J's thoughts

Henna has been used from ancient times to color hair. Henna is good for hair growth as well. Here is my take on preparing the henna paste to apply on the head. Ingredients 1. Henna powder - 2 cups 2. Coffee powder - 1 tsp 3. Dabur amla hair oil - 1/2 cup 4. Olive oil - 2 tbsp 5. Hibiscus flower powder - 1/4 cup (optional) 6. Black tea (strained and cooled)/plain water - as required to make the paste 7. Yoghurt - 1/4 cup (mix it before applying onto hair) 8. Egg - 1 (optional; mix before applying onto hair) 9. Iron vessel - to mix everything 10. Gloves and brush - for application 11. Shower cap/plastic cover/cling film Always use an iron vessel to mix the henna. Let it sit undisturbed overnight (store it outside; not in a fridge) and apply the next day on heavily oiled hair (you can use coconut oil or olive oil).  See the dark color on the sides. An iron vessel is important if you are planning to color your hair using henna.  In th...

Ingredients 1. Gooseberry (amla) -2 (seeds removed) 2. Curry leaves - 2 sprig 3. Ginger - 1 tsp (chopped) 4. Laban/yoghurt - 1/4 cup 5. Water - 1 cup 6. Salt - a pinch Blend everything together and drink it up as soon as you make it, first thing in the morning.  This is healthy and cooling and great for the summer. This is a detox drink as well.

This is a great post-workout drink or even can double up as a power packed breakfast. You will be satiated for a long time. Ing redients 1. Apple - 1 (red apple  with skin on) 2. Milk - 1/2 cup (full cream) 3. Dates - 2 (soaked in water for a couple of hours) 4. Oats - 1 tbsp 5. Flax seed - 1 tsp 6. Peanut - 2 tsp 7. Protein powder/whey powder - 1 tbsp (i used amul whey protein; you can use horlicks or boost or any powder of your choice) 8. Water- 1/2 cup Clean the apple by immersing it in lukewarm water for a minute and use a scrubber to scrub off all the wax coating. Blend all of the above ingredients and drink it up immediately. A good recipe if you are hesitant to eat apples or use up some left over apples or drink milk. Try it and let me know of your opinion. Cheers :)

I viewed this video (link) and tried it and hey it works :) :) Apply a moisturiser before applying your foundation so as to avoid dry and cakey patches.  Then go and sit in an air conditioned environment for almost 8 hours and bam...what do you see...dry patches on the forehead and the corners of your mouth.Sigh... And then came this 'foundation hack'!!!! Add a drop of oil (almond, jojoba or grapeseed) to liquid or cream foundation and apply it on your face. The foundation glides smoothly and your face feels and looks moisturised the entire day. No more of those shabby lines on the corners of your mouth or dry patches on your skin. I tested this with normal foundation and long lasting foundation and the 'hack' worked on both. P.S: I used almond oil and I did moisturise my face before applying foundation.

This was one of those impulse buy products. I was recuperating from a bad bout of viral fever and was out shopping for my little one. I popped into boots for something and ended up buying this lippie. Shopping for makeup products can indeed lift up a girl's spirits ;) what say. The lipstick bullet comes in a normal gold coloured attractive packaging. It has an expiry of 36 months (3 years) from the date of opening.This retails fro KD 5.750. I bought the lipstick number 853 or the shade 'chili'. The name is very apt for the color. The lipstick bullet has an 'X' mark to show that this is the elixir range. The lipstick is really pigmented with shimmer in it, transfers less and bleeds little, very moisturising and great for Indian skin tone.  My lips were very dry and chapped due to dehydration and I applied this lipstick without a lip balm underneath (I was lazy that day), but surprisingly it just glided on my lips and moisturised it ...

I had picked up this book a couple of years ago and never read it ;( My friend borrowed it and returned it and I kept it back on the book shelf. I had known that the movie had come out but what say, I prefer the actual book to a movie out of it for the simple reason that movies can never do justice to a book. A movie ends up being twisted to appeal to the masses (no arguing here; movie is a commercial product and is made to make money). A book can take you to places and a good author can actually make you feel that you are present in the place or is a part of the lives of the characters in the book. Even before I had picked up this book, I knew it was a sad story. Maybe that was what had refrained me from reading it. The story is about cancer patients and the two stars in the story - Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters- are sadly cancer patients who has no chance of a complete cure. The story line revolves around how they meet in a support group, become friends and fall in love...

This was one of those 'I-saw-it-on-the-supermarket-shelf-and-I-just-bought-it' kind of product. Himalaya brand has been in the market for long and I have been using the purifying neem face wash as long as I can remember.  We take a lot of effort to scrub and moisturise our face and body but the feet is always neglected.I have often seen ladies all dolled up till you see their feet - all dry and with cracked heels; and that just negates their whole dressing up. The scrub comes in the classic Himalaya packaging - white plastic tube with a green plastic cap. It claims to give you soft and supple feet in 7 days. The expiry date is 12 months from the date of opening. It has walnut and pineapple extracts that gently scrub off rough and dry skin; apple and lemon extracts gently remove dead skin; aloe vera and coconut extracts smooth the skin. To use: massage onto wet feet in circular motion. Rinse well. Use daily as part of bath/shower routine. The sc...