Dressing tips for monsoon
Monsoon conjures up images of dreary weather, cloudy days and dripping clothes, and leaves one gloomy. What kind of clothes can reign in such a weather? What makes you stylish, and yet keep you in comfort? Here are few tips from some leading fashion designers who can make you look chic and elegant.

Shebin Paul, a monsoon-freak, loves to design special clothes for rain. According to him knee shirts and pedal pushers make you look Indian and trendy. Shirts should be above or below the knee length to avoid getting wet. Indian kurtas with a mix of peddle pushers will look elegant. On his choice of clothes, he says, “There isn’t much of choice for men. I wear usual colors but avoid wearing trousers with many pockets, and linen and cotton clothes which get heavier when wet.”
Krishnamani is another Bangalore-based fashion designer who is passionate about designing clothes for monsoon. Her collections showcased in Paris drew a crowd recently. “While designing clothes for monsoon, I choose subtle colors, and bright blue and green. The fabrics are crepe. Chiffon balloon skirts and sheer jackets are the best picks.” On her choice, she says, “Short skirts with tops, light clothes in chiffon, georgette, crepe and silk short-shirts in blue, pink and green cut a dash.”
Jemy Jose another fashion designer recommends bright colors to change the mood. “One looks beautiful in pink, lime, aqua, turquoise and emerald green clothes in monsoon.” Her choice is crocheted tops, skirts, thin jackets in off-white, pink and brown with shoe wedges. Tops should be pretty layered till waist-length.

Here is a person who likes to get drenched this monsoon-Radhika Rao, Ms India Congenial Personality, says, “I love to get drenched on every monsoon season” On her own choice of clothes, she says, “Gray and black do not add vibrancy, so I prefer flash shortcuts with bright colors such as blue and pink.” She likes to wear sneakers with deep colors.

Fab abs (contd...)
Keeping your abs toned and strong can help deter fat cells from developing avariciously. Stomach crunches are a help but they are tedious and boring and often harden the muscles. Most yoga asanas, especially inversions and balances, use core abdominal strength to get into the pose and to hold for a length of time. What follows are some modified but interesting and challenging yoga poses and breathe work that you can add, alternate or intersperse between your crunches. They focus on all four areas of the abdomen: the upper and lower, the oblique or the sides, and the transverses muscles.
Here are some interesting yoga postures for creating a perfect abs:
* Let us first start with the transverses muscles.
Sit in an easy cross legged position with the back straight. If this is not comfortable you may sit on a chair. Now take a long breath and hold it for 2 or 3 sec and then release it slowly. Remember during this exercise you must push your abdomen during inhalation and pull your abdomen during exhalation.
* Now let us move towards the rectus abdominus or simply the upper and the lower abs.
Lie on your back with your legs stretched. Lift your hips and place both palms under to support your back. Now lift your left leg straight up till it becomes perpendicular to the torso. If you have tight hamstrings then you may want to keep the knees slightly bent. Slowly drop the left leg down and switch legs. Alternate till your legs and abs feel tired. When you lift the leg up make sure the lower back and pelvis are pressing down to the floor. This will engage the lower abdomen fully. (More yogic exercise in my next post)

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Keep coming back for more and wish you all a good life.
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Art of dressing up
Dressing up is an art. No matter how beautiful you are, if you do not know the art of dressing up, your beauty will not be appreciated. You should know what to wear for a particular occasion. Following are a few formal dresses which you should have in your wardrobe.
* Halter Dress: If you are the partying type, this is a must have in your wardrobe. Celebrities turn to this dress for the red carpet because they know it’s one of the sexiest formal looks around! Several variations exist, including a Knot-front halter and a tie-behind-the-neck look; straps vary in size from spaghetti-width to wide, soft straps. Which one would you choose? Get going, flaunt an attitude.
* Cocktail Dress: The little black dress is the universally accepted look for cocktail. But don’t just stick to black. Experiment with different color. Adjust the silhouette of the cocktail dress to work for you figure, Keeping the top and waist slim and fitted for the elegant look.
* Stand-up Collar Dress: What better way to frame your face than with a stand-up collar? Choose a moderate or plunging neckline to compliment the high collar and pull your hair up or away from the face. This can go for casual and party wear.
* Embellished Dress: Head-to-beads are difficult to carry off, but a touch of embellishment is spectacular. Make sure your beading is on a part of your body you want to highlight, including the waist or neckline.
* Off-the-Shoulder Dress: The silhouette of the off-the-shoulder dress adds width to the upper half, balancing your lower half. This is definitely a dress for those who have the guts to bear and carry it off.
* Print Dress: A fresh flowery print dress is perfect for daytime occasions. Big bloom prints look good o most women just be sure to scale them to your finger: larger women look best with the prints close together and less background space showing is true for smaller women.
Now, do you have these? If no, rush. Update your wardrobe.

Multani Mitti
Today we’re going to reacquaint ourselves with a very special kind mud. The West knows it as Fuller’s earth but we know it as multani mitti or the soil from Multan. Fuller’s earth strips off deep-seated grime, unclogs bunged up pores and refreshes tried, dull skin. Fuller’s earth also binds itself to bacteria and toxins, making it a well-known specialist of oily skins, which are breeding grounds for bacteria and therefore prone to skin problems, especially acne. There are two main reasons why fuller’s earth is famous, firstly, it is made up of a union of mud and water which when applied on the face or skin, the body heat causes the water to evaporate thereby keeping our skin cool and smooth.
Secondly, Fuller’s earth acts as a good scrubber because it contain fine particles of minerals which scrubs away dead cells which dull and darken the skin and activates the skin’s blood circulation i.e. skin remains healthy.
Mud magic
Here are some tips to use multani mitti:
*A mixture of 1 teaspoon honey and 1 tablespoon multani mitti when applied on face acts as good moisturizer, skin softener and antiseptic. Can be applied on all types of skin.
*A mixture of 1 tablespoon of curd and tablespoon multani mitti acts as a good skin softener, removes excess oil, tightens pores, lightens blemishes and is a good antiseptic. Can be applied on oily/normal skin.
*1 tablespoon sandalwood paste when mixed with 1 tablespoon of multani mitti acts as a good anti-inflammatory, coolant and soothes prickly heat. Skin type: Oily/normal skin.
*1 teaspoon of orange peel with 1 tablespoon multani mitti acts as a good astringent exfoliates and removes excess oil. Skin type: Oily skin.
*1 teaspoon milk cream with 1 tablespoon multani mitti acts as a good emollient and also as a good moisturizer. Skin type: Dry skin.
*Face pack: Mix 2 tablespoons of multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) and enough of rose water to form a thick paste. This paste acts as a good face pack/scrubber. Caution: Avoid applying on the delicate skin around the eyes and lips. And always apply a good moisturized afterwards as multani mitti (Fuller’s earth) is a bit drying