Kose IndiBlogger Meet | Launch of #SpaWake

It's better late than never, so finally here's my post for the Kose-Indi meet. As usual Indiblogger meet was fun-filled, not a single moment of boredom one can have there. This meet was special because it happened after almost 9 long months and moreover it was an exclusive "invite-only" meet. It was all about meeting fellow bloggers, delicious food, few drinks, non-stop chit-chatting and of course KOSE.. KOSE.. & KOSE!

I reached at the venue around 5.30 i.e. The Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. As I entered in there, I saw some people were registering for the meet, few were having coffee and others were just networking. With over 150 bloggers actively and enthusiastically participated and had a great time socializing with like-minded people who share the same passion for writing.

The meet started with Anoop's great words, laughter all across the hall, people shaking hands because they gave us a task. The task was to collect anything personal from the fellow bloggers and the twist was they cannot return it, isn't it an interesting way to mingle with others? Well, I wonder how do they always find such new and amazing ways to entertain us, moreover manage to never have a dull moment. Kudos to IndiTeam. Well, I managed to collect 14 personal items, stood second and that's why I got a chance to talk about my blog in '30 seconds of fame'. Here's a list of things I collected-

List of personal items that I collected from fellow bloggers.

Right after all these activities, a descriptive introduction about the company was given by the Team KOSÉ.

Here's a little about the company - Kosé is a Japan based cosmetic and beauty brand famous all across the world. It's a 40 years old skincare company and biggest one in Japan with over 450 billion yen market value. They are the one who introduced first beauty serum in 1975 and also the proud inventors of first powder foundation in the year 1976. For having a quality product range, they have won the prestigious Deming Prize which is Japan's national quality award for industry. Kosé has a partnership with many famous brands like Lóreal, marie claire, adidas skin protection and many more. It is one the companies which is growing rapidly in the skincare industry. India is the 26th country where they have launched their products.

After 3 years of research and many surveys on getting to know the requirements of Indians, they launched SPAWAKE. This range does not have any fruits or harsh chemicals, Spawake has seaweed called Laminaria Japonica extract, which makes it new and innovative from all the present skin care brands currently dealing in India. Their current investment in India is of 400 million rupees and also the products will be made in India and inspired from Japan. As of now their product line include fash wash, face mask, scrub, fairness cream for day and night and a fairness gel.

After all the information, the face of the product i.e. the brand ambassador of Kosé India was revealed. It is bollywood's one of the talented and gorgeous actress Aditi Rao Hydari.She was wearing a long sequin gown and was looking all beautiful. She praised the product and also talked about the underwater shoot for the advertisement. Then we had a chance to talk to the Kosé team and aditi rao hydari where they answered all the questions bloggers asked them about and then there was a musical event.

Around 9 the dinner was served, the hall was filled with the aroma of delicacies, sound of glasses clinking, people cheered and happy faces all around. We also got a hamper from the team Kosé, which included a huge wooden box and it had all the Spawake products that they launched and it also had a towel handkerchief, a hand-mirror and a 8GB pendrive. Isn't it awesome?! Indeed. Later sharp at 10, I boarded my Indibus which was arranged by the Indiblogger team and they dropped me home safely in time.

The very next day I tried their products, they were very light on the skin and to be very honest I really like the facewash, it's non lathering and because it has seaweeds, it gives a very fresh feel. It is definitely worth to give it a try. As Myntra is their official digital partner, you can buy SPAWAKE range from there online.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Beautiful Hyatt.. Isn't it?

All the officials of Team Kosé.

All the items I've collected moment. 

My '30 seconds of fame' moment.

The team!

Their success graph going UP..UP & UP!

Aditi Rao Hydari - The Brand Ambassdor!

The Musical Event. 

The Hud-Hud moment. 

The whole SPAWAKE Kit.

Thanks for reading my blog, for more updates connect with me on various social networks, links are on the left side of the page. Happy Reading!

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Skin and hair care tips to enjoy Holi even better

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Holi, the festival of colors which brings a dainty array of colors to the fore — colors that paint our life bright.

Holi is also a time to bond with family and friends. It is a celebration that both the young and old look forward to, with excitement. All of us enjoy the festival’s revelry and review our festive success by the colorful remnants on our clothes and body. Celebrations apart, most of us tend to ignore, or are unaware, of the potential damage the use of ‘wrong’ colors can have on us. Some colors can be harmful to our skin and hair; they can lead to more damage than delight. It is, therefore, imperative to be conscious of this possibility — we’d all do ourselves a huge favor by preventing any damage, at the outset.

Most colors today contain chemicals. Some also contain copper, lead, silver, aluminium and iodine. Hair and skin would be the first to get affected badly following a splash of chemical colors. Also, chemicals not only bleach the hair, they can also damage it badly.

Certain chemical colors are minute enough to penetrate the covering of our hair (cuticle) and enter the hair shaft. They can, thereafter, weaken the hair shaft, causing the hair to break easily. Many individuals present with complaints of hair breakage, after Holi. This condition is called trichorrhexis nodosa.

Some colors contain dyes, engine oils, and powdered glass too! Apart from damaging the hair, they can cause damage to the scalp. Some people show a dye ‘reaction’ to these colors — this can cause long-term damage to the hair and scalp.

Increased dandruff and itching of the scalp are other common complaints after Holi.

It ain’t difficult to prevent such problems, if one follows certain easy-to-use preventative measures during Holi.

HOLI SKIN CARE

Holi is not just colorful clothes, or skin and hair splashed with colors. It can be dangerous, sometimes. Prevention, as always, is better than cure.

• Use natural/skin friendly and herbal colors or natural products.
• If you have a history of eczema, wear a barricade cream (white paraffin) before playing Holi. Avoid using color on the face.
• In case of allergy, take prompt medical treatment.
• Synthetic colors cause skin irritation; they can even cause blindness. So, take good care.
• Wear clothes that cover most of your body. Apply cold cream/oil on all exposed parts and follow it up with sunscreen (waterproof).
• After Holi, remove colors with a paste of soybean flour, or besan, with milk.
• Use warm water and moisturising soap to wash off the colors.
• Do not rub your skin forcefully with soap.
• Apply cold cream or moisturiser generously; they are good for your ‘post-holi’ skin.

CROWNING GLORY

Grandma was right, because oiling our hair never came in as handy as during Holi. Oil forms a protective layer around the hair shaft; it prevents chemicals from entering the hair. It can also avert potential damage. Oil ensures that the colors are washed away easily. Oiling the hair before stepping out to play Holi would, therefore, be beneficial.  Olive or coconut oil is ideal choice.

USE NATURAL COLORS

It is best to use natural colors to play Holi. This won’t cause any damage to others as well as to oneself. Gulal (rose water) and other natural water colors are relatively safe to use. Chemical colours, particularly permanent colors, are best avoided. Colors, such as silver and shiny green or bright gold, are chemical-based; they should not be used. Home-made colors from vegetable sources are safe.

• Red sandalwood powder is a good substitute.
• Beetroot water is also a good wet color.
• Dry spinach powder makes for a good green color.
• Yellow turmeric (haldi) powder is a good natural yellow color.
• Dried marigold flowers and paste, or red hibiscus, can also be used as a substitute for artificial color.

Such colors can be used safely as dry powders, or mixed with water and diluted to be used as colors.  

        

AFTER CARE

• Wash your hair with lukewarm water.
• Keep your eyes closed to avoid the color from going into your eyes.
• Use a mild shampoo and make sure to rub hair gently, and lather with shampoo.
• Rinse hair with lukewarm water. It would be advisable to repeat this process 2-3 times.
• Follow this up by using a conditioner. The conditioner will soften the hair and prevent brittleness resulting from chemical colors.
• Towel dry your hair lightly; avoid using a hair dryer. 
• Apply warm olive oil after your head bath. It would be best to oil your hair for 2-3 days after Holi. Oiling the scalp will help keep your hair moist as well as soothe the scalp.

ALSO

• Never smear color in the eye area.
• Watch out for water balloons.
• If a water balloon hits you in the eye, wash immediately with water. If irritation persists seek immediate medical attention.
• In the event of bleeding in the eye, cover the eye with a clean cloth or cotton. Rush to an eye specialist. Do not massage or rub the eye.

Just remember to play safe with colors as also to keep your hair glowing.    

Play Safe and Enjoy! 

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Crimes Against Women | Book Review

"Crimes Against Women"- Three Tragedies And The Call For Reform In India

By The Wall Street Journal

Publishers: HarperCollins 

“Crimes against women” as the name says everything about this book is about women condition in India. As we all know 2012 was the most disastrous year for all the women fraternity. Female feticide, gang-rapes, eve-teasing, murders and many more such true crime stories are phenomenally narrated by the authors of this book. This book is about the three tragedies which happened last year which shows chauvinistic attitude of people for women in India. The Wall street journal published with in-depth research about Delhi gang rape on 16^th December, baby falak severe condition and murder of sister valsa.

All the stories were deeply investigated by WSJ’s authors Krishna Pokharel and Paul Beckett. This book is divided into three parts-

Part-1: Sister Valsa, a 53 year’s old nun was brutally murdered by the villagers for whom she did so much. This incident happened in Pachwara a village in Jharkhand. She fought for villager’s rights. In 2002, she organized “Rajmahal Hills Protection movement” against Panem Coal Mines LTD because they were extracting coals and destroying their lands for other purposes. But after some time the greed for royalties spoiled the relationship of sister valsa and parganaith’s (head of the village) son who begun challenging sister valsa’s supervisory role and he wanted to have complete control of the process of negotiating with the company. On 15 November 2011, around 40 men armed with weapons attacked and murdered Sister Valsa. 

Part-2: Story of baby falak is about prostitution, human trafficking, bride selling and domestic violence. This story is about Munni Khatoon and her three children Golu, Khushboo and Sania (Falak). They suffered over 10months, from mid-2011 to early 2012. Many people exploited them; baby falak’s severe condition opened everyone’s eyes including police, media and some politicians. When police started investigation, they unfolded many other crimes that were happening in the underbelly of Indian society.

Part-3: A gang rape that happened in Delhi on December 16, 2012 in which a girl was allegedly raped by 5 men and a teenage boy. A young woman who was studying physiotherapy and her male friend who is a software engineer boarded a bus after watching Life of Pie at a very famous mall in Delhi boarded a bus from Munirka to Dwarka around 9PM. We can never imagine in our worst nightmares that actually happened that night with that young couple. The girl was mercilessly raped in a moving bus. Some other aspects of this story are also well written in this novel.

Read all these stories closely in this novel because these cases changed the image of developing India. WSJ researched about each incident before publishing the stories in a novel. We all have heard about these cases on many different news channels but WSJ explored these crimes with their expert team of researchers. As we all know all these cases were once on the headlines of every news channel but after some time because of our slow system, these cases fade away. So what happened with the criminals and all the ‘behind the scenes’ are very well written in this book by maintaining the emotional pull.

The best part about this book is the afterword part in which they suggested the changes that need to happen in India, if we want to change the image of our country. WSJ also researched on various other cases and found the main problems in India are-

      1. Police ratio to citizens is very low i.e. 1 police for 1030 citizens.

      2. Chauvinistic and misogynistic attitude of people in India.

      3. Ignorance of small issues leads to such horrible incidents. 

I recommend this book to all those who loves to read about true incidents. This book is about those brave and innocent women who sacrificed their lives because of some ill-mannered people. It’s a MUST read for all the citizens of India because they all should know and feel the pain of women who are living fearfully. 

Published: June’2013

Language: English

Price: 250INR or $9.99

ISBN: 978-0-06-231217-4

Genre: Current Affairs

Available on Flipkart, Amazon, Crossword and HomeShop18. 

Overall Rating- 4.5/5

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What To Do On Diwali ?

Last night on twitter, a hash tag was trending in India, which was #WhatToDoOnDiwali. So today, when my mom woke me up so early and said “Aj boht kaam hai, jaldi utho”, suddenly that hash tag came to my mind. What comes to your mind when you think about Diwali?  Bursting crackers, fireworks and of course lakshmi poojan, Right? As we all know, Diwali is the biggest festival in India and everyone celebrates this festival with their own twists.

Like in our North India, we celebrate Diwali at night with lakshmi poojan and by bursting crackers, whereas in south, they begin early in the morning. The eldest family member will apply sesame oil on the heads of all the family members. Then after they take bath, and wear new clothes and burst crackers in the morning. Even in east and west, they have their different rituals of celebrating Diwali. However, one thing, which is common among all, is they celebrate this festival with full enthusiasm and great energy. Every year we complaint about the fading colors of Diwali, so by the time you finish reading this article you will understand the reason behind it. 

So here is, what you need to do to save Diwali and do not let it fade:

·         Nokia says “Connecting people”, but my dear friends the truth is cell phones are keeping us away from each other. When there were no phones, people used to meet up and exchange gifts on Diwali. However, whatsapp, we chat and other such apps ruined everything.  Just try to avoid facebook or twitter and spend some quality time with your family and friends. Also rather than wishing on whatsapp and weChat, call your old friends and wish them personally. You can also send some traditional greeting cards to those who live far from your place.

·         Drift back in time when we all used to burst crackers with our cousins and other relatives, for every one of us those days were so blissful. So today, why are we hesitating so much? Time changes but feelings remain same, so live those moments once again with all your loved ones, and never hesitate to approach them first. Call your old friends and cousins, invite them at your home, and celebrate Diwali with them as you used to celebrate.

  

·         Diwali is for everyone and it’s about love and happiness. Spread more by donating your old clothes to needy people. Visit an orphanage and distribute crackers and sweets to the kids. Many people throw/dump their leftover sweets, so I believe we should giveaway some to poor people and make them happy. It is not about big, sometimes happiness is in small things. Try it!

·         Diwali is about togetherness, spend more time with your family and friends, and make them feel special by giving them some gifts. 

·         Clean your house and welcome lakshmiji to your well-decorated house. Decorate your house with candles, diyas, frills, and lamps. Do pujas and prayers with your family and have a good time with them. 

·        As we all know, Diwali is a festival of Hindus and somewhat a Sikh festival as it marks Bandi chhor festival, so invite your friends that belongs to a different religion because Diwali symbolizes togetherness.  

I hope now you know what exactly you have to do this Diwali. It is a festival of lights but just by lighting and decorating your own house, you cannot impress lakshmiji. Light up other life’s just by sharing some love and happiness. 

Wishing you all a Happy Diwali glowing with peace, joy and prosperity. 

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Smart Suraksha On Road

Be Safe on streets!

Recently, Supreme Court announced the final verdict for the most shocking case in the history of India, which was Delhi gang rape case that happened last year. As we all know, that this case showed us the true image of Delhi police security for women. Nirbhaya(the victim) who lost the battle of life but she gave all of us a lesson that we have to fight for our own rights and we should not depend on police for our safety. 

For this case, different people had their different opinions. Some said, “A girl should not go out at night to avoid rape”, while other suggested “Girls should get married at the age of 16”. Moreover, the most shocking statement given by the biggest RAPIST in India was by Asharam bapu, who said, “The victim was equally responsible for the mishappening that happened and she should have taken God’s name” and should have said to rapists that “Brother, I am helpless and you are my religious brother”.

So ladies, do you really expect something good from such chauvinistic people? Well No, you shouldn’t! Start taking certain precautions and fight for your own rights. Why we should depend on others? We are not helpless, we can fight, and we will fight. Through this article, I am going to share some Smart Surakhsha tips for all my readers. Check it out:

1. As I mentioned above, a hypocrite gave his opinion that “Girls should not go out at night”, So here’s my tip for it that we should go out after seven, and make it a trend. It should not be a big deal for any girl to out late night.

2.  Now, after setting the trend we should take some precautions and should carry a Pepper Spray, a message for all the boys “If you want to show care to your sister or girlfriend and even mother, please gift her a bottle of pepper spray”. 

3.  Do not drink too much and get high. Moreover, do not lose your senses by drinking too much alcohol. If you want to chill out, go with some trustworthy people and inform your parents about your plans (of course, exclude the alcohol part, but at least tell them with whom and where you are going).

4.  Go for Ladies night, these days many bars/lounges have started this trend of ladies night where only women are allowed, so go with your girlfriends and have a good time there.

5.  Learn some self-defense techniques. Judo-karate, kickboxing, martial arts, and many more courses are easily available by many training centres. So learn any one of the technique and go out confidently.

6.  Help the helpless, because you never know when you will be the victim of any demon. Therefore, it is our responsibility to raise our voice for others, and then only others will take a stand for us. It’s like an eye for an eye and hand for a hand.

7.  Park smartly and keep your senses high in a parking lot. Try to park your car near a security camera and when you are walking back to your car just observe your surroundings keenly.

8. These days mostly all women carry a smart phone or tab, which is fully loaded with so many apps like whatsapp, instagram, we chat, chat-on etc. Just by loading such applications how can you make sure that your device is actually ‘Smart’? Here are some few amazing apps which were designed for women’s safety and are easily available on Googleplay, install an app right now:

              - Smart Suraksha by Dark Matter India. 

              - Women’s sacurity designed by Zayan Infotech

              - My Panic Alarm by Zined

              - Women Safety Secured by Blisstechworks

              - Secure her by Dexter Retail & Distribution Pvt. Ltd

              

     9. Do not ignore your gut feelings. As we all know, girls have the power of sixth sense, so take full advantage of it. If a person is following you and your gut says his intentions are not right, so just chuck your politeness and kick his butt hardly.

    10. Never trust anyone so easily and never be dependent on anyone. Just keep this in your mind and follow what your heart says.

    These are the precautions which I follow, so if you have some more tips and ideas feel free to post them as comments below. 

  

I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.

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