In search of the coveted glow...

How far would you go for that perfect skin that glows like a 1000 W bulb? I betcha a majority of the ladies just wouldn’t mind giving their eyes and teeth for that (what use that glowing skin would be sans eyes & teeth is beside the point :D) Jokes apart, it is that quintessential quality that every lady aspires for…some are born with it, some earn it with hard work and the rest keep striving till they achieve it…And then there are some lucky damsels who fall under all of these categories. If you have gone through your fair share of skin troubles in your younger days, you tend to realize its value even more, like I do!

Glowing skin is considered harbinger of health & happiness but there’s something quirky about watching that glow on someone else’s face…an eerie feeling that implores you to explore the closely guarded secret of her glowing skin even if it takes befriending your nemesis who has the privilege to her proximity and what follows is a wild goose chase starting with the same brand of beauty products to following the skincare regime and ending with making a beeline to the salon she frequents. If all that fails, you try to ascribe the possible reasons of her glow – hmmm must be love! or psst, is she expecting? or to top it all, blame it on her genes !!

In growing up years, my girl’s hostel was the perfect arsenal to combat the menace of skin troubles. With shoe-string budgets, there never was any spare money to dispense on beauty treatments. Going natural was rather a constraint than a choice. My skin savored a healthier diet than my tummy. A trip to the neighborhood grocery store was less for appeasing the taste buds and more for the elusive glow. The shopping list was as vivid as it was divergent - milk, curd, tomato, papaya, lemon et al. I wasn’t alone in this noble endeavor. A symbiotic relationship existed between the bevy of beauties vying to beat the competition. After all, there’s no greater joy than hearing your name resound when the classic poser pops up,”Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” :)

When an already fair & glowing roomie brought a sandalwood stick, the others followed suit to foil her bid to overtake others in terms of complexion. My room looked like an arena for flexing muscles developed by endless extraction of sandal wood paste. On the brighter side, we earned some extra brownie points from the hostel warden who thought we had suddenly turned religious as she likened the chandan smell to agarbatti :D. A multitude of colored faces filled the rooms of our hostel..thanks to the innumerable varieties of face packs – brown-multani mitti, orange-papaya, green –cucumber, yellow-besan and what not! Nobody mind gulping down utterly bitter Safi tonic when someone mentioned my cousin owes her great skin to Safi. Similar was the fate of karela which until now had always been subjected to step-motherly treatment. Every room had a corner dedicated to these sacrilegious rituals – one roomie massaging away to glory, another scrubbing a tomato and others rubbing their finger nails together as a yoga exercise presumed to bring that wonder glow: D

Picture Credit : Kaya

I have donned some of these roles off and on – the performer and the spectator. Several years have passed since then but so much yet so less has changed. The same quest continues to this day. With less time to spare and more money to dispense, natural products have made way for expensive cosmetics and salon treatments. This quest took me to Kaya Skin Clinic last week. I was intrigued by their ad of ‘beautiful skin that glows from within’ and went ahead for Kaya Everyday Radiance service. This Kaya experience was good, as it has always been, in terms of service and professionalism but am still waiting for the glow for the last 5 days! I check myself out in the mirror every morning for the glow but alas it eludes me even today…I am reminded of my trusted neutrogena facial cleanser lying in my vanity bag. As I reach out for my bag, I notice some brochures lying by my bedside table. One of them reads “Rejuvenate your Skin this summer as Kaya Skin Clinic introduces Aqua Radiance. ~A new service based on water, oxygen & air technology~”. I stole a cursory glance at myself in the mirror and to my surprise, I saw my skin and eyes both glowing in anticipation :)

P.S. What's your secret? Pink Diaries would love to have it jotted...

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Deconstructing the 2-minute noodles

If there’s one food with which I associate my most profound memories, it has to be Maggi! 25 years old and still going strong…this 2-Minute wonder has grown with me (rather most of us, I’m sure!) in its varied garbs - a childhood staple, an instant hunger-fix after playtime, a delight in school tiffin box, a saviour in college canteen, a survival kit in foreign lands, a comfort food for lazy days and a saving grace after a hard day at work!

With a brand new campaign and innovative marketing, things could only get better between ‘me & meri’ maggi. But someone was playing killjoy in this blissful union. Forward emails starting doing the rounds on the internet highlighting the potential health hazards of consuming Maggi. The key points mentioned in the email were that these instant noodles are coated with wax and by cooking it the traditional way; we consume the wax along with it. It also mentioned that the tastemaker contains MSG and when the ingredients in the tastemaker are boiled, the molecular structure of the MSG changes, causing it to be toxic. Therefore, the correct way of making Maggi is to prepare it like hakka noodles - draining water after boiling the supposedly wax-coated noodles and mixing the tastemaker after the noodles are done.

I was heart-broken, totally ! I felt as if a good friend had betrayed me. I tried to ignore, avoid and occasionally snub that old friend for being what it was made out to be. When I couldn’t resist much, I started following the tip mentioned in the email and ended up getting frustrated every time I cooked Maggi since this new process was quite tedious. It was like a love affair gone sour!

The same forward mail landed in my inbox yesterday and this time I decided to give the relationship a second chance. I immediately wrote to consumer services at Nestle about the email demanding an official take on it.I was pleasantly surprised to receive a prompt reply from them clearing the air on the email contents. It turned out that the stated facts were FALSE and our good ‘ol Maggi noodles are as rocking as ever. In public interest, I am appending their reply here...hear it from the horse’s mouth!

Some relationships are meant forever, they say, and I couldn’t agree more today! Maggi, here’s to you and friendship…

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The Luxe carries Hermes

Recently I stumbled on an article in a leading daily on Ms.Ambani's recent public appearance. More than the real issues being discussed in the meeting, it solely focussed on the handbag she carried to the meeting!! Apparently, she was carrying a Birkin as opposed to a Kelly that would have suited the occasion more, as the author presumed. More often than not, media construes too much out of unintentional actions and this to me appears to be one classic example! The author went to the extent of deciphering what must've been going on in her mind, considering the gravity of the occasion that made her choose a Birkin over other handbags as it gives out casual vibes. Much ado about nothing ,I'd say! For all you know, she might have chosen one because a white handbag went well with a pastel pink outfit that she donned :)

When I asked several people whom I consider to have more than a passing interest in fashion if they know the different between a Kelly & a Birkin, I received very different replies. Most of them seemed to be as clueless about this terminology as I was so I decided to take the lead in giving them a heads-up on the who’s who of the luxury bags segment.


Hermès is a brand of luxury goods that specializes in leather, ready-to-wear, lifestyle accessories, perfumery et al. Two of its iconic, limited edition hand-crafted purses are the Birkin bag & the Kelly bag. Each bag is carefully handmade from beginning to end by a single artisan and are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and limited quantities, creating scarcity and exclusivity. The waiting list for these bags run into a couple of years. These bags start at about $7,000 and can go well beyond $50,000 (OMG!) depending on hide and hue and are named after a duo of beautiful actresses – Jane Birkin & Grace Kelly respectively. For a celebrity, socialite or fashionista to be seen carrying a Birkin or Kelly is a testimony of her living a good life and that she has ‘arrived’!

But choosing a Kelly over Birkin or vice-versa had always been a subject of debate. May be it is because these handbags are seen more as personal statements rather than fashion accessories. The Kelly remains the classic choice for a formal do and is hugely popular with women who identify themselves with the bag’s muse, Grace Kelly who exuded royalty and refined manners and tastes. On the other hand, the Birkin, designed for the bohemian Jane Birkin, is the pick for the women on the move – casual yet understated.

The choice may be difficult for the yuppies in select social circles where owning a bag that can cost as much as a car is seen a status symbol but not for me, simply because I’ll have to rob a bank to fund even the least expensive one irrespective of what vibe it sends out. Nevertheless, it’s good to stay updated on the things that make a woman’s world go round. So girls, next time someone mentions Hermes, just brag on!!

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Monsoons,memories & me...

Happy days are here again!With the first sporadic monsoon showers wetting the spirit of the scorched city, my heart sings a poem of joy and my soul stirs with stanch-less excitement. As I sit with a piping hot cup of morning tea and vibrant supplements of sunday newspaper for company, the jingle of the rain drops makes me go tappy-toppy and takes me down the memory lane …I rummage through my closet and fish out my priceless possession since childhood – my diary which was the treasure chest of all my creative outpourings. The footnote against a diary (not a pink one back then : D) entry of an article I wrote for a teens’ mag on the same subject reads June, 1996. OMG, 14 years have passed!!! It feels just like yesterday. Sigh!

The last 14 years of my life just flashbacked infront of my eyes and I can’t help being amazed at how my life has changed in all these years. It’s a feeling of bitter-sweet emotions…So much yet so less has changed. From a fresher stepping out of school to a responsible adult, I’ve definitely come a long way:)

That leaves me wondering – did my life shape up the way I had dreamt? Well, the answer to that is partly yes, partly no. Do I have any regrets? Nah! I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs and won’t deny that the things which didn’t turn out my way left me in the dumps at times. But what the heck! Isn’t that what life is all about. If life was so predictable, it would have been like drawing a route on google maps! To me, life is all about the choices u make…some good,some bad. But u’ve got nothing to lose with the bad ones either.If they ain’t fulfilling, they are good learning instruments atleast :)

Life’s too short to brood over the mess…just make the most of each moment.Live life as there’s no tomorrow. Let your hair down. Dance till you drop dead. Croon at the top of your voice. Smile a little harder, cry a little less. Take out time to watch the sunset. Go for long drives. Hold hands with your partner. Get wet in the rain. In our busy lives, how often do we acknowledge the joy in such subtle yet so meaningful gestures. These rain drops come as a blessing from the realm above as a reminder for all that’s ‘pink’ in life. Time for me too to soak up its riches as Pink Diaries leave you with this food for thought…

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Oops,she did it again!

Some people have a knack of committing the same mistakes again and again and our Mrs. ARB is one of them..Tuning it to FM this morning on my way to work, I heard some caustic words of criticism being slapped on her for her appearance at Cannes this year. Curiosity got the better of me and the first thing I did on reaching office (friday being a lean day for a change!) was to google her image at Cannes 2010. It nearly broke my heart to see how a dash of extra effort to stand out can make u literally stand OUT! A buffon hairdo?Umm..I'm trying to sound polite..the guy on the airwaves was calling it a beehive!! I'm not too sure whether I like her look or not but with a face that can launch a thousand ships and a bod to die for, she could have done much better.

Poor lady has received flak from the designers and media for her bad dress sense on and off the red carpet. I guess it's the social pressure to look the most beautiful woman in the world eternally that are responsible for her choices ..some brilliant, some poor and some simply outlandlish!

But fret not,lady! U continue to be the reigning glam queen (and faux pas at the same time, too!)..Better luck next time at Cannes and hope u'll not make us break into the song "There she goes, there she goes again .." Teehee :D

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The fat lady has sung...

It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings, they say. I’m not talking about the colloquialism here, rather the literal meaning of the proverb. Well, I’m hinting at the real life grand opera that had been running on media for the past few days – the Sania-Shoaib-Ayesha saga, that had the whole nation (2 nations, to be precise!) hooked and salivating for more. Indeed, the fat lady (no offense meant to Ayesha Siddiqui) is the one who has finally brought this opera to an end with her singing and is, apparently, laughing her way to the bank with whopping 15 crores in her kitty.

I’m not being judgemental about anyone out there. The truth is best known to the parties involved and the voyeurs will be left scratching the surface to unearth just the half-baked lies. But I will mince no words in voicing out my opinion that the real loser in this game has been Ms. Mirza! The only things she gained out of this are bad press, an opportunist husband and Biwi No. 2 tag!!!

She is a national icon and should have dealt with it more maturely, rather than giggling along with her hubby-to-be on national TV as he went on lying through his teeth. Now he is eating his words and the hopelessly-in-love bride is looking for avenues to avoid media glare on the issue. Maybe one of those occasions when you feel this is the hefty price a celebrity like you has to pay for the public adulation.

Never mind, the storm is over now. The fat lady has brought the curtains down for ushering the artists of the next drama titled ‘The big fat Mirza wedding’. I can just wish them a 'pinklicious' series ahead! :)

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When u shop, the world gets better...

Last night I watched 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' for the nth time and fell in love with the movie all over again. Isla Fisher delivers a remarkable performance as a compulsive shopper who finds herself in a vicious circle of shopping & credit card debts. She is neck-deep in debt due to her shopping obsession and then to come out of the distress caused by this, she shops more, for she believes “When u shop, the world gets better & better”!

Doesn’t that sound like your own story? At least, it does sound a wee bit like mine, though not in the same proportions. Shopping is my dope too. The four-lettered word ‘SALE’ has a hypnotic effect on me. It is just an excuse for stocking up more goodies. That doesn’t imply that I do not shop when there are no discounts. Of course I do! My inner voice says that the good stuff is available only at full price and that wont be on display when the sale is on…Then why do I shop during sale?? Well, my inner voice does a volte face then and tells me that it’s a steal at the price I’m paying at the moment and I might bring that item to use later…like that black overcoat I can wear when I go abroad next time or that itsy-bitsy skirt that will look good in my beach vacation pictures or that pink-and-blue muffler that will jazz up my outfits when I’ll be in a snowy location or those killer stilettos I can wear when I go clubbing next (c’mon I don’t want to repeat my party shoes !) The list is endless …and so are my excuses. My wardrobe is on the verge of bursting at seams but my shopahol hangover refuses to get over easily.

As soon as my paychecks come in, my credit card payment cheques depart. Occasionally, I swipe my credit card for cheap thrills like reward points which I can redeem for gift vouchers and shop again! Each time I resolve not to fall in this trap but my shopper alter ego tricks me into it every single time. After all, like the protagonist in the movie, Becky Bloomwood a.k.a the girl in the green scarf puts it. ‘When u shop, the world gets better & better’! Sigh!!

My refraining ego & my shopaholic alter ego constantly engage in a war of words every time I cross a fancy shop but from the reverberating thoughts in my subconscious mind, the Girl-in-the-Green-Scarf comes forth to whisper gently in the ears of the Girl-with-a-Pink-Diary ‘Indulge in shopping but do it responsibly’!!

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I have earned my 'BRUJIN' today !!!

Last month iDiva was running a contest to celebrate Women's Day and I happened to be one of the lucky winners! If these chocolates can look so tempting in pictures, I can't stop dreaming how heavenly they would taste when I lay my hands on 'em !!!

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Hey Woman, Stay Girl!

Do ladies wear pink ‘cuz its girly or its girly ‘cuz ladies wear it?? Another chicken-or-the-egg question but who cares! Pink is such a fabulous color that instantly increases your face value and symbolizes everything happy & gay (No pun intended! : p). Pink commands a cheerful connotation in our daily lives with the exception of umm..err.. the dreaded ‘pink slip’. Be it a fuchsia, magenta or coral, each hue of pink is so lively & exciting and therefore, so apt to be branded as girly!

When I thought of creating this blog dedicated to pink topics (read girly), an idea that surprisingly came from the think tank of a non-pink gender (read guy – in this case, my significant other) , little did I know that the internet is already inundated with content on pink. So this will not be another run-of-the-mill blog on feminine topics, rather an interactive forum for matters close to a girl’s heart..about stuff that will tickle u pink !!! :)

Pink color is also symbolic of desire for the more carefree days of childhood for the overworked and stressed-out women, so dear ladies, lets freeze the time in the pink age of our lives…think pink and stay girl!!!

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