Health obsessed, product junkie, cosmetic hoarder, beauty expert: As the former-Beauty Director of leading women’s magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Women's Health in India, I’ve been all these things at once. And even after writing on health and beauty for over 15 years, my appetite for delicious skincare and sumptuous makeup hasn’t dimmed...

 
 
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@vasudha.raI

I’m back from my panchakarma but I’m missing @tanmanayurved terribly. Reasons to love this place: 1. The amazing team of doctors who handle serious medical conditions, helmed by Dr Subhash Ranade who has written over 129 books on the Ayurveda. 2) The purely organic produce, most of which is grown at the centre. Cow manure is used as a fertiliser and cow urine as a pesticide. 3) The YUM food! Their chef @lazyvirappan and his lovely team are warm and great fun. 4) The Indian cows who give fresh A2 milk and ghee, which is used in all the food and treatments. You will love feeding the calves gur and roti everyday and you should. 5) My therapist Blessie who was very concerned about my health. Swipe to see a photo of her with her husband (also a therapist) - they’re so in love with each other that they buy and wear matching clothes everyday (swipe to see pictures). 6) The clean air and beautiful sunsets. 7) The room amenities (especially the shampoo) are quite good. They are all paraben and phthalate free but contain a tiny amount of sulphates. 8) The staff are all warm and very decent. I felt safe enough to keep my room unlocked most times. Side note: It is important to drop the city dweller attitude and expect perfect service. You may have to remind them to clean your room or send a fresh bunch of towels but you’re here to relax and not get involved in non-issues. Be nice, and you’ll be treated like family. 9) Most of all I’m missing my besties - Teddy the pup (who was christened by me) and Samrat the bull. 💖💖💖 (swipe to see photos) ............ The prices are about 7,500 a night, which is a bit high for a panchakarma centre but unlike other places that only offer treatments in the morning, Tanman treats you to various therapies that are tailor made for your condition twice a day. The rate includes your room, food, therapies and doctors visits. .............. Also if you’re wondering why I put the selfie between all the photos, it’s just to show you that I didn’t use a single Skincare product for three weeks - just soap and water. .................. Have you guys had panchakarma done before? What are your favours centres? I’d love to know.
My panchakarma is almost over and one of the best things about @tanmanayurved is the amazing food at @pathyamayurveda. While the chef Aditya Rai @lazyvirappan whips up a dope traditional thali, he is even better at experimental combinations such as these delicious vegan ragi and whole wheat dumplings. Stuffed with turai (ridge gourd) and carrots, in a peanut broth they have a strong umami flavour, which Rai says comes when you roast the veggies well. Here’s the recipe (makes 10-12 medium sized dumplings): ............... Ingredients: For the dumpling cover -Ragi Flour 200gms -Whole Wheat Flour 200gms -Salt -Water For the filling -Carrots (Chopped fine) 100 gms -Luffa (Turai) 150 gms -Garlic 4-5 Cloves -Onion (chopped) 50 gms -Coriander Powder (Fresh roasted and crushed) -Cumin Powder -Salt -Pepper For the Peanut Broth -Carrot Scrapes -Celery -Onion -Radish with heads -Garlic -Kokum (Salt dried) -Coriander Roots (Thoroughly rinsed) -Peanuts (Roasted and coarsely grinded) -Bay Leaf -Pepper corns -All spice leaves Method: For the dumpling dough: -Mix both the flours and a pinch of salt. Knead into a soft dough using water. -Wrap and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. For the filling: - In a hot pan, add a tsp of oil. Put in onion and garlic. Saute till light brown. -Increase the heat, add carrots and Turai. Saute on high flame to get some colour on the vegetables. -Once the vegetables are properly roasted and cooked, add the spices and season it. Let it cool. For the broth: -In a pot, add oil. When hot, add all the vegetables and scraps (scraps from any vegetables in your kitchen can be added to this. Root vegetables will help develop a more intense flavour). -Roast the vegetables till good brown colour and roasty aromas start coming. -Add the kokum and spices. -Add enough water to cover the vegetables and some extra. -Let the broth simmer for 30-45 mins. At this stage, add the peanuts to your broth. -Let it simmer for 10 mins more. -Strain and season the stock when done. (Continued below in comments):
#30daysofbeautifulskin Pranayama is one of yoga’s most ignored practices, despite being the most effective. We either want to jump into a handstand or fall into a deep meditation. But what we don’t realise is that the bridge between asana and dhyana is pranayama. Breathing techniques boost energy in the morning, provide relaxation in the evening, plus they help detoxify and heal the body. .................... Last year I couldn’t develop much of an asana practice because of my health. I couldn’t even meditate because my mind was running in all directions because of my book launch. What kept me grounded was pranayama. I did it for about 30 minutes every morning and that was my connection to yoga. If you find difficult to meditate, then don’t. Breathe instead. Over time, you will automatically fall into meditation when you practice pranayama. .......................... When I do my breathing exercises I find that my skin stays clear and glowing. When I stop, skin starts breaking out. Pranayama helps in detoxification because conscious breathing acts like a pump activating the lymphatic system, which is responsible for detoxification. It also provides oxygen to the cells thereby improving skin quality. A study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2016, found that yogic breathing for 20 minutes everyday lowered stress-related markers of inflammation. If you don’t know much about pranayama just do alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhan) everyday for 20 minutes. Try it for a month and then let me know how you look and feel. What do you guys think about pranayama? I’d love to know. ....................... Thank you @ajnajog for this wonderful book. Can’t wait to dive into it and advance my practice. ❤️
Just wanted to take a moment and be grateful for my healthy body. Despite everything, it manages to bounce back again and again. I’m finally regaining my strength after a very challenging couple of years. What a blessing to have a body that doesn’t give up. And a bigger blessing to have my guruji @seemasondhiyoga who has helped me become stronger. ————— On another note, we are beginning handstand prep every Monday, 7pm at The Yoga Studio. Learn to float, fly and jump off your mat. Who’s joining us? —————- Video by @ajnajog ❤️
Thank you @sujstyle for your GLOWing review. —————- Posted @withrepost • @sujstyle “The need of the hour is to stop treating meals as a battlefield. We must eat with the aim of boosting health and longevity, instead of trying to create only the outward shell of a perfect body. After all, there can only be outward beauty when there is inner health,” @vasudha.rai in her book “Glow: Indian Foods, Recipes, Rituals for Beauty Inside and Out. The book looks at sixty ingredients (based mostly on auyvedic traditions) that help you achieve true inner beauty. While the book is more tailored to an audience living in India, it is full of helpful tips. And nothing beats that natural glow. Easy to read, you can finish it over a weekend. Its foreword has been penned by @masabagupta. Thank you @sitara_nm for the recommendation. #glow #knowyourbeauty #beauty #welness #ayuveda #healthfirst #getthatglow #book #bookstagram #returntoreading
#30daysofbeautifulskin MY A.M. CLEANSE KIT So yesterday someone asked me for an under eye cream, which would zap away dark circles. Personally I’m very lazy with eye creams, I use one only when I remember. While they can help you with lines, creepiness and circles when you’re tired, if your dark circles are genetic there’s very little they can do. Personally, I like to put my energies into practices that don’t just provide me outer but also internal benefits. This is why my early morning routine is so elaborate. - Step 1: Oil pulling. The general consensus is to use coconut oil but traditionally sesame oil is recommended. I too prefer sesame oil because it’s more dense than coconut and I find that it really pulls impurities better than coconut, which I feel is too light. I’m using the one by @ohriaayurveda, which is now empty. In my experience I find that indirectly it helps keep skin clear my removing toxins in the mouth. - Step 2: Tongue cleaning. I believe in personal luxury, so I treasure my silver tongue cleaner by @parogoodearth. Traditionally gold, silver or copper is recommended. Paro retails both silver and copper tongue cleaners. Our tongue mirrors our health so scraping it enhances the taste food, improves digestion, thereby improving the complexion. - Step 3: Jal Neti. Nasal irrigation is one of my favourite morning rituals. It helps reduce dark circles, brain fog and lymphatic waste. Having said that please don’t follow a YouTube video to learn this kriya. I learnt it from a very senior Bihar school teacher at @anandainthehimalayas, who taught me the correct way to practise this technique and dry my nostrils afterwards. - Step 4: Rosewater spritz. One of the best things you can do for your eyes is spray good quality rosewater into them. My grandmother used to say that this makes the eye whites so white that they’re almost tinged with blue. I trust the @kamaayurveda rosewater as an eye mist. Step 5: Copper infused water. Copper is an excellent mineral for the skin as it enhances collagen synthesis. When you drink copper charged water for a few months it also improves digestion, thereby making the complexion clearer and more radiant.
Ok so the photos are a bit hazy, but it was so awesome winning the Beauty & Wellness Voice of the year at the #cosmoindiabloggerawards2019, with my lucky charm @payalboparai ❤️
Ultimately, what really matters is how authentically you’ve lived your life. But, despite the stress on individuality, we live in a one-size-fits-all-world. Fad diets, skincare, makeup and superfoods sweep across millions of women without taking into account their own unique needs. But, at the end of the day it is up to us to choose exactly those things that work for us. I’m all for personalisation. So how do you find your ID? —————— Diet: There’s no guarantee that a wellness trend is guaranteed to work for you. So you need to learn to read your body’s signals. I tried intermittent fasting, however, the full 16 hour fast did not work for me. I felt tired and fatigued, so I fast only for about 12-13 hours and then eat breakfast. Incidentally I met an ayurvedic doctor recently who also told me not to fast because I have very high vata dosha. People with high vata shouldn’t fast and should not eat raw foods. ———————— Makeup: My mother wears kajal and looks beautiful in it. My best friend would never leave home without a line of kohl. But I figured out at a very young age that kohl did not suit me, not one little bit. So instead of trying to follow what everyone else did I chose lipstick - the brightest, baddest red - and made it my signature. You’ll know when something’s your signature. When you wear it your skin will shine and you’ll feel like the best version of yourself. ——————— Skincare: Here’s where personalisation is most important. Every skin is different - you may have oily, dry, normal or combination skin, with concerns that range from dullness to wrinkles, pores or an uneven skin tone. No expert or blogger can determine your skin type for you, its up to you to understand and then nourish your own complexion. My mother had pigmentation so I use vitamin C serum, I have pores so I acid toner. But over that I have also personalised my skincare with the new Clinique ID moisturisers. I chose the Hydrating Jelly because I love it’s texture the most. In fact, even my mother loves the Hydrating Jelly, and she is very discerning about skincare. (Contd. in comments below)
#30daysofbeautifulskin I’m often asked what’s the best spot treatment for a zit. Something that destroys the goddamn thing overnight leaving no sign it even existed in the morning. While there are many spot treatments in the market I found that they either caused purging or left my skin dry and scabbed (I’m looking at you benzoyl peroxide.) Then I discovered this little tube at a German pharmacy and I knew I found the best spot treatment, EVER. .......... I want to begin by apologising to everyone because Tyrosur is only available in German pharmacies. But my aim is to bring you the best (not the most convenient) skincare, and in that regard this ticks all the right boxes. The transparent gel in this tube can be used on cuts, scrapes, burns and breakouts. Plus, it’s safe enough to be used by children as well. This will prevent even the deepest, most painful cystic acne from breaking out. If you apply this at the first sign of a pimple, this will demolish it overnight. The best part is that somehow this makes the breakout less red, meaning that it fades without leaving a trace. What’s your favourite spot treatment? I’d love to know.
#30daysofbeautifulskin The bottle on the left is what I recently finished, the one in the centre is what I’m using these days, and the box holds a bottle that I’ll use next. Could it be that I’m obsessed with my vitamin C serum? ........ Any self respecting Skincare addict will always have a stash of vitamin C in their arsenal. I stopped using it for about a year in between. My skin was OK, but when I started using it again in October last year, in just a few days, I felt like I had shed my skin. Brighter, clearer, smoother and more radiant, if you use a good vitamin C serum then you know how potent the results can be. ............. This one is one of my favourites. Yes, there are a lot of dupes in the market but I believe in originals. So this one is the OG serum for me. Others I love are the @obagimedical Professional C 20%, and @zelensskincare Power C (which may not suit oily skin). @drunkelephant is good for those who find this @skinceuticals serum too drying. ........ Unfortunately we don’t have any really potent C serums available in India. There’s the Sesderma one, which doesn’t give those potent brightening and smooth ending results. Among the ones available here I like the @kiehlsindia Powerful Strength Line Reducing concentrate. It has 10.5% vitamin C, which works very well for those with oily skin. ....... Do you guys use vitamin C serums? I’d love to know your favourites.