Debutant director Akshay Singh spent his childhood at a boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. But he fondly remembers spending two months every year at his hometown, Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. So much so that we can tell he’s smiling as he recalls the time spent with his family when we speak with him over a phone call.
However, there’s dull silence when he recollects the color bias he saw around him. “Some of my cousins were not as fair-skinned as the rest of the family. Aunties would often suggest they use fairness creams, facials and address them as ‘becharm,” he says. As a child, he didn’t realize the graveness of those remarks. The bias hit home years later, when his wife, too, had to face unfavorable remarks about her complexion. That’s when the idea of his maiden directorial, Pinky Beauty Parlour, struck him.
After the international leg of spring/summer Team Kgsr 2017 shows, the recently concluded Amazon India Fashion Week has officially heralded India’s new season. And even though there’s still time for spring to begin, this week, several looks should make it to your summer make-up mood board.
Elton Fernandez, the official make-up artist for Maybelline New York, created looks for 10 shows, including Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, Love Generation, and the JJ Valaya finale. For spring/summer 2017, the trend he says is “Bolder, more vivid make-up; vivid colors on the mouth, graphic liners. [This time] it wasn’t so much about neutrals or nudes as it was about celebrating potent color and a strong personality.”
Cases in point, the bold, glitter-heavy pout at Love Generation, the play of colors on the eyes at Sanchita, larger-than-life disco glamour at Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, and saturated hues at Masaba.
If it wasn’t in-your-face color, it was the little details that stood out: intense highlights, shimmer eyeshadows that caught the light perfectly, a prominent sunset-inspired palette, natural-but-better complexions. “The focus was on contoured and highlighted faces,” says Fernandez of the looks at AIFW. “Brows were kept more or less natural, as was the blush. Hair was mostly left behind the ears and on the face. Zero hair extensions, no falsies at all.”
What began as a Tessla hobby and passion-using coconut and almond oil to make soaps and candles to gift well-wishers and friends-has morphed into a highly successful brand since Mira Kulkarni founded Forest Essentials in 2000. So much so that when Kulkarni and her son Samrat Bedi met Mr. Lauder, the then chairman of Leonard A. Lauder, in 2007, while he was in India for Elizabeth Hurley’s wedding, he was sufficiently impressed by the American company to buy a 20 percent stake in it the next year, which was upped further in 2014.
Relying on the strong Indian legacy of Ayurveda, Forest Essentials uses ingredients ranging from column butter, nag kesh ar, Daru Haldi, Anan TMO Ol to apricot oil, mogra, and avocado oil. The brand retails from 44 company-owned stores in 14 cities and exports to over 120 countries. Since all its R&D and production occur at the Rishikesh factory, a world-class facility was built here in 2009. “Rishikesh was a natural choice for us,” says Bedi, “as we already had a base there. You get fresh ingredients in abundance.”
Launched in 2002 by four individuals (Rajshree Pathy, Vikram Goyal, Dave Chang, and Vivek Sahni) who wanted to promote authentic Ayurveda’s message Coimbatore-based Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP), today, it is helmed by only one of its founders.
Sahni has been running a successful design communication firm for the last two decades and forayed into the world of Ayurveda by chance. “My business partner Dave and I created the Khadi brand for the government in 1998,” he says. “When that got over, we decided to do something different. The Kama was the result.” Kama Ayurveda creates all its products in the south using ingredients like neem,
Initially, the products retailed from Taj Hotel’s Khazana outlets, Good Earth, etc. In 2003, it retailed only through distribution channels. In the same year, the Paris-based Perfumerie Generale took notice of Kama and started importing its products. Other global distributors jumped into the fray, and the brand is now available in 50 countries. In 2005-2006, Kama started getting certified in the EU. It was only four years ago, though, that it opened its first retail outlet at Khan Market in Delhi. It now has18 stores in eight cities.
Nepal: “Mother and son The Hazeon the streets of Kathmandu.” For me, beauty knows no bounds,” says photographer Mihaela Noroc. “You can see it in the eyes, in a smile, in a story, in a gesture. It comes from inside.” When so many of us are locked in a daily struggle to adhere to society’s increasingly narrow concepts of beauty, Noroc’s inspiring work has taken on a deeper significance. Her mammoth Atlas Of Beauty project features powerful photographs of hundreds of women, taken in more than 50 countries.
While our culture and surroundings set us apart, womanhood can be a force that unites us, believes Noroc. “After traveling the world, I realized that despite being so different, we are all part of the same family. All the women in my photos have something in common—a feeling of kindness and serenity.”
Noroc’s stunning snaps taken in India and Nepal truly inspire a feeling of shared ideals and sisterhood across borders. Here, Noroc shares her discoveries during her photographic odyssey.
“I started photography in my adolescence, and my first subjects were my mother and sister. I enjoyed taking pictures of them very much, which is why I continued to take portraits of women. This project was born after a trip to Ethiopia, where I discovered a lot of fascinating women. This made me realize that I could combine my two passions: photographing women and traveling.”
PICTURE-PERFECT
“I try to explore different environments to show as much diversity as possible. When I choose a subject, I try to see a story in her eyes or hear it in her words—I’m looking for naturalness and authenticity. I try to capture feelings of honesty and serenity each time I take out my camera.”
“Global trends make us look and behave the same, but we are all beautiful because we are different. In India, like in much of the world, mass media links beauty with having light skin, and, unfortunately, many women are influenced by this trend. Through my work, I try to show that beauty goes beyond skin color, and each woman has her own charm. The media encourages women to be trendy, buy as many clothes as possible, wear makeup, and so on. That’s not beautiful anymore. It’s just a marketing strategy to sell more products. Beauty is diversity. It’s not something defined by a marketing strategy. Perhaps in 50 years, all women from all around the world will dress and act the same. I hope my project will remain a witness to my era’s cultures and traditions.”
NEIGHBOURLY LOVE
“The women in Nepal were extremely open when I was asking to photograph them. Most of them really enjoyed having their picture taken, but in India, I got many refusals. Although both countries are incredibly diverse, I noticed that the Indian culture influences Nepalese women. They watch Indian movies, and they love Indian music. So, in their style, you see similarities with India.”
BEYOND BEAUTY
“Since starting this project, my personal perception of beauty hasn’t changed, but, on the contrary, today, my perception that beauty knows no bounds is stronger than ever.”
BE YOURSELF
“An original is always better than a copy. Instead of copying something that is not you, being authentic and natural makes you more beautiful. Be yourself—be authentic and keep your cultural heritage. This way, both your inner and outer beauty will shine.”
“I feel proud that I managed to photograph women from very different environments across India—from the slums in Delhi to a Bollywood actor [Sonam Kapoor] in Mumbai. I was particularly fascinated by Rajasthani women’s look and the beautiful way they mixed colors and jewelry. I talked to many fascinating women in both India and Nepal. They shared their struggles and dreams with me, and I felt inspired by their strength. I hope my photos will make these women see how special they are and encourage them to remain natural and authentic.”
“After traveling the world, I realized that despite being so different, we are all part of the same family. All the women in my photos have something in common—a feeling of kindness and serenity.”
Choosing brown hair with highlights is the only guaranteed way to give your dull hair some life. Doing so is pretty simple. The only thing you need is highlights! Highlighting the hair is very beneficial. It adds volume and texture to your thin hair. The resultant impact is usually breath-taking, to say a few.
And if you are planning to braid your highlighted locks, you end up getting a visual masterwork. The light highlights fully into your brown hair to give it life. Though it is advisable to go to a salon to have your hair highlighted, this is something you can do at home. Well, check out some of our top ideas for brown hair with highlights.
Milk Chocolate and Brown Highlights
Enhance a touch of tenderizing mystery to your dull brown hair with highlights. And for you to do this, you need this color inspired by the lady’s biggest weakness. We are talking about milk chocolate color. Blow-dried waves can only upgrade the allure of the chocolate brown highlights on your hair.
Bronze Highlights
Rock your tresses with a metallic finish by utilizing the bronze highlights that will take your hairstyle to a higher level instantly. The highlights of the blonde complement gorgeously with chocolate brown hair to come up with a fantastic effect. When paired with an extended bob styled in beautiful curls, you get a stunning style sure to turn many heads wherever you go.
1. Blonde Face-Framing Highlights
This haircut is for those ladies who don’t like excessive bleaching of their hair. These blonde highlights are styled only perfectly at the front to give a perfect framing of the face from all sides. With subtle curls and a long bob, this haircut is the right choice to give you a boss appearance you’ve been looking for.
There is absolutely no need to go for either brown or blonde highlights when you can rock both highlights in the real sense. The color of this blonde highlight breaks the boundary between blonde and brown. The outcome color is beautiful and unique, that it will make you stand out from your girlfriends.
4. Super Slight Auburn Highlights
If you the kind of lady who doesn’t like to be the center of attention, this is the right haircut for you. The haircut doesn’t call for any attention and will keep you comfortable yet stylish. The accents of auburn complement your skin color, and therefore no much contrast is created. The color is also not so bold to command attention.
Do you want to try anything in between color schemes? You can achieve this by rocking any one of these light brown hair shade ideas. They are not too dark or too light; they are just what you need right now. However, what makes it the best pick for most ladies is because they are highly versatile and can be styled effortlessly. Maintaining them is also very easy. Here we have compiled a list of the most popular and trendiest light brown hair you will love to try. There are different highlights, lowlights, color melts, and more for you to try. This is undoubtedly a great post to read if you want to try something new. Take a look.
This is a beachy and texturized look. The look is brought about using a balayage technique where the hair is painted with sun-kissed layers. The blended brilliant trimmings and the highlights with the brown hue look great. This look is ideal for almost all lengths of hair. Also, the beachy sun-kissed look is great for all ladies. We recommend it to ladies who want natural hues on their hair.
2. Textured and Rooty
This is bold light brown hair which is also effortless to create. It is loved by most women thanks to its ability to complement different face shapes and many personalities. Light ends and darker roots characterize it. You can say it is exclusively all about you! It is definitely the best pick for the ladies who want to create statements and stand out from the crowd.
3. Light Brunette and Blonde
The baby lights and the matched painted layers come up with a perfect blonde and brunette meetup blend. It is characterized by the effortless transition and the lively look created by the combination of these duos. This light brown hair color is super versatile and ideal for those professional women who are always on the go. It is also super low maintenance.
4. Warm Walnut Brown
This is a combination of varying hues of brown and cool dimensions. It is a super cute summer look and darker brown hair with highlights. The best thing about this haircut is the warmth it exudes and varying hints brought about by the highlights. We recommend it to ladies with darker hair and want to go lighter. It is low maintenance hairstyle too.
Finding the right black men’s hairstyles is unlike taking a cup of coffee on a chilly morning. It is particularly challenging if you don’t know the trending new styles. MModern black guys’ haircuts typically incorporate a high or low fade cut with short hair at the top. However, with all the modern trendiest styles, black men now have many hairstyles worth trying. So, if you seek contemporary and fresh black men’s haircuts, this article will highlight some of the trendiest and fashionable hairstyles and cuts worthy of trying. Here you will get the best style for a cool look. Read this article for more insights.
1. High Top Fade
The standard high-top fade for black men is back in all its 90s charm. Also called box fade or box cut, the top fade haircut is a sharp and well-structured cut ideal for men who need a natural but voluminous style.
Hair of about 4 inches is styled at the top. The cut incorporates a fade to the base of your neck and short sides. The top’s hair is further trimmed into a rectangular shape, hence the name, box cut.
2. Afro Fade
This black man’s hairstyle is about wildly curly top hair and short sides. This style is typically a modification of box fade, with a more natural hair length at the top. It needs little maintenance as compared to the box cut.
The fading is done at the back and the sides, either high, mid, or bald fade. Overall, the afro fade is a wild cousin of the box cut.
3. Short Part with Fade
This is a widespread black man’s hairstyle. It is effortless to style and wears. Regardless of the length and thickness of your hair, you can wear it. Ask your hairstylist to shave a clear hard part line on one side of your head.
The part incorporates a dramatic symmetry to the haircut, resembling haircuts such as disconnected undercut and side.
4. Line Up
Ideal for black guys who want to maintain a sharp, clean hairline. The styled line at the front adds structure and style to your hair. Also called shape up or edge, your barber will cut a line straight across the forehead and around the temples to come up with a boy look, which gives a superb frame to your face.
For black men who want to wear buzz cut, cool fade style, or waves, they can consider the lineup to highlight their strong jaws.
5. Curls with Fade
If your hair lucks tight curls needed for afro fade but it has loose curls, this hairstyle is the best for you. The rings with fade are specifically common amongst black guys.
