The Luxury Stuff

And Now, The REALLY Cheap Stuff

Many of you have asked me how I'm doing my makeup, especially my eyeliner. So I thought I'd do a full makeup tutorial showing the products I'm using, with a step-by-step guide to how I do my make up. Before I begin, let me start by saying that I like to keep my makeup as simple as possible. I'm not into heavy eyebrows or lots of blended eye shadow. And I like my beauty sleep! Which is why you're seeing very few products in the picture above. I like my makeup routine to take the least amount of time possible but result in a look that's defined, without looking over the top.

A step-by-step guide to my basic/ everyday makeup 

Here's how to do my sexy feline flick:

A few more tips

I was sick with a cold a few days back. It was horrible. I felt weak, my whole body hurt, my nose wouldn't stop running, my throat itched, my left and right ears took turns to hurt, and my nose felt all buzzy as if germs were jumping up and down inside it, having a party. So yeah, it was bad. But after three, yes, only THREE days of feeling like this, my cold was over. I felt fit and fine, and I was back to giving back-to-back classes. And other than the slight sniffles right now, I'm feeling completely fine. And just like you, I was completely astonished at how quickly I recovered.

I can put it all down to the constant herbal remedies I had during those three days. My mother kept making me hot herbal teas and medicines from the kitchen, and I myself kept making and having hot teas and drinks one after another. And since I amazed myself by becoming hale and hearty after this horrible, horrible cold so fast, I wanted to share what I ate and drank so you too can do the same when you get a cold.

Here's a list of what I had. You're going to see a few herbs and spices in almost everything, such as black pepper, ginger and turmeric. These spices are superheroes which is why I put them in everything when I catch a cold. But below you'll see how I took them so you're not having the same one drink again and again and wanting to throw up.

• Each morning I have a tall mug of hot honey lemon water. When I was sick, to this, I added lots of ground black pepper. It opens up your sinuses when they're blocked, especially when you wake up in the morning when you have a cold and feel so sick as if you're going to die.
• Turmeric milk: If you don't know what an incredible spice turmeric is, you've been living under a rock. Turmeric is an antiseptic and antibiotic spice that kills infection and makes your immune system stronger. Turmeric milk is gaining popularity so much nowadays that Starbucks has started a Turmeric Latte. Screw you, Starbucks. I've been drinking 'turmeric lattes' since I was born. Here's how to make it:

• 1 cup milk/ coconut milk/ almond milk
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Heat milk on low on the stove. Add the turmeric. Stir. Take off the stove. Add 1 tsp of ginger powder and a few sprinkles of black pepper. 
• P.S: Turmeric milk is frikkin' amazing. Have it every day. Make it for your family daily and force it down their throats. 

• My Extremely Potent Herbal Cold Killer Drink: This drink is so amazing that I dedicated an entire blog post to this. Click HERE to read the post and to know how to make it.
• Home-made popcorn: Popcorn makes a sore throat feel SO much better. It's low in calories so you can have lots. And it's good for you. Buy a popcorn machine so you can make healthy popcorn at home. Add extra virgin olive oil and salt. I always make and have lots of popcorn when I'm sick and I'm too weak to do nothing but lie in bed watching Netflix or reading. 

• Soup: With every meal, I was having home-made vegetable soup or mutton soup. You can make your own veg/ chicken/ mutton soup, just add lots of black pepper and onion.
• Boiled egg: Eggs are full of goodness and good protein that keeps you full for longer. When you have a cold you don't feel like eating anything so boiled eggs are great. And yes, put lots of black pepper on them.
• Mung Dal Khichdi: This is a typical Indian rice and lentils dish that is easy to eat when you're feeling super sick and even have a fever. It's filled with herbs, spices and has lots of excellent nutrition. It's soft and tasty, and when eaten hot, it feels blissful on a painful, sore throat. How to make:
• 3/4th cup {any} rice, 1/4th cup split green lentils {mung}. Wash and soak at least for an hour in water. 
• Add 3 cups of water. Cook uncovered on high heat. Add 1/4th tsp turmeric, and salt to taste. After it boils, cover and reduce heat and cook for 12-15 minutes. The consistency should be soft and creamy like a risotto.
• In another saucepan/ frying pan, heat 1 tsp ghee, add a pinch of cumin seeds, 2 cloves chopped garlic, and a handful of curry leaves. Add to the rice and lentils mix. Enjoy with soup.

When you're sick with a nasty cold, you just want to feel good. Which is why you should be having comfort food like khichdi and popcorn which soothes you. You can have all the above even when you don't have a cold. None of it has any side effects but is great for your health and immune system.

As a result of all the herbs and spices generating heat in my throat and sinuses, my nose was constantly flowing. This is a good thing as you don't want phlegm to be blocked in your chest, throat and even in your face, giving you that horrible sinus headache and facial pain. And then you have to blow your nose when all the icky phlegm accumulates. Eww. Better to have a runny nose and let all of it flow out. As Hagrid wisely said, "Better out than in".














Here are a few more things you can do to recover quickly from a cold:

• Avoid sugar.
• Avoid eating food from outside.
• Rest up. All 3 days I didn't do classes, and I worked from my bed. As much as I could, anyway.

As a result of my barrage of herbal remedies and clean eating, not only was I able to be up and running in three days but also none of my family members caught my cold, which usually happens. I hope this helps if you or a family member have a cold or want to avoid one.

Until next time,

xoxo and happy new year!