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Reader question: “What is the best way to hide under-eye bags?” —@bajash“Under-eye bags, help!!!” —@krebsseven“Born with under-eye bags and nothing seems to help. Anything you’d recommend?” —@elissagrace1 Considering that the skin under your eyes is ten times thinner than any other skin on your body, it’s kind of ironic that it often looks the thickest (read: puffiest). Alas, the most visible area of our face is the place that’s plagued with the most puffiness, and even the best concealer in the world can only do so much against swollen half-moons....

Gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii) are tender perennials and will grow year-round in USDA Zones 8-11, but you can enjoy them in the spring and summer in any climate. Whether you grow them outdoors or inside, there are a few tips to follow to help your daisies thrive. Make sure you keep water off the leaves (too much wetness makes them more vulnerable to disease), don’t let them get too hot, and cut the flower stems off at the base when the blooms fade....

When to Plant Garlic Garlic is a cool-season crop. It’s planted in the fall, typically after the first light frost of the year. But it can be planted any time before the ground freezes. Garlic is a bulb. Like other spring bulbs, it needs to go through a “chilling” period. This chilling period stimulates a bio-chemical response that “turns on” flower formation and initiates root growth. Garlic needs a chilling period of at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit for about four to eight weeks....

One of my favorite things about movie night is the snacks and just like at a buffet, I love being able to sample a bunch of different snacks rather than just finish off a bucket of popcorn. Last year for Halloween I made this super fun dessert board and I thought I’d share what I learned about how to make a dessert board from that experience! A dessert board with a few movie night snacks like popcorn, pretzels, and pistachios for a little salty bonus....

I’m a big fan of charcuterie boards, but I’ll be the first to admit that they can get expensive, especially if you’re doing a particular theme or color scheme like I did with this Halloween dessert board. That’s why I’m so excited to share this simple summer charcuterie board, it’s actually really reasonably priced to make and a great option if you want to make a charcuterie board on a budget!...

Whether using fresh tomatoes or canned, crushed tomatoes or a blend of whole and crushed, you want to start with top-notch tomatoes. When using canned, the long-entrenched wisdom is to look to San Marzano tomatoes from Campania, Italy. But many tomato wonks now believe that the best California tomatoes have surpassed Italy’s finest. If you live beyond the reach of excellent smaller-batch California canned tomato brands, like Bianco DiNapoli, you can order them online....

Create a cozy reading nook with an arrangement that wraps around a corner or flank a fireplace with DIY architectural character. Follow the steps below to learn how to make bookcases look built-in. How to Make Bookcases Look Built-In For a seamless look, purchase tall bookcases that reach nearly to your ceiling so you can easily fill in the gap with trim. What You Need Desired number of full-sized bookcasesOne narrow shelving unit for the corner (optional)1 gallon of paint or stainPaintbrushScrews and a screwdriver (or drill)Anchoring hardwareTape measureTrim pieces (enough to line the top edge of full unit)SawSandpaperHammer and nails (or nail gun)LevelWood filler...

Off he went to the store to purchase the cake mix, only to return to find that we didn’t have the vegetable oil the recipe required. Instead of going back out to the deli, we decided to improvise with whatever we had on hand. Here’s how this off-the-cuff ingredient substitution created the best boxed cake we’ve ever tasted. Ingredient Substitution After going back and forth about what to use instead of vegetable oil, we decided to try coconut oil....

Method #1: Classic blended pesto with cooked basil This traditional recipe departs from Ligurian tradition slightly by using cooked basil. Whole leaves get a boiling bath for 10 seconds before they are shocked in cold water, arresting the cooking as it begins. The sauce that results is a good one: vibrant and flavorful, bright green and photogenic, close to what you think of when you think of pesto. It will surely satisfy a craving for the Ligurian sauce....

First, the most important thing you can do is try not to carve your pumpkin too early. We know that’s tough to do. The long lead-up to Halloween is arguably the best part of the holiday—that’s when you go pumpkin picking and bring out your spooky Halloween decorations. However, prematurely carved pumpkins can more easily fall prey to bugs or poor conditions. Next, follow these simple steps to prolong its life, whether your pumpkin will be carved or left whole....

What is meditation? Despite meditation’s rich, multifaceted history and various forms, the basic concept of meditating can be distilled into something surprisingly approachable for beginners—and practical for skeptics. “At its core, meditation is an intentional, contemplative practice,” says Jamie Price, the former cofounder and president of meditation app MyLife. “In a traditional sense, the word ‘meditation’ has been translated to mean ’to become familiar’ and ’to cultivate.’ Meditation affords you the opportunity to become familiar with your mind—your habits and patterns of thinking—and then provides the means to transform it....

With so many outlandish answers floating around, we consulted with a panel of three beverage experts to set the record straight: Doug Brickel, beverage director and partner at Cork & Kerry and owner of private event and consulting company Cabezas y Colas Cocktails; Hannah Selinger, certified sommelier and freelance lifestyle writer; and Alex Ortiz, a current strategy and operations consultant and former full-time bartender. Here are their takes on which tricks for opening wine without a corkscrew are worth keeping in your back pocket and which ones will only horrify your friends and family—and maybe even ruin your day in a major way....

Where to Plant Basil Plant basil alongside other culinary herbs in your garden such as parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and dill for a bountiful collection of fresh fragrant foliage. Seed a row of your favorite basil variety in the garden to ensure plenty of fresh leaves for making pesto or flavoring summer dishes. When planted near tomatoes, basil displays an ability to repel pests such as thrips (tiny winged insects) and tomato hornworms....

Bellflowers are among the most popular blue flowers, a rare hue in the plant world. While blue is the most common color, you can also find them in purple, white, and pink. These cheery little bells will grace your garden for weeks, generally starting in late spring and continuing through summer. Where to Plant Bellflower Because this is such a diverse group of plants, it’s always best to research and read labels on specific varieties before planting them in your garden....

The meaning of the “pink” moniker is two-fold: The flowers are often pink (though they come in other colors, too), and the edges of the petals have a fringed look, as if someone trimmed them with pinking shears. The blossoms of some varieties, like Dianthus superbus, feature a very long, exaggerated fringe, like streamers flying off each petal. Before you start planting, be aware that some varieties of dianthus aren’t safe for pets....

Fringed Tulip Varieties Tulipa Angelique Double-flowered tulips stand out because their blooms are packed with petals. Some have so many petals that they are referred to as peony-flowered tulips for their resemblance to those flowers. Bloom time depends on type; some bloom in early spring and others bloom late. Regardless of when they show off their flowers, the blossoms last a long time because the flowers have so much substance.Double tulips’ large, heavy blooms can be a drawback: Rains and strong winds easily damage the flowers, so plant them in a protected location....

When ingested, the leaves, nectar, seeds, and flowers of rhododendrons and azaleas are toxic to humans and pets. Rhododendron or Azalea? Rhododendrons and azaleas are often confused. Azaleas were once considered a separate genus of plants, but they were reclassified as genetically similar to rhododendrons relatively recently. Now, they are in the same genus. People tend to think of rhododendrons as large evergreen plants with big clusters of blooms and associate azaleas with smaller leaves and shorter plant habits....

What Are Strawberry Runners? Strawberry runners (also called stolons) are horizontal stems that grow along the ground. Each runner produces several new “daughter” plants that are still attached to the original “mother” plant. A daughter plant will grow roots where it touches the soil. Once the new plant is established on its own roots, the runner will dry up to separate the daughter from the mother plant. June bearing strawberries send out many runners after fruiting and are often more vigorous than everbearing strawberries....

First, soak the workout gear in a mix of one part distilled white vinegar to four parts cold water immediately after wearing them. Not enough time in the day to work out and wash? Don’t sweat it. Leverette says it’s okay to wait a few days but avoid re-wearing, which will cause body soil (dead skin cells, sweat, and body oils) to set in and bacteria to multiply. “Wash with a heavy-duty detergent that contains enough enzymes to ‘bust’ the oily body soil,” Leverette says, noting that Tide and Persil are the top-ranked brands....

How to Remove Stains from Clothes Act fast! Deal with stains when they happen. The longer you wait, the more the stain will set into the fibers. Treat the stained spot using the specific solutions below, then wash the item as instructed on the care label. Start with the mildest stain solution first, then work your way up to harsher or more involved methods. Never dry the garment until the stain is fully removed, or else the heat could set the stain....