Pamper your feet at home

Our feet are the most neglected parts of our body but they have to bear the weight of the whole body. We only understand how much our feet are tired when we lie on bed after a whole day of work.

Due to neglecting our feet most of us are not able to wear our favourite footwear. Here are some tips that will help your feet get some love from you.




1. Pamper your feet with just 10 minutes pedicure. Soak them in warm water which has some salt in it.this is the easiest way to give them some love.

2. Every night massage your toes with a foot cream. This will prevent you from getting cracked heels.

3. Use pumic stone as a scrubber for your feet. This is what I swear by. I use pumic stone every other day in my shower to remove dirt from my feet.

4. In mood of a luxurious feeling? Treat yourself with a milk soak by adding a cup of milk and rosewater in warm water. Follow it up by scrub and a moisturizer.



5. If your feet is tanned then give it a massage with baking powder mixed with lemon. This will surely keep tannin at bay.

6. I have used the warm water remedy- soak your feet in warm water at night, follow it up with a quick massage with vaseline and wear cotton socks and head over to bead. This has made my feet all the more beautiful.

7. If you have a moisturizer that is heavy for your face, use it for hands and feet.

8. Give them an oil massage once a week with coconut or almond oil.

9. Always wear comfortable footwear.

10. Dress your feet proudly with a shot of nailpaint. You will feel all the more confident.

My Current CTM Routine

Off late I have been getting some pimples on my face. I dont know the reason behind it. I have following the same routine for about 2 months and thus I guess my face was shouting for some change.

Since I have oily sensitive skin I need to be extra careful with my facewash and moisturizer. You know facewash makes it dry and the other one breaks me out. I was kinda happy with my Patanjali almond oil but then I decided to try something new. I brought Clean And Clear oil free moisturizer.

Here is my current CTM routine



1. Facewash- Patanjali Neem-Tulsi facewash. This is the only Patanjali product that I am using right now. I must say it has taken care of my pimples very well. Must try this facewash if you have pimples. It is way better then Himalaya Neem facewash.

2. Toner- Usually I am a rosewater toner person but this time I became a little more daring and changed my toner as well. Currently I am using Naturepro toner. This does not dries out the face. I have seen the size of my pores getting reduced.

3. Moisturizer- clean and clear oil free moisturizer is perfectly suiting me right now. No complaints from this.

4. Sunscreen-I am using Lotus herbals sunblock. This has become my HG sunscreen right now.

5. Scrub- CTM routine must have a scrub. I am using Oriflame pure active scrub. Loving it.

I am following this routine for past 2 weeks. My pimples have gone I my skin is behaving great. You need to change your products to see a difference.

Bye.

Difference between a toner and an astringent

While searching in google I came through many writeups. Some say that rosewater can be used as a toner and some say rosewater can be used as an astringent. They even explain how to make rosewater toner or rosewater astringent. And bammm.. Both the preparations are the same.. so whats the basic difference between the two???

Astringents and toners are similar in the fact that they help absorb excess oil and make sure the
skin doesn’t look shiny. Still, they are a little different from each other.
The main difference lies between the two is that astringents have alcohol content in them while toners do not contain alcohol.. To know the basic difference between skin toner and astringents is to know hot to treat your skin properly.

Astringent helps tighten the pores, acting as a guard from bacteria or oil that could penetrate the pores and cause acne pimples. People with acne prone skin must use astringents but people with sensitive skin should atay away from it. Witch hazel is the best natural astringent. Dry skin should always stay away from toners.

Some toners, called fresheners, work similarly to astringents by tightening the skin, but they are
made of ingredients like caffeine and green tea instead of alcohol. Toners normally consist of moisturizers, oils and extracts that help soothe and hydrate your skin. So hydration is the main key that toners provide. Toners can be used even on sensitive skin because they are natural. These can be used by all skin types so they are a must have.

Both toners and astringents have the same purpose. They serve as a cleanser. Both men and women can use toners or astringents. Nowadays, there are already lots of toner or astringent products that are designated for men which mean that men are becoming more
conscious about their skin and to their whole appearance as well.

Get beautiful the natural way

I have been strssing on using homemade products. The reason being that you know what you are using on your skin.. Trust me natural things work more effectively and quickly when compared with unnatural things.. Your skin will thank you for being so kind to it. It does not only applies for woman but also for men also.

Here are some recepies that will force you to ditch your chemical loaded products and to shift to your homemade products. Read furthur to know more.

1. Ditch your expensive lip scrub for a yummy homemade scrub. Just mix sugar granules with your favourite flavoured lip balm and you will get smooth, soft,kissable lips in seconds.

2. You can even make a yummy body scrub by mixing cocoa powder, coffeee and powdered sugar along with almond oil or honey. Trust me, you will get smooth glowing skin and your bathroom will smell like heaven. Even you can use it for your face.

3. Dump you manicure-pedicure sessions at salons for a pampering session at home. Take as much hot water as you can bear and put some shampoo and salt and put your hands and legs in it for around 20 minutes. You will feel relaxed like never before.

4. For fruit facials, just mash the pulp of any fruit that is available at home and mix it and apply. Your face will get a natural glow.

5. Oiling your hair with warm mustard oil and washing off will give a radient shine to your hairs.

6. Keep some orange peel powder at home and you can get radient skin in seconds. I myself make orange peel powder for entire year. Whenever I need a quick facial, I just mix orange peel powder and honey and apply it.

7. If you want your chapped lips to be healed, apply a drop of mustard oil on your bellybutton every night. You will get healed lips by morning.

8. For a quick colour to your hair, apply henna. It will not only give your hair a natural colour, but it will also make your hair smooth and shiny.

9. For soft feet and crack-free feet, soak your feet in warm water at night and apply vaseline and wear cotton socks. You will get smooth and soft feet in morning.

10. To whiten your teeth naturally, mix black salt with 4-5 drops of mustard oil and apply to your teeth. You will get whiter teeth naturally.

These are some tips that I swear by in my life. They are not only cost effective treatments, but they also give immediate results. I think its very important for us to ditch our chemical loaded products and switch to these herbal alternatives. I bet you will never turn back to chemical loaded cosmetics

My night skincare routine

Last night while doing my skincare stuffs I got this idea to do a night skincare routine on this blog.
It is very important to follow a night skincare routine because at night you give a chane to your skin to breathe. If you sleep with even a very little makeup at night, it is sure that you will wake up with a dull skin.
So I always make it a point to pamper myself with good natural things at night so that my skin gets its glow by the morning and I truly swear by it.
Many of my friend have been questioning me about how I get that glow on my face, well here comes the answer. Its my night skincare routine which makes all the difference.
So here goes the routine.
First, I wash my face with lukewarm water. Yes, even during winters I dont skip washing my face. And I brush my teeth (you know good habits)
Then I apply aloevera gel from Patanjali on my face followed by two drops of almond oil from the same brand. With this I am done with my face.
Next I apply foot cream from Patanjali after washing my feet with cold water. Yes I know its a crack heal cream but it works as a good foot cream. It smells bad of camphor but seeing the results, I think I can bear this cream. After applying this cream I wear cotton socks andd let my feet soak this cream during the night.
Then I apply a moisturiser on my hands and rub it. There was a Garnier moisturiser that did not work for my face so I started using it as a hand cream.
Finally I apply my lip balm. Which lip balm? Oh it depends upon my mood. Sometimes when my lips need a scrubbing I apply my cocoa-coffee lip balm. Or when I want strawberry, I apply Blue heaven strawberry lip balm. Or sometimes I just apply my baby lips.
This is all about my night skincare routine.
Share your night routine here...



shikha

How to keep yourself fresh while staying outdoors

This is a problem with probably all the persons out there. Since I have oily skin, my face becomes oily when I stay outdoors and thus it becomes dull and lifeless. Sun plays a very important role in causing harm to our skin. Tanning, pigmentation, loosing your glow are all because of staying out for a very long time. Staying fresh also becomes important so that you feel confident about yourself even if you have to catch up with your friends or a date maybe in the evening.

So here are few tips to keep you fresh even if you are staying outdoors for the entire day.

Before stepping out of your house apply sunscreen. And keep a small tube of sunscreen in your bag. This helps in providing some sun protection

Never leave your house without a bottle of water, if you know that you have to stay outdoors. This will ensure that your body is hydrated and also you will not feel thirsty

Keep a packet of wet wipes especially baby wipes because they do not have alcohol in them. Use them as often as you need. Wet wipes gives you a feeling of a clean and a pollution free face so you know that your face is not carrying any dust or oiliness.

Another thing on which I stress is keeping a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your bag. I prefer Himalaya pure hands sanitizer which is priced at Rs. 40 or so. It becomes a must to use a hand sanitizer before and after having your food so that your hands become germs free. 

Coming to the makeup part, I think to look fresh, a girl just requires just basic things- a kajal, a moisturizer, a lip balm. Also carry a comb with you so that your hair does not feel messed up. I know you must be thinking that the bag will become heavy but its not so, these are basic things that even a man should keep in his bag (apart from the makeup ofcourse) these are basic and very important things which most of us tend to skip but they are very important as a part of our hygiene and freshness.Also keep some candies and mint in your bag so that your mouth feels fresh and you become more confident.For girls, if you are oily skinned like me, you must also keep a compact powder so that your face feels bright and glowing.Wear comfortable and loose clothing and comfortable footwear so that you do not feel uncomfortable while walking or sitting and also you are able to carry yourself wellWhile staying outdoors don’t eat oily or fried food and also avoid cold drinks because it makes your face more oily and your body also feels weak. So as far as possible try and avoid these.Lastly try and smile as far as possible because you never know who is falling in love with your smile. I know I am overstressing on smiling but still its very important to be feel fresh, glowing and confident.

Thank you

Image sources google.com

shikha

Almonds in skincare

The first thing that I have In the morning after water  is 5-6 almonds soaked overnight. They are even good option when you don’t have time for breakfast and you are in hurry, just grab handful of almonds and you will not get the feeling of empty stomach. Almonds have become a staple thing in households.

100% pure almond oil is loaded with essential vitamins like A,D and E. it does not have the greesy feeling like coconut oil nor does it has a strong smell like mustard oil. It feels light, non-greasy and smooth.

I have tried many many moisturizers in the past but none of them were effective in curing my dry and flakey skin during winters then the Patanjali almond oil landed at my kitty. One night I applied it on my face, next morning I woke up with a smooth, fair and nourished skin and now after using for 2 months, all I can say that I cannot live without my Patanjali almond oil. It is cheaper than its Hamdard counterpart but it delivers the exact results (or even better). It is priced at Rupees 100 for 60ml. I use it as a regular moisturizer but it makes my skintone a bit darker so I apply it at night only. The best part is being an oil, it did not break me out. I have noticed the growth of my eyebrows and eyelashes after using it. My skin feels a lot more smoother and brighter. I even use it as my hot oil massages and it has given me shiny hair.

How to use my almond oil

1. As a lip scrub my mixing honey, almond oil and sugar granules

2. As a hot oil treatment

3. As a night cream

4. When my nails need some moisturizer, I use it as a cuticle oil.

5. Since it does not feels greasy I appy it on my hands and feet.

6. It does not have any fragrance, so no problem for me.

7. Most of my hairpacks and facepacks have almond oil in them.

8. In winters I use it as an afterbath body oil.

9. It has reduced my dandruff to a lot of extent.

10.Most importantly, I use it as a makeup remover, it removes my makeup very effectively.

The only thing that I dislike about Patanjali almond oil is that it comes in a plastic bottle without any nozzle, there are high chances of product spillage. So as soon as my Johnson’s baby oil got over, I transferred the almond oil into that bottle. Nad now I can use it very well. I have even transferred the extra oil into a Clean n Clear face wash bottle (the travel pack one priced at Rupees 15) so this prevents my product from getting waste.

They say that the oil prevents dark circles and it is good in anti-ageing, but I cannot comment on that aspect now.

The bottle reads as follows

 1.Relieves mental tension

2.Strengthens brain power

3.Good for heart

4.Relieves constipation

5.Fights dandruff

6.Keeps body warm in winters

7.Nourishes skin

8.Good for infants

So many benefits in one bottle. If you get your eyes on this bottle, just grab it.

So how do you use almond oil?

MY PATANJALI HAUL

As i write this post i feel very elated because patanjali has been my favourite brand till date.. i love the products that are so easily available and deliver such quick results.. Now i dont try other stuffs in the market except when i need a change..my skincare experiments have ended at this brand. i actually get nightmare that the products are out of stock.. If ever Baba Ramdev ventures into makeup then i will be the first person to purchase their entire INVENTORY.

I purchased 7 products and will surely review them one by one in coming days..

one thing i must mention that i tried the reetha shampoo on my sensitive scalp today only without conditioner and i must say my hair feels shiny and voluminious without a single HAIRFALL...yayyyyyy

The gulabjal bottles i have lost count on them. the facewash and crackheel cream both are my third tubes.. Special mention to the eyedrop, let me tell you my vision has cleared to a lot extent since i started using it. I dont feel the need of my spectacles.. OH YES the almond oil has been a saviour to my patchy oily skin this winter.. i gives an awessome glow to my face...