Take the eyelash curler in your dominant hand, and move it to the open position. Hold it up to your eye, placing it so it’s at the base of your lashes.  Don’t apply mascara to your lashes before using the eyelash curler. The lashes can stick to the curler’s pads if they have makeup on them and you may wind up pulling them out when you curling. You should hold the curler like a pair of scissors, with the curved side facing outwards. Line up the padded strip on the bottom edge of the curler with the root of your lashes. Make sure that all of your lashes are inside the opening between the upper and lower edge of the curler.

Summary: Open the curler and hold it at the base of your lashes.


If you want color, choose colored gravel instead; however, neutral-colored gravel mimics the bettas’ natural environment and may help reduce stress. Larger size gravel traps uneaten food. This food can rot and negatively affect aquarium health. To avoid this, choose gravel that is small in size for your betta tank. You will generally want to look for a water filter that will turn over the water 8x-10x GPH (Gallons Per Hour). Always check the GPH when buying a filter: for example, if you have a 10 gallon tank, you should look to get at least a 100 GPH filter. Consider a filter with a flow that is adjustable. Betta fish prefer a relatively weaker flow of water from the filter. The water temperature should be maintained in the range of 72 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the range preferred by aquarium fish, but the ideal temperature is 78 degrees Fahrenheit. A general rule for choosing a heater is to allot 50 watts per ten gallons. Also look to purchase a thermometer for your tank. An electronic thermometer is convenient and easy to read. If you add untreated tap water to your fish tank, you will be exposing your fish to potentially harmful chemicals. Try a water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals, and simultaneously detoxifies ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Allowing the tank to cycle means allowing it to establish a bacterial bed in the filter. You can also add a biological conditioner to your tank before you add fish. A product such as Cycle Biological Aquarium Supplement is recommended. Buy all your fish at the same time, but introduce them one by one, starting with the one that seems the most passive. This will allow each fish to establish her own territory before the addition of another tank mate.  Make sure all your fish are generally around the same size.  If you can buy “sisters” (or fish from the same spawning), they will have a better chance of getting along.  Consider sticking to odd numbers when stocking your tank. Look to keep 3 or 5 betta fish in a 10-gallon tank or 7 or 9 betta fish in a 20-gallon tank. Include plants (live or silk will work), as well as features such as driftwood or caves. This will allow weaker females to feel more secure because it breaks up direct sight lines between them and stronger, more dominant females. Providing enough hiding places is required for a healthy sorority tank of bettas.  Each betta should be able to claim their own territory, giving them a place to “patrol” as well as a place to hide.  If you are going to choose fake plants, pick silk plants instead of plastic plants. Silk plants will not tear the bettas' delicate fins.

Summary: Choose dark gravel or a sand substrate to bring out the color on your female bettas. Find a suitable water filter. Purchase a water heater for your tank. Find a suitable aquarium water conditioner. Add water and allow the tank to cycle for 1 week before introducing fish. Purchase fish, and introduce all the girls to the tank at one time, one by one. Ensure your tank is well-planted.


Creatinine is a waste product produced by the body when creatine, a metabolism substance that helps convert food into energy, breaks down.  Usually, your kidneys help filter creatinine out of the blood. The waste product is then passed out of the body via urine. High creatinine levels can indicate a problem with your kidneys. High creatinine levels can be the result of regularly consuming a high amount of protein or partaking in strenuous exercise. Creatine supplements may also increase levels of creatinine in blood and urine. A creatinine test measures how much creatinine is in your blood.  Your doctor may also perform a creatinine clearance test, which measures the amount of creatinine in your urine. The amount in your blood should be low, and the amount in your urine should be high. These tests only provide a "snapshot" of your kidney health. They only measure the amount of creatinine in your blood and urine from one-time samples taken within the past 24 hours. The normal range for creatinine levels will vary based on whether you are an adult male, adult female, teenager, or child. The value you should be at may vary further based on your age and body size, but there are general ranges you should shoot for.  Normal blood creatinine levels are: Men: 0.6 to 1.2 mg/dL; 53 to 106 mcmol/L Women: 0.5 to 1.1 mg/dL; 44 to 97 mcmol/L Teenagers: 0.5 to 1.0 mg/dL Children: 0.3 to 0.7 mg/dL   Normal urine creatinine levels are:  Men: 107 to 139 mL/min; 1.8 to 2.3 mL/sec Women: 87 to 107 mL/min; 1.5 to 1.8 mL/sec Anyone above the age of 40: levels should drop by 6.5 mL/min for every additional 10 years of age There are several different reasons why you might have increased creatinine levels; some of these conditions are more severe than others, but all mean that you need to take steps to get your creatinine levels back to normal.  Renal failure or impairment: If your kidneys are damaged, they cannot filter creatinine out of your body through glomerular filtration as they are supposed to. Glomerular filtration is the outflow of filtered fluid passing through your kidney. Muscle destruction: If you have a condition that causes the breakdown of your muscles, the broken down muscle tissue can get into your bloodstream and impair your kidneys. High intake of meat: Eating a diet rich in cooked meat can increase the amount of creatinine in your body. Hypothyroidism: Having a dysfunction in your thyroid gland can have an influence on your kidney function. Hypothyroidism can decrease your kidneys’ ability to properly filter waste out of your body.
Summary: Know what creatinine is. Understand how the test works. Interpret your results. Understand why increased creatinine levels occur.