My secret addiction!

I have to confess, I'm seriously addicted! Probably it's because colors fascinate me and always have. Or maybe that's just a lame excuse and maybe I just enjoy the way a light touch of color changes me, not just the way I look but even my mood too! There are probably hundreds of others who share the same addiction, and maybe that's why the giant brands of cosmetics are just growing bigger and bigger by the day! Anyway, here's the truth, I adore makeup! It's amazing how different you can look with just the right dash of color on your eyelids, lined with just the right hint of darkness. A splash of shine on your lips can add softness to your smile and a feathering of hue on your cheeks accentuates features you didn't know you had. But it's serious business too. You should search and search until you discover the right products and right colors for you and more importantly, for your skin. And once you find what's good for you, just keep searching because there's always something new coming up that could be better! But remember, what's most important is you always choose to use a good brand of good quality. Your skin must never ever be made to suffer.

Always start from the very beginning. It can be quite tedious, I know, but in the course of time you tend to get used to the process. Think of yourself as an artist, so as artists do, start with a clean slate. Or face, in this case. And to have a clean face, use a face wash that's best suited for your skin type and follow it up with an appropriate toner, personally I find the Clinique range to be quite good. Body Shop has a couple of fabulous face washes too. What comes next is what I call a boon to skin, serum!! Just a couple of dots can spread across your face and make a world of a difference! Follow this up with a moisturizer and again, it's extremely important you find the right type for your skin type. My skin tends to dry easily so I need a heavier moisturizer but for those who have more balanced or oilier skin types, choose a lighter one. Foundations are a must for me, I still bear the scars of my acne-prone teenage years, but just a light coat is fine and I have a select few that I use, varying from one to the other depending mostly on the weather. Chanel and Estee Lauder have some fabulous choices, lightweight and soft, you won't feel you're wearing any makeup and for the harsher winter months, Mac has some great options too. But be wary of the Mac Studio Fix if you tend to breakout. My recent discovery is the Dior BB cream which works wonders and is a must try! Clinique's BB cream is a great choice too!

And now, we come to my favorite part! Adding the colors! And of them all, I love lipsticks the most!! There's something about a lipstick that makes me feel all grownup and confident and quite pleased with myself! I have an amazing range of colors and brands, to suit almost every occasion and every outfit possible, but, I don't deny, I'm still on the prowl for more!! My favorites range from Chanel to Estee Lauder to Mac to Clinique to Givenchy and the list goes on!! I love lip glosses too, and my favorites are the lip glass range from Mac, they have some amazing shades! My latest fav are the chubby sticks of Clinique, which double up as lip balms too. I use quite a bit of kajal too, and have been stuck with Shehnaz Hussain's kajal stick for a while now. I love to add a light hint of eyeshadow to my eyelids, preferring darker shades for evenings and nude choices for the day. Mac has a fabulous range of eyeshadows in almost every imaginable color, while their paint pots are a rare range of eye color that just stays on and on. Different shades of eye pencils and eyeliners add just the right finishing touch and again Mac has some fabulous choices, my personal favorites are Buried Treasure and Earthline. The Mac fluid line range has some great gel liners that are soft and dusky and great if you prefer the smoky look. Some swear by mascara but honestly, I am not much of a mascara fan. However I do use color occasionally on my cheeks and I love Bobbi Brown's Sheer Color Cheek Tint which comes in an easy to apply tube, especially when you're on the go. There's nothing like a touch of blush to change the entire way you look!

I tend to prefer the soft shine as compared to a matted skin, so a spritz of Mac's Fix+ adds a touch of natural moisture to finish my look.

Now remember, it can be tedious but there's no choice in the matter, it has to be done. Removing your makeup is as important or even more so than applying it. So swipe the colors off with a good makeup remover, again Estee Lauder has some great choices, wash with the right face wash, tone and never ever forget to moisturize!

We've all heard all of this before and over and over again, so I guess I'm being repetitive, but even at that risk I must say, stick to the routine, enjoy the colors and discover a new you every time!  

Romancing with the past

I've always been fascinated with the past, right from my college days, when majoring in English Literature demanded that I study British and World History as well. And those subjects were a treat! It was fascinating to realize how everything that happens in the world today is the direct result of what happened yesterday and what happened yesterday was because of the events of the days and years before. To learn that a revolution in one country led to a war that involved continents which then led to the next war, and to understand that peace follows turmoil to be followed by peace yet again, was to finally understand why the world is where it is today.

Likewise, I enjoy reading about historical personalities, of seemingly ordinary people lead by extraordinary visions and who thus became great. I find it interesting to learn what lead them to become who they were, what their dreams and ambitions were, what their efforts and struggles were. In fact, I find that the past can actually be quite addictive, but thankfully it's an addiction with a bonus. My job often allows me to follow the lives of great people that once lived and if you happen to check my website, you'll notice that most of the stories posted on destinations are reviews of historic places. Being a writer who's often assigned to review destinations, I enjoy the thrill of digging out the history of each place I'm assigned to, after all, every place has a tale to it and what's even more fascinating is that most tales have various versions and each version is corroborated with it's own set of facts, so the most trying of it all is trying to figure out the real truth. 

Reading about great kings and their lives had always been enjoyable but to actually and physically visit the palaces they lived and reigned in is always a treat beyond belief. Visiting the Versailles was one such unforgettable experience. Likewise visiting the Edinburgh Castle. In India, visiting the Taj Mahal had been a dream come true. I'd also enjoyed visiting the home of the Gandhis in Delhi which presents the various stages in life and the personal effects of the Gandhis, including Indira and Rajiv. 

But it isn't just events and people of the past that I find interesting. I also enjoy visiting historic sites and historical monuments. The Golconda Fort in Hyderabad was enthralling and Stonehenge had left me literally breathless. I suppose, my pleasure comes from the fact that I somehow never fail to realize that the people I learn about and the places I visit were once and will always be renowned, they will always have a place in history and I am lucky to witness their historic presence. 

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What your suitcase needs..

I’m definitely no travel expert but having been on the road quite consistently for almost a decade has had me formulate my own modus operandi on preparing, packing and eventually traveling, be it on work or holiday, regrettably mostly work though!

Anyway since it works for me, I figured, just maybe, my formula would work for someone else too! So here goes!

If you’re planning on taking a short trip from a couple of days to a week then it’s always best to leave your packing till just the day before. Sounds weird? Probably, but trust me, it’s the best thing to do. Of course you’ll have to organize everything you’ll need for the trip earlier on so plans should begin a week before the trip, but I would advise you to leave the actual packing till the end. And this is mostly because packing early or over a couple of days inevitably results in missing out many things you’d actually need on the trip or eventually forgetting what you’ve got in your suitcase and what you’ve left out.

Start packing with the basic essentials – inner wear! No matter where you’re headed you can’t do without those! And always try to pack a couple of extras, just in case!

Next are the bathroom necessities. Toothbrushes are a must especially if you’re not too keen on using the standard issue that most hotels offer. Hairbrush comes next. Try to avoid max sized toothpastes, shaving creams, perfumes, moisturizers etc and opt for the mini-sizes, they save space and add a fair bit to scaling down the weight of your luggage. If you’re prone to allergies or are easy prey to colds and headaches, make sure you have sufficient supplies of your choice of medicines just in case a bout hits you. 

Make-up bags are a must for ladies wherever we go, so make sure you pack in accordance to your regular routine, it ensures that nothing’s missed and must include your moisturizer, foundation etc.

Normally carrying three or four different shades of lipsticks ranging from a nude and light pink to a couple of darker shades suited for evening wear should suffice plenty. Mascara of course, eyeliner too if needed and preferably in black which would go with every color or outfit you choose to wear. A light and a dark hued eyeshadow should be adequate and of course add your favorite blusher too. The best thing would be to have a combo palette of blush and eyeshadow, but it may not be easy to get all your favorite shades in a single palette. As for perfumes, try to carry just one perfume and see if you can get a bottle of 25ml or 50ml instead of the bulkier larger bottles. Hair accessories to be minimal and only if necessary. Try and avoid traveling with expensive jewelry and choose costume jewelry instead. If carrying anything valuable, avoid packing it into your suitcase, rather carry them on you in your handbag. 

By the way don’t forget to add that tube of sunscreen, especially if you’re headed for the beach.

Next in line is the most important of them all, the clothes!! Deciding your wardrobe for the trip primarily depends on where you’re headed and secondly on the purpose of the trip.

If you’re headed for anywhere tropical, choose light cottons. If it’s on work, pick light cotton shirts or blouses that go well with lightweight pants or skirts. Luckily cotton is a fabulous fabric that looks good as both casual and formal wear. They do tend to get crushed when packed but most hotels offer irons in the room or provide the same when requested for. Replace the pants with shorts if on a holiday.

The good thing about tropical destinations is that though it may be a tad too warm the temperature would remain more or less constant. Unless you’re headed for someplace during monsoons!

If headed for colder regions, make sure you’re aware of the general climate and temperature and pack accordingly. If it’s rainy or windy or even snowing, make sure you’re well equipped to brave the cold with ample supply of thermal wear, socks, wool scarves, cardigans and of course jackets, ensuring you have enough to last the trip and for a trip of more than 4 days, carry a lighter jacket too, if possible. And always make sure you have something nice added in for an evening out no matter where you’re headed.

Of course, always, always carry a pair of jeans! They go with anything, anywhere!

Next is the footwear. Try to limit yourself to three pairs and always wear your most comfortable pair while actually traveling. For warmer regions strappy sandals with heels works for evening wear and formal wear while flip-flops or wedges are a favorite choice for casual wear. And for the cold, boots would be a good choice. Pumps are fine wherever the destination may be. Remember, while picking the footwear for the trip, try to pick pairs that would match up with more than a couple of the outfits you’ve set aside.

Get yourself a pouch for all those chargers you’ll need for your computer, phone etc, slip your camera in as well and hopefully you’re pretty set for your trip now!

Letting loose!

I won't deny that it took me a while to start this blog because initially all I had in mind was the need of a platform to showcase my hmm.. writing 'prowess' :) and hence, after much contemplation I finally opted to put up a website, after all I told myself, websites are professional, aren't they? But somehow it just didn't feel complete. I mean, it's great having a website that carried personal favorite articles and stories that impressed editors but the limitations were immense. There's so much I want to say about so many things but could hardly put them on a website meant to distinguish me as a serious writer so I finally gave in to the magical spell of the blog. I don't deny I'm a bit apprehensive but I have a strong feeling I'm going to love letting loose online! I hope you enjoy the ride too!!! :)