Fashion
Homemade…to beat the heat
With lots of holidays cropping up, we are going to be on the move. Ok, that’s fine, but what about the scorching heat! With temperatures soaring sky high, skin issues are bound to surface.
Well, here are some beauty tips that will give your skin some relief:
Aloe Vera: Apply fresh aloe vera gel to the skin. It helps to soothe and heal sunburn. Aloe vera contains zinc, which is actually anti-inflammatory.
Papaya: Papaya pulp can be applied on the skin like a mask, washing it off after 20 minutes. Papaya contains enzymes and helps to remove dead skin cells. Add curd or lemon juice to the pulp to remove tan. Fruits like banana, apple, papaya and orange can be mixed together and applied on the face. Keep it on for 20 to 30 minutes. Papaya helps to cleanse dead skin cells. Banana tightens the skin. Apple contains pectin and also tones the skin. Orange is rich in Vitamin C. It restores the normal acid-alkaline balance.
Lemon Juice: Lemon is a wonderful home remedy for sun tan because of its bleaching properties. You can apply lemon juice by mixing it with honey on the tanned skin and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes before washing it off .
Coconut Water and Sandalwood Pack: Sandalwood has great cleansing properties, whereas, coconut water is widely known for a glowing skin. Mix coconut water with one tablespoon of sandalwood powder to make a thick mixture and apply it all over the face. Wash it off after 20 minutes. This is a perfect cure for tanned skin.
Cucumber, Rose Water and Lemon Juice:The cucumber juice and rose water work as a cooling means for soothing the brown and red-spotted skin. To use these effectively, take one tablespoon of cucumber juice, lemon juice, and rose water and stir it well in a bowl. Use this solution on all over the face and wash it off with cold water after 10 minutes. This helps to turn your skin hale and healthy.
Milk Masks: Yes, milk masks do give glowing effect to tired skin. Just apply milk mixed with glycerin all over the face. Relax for 15 minutes and rinse with water. The treatment softens, rejuvenates and restores a natural PH balance, thus protecting the skin from the negative effects of the sun. You can also take half cup of milk and add a pinch of turmeric in it. Apply the mixture on your face and wait till it gets dry. Use this solution on a daily basis for exceptional results.
(Yes, time to take care of your skin and beat the heat!)
Fashion
Samitha’s incredible floral journey
Award-winning floral designer Samitha Wijayasekara, owner of The Wedding Flowers Gallery Pvt Ltd. and a proud WCIC member, recently presented a stunning collection of floral wearable art at WCIC Ramp Up 2024. Using a unique wire technique, the fresh flower designs were paired with garments by fashion designer Charith Wijesekera. The event, produced and directed by Lou Ching Wong, took place at the Hilton Colombo. Dress designer: Charith Wijesekera. Photos: Achira Jayasinghe
Samitha Wijayasekara, founder of The Wedding Flowers Gallery (Pvt) Ltd., is recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s top floral designers. Her journey into floristry began unexpectedly after starting her career in accountancy. Fascinated by the beauty of flowers from a young age, Samitha transitioned into floristry, founding her business in 2008. Over time, The Wedding Flowers Gallery became renowned for its creative and bespoke floral designs for weddings and events.
Samitha’s commitment to excellence has earned her numerous accolades, including:
= 2015: Women’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Bronze Award)
= 2016: National Excellence Award, 2nd Runner-Up (Medium Category)
= 2016: Entrepreneur Award, Western Province Merit Award
= 2023: Sri Lanka Wedding Awards (SLWA) – Appreciation Award
Her international training, including courses with renowned floral designers such as Wendy Andrade, Gregor Lersch, and Pirjo Koppi, has further solidified her reputation. In 2015, she became the first Sri Lankan member of the World Flower Council and introduced “Wearable Floral Art’ to Sri Lanka, blending fashion with floristry in a sustainable way.
Fashion
The viral fashion show by slum children that is wowing India
A video of a fashion shoot in India has gone viral and unexpectedly turned a group of underprivileged school children into local celebrities.
The footage shows the children, most of them girls between the ages of 12 and 17, dressed in red and gold outfits fashioned from discarded clothes.
The teenagers designed and tailored the outfits and also doubled up as models to showcase their creations, with the grubby walls and terraces of the slum providing the backdrop for their ramp walk.
The video was filmed and edited by a 15-year-old boy.
The video first appeared earlier this month on the Instagram page of Innovation for Change, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the city of Lucknow.
The charity works with about 400 children from the city’s slums, providing them free food, education and job skills. The children featured in the shoot are students of this NGO.
Mehak Kannojia, one of the models in the video, told the BBC that she and her fellow students closely followed the sartorial choices of Bollywood actresses on Instagram and often duplicated some of their outfits for themselves.
“This time, we decided to pool our resources and worked as a group,” the 16-year-old said.
For their project, they chose wisely – a campaign by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, one of India’s top fashion designers who has dressed Bollywood celebrities, Hollywood actresses and billionaires. In 2018, Kim Kardashian wore his sequinned red sari for a Vogue shoot.
Mukherjee is also known as the “king of weddings” in India. He has dressed thousands of brides, including Bollywood celebrities such as Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone. Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in a stunning red Sabyasachi outfit.
Mehak said their project, called Yeh laal rang (the colour red), was inspired by the designer’s heritage bridal collection.
“We sifted through the clothes that had come to us in donation and picked out all the red items. Then we zeroed in on the outfits we wanted to make and began putting them together.”
It was intense work – the girls stitched about a dozen outfits in three-four days but, Mehak says, they had “great fun doing it”.
For the ramp walk, Mehak says they studied the models carefully in Sabyasachi videos and copied their moves.
“Just like his models, some of us wore sunglasses, one drank from a sipper with a straw, while another walked carrying a cloth bundle under her arm.”
Some of it, Mehak says, came together organically. “At one point in the shoot, I was supposed to laugh. At that moment, someone said something funny and I just burst out laughing.”
It was an ambitious project, but the result has won hearts in India. Put together on a shoestring budget with donated clothes, the video went viral after Mukherjee reposted it on his Instagram feed with a heart emoji.
The campaign won widespread praise, with many on social media comparing their work to that of professionals.
The viral video has brought enormous attention to the charity and its school has been visited by several TV channels, some of the children were invited to participate in shows on popular FM radio stations and Bollywood actress Tamannah Bhatia visited them to accept a scarf from the children.
The response, Mehak says, has been “totally unexpected”.
“It feels like a dream come true. All my friends are sharing the video and saying ‘you’ve become famous’. My parents were full of joy when they heard about all the attention we are getting.
“We are feeling wonderful. Now we have only one dream left – to meet Sabyasachi.”
The shoot, however, also received criticism, with some wondering if showing young girls dressed as brides could encourage child marriage in a country where millions of girls are still married off by their families before they turn 18 – the legal age.
The Innovation for Change addressed the concern in a post on Instagram, saying they had no intention to encourage child marriage.
“Our aim is not to promote child marriage in any way. Today, these girls are able to do something like this by fighting against such ideas and restrictions. Please appreciate them, otherwise the morale of these children will fall.”
[BBC]
Fashion
JOYFUL VIBES AND CHRISTMAS CHEER
The Christmas season officially began at Taj Samudra, Colombo with the annual Christmas cake mixing ceremony held on Friday, November 8th, at the stunning Samudra Ballroom!
Hosted by Samrat Datta – Area Director of Taj Maldives and Sri Lanka, the event was a festive delight, complete with an elegant cocktail spread and joyful vibes. Cheers to a season filled with warmth, tradition, and sweet memories!
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
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