#WhatsInYourBeautyBag

Come summers and it’s time to show that extra love for my skin (without making my wallet suffer). So, here is a sneak peek into my beauty bag all within Rs. 1500 that keeps me fresh and safe while the Sun keeps guessing J

1. Face wash -  I prefer washing my face after lunch with this face wash from Votre. It gently cleanses the greasiness and refreshes my skin. It’s smell is subtle yet awakening. It has made the post lunch work easier for me. Just doesn’t let me feel exhausted. Thank you, Votre for this one! 

      Available at:  http://www.healthkart.com/sv/votre-face-wash-18/SP-15129?navKey=VRNT-25636

    2. Sunblock lotion  -    I was hunting for a light and absorbing sunblock and my search ended right here! This Sunblock formula from Auravedic is amazingly efficient. It absorbs well into the skin and keeps the face oil free. I carry it along as I prefer re applying sunblock every 2.5- 3 hours when I am out in the open. I personally call it My anti tan formula. 

 Available at: http://www.healthkart.com/sv/auravedic-pure-brightening-whitening-radiance-sunblock-lotion/SP-197?navKey=VRNT-357

 3.  Toner/ Face Mist-  Sun burns or rashes or just the heat is enough to trouble skin in summers. I use the face mist from Auravedic to keep my skin calm and problem free!                          

Available at: http://www.healthkart.com/sv/auravedic-face-mist/SP-181?navKey=VRNT-339 

 3.  Toner/ Face Mist-  Sun burns or rashes or just the heat is enough to trouble skin in summers. I use the face mist from Auravedic to keep my skin calm and problem free!                          

Available at: http://www.healthkart.com/sv/auravedic-face-mist/SP-181?navKey=VRNT-339 

 4. Lip butter - My lips dry out in heat and I have found a saviour in  Auravedic lip butter! It hydrates with the sweet fragrance of raspberry that you may just be tempted to lick your lips but AVOID! It stays well on lips and maintains a healthy shine.

Available at:  http://www.healthkart.com/sv/auravedic-lip-butter/SP-194?navKey=VRNT-354&ac_sel=Auravedic%20Lip%20Butter%2C%20%20Raspberry%20 

5.Eye pencil-  Yes it’s hot and sweaty outside and that calls for a smart pick of eye pencil and this one from Faces is a 10/10 for sure! I prefer the purple variant as it adds that little drama to my eyes that each one of us needs for a happy day. The non- smudging, metallic shine makes eyes expressive without making my face a color palette. 

Available at: http://www.healthkart.com/sv/faces-long-wear-eye-pencil/SP-6174?navKey=VRNT-8775&itracker=w:searchresults|;p:3|;c:eye%20pencil|;e:24|false|; 

 6. Comb - No woman likes her mane dishevelled like straight from the Harry Potter’s land. A handy comb keeps me confident just with a stroke or two. I prefer this wide toothed comb as it acts smart with tangled hair and puts my bangs in place, too! 

 Available at: http://www.healthkart.com/sv/vega-comb---step-grooming-hmc-75/SP-20477?navKey=VRNT-40770  

  7. Wet wipe tissues -   Sweat and grime blocks the skin pores and causes acne. Therefore, whenever I feel my face sweaty and dust sticking onto it, my fresh ones wet tissue wipes come handy. It cleans my face just perfect leaving me rosy fresh with its mild rose smell. The pack is handy and easy to use, anytime, anywhere!

   Available at: http://www.healthkart.com/sv/fresh-ones-wet-tissues-container-(rose-fresh)/SP-11130?navKey=VRNT17558&ac_sel=Fresh%20Ones%20Wet%20Tissues%20Container%20(Rose%20Fresh)%2C%20%2050%20piece(s)%2Fpack%20%20Rose%20

  8. Hand & Body lotion- Against a common belief that skin does not need moisturisers in summers, it does! That’s why I carry this light and refreshing lotion along. It hydrates without making the skin sticky and it’s gentle refreshing fragrance lingers for long. 

  Available at:  http://www.healthkart.com/sv/vaadi-herbals-hand-n-body-lotion-4/SP-14756?navKey=VRNT-35744 

Why Daddy?

Today I become a bride, daddy

I wish you walked me through the aisle, daddy

I got the loveliest guy, daddy

The one I loved has stood by me, daddy

There are hymns and chants and flowers, daddy

He is proud to make me his wife, daddy

I know he will make the best husband, daddy

But

Why aren’t you around, daddy?

Today, why aren’t you proud daddy?

I couldn’t be the best daughter but I will make the best wife, daddy!

Photo Credit: joshlehrman.com

Daddy told me once...

Are you sure about it?

Yes.

I think you should give it a second thought. You can take your time. I will be fine with it.

Thanks Sam. But I don’t really need to do that. I have thought it well and this is precisely what I want.

Alright then, I will put your papers for process. The only thing I would want to tell you is, you have a lot of talent. Don’t let it go waste.

Thanks Sam. I will always remember your words. By when can I expect my relieving letter to be issued?

By five this evening. Are you in a hurry?

No. Not really. No more!

Sam was the HR person who more so served the purpose of a scarecrow at my employer’s. If Sam had booked a meeting with a junior employee, he probably should sign his resignation before the meeting took place. For seniors like us, if there was a meeting booked with him, it was a danger signal for all the subordinates. As I walked out of the meeting room, my steps felt light and head relaxed. My inner self kept yay-ing and why not? I had just embarked upon the journey of my life. A life that appeared straight out of my dreams.

I recall a similar feeling when I was eight years old. One night I dreamt of a doll that was walking. I woke up startled the next morning for I had never seen a doll that could walk (my dragging them across the room was a different story!)  I narrated the spectacular dream to my dad while he shaved in front of the sink I had just started reaching up to.  Brimming with curiosity, I had asked “What are dreams, daddy?”

“They are God’s messages, baby! Now rush in for a shower and get ready for school. Mom will be chasing you any minute now.”

When dad returned from work that day, he bought a big parcel along. I ran to grab the first look of the parcel. Dad gave it to me saying it was for me. As I opened the box, a pretty doll lied with her eyes shut. Charged up with excitement, I freed her from the magnificent box to seat her on my study table but her legs did not move.

She does not sit, daddy?  

No. She walks.

Really daddy? Please make her walk! Fast daddy, fast!

As the doll walked around like everyone else in the room, I hugged daddy tight and kissed him a thank you. 

That was when dad had told me, Dreams do come true and yours did, too.

I grew up with all my fancies fulfilled, was blessed to have everything I could ask for and probably, that too, without dreaming of them. Maybe that was the reason why the charisma of dreams lost its meaning to me.

“Hey! You have put down your papers, I have been told. What’s next?”

This was JD, the recruitment head.

Yes JD. Going for a sabbatical. Purely for pleasure.

Oh damn! And I will have to close another position, now. You are merciless, pretty lady!, he said with his signature grin that could at best make me command him to get lost. But the corporate life sucks at it. You work with people who don’t match up with your IQ and exchange greetings with people you wish to kill right away. Corporate is merciless. Either you adapt or they terminate. Getting hold of my critical analysis, I smiled bright thinking this cruel world will only belong to my past now. Another round of yay-ing and why not!

As the day drew closer I was brimming with energy planning what all I would do during the sabbatical period. Writing down my experience, however, topped the list. As I walked out of the office, I could feel the spring in my steps. The cool October evening felt like an open sky where I could swim and glide, enjoy the storms and tide and set my own world.

 Yes! The world awaited and I had just arrived! 

At Blogadda now!

The Winner's Speech

This would be My Winning Speech on being rewarded the BlogAdda Blog Award!

Thank you!! Thank you, everyone! I am too overwhelmed at receiving this award by Blogadda. I hope I am not dreaming, let me pinch myself again…!

While I was walking up the stage, I could hear nothing but my own heart thumping aloud but I know you all cheered for me. Thanks all! Your love and support has made me stand out and up, right here on the stage.

This is one of the most opportune moments to thank everyone who has stood by me. My family, my friends- the ones who call me mad in face but never fail to be a part of the madness. Thank you, sweethearts for giving me so many stories to narrate to the world.

I could have never been a blogger to begin with, without that someone special in my life. Lalit, you are the one who has always trusted my abilities, sometimes even more than I myself do. You have stood by me in all the hard times and made me stronger. Like you always said, I was a star waiting to shine once the clouds dispersed; here is your star today! Thanks for telling me that the world needed storytellers like me. Thanks for getting me started..!

Dad! I know that we are very different. But trust me, you are biggest inspiration for me and I know that you secretly appreciate my stubbornness, too! That’s why you are here, today. Thanks for coming dad. This moment would have not been this great if you were not here to hug me tonight.

I can never be luckier than today, if both of you, dad and Lalit take this award along with me. Probably, it’s the two of you who have won. It’s your trust in me that has won.

Thank you all, once again! I am really living a dream!!

I have dreams

Do you have a dream? I have...and that too, many!

I have heard people say that Dreams don't come true in real life and they are best for the closed eyes. But the point is that if you aren't dreaming about anything, what are you aiming at? Where are you headed to? An unknown, unseen goal? Alright, you may favour mystery but how do you ensure that your unknown and unseen goal is worth the efforts you are unknowingly putting into it?

I dream. I dream about everything. I have a life in my dreams. True that it is not what I am living now but I am working towards it.I have my dream and I have a real life present situation in hand, too. When I feel like I have had enough of hardships, I slip away to my life in dreams. You might say that its brave to fight back hardships and emerge a winner. I differ. I would prefer to be happy in my life of dreams and think of another step to move closer to it than wasting my energy fighting the hardships. Well, maybe if I decide to fight, I win. And you call me a winner. But you would call me a winner on the basis of end result that I have overcome the hardship. I do so by keeping myself happy, in a different way. All the bitterness of fighting back would rest within me, not the world.

That is why I decide to win with all my happiness intact within me. I would prefer leaving the entropy of situations find an equilibrium for themselves. Instead of fighting back the situation, I would distance myself from them. You may not consider that brave enough but trust me! you need to be brave to distance yourself from situations that bother you, the situations that are out of your control and the situations that arose despite of the fact that you took all the care in this world to make a good and reasonable decision.

Its good to win. But its more important to be happy. Not all strong people are happy but all happy people are strong!

Stay happy! :)

My Friend's Story

This is my friend's story. My first attempt at wording someone else's. Hope I have done justice.

I was still there. Sitting in the cafeteria where we just bid her a farewell. I was still on the same chair. The same chair she sat next to this evening.

Last year, she joined the company where I had been working for past four years. I interviewed her during the recruitment process. She was a scared, confused and a restless soul. She was anxious about so many things. An introvert, a small town girl who had just opened up to the big and fast world. But she was yet to open up.

Since the day she joined us, I wanted to support her. Somewhere within my impartial heart, a tendency to be partial kept growing stronger and the mortal me gave in.

It started with little favors at work. A little extension in deadlines. A little relaxation in reporting time. My restlessness kept growing.

She did not have the looks to die for. She was not even witty enough to outsmart me but she was a breath of fresh air. Just being there for her felt like everything for me. Her happiness. Her worries. Her wishes. I was suddenly everything about her. I no longer existed within me.

It was then, a few months back, that my company was not doing well and the entry level employees could be the first ones to fall victim to the cost cutting plan. Her job meant a lot to her and I knew it.

I am sad today and I know that, too. But back then, I never knew I would be so hurt when she leaves. I helped her with the interviews, the negotiations and what not. No. Not because I was seeking something in return. Even if I was, it was only my happiness that had secretly found its place in hers.

And now I am here. On the same chair, lonely and restless. There is that longing to be with her again. Maybe on an evening road, maybe near a country pond or maybe just here...she returns with the pain of longing, too.

And together we shall be. Maybe. If fairy tales were to be true, we could be together, too!