Lips-sticks that lasts longer A perfect and long lasting lipstick is what everyone wants and to make the lipstick last longer follow these simple steps: 1. Before you start your makeup apply a good lip balm and let your lips soak up the moisturizing balm. 2. Take a good lip liner a shade closer to the lipstick you are applying and outline and fill your lips. This forms a base. 3. Take the lipstick and apply one coat. Take a tissue paper and blot it. Apply another coat and blot it again. As you blot, you form a new coat and this helps the lip color last longer. Filling the lips with a first coat of lip liner forms a base and as you add coats of lip color and blot it the lipstick lasts longer through the day…

5 Tips for Happy Feet Monsoons are a pleasant relief after the hot sunny spell. Happiness in  smelling the earth drenched by the rains and the pleasure of walking in the rain is a joy by itself. But Walking in the puddles and rain drenched streets also pose  problems to the feet - dirty , smelly feet and fungal infections in between the toes. Presenting a few tips to take care of your feet and keep them fungal free:   Rule No.1 -Always wash your feet after coming from outside. 2. Wear open shoes and not closed ones. If the shoes get wet ensure that you don’t wear the wet ones again the next day. Keep them in   a place where they can dry faster. Keeping an extra pair of shoes is a must during the rains as a backup. 3. Every week soak your feet in hot water with rock salt and baking soda and mildly scrub your feet. 4. If you wear closed shoes you end up with smelly feet especially between the toes.It is best use anti bacterial  powders and also dust some baking powder in your shoes to keep it dry. 5.Apply a good moisturizer or Vaseline if you have dry cracked feet in the night and make sure that you trim your toenails to avoid dirt getting into your nails.

Quick Coco-oats Cream Face mask   As we spoke about coconut shell jewelry we also found that apart from the oil, flesh and cream used in cooking, coconut cream which is basically the thick first extract of the coconut we get after grinding is great for the face and skin too. It is soothes itchy and inflamed skin and is extremely moisturizing because of the coconut cream, Try this DIY easy face mask.   ->All you need is a small cup of freshly extracted coconut cream. Scrape the flesh from the coconut and put it in a blender with little water to get the milk out. ->After blending, strain the mixture and you should be able to get a thick cup of coconut cream. ->Mix 2 tablespoons of oatmeal along with 1 Tsp of honey. Make a smooth paste and if it is thick you can add a spoon of curd and mix it. ->Apply this paste on your face and neck using your finger tips and let it dry. Wash it off with cold water and pat dry and feel the difference in your skin. You could scrub your skin first and then apply this paste …

Aspirin Pack for Sun Burn skin   Just when you thought that Aspirin can cure headaches we discovered that this cute white pill can also treat acne and sun burnt skin! How? The tablet contains a crystalline compound called acetylsalicylic acid derived from salicylic acid. This element helps to soothe redness, inflammation and itchiness of the skin. Not only in the head but the skin too. Aspirin Face Pack Summer is on the wane and has caused enough damage to our delicate skin. For those who are prone to sun burns this pack offers a good remedy. In this pack aspirin acts as a mild chemical peel which increases the cell exfoliation. This pack can be used twice a week for added benefit. · Take 5-6 aspirins in a glass bowl and powder it. · To this add 1 tsp of curd and ½ tsp of lemon juice · Mix it well to form a pack by adding few drops of olive oil. · Apply this pack over the affected area and keep for 20 minutes. Do not rub it in. · Gently rinse the pack in slow circular motion with cool water.

Orga ’ nice’ your dressing Table   Setting your Dressing Table in order can be one of the most tiresome tasks to do on a regular basis for the girls who are on the go. We have various methods to de-clutter the table by dumping the makeup items into different baskets , holders and trays. Which is a good thing but after a point of time it becomes dusty, you have hair, powder all over. It’s time to de-clutter! Now that we all have an idea of keeping our stuff in a particular fashion we need to sort of organize things in a nice fashion. Presenting a few tips to organize your dressing table. 1.First… whatever the design shape , drawers, pullouts etc .,that you have in your pretty dressing table ,put nice white sheets - something like plain wrapping sheets on the table and in the draws . This way you can remove and replace as and when you want. 2. You know this but then here it goes once again- Separate holders and trays for specific items like hair brushes, eye makeup, lipsticks, bottles, perfumes, manicure items etc. This way you will put things back in their place. 3. Keep a set of makeup items in a travel pouch so that when you travel you don’t need to pull out all the stuff from the dressing table except for one or two. 4. For those make up addicts who have dozens of lipsticks, polishes and other paraphernalia, you need to have larger trays and holders. Each sort of makeup has to be marked on the trays if possible and segregated according to use and frequency of use. 5. Keep the items that you don’t use on a daily basis at the bottom of the table. 6. For the blow-dryers and other hair styling tools which have cords, you could put them on a holder ( some of them come with holders for fixing them in the hall) next to the pug point so that you can use and put them back. 7. Invest in a  good lamp if you have space or ensure that there is light above the dressing table for ample light. And last but not the least a handy feather duster to dust the table as when you want!

 Dark Chocolate for the Perfect skin     The quest for the perfect skin elixir is a continuous journey. And would you believe the so called calorific Dark Chocolate is one such thing to get a perfect skin. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and flavanols that promote glowing skin. The antioxidants in dark chocolate will help reduce roughness in your skin and protect it against sun damage. Moreover, cocoa relaxes arteries, increasing blood circulation that leads to healthier skin. Cocoa present in the Dark chocolate also helps combat beauty’s public enemy number one: Stress. It helps reduce stress hormones, which means less collagen breakdown in the skin, and fewer wrinkles. Flavonols in dark chocolate even improves skin hydration and thickness—both highly important for younger -looking skin. And if you are the one who  likes dark chocolate, grab  your bite of dark chocolate every day and make sure you choose at least 80% cocoa content in order to avoid milk and added sugars found in a traditional chocolate bar.And apart from eating you also have chocolate facials which have hit the salons  for the perfect skin. Just dab some soft chocolate on your face as you eat it.

Shraddha the new face of Neutrogena   Shraddha Kapoor who turned famous with Ashique -2 and now with Ek Villain is on a roll. Daughter of yesteryear villain and character artist Shakti Kapoor, she has wonderful skin and texture almost porcelain like. Check out her tweet below. Very very happy to announce that I am the brand ambassador of Neutrogena! Shooting as we speak :) Wooooo! Nutrogena products are available almost everywhere and include some very good products for the skin like face washes, cleansers, makeup, skin protection creams, sun protection creams for children and girls .Some of their products are endorsed by our celebrities who swear by Neutrogena. Less is more’ is  what Shraddha’s believed  as far as make-up is concerned. The actress once told a popular fashion magazine  that ‘It’s very difficult to just leave your face alone but I think that’s the best thing you can do. Constantly make it go through face masks, scrubs, etc can irritate it more than help it.’

What not to do when blow-drying your hair   We girls have learnt the art of blow drying hair at home. We have the right tools i.e. paddle brush, round brush, a good quality blow dryer ( hot & cold options ) and clips for parting your hair etc. Now that you know what it takes to achieve the perfect salon-type of blowing your hair into style , here are some tips  to follow to avoid any hair disasters  when you  blow-dry at home:- · Never hold the brush in one direction and the dryer in the other. The key to sleek, smooth hair is symmetry. . Don't try to dry hair that's too wet. Your hair will take much longer to dry and be unnecessarily exposed to more heat for no reason. · Don't over-dry your hair. It's a common mistake that can damage your strands. Dry hair only until it feels dry to the touch -- blast it with cold air to help you determine if it's totally dry or not. · Do not move your wrist and shake your dryer around. This serves absolutely no purpose. Keep your dryer as steady as possible. · Direct the airflow down your hair and keep your hair pulled a little tightly not too hard. · When you finish drying apply  hair spray or rub a pea-sized drop of hair shine serum in your palms and distribute evenly from mid-shaft to ends ,staying clear of roots.

ఈ పొరపాట్లు చేస్తున్నారా   లిప్ లైనర్ డార్క్ కలర్, అలాగే లిప్ స్టిక్ లైట్ కలర్ అయితే బావుంటుంది అనుకుంటారు చాల మంది కాని దీని వల్ల పెదవులు అందంగా కనిపించవట. పెదవుల రంగుకి దగ్గరగా ఉండే లైనర్ ని ఎంచుకుంటే పెదవులు అందం పాడవదు. అంటున్నారు నిపుణులు.   ఐబ్రోస్ ని డార్క్ గా  దిద్దితే అందంగా కనిపిస్తాయనుకుంటారు, కాని లైట్ కలర్ షేడ్ వాడితేనే అవి  అందంగా కనిపిస్తాయట. ఐబ్రోస్ నేచురల్ కలర్ కంటే లైట్ గా వుండే షేడ్ ని ఎంచుకోవాలి అంటున్నారు నిపుణులు.   చర్మం మరీ పొడిబారి వున్నప్పుడు ఫౌండేషన్ వాడకూడదు ఎందుకంటే ఆ పౌండేషన్ చర్మం లో   కలవకుండా  ప్యాచుల్లాకనిపిస్తుంటుంది. కాబట్టి ముందు డెడ్ స్కిన్ తీసేసి మాయిచ్యరైజర్ రాసుకున్నాక పౌండేషన్ వాడాలి అంటున్నారు నిపుణులు.   కళ్ళు పెద్దగా, అందంగా కనిపించటానికి  కనురెప్పలకి మస్కాకరా వాడతారు. అయితే రెండు మూడు సార్లు మస్కారా వేస్తే కనురెప్పలు మరీ బిరుతుగా కనిపిస్తాయి. డార్క్ గా కనిపించే రెప్పలు కళ్ళ అందాన్ని పెంచక పోగా, ఎబ్బెట్టుగా కనిపిస్తాయి. కనురెప్పల పైన గ్లిట్టర్ వేసుకుంటే పార్టీలో ఎట్రాక్టివ్ గా కనిపిస్తాం అనుకుంటే  పొరపాటే టీనేజ్ అమ్మాయిలకి ఓకే కాని మధ్యవయసులో వాటి జోలికి పోకపోవటమే మంచిది అంటున్నారు నిపుణులు. అందం మాట అల వుంచి ఎబెట్టుగా కనిపిస్తారని చెబుతున్నారు. అలాగే మేకప్ చేసుకున్నపుడు మన ముఖంలో వేటిని హైలెట్ చేయాలనుకుంటున్నామో నిర్ణయించుకోవాలి. ముందు - అప్పుడే సింపుల్ గా , అందంగా కనిపిస్తారు. - రమా.

Minimal Makeup look for the Office   For those who want to use make up and at the same time not look made up here is a simple way to get the minimal made up look for the office. 1. Use a concealer which matches your skin tone and apply it all over the face. Blend the concealer and take a tissue and gently wipe the face to get an even tone. 2. If you have thin eyebrows you can take an eyebrow pencil or eye powder and shape the brows with mild strokes. Take a clean mascara brush and shape the brows for the natural look. 3. Get bigger, brighter-looking eyes by applying a flesh-tone eyeliner pencil to your lower waterline.You can curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler or apply a mild coat of mascara. 4. Take a makeup brush and some contouring powder or bronzer and apply in the shape of a "3": starting at the temples, down the hollows of the cheekbones, and down the jaw line. Also dust some powder down the sides and tip of the nose. 5. Take a lip liner either in a nude colour or mild pink and outline your lips. Blend the lip liner onto your lips and don’t forget to apply a lip balm before this. Dab a tissue and remove excess color. With this you are good to go to work with a  minimal -make  up look !  

Laser Hair removal treatments – A Caution   Laser Hair removal treatments have become a popular and widely accepted form of permanent hair removal techniques in the world over. What is described as a harmless, virtually trouble-free technique of removing undesired hair on your body, this permanent Hair removal treatment involves spotlighting a laser beam at the root of the hair follicle, restricting the growth of hair. This method is different to the Intense Pulsed Light system (IPL) which consumes a smaller amount of influential, diffused light waves.   Now all this may seem harmless and simple but the same treatment if is done by inexperienced and unqualified cosmetologists can lead to severe damage to the skin. Like in a recent case in the city of Hyderabad an NRI lady had come to get the treatment done for her facial hair removal in a so-called reputed skin clinic, ended up with burnt scars on her face.Apparently the clinic was just 3 days old and the doctors were new.   What happens in this treatment is that lasers make use of laser beam with low energy. These laser beams pass through the skin of patients and the energy flows to the hair shaft and gets absorbed by follicles of hair, thereby hindering the hair follicle in the profound layer of the skin. This laser hair removal treatment does not affect the hair follicles. In several cases, slight pinching pain can be experienced and mild anesthesia is required. It could also lead to reddish and soreness of the skin. If the beams are used in higher energy it can burn the skin and damage the upper layer of the skin.  When the skin gets burnt it takes a while to heal and may also require other cosmetic treatments to help cover the scars.   Just because a pamphlet is distributed advertising about these laser hair removal treatments with skin clinic corporate brand name one should not fall for it. Checking the credentials of the clinic and the cosmetologists’ qualifications is a must or else it could lead to these “cosmotological” disasters. After all it’s your skin at stake!

Aloe Vera Cube Cure for Sun Burns     Summer may be on the downtrend but it still continues to seethe and burn especially after for those who travel a lot. Your SPF lotion may sometimes wear and out and the sting of the sunburn can be quite painful. We found this very simple and easy to make sunburn cure using the gel of the Aloe Vera plant. 1. Take fresh aloe gel from the leaf and scrape it out in a bowl.If you don’t have fresh gel you could use the organic ones sold in the Beauty stores also. 2. Take an ice tray and fill the gel to ½ of the slot in the tray 3. Take a drop of either tea tree or rose essential oil and mix it in the gel 4. Drop a rose petal on top of the gel for a nice look. 5. Put the ice tray in the freezer and freeze the gel completely. Once frozen, take out a frozen cube and you will see a nice wobbly and cool aloe gel cube. Whenever you have an ice burn you can rub the cube over the burnt part. This cube can also be used on the face as it works as a nice facial rub to soothe the skin from any allergies or rashes.

4 Steps DIY Massage for those tired hands   You have done a lot of house work, cooking, cleaning and other errands at home. Those beautiful hands of yours are tired and you want a nice , relaxing massage. There’s no time to go out for a manicure or hand spa so we figured that you could try this DIY massage for your hands. Simple and easy and no fancy creams required just a few things like a turkey towel,  a scrub and your favourite moisturizer or hand lotion. Let’s get started-: 1. Dip a turkey hand towel in hot water or microwave the cloth for 30 seconds to 40 seconds till it is hot enough and place it over  &rub your hands thoroughly. 2. Take a good scrub and apply it over your hand and rub it like you are washing your hands firmly.Wash your hands and pat dry after the scrub.     3. Take the hand lotion or moisturizer into the palm of one hand, and then use your other hand to knead the spot between your thumb and index finger.     4. After you've done both hands, slide the tips of  your pointed finger of one  hand along each finger on the other hand. That’s it! You are done with your hand massage at home. If you have any of the massage equipment like the wooden rollers you could also use this for deeper impact.  

Orange Peel for  Oral beauty   The humble Orange Peel which is usually thrown away after the fruit is eaten can actually be used for many beauty purposes. The only thing we know is to dry the peel and use the powder in face packs and hair packs. There is another  very interesting use of the orange peel and that it can be used to to reduce  yellow tone on your teeth. How is it done ? Very simple rub some fresh orange peel onto your teeth regularly. The vitamin C and calcium contained in the peel will tackle the microorganisms effectively and cleanse your teeth. The citrus in the peel will also brighten your teeth just like how the lemon works. All you have to do is clean your teeth with orange peel before you sleep every night and if you can also use the use orange peel powder, in case fresh orange peel is not available. But remember to rinse your teeth after applying the peel on your teeth and you also get an added benefit of fresh orangy breath!  

Define uneven lines for the perfect lip     When you have an uneven lip line you would want that perfect smile or pout. Follow these simple steps to get an even lip line and a pout if possible. What you need: You will need a good concealer which blends into your natural skin tone near the lips especially and a soft lip liner. The idea is not to look too obvious that you have used a concealor and lip liner .  A good quality lip brush is also an essential tool for your makeup kit. To make uneven lips appear more even: Use your lip liner to balance your top lip by outlining just outside the natural edge. Ensure that your line is even and not too heavy, then outline the lower lip, focusing on lifting outer edges / extending corners upward. Fill in most of your lips with lip pencil, leaving a space in the center of the top + bottom lip to enhance your pout. Apply your lipstick over your whole lip area, right to your new lip line, and this will make your pouted lips look not as wide or down-turned.   A few key lip tips : Use a natural lip liner to subtly recreate a natural lip line, Only  go just slightly outside the line, or it will look too clownish When making changes to your natural lip line / shape, always avoid shades too bright, too glossy, too dark or too shiny.

Miracles of a Concealer     When we see the picture of Rekha we can’t help but admire this ageless beauty. But this beauty also has a few secrets in her makeup kit  to hide the flaws in her skin.If you look at the picture above you can see the difference. The concealer is an a amazing  way to hide your flaws like pigmentation, under eyes dark spots, marks, darks spots and smoothens wrinkles on your face. Concealers come in six different forms: stick, creamy liquid, cream, matte-finish, matte-finish cream-to-powder, and ultra-matte liquid concealers, which blend on smoothly and creamily and dry quickly into an unmovable layer. The shade has to be lighter than the foundation cream. Whatever form of concealer liquid , stick or matte, it is important to dab the concealer all over the required place. Once that is done take a sponge and pat it dry and evenly over the skin. You should see to that you don’t leave any patches as it will make your skin look patchy especially after you apply the foundation. Once you are done with the concealer you can get on with the foundation and the rest of the makeup and look glamorous!

Get that flawless look with Airbrush make-up     We have heard of this new airbrush make up which is currently in vogue especially for the girls who are getting married and also for professional photo shoots .For the uninitiated airbrush makeup involves light spraying of makeup which gives a fine layer of make up on the skin and hides your pores and other marks for an even look- almost like the Photoshop effect! Benefits of airbrush makeup: 1. It allows you the option to custom blend different foundation colors together, 2. Creates a flawless complexion, 3. Lasts all day and night, is resistant to everything from sweat to tears, and 4. It looks amazing both in photographs and on camera. What do you need: For the airbrush makeup, you need to get an airbrushing kit that comes with a spray gun , air source and liquid foundation to match your skin tone. How do you do it: 1. Plug in the compressor; make sure that you check your air source in order to make sure the spray gun is evenly distributing the foundation. 2. Do a test patch of a piece of paper or on the back of your hand. 3. The next step in the airbrush makeup application process is to shake the foundation to remove air bubbles then insert a few drops into the spray gun opening. 4. When spraying the makeup on your face, do it in slow, circular motions and continue to layer until you get the desired coverage. It is better if you don’t do this by yourself and take professional  help from makeup artists from reputed salons as the airbrush kit and compressor required is expensive to buy and also not so easily available .Secondly without  proper experience it is not possible to get the flawless look and you could end up looking like a disaster. If you are not ready to buy an airbrush machine, you can also look into applying foundation with a brush, which will still give you a flawless effect.    

  How to use Night Creams     In the previous article we has spoken about night creams and which night cream is best suited for ones Skin in “Choose and use the Right Night Cream”. In this feature we will see how one should apply and use the night cream. Follow this simple DIY bedtime regime to apply the night cream and benefit a healthy and youthful skin tone. Ideally, you should apply a night cream an hour before you got to bed. • First remove any traces of makeup or creams  • Then cleanse your face thoroughly with a gentle cleanser, suited to your skin type. Rose water or any branded cleanser should be fine. Pat your face dry. • The night creams are thicker as compared to the ordinary moisturizers so you need to take small quantities. • Take a tsp of the night cream in your hands and apply the night cream in gentle upward strokes and circular motions by using your fingers.  • You should avoid applying this on the area around your eyes and also on the upper lids of your eyes before sleeping or else you will wake up with puffy lids. • Next comes the neck part. Take some more cream and in upward strokes again apply it all over. A little behind the nape of the neck will do no harm either. A gentle massage on the face before bedtime is a perfect way to end your day’s beauty regimen and wake up to a younger and fresh looking skin.