I am back!!!

                                                    I AM BACK!!!!!

Coming back to blogging is the only reason of me being happy to come back after the break. It feels so different to join work after a long gap of 20 days. But then, life has to move on.

All the wedding functions were perfectly in place, both sides had so much fun. We are sure that our wedding has been one of the most memorable ones. We are waiting for the professional photographs and I will soon show them to you.

Till then, enjoy the winters and stay safe.

Lots of love

8 days to go!!!!

It just seems like yesterday that I had my roka and now, the day is 8 days away, just 8 days away. The preparations are in full swings, my maternal grandparents arrived yesterday, and now I get the feel of a "Shaadi wala ghar." It is so true that the arrival of relatives really turns the house into a "shaadi wala house."

The wedding functions start on 30th November, the first function being the engagement. The mehendi is on 1st December and the wedding is on 2nd December.

Will share the updates as soon as I am back. See you guys soon. Till then, keep smiling, stay happy, and enjoy the winters.

Lots of love.

Do you love your body?

                               
                                                        10 years back...
             
Mr. A: Arre, beta tum itni patli ho, kuch khaati nhi ho? (You are so thin, don't you eat anything?)

Ms. B: Dekho to is ka haath, saari haddiyan dikh rahi hain! (Look at her hand, all her bones are visible.)
                           
Ms. C: Beta kela khaaya karo roz, moti ho jaogi. (Eat bananas daily, you will gain wait.)

Mr. D: Tum pe kapde aise lagte hain jaise hanger pe daale ho. (Clothes on you look like they have been put on a hanger.)



                                                          4-5 years back....
                           
 Mr. X: Thoda kam khaya karo beta, nahi to or bhi moti ho jaogi. (Eat less, otherwise you will become fatter after sometime.)
                                 
Ms. Y: You should exercise, do yoga, keep yourself fit, or no "fit guy" will marry you.
                                 
Ms. Z: Ab to shaadi ki umar hone wali hai, abhi se patla hona start kar do, taki sahi time aane tak tum patli ho jao. (You are about to reach the marriageable age. Start working out now so that by the time you are to get married, you will get slim.)



I am sure that by reading the above conversations, you would have understood the reason behind this post. I guess we all have gone through this situation at least once in our lives, if not, you are really lucky!

The most important thing regarding your body is that it is "YOURS." Nobody has the right to comment on it, no matter how close that person is to you. We all should respect other's choices and decisions in life, which even include one's body.

First of all, we all have to “love ourselves” and only then people will see us the way we want them to. If we find faults in ourselves, trust me, the people around have Ph.Ds. in doing so. Give them one hint that you do not love the way you look, they will find 1000 other faults in you. So start loving yourself, be confident about the way you look, and soon you will see people loving you for what you are.

Another thing to note is that society is a mirror of your imperfections. You will get to know your imperfections even before you see them, and in some cases, they will show you things which you did not even know existed. The decision to listen/not listen to them is on you, which undoubtedly is the toughest decision to make.  Your brain would want to ignore what it heard, while your heart will suffer grief because of the comments. The choice lies on you to follow your heart or your brain.

Talking about myself, I was really thin until 6^th standard. People used to throw in their suggestions on me to gain weight. I got the weirdest suggestions as well and it was since then that I started to hate my body.  I thought there was something wrong in me. People need to understand that a child’s mind is too naïve, even a small negative comment can leave him scarred for life. He needs acceptance and not bombardment of his imperfections on his face.  The child does not have the strength to accept anything negative about him. It is only through age that he gets to know the bitter truths of life. I was really going into a shell when people used to comment about my body. But slowly, I was starting to accept things, or that I realized that I had to live with it throughout. But then, slowly, I started gaining weight. I thought maybe that was the answer to all my worries but as destiny would have had it, I was getting overweight. I would call it “Chubbier.” And then, the people who used to advise me regarding gaining weight, did just the opposite. It was not easy, it really wasn’t. But somehow, I was again getting used to it. Did I have any option? It really tore me apart when people commented on my weight, and I was like, “Come on, haven’t you seen anyone worse than me?” People were so into commenting on me that I was left to think that I am the fattest person on earth. I had seen worst cases as well and I would say, “Why am I being targeted? Am I the only “fat” person these people have seen? Do I really look that fat?” I never had answers to my questions. No matter how much I tried, I was left clueless. Slowly, I was learning to accept those comments.  

Then came a life-changing moment in my life. It was my cousin’s wedding in the coming 5-6 months and I knew I had to look good. I knew this was the time to give it back. No one could stop me now. I worked hard to achieve my goal.  I avoided junk/oily food and fed my body with “good” things. And, it was working. I was shedding the extra kilos. I won’t say that I turned super slim by the wedding, but yes, I did manage to look good, look “slim.” It was a great motivation for me to continue doing what I had been doing. I was loving the compliments that I was getting. Within time, my own wedding got fixed and I was determined to keep working in the same direction. And yes, I have managed to achieve what I wanted. I look like I always wanted to.

In all the stages regarding my weight loss/gain, there were people who were never happy with the way I looked. They found faults in every state, maybe it was their only motive in life to comment. Slowly, I realized that people comment on other’s faults just to satisfy their ego, they know their imperfections, and to camouflage them, they find faults with others. My best advice would be to ignore such people in your life and just move towards your goals. The happiness   that you will get in the end would be way beyond the grief after hearing those comments. So, love your body and keep working towards your goals.

I would like to say a big “Thank You” to Mr. R for being my biggest supporter during this time. He was the motivation behind me. He made me feel beautiful in every possible way. He motivated me to lose those extra kilos and show the world that even I could look beautiful. The way I look today is all because of his efforts. There were times when I got angry and irritated because of his constant push, there were times when I thought that even he is like other guys who want a “slim partner.” It was only later that I realized that he was doing this for me. He wanted that happiness on my face when people showered me with compliments. I really owe this to him and love him for what he has done for me.

In the end, it’s all about being positive. Stay positive, stay focused, and no goal is far. Stay healthy, stay happy!!!

* Images have been taken from Google.

Diwali, through my eyes!

Hello lovelies,

Hope you all had a great Diwali. I had a great one, my last Diwali before wedding. It felt so good just thinking that next year, I would be celebrating all festivals with my husband and my in-laws. This Diwali, I decorated my house but could not do anything elaborate as a close relative had passed away. We had pooja at our home, my family and my father's cousins.

Coming to the post, here are a few pictures for you all. Hope you enjoy:

How to use CTM the right way!

All of you must know by know that CTM is the most important skincare routine. After you load your skin with makeup for a good 8-12 hours, CTM helps your skin rejuvenate and breathe. You all know how important it is to clean your face twice a day, but do you know that using CTM in a wrong way can be a disaster? Read on to know the right way.

CTM stands for Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer. So the first step is Cleansing. There is no right or wrong way for using a cleanser. So let's move on to Toner.

How horrible do open pores look. Those big puddles  that anyone could fall into (Okay, I am exaggerating it here :p). All oily skinned beauties will agree with me that we all love Toner as it really helps in reducing the pore size. But using it wrongly could be a disaster. Here's how to do it right. After you have cleaned your face, take your toner on a cotton pad. You should not saturate the cotton with toner, it should be that the cotton should be wet. Now comes the trick, instead of wiping your face with the cotton, you just have to "PAT" the cotton on your face. You heard it right, wiping your face with cotton will stretch your skin and make your pores even larger. How many of you knew this?

Coming back to the next and the last step which is the Moisturizer, NEVER rub your moisturizer between your hands and then apply on face. The lines on your palm absorb all the moisturizer and there would not be any product left for the face. The correct way is to take the product on your hand and then make dots on your face. Thereafter, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BLEND THE MOISTURIZER. I am really stressing on the fact because moisturizer has to be lightly rubbed in and not blended in. With your fingers, just spread the moisturizer lightly, applying little or no pressure. The pictures below will make it clear-

     

So the next time you go for your CTM routine, just remember the right way. Hope this article helped. See you all soon.

My long hair... what I do?

All of you must have seen the advertisement where people had to wear sunglasses to avoid the shining hair of a girl... Pretty unrealistic no?

Some people really manage to have beautiful and shiny hair. And there is a long story of efforts that they put in. It is not an easy task and takes a lot of time and effort.

In this post, I will reveal what I do for my hair. First of all, I would give a brief introduction of my hair. I have waist-length brown hair. They are wavy and are super oily at the roots. I usually keep them tied in a pony tail to avoid damage (And save them to be flaunted after wedding... intelligent me :p)

I really love my hair in this picture. This picture was clicked last winters, more or less, my hair look the same now.

So, what I do to maintain my healthy hair? First of all, let me share, I do not use any hair-styling products on my hair. I keep them the way they are, wavy. That contributes a lot towards the texture of my hair. 

Here are the tips that I always follow-

1) ALWAYS towel dry my hair. I never use a blow dry to dry my hair as it can really damage the hair. When using a towel, do not rub very hard, just cover your hair with the towel. That's all.

2) Never comb wet hair. Wet hair are prone to breakage as the roots become weak. When the hair are half dry, half wet, first de-tangle them with your fingers and then with a wide tooth comb. Keep your hair on one side and start combing from the ends of the hair, slowly going upwards.

3) Avoid hair styling tools as much as you can. I know we all love well styled hair but the more we use these hair styling products, the more it damages them in the long run.

4) Always get your hair trimmed every 2 months. We all love to flaunt out tresses but who likes split ends? It takes away the charm from our beautiful tresses. So make it a point to chop of those unwanted, ugly looking ends regularly. It will make your hair more healthy and bouncy.

5) Always oil your hair before shampooing. I have super oily hair and thus, I have to wash them every alternate day. I oil my hair the night before shampoo and keep it overnight. I use coconut oil and castor oil. You can use any oil you prefer. 

6) Always cover your hair when you are out. I carry a stole with me always and cover my face and hair with I am under the sun. Sun damages the hair and can take the shine from your hair. So, always keep a stole/scarf in your bag. Also, make sure to clean the stole/scarf every week.

7) Make sure to tie your hair before you sleep. Tie them in a pony/braid so that they do not tangle. But make sure that the rubber band is not too tight.

8) Use silk pillow covers. Cotton pillow covers are harsh on your skin and hair. You can develop wrinkles because of sleeping on cotton and can take the shine from your hair. 

9) Drink atleast 2 litres of water to keep yourself well hydrated. You can also include fruits with high water content but if you can manage to drink water, there is nothing better. Make sure to complete you maximum quota of water by 6:30 p.m.

10) Use hair mask on a regular basis. A hair mask creates a layer on your hair and

thus prevents your hair from external damage. You can use homemade hair mask or buy the ones available in the market. For a DIY mask, mix egg, hung curd (I prefer hung curd as it does not drip. When I used normal curd, it used to drip, making it messy, and also caused rashes), 1 tsp of any conditioner, 1 tsp honey, 2 avocados and mix them well. Apply the mask for 2-3 hours and wash off. KEEP YOUR EYES TIGHTLY CLOSED WHEN YOU WASH OFF THE MASK. If the egg goes inside your eyes, it will cause itching and make the eyes red. The redness goes away in an hour but it is really uncomfortable.

11) Avoid junk and oily food as much as you can. The fact has been stressed on a lot of times. I do not think it needs any explanation. 

12) Lastly, avoid stress. We all struggle with our share of problems but nothing does more damage as stress. Just take your problems as a part of your life and deal with it with a smile. A strong attitude is all it takes to tackle any issue you might be facing.

So, these were the tips that I follow for my healthy hair. Hope these help you too. Do let me know if you have any more tips.

* Images have been taken from Google.

Diwali decoration at Select Citywalk

Hello people,

Me and Mr. R went for our wedding shopping this Sunday. We checked out clothes for him but did not buy anything. We saw a suit for him at Van Heusen and the guy looked really good. We might pick it up, but we are still looking for more options.
Coming to the point, the mall was beautifully decorated for Diwali. Mr. R managed to click a few pictures. Hope you like them.

2 months to go!

It seems as if it was just yesterday that I had my roka  ceremony, although it was way back in April 2014. (Was it really way back? Silly me :p) As soon as the dates got fixed, me and Mr. R would count days for the D-Day. We thought we had so much time in hand and it seemed so difficult to cross that time. We wished to play our life in a fast forward mode and just reach the D-day, escaping all the tensions and the chaos associated with weddings. But who has ever been successful in that attempt?

And now that we think about it, we realize that time actually flew. The relativity of time is a strange concept. It seems as if the clocks forget to move when we are in office but when we are together, the clocks conspire against us. Time literally flies. We wish we could stay together for more but then, we console ourselves that there will be a day when no clocks would plot against us, the relativity would not affect us, there will be a day!

With just 2 months left now, a lot of work still needs to be done. I am mostly through my shopping, just winter wear and few small things left. But then, new things keep coming up everyday and I guess that will go on even till the last day. But no matter how much the chaos, everything eventually falls into place. With just a few days left and the excitement creeping over, I am looking forward to a new phase of my life.

I won L’Oreal Chocolate Personality Contest at Corallista!

After winning the Fab Bag, I won another contest... yay!!! It is so exciting to win such contests, the gift being a bag full of goodies from L’Oreal Paris. I am so excited to receive my gift, just can't wait. A big thank you to Corallista for having me as the winner.

The post where I gave my answer-http://corallista.com/2014/09/22/what-is-your-chocolate-personality-answer-and-win-goodies-from-loreal-paris/

The announcement- http://corallista.com/2014/09/24/winner-of-loreal-chocolate-personality-contest/

PDA or No PDA?

Falling in love is a wonderful and a beautiful feeling, and when it happens, we want the world to know about it. But what it the right amount of showing it? Public Displays of Affection "PDA" can elicit a wide range of reactions at times. How often have you gone out and seen couples getting all cosy in public and stared at them for doing so. Do you favour PDA or just turn away your face from the sight? Is there any "acceptable" limit or is it based on just what the couple finds to be acceptable?

Personally, I am a bit shy, but when it comes to expressing my love, I do not care what others have to say, which does not mean that I would do any sort of thing just in the name of "love." I believe every emotion has various ways in which it can be expressed, doing it publicly or privately does not change your love for someone.

There is a thin line between expressing love and making things look vulgar. Today, the mentality of Indians in changing. They are accepting the fact that love is not something that has to be shown only in a closed space, but it is something, when done in limit, can even be shown publicly, without causing embarrassment.

I love it when people express their love publicly, the way they pamper each other and make each other feel special. It is not like they are proving to the world that they love each other. They just show it when they feel like doing it, not suppressing their feelings for a later time when it would be a "private display of affection." 

It is always a personal choice as to whether we want or do not want to express our love publicly. But what if one person likes doing it but his/her partner does not like it? What is the middle way? Will the person who likes it stop expressing himself/herself because the partner does not like it? Will that person suppress his feelings and save them for a later date and a private space? 

Love is a beautiful feeling. Without you even realizing, it would change you into a totally different person, and invoke all emotions in you. And there is no harm in expressing it unless you do it within the acceptable limits. So go ahead, give a hug, spread love!!!

Some random wedding pictures

I have been surfing the net for some wedding inspiration pictures. These are the random wedding  pictures that I really liked. Hope you like them too.

Waiting for the moment

Kanyadaan

I love this shot

Jutey le lo, paise de do

Can you see the happiness in her eyes?

Here she comes

I absolutely LOVE the effect!

Taking blessings from Almighty

Can you see my smile?

Love finally found its way!

Beautifully captured, just highlighting the flame

The first dance

It reminds me of the song "Mathe te chamkam waal mere bande de"

Let's make her prettier

Here I come

Showering blessings and love

Pooja 

The shy bride

The spark in her eyes says it all

The unconventional bride

Together, forever

An emotional moment

See how she ends it with a smile

Welcome into a new life

*All the images have been taken from Google.