Monthly Archives: May 2014

Black and white in my summer wardrobe

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

I love colors, infact all the crayola hues as it helps you to stand out, sometimes neutrals can have as much impact .  The potential of black and white to create a 9- 5 look is noteworthy .

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Black suit , white shirt ( selected a warmer white in pure crepe silk ) and fitted woolen blend trousers

 

 

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A silk black dress with white patch on the sides .

 

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White / beige fitted trouser with a black chiffon shirt ( in unequal length )

 

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White crushed skirt with a long black jacket .

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Black and white tweed dress.

 

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White pencil skirt with black printed chiffon blouse .

 

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Black tank top with white patchwork cotton skirt

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Black and white tweed trousers  with black leather trimmings teamed with white crepe sleeves less shirt .

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Black lace dress with a black and white printed silk scarf .

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Black cotton skirt with white bat sleeves top

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Linen trousers with black and white tweed trimmings  with black t shirt and scarf .

Try black and white this summer 🙂

Love

Babita Jaishankar

 

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Skin lightening mask and scrub- Tamarind and turmeric

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

Sunday is a good time to spend time on your selves (I say this to my clients too).  This is my second blog in the series skin lightening mask and scrub oats and banana

Tamarind as skin care –

Tamarind is a powerhouse of antioxidants, vitamin C, flavanoids, and vitamin  A, which help fight against the formation of free radicals  ( the main ingredients in any age-defying product) . Tamarind when applied on skin soothes irritation and inflammation. It lightens the skin and reduces dark spots and pigmentation ( along with few drops of lemon it also acts as instant bleaching agent ) . Tamarind contains natural fruit acids which help to remove impurities and dead cells giving a polished skin. It also contains AHA (alpha- hydroxy acids) which acts as an exfoliater. This body scrub along with turmeric is ideal for oily and acne prone skin due the antimicrobial properties of tamarind. But avoid the contact with eyes and skin and do not apply after shaving or waxing as it may irritate your skin.

Read more about it here.

Tamarind turmeric mask/scrub –

The raw ingredients – tamarind , turmeric and crystal sugar.

Warning –  Turmeric stains the skin and clothes yellow .

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Tamarind and can be little harsh on the facial skin if used directly, so boil it in water and use the pulp.

 

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Use the pulp and mix it with turmeric and water ( or curd can be used too )

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To use it as a body scrub add crystal sugar to the mix .

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Have a wonderful Sunday.

Love

Babita Jaishankar

 

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Layering

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

Many women ( and men too)  are afraid to layer their clothes for fear of looking bigger than they actually are. While logic would lead one to believe that this claim is true, if you’ve mastered the art of layering this couldn’t be further from the truth. A perfectly layered look will compliment your curves and create the illusion of a more proportional silhouette.

Choice of fabric for the jackets /shrugs or cardigans (the layer) should depend on the weather and occasion.

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In winter i wore the dress with red leather biker jacket and summer i wore it with a brown cotton knit cardigan.

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Layering also gives you options to create different look with the same dress .

Love

Babita Jaishankar

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a patch here and a patch there

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar


A torn sari would not escape my preying hands so easily. Its like escaping a heavily guarded prison, of sorts. I can not normally let good fabric to go waste, especially with color and work like this proud specimen of bright mustard flower woven cloth. But the sad fact remained that as a sari it would function no more… and thus the dress. Paired here with a chunky cream necklace, and a contrasting brown watch, I’m glad that no part of this dress found its way to the trash that day.

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Love

Babita jaishankar

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Skin ligtening mask and scrub – Oats and banana

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

I often get asked about skin lightening creams and methods to lighten the complexion. I love and i am proud of the skin tone that me as a Indian have but pigmentation is a major concern hence  I’ve put together a natural skin care and mask that you can make using readily available materials  in your home.

The application of this mask could really help those with skin pigmentation, and could also be used as a part of your regular skin care regimen. These remedies are not intended to lighten your overall complexion – but I believe it could really help even out uneven pigmentation of skin.

Here is the first in series – Banana oats scrub and mask .

The recipe-

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Grind two table spoons of oats with cold milk and banana. To this add a pinch of turmeric (turmeric can stain the towel and also the outfit that you are planning to wear) and a teaspoon of olive oil.

Use this as a body scrub and face scrub. Leave it on for 10 mins ( will act as a mask ) and rinse it off with lukewarm water.

Oats for skin care –

It acts as a natural moisturizer by removing the dead skin cells. It contains beta-glucan that forms a fine film on your skin as well as penetrates deep into the skin to provide much needed deep moisturizing to your skin. Besides, it enhances wound healing and shallow abrasions and improves collagen deposition and activation of immune cells within the skin. Oats are known for their skin lightening effects as well as improving the skin tone and texture and smoothing out blotchy areas. Oats contain natural cleansers called saponins that can remove dirt and oil from the pores without causing irritation, thus leaving behind soft and silky skin as well as reducing pore size. Instead of facial scrubs, oatmeal can form part of your skincare regimen as it is effective in getting rid of dead skin cells that build up in the pores.

Banana for skin care –

Banana fruit has nutrients that are essential for the skin. They contain significant amounts of vitamin C and B6 which plays vital role in maintaining the integrity and elasticity of the skin.
In addition, the large amount of antioxidants and manganese present in banana protect the body from damage caused by oxygen free radicals which lead to premature aging of the skin. Banana is a great natural moisturizer for your skin. The Vitamin A and biotin present in banana restores the lost moisture and repairs the damaged, dull and dry skin . Banana contains generous amount of Vitamin C in it that help in maintaining the natural and youthful glow of the skin and also helps is getting rid of pigmentation.

Have a glowing  Sunday

Love

Babita Jaishankar

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Drape up

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

Sarees will never lose their hold on us starry eyed women. Draped well, a sari can be the best friend that diamonds are often not. Today just seemed to me like the day I’d like to spend my time on draping a sari. Of course, it’s all worth it in the end, all the struggling with yards of pretty cloth. More often than not, people do not trust the aforementioned fact. Some people don’t wear saris, however flattering they may be, with the myth lodged tightly in their brains that sarees are either much too girly, or traditional. Therefore, they believe that saris do not ‘go with their personalities’. I beg to differ.

Sarees can be modified to fit any personality, and I think what I wore today is a perfect example of this. A kalamkari sari, covered in not the usual floral print, but abstract ovals with a pallu of the usual kalamkari print. Paired with a chunky, solid copper pendant, and a big-dial mens watch a sareeIMG_4875

can be quite a fashion statement. Not too girly, lacking the normal floral, shiny jewelry that often tends to be paired with saris of the type, the outfit is comfortable and light.

So drape up 🙂

Love

Babita Jaishankar

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Restyled to Jacket

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

How do you combine style and sustainability? The weather here was nothing short of glorious, so I tried to take advantage of it by wearing a long jacket on top of a shift dress to a meet where I was invited to be part of panel discussion on lifestyle and fashion. Since this was a shawl gifted to me by someone special I didn’t want it to just sit in my wardrobe, I wanted to wear it. The jacket is restyled from an old wool shawl which was too heavy for me to wrap around. The cotton lining for the jacket also makes it less itchy (as pure wool tends to get itchy) and there are hidden buttons along the length of the jacket, making it wearable as a dress too .IMG_4829

 

Love

Babita Jaishankar

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Dancing Beads

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

It is a common belief that the more money tossed out, the better the look guaranteed. Sadly, this is naught but myth, and a good look cannot be bought (unless it’s a image consultant you’re hiring, that is 😉 ). The truth is, you don’t have to spend money to look good. A little creativity can work wonders, making you look great! Let me give you an example, like this necklace.

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  • This necklace is a day’s work, the time broken up by other daily activities. The idea I can claim, yet it was my sister who materialized the vague wisp of imagination. The neck piece was a ball of pink silk yarn at first, and that, coupled with a pair of crotchet needles, and a few hours produced this work of art. Yet something lacked, even after the pink necklace was finished and much exclaimed over. Thus the ‘faux’ pearls, I like to call them were stitched in place. The need to stitch on the ‘pearls’ awoke in me late at night, and I couldn’t sleep till I was done. The happiness of wearing the completed work of art made it all worth it though….    Love                                                                                                                                                                                                        Babita Jaishankar
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think. shop. proceed

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Babita Jaishankar

I had a client some time ago who was visiting India from Europe. When I took him out for shopping, after which  he expressed his surprise and excitement thus – “This is so cool ! I just have to go to the right places that have my exact clothes – and not waste my time visiting every other shop!”.

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Asking someone for help with something that is easy for most people can be kind of scary. Sometimes it is more a matter of pride than anything else. Unfortunately, not all people find the same things easy and I would be embarrassed as well , if I had to ask someone for help at a simple math problem, or something as such.

The same way, most people are reluctant to admit to themselves or anybody else that they cannot pick out clothes that would look good on them. So, they often end up shopping with a person who they think is style conscious enough to be of help. But, this is never enough to pick out the perfect clothes. Another problem with shopping with this ‘style conscious’ friend is that the person commonly ends up with bags full of the friends personality, and nothing that they’d actually ever wear. Other times, the person feels like they’ve been looking too long anyhow, and ends up subconsciously deciding that the next outfit to be seen is the one to take home.

Sometimes, this person may be confident in their abilities to shop fashionable, but in pursuit of the latest trends, forget that it is also important to shop in accordance to lifestyle and personality. Shopping smart is also very important as budgeting time and money makes up a large part of good shopping.

Luckily, when it comes to shopping, I’m in element and I understand that this is one of those things that a lot of people find difficult. By this, I don’t mean that they find shopping as such difficult, but shopping in accordance to their needs and appearance.

Love

Babita Jaishankar

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