Beauty and Personal Grooming

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In these times of social isolation due to the pandemic, it's quite common to run out of essential commodities. And it's not so easy to procure them during lockdowns and restricted access to shopping. The most precious commodities these days seem to be soaps, hand washes and hand sanitizers. What if you run out of them and are unable to buy them currently?

Every girl wants to look the finest before venturing out of her home. Be it going to the school, college, office or attending a get-together, they need to look the best. But then, looking good requires a great deal of time and effort, which is not an easy feat to accomplish for busy girls! So, what are the alternatives for them? How can they deck up and look like a million bucks without having to try too much and spend hours in front of the mirror?

You relish eating hot, spicy food. But this time, your mouth is literally on fire from too much spice especially as the spicy dish that you are savoring is full of chili peppers & also flavored with garam masala . Your immediate reaction would be to gulp half a dozen of glasses of water to relieve that fire in your mouth.

That boy you’ve secretly had a crush on at work finally calls you after weeks of encrypted text messages back and forth. He wants to meet you after work, which, you realize, is only in a half-an-hour! There is no way you will have time to go home and change into that cute red dress you just bought. You start thinking this might be a fashion and beauty emergency . You will not allow yourself to have both, as you thank the Sephora gods in heaven for that cherry lip-gloss you brought with you today. You convince yourself everything is going to be ok, as you practice your yoga breathing exercises and examine your Prada handbag for items that will give you a much-needed quick fix. It’s time to turn on the survival mode and get creative.

If you run out of a styling cream or a hairspray which you normally use to style or set your hair and manage fly-aways, try these substitutes:

Your hair badly needs a shampoo, but unfortunately you are short of time and can't afford the luxury of an elaborate hair wash.  

Night on the town with your closest friends? You’ve got to be prepared for anything. Purse? Check. Plans for the whole evening? Check. Ride home? Check. But what if the worst happens? Of all the things, you get a wardrobe malfunction? Here are some ways to fix and avoid these fashion disasters.

Have you gained a few pounds recently and are just having a hard time hiding that extra weight? There are several reasons that we gain weight: stress, gorging on sweets and delicacies during holidays, middle age, having a baby, sedentary lifestyle and other things. It happens to the best of us. We gain a few extra pounds and our entire outlook changes. We feel fat and frumpy – and we don’t want anyone to notice. You are probably trying to lose weight, but it will not happen overnight. Hiding the weight that you have gained with some tricks is the key until you can lose it.

Unfortunately, pimples on the forehead are very common - and for teenage girls in particular, the natural reaction is to try to disguise them by styling hair to cover them. This might be a good short-term fix, however it could actually make the pimples worse in the long run because not only could the natural oil from the hair exacerbate the problem but for those with sensitive skins, residues of hair products could also cause skin reactions.

We've all had those days where we wake up feeling awful but roll ourselves out of bed and drag ourselves to work anyway. Often we do the bare minimum (we'd wear sweats or pajamas if we could get away with it) and pretty much anyone who sees us knows that we're not exactly firing on all cylinders. But if you've decided that you're not quite ill enough to justify taking a sick day, then you might as well make the effort to mask your condition from coworkers (not that you would mind if they avoided you like the plague - you might actually get some work done). So here are just a few tips to look like you're on top of the world even when you feel like you're six feet under.

Reflexology and hand massages can help un-kink the knots in your body after a hectic week at work. But if you are too busy to a visit to the spa try aromatherapy . Now who would say no to a little on-the-spot R & R to release tension one's body?

Lara Dutta's Quick fix Remedies for...

Make your shampoo last longer To make shampoo last longer, keep a smaller sized, empty, shampoo bottle in the bathroom, right next to the shampoo you are currently using. When you are ready to wash your hair , put a dime size of shampoo into the empty bottle and then add some water and shake it lightly. Now the resulting solution is much easier to use on your hair and offers more lather and also uses less shampoo. Remember to clean the bottle later on.

Tress distress? No worries. Here are some great solutions to get the look you want: Get it straight For a smooth, sleek look, try shape contouring non-sticky gel which will provide "hold" and even protect hair from heat styling. Don't expect it to iron out the curliest of locks but it will tame wavy hair into submission.

Spent too much time in a smoke filled room? Spray on a hydrating mist , ideally one, which is brewed with free-radical fighting green tea to add moisture and refresh a dull-looking complexion. Right after spritzing, apply a gel-based moisturizer ( Avon SKIN SO SOFT Original Moisturizing Shower Gel Original , Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel 1.7 oz Tube or 4.2 oz Pump or Shiseido Pureness Moisturizing Gel (Oil Free) 50ml/1.7oz ) to damp skin (it will adhere better) for an energised glow. (Guest post by Smitha)

In the course of the day, your hands are subjected to a lot of abuse. You might be caring for them on a regular basis but accidents do happen, sometimes.    Like for example, you topple a glass jar/expensive crockery set inadvertently and in a frantic bid to gather the scattered fragments, glass pieces get stuck in your palm .   In such a case, don’t panic and tug and pull the pieces out—this might lodge the minuscule pieces even deeper into the skin.

Here are quick, temporary solutions for 4 of your problems that tend to drive you mad when are in a hurry. Camouflage unwanted hair You’ve got an evening out program and no time to get your face bleached to camouflage tha t tiny hair growth on your face. Don’t worry! Cut a thin slice of lemon ; rub it gently over the area where you have hair, i.e. upper lip, forehead, jaw line and sideburns. The lemon will lighten the hair color and make it less visible. Tame unruly eyebrows When you have no time to attend to your highly unmanageable, unruly eyebrows , spritz a little hairspray on a cotton ball. Then wipe on for maximum control. Excessive sweating palms You are to give a speech and your nervous system is already revved up. Your palms have already started sweating profusely in anticipation of confronting a crowd. You obviously want to conceal your panic and put on a brave front, especially, as you ha ve to shake hands with too many people before the event....

Just as clothes retain the pungent odor of perspiration so does the hair. Our hot tropical climate aggravates the problem. Oily and combination hair tend to be more affected by this. Frequent shampooing is the only solution during such times. But when you are in hurry and when it is just not possible to wash your hair, then you will have to look out for some quick solution to get rid of the greasiness from your scalp and avoid a bad hair day. Here’s one such method to make the hair not only look less greasy but also appear dense and full-bodied .

If your hair is thin, sparse and greasy, no need to get disappointed. If you have to go out suddenly and your hair looks greasy and lifeless then you can adopt the following method: Take a nylon sock, put in some talcum powder and then pick up your hair brush. Now pull the sock over the hair brush and grip it near the handle of the brush. By doing this the bristles will come out a little through the sock. Now brush your hair with this till all the talcum powder is used up. Now take a clear brush and shake off the excess powder from your hair. By doing this the hair will look full-bodied and dense. Wash your hair after coming home with a lemon-based shampoo. Here are some hints to make dull, limp hair look shiny and crackling with life.