| 0 comments ]

Here on AIMB of course but also on A Girl's Gotto Spa. Today I am the contributor for their guest beauty post.

Hop on over here and show the love. The product I've written about is one the most relaxing face masks I've ever tried. And it costs only $3.37 ! And its made from several several natural ingredients !

Love,
Indian Girl
PS : Thank you to everybody who hit A Girl's Gotto Spa and left an encouraging comment. Love you guys. And those didn't - I love you too. Now go check out the post !

| 4 comments ]

For the past year I've been using a mystery product to dry up pimples and fade the blemish it might have left. One whole year. And just last week I realized the product was a Tea Tree Oil based one. Some times I'm like that. I'll make my mind up that it was made of Salicylic Acid and it will be a year before I realize its Tea Tree Oil.

T.E.A T.R.E.E O.I.L

The Tree Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion is now available 2 for $18. Originally its retails for $18 per product. Aint that bloody brilliant ( that's my London based alter ego)


It was when I sniffed this little bottle that I realized the story behind my mystery product. Once you get past the unique smell, there is no reason to not like this lotion. Its totally non greasy. As non greasy as fries rolled in paper towel and twisted to squeeze out the oil.

The two important ingredients in it are the Lemon tea tree and Community Trade tea tree oil from Kenya which contain anti-bacterial properties that help fight blemishes and prevent new ones from forming. The other essential ingredient is Tamanu oil from Madagascar which has a soothing effect and helps to calm irritation and redness.

Thanks to some chocolate overdose from baking cookies for a friend I broke out on my right cheek. Three days of continuous application and there was a marked difference on the state on those suckers. They shriveled, sunk, weakened and drew back from fighting the almighty Tea Tree.

For $9 I am super happy with this product. Its a dream formula for gorgeous oily skinned women. For a dry skinned beauty ( hey, I called you gorgeous) like me, its still a miracle product coz it moisturizes and soothes my skin apart from putting those red suckers in its place.

Price - $18 (1.0 fl oz)
Purchase
- Thebodshop-usa.com , The Body Shop stores
Purpose
- Blemish Fade, Oil Free Lotion
Position
- Have you tried any product from the Tea Tree Line ? If not, you must !

Love,
Indian Girl

| 0 comments ]

Y'all know I love oatmeal , right ?

No ?

Well, I do. And if you don't, then you've got to check out my Breakfast Oatmeal Recipe here. Its a power packed super yumm breakfast !

Since this is my daily routine I usually have huge boxes of Oatmeal ready in my kitchen and am always looking for new ways to use it up. This is a tip I got recently from Skyy Hadley of As “U” Wish Nail Spa.- A Meals For The Heels Mask. Loves the name ! And, it uses my Oatmeal !

This Is What We Do

Take one cup of regular oatmeal and 1/2 cup of regular milk and heat up over the stove, stir until cooked. Add sugar to thicken the mixture, and then let it cool off a bit. When the mix is thickened, apply to your feet.

Leave the mask on for about 5 - 10 minutes.

The oatmeal soothes dry, itchy or irritated skin, while the sugar acts as an exfoliant to help get rid of dry and dead skin cells. Finish off with pure shea butter as a moisturizer and you’re all set.

I am a total slacker when it comes to feet. I wash it regularly (OCD -ly) but don't pamper it as often. Must get working on that. Plus isn't this a good addition to our Natural Week !

Love,
Indian Girl

| 8 comments ]

I love Eva Longoria. The petite beauty along with gorgeous J. Lo taught me to keep it light around the eyes and relatively dark or natural on the rest of the face. It is rule that changed the way I looked in photos forever.

F.O.R.E.V.E.R

Just look her. her with the nice blow dried hair and super pretty makeup.
Blow drying only makes my hair dry and stringy.
And that smile, I cant smile that smile unless I've eaten a couple of glazed doughnuts.
Then I'll do anything.

The hair again. I hawrt it.
The blush ? Bit bright, no ?

That's more like it. Bright on the cheeks but done right.
And is that Texas on her neck ? Howdy !

Pretty updo ! Nice warm makeup. BIG earrings !
I cant wear jewelery to save my life.

Ooh very nude face makeup. The pewter eyes - very nice !
About that face shez making, yea ....not so sexy in real life.
I know, okay.

And then, it all went wrong.
Very wrong.
Very very wrong.
It became washed out and ashy. Thank God for the ultra black lashes.

But we wont talk anymore about it. Bad makeup happens to good people and that's it.

Love,
Indian Girl

| 3 comments ]

There is one downfall to being a foodie and cooking up a storm - your house soaks up the smell of everything that you lay on the stove. Be it soy sauce, oyster sauce, or super aromatic Indian spices. As much as its fun to cook I usually keep all my doors and windows open while cooking so there is no smell in the house. I absolutely loathe coming through my front door only to be greeted by the scent of what I ate last night. At this point I usually revert back to deli sandwiches which are yumm and don't make a big fuss around the house.

But, What Choice Do I Have ?


Apart from the open door policy, I use up a whole lotta fragrance to make my home feel more cozy. My favorite was to light up candles, which of course cant be used if I'm not going to be home. And if they are not lit - they don't give out any fragrance. The plug in ones are just weird to me. I don't like em. Reminds me of insect repellents. And the pot pourri - don't even get me started on them. Tres trashy - my opinion only. I promise I don't hate it if you have them in your home. I just don't like em at my place.

Reeds, Italian Reeds

It was during my search for a more effective way to 'scent' my house that I came across the Casa di Francesca Home Fragrances. Each Starter Kit includes a beautiful Italian glass diffuser bottle, a separate 200ml plastic bottle containing the fragrance and 10 reed diffuser sticks. Though it is advised to fill up half the glass bottle with the fragrance oil, I chose to fill only about a quarter of it. You then place the reeds in it . It took about an hour for the reeds to soak up the oil and to start disseminating the delicious scent into the air.


I chose to try out a clean scent - Italian Linen. One of the best decisions ! The scent is so clean, fresh, delicate and so very welcoming. Absolutely no body will ever have an issue with it. Scent apart, the glass bottle with its cute blue ribbon is a pretty addition to my home. They have over 40 fragrances to choose from. My next will be the Mediterranean Lavender / Casablanca Lily. But then I might feel all hide-y and go for English Leather. What say ?

BF loves it too !

It took a little over two weeks for the bottle to dry up. Going by this calculation I am guessing one kit will last for at least two months. I loved it so much that I instantly ordered one for my bf and had it sent to her place. My girl and her husband loved the elegant bottle and the fragrance !

I told you I was organizing the home ! This is part of the easy changes. Will write more on what else I've been doing soon !

Price - $39.50 (starter kit - 200ml)
Purchase - www.casadifrancesca.com
Purpose - Home Fragrance
Position -
Love,
Indian Girl

| 6 comments ]

I cant remember how young I was when I first saw Dove's ad that said their soaps had 1/4th moisturizer in it. But I remember, soon after that I convinced my mom and dad that if there was a soap my sister and I were going to use - it was Dove.

What was your first beauty purchase as a kid ? How much parental convincing did it take ?


Here are some stories from our Twitter brigade


That should establish the fact that I love Dove bar soaps. My next favorite would be Olay Oatmeal which is becoming extremely hard to find. You know what they say...out of sight, out of mind.


Dove recently introduced a Body Wash collection that contains the NutriumMoisture™ technology. This new technology can penetrate up to ten layers of skin ( I didn't know we had so many ! Dermis & epidermis is all I remember from school). Most body washes either strip out deeper layers of moisture make us feel dry or just sit on top of our skin making us feel good on the outside while the lipids and proteins on the inside, starve from lack of moisture. The New Dove Body washes promise to preserve our natural proteins and lipids by proving them adequate moisture.

Ooh I love all things scientific !

The Body washes are available in Deep Moisture, Sensitive Skin and Gentle Exfoliating formulas. I tried them all and had two clear favorites - deep moisture (DM) and sensitive skin (SS). DM, a little more than SS. Now I really cannot strip down to ten layers below and find out if they were moisturized but I can tell ya, I haven't needed a body lotion since I began with these. Both SS and DM create mad lather which the suds queen loves. They are thicker than most body washes, almost like a body lotion. But when you get out , there is no slimy greasy feeling that comes from most super moisturizing formulas. This is especially important to me, given the hot humid weather .


The exfoliating body wash was my least favorite. It is moisturizing but not really exfoliating. They call it a gentle exfoliator but I like something a lot more scrub-by. Something that will take the dirt away after a hard day at the ranch.

That's right I said ranch.

Aah, who am I kiddin
.

I ain't no cow girl. But I like a good body scrub. In this one, I could hardly feel the beads. May be its good for sensitive skin ? Or for gently exfoliating right before shaving ?

Price - $9
Purchase - CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart
Purpose - Moisturizing Body Wash
Position

Have you tried these New Dove Body Washes ?



Love,
Indian Girl
PS : I bought the Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth Deodorant (Fresh Scent) last week and Hallelujah !!! Its brilliant ! I promise you it was good for over 24 hours, man !! I'll write about it soon !

| 95 comments ]

Did you know Zoya made lip glosses too ? Yeah, they do ! They are called Hot Lips Glossy Lip Balms. Balms or gloss no matter what the name, these are slightly addictive. So beware...


The Hot Lips comes in cute 0.42 oz fat tubes. They are so tiny that you can afford to have 20 or so in your bag without adding much weight or taking too much space. I tested out six of 50 or more shades. I loved 5 of em so that's a very good ratio ! The sixth one was pretty too but too light for my pigmented lips.

Check out the shades. Arn't these super ! They are way way way less stickier than Lancome Juicy Tubes, have a good amount of color and shine, not heavy on the lips, smell slightly sweet and are very forgiving on broken lips. I'm not sure if they have BOGOF or similar sales, but if they do, I would stock up on plenty of them ! They even make cute gifts for your teenage nieces !

Price - $6 (0.42 oz)
Purchase
- artofbeauty.com
Purpose
- Shiny Moisturizing Lip Gloss
Position
-





luvie ( a frosty milky pink) - not swathed

Hmm so you made it to the end of the post. Good Job !
Now that you did here are two ways to enter to win a set of all six glosses ! And I'm giving away two sets. So two of you stand a chance to win a complete set of these six glosses featured above !

Two Ways To Enter :

1. Answer this question.

Name at least three bands that have a color in their name. For example : Black Eyed Peas
Leave your answer in the comment section of this post along with your email id. Unfortunately if you dint leave an email id, the entry will be invalid.

or

2. If you're on twitter RT about this giveaway.
RT @Indiangirl Indian Girl is giving away two sets of Zoya Hot Lips. RT to enter !! http://tinyurl.com/mzuonu

Giveaway is open only to US residents and ends on Monday, August 31 at 11 PM C.S.T. I will randomly pick and announce the winner later that day

Have Fun !

Love,
Indian Girl

| 4 comments ]

It is tough not to be a teensy bit jealous of Nicole Scherrdfnjfsbdklvsknloezzzrrigzer's long beautiful hair and spotless skin. I really don't know the products behind that silky hair and skin but I sure can tell you the $5 lipstick that will give you the same lip look.

It is the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rum Raisin 535 . Ooh the gorgeousness that this shade is !! This is one my most favorite drugstore lipsticks ever. It is perfect fall shade but one need not be super bold to carry it off. It is a creamy raisin with a hint of brick to it that brightens up my complexion like no other. There were a couple of years in my life when I practically wore this shade every single day. I need to get me a case of this, now.

Shez got a brother - Raisin Rage. A very handsome fella !

Love,
Indian Girl

| 4 comments ]

Last night I finally replaced the Estee Lauder Rose Gold shade with a barbie pink one. The EL nail polish was amazing !!! It took about two weeks for it to start chipping. If long stay is your thing pick a couple of EL nail polishes.

This barbie pink shade (#174 Lovin Lilac) on my nails is by Karma Organics. Remember the organic nail polish remover I wrote about, a while back ? Its from the same brand. The nail polishes are organic too !

They go on very easily and took two coats to get a dense, creamy even color. I am planning on getting more shades form this brand because my cuticles have become extremely sensitive and seem to e responding well to these organic nail polish remover ( I swear its the best !) and lacquers.Guess they go well with my Natural theme for next week !

The shade is uber pretty !!! I'd like to think it goes well with tanned skin !

What shade do you have on your nails ?


Love,
Indian Girl

| 1 comments ]

I heart Sushmita. I think she is gorgeous, charming, super independent and has a mind of her own. I have adored since her Miss Universe days and continue to do so. I found this picture of hers at a recent event and loved the makeup ! Her trademark well groomed, arched brows, the shiny luscious dark hair, all the warmth on her cheeks and lips compliments her tan skin so very well !

If I had to take a guess at her lipstick or suggest a shade similar to hers it would be Julie Hewett Lipstick in Thandie. Its gonna be a favorite to wear this fall. Also a great shade to try out if you wanna make the jump eventually into full blown reds.


Love,
Indian Girl
Pic Source

| 20 comments ]

Starting next Monday I am planning on going natural with my skin care / beauty routine for a week. All through the week I plan on using only natural plant based products to help cleanse, moisturize my face and body.

I'd like to see if using just natural stuff makes a difference on my skin. My mom keeps saying it will, but we'll see. I wanna see if my skin will survive not being fed its daily dose of Moisturizers and lotions that come in bottles and spray cans.

So , who wants to join me in this experiment. We wont do anything fancy. No Himalayan herbs and stuff . Just regular things available in the kitchen like milk, sugar, salt, oils and other things you suggest.

It'll be super if y'all, my girlfriends join me. More than anything we'll have fun doing it and we;ll totally bond ;) Just leave a comment below if you're interested and then we can all discuss on the items we wanna use for our Natural week !

Love,
Indian Girl

| 6 comments ]

Ladies Ladies Ladies

If I ever said the words eyeliner tattoo before on this blog, I take that back now; For I have found something that actually is semi permanent. s.e.m.i.P.E.R.M.A.N.E.N.T !!!

And it stays on for 24 hours or forever until you take it off. 2.4.H.O.U.R.S !!!

I am really into d.o.t.t.i.n.g words

The liners come with thin brushes that can be easily manipulated to draw as thin a line as possible or thicker for a more solid bold line. But the deal is this - you better rest your hand on a steady table when you do it because once the line is drawn there ain't no going back, baby.
Water and soap make no difference on this liner. Last night after a round of swatching on my hand, I tried taking if off with soap and no amount of rubbing made it budge. All that happened was my hand turned red. But once I dried my hand and pulled out the makeup remover , it vanished in seconds.


The Infinite Liquid Eyeliners come in five bright metallic shades.

Everlast - black
Endless - metallic purple
Infinite - metallic electric blue
Forever - Golden Bronze
Eternal - Golden Green

The shades make the liner even more special ! All of them except the solid black have a metallic finish. The most sombre of the 5 is the purple shade - Endless. However, I do have a few more requests. I'd love one metallic dark brown, a pure gold, a pure silver, a navy blue, a forest green and many many more. One more thing, the liner takes a while to dry and isn't really instant. So, it is better to keep your eyes closed and do one eye at a time. Dry time. Then do the other eye. The bronze one , I thought took the longest time to dry. The black, a close second.


This one's an ideal liner to look glamorous under extreme conditions - be it 13 hours at work or if you're a sportswomen who plays under the hot sun for hours or if you garden nonstop for hours or if type endlessly on AIMB.

Price - $5.99
Purchase
- CVS, Walgreens,
Purpose
- Semi permanent eyeliner
Position
-

What is your favorite shade ? I am totally diggin the blue !!


Love,
Indian Girl

| 13 comments ]

I know you guys loved the EOTD that I put up with the Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner Post. Though the liner worked out well, the real unsung hero was my concealer - The Cover FX Camouflage Concealer.

To show how awesome these are let me show you a pic of me without the concealer


There you go ! The things I do for the blog...
Notice the evil inner corner of my eye. Its darker than the Dating in the dark room.

I need to pay extra attention there and somehow most concealers just crack and look dry in the inner corner. Y'all know I am dead serious when it comes to concealers. Throughout a year and a half of blogging how many concealers have I recommended to you - one. Just one. Does not mean I didn't test any . I tested plenty but none were good. None worthy of my time and space on this blog. That's how serious I am about concealers.

After so long I came across another one that was great enough to be recommended to y'all.


The Cover FX Camouflage Concealer is the newest product from Cover FX. This is what Cover FX has to say about their new range of concealers - " Conceal FX Camouflage Concealer, an instant, flaw-erasing concealer cream with a lightweight velvet finish. Conceal FX is not just perfect for your skin but also great for HD film/video, seamlessly covering anything you want to hide, providing opaque, long-lasting, water-resistant coverage and can be used to instantly erase under eye circles, redness, dark spots, sun damage, blemishes, tattoos, birthmarks, fatigue or skin trauma. "

Here is a list of the shades available and the corresponding foundation shades in the range.

Conceal FX Shade Ideal for Foundation Shade Range
X-Light 0-20
Light 20-40
Light-Medium 40-60
Medium 60-90
Deep B0 - 25
X-Deep B25-65

Having had a very good experience with their foundations I was so looking forward to trying out their concealers. I got in Light and it worked very well with my skin tone. The shade is very warm and has a touch of peach to it which is extremely important to cover up the bluish purple tinge that dark circles have. Another reason why peach correctors are recommended for severe dark circles.

The concealer comes in a tube with a teeny tiny hole. You need extremely little amount of the concealer and you get just that much at a time. Absolutely no wastage. The tube seems a lot more sanitary to me than pans coz I am not dipping my finger into the whole product at a time.

The Camouflage concealer has a creamy texture but isn't very creamy. Very creamy concealers tend to crease easily, disappear faster and do not provide extreme coverage. At the same time if its not creamy, the concealer remains as blobs because it becomes very difficult to apply and spread. With this concealer there is good balance in the texture so as to make it creamy enough to spread easily but opaque enough to cover up everything with very little product.

I tried the shades Light & Light to Medium. Light is bit more peachy than Light To Medium which has a little more yellow and looks lighter than the shade Light. I found that Light suited me the best and looked great in pictures so I decided to stick with it.


Word of advice : Always use a hydrating, oil free eye cream under concealers.


Price - $25 (0.5 fl oz / 15 ml)
Purchase
- Sephora, Nordstrom
Purpose
- Water resistant concealer for under eye circle, tattoos, birth marks
Position
Love,
Indian Girl

| 2 comments ]

Along with the multitude of eyeliners we saw earlier , Urban Decay also released three lipsticks as part of their Fall 2009 Collection. The three shades include Naked, Confession and Oil Slick. After checking these two out, I am beating myself over not getting Oil Slick. It is a high priority right now.


Of the two I tried, Naked won me over instantly. It has replaced Jailbait as my most favorite lipstick from UD. Over the last week I cant tell you how many time I took off the lipstick I had on and went (with) Naked. Aah, I just had to put it that way ;)

Naked is a neutral pink that goes on very very creamy. The lipstick also has a hint of gold sparkles on it that kinda play hide and seek with my eyes. Its like they are there but not there; but what I actually mean is they are not there but are there.


I don't know what UD is up to but I sure am confused.

Damn my eye doctor, I told him my left eye was blind and he says it isn't. Now, you tell me are there gold sparkles or not ?

Price - $22
Purchase
- Sephora, Macy's , Ulta, Urbandecay.com
Purpose - Lipsticks
Position

Confession is a deep mysterious wine. It goes on dark on my lips but not heavy and opaque. Looks nothing like what it does in the tube, hence mysterious. Its one for cold nights, trench coats and crack-free lips.



Price - $22
Purchase
- Sephora, Macy's , Ulta, Urbandecay.com
Purpose - Lipsticks
Position


What is your favorite lipstick from Urban Decay ?



Love,
Indian Girl

| 0 comments ]

Lisa Ray's Makeup Artist in LA, Kerry Malouf was kind enough to share with AIMB, the details of Lisa Ray's makeup at a recent event. I knew I wanted to know all about it and am sure you guys would love some exclusive info on Lisa Ray's makeup !

This is what gorgeous Kerry had to say about Lisa Ray :

"Lisa Ray is a pure ray of Sunshine to work with! I'm lucky to be her makeup artist in Los Angeles and it's always such a pleasure to paint her beautiful face! I recently did her makeup for a special event she was hosting while in town. We decided to go with a Colorful, Glamorous look as she was judging a Beauty Pageant. "

Now onto the look

"Here are the steps I took:
I started with the Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint which is available in 4 shades. I used Golden on her. This Moisture Tint is SPF 20, it's oil free, it's hyper allergenic, it's water resistant, and it has Gingko Biloba which offers calming and soothing properties.

I lightly taped in the Jouer Brightening Stick under her eyes. I love this product because it has Light Diffusing Multi Mineral Pigments in it that deflect light.

I accentuated her cheek bones with Amarylis all over color.

I gave her a sexy smokey eye by using Caviar powder eye shadow blended with Creme Organza Eye Shadow. Jouer makes my favorite eye liners! They are formulated with Vitamin A & Vitamin E which prevents the color from creasing and fading. I framed her eye with Noir eye liner and used the Noir Mascara.

For the lips, I ended with Elizabeth Hydrating Lipstick which has the powerful moisturizing properties of Brazils Cupuac'u Butter. This is a really popular color that is a must have! It's a sheer berry pink."

The Hair

"Shannon Kim (thomaschance.com) came along with me to do Lisa's hair for the event. They decided on a very Glamorous ~ Sexy Look. Being that Shannon is an artist at heart, she takes each style she creates to heart. She curled specific pieces of Lisa's hair with an iron. She then pinned each piece and let them cool. Then she brushed it all out. She then shaped Lisa's hair into a Veronika Lake wave. She pined it to hold the wave. She finish it by spraying the wave with hair spray. All products by Bumble & Bumble."

The smokey eyes were brilliant ! Caviar is next on my list. With Fall coming up soon its all about smokey eyes and dark lips !!


Love,
Indian Girl

| 2 comments ]

Congratulations to Sumaiya on winning the compete collection of Tea Tree Products from The Body Shop. Sumaiya, please get back to me at makeupgirl007@gmail.com in 48 hours.

Big thanks to everybody who entered the contest! Stay tuned I have a bunch of lip glosses to giveaway !!

Love,
Indian Girl

Edit (8/20/2009 - 9:00PM CST) Sumaiya did not get back to me so a new winner Seattledusk was chosen.

Edit #2 (8/24/2009 -10:00 AM CST) Well Seattle dusk also did not get back to me so I had to choose another winner - Artie. I hope she gets back.

Edit #3 ( 8/26/2009 - 12:29 PM CST ) Artie didnot get back to me either. So, I had to choose another winner. This time it was Niharika. Please please get back to me.

| 1 comments ]

The folks at Clinique are serious about their lip gloss. Just as serious as I am about my Orange Dream Machine at Jamba Juice. If you're a smoothie lover like I am and are always looking for healthier things to put into them for that extra protein , extra anti oxidants or extra vitamins - I've got just the lip gloss for ya - The New Vitamin C Lip Smoothie.



What it is, is a vitamin packed formula that is enriched with a cocktail of ingredients that work together to improve the condition of the lips instantly and over time. Key players in this lip smoothie include Vitamin C, Pomegranate, Açaí Berry, Shea Butter and Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter.

The applicator is the flow through brush applicator - the one you click and the gloss oozes out. Clicketty Clack Clack. The lip smoothie is available in eight lip quenching, juicy, fruity shades.

I tried the lip smoothie in Nude-tricious - a soft brown nude shade with a hint of shimmer. Totally loving the moisture, the light texture and the shade. Its is said to have a sheer to moderate finish whereas I was found it to be almost opaque. Another big plus was the fact that it does not have an ultra glossy shine. As someone with full lips, I hate the over juicy gloss dripping, too wet look. This has more natural shine that makes it great for conservative work settings as well.

One more thing, though said to be water resistant ( I read that as fairly long staying) , I found that the color vanished in three hours or so. The moisture was there but it felt like the air around me just took the color away...


I am very happy with this one ! Just as happy as I am when I find a good, lip smacking, hunger satisfying smoothie !

Price - $17.50 (0.05 oz)
Purchase - Clinique.com, Nordstrom
Purpose
- An antioxident , Vitamin enriched Lip Gloss
Position
-

What is your favorite smoothie ? Do you have a master mix of your own ?



Love,
Indian Girl

| 9 comments ]

Yesterday I was reading an article that said aging begins as early as 25. Just two years back wasn't it 30 and a few years before that, 35 ? Are we aging faster or are we being told so...

Another reason the whole 25 thing came as a big blow to me was - I'm 25. Has my "aging" begun ? How am I to tell ? Yes, exactly one day before my 25th birthday I found my first gray hair. Eight months since I've seen three more. Is this aging ? I see my best friend who is almost my age, now has the two distinct parallel lines between her brows - apparently they are frown lines. I don't remember her having them five years back. Some of my other friends who are all in the same age group 25 to 27 seem to be experiencing endless hair fall, dry skin and lines around eyes. Is this aging ? And there are some others who to me look the same they did 10 or so years back when we first met.

Friends apart there is my mom. I have seen her age suddenly in the past four years. She is in her fifties and not one conversation of ours goes without her mentioning about not being as fast as she used to be or how she misses her cheeks, or how much she hates having diabetes. She developed diabetes in her late forties. She has not stopped and pushes herself to her maximum capability and not being able to do more makes her feel defeated by age. It is tough to suddenly slow down, you know.

And then there is BOTOX and the likes of it. Do they really make one expressionless ? I am a terribly expressive person. I move my hands, my eyes, my forehead, cheeks everything. I cant not do that. But even if the technology improves will I trust it enough ? Will I be able to afford it ? Does this count as aging gracefully ?

Is It My Time Yet ?

How much of aging is environmental ? How much of it is genetic ? How much have we brought on ourselves ? Is it the unnecessary stress ? Is it the regular pain life brings ? How does one age gracefully ? What is aging gracefully ? And when does that begin ? How am I to know ? Yes, its different for each one of us. But how do you know your time and how do I know mine ? Is there a "begin combat " window ? Have I missed my window ? Will I ?

Reasons apart, how am I going to handle my own aging ? I don't want to not try and let go. I don't want to say let nature take its course. Who knows what nature has planned for me. Its not that I don't want to age. I am in no quest for eternal youth. I just want to look my age at my age. One thing I know for sure is that I am not going to rely entirely on anti aging creams and serums. Its not just an outside thing. I need to boost myself from the inside and take care of my skin from the outside. I need to have the strength from the inside which will definitely translate into something good on the outside. What I apply on the outside will take it a step further. Doing just one of these is not going to be enough.

Sustainable Youth

A few months back when I was online searching for anti aging stuff for my mom, I came across this company called Sustainable Youth. They make three organic, natural and green products, all of which help - sustain youth. Their core philosophy got me all the more interested in them - “Youth is a sustainable resource that can be renewed indefinitely over time without a negative impact on the environment,”

Two birds with one stone ! Sounds great to know my youth is a sustainable resource. Good to know I can renew it indefinitely and not harm my environment further.

The Key Ingredient

Every anti - aging product has its own key ingredient. In the case of Sustainable Youth it is Alasta™ - an immune-stimulating extract discovered inside the rind of the aloe plant. According to Sustainable Youth, Alasta™ helps to improve the skin’s elasticity and firmness through its ability to boost the body’s overall immune system. A stronger, more efficient immune system is better able to resist inflammation and combat free radical damage, collagen fiber degradation, and elastin cross-linking, all major contributors to skin aging.

In a world full of harmful chemicals, I find some solace in trusting my youth with a organic sustainable and renewable technology. Here are a few compelling things about Sustainable Youth that make me want to trust them with my aging process.

  • All active ingredients are organic
  • All ingredients are organic, natural and green
  • Formulated with patent-pending natural preservative
  • No petrochemicals or parabens
  • All natural and organic essential oils
  • No genetically modified ingredients
  • No animal derived ingredients or animal testing
  • Packaged and manufactured using sustainable materials and practices
The three products made by Sustainable Youth are

* Immune Performance™ Elastifirm™ Supplement; $65 for a one-month supply of 60 capsules
* Immune Performance™ Revitalizing Serum; $80 for a 30 ml (1 fl. oz.) bottle
* Immune Performance™ Elasticity Cream; $80 for a 30 ml (1 fl. oz.) bottle

Sounds expensive ? Yes. I sent my mom the serum and the supplement. I did ask her to check with her doctor before taking the supplement. Though its green and organic, I wasn't sure if it would interfere with her regular meds. Better be safe than sorry. My mom, like many Indians from her generation trusts anything plant derived and organic way more than any man-made chemical. According to her its like Ayurveda.

As far as I go, the question still remains - When do I have to start my anti - aging routine ?

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON AGING ? ARE YOU IN THE SAME BOAT AS I AM ?



Love,
Indian Girl

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