At one time or another, most of us have been or will be a Bridesmaid.  Social custom dictates that a thank you gift is given to each bridesmaid and groomsman.  This can be a wonderful, memorable and thoughtful moment between you and your girls, or it can be an awkward and uncomfortable memory that takes some time to get over.  Here are a few tips to ensure you fall into that wonderful, memorable category and a list of bridesmaids gifts to avoid along with the reasons why.

Plastic Tumblers

A plastic cup holder with a plastic straw that has the word “Bridesmaid” running along the side?  Let’s face it, it’s a little lazy and a tad bit cheesy.  This is something that most likely will not be used after the wedding day itself and is not personal or thoughtful in the least.  This is one gift that is very forgettable and is guaranteed to produce a fake smile and a sad, “Oh, wow…thanks!”  If you have your heart set on something like a tumbler, a better option might be a stainless steel version, but with personalized names on the side instead of “Bridesmaid”.  Try to avoid giving all of the girls the same gift; at the very least, give each girl a tumbler with their individual favorite color.

Makeup Bags

While some ladies might appreciate a makeup bag, the fact is, it’s a bit generic and relatively boring.  It’s something you might find in a Christmas stocking or get from a coworker for your birthday.   It’s not really a gift that says, “Thank you for being a part of this wonderful day.”  Truth be told, most women already have four or five make up bags and it’s not the type of gift that will take anyone’s breath away, or serve as a reminder of the special day you all shared.   One way you can make this item a better gift might be to personalize the outside, then fill it with a gift card to a spa or their favorite mini liquor bottles.

Coffee Mugs or Tea Cups

Again, like the makeup bags, most people already have quite a few of these at home and unless you personalize them, it’s not the type of gift that will bring back memories of the day.  While these types of gifts may seem practical, they can be very vanilla if you don’t take a couple of extra steps.   If you do find coffee mugs or teacups that you absolutely love and are sure the girls would like them too, make sure to include a pound of their favorite coffee or tea with them.  Create a box with 2 mugs or cups on either side and the coffee or tea in the middle with some tissue paper the same color as the bridesmaid dresses.

Cheap Jewelry

Most brides want their bridesmaids to all to wear the same dresses, which is totally understandable.  Many also require all of the ladies to wear the same jewelry as well.  Brides, of course, have the option to purchase necklaces, bracelets or earrings for them, but unfortunately, many brides select inexpensive, low-quality jewelry.  If you do opt to buy matching jewelry, do yourself and your wedding party favor and select high-quality items that they’d be happy and proud to wear in the future.  One beautiful piece is always better than two or three inexpensive pieces.

Items with “Bridesmaid” on them

It’s understandable that for the days leading up to the wedding and for the wedding day itself, it’s fun to have items with the words, “Bride”, “Groom”, “Bridesmaid”, “Maid of Honor”, “Best Man”, “Mother of the Bride” etc written on them.  But don’t make the mistake of having these items be your only gift.  Thinking practically, anything that has “Bridesmaid” written on it will most likely not be used a lot in the days following the wedding.

You might have heard about bone broth, are intrigued by it, but don’t really know where to start when it comes to incorporating it into your daily routine. While you might think that you can substitute bone broth with some of the regular stock or broth that you buy at the grocery store – think again. Bone broth is unique in its preparation and also unique in its benefits so there’s no real substitution.

However, this new superfood definitely lives up to the hype and is a great substance to add to your daily diet so that you can reap all of its amazing benefits. So here is a beginner’s guide to bone broth to teach you everything you need to know about this amazing superfood:

What Is It?

Despite what you may think, there is a big difference when it comes to the stocks and broths that you buy at the store and bone broth – the difference comes down to the preparation. Bone broth is slowly simmered over a long period of time – the best ones take over 24 hours to make. Whereas other broths in the store are maybe made over two to three hours. But why does this matter? The slow cooking time allows all of the nutrients and minerals from the bones to be pulled out and incorporated into the broth. Another important factor in bone broth is the quality of the ingredients – unlike the broths at the store the best bone broth is made from healthy, organically-fed animals that are raised without antibiotics and don’t include a bunch of extra sodium or other unnecessary ingredients. Instead of unhealthy additives, you can add your favorite herbs, spices, and vegetables into your bone broth to give it a delicious taste.

Where Does It Come From?

While you might have just recently become aware of bone broth it has actually been around for thousands of years. People all over the world have created and consumed their own versions of bone broth for generations because of its high mineral and protein content. The animals used can range from chicken to beef and include a number of different ingredients such as eggs and local herbs and spices. In fact, civilizations in Asia never stopped using bone broth in their diets and it is a staple food in many of these areas.

What Does It Do?

So now that you know what bone broth is and where it comes from, you are probably wondering what it actually does and why you should be using it. Honestly, a better question might be what doesn’t bone broth do? Its benefits can really help you from head to toe. A benefit of bone broth is that it can help promote younger-looking, more elastic and moisturized skin because of the collagen that comes from the bones in the broth. You might see collagen supplements at the drugstore or collagen included in your face cream – it’s a really great benefit to using bone broth that can leave you looking and feeling good. Bone broth obviously contains contents from bones but those contents can actually help your bones too! It extracts bone-building materials like calcium, phosphorus, and amino acids that help strengthen your bones and enhance muscle repair. It is also a good source of glucosamine that can help protect and repair your joints. Furthermore, bone broth can be really beneficial to you if you have stomach problems. It can help protect you against gastric ulcers and other digestive issues like leaky gut, GERD, and heartburn. Finally, bone broth can help boost your immune system because of its really high concentration of healing vitamins and minerals.

People these days will do just about anything to look younger or have radiant, healthier-looking skin. Even if that means rolling hundreds of tiny needles over their skin. It sounds painful, but it’s not. It’s actually part of a skincare procedure that’s gained a lot of popularity over the years. The derma rolling tool is used for micro-needling. The tiny needles puncture the skin which promotes the production of collagen and leaves you with many added benefits. If you’ve never heard of derma rolling, then you came to the right place. Here we have brought together straight forward facts that will tell you everything you need to know about derma rolling.

Promotes Collagen Production

One of the main reasons people use derma rollers is to promote the production of collagen. When the skin is punctured it stimulates your skin to create collagen which is responsible for the elasticity of your skin. Therefore, when the production is increased it can help reduce the appearance of puffy or saggy skin. Derma rolling is known to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to create smoother-looking skin.

Helps Reduce Scarring

This goes hand and hand with collagen production, but ultimately when you have scars left over from acne or injuries the production of collagen is what’s needed to heal the scars and reduce their appearance. Thanks to derma rolling, you can treat your scars with multiple sessions for optimal results.

Improves Skin Texture

If you find yourself struggling with the appearance of dark spots, whether it be from aging or sun damage, derma rolling can help. When your skin is punctured by the tiny needles on the derma roller it increases the production of blood vessels ultimately renewing your skin cells. Because of this, dark spots are known to fade away as the new skin cells are produced.

It Takes Several Treatments to Work

Derma rolling should be added to your weekly or bi-weekly skin routine in order to see optimal results. There aren’t many immediate results that can be seen with a one-time treatment of derma rolling, but if you keep up with it, you’ll be sure to see results and reap the benefits. Most dermatologists recommend a minimum of 4 sessions in order to see the results that come with it.

Works Well with Other Facial Products  

One of the greatest benefits of derma rolling is that opens up your skin and increases the absorption rate of your skin. The tiny punctures leave your skin open and ready to better absorb products such as retinol cream, serum, moisturizer, and more. It’s highly suggested to use your skincare products after you use a derma roller to see better results out of the products.

Sharing Your Derma Roller Can Cause Infection

This might be a no brainer, but it’s important to emphasize that sharing your derma roller can cause infection. After all, you are puncturing your skin with needles and sharing needles can highly increase your chances of infection. It’s important to sterilize and clean your derma roller after every use.

Derma Rollers are Budget Friendly

For a product that promotes so many benefits and is so popular, it’s actually a very affordable device that is budget-friendly. Of course, you want to purchase your derma roller from a trusted retailer, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars on one. Most reliable derma rollers can be purchased for around $30.

Derma Rollers Aren’t for Everyone

Derma rolling comes with so many benefits, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. There are people who should stay away from derma rolling. Those people include those who have extremely sensitive skin, skin diseases, use certain acne products, and women who are pregnant.

Buffalo chicken dip is a must for any family gathering or party you may be attending. It’s a hit at all potlucks and always leaves people wanting for more. Thankfully, it’s not all that complicated to make. With these 7 simple ingredients, you can make the best buffalo chicken dip!

Chicken

It’s obvious that this ingredient would be on the top of our list when going over the simple ingredients involved in a buffalo chicken dip recipe. It’s the main ingredient and can be sourced from just about any type of chicken. Most of the time it calls for shredded chicken thigh or shredded chicken breast, but if you’re short on time, don’t be afraid to grab the canned chicken or shred the rotisserie chicken you picked up from the deli.

Most people report that buffalo chicken dip can be a bit greasy but if that’s any concern then we suggest using white meat chicken breast. It may not do much as buffalo sauce can be a little greasy, but it could help get you to the texture you’re looking for.

Cheese

You can’t have the best buffalo chicken dip without the cheese. Cheese is what gives this dip it’s cheesy goodness in combination with the creamy cream cheese (which we’ll discuss later. It’s important to make sure you find a good melting cheese. Some good melting cheeses that work best with this recipe are cheddar and mozzarella. A pro tip to consider is to grate your own cheese. Big shredded cheese companies coat their cheeses in an anti-caking agent to prevent it from clumping up. When you grate your own cheese, you can avoid that ingredient altogether and you’ll find that it combines perfectly with the other ingredients.

Hot Sauce

Hot sauce is what packs the powerful punch that comes with buffalo chicken dip. It’s flavorful and allows you to control the heat level to the dip. If you’re feeding a crowd that can handle the heat then don’t be afraid to add in some extra hot sauce, but if you’re not a fan of spice this dip is still for you. Just don’t add in more hot sauce than needed. The other ingredients will mellow it all out for the perfect balance.

Ranch or Blue Cheese

There are two types of people in the world- People who dip their wings in ranch and people who dip their wings in blue cheese. Whichever dressing you side with, this recipe can be adjusted to it. Ranch and blue cheese dressing are used to balance out the heat of the hot sauce to really leave you with a flavorful dip.

Garlic Powder

This is one of those ingredients that aren’t always included in a buffalo chicken dip, but we’re here to tell you it’s needed in order to make the best buffalo chicken dip. Be careful not to add too much though. Garlic powder can be a lot stronger than freshly minced garlic. Only a small teaspoon of garlic powder is needed.

Green Onions

A handful of green onions are encouraged to add texture and flavor to the dip. Be sure to chop them up so they’re not too overwhelming but be sure not to skip out on this important ingredient. They add delicious flavor with little work.

Cream Cheese

Any great dip recipe is going to include cream cheese. Cream cheese is what makes the buffalo chicken dip creamy and not just stringy from the cheese. The best buffalo chicken dip recipe calls for full-fat cream cheese to avoid separation while the dip is baking.