Article: You may not need too much elbow grease to clean your brush if you do a little maintenance. Inspect your brush once a week to check for dried mascara clumps. Gently grip the bristles in the fold of a paper towel and wiggle it back and forth. This loosens the clumps and also spreads the bristles apart. Put very hot (but not boiling--it may melt the plastic) water in a cup and allow your wand to soak for about five minutes. The brush should begin releasing clumps of mascara and the water will turn cloudy and gray or black. Pour out the dirty water and reuse the cup to continue cleaning your brush. If the mascara is waterproof or water resistant, use a cup of makeup remover instead of water. Pour isopropyl (or rubbing) alcohol into the cup and allow your mascara wand to soak. You should see more product dislodging from the brush. Soak for about one minute. If the brush still doesn't look clean, soak your brush for another minute and see if any more product is released. The little plastic handle on the end of your wand may have gunk built up from the sides of your mascara tube. Insert the end of a cotton swab and run it over the threaded part of the handle that screws into the mascara tube and seals it. Dampen the swab with a little bit of water first. This will keep fibers from sticking to the tube. Removing the build-up from this part of the wand may help you get a better seal when you twist it closed on your mascara tube and may keep your mascara from drying out, giving it a longer life. Any lingering water or alcohol might dry out your mascara, so you want to make sure it's thoroughly dried. Use a paper towel to gently pat the bristles dry. Let the brush air dry for 10 minutes after patting it dry. If you don't want your mascara to dry out in the meantime, cover the top with foil or plastic wrap. If your hands are clean, you can run your thumb over the bristles to feel if they are still wet. You may see little droplets of water fly off the brush if it is not completely dry, and you should continue to dab the brush with a paper towel.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Wipe the clumps off your mascara wand with a paper towel. Soak your mascara wand in hot water to loosen dried product. Soak the brush in a cup of isopropyl alcohol to sanitize and remove any remaining mascara. Use a cotton swab to clean the area that threads into the tube. Dry the bristles completely before inserting the brush back into the tube.
Article: If you can't think of a topic to write about, open up a newspaper or read the news online. When you find an interesting headline, read the whole story closely. Think about the big picture behind the story, and use that to help inspire what you want to write about. If you write a blog about technology, for instance, you might start each day by reading up on the latest tech news. If you see a story about a new technology in development, a change in policy that could affect tech startups, or a scandal that could potentially hurt a big player in the industry, you could write a blog post discussing the implications of that story. If you're writing fiction, you could expand upon the story by writing your own take of what happened. One of the best ways to find inspiration for writing is to read constantly. Not only will reading help you learn new things, but seeing what inspires others may inspire you. In addition, frequent reading will help improve your own writing, because you'll naturally start to mimic the style of other successful writers, whether you're writing for an online publication or you want to publish a novel. Read works by writers you love or hate, or by writers you've never heard of. What really matters is that you're reading. Find a magazine on a topic you are interested in, and skim the pages. For instance, you might open up a copy of National Geographic and look for a new discovery. Poetry can also be a great source of inspiration. Try reading one of your favorite poems, but look at it from the perspective of a writer, rather than just a reader. If you need ideas for something to write about, watch a movie, but keep a notebook nearby, and try to avoid getting lost in the plot. Instead, look for characters to build off of, dialogue to work with, or landscapes to set your stories in. Then, use these elements to write your own story or novel. Movies can also offer great ideas on dialogue, characters, or scenery. Go to a museum or an art gallery, or look at art blogs or databases online. If you see something that you really love, write down all the details of the artwork, including your thoughts and feelings about the piece. Then, expand upon what you wrote in a short story or poem. When you find a piece of art that speaks to you, it can engage your imagination, giving you a world of new ideas to write about. Select a page from a newspaper, magazine, or book and grab a black permanent marker. Glance at the page, and look for words that strike you. Make a line through the words you don't want to use with your marker, leaving just a few words. The remaining words make up your poem. You can experiment with blacking out many words to make short poems, or only blacking out some words to make longer poems. You can write a broad narrative using nouns, verbs, and adjectives, or create a more coherent story using words like "is," "of," and "the." This creative exercise can help inspire you to create more written work, or you might decide you want to dedicate more time to crafting blackout poetry.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Find a news story for inspiration. Read a book, blog, or magazine for new ideas. Watch a movie for inspiration. Look at a piece of art and write about how it makes you feel. Try creating "blackout poetry" from a page of text.