Swathy

Sleep and Skin {Skin Care}

Swathy · February 24, 2013 · 5 Comments

So, having girl colleagues and girl friends can actually be awesome! Oh, I do have many girlfriends but none in Hyderabad so I used to miss the gossip part. Now, I am getting that in extra-servings. That’s getting a little irritating but I am digressing.

So, one day we were just talking about dull skin and not so good sleeping routine. So, my colleague told me that why the skin glows after a really good refreshing sleep. The blood circulation improves in the scalp and the face during the cleansing process which makes the skin glow.

Now, if you did not have proper sleep, the circulation is not good and the face goes dull. Anyways, that is also the reason why hair grows well when you have proper sleep routine. Ok, there is another theory which I want to share with you.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you wake up feeling refreshed and sometimes you feel so sleepy, both after having the same amount of sleep? That is due to the 90-minute cycle of sleep. So, the body goes through all phases of sleep every 90 minutes. And, you need minimum of 4 of these 90-minute cycles (4 hours) for a restful sleep.

If you wake up between this 90 minute cycle anytime, your head feels groggy and heavy. If you had a restful sleep, that was because you completed the 90 minute cycle, that may be 5, 6 or 7 in number. For example, if I am getting up at 7:00 and sleeping at 10, I got 9 hours of sleep which is 6 cycles of 90 minutes.

So, if you get 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or any number of cycles of sleep, you will wake up refreshed but if your sleep breaks between this 90 minutes, you would not be refreshed and you would have a sleep hangover almost all day. Also, it is necessary that you should not oversleep either.

So, having a set routine of sleep helps the body maintain itself. What do you think?

Have you tried Aloe Vera? {Skin Care}

Swathy · February 20, 2013 · 48 Comments

Yup, I know you would have already used it. I have also been recommending aloe vera since ages. But, today, I am going to talk about my friend’s routine with aloe vera which she is very diligent about.

She is from Delhi and surprisingly she did not find aloe vera plant in Hyderabad. Really, right? Nah, aloe vera is easily available here but she or rather we were too lazy to buy a plant and nurture it.

Also, keeping an aloe vera plant among girls can dry it faster than a rose plant in a desert 😀 Well, obvious, no? Granted that aloe vera plant is quite adaptable but still you get my point! Anyways, coming back to my friend, she got lotsssss of aloevera leaves from home and keeps them stored in the fridge.

And, almost every evening or once in three days (I don’t know the frequency), she takes a small piece of the leaf and rubs the entire gel on her face for like 30 minutes or so while watching television.

And, then, she rolls off all the extra pieces or small sticky things present in the leaf which cling to the skin and lets the gel get absorbed entirely. And, she sleeps just like that without washing it off.

Results? S attests to the fact that this is one of the reasons why her oily skin turned normal. She is prone to pimples but fortunately its frequency has decreased. And, as I said, she does this very very diligently!!

So, for all the oily beauties, try this and you might get lucky! Also, for all skin types, aloe vera improves hydration of the skin and makes the skin glowing and really supple!! This is one of the great skin care tips for summer as well.

Baby Oil vs Vegetable Oils

pH level and Citrus Fruits

My Skin Care Routine

Just Gossip Vol. 7 – What did I pack in my travel beauty kit?

Swathy · February 19, 2013 · 15 Comments

So, I just wanted to do a small post on travel kit packing tips. Will talk about the clothes later. So, lemme tell you my travel kit is generally the heaviest which my mom always keeps on complaining about!! But, my effort is always to keep it as small as possible.

Since my trip was almost 10 days, I had to ensure everything was there. Since I don’t use makeup, that keeps my kit lighter comparatively. Let us talk about skin, hair and miscellaneous items separately. Then, we will move to talking about modes of travel.

Skin Care

Face Wash – Nivea Aqua Effect Refreshing Face Wash
Moisturizer – Nivea Creme
Sunscreen – MVO Moisturizing Face Screen + MVO Kid Safe Screen
Lip Balm – Nivea Essential Care + Nivea Pomegranate lip balm
Body Lotion – Nivea Body Milk + Johnson’s Baby Lotion
Compact – Faces Mineral Pressed Powder
Face Oil – MVO Anti-Aging Oil+
Makeup Remover – Himalaya Baby Wipes
TBS Body Gloves + Face Buffer

This looks like a Nivea store 😀 Ok, one sunscreen is enough. You might want to carry a new bottle so that you don’t run out of it accidentally. Since I use face wash as a body wash as well, that was enough! And, I have no different moisturizing routine for night and day so that was equally fine.

I had actually carried a smaller bottle of Nivea body milk but I ran out of it so I had to get the Johnson’s. I could have spared the compact and face oils as I didn’t even use them! Well, they were not exactly heavy. Baby wipes are must from removing sunscreen to cleaning the hands in absence of water. And, body gloves and face buffer was for exfoliation purposes.

Hair Care

Hair Oil – Sesa Hair Oil + Parachute Jasmine Oil Sachets
Shampoo – Pantene Lively Clean Sachets (3)
Leave-in Serum – Dove Vita Oil Serum
Comb – TBS Wooden Comb
Hair Clips + Accessories

I skipped the conditioner because leave-in was enough and I wasn’t sure how long would I get to get ready. You can skip the oil and go for the conditioner. If you use a brush, you might want to check out if there is a travel version of that brush available as well in a smaller size.

Miscellaneous

Oral Kit
Maybelline Colossal Kajal
Perfume Sample
Soap Strips
Medicines – Paracetamol + Pudin Hara

Well, according to where you travel and what your preferences and problems are, you should take those medicines. Like, if you are prone to allergies, taking an Avil tablet or if you are prone to motion sickness of any kind,land or water, don’t forget those tablets.

Air Travel

Ok, you need not carry the entire kit in your handbag so you can keep some of the essentials outside like face wash and oral kit if its an overnight journey (international flights), moisturizer, sunscreen, lip balm, baby wipes and compact.

Keep the comb outside with other hair clips and accessories. Keeping the soap strips might help when you do not have face wash handy but if you are a sanitizer person, you can take that. And, some of the medicines should also be carried in your handbag.

Train or Road Travel

Since you do not have to divide the baggage, you can keep the entire kit with you in an accessible place. Oh, yes, do not forget hand towel for especially train and road travels at ANY cost.I am mentioning this because sometimes I do 🙁