#EngagementRing = #Married
#Cartierlovebracelet
Where to Buy Louis Vuitton From?
Hey BagLovers!
This is my first post on bags, and I wanted to start from everyones fav Louis Vuitton. Yes, I was not that happy when I bought I first luxury bag Fendi (The Baguette); than I was when I bought my LV. So I bought the Wight Collection and this is the perfect day-to-evening bag. The Wight mixes the emblematic “Damier Ebène” canvas with a leather stripe of colorful Cuir Taurillon. This bag is from the Fall 2017 Collection and it’s a mix of classic with a chic touch. The thin golden chain and signed eyelets are delicately locked making it look sexy.
The Stripe comes in various colors Noir (Black), Bardeaux (Maroon), Magnolia (Pink). I have the Magnolia color. And trust me it looks amazing. I love the combination of Damier with Taurillon. A couple of people have complained about the thick chain straps that might dig in their shoulders. But trust me it wasn’t the case for me. Or May be i am too much in love with my first LV bag.
The Wight Bag is made with round curvy shape and we love that. It’s feminine yet bold. It’s perfect for casual days or evening catch up with family and friends. Its completely worth the investment.
The interior is nice as well, when you open the flap, you will find 1 interior zipped pocket and 1 double smartphone pocket.
Here’s where you should buy, below are the prices online in various countries unless mentioned:
- USA – $2260 – INR 1,47,792
- Canada - $2790 CAD – INR 1421,141
- Australia – AUD 2920 – INR 1,46,270
- Europe - €1640 – INR 1,25,411
- UK - £1530 GBP – INR 1,31,971
- Hongkong - $18700 HKD – INR 154,878 (when I checked in store it was expensive)
- Japan - ¥266760 JPY – INR 154,631
- China - ¥17300 CNY – INR 169,464
- Dubai – 8590 AED – INR 156,767 (in-store price)
- India – INR 156,000 (in-store price)
So in totality if you are looking at buying a Louis Vuitton then the best country would be Europe followed by United Kingdom.
Will keep you guys posted about such more bags. Let me know in case you are looking at understanding the price for anyone particular bag, will be happy t help.
Till then see ya.
Shrads.
Where to stay and shop in Hongkong?
Hi Freinds! This is my first article on travel and I am really hoping you guys like this. Honestly, why am I writing a blog on travel despite having a number of them; is because no one blog tells you exactly where should you stay, SHOP and EAT (If you are an Indian). Rest which places you should visit is mentioned a thousand times. So this blog is going to tell you how to make the perfect itinerary to do all 4 (Stay, SHOP, Eat and Travel) in best possible manner.
So here’s my submission
I would ideally like to start this blog with why one should not live in those hotels offered by maximum travel agents like Make my trip etc. Yes! you heard it right. All they do is ensure that you pay less to them but more in travelling in another country in taxi fares and the time you waste. For eg – I went to Hongkong in Dec 2016 and I was staying in Panda Kowloon hotel. Now look at the map below; for us, Indians who want to travel, eat Indian food and shop, this was the ‘Perfect Hotel’ not to stay 
Where to shop stay travel eat for indians with kid and family
Now if you stay so far off from all the activities you want to do then imagine the amount of time and money you would be wasting. So here’s how your itinerary should look like. Please note I will not give too many details about the place because that you can find on the internet. But a crisp itinerary so that you make most of your time and money.
Day 1 – Reach Hongkong from airport or Macau where ever you are coming from. Take a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, check in and get fresh. Come down to do some shopping in that area. You can have Indian food at any of the restaurants like Sangeetha, Gaylord, Moti Mahal, they all serve yummy and brilliant food. After that, you can shop at some brilliant stand alone brands and malls on Canton road. Post that you can go to Temple Street Night market too.
Day 2 – Get ready and go to Ocean Park. Trust me you won’t be able to cover this in a day’s time. So you can choose to go there for 2 days, buy your tickets accordingly. Carry a map of ocean park so that you know where you are and note down all the timings for the shows here. Reach the show 5 mins before and grab a seat because they start on time. Come back to your hotel and again go to any of the veg restaurants of your wish.
Day 3 - Go to Disney Land! It will take again one full day for you to explore the place, always remeber to carry a map for disney land too so that you know where are you standing and what next would you like to explore. Also, don’t forget to carry a pram in case you are travelling with a kid 
Day 4 – If you are a city traveller and like to explore the same then go to one of those city tours with your travel package. It will complete by lunch and then you can continue to shop at Causeway Bay, TimesSquare etc. However, I would recommend going to City Gate Mall. Here you would find all brand at a heavy discount of 50-60%. Trust me, this is the factory outlet for all brands. I shopped here like crazy and was wondering why didn’t I come here first. Trust me no point spending time and money anywhere else.
Day 5 – This is a must go to City Gate Mall. Since this is near to your airport too. You might have to buy another luggage bag to carry all those brands you have shopped 
:* And then head towards the airport.
Small note - Here’ some brand we Indians should buy or not buy from Hongkong based on the list I wanted to buy. Always keep a price check list on items you would like to buy especially in premium brands for watches, bags, shoes etc.
1. Louis Vitton – It’s expensive than India. Approx by 10,000 to 15,000 INR. So prefer picking it up here.
2. Fendi – This is something you can look at buying only if you are getting a discount in Hongkong, then you can save up to 20,000 INR.
3. Rado – Would never recommend you buying in HongKong coz you get it much cheaper in India.
4. Tory Burch, Micheal Kors, Kate Spade and Coach – Must buy from City Gate Malls.
5. H&M, Guess, Gucci, Hugo Boss etc or another clothing brand – Anywhere from Tsim Sha Tsui or City Gate, will not make too much of a difference.
Also as a word of caution for all those who are clubbing Macau Trip with your HongKong trip. Remeber not to shop anything here. They are just too expensive. For eg My Rado watch MRP in Macau was 1,10,000 INR with discount was coming for 90,000 INR. In India, the MRP is only Rs 82,900 and with various offers, I got another 20% off. Making a saving of easy Rs 25,000. So go to Macau and chill, play casino till you win enough to shop in Hong Kong.
Now the above paragraph was the most important piece in the blog because no travel blog told me that Macau was not the place to shop and I ended spending there a lil from my shopping haul budget.
Hope you like this blog, let me know in case you want to know anything about Macau and Hongkong in the comment section below & I would love to share more details.
Cheers! Shrads! XOXO!
Eye Care Regime
We all know that the skin under the eye area is thinner than the face or body. And hence it needs that extra special care so that you don’t develop crow feet, dark circles etc etc…Moreover the collgaen around the eye area degrades faster and there is no oil glands in that area. Also today lifestyles has changed drastically; late nights, smoking, drinking, pollution, extra hours spend on TV, laptop and mobile; all of these creates a lot of stress on our eyes. Result – Puffy eyes, bags, dark circles, crow feet etc.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!!
All those creams available in the market claiming to reduce your dark circles can help you a bit but will never ever in life make your situation reversible. That means you can never get those baby looking eyes back, how expensive or natural the product is. So it is very important to take care of them right from the beginning and include an eye care regime in your daily skin care routine.
WHEN DO YOU START?
You can start as early as the age of 15, because todays teen are no less stressed than adults with exams, late night pubbing, starting on alcohol and smoke early…
Age 15 – 20: Use a gel based eye care product. If you want to go completely natural you can try Aloevera gel.
Age 20 – 35: Go for oil based or cream based care.
Age 35 +: You can keep using the creams and gels plus try botox (though i am not a firm believer of the same.)
What INGREDIENTS should you look for?
- Vitamin A,C& K helps in producing collagen and reducing dark circles
- Avacado & Olive Oil: they are very enriching, moisturising and helps in increasing suppleness
- Aloe Vera: Depuffs, heals & moisturise
- Tea Extracts: They are anti inflammatory and free radicals helps in reducing puffiness & dark circles
- Vitamin E: Act as an emollient which makes skin soft & supple
Some EYE CREAMS I Recommend
- DIY Vit E Eye Cream: It contains vitamin E which makes skin supple and soft plus Eveing primrose oil which is high in GLA and Vitamin C which helps in producing collagen and reducing dark circles.
- Plain Aloe Vera Gel: you can buy aloe gel from the market or make some for yourself. Read my previous blog on how to make home made aloe vera gel.
- Forrest Essential Intensive Eye Cream with Anise. After a lot of research and reviews I decided to use this product (just started with my first bottle) and would review the same in some time. Will add the link here. For the meanwhile you can read about the product @ Forest Essential
WHEN should you APPLY Eye Creams?
You should apply eye cream daily morning and evening along with your skin care routine. It should be applied before a serum and moisturizer and after cleansing and toning. You should ideally wait for 2-5 mins before applying your moisturiser or any make up like concealar, foundation, eyeshadow etc.
HOW should you Apply?
Now this is something no one has ever bothered about and has been applying it the wrong way. But one should know that you need to use the best product and apply it the right way to maximise benefits.
One should use a Q tip or the ring finger after throughly cleaning it. Since the ring finger is the least used and apply minimum pressure on any area. While typing on a keypad also you will realise that you never use your ring finger. Start working on small dots on the obituary of the cheek bone starting from below the tear duct ie inner corner of the eye working towards the outer corner as seen in the image. Then apply the dots on tthe brow bone. Do not apply the cream just below the eye and on eye lids since creams always move an inch with time. Hence the product can get into your eye.
Now comes massaging the product you should not rub or glide the product under your eye or brow bone rather you should pat the same with your ring finger till the product gets throughly absorbed into the skin. Check out the video below from the skin expert on how they recommend doing it. Though I don’t recommend the product listed in the video.
Let me know how do you take care of you eyes.
Love loads!!
Shrads
Mango Hair Mask
Its summer time and I am sure all of you are looking for recipes made up to seasonal fruit. So today I am going to tell you how to use mango to create a hair mask for yourself.
INGREDIENTS
- half mango sliced
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp castor oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup yoghurt
PREPARATION
Take all the ingredients and blend them together in a food processor.
Now comb your hair to detangle them. Part sections of your hair to apply the mask from scalp to tip. After application just tie your hair with a butterfly clip and cover it with a shower cap. leave it in your hair for about 30 mins to an hour. Rinse with regular shampoo.
My hair felt really soft and conditioned after this. Do tell me how did your hair feel!
Love Loads!! XOXO!!
DIY Rose nourishing Lip Balm
After making the Rosemary Lip cum face Scrub for my lovely cousins, I was asked to make a batch of lip balm which is highly nourishing and moisturizing to those luscious lips of ours. So I browsed through a lot of recipes of net for various flavors and types. I also went through the ingredient list of a few commercial lip balms like Burts & Bee’s, Forrest Essential etc to see what all they have.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Butter
- 2 tbsp Sunflower Oil
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp Beeswax
- Dried Rose Petal
- Rose Petal powder
- 15 drops of Rose Absolute Essential Oil
- 2-3 drops of vitamin E Oil (optional)
PREPARATION
- Melt Beeswax in a double pot boiler or microwave
- Add Melted cocoa butter to it.
- Now add Sunflower & Olive oil
- Add rose petals and lil rose petal powder for added decoration
- Now let it cool for 2-3 minutes, now add vitamin E oil and Essential oils
- Pour the product in small containers
- Let them solidify at room temperature
Here’s your own home made Lip balm is ready to use.
Where to get the ingredients from?
- For Oils please check out my previous blog All about carrier Oils.
- Cocoa butter from Moksha Lifestyle
- Beeswax from Green Junction
- Rose petals from any flowerist
Let me know how did your lip balm came out to be. You can also add food colour in case you want some.
Love loads!! XOXO!
Home Made Rosemary Sugar Scrub
This summer I was traveling to Kolkata to visit my friends and family and decided to make some DIY skin care product for them. This was supposed to be my first sample batch to be given to them for trial and hence there was immense pressure sub consciously to make it perfect.
So I started researching on a perfect recipe on face scrubs which includes honey & shea butter along with the oil to make it really nourishing. But to my surprise each one of them didnt gave me a proportion which could be used exactly the way it is to give me the desired granulated consistency required to make a scrub which looks like it is professionally done. And hence I started experimenting with different portion of honey, oil & butter.
After a lot of mix and match, below is the perfect recipe which came out to be skin perfect (a coined termed to match something like picture perfect :P). And I stored it in sample containers to hand it over to my friends.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar (Tate & Lyle buy it here)
- 1-2 drops of raw honey
- 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Shea butter
- 3 drop of Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 3 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
- Dried rosemary herb
PREPARATION
- Place sugar in a mixing bowl
- Add Olive oil & honey to it
- Warm Shea butter in microwave and add it to the sugar
- Add rosemary herbs to the bowl
- Now mix all the ingredients
- Finally ad essential oil and mix once again, Voila the scrub is ready
WHERE TO GET THE INGREDIENTS FROM?
- Oils & Essential oils can be sourced from various vendors in India. Read my previous blog on Base oils to know more.
- Raw honey should be unfiltered and organic. I used Conscious Food organic honey.
- Rosemary herbs can be sourced from local grocery store too. I bought this from Nutramine.in
- Shea butter can be bought from Green junction.
Would love to hear from you once to try this at home.
Love Loads ! Shrads!
Fruity home made Face & Body Scrubs
This post is for all those who loves fruits and swear by them as an ingredient in a lot of face packs, body packs and scrubs. They are very refreshing and pretty simple to make because these can be made with 3 ingredient at max. You can choose your seasonal organic fruit and the treatment required for your skin type to make either of the one below.
INGREDIENTS
- Any of the following Fruit/Vegetable: Peaches, oranges, Pineapple, Strawberry, Cucumber, Kiwi, Tomato
- Sugar: White Cane granulated Sugar or Cane Golden Brown Sugar
- Salts: Organic Sea/Epsom Salt or Black Lava Sea Salt
- Carrier Oils: Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Safflower Oil, Avocado Oil
- Optional Ingredients: honey, Lemon Juice, Almond
- Glass Containers
PREPARATION: You can mix and match and of these oils and granulated Salt/Sugar with fruits to go ahead.
Peach Home made Face Scrub: To brighten and Clear out Complexion
- 2 tbsp of Granulated White Cane Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Almond Oil
- 1 Peach : Peeled, Pitted & mashed completely
- 1 tbsp Honey (Optional)
Add all the three ingredients together and pour it in an air tight container. PeaYou can store this in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Peaches contain alpha hydroxy acids, Anti oxidants, Vit A & C which helps in breaking down dead skin cells and creating new ones, Clearing and brightening complexion.
Kiwi Home Made Scrub: to Brighten, Protect & Clarify
- 2 tbsp of Granulated White Cane Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Safflower Oil
- 1 Kiwi : Peeled & mashed completely (Avoid the core)
- 10-12 almonds (Soak them over night and crush in morning)
Add all the three ingredients together and pour it in an air tight container. You can store this in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Kiwis are full of vitamin C, minerals and Omega 3 Acids. Hence they act perfect for anti aging and clearing out skin pores.
Strawberry Home Made Scrub: to Even out Complexion
- 2 tbsp of Granulated White Cane Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Safflower Oil
- 1 Kiwi : Peeled & mashed completely (Avoid the core)
- 10 drops of lemon juice (optional)
Add all the three ingredients together and pour it in an air tight container. You can store this in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Strawberries are highly rich in anti oxidants and Vitamin C which helps in production of collagen. It even out the complexion and acts an anti wrinkle agent.
Tomato Home Made Scrub : To Moisture & Tighten
- 2 tbsp of Epsom/Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 1 tomato: Scoop out the flesh & muddle the same
Add all the three ingredients together and pour it in an air tight container. You can store this in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. This might separate out a bit , thats ok !! Just mix them well again just before application. Whether it is big pores, acne or skin burn, tomato can be one go to ingredient to treat all these. Cucumber Home Made Scrub: To cool off
- 2 tbsp of Golden Brown Cane Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Avacado Oil
- 1/2 Cucumber: Pulped by running it through blender
Add all the three ingredients together and pour it in an air tight container. You can store this in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Cucumber contains large amount of anti-oxidants, silica and ascorbic acid which helps in improving dark circles, improving complexion, treating sunburn and reducing pores.
Pineapple Home Made Scrub : For Deep Cleaning & Exfoliation
- 2 tbsp of Black lava Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp of Coconut Oil
- 4 pineapple slices : Pulped through blender
Add all the three ingredients together and pour it in an air tight container. You can store this in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Pineapples are full of full of vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and C, copper, manganese, potassium, folic acid and beta-carotene. They help in treating acne and clearing skin. I make a different fruit scrub every week with fresh and seasonal fruit. Strawberry one is my favorite pick. Let me know which recipe did you try and how did you find it. Love loads!! Shrads!
DIY home made Citrus Body Wash
Hey Friends!! This recipe is going to blow your senses every morning you get yourself in the shower. It is extremely refreshing and foaming. I have been using body washes from the counter till now and thought it was high time to replace them with home made recipe since i have under gone the concept of natural living, Since this Summer I am making all fruity and citrus recipe to provide my skin routine a refreshing and brightening skin regime. Here one of my fav for this month.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp shea butter (Unrefined and Organic)
- 1/4 cup aloe vera gel (Organic certified)
- 3/4 tsp Gaur Gum (to thicken the product)
- 3/4 cup Unscented castile Soap (I Use Dr.Bonners)
- 25 drops of Citrus essential oils (Use a mixture of Lemon & Orange)
PREPARATION
This is pretty simple. Take a double boiler pot and melt shea butter. Add aloe gel and whisk the mixture well. Now remove the mixture from heat and add gaur gum to thicken the consistency of the mixture. You can use a blender to mix the powder guar gum evenly. Now add the castile soap into it. You can use the blender to mix all of them together in the end. You will note some lather getting formulated, that pretty ok. Let the mixture cool down and lather settle. Now add your favorite citrus essential oils. Pour the mixture into a container which you can keep in your washroom.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY THE INGREDIENTS IN INDIA FROM
- Shea butter: Moksha Lifestyle
- Essential Oils : SoulFlower
- Gaur Gum: Nutramine ( you can also use Xanthum gum, but Guar gum is easily available in India)
- Castile Soap: I Called it from USA, if any one finds any source in INdia please let me know
- Aloe Vera Gel: Rustic Art ( I used this one because of the fact it is pretty good & USDA Organic certified)
So, let me know how did you find this one and whether it worked for your skin or not.
Love!! Shrads!!
Oil pulling – The perfect mouth care!!
After hearing and reading a lot about oil pulling, I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, because of of a extreme sweet tooth and improper dental care i have been a victim of tooth decay. So I thought lets try this over talked OIL PULLING method.
I choose Coconut Oil to start because of its anti bacterial properties. I took 2 tsps of coconut oil to start with instead of 1 tablespoon. The moment I placed coconut oil in my mouth , i felt like puking. But with a lot of efforts and will I placed the second spoon and started swishing. It took me 5 seconds to settle down the feeling of puking and continue swishing. I swished for about 17 mins, till the mixture doubled in quantity and turned white.
The second day it was a lot more easier for me to do it for good 20 mins. I use to continue doing my other house chores while swishing the oil in my mouth. And soon the 10th day arrived when I had an appointment with my dentist too. By 10th day I was able to feel whiter teeth and better breath.
In the evening I wanted to take my dentist opinion on it too. And I am happy to inform that he was like- ” It’s an ancient method and definitely has its benefits. It helps you in whiter teeth , prevention of oral bacteria, on dental caries, on plaque/gingivitis and on oral micro-organisms.
So here is the summary of the entire method.
- Take 2 tsps of any of these oils: Coconut, Olive or Sesame. Please note that these oils should be organic and cold-pressed. Check out my earlier blog All about Carrier oils to know where can you buy these oil from your choice.
- Swish it in the mouth for 20 mins. You will realize that the amount of liquid in your mouth has doubled and turned white.
- Spit the liquid out in a trash can. Do not Swallow the same since it contains high amount of toxins. Also do not spit it in the sink, it might block your drainage system.
So it definitely worked for me and gets a thumbs up. I am breast feeding my LO as I started with Oil Pulling and it is completely safe. It is a mild detox and will not get any toxins mobilized in your breast milk. So, let me know if this oil pulling method works for your oral care routine or not.
Love ! Shrads XOXO!!
All about Carrier Oils!!
Carrier Oils, Vegetable oils & essential oils all have plethora of therapeutic & culinary applications. Today oils are being produced in various fashion, having different degrees of quality; but does all these processes are great for consumption?
Lets find out:
1. Cold pressed: A mechanical extraction where temperatures are minimized & controlled to 80-90 Fahrenheit. This process helps in maintaining the original state & constituents of the oil.
2. Expeller Pressed: In this mechanical extraction only small amount of heat is produced due to the friction of hydraulic presses. the temperature in this case is usually around 120-200 degree Fahrenheit. In this process the molecular state of the oil is fairly undisturbed, hence making it fit as food grade oil & usage of cosmetics & skin care products.
3. Refined Oil: Its a fully processed oil where oil goes through flash fluctuation (450 degrees Fahrenheit), winterization (-30 degrees), deodorization & bleaching. These methods are specifically used for oil which needs longer shelf life or can go rancid quickly. These are economical for cosmetic usage but not for food.
4. Partially Refined: When out of the above above maximum of one, or two, or three are used as a combination to produce oil, it is known as partially refined.
5. Unrefined: These are the most exquisite form of oil with rich, strong flavor & color. This mechanical extraction involves only screen filtering & no other mechanical procedure.
Always Remember: You should use a carrier oil which is cold pressed or expeller pressed, Certified organic and unrefined.
BRANDS YOU CAN BUY
- Various brands which offer cold pressed & expeller organic oils in India are Forest Essential, Kama Ayurveda, Soulflower, Health 1st, Natural Fragrances, Moksha lifestyle
- Brands which are available outside India are Mountain Rose Herbs, Aura Cacia,
HOW TO CHOOSE A CARRIER OIL
Choosing the right carrier oil is very important. It depends on your skin type, age and special treatment required for your skin. Below is the list of some carrier oils which can be experimented depending on your skin.
[table “” not found /]Now lets learn about the benefits of some of these oil and understand where can you buy it from.
Jojoba Oil: This is considered to be a sebum - an oil that human expel to lubricate their skin and hair. It is suitable for all skin types. Hence it becomes excellent in using as a scalp cleanser & conditioner, in increasing hair shine and increasing hair growth. It also has many valuable benefits for skin due to its mineral content. It acts as a great moisturiser, its has great face cleansing property & works brilliantly for wrinkle, acne etc… Read more about it here.
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Jojoba oil in India from :Moksha International, Natural Fragrances, Soul Flower, Health first (not organic)
Sweet Almond Oil: This is a great oil and helps in moisturizing any skin type. It helps in lightening skin tone, reducing dark circle, removing dead skin, delaying age, treating chapped lips, making hair shiny, long and dandruff free.
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Sweet Almond Oil in India from: Natural Fragrances, Kama Ayurveda, Forrest Essentials, Health first (not organic)
Castor Oil: It is a high absorb-able topical oil which keeps one hydrated and free from infections.It is a great face cleanser and hence makes the base for OCM(Oil cleansing method). Castor oil works great for Hair growth and hence makes a brilliant serum for eye lashes and eye brows, check out the recipe here.
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Castor Oil in India from: Moksha International, Organic Depot, Shop Healthy
Sunflower Oil: Due to its calming and moisturizing properties it is very healthy for skin. It contains Vitamin E and beta-carotene which helps you protect from UVB rays of sun. Being exceptionally light and non greasy it gets absorbed into the skin very nicely, hence brilliant for acne prone skin. Because of this light texture it is also great for frizzy, dry & damaged hair. Also It makes a great source for making lip balms. Maximum of the lip balms over the counter contains sunflower oil.
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Sunflower Oil in India from: Moksha International, Organic Depot, Everyday Organics, Avera Organic
Sesame Oil: This oil is highly moisturizing, detoxifying and helps repair damaged skin cells. It also contains Vitamin E and antioxidants and hence it helps in slowing down aging and prevents free radicals. It also acts as a great sunscreen. If to be used daily you can use it as a body lotion after hot bath on wet skin. You can also use cosmetic grade cooking oil as a sunscreen. Mix 3 drops of any of these essential oils such as rosemary, clove, cedar wood, thyme or lavender per tsp of seasame oil. Seasame Oil is also great for Oil Pulling.
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Sesame Oil in India from: Moksha International( for cosmetic use), Conscious Food ( for eating purpose)
Coconut Oil: We all know that coconut oil is brilliant for hair, but trust it is does wonder for skin too. Buy a bottle of unrefined organic coconut oil and use it as a moisturizer for body & face. it contains SPF 4 and hence is used to make diy sunscreens too. Its anti bacterial properties helps you in remove stretch marks & scars. You can also dry shave with this oil. And on top of it coconut oil is great for Oil Pulling too because of its great anti bacterial properties.
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Coconut Oil in India from: Conscious Food, Organic Depot, Natural Fragrances, Ecoplanet
Evening Primrose Oil: it nourishes nails, scalp & hair due to the good amount of fatty acid contained in it. Due to its anti inflammatory properties, it is great to treat eczema. Its makes a great ingredient for eye serum & skin serum. The GLA acid in it is great for your body if consumed orally to treat pain, eczema and other skin related problems
You can buy pure, organic & cold pressed Evening Primrose oil Oil in India from: Natural Fragrances, Soulflower
Serum for Eye Lashes and Eye Brows
As a night routine, all of us love to do do CTM for our skin. But what about Eyes??
People are pretty aware of using a eye cream or serum for making their puffy eye look better. But what about Eye Lashes and Eye brows, should’nt they be taken care of too. So here is a simple serum that you can use every night to treat your Eye lashes and Eye brows. Trust me in 2 months time you will notice a change in their length.
This serum is made up of only one ingredient i.e Castor Oil. Castor Oil is high in ricinoleic acid, an acid which is very effectively known for its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. It is deeply penetrating and nourishing as a result of which it reaches the hair follicles and helps in hair growth. So ideally it can be used for your scalp too. But since this oil is too thick in consistency you might want to mix this oil with a lighter oil like olive or coconut for applying it to your hair.
INGREDIENTS
- Cold-pressed castor oil
- Clean mascara bottle or Clean bottle with disposable mascara wands
- Or Bottle and Q-tips
PROCEDURE
Before you start you should clean you face and eye area completely. Take a clean mascara wand and dip it in the castor oil, remove any excess oil from the wand. Apply the oil by starting from the inner corner of the wand. Application of the oil should be done from root to tip completely. If you still feel there is any extra oil on the lashes, remove it using a Q-tip and apply less oil the next time. Similarly repeat this exercise with the eye brow. Now you can go off to sleep.
Where to Buy Castor Oil from?
Your castor oil should be cold-pressed and hexane free. You can buy the following brands for castor oil in India: Soulflower & Aloe Veda Distil
Let me know your experience and feedback. Love Loads! Shrads!
Home Made Honey, Coconut & Aloe Shampoo
Hi Girlies!
After being disappointed from applying all those shampoos from loreal, sunsilk, pantene, dove, head & shoulders, forrest essential and even Lush shampoo bars. I realized that none of them is actually doing anything for my hair. And if its just about cleaning the oil and dirt then why not use castile soap and avoid getting undue chemicals in hair.
One thought led to another and here after a lot of research I tried making my own DIY shampoo which is nourishing and will clean oil and hair from the head too. So here is the recipe. Hope you like it.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (BPA free, if buying from market)
- 1/4 cup honey for dry hair can also be added
- 2/3 cup castile soap (Click here to make cost effective castile liquid soap)
- 1/2 tsp vitamin E Oil ( completely optional)
- 1/2 cup aloe gel (Read here to make your own aloe gel)
- 30 drops of any essential oil, I am using lavender since it controls oil production and I have an oily scalp
- 1 tsp of cold pressed organic olive oil. (Use jojoba oil and tea tree essential oil for itchy scalp)
- In case you want to thicken your shampoo consistency you can also add 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
PREPARATION
Thats pretty simple, just mix all the ingredients. Store it in your shampoo jar. Shake well before using.
In case you are making your own coconut milk all you need to do is take 1.5 to 2 cups of shredded coconut. Take 4 cups of warm water. Blend partial water with shredded coconut in a blender. Add the remaining water to according to the thickness of coconut milk required. Voila! Coconut milk is ready.
Its always recommended to have an extremely diluted apple cider vinegar rinse after shampooing to restore the PH balance of the scalp. Since castile soap are alkaline in nature.
Where to buy the ingredients in india from?
- Cold pressed Oils can be bought from soulflower.biz, forest essential, kama ayurveda, health 1st etc
- Castile Soap is a huge challenge in India, so refer to my recipe above.
- Buy only D-alpha tocopherol Vitamin E capsules. Read about it here.
- Xanthum Gum can be bought from gourmetco.in (Bobs Red Mill Xanthum Gum) or you and get it from Chandni Chowk, Delhi.
Let me know how did you find this recipe for your hair.
Love Loads ! Shrads !
How to make home made Aloe Vera Gel
Despite of the fact the aloe vera gel grows in our backyard, we still keep looking for buying natural and organic brand from the market shelf. Despite of the fact we know that there will be chemical mixed in the same to preserve it. But still we are ready to spent Rs 500 but not spent 5 mins to make the most natural aloe gel.
As we all know that aloe vera gel is great for skin as it is immensely moisturizing, anti inflammatory, anti aging and very hydrating. So before we go to the recipe lets have a look at how can we use aloe vera gel.
- Can be used as a moisturizer for those who prefer gel based moisturizer
- It can be used as a sunburn relief post your adventure or long stroll outside.
- To be used right after wax to ensure you don’t get boils
- To be used as a healing cream for your stretch marks
- It can replace your hair gels and can also treat your hair from dandruff, hair loss and psoriasis etc
Now lets see how can we make Natural Aloe vera Gel.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup Plant aloe vera gel i.e. 32 gms or 1.13 oz
- 1 tbsp Coconut oil
- 1/8 tsp Vitamin C powder
- 1/4 tsp Vitamin E oil
- 8 drops Tea tree or Lavender essential oil (optional)
- 0.5 gm xanthum gum
Measurements
- 1 tbsp = 3tsp = 1/16 cup = 0.5 oz = 14.79 ml
- 4 oz = 113.4 gms = 1/4 pounds(lbs) = 0.114 kg
- 1 cup = 128 gms = 4.5 oz
Procedure
- Cut the aloe leaf plant from the bottom & clean the plant leaf under cold running water to remove all dirt
- Place it at an angle of 45 degrees over a container for an hour, so that all the yellow slimy sap (aolin) drops off. You can also boil the leaves in distilled/filtered water to convert all the toxins and the laxatives in the sap into natural salicylic acid, making the extract safe for use.
- Trim the skin from one side and split it into 2 sections. Now scoop off the gel
- Place all the other ingredients along with the gel in a blender except for xanthum gum
- After blending the same, pour it into a clear glass jar and mix xanthum gum to thicken your gel depending on how you thick like it.
Ingredients
- Any oil used should be pure and cold pressed
- Vit E should be D-alpha tocopherol. So brands that you can use are Health Aid Vitamin E 400iu (d-alpha Tocopherol), Nature’s Bounty E400Pure d-Alpha.
- You should always use 100% whole food based Vitamin C powder. Some brands that you can look at are: Radiant Life, Nature’s Way, alive Vitamin C, Healthforce Natural Vitamin C Powder
- Xanthum Gum or Guar Gum, you can buy easily from any near by high end confectionary store. Or else you can buy it from Gourmet India, Zansaar, Healthyworld.in
Don’t forget to write back guys, on how did your home made aloe gel came out to be.
Love Loads! Shrads!
Make Castile Liquid Soap from a soap bar
Hi Frnds!
After doing day and night research on where to buy castile liquid soap in India from, I got nothing except from various people stating that its not available in India. But since I was determined and desperate 
, I figured out my ways… I found some one on facebook who makes homemade natural soaps and fortunately she makes unscented castile soap bars too.
Now began the search of making liquid castile soap from soap bars; and here is the exact procedure.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 oz / 125 gms of castile soap bar
- 8 cups / 2 ltrs of filtered or distilled water
- 1 tbsp / 15ml of vegetable glycerin (optional)
PREPARATION
- Take a large container and set your water to boil in it
- Grate your soap bar by hand or food processor
- Add the grated soap into the boiling water and let it boil for 15 more mins. Don’t cover the lid of the container.
- Stir the liquid in between for 5-6 times. You will find the soap dissolved into the liquid making it a lil soapy though not thick. Don’t worry it will happen
Add glycerin now- Allow the mixture to cool for 24 hrs, it will settle and thicken once it cools
- Now blend/beat the entire mixture with a electronic blender. It will become frothy and slimy. dont worry you are going in the right direction.
- Dependent on the outcome of the product you can add a lil water in case it is too thick
- Store the product in large containers
- Now take small quantities in different bottles and add essential oils of your choice. For babies prefer not to add any.
WHERE TO BUY THE INGREDIENTS FROM
- Castile soap bars: You can buy them from people who make natural soap bars or write back to me, and I will help you on the same. A lil expensive alternate in India can be to buy Dr Bronners Castile Soap from Snapdeal.com though they are selling it at sky rocketing prices. For eg 5 oz soap bar will cost you Rs 962 from which you can make 1500 ml of liquid castile soap. Buying 1500 ml of Dr Bronner’s liquid castile in US will cost you Rs 1500 approx. So that would not be a bad deal at all. On the other hand if you get local castile soap bar it will cost you only Rs 200 max for 1500 ml of liquid castile soap. So the choice is yours!
- Vegetable Glycerin: you should find a non-GMO, USP grade, kosher certified, allergen free vegetable glycerin. Read more about it here.
Let it know your feedback below. would love to hear from you.
Love loads! Shrads ! XOXO!
DIY natural & nourishing almond Kohl
Hey friends!
Kohl and lip balm are two things that I don’t walk out of my house without applying. And the biggest issues with the kohls available outside in market is the chemicals like lead sulphide which is highly toxic for eyes. Which reminded me of the kohl that used to be created by my grand ma from almonds which was highly nourishing. So today here is a grandma recipe for you.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 almonds
- Cow ghee
- Cold pressed seasame oil
- Utensils: A diya, Cotton Wick, two steel bowls, a steel plate
- A small container to store kohl
HOW TO PREPARE
The images shown below will explain you step by step procedure very easily
- Dip the cotton wick in cow’s ghee and lit it inside a diya
- Place the two steel bowls on each side of the diya and then subsequently place the plate on top of it, as shown in the image
- Insert the compass needle/pin in the almond nicely, ensuring the almond does not break
- Hold the almond on the lit diya, soon you will see soot getting accumulated on the steel plate
- A single almond will take around 3 mins to burn. Now throw the burnt almond and repeat the exercise with a new almond
- Scratch the collected soot on the plate in a mixing bowl and add a lil seasame oil to make the dry kohl semi solid and consistent to apply
- Voila! your home made kohl is ready to be applied with a nice kohl or liner brush
Keep trying & stay Natural! Love Loads ! Shrads!
Please note: That home made kajals will always smudge. Cant help it
Diy Natural lip balm Recipes
These ones are pretty simple to make & really nourishing to be used. Pick the one you like the most!
SWEET LIME LIP BALM
- 1 1/2 tablespoons raw & unfiltered beeswax
- 1 tbsp cold pressed organic sweet almond oil
- 1 teaspoon raw & organic honey
- 4 Vitamin E capsules
- 10 drops lime essential oil
- A little organic turmeric or saffron can be added to give this a yellow tint
Melt & mix together beeswax, almond oil and honey. Stir in Vitamin E and essential oil. Pour carefully into a tiny lip balm pot. Let cool and top with lid. Makes one small pot. If you want it to be more liquidy then add less of beeswax & more of oil.
ROSE LIP BALM
- 30 ml cup Coconut Oil
- 60 ml cup Beeswax
- 30 ml Shea Butter
- 1 tsp Coconut or Vanilla Extract
- 60 ml Rose Petals or any other flower/herb
- 1 tsp cold pressed Sweet Almond Oil
- A lil beetroot in case you want a pink color
Melt & mix together beeswax, coconut oil, Shea butter & almond oil. Stir in Vanilla extract & add rose petals to it. Pour into the lip balm jar.
MINT CHOCOLATE LIP BALM
- 2 tsp of beeswax
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure almond oil
- 1 tsp cocoa butter/Shea butter
- 3-4 drops pure vitamin E oil
- 1-2 drops pure peppermint extract or essential oil
- 3-4 semisweet chocolate chips
Mix the oils & beeswax in a double boiler pot along with Shea butter. Add the chocolate chip to stir till it melts. NOw add few drop of vitamin E oil & peppermint oil. Por it in a lip balm Jar.
WHERE TO BUY INGREDIENTS IN INDIA
- Pure Essential & Cold pressed Carrier oils can be bought from ecoplanet.in, soulflower.biz, Kama Ayurveda or Forest Essential
- The best brands for Vitamin E are Health Aid Vitamin E 400iu (d-alpha Tocopherol), Nature’s Bounty E400Pure d-Alpha.
- For raw & unrefined beeswax please leave a comment below, coz its not available at retail level in India
- Shea butter: Shea butter is a yellowish colored natural fat extracted from African Shea tree seeds. It is considered to be a supreme natural moisture with great healing properties. Commercially She butter is divided into 5 grades: Grade A: Raw and unrefined extracted using water is considered to be the most natural form. Grade B: refined, Grade C – highly refined and is extracted using hexane solvents, Grade D – Lowest uncontaminated, Grade E- contains contaminations. So we should prefer buying Grade A butter. You can find Shea butter & Cocoa Butter in India from booyah.com, bodypixels.com. But honestly this is too expensive, if you have some one coming from US ask them to order online and get it for you.
Let me know your favorite version of lip balm. Love loads! Shrads ! XOXO!!
DIY Mosituriser
Hey CTM Lovers!!
So I have already shown you how to cleanse with DIY Tea Face wash or OCM method, you can tone your skin with witch hazel or use a diy recipe which I will come up soon with. I have also shared a recipe on diy vitamin C serum which can be used as a step between your toner & moisturizer. Now its the turn to make your own moisturizer. This is a recipe I read online on mountainherbs.com and have tweaked a lil to suit combination skin type.
Any moisturizer should contain majorly oils, butters and beeswax. Any other addition can be made to it depending on the fragrance and specific treatment you are looking for. I added a lil Vitamin C powder to treat my dull complexion.
Ingredients (1cup=236.5ml, 1tsp=4.93ml). In Case you want to make it in a small batch for personal use only then the below volume mentioned on the right is perfect.
- ¼ cup organic Olive Oil (or Calendula Herbal Oil) – 10 ml for small batch
- ¼ cup organic Sesame Oil – 10 ml for small batch
- ¼ cup organic Grapeseed Oil – 10 ml for small batch
- 1/16 cup organic Coconut Oil – 2.5 ml for small batch
- 1/16 cup Beeswax pastilles – 2.5ml for small batch
- 1 cup organic Hydrosol of your choice – 40 ml for small batch
- ½ cup organic Aloe Vera Gel – 20 ml for small batch
- ¼ tsp Vitamin E Oil – 1.23 ml for small batch
- 8-15 drops of essential oil (lavender, rose, orange, chamomile, or sandalwood are all good choices) – 2 drops each
Preparation
- Blend the oils together in a stainless steel pan. Place the pan on low heat, just enough to warm the content throughly.
- In another container/pan, melt the beeswax (Raw and filtered) to liquefy.
- In the third container, blend the hydrosol ( of your choice, I am using rose hydrosol) with aloe vera gel (Read how to make one of your own here).
- Place a double boiler on low heat and pre warm the same.
- Have your glass jars to store the cream ready.
- Pour ½ (3¼ oz) (in case you are making a larger batch) else take all of your warmed oil from the first container and pour it in the pre-warmed double boiler, set in hot water. Add 2.5 ml of the melted raw and organic beeswax to it. please note that the mixture of oil and wax should be in liquid state. The water in the double boiler is not hot enough in case the wax begins to harden.
- Now blend 40 ml of the rose hydrosol and aloe vera gel with 1.5 -2 ml of vitamin E oil along with 2 drops each of pepper mint and lavender essential oil.
- While the blender is on pour the oil and wax combination very slowly into the center of the mixture. It is very important that you pour in a very thin and slow stream of oil and wax. The “cream” will initially look odd but it will gradually emulsify and thicken. Turn off the blender as the sound changes while the cream thickens up.
- Re mix the ingredients with a spatula and then re-blend it once again finally.
- Fill the cream in a jar and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours.
Where to Buy the ingredients From?
- All the oils in India can be bought from Kama, Forest Essentials or Soulflower.biz
- Aloe vera can be easily found in your backyard
- Rose hydrosol / Rose Water can be easily created in house or bought from near by store
- For Beeswax leave a comment below and I will dispatch the same to you
- Vitamin E the best brands are Health Aid Vitamin E 400iu (d-alpha Tocopherol), Nature’s Bounty E400Pure d-Alpha.
So let me know what was your experience while making this and how did it treat your skin.
Love Loads! Shrads !XOXO
DIY vitamin c serum
Good bye Dull Skin!
Now one thing that will definitely work on a dull skin is VITAMIN C SERUM. I am a big fan of the same & trust me it has worked wonders for mine. Initially I was using Body Shop Vit C serum aka Vit C Facial Radiance Powder Mix . The bottle costed be Rs 1450 (23$ approx) and lasted only 10 days. Now if i have to buy it for a whole month then it means I have to shell out Rs 4350 or $69 every month on a serum alone. Plus the amount of chemicals i was using on my face was huge.
So I decided to create my own Vit C serum which is great for skin, is natural and cost effective. If anyone of you have used the product above you will find that there is a tablet which needs to be dissolved in the liquid right before you start using the product. That tablet comprises of Vit C ingredients. They don’t do it in advance as Vit C loses its properties if kept for longer periods. Hence, the product needs to be made in small batches for consumption for best use.
Now we all know that Vit C can
- Brighten & tighten the skin and hence is known as a potential ingredient for anti wrinkle & anti aging products
- It increases collagen production in the skin & helps repair the skin too
- It Reduces the effects of chlorine exposure and sun exposure
Just a word of caution
- Do a patch test to see if you are not allergic or sensitive to acidic products. Since VitC is pretty acidic
- Do not over use Vit C in the recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp Vitamin C Powder
- I tsp distilled water
- 1 tsp 100% pure Vegetable glycerin
- 1/8 tsp of Vitamin E oil
- A dark colored Container to store since Vit C oxidizes very quickly.
Mix all of them together until Vit C is completely dissolved and store it in the fridge. You can also do a PH test to see if the concentration is correct, the pH should be 3.5 approx. Don’t make batches for more than 5 days. I understand it gets too repetitive, but trust me its worth the effort. Start applying in the night and if you know Vit C suits you, you can apply the same twice, morning & evening.
Where to buy the ingredients from?
Vitamin C: As we all know that most of the multivitamins available at the pharma are derived from genetically modified corn (GMO). So it becomes really important for us to select the right one. Also so called L ascorbic acid is only a part of the entire Vitamin C complex and it is also synthesised from corn Syrup. So we should ideally look for product which are 100% whole food based Vitamin C powder , which are free from additives. You can read more about the same here. Some brands that you can use are: Radiant Life, Nature’s Way, alive Vitamin C, Healthforce Natural Vitamin C Powder. Couldn’t find any brands with right ingredient in India. please leave a comment below in case you find one. ibhejo.com can arrange it for you though.
Vitamin E: It has to be chemically D-alpha tocopherol. Read more here. Brands you can purchase are Bio 3 Sg 268 mg – Capsule, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited, Zenith Nutritious Vitamin-E, Health Aid Vitamin E 400iu (d-alpha Tocopherol), Nature’s Bounty E400Pure d-Alpha.
Vegetable Glycerin: We should always look for a non-GMO, USP grade, kosher certified, allergen free vegetable glycerin. Glycerin is produced from produced from plant oils, generally palm, soy, or coconut. It is highly hydrating & attracts moisture to skin. You can read more about it here. Brands you can look at are Now Vegetable Glycerin, this is outside product and hence it is so expensive in India. You can arrange the same from wholesale suppliers in India or write to me to help you find some… as these are not getting sold at retail level here. Incase you find one such brand please let me know too.
Do let me know how did it work on your skin.
Love Loads! Shrads! XOXO!
Beeswax, types & brands
Hi Guys!
I understand that for all those DIY lovers finding a recipe to create their own cream, scrubs & packs is not difficult at all, but what is actually “difficult” – Is sourcing ingredients to make them. Plus even if you find a vendor you are not sure whether the brand & quality you are purchasing is correct or not. So today, I am going to help you decode BEEWAX!!
What is Beeswax?
Beeswax is this amazing, awesome, brilliant natural ingredient that can be used as a thickner to create any skin care product like cream, lip balm, body wash , face wash etc…It also helps in sealing the moisture content without clogging the pores. Now the technical stuff, Beeswax is a by-product secreted by the bee workers while building the honey comb. This helps in storing the honey inside.
There are 4 types of beeswaxes
- Raw Beewax: Non filtered & sieved Beeswax.
- Natural Beeswax Block: This is unadulterated beeswax, just sieved & filtered to remove any foreign object. The color of this wax can range from dark black to light yellow depending on the flowers bees are foraging from. This the the most natural product that is available in blocks & sheets.
- Golden Beewax Palette: This type of wax is excellent for use where color consistency is important. This wax is produced by adding clay filters to remove impurities & color inconsistencies. Then these are dropped on conveyor belt to be made in small palettes.
- White Beeswax Palette: These are bleached & filtered wax so that it can be used to create white products.
Commercially you will get Beewax IP Grade in India which is purest form of bees wax and been approved by Indian Pharmaceutical agency for use in cosmetics of high grade.
PRICING
Natural Beeswax can range anywhere from Rs 300- 500 /kg for IP grade Beeswax & Rs 200-300/kg for raw beeswax
WHERE TO BUY FROM?
Now the caution that you have to deal with is that the ingredients of any brand that you are buying should not contain petrolatum. For ex: Murray’s 100% Pure Australian Beeswax also mentions petrolatum as one of its ingredients & hence it is not 100% natural.
Honestly I have been not able too find one commercial brand which sells beeswax on retail level in India. But do know a couple of good wholesale suppliers. So in case you want any; leave me a comment below! And I will get those in small batches for you. & Please leave a comment below also incase you find a great supplier in India!
Love Loads! XOXO
Shrads!