Learn to Waterproof Your Makeup

Let’s admit monsoon and makeup do not go along well. Yet, a girl deserves to look her best in all times. During monsoons keep your makeup to minimum. Keep reading to learn more tricks to thwart skin concerns like oily skin, smudged makeup, specific to monsoon.

Listen to your skin–With humidity reaching an all time high, you need to tweak your makeup routine and give that good old foundation a skip. Go for skin care products that are oil free and will not clog your pores. Use tinted moisturisers to even out the skin tone. Loose powders will help you dab the excess oil and keep your skin looking fresh and grease free. This is the time when you need to emphasise on skin cleanliness because humidity can wreak havoc with your skin, which might make your otherwise blemish free skin breakout. Wash your face at least twice a day with an oil free face wash. Dab an alcohol free toner on your face after cleaning it. In response to increased humidity your oil glands become overactive, which enlarges the pores of the face to release the oil. Keep toners handy and splash it on your face to counter the shine effect. If you’re a ‘woman-on-the-go’ tote facial wipes.

Accentuate your eyes—Forget the drama attached to eye makeup and keep the look simple. Line your eyes with kohl and use water-resistant eye liner for your upper eye lids. If you must wear mascara, wear just one coat and go for ones that can withstand drizzle.

Tame your tresses—Getting caught in unpredictable showers damage your hair. Try to wash your hair with a mild shampoo after you have danced in the rain. Pay special attention to hygiene so that your hair stays clean and dandruff stays at bay. Invest in some good quality serum to keep your mane smooth, silky and lustrous. Keep it stylish in neat, pulled-back dos. High ponytails and chignons look fetching any time of the day and you can always throw in some accessories to glam them up for an evening out. If you have short or medium length hair, dress it up with a funky or a sporty headband.


Lip service—Following the rule less is more, forget for the time being dramatic shades like berry, red, chocolate and stick to neutral lip-shades. Say no to gooey lip glosses and keep your lips happy with tinted balm.

Foot fundamentals—Your feet bear a lot during monsoons. Buy bright coloured foot wears suited for rainy season. Get pedicure done once a month or do it yourself at home. Wash your feet carefully after coming home to keep infections at bay.


Bare essentials
Here’s a checklist of bare essentials that you must carry with you always for looking fresh ‘n’ pretty all through the monsoon:

Non-alcoholic face wipes to wipe away grime
Toner
Oil-free moisturizing sunscreen
Water proof kohl or eyeliner
Sheer lip tint
Hair serum to tame that frizz
Scrunchies and headbands

Most importantly send to exile cool cottons in neutral shades. Pull out chiffons and crepes in bright shades like sunny yellows, hot pinks, lime greens, lively oranges from your wardrobe. Go wild with hues, mix and match and enjoy the rains.

Infuse Life in Your Colour Treated Hair

Given the trend and people getting grey strands much before the official announcement of middle age, it’s hard to find ‘virgin’ hair. ‘Virgin’ hair is one which has not been permed, straightened, rebonded or touched by hair colour. If you’ve ‘virgin’ hair stop reading further, and if you’re like million others who colour their hair we recommend you to read ahead. Believe it or not the cheapest and the easiest way to turn back the clock of time is to colour your hair. However, so many questions come in your mind when you colour your hair—Are you damaging your hair? What should be the hair care routine now?

Put your worries to rest as we tell you how to take care of your coloured hair. Mostly Indians believe that henna is good for hair and hair colour damages your precious tresses. This is not true. Harish working as hair stylist with Ambika Pillai says, “Almost all men and women who are tired of the orange hue that henna gives and come to me for hair colour complain that their scalp itch after applying henna. Henna makes your hair dry and brittle.”

How to make your hair colour last longer

Each time you colour your hair the chemicals in the colour penetrate deep down the core of each strand so that the colour stays on your hair. All hair colours cause cuticle damage. Hence, you need to be gentle with your hair and protect if from bright sun light. Shower your coloured hair with TLC.


Shampoo Right. Irrespective of the brand, all hair colours fade with time. If you wish to make your hair colour last longer you should use a shampoo which is meant for coloured hair as it is more hydrating. When you shampoo your hair concentrate on the scalp to wash off oil and grease and stop struggling with your tresses.


Condition Well. Coloured hair becomes weak and dry. Hence, after you shampoo it you need to condition it especially on the tips with conditioners meant for coloured hair.

Use a Mask. Wear a hair repair mask once a week to nourish your strands. Use a mask that is fortified with pro Vitamin B5 to improve the protein structure of your hair.

Apply Serum. When your colour treated hair is partially dry wear a leave on serum on the tips and the top of your head to nourish your hair.

Be Gentle. Colour treated hair becomes fragile. Hence, do not comb when it’s damp. Also avoid using hot dryers on your hair. Just like your nails your hair is made of keratin. If keratin gets too hot, its components get damaged, causing its structure to break down. The result: your hair looks dull and lifeless.

Hair stylists recommend that before you colour your hair go for a hair spa at least three four days in advance. Hair spa consists of deep conditioning treatment for the hair which will improve the texture of your hair. At home you can also do hot oil massage as a substitute for hair spa. In warm olive oil puncture vitamin E capsule and massage your hair gently with it in circular motion. Wear a damp hot towel over it for fifteen minutes and then wash off the oil of your hair.

How often should you retouch your roots

Since hair grows on average 1/2 inch a month, it’s safe to assume that hair should have at least an inch of growth before getting a touch-up. For some people, that could mean 6 weeks and for some people that could mean 10 weeks.

For Flawless Skin in Summer

• Combat the shine and grime of summer skin with the Sebo Specific Range from Yves Rocher, which has anti shine technology to reduce the imperfections of combination and oily skin and ensures perfect matte effect.
  
  1. CLEANSE
  
  Cleanses the skin without drying it.
  Non-aggressive scrubbing micro particles clean the skin without drying it.
  
  
  2. MOISTURISE
  
  For a superb matt complexion from morning to night
  This emulsion gel moisturizes combination to oily skin and controls shine, even when it’s hot.
  
  TREAT
  
  Tightens dilated pores and conceals imperfections
  
  The skin is smooth and flawless.
  
  
  
  NATURAL INGREDIENTS
  
  The anti-shine technology of Sebo Specific Range owes its attributes to Scutellaria Root. The root of the Scutellaria plant contains molecules known as flavonoids which enable it to resist external aggressions. This root has an exceptional ability to control shine at its source. The skin is cleansed, the complexion is fresh and perfectly even.

Summer Hair Care

Summers are here to stay. In the coming months the sun will become harsher and the mercury is going to soar higher. Needless, to say you need to take extra measures to protect yourself from the unrelenting heat. Somehow, summer and sunscreens are spelt in the same breath and our crowning glory gets relegated to the sidelines.

In this post, Beauty Basics focuses spotlight on your tresses and tells you simple doable steps which will add bounce and shine in your hair.

Summer is harsh for your hair. The sun, heat, humidity and chlorinated pool water strip moisture from the hair and lighten its colour, more so if you colour your hair. Your hair becomes brittle, gets split ends and looks stressed. It is screaming for attention.

De-stress your tresses
1) Accessorize. Wear hats, scarves, or carry umbrellas when you go out in the sun. The hot rays of the sun are harsh on your hair. Provide shade to your hair when you can and save it from the damage caused by the UV rays.
2) Condition your hair. Since, your hair loses moisture in the hot summer you need to replenish it with the help of conditioners. Conditioners add bounce and life to your hair.
3) Choose leave on UV protectant products. For great looking hair you need to do some research. Investigate about hair care products that provide UV protection. Shampoos and conditioners with UV protection get washed away, hence, you can’t be sure how much of it will stick on to your precious tresses and fight the damaging effects of UV rays. You can make your own UV protection leave on hair serum too. Dilute two table spoons of SPF 25 lotion in a cup of water on spritz on your hair before you go out in the sun.
4) Invest in a good quality clarifying and moisturising shampoos. If you are using a lot of ‘leave on’ hair protection serums you need to wash it off with a clarifying shampoo to retrieve its natural looks. Otherwise a good moisturizing shampoo is the order of the day.
5) Save water and shampoo. As it is summer dries your hair and you don’t want to aggravate dryness by shampooing your hair every day. Twice a week is just fine. But, if you got to wash it every day you have to hunt for the mildest shampoo in the town.
6) Deep condition your hair. Dry hair is starving for moisture. Buy a good quality hair repair cream and use it after the shampoo session. Leave it as directed. For better results you can wear a shower cap as long as you are wearing the hair mask. While, there are natural methods, like honey and mayonnaise to nourish your hair but professional products work well too.
7) Massage your hair once a week with warm oil. Gentle massage with warm oil on your scalp is a perfect antidote to stress and helps your hair stay happy. If you have time let the oil stay overnight or at least for two hours.
Wet your hair well before you dive in the pool. Dry hair acts like sponge and pool water is chlorinated. But, when you wet your hair you lower the chances of damage. Don’t forget to shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo after your swimming session. Your hair will thank you if you condition it too.

With these simple steps your crowning glory will be your source of pride and envy of others.

Banish Blackheads

Blackheads are hard to get rid of and they keep appearing, somehow on oily and combination skin। Greasy skin is inclined to be shiny, with open pores and blackheads that are a result of over-activity of the sebaceous glands. Blackheads are small “plugs” that develop in the pores of your skin. Dermatologists consider it as a kind of acne. Dr.Charulata Bose, consultant dermatologist at Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon says, “These are the starting stage of acne and are the result of excess oil excreted by the sebaceous glands.” When the pore is open, the oil is exposed to oxygen, which reacts and turns it a dark colour, resulting in a blackhead.

Why blackheads trouble teenagers more?

Dr. Bose answers, “At puberty, there are hormonal changes. These hormonal changes along with a genetic influence increase the oil gland secretion.” The next big culprit in blackhead formation is the use of skin-care products or make-up. These products will mix with your body’s natural oil and add to the build-up that can block pores.

Risky zones

T-zone. The T-zone of your face is mostly prone to blackheads for the simple reason that it’s oily. It is the part of your face consisting of the forehead, nose and the area around your mouth, including the chin


Dr. Blossom Kochhar, well-known aroma therapist and beauty expert advises following DIY tips to get rid of blackheads.

1. Treat your skin to a cleansing treatment by using a friction wash that cleans clogged pores with abrasive action. Moisten your face and hands with warm water. Put a teaspoon of cleansing granules in the palm, work them into a rich lather and apply to the face. Massage gently for few seconds. Concentrate on clogged pores and blackhead areas. Rinse off thoroughly with warm water.
2. Instead of soap use gram flour (equal quantities of gram and Bengal gram) mixed in milk or rice water. Scrub the paste on the body and rinse with clear water. This improves skin’s clarity.
3. Make a fine paste of turmeric and mustard seeds and apply on the spots each night. Keep them for a while and wash with water. The blackheads and acne spots fade away gradually day by day.
4. Mix some Milk of Magnesia (they are easily available in the market) and some water. Also add one drop of Lemon essential oil. Apply on the face and leave it for 10 minutes. Rinse off.
5. Dissolve a teaspoon of Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulphate) in a cup of hot water. Apply to the blackhead areas with cotton oil. A papaya-mint tea bag dissolved in a cup of hot water and applied on the blackhead areas also acts as a disencrusting lotion.