LuxaDerme Foot Peeling & Exfoliating Mask

     Hey there people! Ok this section has been literally buried for too long now. I do mini reviews on my Instagram now where I put up a small demo for the packs as well as its results after washing it off as well as 12-24 hours later. So in case you have been looking for some face masks you can check those out as well. Before we get any further with this review let me just put up a warning straight off. This is a demo of the product in action and can get graphic (quote unquote). So if you just want to look at pretty things then this is so not the place for you. But if you want to see a product in some proper action then do read on. You have been warned folks :P I was sent a couple of masks to try out by LuxaDerme who have recently setup shop in India. They specialize in making mask sheets for your facial and body needs. All the masks are manufactured in Korea. I tried out the Foot Peeling & Exfoliating Mask first coz my feet needed some major TLC.

Jai Arjun Singh, Balaji Vittal and Sharmila Tagore

     On a cold winter morning, with the sun beating down on them, sat Sharmila Tagore and Jai Arjun Singh in conversation with Balaji Vittal. The topic of discussion was the Babumoshai in Bombay, in this case Hrishikesh Mukherjee and the time when Bengal defined Hindi cinema. Mr. Jai recently wrote a book titled "The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee: The Filmmaker Everyone Loves" where he explores this well known and amazing director who made a total of 43 films during the span of his career. I never knew that some of my favorite films of yesteryear were made by him like Golmaal and Khubsoorat. Some cult films like Anand, Guddi, Namak Haram, Chupke Chupkke, etc are also his creations. He was a man who was a visionary and no one would ever refuse to work with him. A brilliant editor and a talented technician Hrishikesh Mukherjee was able to successfully combine elements of mainstream cinema and art cinema to deliver films which dealt with social causes especially gender relations.

     When you are a book lover...the books become something you live and breathe and the authors of your favorite ones are nothing short of rock-stars. I had a complete fan girl moment today when I went to attend the #TataSteelKalam #KolLitMeet. In anticipation of hearing one of my favorite childhood authors speak aka Mr. Ruskin Bond, I arrived much ahead in time and grabbed a reserved seat not knowing that he was sitting a mere two seats away from me! Imagine my utter surprise when he made his way to the stage in due time. Ah! What joy!!! Now if I could only meet Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene like this my childhood fantasy would be complete. 

Nee And Oink Store, Kolkata

     Have you ever stepped out of a car and felt that you were transported somewhere else? Looked around to see if you were still in your city? Wondering if you found a door to some parallel dimension? Well I felt exactly like that when I saw the white picket fence facade of the Nee & Oink store here in Kolkata. If the front was a cause for fascination the interior of it was almost magical. A tree trunk is the central point of focus with the store and its displays built around it. In one part you will spot the children's collection and opposite that is something for their mom's. Neelakshi and Oiendrila the designer duo sisters behind the brand have been around for more than 4 years. They started out with designing clothes for children. Being mom's themselves they would always be in search of comfortable yet stylish clothes for their kids.

Moi Lavish Hair Oil

     I cant even begin to count the sheer number of hair products I have tried over the past few years to make my thinning hair better. While some have been absolute gems a large part of them have been complete duds :( I think my hair was in its best phase when I used to apply natural products on a regular basis. But over the years as life gets busier by the minutes these things start taking a back seat. We all look for the quick fix aka "magic potion" that will make things right. Have I stumbled upon one??? Well lets see...

Hottest Nail Trends of 2015

     Have you ever noticed that the nail polish "world" is so many times bigger and more versatile than the makeup "world"? The sheer range of colors that you can get your hands on...compared to the regular pinks, reds and oranges of the lipstick section...or even the boggling amount of types/finishes! You can get all sorts of patterns. accessories, embellishments, tools, glitters, sequins, spikes, flocking powder, feathers, decals, etc etc...phew! There is simply no end to it. Compared to it the makeup section is very pale and dull. Think about it...especially for a person like me who loves variety and gets bored with the sameness pretty quickly...the nail polish/art world has enough to keep me occupied and interested for a long time. I present to you the 5 most interesting things (according to me) that were introduced in the nail art/polish world last year. In no particular order...

VLCC Lovable Lips Orange Lip balm

     You know how certain people can predict the weather coz of what is happening in their bodies? My eye be twitching or me knees are shaking...its gonna rain! Well turns out my lips can predict the cold...they are literal beacons for the onset of the cold weather coz they turn dry at the drop of a hat...one day I wake up with parched stretchy lips and be like...winter is coming...ya you saw that coming from a mile away :D But any hoo I go through so many lip balms/scrubs in these 1-2 months (that is like the winter we get...if we are lucky) that I don't even touch 1/100th of in the rest of the year. I somehow find it really difficult to find one that is moisturizing enough for me. Not only do my lips dry out but the area just below the lip line cause me a lot of problem. So usually the balms work on one and the not the other. One of the latest entrant to the lip balm market is the VLCC one where they have introduced balms for men and women. Let's see how one of these fares for me...

     Wishing you a very very Happy New Year...may this year bring you and your family all the joy, success and health that you may need. I had a really good holiday period where after almost four years my entire (nuclear) family got together. I have 3 sisters and they live in different parts of the world. So after a long time all of us were together at home celebrating the holidays with my folks who, as you can imagine, were quite happy to have their entire Brady bunch in front of them :D Though one of my sisters had to go back to her place coz of work before the New Year's :( But we did get some time together before that and went about town having fun.