Don't try any new product before your wedding {Bridal Files}

This is something which came to my mind after reading Tanveer's post. In her words

I once used a oxy-bleach, just a week before my wedding. It was the first time I used a bleach and the last. It caused my face to turn red like I was sun burnt and I spent the next two days just calming my skin back to being normal. 

So, just a simple advise -  never try something which you haven't tried out yet. You never know how your skin might react. If you do want to try out something, make sure you have adequate time before so that you can counteract the harmful effects, if any!!!

This applies to all kinds of treatments including facial, hair and body. If you really want to indulge in something luxurious, 'ubtan' is the best bet and has been, traditionally, a part of bridal skin care since centuries.

How to prepare customized Ubtan?

[Source: anindiansmakeupmusings.blogspot.in]

A simple recipe with available ingredients at home: 

• Besan (Chana flour)
• Turmeric 
• Yogurt

Mix everything in proportion. You can add turmeric up to a table spoon and don't worry about the staining because chana flour takes care of that. Try to make the paste brighter yellow in color. Apply it every night before you go to sleep on the face and neck or you can also go for an entire body application on a day when you are free. 

Yogurt removes tan and turmeric helps with blemishes. It does take time to work. Do not add lemon juice as it is quite acidic and may cause skin dryness. You can go for tomato juice, if you wish. Its more gentle. And, essential oils and rose petals add a exotic feel to the mask. So, you might want to get some for your own use. 

Hope this helps :)

How to deal with a dry skin patch? {Skin Care}

Did you ever suffer from a dry skin patch? I know they are very annoying as I have recently been afflicted of this malady. You might have heard me saying this often that my skin gets extremely dry in winters and due to the lack of proper diet, there was a really horrible dry patch around the mouth. So, I tried some of the things to bring my skin back to normal.

[Source: buzzle.com]

How can your products affect that annoying dry skin patch? 

Your products wouldn't definitely cause a dry skin patch unless they are so harsh and you are not really concentrating on your diet. But, your products can help the dry skin patch to remain just like it is or help a little towards healing it. Do not ever rely on your products to do the entire work but certainly, some expectations should be there. So, do not blame your products if your dry skin patches are not got rid of.

I Exfoliated!!!

Exfoliation is a very important ritual of healing a dry skin patch. It removes the dead skin cells accumulated on the patch and helps reveal the newer skin is which isn't exactly as dry!!! But, overdoing this can make the patch red and sensitive that it will stop reacting to any treatment. So, its best to use a very gentle scrub and leave it alone for next 2-3 days.

What I did? Used sugar body polish on the area (exclude salt from the recipe) once. And, another time, I used Vedic Line Papaya Scrub [review coming soon]. Both worked well.

And, what after exfoliation?

Well, we need to trap the moisture and feed the skin some real nutrients, right? So, I used Almond Oil - Very simple and very effective!!! I dabbed a little of almond oil around my mouth after applying toner and moisturizer for the night. The moisturizer I am currently using is Biotique Wheatgerm Cream which is awesome, btw and really effective [review coming soon] but then, nothing beats oils for me. And, the dry patches went away in a single night. And, my skin is healed as if it wasn't ever broken. But, it is always best to continue the treatment over a couple of days so I switched back to applying oils on my skin. They give me the Essential Fatty Acids which I am not feeding myself.

Did you ever get a dry skin patch?

I know my skin type!!!

Ok, so this may sound really weird coz I have been blogging about beauty since more than a year and till now, I was unaware of my skin type which is one of the most basic principles of beauty - identifying your skin type. I always though my skin was dry, then I came to the conclusion that it is normal to dry and then, I thought its just crazy, gets oily when it feels like (under hot sun and I sweat a lot) or dries up in winters sometimes like really crazy. But, lately, I have been really analyzing my skin. Its very simple if you pay attention but we sometimes simply tend to ignore taking everything we know for granted. I have big pores around my nose and my nose is generally shiny so obviously I have a combination skin and everything I apply on my face makes me greasy so I could have concluded this long back!!! Anyways, better late than never :) But, even now, I can say that I do have skin which tends to be more dry. 

In all this, I have realized one thing - skin type has to be deduced almost very periodically. Our skin texture changes in every season (even on a day-to-day basis during seasonal changes or any other health conditions) and also due to the products we use. Seems pretty obvious, I know but when it comes to applying we fail. So, we are having summers now. Will our skin go drier or oilier??? You never know!!! So, keep it light in the morning and heavy at night. Ok, if you don't have a cooler or an AC (which I am completely against, it makes you lazy!!!), applying anything on skin can make you feel suffocated and hot. Oils are a big no-no in the summer time, though, I am still using my facial oils. Go for serums and hydration lotions and do suggest me some, please!!! Both face moisturizers and body lotions. I am out of both and have no idea what to go for coz every thing seems so heavy and thick. And, invest in blotting papers (do tell me where you got yours :D). 

Btw, if you are looking out for sunscreens or sunblocks, do consider Neutrogena coz they have really great sunscreens - ageshield if available in India is good otherwise the other one with spf 50 is amazing. Review would be coming in the month of May. It is costly but worth it. Do try out the sample before buying but it suits oily and combination well. Not sure about dry skin so do give it a shot!!! And, grab your sunglasses and full sleeves cotton clothes or elbow-reaching gloves and scarves and umbrellas and bottle of water whenever you step out of your house and enjoy!!!!! Btw, don't forget to analyze your skin and identify your skin type correctly.