Timeless Elegance

Phulkari Work

Phulkari is an ancient embroidery technique, practiced on a large scale in the state 

of Punjab. Phulkari or flower work, was also the synonym for embroidery in the ancient period. Traditional weavers excelled this art and made beautiful flower carvings on the piece of fabric.

Manish Malhotra’s latest collection for Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week, titled ‘Threads of Emotions’, featured this beautiful artwork called, Phulkari. Like his previous collection, where he displayed chikankari and kashmiri work, this time too he did a fantastic job in embezzling the stylish apparels with this beautiful embroidery work. What we liked the most was that he used the phulkari work in geometric prints which made it stand out.

Among the models who worked on the ramp, we thought Esha Gupta stood out in a gorgeous black and red Phulkari saree. We also liked the stylish jacket which was adorned by Jacqueline Fernandez . The jackets with an Indian flavor are a hot favorite this season. We feel it gives a classy feel to the Indian wear. We also loved the “ anarkali over the cigarette pants” look .

The men’s collection was also captivating. We felt Siddharth Malhotra looked the best amongst all the male models. The dhoti and the bandh gala look is a hot favorite amongst men these days.

Sonam Kapoor also looked charming in  Payal Pratap designed phulkari outfits which she wore for promoting her latest block buster, “Bhaag Milkha Singh”. However we totally loved Kareena’s black phulkari outfit designed by Payal Pratap. We felt she looked sleek and classy with a minimal accessory look. We really like the  creativity  that Payal Pratap adds to the  Indian outfits.

This multicolored motif is surely here to stick around for some time. Which outfit you think looked the best?

Style Check : Skin Care

HOW TO REMOVE TANS

Summer is all about vacation, sleepovers, beaches, water fights, tank tops, flip flops, lemonade, sunglasses, taking pictures, bikinis, Ice-cream, summer breeze, camps. shorts, summer breeze, belly tops, Sand castles. short hair, mud fights,  pool parties, sun kissed hair, palm trees, Barbeques, clear blue skies, concerts.. Make it count!

And while we are out enjoying all these there is one thing which really bothers us and that is how to get rid of the summer tan. It amazes us to see how some of our American friends spend hours lying on the beach getting themselves tanned while how much ever we (Indians) try to keep the sun tan away from us by using several sun block sprays, lotions etc it still leaves its mark on us. Over the years we have tried several sun blocks and sunscreen lotions but we haven’t come across any lotions which actually manage to keep our skin color intact. Hence we thought anyways now that we have the tan let’s find out some solutions on how we can get rid of it.

So we researched and also tried some of the following tricks and it did work on us, so go ahead and try these magical tricks in case you too want to get rid of that ugly tan.

Here are few tips to treat sun tanned skin :

Grate potato and mix it well with cold milk and apply to the sun tanned area and leave it for 20 minutes to dry and then wash it well with cold water.

Mix cucumber juice and turmeric powder and leave it on the skin for 20 minutes or till it dries and then wash it with ice water or cold water.

Mix lemon juice and rosewater (5tbsp each) and apply it to the sun damaged area and leave it overnight and wash it next day morning with cold water.

Mix saffron or turmeric powder with 2tbsp of lemon juice and make a paste of it and the apply it to the tanned area and leave it for 20 minutes and then wash it with ice water or cold water.

Mix gram flour(besan), lemon juice and 1 drop of olive oil/coconut oil make a paste of it and apply it to the sun tanned area and keep it for 15 minutes and then wash it the cold  water.

Tomato juice and lemon juice both in equal quantity mix it together and leave it on the sun tanned area for 20 minutes or till it dries and then wash it with cold water.

Mix yogurt and orange juice well and keep it on the affected area for 20 minutes and then wash it with cold water.

Mix multani mitti, cahndan powder and rosewater, make a paste of it and then apply to the sun kissed area for 20 minutes and then wash it with cold water.

Refrigerate cabbage or lettuce leaves soaked in water and then put those cold water soaked leaves on the sun tanned area as long as you can keep.

Coconut water is a good remedy for sun tanned skin.

Aloe Vera Gel removes sun tan without any irritation from the skin.

Butter milk also helps in removal of tan from the skin.

Ice and cold water also remove sun tan.

Repeat the above mentioned remedies for alternate days for two weeks and soon you will notice that your skin color has regained its original tone.

Do share if you know more of such remedies.

Style Statement

Make a style statement with “Brooches” 

Brooch is a beautiful piece of decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to hold them close. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with gemstones and can be worn in multiple ways. A gorgeous brooch can change the look of the entire get up drastically and can be a style statement by itself.

You can accessorize a simple sari with a brooch to give a touch of elegance to the entire look. A brooch can change the look of a simple sari. Shailee recommends you to not add a brooch if your sari has a lot of embroidery work on it.

When worn with a jacket or a top it adds an extra zing to the entire look.

It can also be attached to shoes to make it look more stylish.

Brooch can also be used as a hair accessory. It gives a vintage look to a simple looking hair band. You can also add a brooch pin to your hair bun to make it look pretty. 

You can also pin your feather bonnet with a brooch to get that royal look.

You can also wear an elegant brooch on a one colored dress or a top for an evening dinner or a cocktail party.

Wearing a noticeable brooch with a little heavy makeup and without any other jewelry does make a perfect style statement.

Brooches are never out of fashion. Since time immemorial men and women wear brooches.Every period has its own style and grandeur to it…Victorian era brooches had carvings of King and Queen, the latest buzz are Kundan brooches with pearl drops.

Brooches have become a quintessential for every men and women’s wardrobe.  Even men have been seen sporting brooches on Indian outfits, e.g. on sherwanis and on turbans.You can also add a brooch to your jacket for an evening party.  It surely adds a Royal elegance to the look.

Brooches can adorn every occasion and add that extra glam to your look, but be careful in choosing the right brooch for your style.

 Let us know your feedback on this style statement.