HINTS HELOISE FROM

DEAR

READERS:

Want to create a fun, beautiful and delicious palate of colors, flavors, aromas, shapes and textures? Consider the charcuterie board.

Charcuterie is a French word that means “cooked meat” (specifically pork), but charcuterie boards nowadays contain shaved lunch meats, cubed and soft cheeses, vegetable sticks, dips and dressings, grapes, dried fruits, nuts, berries and even chocolates and caramels.

Arrange on a large plate or lazy Susan. Take a picture of the charcuterie board before people descend upon it!

— Heloise

DEAR READERS: Spring cleaning is in full swing. Closet cleaning? Here are some items to not donate to charity:

≤ Dirty, stained, ripped, moldy, foul-smelling clothes and shoes.

≤ Dirty, stained, chipped, cracked kitchen dishes and service items.

≤ Furniture that is beyond reupholstering, be it damaged or worn, covered in pet hair, etc.

≤ Electronics older than five years. ≤ Toys with broken and/or missing components.

≤ Out of season clothes and household items.

Call the donation center if you have questions about what you can and cannot donate.

— Heloise DEAR HELOISE: It’s wedding season! Did you know? You can invite the president and first lady of the United States to your ceremony!

It’s doubtful they will be able to attend — haha — but they will send a lovely letter of congratulations. Send a wedding invitation to the president and first lady: The Honorable Joseph R. Biden and Dr. Jill Biden

The White House

Greetings Office

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500

Allow a couple of months to receive your letter of congratulations.

— Mary R. in Texas DEAR READERS: A ripped, torn or dirty mask will not provide an acceptable level of protection. Throw it out and get a new one.

— Heloise

P.S. Cut the elastic bands on the mask before disposing of it so the bands can’t get wrapped around anything or anybody, like wildlife.

DEAR READERS: With our masks on, we may be playing up our eye makeup. Here are some hints on eyeliner: No heavy dark colors and don’t encircle your whole eye because it can make your eyes look smaller. Too much eyeliner can sink into lines and wrinkles, where it can smudge and run.

A small amount smudged gently on the outer corners of the eye looks nice and enlarges the eye. — Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: Any hints on how to clean hairbrushes?

— Angie W. in Alabama

ANGIE, FIRST, remove excess hair. Fill the sink with hot water and shampoo. Soak brushes for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water and air-dry on a towel.

— Heloise DEAR HELOISE: With all the hand-washing and hand sanitizer, my nails are in bad shape. Any hints for this?

— Mary Ellen R. in New Jersey MARY ELLEN, use a cuticle oil immediately after washing hands, and rub in petroleum jelly around cuticles at night. Keep your diet strong with milk (if you can have it), sweet potatoes and broccoli.

— Heloise