How to deal with acne at the turn of the season!

I know I am not the only one suffering through breakouts and acne in this season. All my friends are going through this issue and it happens every year when the season changes. There can be several reasons behind the breakout of acne. It is mostly common in teenagers and people like us in their mid 20s. Among the diverse reasons that contribute to the growth of acne, an unhealthy diet rich in fats and oil and a lifestyle which neglects proper hygiene are primary. Even if you are leading a healthy lifestyle and eating a healthy diet, the change in season is something no one is spared from. And it's practically the worst time to get acne as the festivities are fast approaching and then there are winter holidays, Christmas and New Year! 

So, I took it upon myself to figure out the easiest and quickest way to deal with this acne problem and it's something you all can do very easily. In today's lifestyle, drinking Green Tea has become very common and you can easily find it in every other house and almost every office! I personally consume Tetley Green Tea and that is what I used with these techniques and they all worked perfectly! 

So first, let's go through the benefits of drinking Green Tea for acne:

1. Consuming green tea will give you as much antioxidants you could possibly get from a single source. Whether you take it internally or apply it externally, the effect will be more or less the same. Antioxidants fight the free radicals that would otherwise attack your skin cells.
2. Keep an eye on your insulin and blood sugar levels. This is because studies have shown that the higher your carbohydrate level, the more you are prone to such skin disorders. Want to reduce your insulin level and bring it back to normal? Buy a green tea sachet now because studies have found that its role in blood sugar control is profound.
3. Green tea helps reduce the rashes and scars formed because of this skin condition by fighting against skin inflammation.
4. This tea is also known for its anti-bacterial activity which is very helpful in your case. This is because acne is mainly the activity of bacteria and green tea helps in killing these microorganisms, thereby reducing further skin damage.
5. There is a certain group of hormones that can play havoc on your skin and cause such disorders as acne. The constituents in green tea have various molecules that can bind on these sex hormones, thereby preventing them from becoming ‘bioactive hormones’. From this observation, scientists have concluded that green tea has anti-cancer properties. This is because the hormones in question have a connection with prostrate and breast cancer. (Source: www.stylecraze.com)

Apart from drinking Green Tea, there are a couple more methods that you can use for quicker results because the Diwali Cards Party is fast approaching!!!

Method 1: Black Pepper for Spot Treatment
You will need: Solid Black Pepper(1 or 2 pieces), Warm green tea, sandalwood
What to do: Soak the solid black pepper in warm green tea for about 15 minutes so that it can absorb its antibacterial properties. Then rub the black pepper on the sandalwood to make a thin paste and then apply that paste on the spots where you are getting your acne overnight. In a couple of nights, you will see a major difference. I used to do this in my teenage years and this method kept me acne free while I was going through major hormonal turmoil. 

Method 2: Green Tea with Honey Scrub

You will need: Green Tea Sachet, Honey
What to do: Just finish drinking your cup of tea, take the teabag and cut it open and then empty the contents into a small cup. Next, just add a bit of honey and then mix it until you form a paste. Apply that paste on the areas affected by acne and leave it on for 20 minutes. The green tea’s anti-inflammatory effect is going to soothe the skin and reduce the inflammation caused by acne.

Method 3: Green Tea Face Wash

You will need: Green Tea Sachet, Face Wash, Cotton Balls, Container and a Spoon
What to do: In the container kept for your mixtures, add the green tea(rinse it in hot water before cutting the bag open) and approximately two tablespoons of face wash. A creamy textured cream should get preference over others. With the spoon, carefully mix the contents till they form a paste. Apply this paste on your skin, massage in a circular motion and leave it on for five minutes. When you are satisfied, wash it off thoroughly with water.

So, try out these methods using Tetley Green Tea and let us know how they work out for you! 

xoxo,

Srish

[Review] Getting Selfie Ready with the Asus ZenFone Selfie and Lolliflash

I wouldn't call myself a technologically challenged person but I am not into it either. I can operate a phone or a laptop just fine and I know my way around the apps and softwares. Most of the credit goes to blogging as it does challenge you to practice these skills on Photoshop, Premier Pro, various image editing apps on phones and what not. So, I was actually quite excited when I got a chance to experience and review this new kickass phone in the market! Without more blabbering, let's jump into the review, if you are a selfie person (or a camera person in general) you are going to LOVE this phone!!!

P.S. - I am mostly going to compare ASUS Zenfone Selfie to iPhone 6Plus as it's the most sought after phone in the market right now and also Samsung Note 2 and Moto X Style as these are the phones I own right now.

SPECIFICATIONS

-ASUS Zenfone Selfie was lauched in India in August 2015

- Being a large sized phone like Samsung Note Series or iPhone 6Plus, it can also be called a Phablet (Phone+Tablet)

- Dimensions: 6.16 x 3.04 x 0.43in with 5.5in Display (What this means is basically it is smaller compared to iPhone 6Plus but almost double in thickness, nonetheless the screen size is the same!)

- Weight - 170gm (So inspite of the double thickness, it's just as light as an iPhone 6Plus)

- Display Protection - Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (It's supposed to be very strong being able to survive 80% of drops from 1m on rough surface!! That's not something you can say for iPhones!)

- Platform: OS - Android OS, v5.0 (lollipop)

- Chipset - Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615

- CPU - Quadcore Cortex - A53

- Expandable memory upto 64GB

- Internal Storage - 16GB[2GB RAM] and 32GB[3GB RAM] (Now, this is cool...iPhones offer only 1GB RAM)

DESIGN
- Different Colors available: Aqua Blue, Pink, Gold, Silver, White, Red
- Lightweight
- Sleek looking
- Volume Control is at the back of the set which is a very cool and convenient placement (The long Silver button below the camera in the above picture)
- The edges are not smooth so it can dent easily.
- Nice grip but slightly slippery due to the smooth plastic curved back
- Speakers at the bottom of the back
- Build quality is alright, nothing too extraordinary
- Consists of touch buttons for Back, Home and Multi Window as seen in the image below
- Power button is on the top middle of the set
- One handed operation is possible if you have had bigger phones before but if not, it can be a bit inconvenient

BATTERY
- Li-Po 3000mAh battery
- From my personal experience, battery life is pretty good. It lasts me all day with 3G/Wifi. I normally use Ymail, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Navigation which is not something you can call a light usage. When I say all day, I do not mean 24 hours, I mean 10-12 hours of heavy use.

CAMERA
- The Front Camera and the Rear Camera, both are 13MP.
- The features are exactly the same for both cameras, including flash and beautification mode!
- 4128x3096 pixels
- Laser focus (very quick and accurate focus)
- Dual-tone flash (This means no stupid white flash! It has one yellow and one peach flash, this makes the selfies taken with flash much more normal and pretty)
- Features: Touch Focus, Face Detection, HDR, Low Light, GIF, Depth of Field, Smart Remove, Panorama, Smile Detection, Slow Motion, Timer, Time Rewind, Time Lapse and last but not the least, Beautification(you can not only soften your skin but also apply blush, slim down your jawline, make your eyes bigger while taking the picture!!!)

{These pictures have not been edited at all}

{Comparison of Low Light photography}

LOLLIFLASH

Now, being a 'selfie' phone, the selfies have to be perfect, right? So, they have come up with an external flash that you can pop over the phone right where the headphones jack is located and there you go, dual-led flash light for those perfect afterparty selfies and late night snapchat videos!! And it has 3 settings, if you click the power button on the lolliflash once, it gives medium light, if you click it twice, it glows even brighter and on three clicks, it becomes it's brightest. And that's not all, it comes with 3 external filters! White, to soften the flash, blue for a bluish filter especially when you are clicking under yellow light and pink for a pretty pink glow! It can easily be charged using the same charger as your regular phone and it can not only be used with ASUS phones, you can pop it over ANY phone!!! How cool is that! Check it out HERE.

PRICE
Rs. 15,999/- for 16GB[2GB RAM]
Rs.17,999/- for 32GB[3GB RAM]

AVAILABILITY
You can buy the ASUS Zenfone Selfie on Flipkart.

RATING

8/10

RECOMMENDATION

If you have a budget of 15k or so, this is one of the best phones available in the market and maybe the best selfie camera in any range. The front camera is better than any other phones available in the market, no matter how expensive. No wonder, it's selling out fast! Grab one before it gets out of stock!

xoxo,

Srish

Saree Clad

{Outfit/Clutch - Ridhi Bansal, Earrings - Vinita Michael, Ring - Indiatrend}

The traditional avatar kicks in as soon as the October month hits. There is something about the latter months of the year that just spells festivities. Diwali, dussehra, bhai dooj, etc and a huge pileup of wedding invitations compels us to gravitate towards and experiment more with our ethnic alter ego. I have been doing the same and this month, I have shot mostly indianwear and honestly, it's been a lot of fun! Even though I have no idea how to wrap a saree and drape it gracefully, I sure as hell can twirl around in them! Sarees are a fun way of exploring my roots and my heritage. Once you don this 5 meter long fabric, an automated grace can be noticed in your posture, the way you walk and conduct yourself. It is a nice feeling to get in touch with my feminine side which is usually not so prominent :P

This gorgeous tie-dye saree is by Ridhi Bansal and originally comes with a black blouse but I wanted it to have some color so I decided to style it with a different blouse. The red color looks much more festive, bright and paints a happy picture. Perfect attire to flaunt on the Diwali night, don't you think so?

Location Courtesy: The Perfect Location

Photography: Aman Bhatia

Styling/Content/Post-Production: Srish

Light up in Cobalt

{Crop Top - Hirika Jagani, Skirt - 431-88, Necklaces/Cuff/Rings - Forever 21, Clutch - Accessorize, Shoes - Tresmode}

I remember last year I joined a gym because I wanted to wear crop tops really badly. They were all the rage that season and I being a fatso, couldn't wear them no matter how much I wanted to. I do believe you should wear whatever you want but at the same time, I believe in dressing for your body type also. If I wouldn't feel confident in a crop top no matter how much I wanted to wear it, what's the point really? Your outfit is supposed to make you look presentable and help you feel more confident in your stride. So, I decided that I would work hard and wear crop tops as much as I wanted to in summers of 2015, and I did. I have lost 10kgs in last 1 year with an on and off gym routine and I need to shed off and tone a little more to get to my ideal body (Hint:KJ).

I have always gravitated towards outfits that gives my body an hourglass shape. And hence, the choice of this skirt! It's a beautifully draped skirt in a stunning color that would flatter most Indian skin tones and body shapes. With the perfect blend of sultry and elan, this skirt is a showstopper piece! That's the reason why I let the skirt be the star of this outfit. I can totally imagine this skirt with an ivory shirt and some dainty jewellery or paired with a printed sweatshirt and sneakers as well...Talk about versatility!

Location Courtesy: The Perfect Location

Photography: Aman Bhatia

Styling/Content/Post-Production: Srish

Living in Print

{Outfit - Ridhi Bansal, Hand Harness - Vinita Michael, Shoes - Intoto}

We all know this printed style is overdone. Every other designer is buying similar prints in different colors and making skirts, palazzo pants, crop tops, anarkali, etc using this print. But let's face it, it looks amazing and every girl wants to have a piece of this big trend. When I went to meet Ridhi Bansal and I spotted this piece hanging on the racks, I paid no heed to it initially and moved on until Ridhi took it out and showed me the crop top that went with it. The palazzo pants are something basic that maybe you can find or get stitched easily but the crop top was the star of this outfit and really stood out to me. The mesh panels, the back cutout and the intricate thread and beadwork bespoke hard work and creativity sewn in together. The color palette is also something I don't find repeatedly in indianwear garments and I knew I had to try it on and share the outfit with you guys.

This outfit would be perfect for an outdoor Sangeet or Mehandi function. You can get it customised in a color and print of your choice! Visit Ridhi Bansal's Facebook Page here: RIDHI BANSAL

Location Courtesy: The Perfect Location

Photography: Aman Bhatia

Styling/Content/Post-Production: Srish

Gillette Venus 'Subscribe to Smooth' Challenge and Review

I started my 30 Day 'Subscribe to Smooth' Challenge by Gillette Venus on 1st September and religiously used it and kept record of it. I have shared my weekly updates with you all and now it is time to round it all up in one final post where I give you all my insights about shaving, the myths, the how-to's and so on.

So, as Indians we all have faced those suggestions from our elders and salon ladies to never shave as the hair comes back thicker and it makes your skin dry and itchy, etc. I started shaving when I was in high school coz I was shit scared of getting waxed. It hurt a lot and when my mom bought me an epilator just so I would give up on shaving, it hurt even more. Epilators are no toys, girls. If not used correctly, it can hurt a lot and it might not be every one's cup of tea. Shaving has always been considered taboo among Indian women. I never understood why as I always noticed people from the west always shaved their legs. 

As I grew up, I kept switching between waxing and shaving but was never quite satisfied. Last year I came across this Gillette Venus Razor and it was a pleasant find. It gave the smoothest shave and my skin did not feel dry or itchy. In fact, I was quite comfortable. This was last summer. 

As the 2015 summer started, I decided I will stick to waxing only no matter what as the hair grows back softer. And I did stick to it for 5-6 months but you know how torturing can an in-between waxing period be. Many times such a situation presented itself when I wanted to wear something sleeveless or a short dress and I couldn't because I was in between my waxing sessions -_- And hair removal creams never suited my skin. Too much hassle it is and leaves the skin irritated. 

So, last month when Gillette Venus took this upon itself to break all the myths related to shaving, I was very excited and that is the reason I took part in it. And I will tell you guys all about it, have patience!

So, to get the best results out of a shave, you must follow few simple guidelines. I am listing down few of the tips that was shared with us by the brand and some that I have acquired through experience.

1. Never shave on dry skin. No matter how much hurry you are in, you skin must be moist for a clean and smooth shave that does not irritate your skin. Gillette offers 'Satin care' Shaving Gel that gives the best results but if you are pressed on time, you can also use hair conditioner or body lotion before you start shaving. 

2. Don't exfoliate your skin immediately after a shave. With every shave, your skin actually gets a much-needed dose of exfoliation. Each time you shave off unwanted hair, you also remove a layer of dead skin. So, shaving essentially helps exfoliate the skin while stimulating collagen production, leaving your skin smoother and younger. So, you need not exfoliate again after the shave is done.

3. The hair grows back pretty quick if you shave it off. So, you might need to shave every other day when you are in shower. The first time, it will be time consuming but from second time around it will be much quicker I promise as the hair is hardly 1 or 2mm long. 

4. Don't press the razor too hard thinking that you will get a closer shave. If you press too hard, the skin can get collected between blades and can lead to nicks and burns.

5. Shave in the opposite direction of the hair growth, this will give you the closest shave possible. 

6. You need not change the blade too frequently and neither should you use it for too long. Depending on the frequency of your shaving, the blue coloured protective strip above the blades starts to thin out. Once it is almost over, then you need to change the cartridge. 

All in all, I am very happy that I took this challenge. It has revived my love for shaving, quicker, convenient and easier. And the razor lasts me an year at least, I just need to change the cartridge few times. It never gave me cuts, no matter how quickly I have tried to shave, but that doesn't mean you can be reckless with a blade. It can curve easily around the body contours and gives an excellent shave. Give it a try once and I am sure you will be converted to shaving as well just like me!

You can buy the products here:

Gillette Venus Razor

Gillette Venus Razor Cartridge

Gillette Venus Satin Care Shaving Gel

xoxo,
Srish