SAREE-The most beautiful piece of craft to decorate an Indian women

The saree is mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures and depicted in Hindu paintings as far back as 3,000 B.C. In the Mahabharata, Draupadi's never-ending piece of fabric symbolised the triumph of virtue over vice. Not only has the saree seen the rise and fall of kingdoms, legacies and regimes but it has also fortified itself against many an alien influx with fortitude, grace and elan.
It boasts of... various names such as saree, seere, sadi, though the term saree comes from a Sanskrit word sati, which means a strip of cloth. The same word evloved into the Prakrit sadi and was subsequently converted into the word saree. Some people attribute and garment to the Greek or Roman toga one see on medieval statues. But in all probability, the saree is purely Indian and originated from the compulsions of sub-continent weather conditions where cotton, from which the saree was woven, existed long before the legendary Greek invader Alexander set foot to Indian soil.

In the early stages, people of both sexes wore the garment. Gradually, it became more refined, adjustable and in tune with the gender needs of men and women. With the passage of time, the garment came to be known as dhoti for men, and saree for women. Early examples of Indian art support the existence of the saree. Scriptures from the Gandharva, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st-6th Century A.D.) reveal that the saree in its earlier form was a brief garment with a veil. Ancient records also support the act in South India the saree has been for a long period a single piece of material which served as both skirt and veil. This trend continues to date in some rural areas as well.

Legend goes that the saree was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver who dreamt of a woman, the shimmer of her tears, the drape of her tumpling hair, the colours of her many moods and the softness of her touch. Th saree energed from the warp and weft of his dreams, creating waves even as it loomed into view. And it looks as if the tide of its popularity will never ebb.

MY NEW COLLECTION OF SAREES-aat.pou.ray

Hi Friends!!!!!!

Have started my own saree collection branded under aat.pou.ray (which means the Bengali way of draping saree).
Given below is the link where you can see the different collections.


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.241985642623469.1073741828.241979415957425&type=3

Review of Shimmer cubes- Eye Shadow

The Body Shop- SHIMMER CUBES (palette 22)

Net Quantity – 14 gm (4 x 3.5 gm)           

 Price – Rs 1245 /-(I got it for Rs 996/-, 20% discount)

Claim by the product –To give that perfect shimmer to your eyes for your party look                                            

                                                       Against Animal Testing

My experience with the product:

My Thumbs UP for:

·        4 shades-  1)Pure turquoise 2) Mint green 3)Silver Grey 4)Forest Green

·        Cute little box which is transparent with the 4 cubes inside it which also comes in 4 small boxes. So easy to handle, and like other eye shadows will not merge with each other on the palette.

·        You can use it for your Smokey eye look and also the mint green and turquoise shade can be teamed up together to give you that extra zing(I have tried it at a party and everybody loved it, I will give a tutorial on how I did it later J )

·        No need of buying a separate kit of Smokey eye shades.

·        Stays on as long as you don’t remove it or it is wiped off.

·        Though not gel based, still the texture is smooth and pearly.

·        The shimmering effect is well felt.

·        It will last you for over a year.

    

My Thumbs DOWN for:

·        The price is a bit on the higher side.

·        No applications brush provided with the kit, so if you don’t own one, it’s a problem.

·        As said by the sales person, availability might be an issue.

My Overall Verdict:      I will give it a rating of 4.5/5.

                                         I will definitely buy it again.

Review on Body Shop Primer

The Body Shop – LIP & CHEEK STAIN (shade-rose pink)

Price – Rs 600/= (I got it for Rs 480/=, I got it for 20% discount)

Quantity – 8ml

Claim by the product –     Against Animal Testing

My experience with the product:

My Thumbs UP for:

• A multipurpose solution to all my problems of buying different primers. This product can be used as a base primer for your lips (before applying lipstick), Cheek (before applying blush on) and moreover I have tried it as an eye primer (before applying eye shadow) and it worked wonders.
• Price is very less compared to the benefits it provides.
• Very nice cute little bottle, so can be carried in a purse and also travel friendly
• This Intensifies eye shadow color
• Prevents eye shadow from smudging, lipstick from spreading out and blush on lasts longer than it should
• Comes with an easy-to-use applicator.
• The product is liquid like and so easy to spread on your eyes, cheek and lips
• Gives more sparkle to your eye shadow, lipstick and blush on.

My Thumbs DOWN for: I have not yet found out any major drawbacks. It is a new product by Body Shop.

My Overall Verdict:      I will give it a rating of 5/5.




 

I will definitely buy again, as soon as I can finish this present one

The Party season is here

The Body Shop-Cranberry Joy (Shimmer Lotion)

Quantity-250 ml         Price – Rs 775/= (I got a discount of 20% i.e. Rs 620)

Claim by the product – Body lotion to give a shimmering effect.

                                         Against Animal Testing

Product Ingredients- Cranberry seed oil, shea butter from Ghana, Sesame seed oil, it also contains Mica, probably to give the shimmering effect.

My experience with the product:

My Thumbs UP for:

• The immediate thing about this product is the packaging. Comes in a pump bottle, which can easily be locked by twisting the pump cap. It can be taken during travelling without having to worry about spillage
• The colour of this bottle is cherry red with cherry motives on it, which gives it a Christmassy feel (this product is only available during Christmas, as said by the sales-person, and so is a limited edition).This might be a hindrance because if you want it during other times of the year you might not get it.
• The smell is mesmerizing; you can almost feel berries all over your body. So this might not be a good choice for guys, unless, they don’t have any objection at being smelling fruity.
• It has got a nice liquidy texture, thus easily blends into your skin. Quickly absorbs ito the skin,so no sticky skin effect.
• The claim of being shimmery is well justified, it almost gives you a glittering effect if used in a large amount.
• Though not a winter moisturizer, it is very light; still it can be used as a make-up base. No need of putting extra shimmer after make up. May be it has been purposefully formulated for this party season.
• The smell lingers through your body for a long time

My Thumbs DOWN for:

·         No smaller packaging of 50ml or 100ml.

·         Not available all year round,though once you buy it it might last for 6 months atleast.

·         If the texture was a bit thicker could have been considered as a winter moisturizer/body lotion.

·         The Shimmer effect is too much. The product if touches clothes also takes up the shimmering effect.

·         Not a daily use product.

·         Might not be a very good option for people with very dry skin/flaky skin, as it might give a very unnatural look to your skin.

My Overall Verdict: I will give it a rating of 3.5/5.

Good product for party season but not to be used daily.

This is the end result o your skin



I will buy it again.

ORANGE MAGIC

Hi Friends!!!!!!!! Winter is here and I am loving it. The fresh cool breeze, the morning hot cup of tea and all the lovely fresh veggies and fruits to venture on. I am a big fan of oranges and what better way to incorporate orange in your day to day life. I eat my orange and also use it as my daily skin care product.

Since I have a normal to oily skin (i.e. during summer my T-zone is very oily and the rest of the face is normal and in winter it is somewhat manageable),I use orange as a base product to give that natural smoothness of orange in my pack.

As soon as I peel an orange to eat I store the skin of the orange to be dried in the sun. I dry it in sun for 10-15 days and then grind it in a grinder and store it in a container and refrigerate for the entire year to come. You can also try this.

To make a pack with this orange dust, I add 1 tbsp of honey, 1 tbsp of gulab jaal, 1 tea-spoon of coconut milk, and 1 tbsp of curd and mix it well to be applied on face.

If you have normal to oily skin you can also add some neem leaves dust or can also try Himalaya ‘s neem pack for normal to oily skin. Add that to the above paste and apply on your face. This will give you a smooth texture and help you to get rid of that dryness during winter.

Bye for now

Want to get in GOOD Shape

Tra..la..la... here  comes the food chart which i followed to get rid of that extra flab :)

Goal: Want to get good shape /WEIGHT LOSS         
          
BASIC GUIDELINES:

Thumb's Down for:

×         High carbohydrate content foods like potato and rice should be taken moderately.(Initially for 1 month avoid this)

×         Sugars which give empty calories should be taken in moderate amount.(.(Initially for 1 month avoid this)

×         Fruits rich in carbohydrate like banana, mango and chickoo should be taken moderately.

Thumb's Up for :

ü       Low fat food should be taken like buttermilk, fat free yoghurt, skimmed curd and skimmed milk.

ü       Have egg whites everyday. Avoid egg yolk.

ü       Only vegetable fat (oil) 3tsp/day should be used.

ü       Fluids should be taken liberally. Drink atleast 3-4 liters of water.

ü       5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables should be taken.

ü       High fiber low calorie foods like green leafy vegetables; fruits; vegetable salads; whole grain cereals, sprouts and pulses can be included in the diet.

ü       Have a small bowl of sprouts everyday as its high in fiber and protein.

ü       Preferably have non-veg in the lunch and avoid Dal with non-veg.

      Preparation method to be used – boiled, steamed, grilled, roasted, baked.Start using your microwave oven for cooking and not just heating stuffs.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• Never skip your meals (atleast 6 small meals) 
• It is better to have small and frequent meals than a few large ones
• Try not to sleep immediately after a meal
• Try to eat slowly, savoring each bite as you go along.
• Should have salads with each meal especially with dinner.
• Have a small bowl of sprouts everyday especially in the morning.
• Always keep a bottle filled with water and drink frequently.
• Increase the intake of whole fruits.
• DON’T DRINK MORE THAN 2 TEA IN A DAY.IF YOU WANT DRINK GREEN TEA.

                                                                                                                

FOOD OPTIONS:

(Meal 1) Breakfast: (8:30am – 9:00am)

¾     Whole wheat chapatti (2-3) with vegetable curry /sabji

¾     Idli 2-3nos/ plain dosa 1-2 with tomato or green chutney + sambar (avoid intake of coconut chutney) 

¾     Whole wheat bread (2-43slices) with vegetable salad (No butter) 

¾     POHA/UPAMA

(Meal 2) Mid Morning: (11:00am – 11:30am)

·         1 fruit or fruit juice or biscuits high in fibre content

(Meal 3) Lunch: (1:00pm – 1:30pm)

·     Whole wheat cereals are high in fibre so consumption of chapatti should be practiced.

·     Pulses in the form of Dal should be taken -1bowl at lunch

·     Vegetable sabji with minimum oil can be taken in good amount.(Include good amount of cooked vegetables)

·     Skimmed curd/fat free yogurt/butter milk contain calcium and protein and it should be taken with lunch-(1cup)

·     Vegetable salads are high in fibre and it must be taken

·     Nonveg is advisable 2-3 times a week, that is at lunch time.  (2-3 pieces of Lean chicken, 1-2 pieces Fish, 1 whole Egg or 2 Egg whites

(Meal 4) Afernoon: 1 cup coffee+3 marie or high fiber biscuits or diet rusk

(Meal 5) Evening:– 6:00pm
 Fruit bowl/ SPROUT BHEL/2 SLICEBROWN BREAD WITH GREEN CHUTNEY AND GREEN SALAD

(Meal 6) Dinner: (10:00pm – 10:30pm)

¿     Whole wheat cereals are high in fibre so consumption of chapatti 2-3 without oil should be practiced + 2egg whites(boiled)/ egg white bhurji (with minimum oil)

¿     Good amount of green vegetable can be taken.

¿     Take thin dal for dinner.

¿     Vegetable /sprout salads are high in fibre and it must be taken especially with dinner.

¿     Fewer calories should be consumed as the activity level reduces at the end of the day

Snacks & beverages choose from the below given options:

      Snacks:

º     Marie biscuits/High Fibre or multi-grain biscuits in moderate amount (3-4 biscuits) can be taken instead of other biscuits as its low in calories.

º     Fruits contain good amount of fibre and vitamins and so should be taken in large amount in the form of whole fruit.(Avoid the above mentioned fruits)

º     Whole wheat cereals like wheat bread are high in fibre and low in calorie (1-2 slice). 

Beverages:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Beverages:

å    Tea/Coffee can be taken in the morning and evening with skimmed milk & with ½ tsp sugar.

å    Fruit juices can be taken without sugar. Always prefer eating fresh fruits rather than juices.

å    Healthy beverage options are lime juice, buttermilk, clear soups, green tea, vegetable juices, tender coconut water 

FOODS TO AVOID :

D       Fried foods

D       Cheese, butter

D       Pizza (especially for dinner)

D       Processed foods

D       Sugar, sweets and rich dessert

D       Coconut/Groundnut

D       Cold drinks

D       NonVeg: Organ (Liver, Kidney, Brain), Shellfish, Mutton, Red Meat (Beef, Pork), Bacon, Ham, Sausages

After workout(food alone can reduce flab but will not give toning to your body) 3 to4 boil white egg or lean boil or grill chicken

Measurements: 1cup-200 gms                        1glass-200 ml
                         1tsp-5 gms                              1tbsp-15 gms  


Should you require any clarifications, do get in touch with me.