Five Bath Hacks You Should Know – Featuring New Vivel Body Wash + Contest

May 18, 2018 5 Comments

In this heat and humidity, the feeling of cold water running down the back is such bliss right? Even five minutes under the shower head is enough to regroup and refresh but do you make the most out of your time in the bathroom? I have compiled a list of five tips that will make your bath experience a truly invigorating one.

Vivel Body Wash

Five Bath Hacks

Try dry brushing – Wellness experts and skin care professionals say that dry brushing for 2-5 minutes before a bath is very good for the skin as it not only removes dead skin cells but also works towards reducing cellulite. It is best to use a natural loofah for dry brushing and make sure not to share it with anyone else. Dry brushing removes a lot of dead skin cells so not a good idea to pass them on to someone else.
In this heat, thinking of a hot bath is out of question but if you are fond of one, it might be a good idea to switch to a cold bath atleast in the hot months. Hot water strips the skin and hair of its natural oils leaving them dry, frizzy and brittle. On the other hand, it is said that cold water has an anti-depressive effect and increases blood flow.
If you have frizzy hair, you may want to stop using a towel to dry it. The fibers in bath towels tend to rough up the cuticles hence leading to frizz. Try wrapping your hair in a soft, cotton T-shirt instead. The excess water will get absorbed and the hair will be a lot smoother. And remember to pat and blot hair dry, never rub it.
This tip I found on someone’s Instagram and I loved it. She uses natural herbs and plants to turn her bath into a personal aromatherapy spa. How? By tying a bunch of rosemary, eucalyptus, sage etc around the showerhead with wire. So everytime water comes out, it feels even more refreshing and there’s a nice smell in the bathroom.
And finally, why soap when you can body wash? Many of us believe that a bar soap is possibly the best body cleanser but the problem with bar soaps is that they can leave the skin really dry, stripping away the natural oils. The best thing that you can use on your body is a moisturising body wash, like the new Vivel Body Washes. Available in two variants, Lavender Almond Oil and Mint Cucumber, these are so much better to use than ordinary bar soaps.

Vivel Body Wash

I’ve used soap as well and I’m using the new Vivel Body Washes and I can clearly see the difference. First of all, these smell really nice and that is an important factor for me when choosing a body cleanser. And the good thing is that the fragrance lasts quite long. Plus, it cleanses much better than soap. After a long day out or at work, a shower with the Lavender Almond Oil or Mint Cucumber feels so refreshing and the skin feels squeaky clean.

Vivel Body Wash

Lavender Almond Oil has a subtle lavender scent and gives the rich nourishment of almond oil while Mint Cucumber with cooling mint and hydrating cucumber gives more freshness. The moisturising formula of both body washes ensures that the skin does not become dry or stretched after rinsing off. Plus, it also has a quick wash formula that rinses off easily so no water wastage.

: Lavender Almond Oil

: Mint Cucumber

And do you want to know the best thing about these body washes? They are now available at an introductory offer of only Rs 40 with a free loofah for brighter and smoother skin!! Yes, you read that correctly. Only Rs 40 which is nearly the same amount as a bar of soap. So why soap when you can get cleaner, fresher, moisturised skin with the new Vivel Body Wash?

Contest

Want to win a Vivel Body Wash hamper for yourself? Very easy. Try Vivel Body Wash for a week and tweet to me at @PoutPretty with your experience. If I like your answer, Vivel will send over one hamper with the new Vivel Body Washes to your address. 5 of these hampers are up for grabs so start now! Contest ends 27^th May. And what is the best part? You can get to try the Body Washes for free too. Just email me at poutpretty@gmail.com with your address and Vivel will send over 1 small pack of bodywash to everyone who writes in for participation. Cool right? So start mailing me now!

Contest and Sampling open only for Kolkata & West Bengal residents.

Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians – Book Review

April 29, 2018

Guest Post

Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians

When Dolon asked me to pen down an article on Boria Majumdar’s book – Eleven Gods And A Billion Indians: The On & Off Field Story of Cricket in India and Beyond, I was excited. Having gone through his earlier publication Playing It My Way, Sachin’s autobiography, and having watched the news of the launch of this book, I was expecting to get some insights into something additional apart from the run-of-the-mill cricket books and related statistics. But, voila! What I got, was beyond my imagination! What actually transpired behind the scenes were shared without any inhibition, and most importantly, without trying to be politically correct. This is equally important and essential for the entire billion population of a country, where the biggest Religion is called “Cricket”, and Cricketers… you know what. Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians I feel, will remain as one of the most important books on Indian Cricket for quite some time.

Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians

He has taken us on a tour from pre-independence Indian cricket, how the sepoys beat the English at their own game and what impact it could have had in the overall belief of the population, to the latest South Africa series of 2018. He hasn’t let go of this opportunity to touch upon the other immensely popular sport, football. Apart from the stories the scorecards say, he has given behind the events tales which the avid reader of the sport was eagerly awaiting. The illustrations given in the book will take you down memory lane of the 1983 Prudential World Cup victory and also some rare pictures which hardly anyone has seen.

He has shared stories of the ups-and-downs of Indian cricket. How match-fixing impacted the whole nation at the turn of the century, with so many of celebrated sons getting dethroned, and the uprise thereafter, holding the hands on our very own “Dada”. Boria has provided coverage of Monkeygate, and how it unfolded. He has also revealed behind-the-scenes details of the two most notable altercations between coach and captain in Indian Cricket, firstly Sourav and Chappel, and very recently, between Virat and Anil Kumble.

From his closeness and personal interactions, he has shared what Dada himself feels about “a bare-chested Sourav Ganguly at the Lord’s balcony”; why the entire Indian team was denied breakfast at their hotel on the day of the 2011 World Cup semi-final; of the 2009 KKR multiple-captain approach by John Buchanan; and many more.

Looking at the various chapters he has structured, it seems Boria has disclosed every single story he was aware of. It can be called the encyclopedia of Indian Cricket. However, with him, you never know. He must have definitely saved something for future releases. It is obvious that Boria is both passionate and knowledgeable about India’s biggest sport. It is his lucid style and ability to tell a story which makes this book even more worthy of reading. It can be passed across generations, as the inside story and politics of Indian Cricket.

In his epilogue, Boria closes with his encounter with a woman outside Eden Gardens in Kolkata selling candy. This was the same woman whom the writer had encountered many times before, while coming to watch cricket or Kolkata’s local league football. This time, it was outside an IPL match. The Billion Indians, such as her, are equally important as the Eleven Players, the Gods themselves, as neither can do without the other. And that is precisely the cause and effect of this masterpiece. Buy it, as a collectible – is my recommendation.

Krishnendu Aich is an ex-Bengal U16 and U19 player, a Calcutta University Blue and has played First Division CAB league for 14 years. He has also successfully led teams in Corporate T20 tournaments.

The Body Shop Oils of Life Sleeping Cream & Eye Cream Gel Review

April 29, 2018

I really enjoyed using The Body Shop Oils of Life Facial Oil because of how light it was and how well it kept my skin hydrated. After using the oil, I was keen to try out other products from the Oils of Life range so I picked up the Sleeping Cream (Rs 2495) and the Eye Cream Gel (Rs 2395). If you want to know if the products work for me or not, read on for the review.

The Body Shop Oils of Life range

Continue Reading . . .

MACxPADMA Collection – Sumac Lipstick + Powerpoint Eye Pencil Bordeauxline/Molé Brown

April 25, 2018

MAC has been one of my favourite makeup brands for years and there was a time when I would eagerly wait for each and every one of their collections. There was a maddening urge to grab atleast one Limited Edition piece simply because it was from MAC. But then they started releasing collections faster than I could cope up with and with every new launch, my interest and excitement levels also started going down. The shades looked the same, there was nothing new that was coming out and with much grief, I was forced to take a break from my makeup love. The break lasted for about a year. And then the MACxPADMA Collection came out. One look and I fell hook, line and sinker for that gold packaging.

MACxPADMA Collection

I was in Sheffield when the collection launched in Nykaa and unfortunately because of the time difference, almost all the products were sold out before I could check the app. Hence, I settled for two pieces – Sumac lipstick (Rs 1500), a dark plum and Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Bordeauxline/Molé Brown (Rs 1320), a dark purple/ plum and cool brown.

Apart from the luxurious and eye-catching gold packaging which I read came right from her kitchen (the design is a copy of her Turkish plates), the best thing I feel about the collection is that it is very brown girl friendly. But do the products actually perform? Read on to find out my views on the stuff that I have.

Continue Reading . . .

Four ColourPop Lux Lipsticks – Review & Swatches

April 24, 2018

After wearing only matte liquid lipcolors, the return to traditional, creamy bullet lipstick feels kinda good actually. And the new ColourPop Lux Lipsticks are making that transition a very smooth process!

ColourPop Lux Lipstick

This range is new from ColourPop Cosmetics and the lipsticks are described as a “creamy-matte” that “glides on like butter, doesn’t feather or bleed, and lasts so long you’ll forget you’re even wearing it.” There are 24 shades in this range and I have four of them – Friends, Hello Stranger, Sitting Pretty and On Repeat.

ColourPop Lux Lipstick Shades

Friends – Rich, dark brown
Hello Stranger – Deep burgundy
Sitting Pretty – Purple fuchsia
On Repeat – Orange Red

ColourPop Lux Lipstick Review & Swatches

The ColourPop Lux Lipsticks look really pretty and very chic with their rose gold packaging and stars embossed on the actual lipstick bullet. They look much more high-end and definitely not like a $7 product but mind you, these lipsticks are actually quite heavy as in, heavier than normal lipstick bullets.

In terms of formula, ColourPop nailed it. They are very well pigmented. One swipe and you get full color payoff. They glide on the lips like butter and all the shades I have go on very well without being patchy. Athough ColourPop describes these lipsticks as ‘Creamy Matte’, they feel more like a satin formula to me. And unlike liquid lipsticks, these do not last for too long and they do transfer. But then, that’s the same with all normal, creamy lipsticks.

Like I wrote earlier, after using only liquid matte lipsticks and mostly the ColourPop Ultra Matte ones, these Lux lipsticks feel like a refreshing change. The only issue is that you have to keep on reapplying after 3-4 hours but the lips look all plumpy, creamy and they feel hydrated. For the price of $7, I won’t mind that.

Have you tried the new ColourPop Lux Lipsticks? Which is your favourite shade? Do share in the comments below.