Home cleaning and decor made easy

Diwali is almost here. And everyone is busy cleaning and decorating their homes for the festival of lights.

So here i am to make this easy for you. Here are some quick cleaning and decorating tips and ideas to make this job easy for you!

Cleaning tips-

#1 Use vinegar and lemon to clean the utensils. Lemon is a boon for microwave cleaning. Just squeeze the lemon juice in a bowl and add some water. Place the lemon in the bowl too and place it in the microwave for 5 minutes. It will eliminate the food odors and the steam will loosen the hard clutters that had condensed inside. Wipe the microwave to remove the clutter with damp cloth.

#2 Use vinegar to clean the tiles and bath tub of your bathroom.

#3 Use a soft paint brush to remove the dust of things like photo frames and places that are difficult to reach.

#4 To clean a narrow vase, use rice. Rinse rice with warm water and pour it into the vase, cover its mouth with your hand, shake vigorously and then clean with water.

#5 Use hairspray to remove the coloured marks done on the wall by the little ones. For crayon marks, use a tooth brush with tooth paste and rub gently.

Decorating tips-

#1 Use mirrors of different shapes. You can find many DIYs on mirrors for your home decor. Mirrors add an artistic touch to the house and also add more depth to the room.

#2  Recycle those old glass jars into lamps or vases. Check the diy here- /http://fellowfellow.com/sweet-diy-votives/http://www.pinterest.com/pin/180988478748286908/

#3 Use scented candles to add a calming radiance to the living room.

#4 Use light around the mirrors or around the beds and curtains to add a festive touch to the house.

#5 If you find an antique piece while cleaning the rooms, do not throw it away. Antiques are very much in this season. I found an old wall clock and i'm gonna paint it and hang it in my room. This saves a lot of money and also looks awesome.

#6 Make colourful rugs for your room. Here is the DIY- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/242631498648780368/

#7 Keep colourful cushions on the sofa and the bed. They look beautiful.

#8 Use old tin cans or jars with lights to make lamps and hang/keep it outside or in a dark room.

 Lastly, enjoy cleaning and decorating your home. In the words of my mum- " If you don't enjoy doing it, don't do it." But it seems like i have no other option, so i help her.

Also, i request everyone to celebrate an Eco friendly Diwali and stay safe.  HAPPY DIWALI!

CHEERS!

Photos and Diy courtesy- http://studentrate.com/

                                             XOXO

                                               Jaya

Wedding Wear Decoded

As an Indian, I know the importance of "The Big Fat Indian Wedding" and also how important it is for us women to look good at this event. On noticing the common confusion among women on what to wear and what not to wear on a wedding, I decided to post this. So this post is to help all the beautiful Indian women with their hair, outfit and other things for a wedding.

First of all, think about how big the wedding is for you. Meaning, is it your best friend's wedding, or your cousin's or your brother or sister's or someone you've never met (then he/she might probably be your mum or dad's colleague's daughter/son)

Only after analyzing this should you decide upon your outfit for the evening.

If it is a wedding where you are being dragged by your mum that is the wedding where you don't know anyone, please do not waste a beautiful suit for it. As we all know, these weddings are the kind of weddings where we go just to have dinner. You can choose a simple and less shimmering suit for such weddings. I prefer sitting at home and watching a movie rather than going at such weddings. Make the simple excuse of "Mum, I have to study" and enjoy at home!

Now, if it is the wedding of your closed ones, like your cousin or a friend, there are many great options for you to choose from.

My personal favorite is a saree (Though i don't know much about sarees as i have worn it just once). I think saree makes women look absolutely stunning. Go for a simple saree with a heavily detailed blouse.

Accessorize it with a heavy necklace and earrings. Light makeup works the best on sarees. A messy bun would complete this look.

Plain sarees are very much "in" these days. A heavily embroidered blouse would rock the look.

Golden-red color combination is an all time hit with traditional wears. So if you can't figure anything else out, this color combo is definitely a savior for you.

Also, you can add heavy borders to the simple saree. It will help add the sparkle required for the event.

White sarees and anarkali  suits look very descent and classy. And that is why, white is my favourite colour. Accessorize white saree or anarkali suit with silver or white gold jewellery. It adds more grace to the outfit.

Also if you have a tall and thin figure try simple white sarees with heavy borders. Tie it low at waist and flaunt your perfect figure.

You can also try a plain full sleeved blouse with the white saree and accessorize it with heavy silver or white gold jewellery.

If you want to experiment or try something new, go for a trendy saree with a differently designed blouse.

You can try new designs in the neck line, sleeves and the back.

Anarkali suits are a big hit this season. You will easily find them in any design and color. 

If it is the wedding of a very closed one (like one of your siblings or bestie) , you definitely would like to look the best at the wedding  (after the bride).

So, for this special event, you could try a lehenga choli. Choose colors like red, gold, black and white.

And accessorize it with a teeka, bangles and heavy earrings.

You can also try a classy white lehenga.

Choose lehengas with a large "ghera". They look beautiful and different.

If you don't want to wear a small choli, you can wear a full sized embroidered, heavy choli. It looks absolutely stunning and very very descent.

When wearing a lehenga,  don't forget to accessorize it with bangles and large beautiful earrings and style you hair up. You can try curls or a messy bun.

If you want to wear a saree at this event, try a heavy, shining, embroidered one.

Blue, black, gold and red are the colours which will make you look gorgeous for sure.

If you are wearing a heavy, fully shimmering saree, do not wear accessories like necklace or bangles. Though earrings are a must. Try heavy "jhumkaas". You can also try a large bindi (if you're confident enough to carry it) or go with a little one.

When wearing a saree, special attention should be paid to the make up, accessories and hair. The choices of your hair style, make up and accessories can make or ruin the look of the saree.

I personally like heavy eye makeup and natural lip color and other natural makeup. Too much of makeup can make you look weird and ruin the entire look.

For footwear, choose peep toes or pumps with an anarkali suit and stilleto heels or sandals with saree. Without the right footwear you can never get look right.

Keep your hair free if they are naturally curly or wavy. If not, you can curl them by curling iron. Curls look great on traditional wears. Or you can style your hair up in a bun. For bun styling, refer my last post. Also, messy bun goes with almost everything. You can also try braids like fishtail or alternative braids. Keep the braids messy and let your hair free in the front to look glamorous.

Lastly, carry the look confidently and enjoy the night to the fullest!

CHEERS!

XOXO

-Jaya

  

Tame your frizzy hair

This is for all those women who have frizzy hair. I know how it feels to have such dry and unmanageable hair. Frizzy hair takes a lot of hard work to make it look stylish. They are also usually the hair texture with the most volume and thickness. So they're considered thee healthiest of 'em all. And once you learn to handle them, they prove to be the best texture of all and can make you look very glamorous.

  

So here are some tips to help you with your hair-

Myths related to frizzy hair-

#1 Only curly hair are frizzy-

This is a very common myth as curly hair seem frizzy most of the time because of their large volume. Even straight hair turn out to be frizzy when not taken proper care especially in monsoon season.

#2 Hair straightening keeps frizz at bay-

 No, it does not. It may keep your hair shiny and straight for a few hours but it will harm your hair badly and once you wash your hair, you'll realize that your hair have become more frizzy and dry. So avoid using such heat products on your hair.

Home remedies to keep frizz at bay-

#1 Egg pack-

Take 2 egg yolks and blend them till they become foamy. Massage this on your hair and leave it for 15 minutes. Wash your hair. You can also add olive oil in the egg yolks. Add 1/4th cup olive oil in the egg yolks and blend. Massage gently on your hair. Wash after 30 minutes. It makes your hair soft, shiny and super manageable. I have tried this method at home and it is very helpful for eliminating frizz. 

The only problem is the unbearable smell of eggs, so the only solution to this problem is to divert your mind somewhere else and to understand that you're doing this for your hair and that it would be totally worth it in the end.

#2 Mayonnaise- 

This method is very effective and smell proof. Mayonnaise deeply conditions your hair leaving them super soft and manageable.  Add 1/4th cup mayonnaise to 1/4th cup of olive oil and apply the paste to your hair by gently massaging the scalp. Rinse after 30 minutes. You can also add 1 egg yolk to it.

#3 Beer-

 This may sound a bit awkward, but beer works wonders for frizzy hair. I have tried this and it really is very effective if you continue with it for a few weeks. It moisturizes and adds shine to your hair. Just rinse your hair with one mug of beer. Darker beer is better and more effective but the other ones will also do.

#4  Hot oil massage- 

Apply hot oil to your hair and gently massage the night before you wash your hair. I prefer coconut oil but you can also apply jojoba oil or olive oil.

#5  Banana pack-

 Banana provides the necessary antioxidants to hair, thus making them shiny and soft. Crush some banana and apply the paste obtained in your hair. The only drawback of this method is that it is very difficult to wash the banana away. It sticks on your hair and does not come off even with water or shampoo.

Products to use-

#1  Serum- 

Apply a good quality serum on wet hair it keeps your hair frizz free and makes them shiny.

#2 Conditioners- 

Using conditioners keeps frizz at bay. Frizzy hair take extra time for conditioning. So leave it for around 7- 10 minutes in your hair. I leave it for 10 minutes and it really works.

#3 The right shampoo- 

I have used many shampoos and only a few of them worked on my frizzy hair perfectly. One of them is L'oreal Absolute Repair and the other one is Dove Intense Repair.

Hairstyles for frizzy hair-

Frizzy hair looks the best among all the other hair textures when styled in the right way.
So here are some hairstyles which will make your frizzy hair look absolutely fabulous!

Side loose pony-

Side Braids-

Fishtail braid-

`

Messy Bun-

Top Knot-

Undone Bun-

Low rolled bun-

Braided Bun-

So there you go, embrace your lovely curls and frizz and keep your hair healthy.

Also do not try to change your natural hair texture by re bonding or chemicals. Be proud of what you have. I believe that people look the best in their natural and original hair. CHEERS!

                                  XOXO

                                  -Jaya