becomes a phulka. The term ‘phul’ means to puff up or to bloat, hence the derivative Phulka.

Makki Ki Roti

This is a favorite winter time roti made using corn flour (makki ka atta). After making a simple dough with water (and perhaps some grated veggies like radish or carrots) a ball of the dough is pressed down on a piece of cloth or flexible plastic, as the dough is very brittle and doesn’t hang together. When the circle is roti sized, it is flipped over on to a hot griddle and usually served with vegetable pickle or sarson ka saag (mustard greens).

Ulte Tave Ki Roti

Literally translated, this means ‘Rotis cooked on an upturned Griddle’. Made the same way as normal Rotis, these are about double the normal thickness and placed on a hot griddle after wetting both sides of the uncooked Roti with water. This makes it stick to the griddle that in turn produces the desires effect when the griddle is upturned and the roti exposed to a naked flame. These Rotis are normally eaten with non-vegetarian dishes, but that’s mostly a matter of individual preference.

Missi Roti

A Missi Roti is actually a normal roti, made with the normal dough as described earlier, to which various other types of flour and spices have been added. There isn’t any fixed recipe for this – it’s each one to his own here. One simple example would be to mix equal proportions of whole meal wheat and gram flour with some red chilli powder, salt, kasuri methi and perhaps a little cuminseed, add some water and make a soft dough. You could also knead in a little oil if you like. When done, cook on a hot griddle like a normal Roti.

The Tandoor

The Tandoor is an upright cylinder with an outer sheath of metal and an inside made of a very thick layer of baked clay. Rotis made inside it are plastered to the inner walls. When roasting meats or cooking kebabs, the food is threaded on long metal skewers or Seekhs hence the name of the very popular kebab – Seekh Kebab.

Tandoori Roti

Similar to Ulte Tave Ki Roti when rolled out, these are cooked in the Tandoor. After rolling, the roti is placed on the inside walls of the Tandoor and left to bake. Tandoori Rotis are usually a little more than double the thickness of normal Rotis.

The Kashmiris have a variant called Lavasa, which too is quite bland as it doesn’t have any seasoning. The dough uses refined flour as opposed to the wholemeal flour used for the Tandoori Roti. While it can be eaten with anything, it is typically eaten with highly spiced Kashmiri style mutton stews.

Tandoori Paratha

Tandoori Parathas are made much the same way as Lachha Parathas. The only difference is that they are cooked inside the Tandoor, rather than a hot griddle.

Naan

Naans are made using dough made of refined flour with a leavening agent of some sort. Some use fermented dough, others may use yeast and few people mix active yoghurt into the dough. The end result however, is the same – the dough must rise. Naans vary in size from a few inches across to a monster I’ve personally had the pleasure of demolishing, which was a little more than 1.5 feet in diameter. Typically, Naan’s are cooked in the tandoor, though an oven does the job too. Coal however, delivers a flavor that cannot be matched by a conventional oven.

Stuffed Naan (Amritsari)

Amritsar is an important city in the state of Punjab. The stuffed Naan takes its name from this city and is also called Amritsari Naan. A stuffed naan is made using the Naan dough, stuffed with a filling similar to a stuffed paratha and usually rolled into a circle. It is then stuck to the inner walls of the Tandoor to cook.

Paratha

There are many types of parathas and they’re all high calorie and quite delicious.

Typical Paratha

A thin layer of oil or clarified butter (ghee) is spread on the surface of the rolled Roti and folded until it’s a square about an inch across, with oil being spread on every un-oiled surface that’s exposed upwards. It is then rolled again and the process is repeated a few times. The Paratha is then cooked on a hot griddle, with liberal splashes of oil or ghee. The final result is a crisp (or not) bread that is multi layered and tastes quite good with just about anything. Typically, it isn’t eaten with non-vegetarian dishes. In ethnic Muslim cuisine, this is also called Roghani Roti, where ‘Roghani’ refers to ‘fat’.

Stuffed Paratha

The stuffed paratha starts out as a Roti rolled out, in the centre of which is placed a dollop of stuffing (spiced, mashed boiled potatoes, cauliflour etc). The Roti is then picked up by the edges, sealed (by pressing together) and then rolled out again. This is then cooked the same way as a Paratha. Typically it is served crisp, with yoghurt (sometimes whipped) with pickles. An idea after-paratha drink is sweet, milky tea.

Lachha Paratha

A Lachha Paratha is composed of many layers – many more than a normal paratha. Also, the layers here are horizontal as well as vertical, as opposed to only vertical in a normal Paratha. This is made by rolling out a Roti, spreading oil or ghee on the surface and then cutting it into strips. These strips are place one on top of the other and holding the pile by both ends, twisted into a roundish shape. This is then rolled flat and cooked on a griddle. Another way of making this is to make a long cylindrical shape with the dough, coating it with oil and starting from one end, making it into a wheel shape with concentric circles. As with technique #1, this is then rolled flat and cooked on a hot griddle, or in a Tandoor.

In the context of Muslim cuisine, this is also known as a Warqui Paratha, where Warqui means ‘leaves’ and is similar to the word Warq, which refers to the beaten silver or gold sheets that are used to decorate sweets.

Roomali Roti

This is more of a technique than a recipe. Literally translated ‘Roomal’ means ‘Handkerchief’ and the Roomali Roti is just that. A very soft, thin and large bread that folds and bends just like cloth. While it can be eaten with just about anything, it is a particular favorite when it comes to making rolls or wraps.

Cheela

Cheela is a variant of the Roti that is made with gram flour instead of the normal wholemeal wheat flour. However, unlike the humble Roti, there’s considerable scope for creativity here. Various additions can be made to the basic gram flour mixture like finely chopped onions, green chilli, coriander and just about anything else that has been well drained, like the outer flesh of tomatoes for example. The Cheela is also quite well seasoned, usually with Ajowan (carom, ajwain, or bishop’s weed), powdered black pepper, red chilli powder and coriander powder (dhania). After mixing everything together with a little water to make the dough, Cheelas are cooking just like Parathas, on a hot, flat griddle, brushing each side with a little oil before turning over.

Kulcha

The Kulcha is a variety of baked flat bread that is made using refined flour. It is leavened with baking powder and active, whole milk yoghurt. It can be eaten as is or lightly toasted in a pan or toaster. It tastes slightly sour and is sometimes garnished with chopped coriander leaves on top. Kulchas are usually eaten with a chickpea curry and are also good with Indian pickles for breakfast.

Another variant is the Kashmiri Kulcha. Made with a dough that is quite similar to the one used for Tel Varu, the Kashmiri Kulcha is quite different from the normal Kulcha. While the normal Kulcha is slightly sour tasting and quite soft, the Kashmiri Kulcha is quite crisp and rusk-like. It comes in two flavors – sweet and salty with a spot of cumin seed. The Kashmiri Kulcha too is normally eaten with tea – Sheer Chai, Kahwa or normal tea.

Bhatura

Bhaturas are one of my all time favorites. Usually thick and soft, they can be crispy too and are traditionally eaten with one of many varieties of chickpea curry. Refined flour forms the base for this bread, which is leavened with yoghurt and yeast and flavored with a little sugar and salt. After rising, the dough is rolled out and pulled from one side to make it slightly elongated, after which it is deep fried in hot oil.

Puri

Puris are made using the same dough as that for the Roti. The only difference is that a little oil is added and the Puri dough needs to be stiff as opposed to soft for the Roti. After allowing the dough to rest for 30 – 90 minutes, the dough is taken off the main mass in a hunk, rolled into a ball, a corner dipped in oil and then rolled in a circular shape to about 4 inches in diameter. When frying, the Puri must inflate and swell out, which is usually accomplished by tossing hot oil over it from the pan in which it’s being fried. When lightly brown on top, it is taken out and drained. Puris are usually eaten with potato or chicken pea curry. In some parts of India, puris are also eaten with a sweet mango puree or semolina halva (a sweet dish made using clarified butter, nuts and roasted semolina)

Another variation is the Luchi. Using the same dough as the Puri, it usually more than 2 feet across, sometimes nearly a meter in diameter. Luchis are made on festive occasions and obviously require special utensils for the oil and for retrieval. Quite light in texture, they are shallow fried, not deep fried like the Puri.

Sheermaal

Sheermaal is a baked flatbread from ethnic Muslim cuisine. It is made using a dough comprising refined flour, milk, a pinch of salt, sugar, clarified butter (ghee) and Vetivier (kewda). This dough is rolled into circular shape about 2 – 3mm thick. The saffron is mixed with some warm milk and used to brush the bread from time to time when it’s baking in the oven. This gives the bread its characteristic orangish yellow color. When done the sheermaal must be brushed with some white (freshly churned) butter and served immediately.

Bakarkhani

Bakarkhani is a spongy, thick, round bread that has its origins in ethnic Muslim cuisine. Made with leavened flour, mawa and eggs, it is baked in an oven and is usually eaten with mutton dishes such as Nihari or Korma. The preparation process is quite time consuming as the dough needs to be kneaded for hours then rolled out and folded over (with clarified butter and flour sprinkled on every fold) several times before it is ready. When the dough is ready, it is rolled into disc about a centimeter thick and 4 to 5 inches in diameter. These are then sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked. While baking they are basted twice with whole milk. The texture of Bakarkhani can be a bit dry at times, however, considering it is eaten with curries in most part, this feature actually helps soak up and retain flavor while eating.

This bread too has a Kashmiri variation called the Katlam. The only difference is in the size, where the Kashmiri version is usually smaller and crisper than its mainline cousin. Like many Kashmiri breads, it is eaten with hot tea.

Bhati

The Bhati is quite unlike any other Indian bread. Predominantly eaten in the state of Rajasthan, Bhatis are made with unleavened wholemeal flour dough into which a little salt and clarified butter have been mixed. The dough is shaped into small balls and baked in a moderately hot oven until brown on the outside and soft on the inside. Bhatis are traditionally served in a container that is then filled with clarified butter. They are eaten after being allowed to soak for a while.

Tel Varu

This bread is Kashmiri in origin. Tel Varu closely resembles a bun and is sprinkled with sesame seeds on the crust, which is quite crisp. Slightly salty in taste, it is made with normal bread dough – really a local variation of bread as we all know and love. Tel Varu is usually eaten with Sheer Chai, which is salty Kashmiri tea.

… and that completes the list, though there are probably a few regional specialiaties I’ve missed out.

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VDL Expert Metal Cushion Foundation Review

HIIII! Oh. My. Gloss. It has been ages since I’ve sat down and blogged! I’m so happy, but also I’m so embarrassed that I haven’t written anything for so long. It has actually been really busy for me the last few weeks, I have tons to blog about. So hopefully I will get to catch you up on all the things that has been BACKED UP FO REALZ! First, is VDL’s Expert Metal Cushion Foundation that I got a couple weeks ago. I have been using it non-stop ever since I got it. I love it, but I do have some issues with it. Keep reading for more details!

  Just a quick brand overview, VDL is a brand launched in 2012 by the LG Household & Health Care. All of the cushions that they have come out with I believe are the metal plate type. This one is the newest 2017 model of the metal cushions. The case is very sleek and has a dark metallic eggplant purple hue to it. I bought mine with a refill and it came with an expert texture puff in the case and a cover/strobing puff with the refill. I really like the expert texture puff, it applies a thin layer of product on the skin so it doesn’t look splotchy or uneven. You can also use it with a makeup brush, pump the desired amount on the plate and apply it on the brush.

There are 10 shades that you can pick from in this line. #Winning already. I got the shade A207, a pink/neutral toned medium-dark beige. A207 is not completely pink or cool toned, there is a hint of yellow. At the store, it was the darkest shade they had, which is a half a shade lighter than my skin tone. I think next time I’ll try the V207 which is a dark beige with a yellow undertone. Nevertheless, I’m satisfied with the color I got and the color selection.

The metal plate has a radial burst of tiny little holes that dispense the foundation on the metal plate as you push on it. It seems more sanitary than a regular sponge type cushion since you are getting a fresh pump everytime you use it and you can clean the metal plate with a wipe. Pressing in the center of the with the cushion on top has given me an even dispense of the foundation, or you can press the outer edge with your thumbs as well.

  The coverage is medium to high and I can get away with not using concealer under my eyes to cover up my dark circle and the occasional zit. The texture of the foundation is light but creamy. Adheres very well to the skin and sets quickly. It has a light glowy satin finish and is moisturizing without the extreme dewy finish. I don’t feel that my skin feels dried out with this on all day. It really looks perfect all day. It did crack on the upper lip area but on the larger area of my face I don’t have to touch up, even if I did, I did just because I have a habit of touching up. Using a primer beforehand, especially the VDL Lumilayer primer or MAC’s strobe cream added more luminosity and helped the adherence of the foundation on the skin.

One issue that I have with this cushion is when I go to touch up it looks a little thick and cakey, a little bit uneven. I found that I have to wipe clean the area, like on my upper lip, then touch up. I’m glad that it last well on most all of my face that I don’t have to retouch often or at all. Other than that I don’t have much of an issue. I really love this cushion. I can’t stop using it. Maybe because it’s so close to my natural skin tone! It is OMGB approved!

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I hope my next post won’t have such a big gap like this one did hehehe.

VDL Expert Metal Cushion Foundation Review was originally published on Oh My Gloss Blog