Do you clean your mobile? {Your Opinion}

So, when I was cleansing my face and was about to wash off the sunscreen, I noticed that the screen of my mobile was also dirty and had a layer of my sunscreen and sweat due to the excess heat in Hyderabad. 

Then, I thought that even if I do wash off my sunscreen properly from the face, this residue on the mobile screen can get transferred back on to the face, right? And, make the skin dirty and may clog the pores as well!!

Fortunately, my skin is not prone to breakouts. But, this can be a huge problem for acne prone skin or oily skin! The residue can cause a lot of breakouts on the cheeks and the chin area. So, I took a baby wipe and cleansed the mobile screen. Do you do that regularly as well?

And, this also reminds me that the same thing can happen with the pillow covers as well. The sweat and oil which gets transferred to the pillow at night does transfer back to skin the next night and the accumulated residue can harm the skin over a long run. So, do you change the pillow covers regularly?

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Blogging Series Vol. 6 - How to design the layout of the blog?

So, layout is something which you would have seen a lot of changes in if you have been reading this blog since quite long. And, I am quite proud to say that I am happy with the current layout. 

I have definitely received many comments saying it is not girlish enough or its too bland and not colorful or some other things. So, let me acquaint you with the first rule of design.

Some Pointers

white background, preferably!

minimal elements

ad placements should be not very obvious

font size should be decent (18 is the new 12)

It is good to have a really intricate design but when it comes to blogs, there are varied kinds of people, who would be reading it, with various tastes. And, it is not easy to make everyone happy. But, the least you can do is come up with a design which would be easy on everyone's eyes. 

Readers are fickle. Trust me! If they would not find your blog easy to read, they would happily go to someone else's. So, try to keep the design layout of your blog as simple as possible with minimal elements. 

Also, there is an issue of page loading and page speed which contributes to the user interaction in a major way. If your blog takes forever to load, people would be tired of waiting and not open it again!

If you keep a lot of widgets and gadgets on your blog which might be fun but take hell of a time to load, it can make anyone testy. So, try to keep the elements in your blog simple and as less as possible. 

And, also, the design or layout of any blog is not perfect. You can only try your best. There can be thousands of things which can do with bit of improvement. So, always be patient with your blog and learn to play around. And, always remember, things always evolve over time and so will your blog. You wouldn't get it right the first time!!

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Coup-o-nation!!

So, How many times have you bought online by now? Well, for me, the count is like around last one year, almost everything was done online. Well, am I fan of online shopping? Nah, I still like the idea of going to shops and checking out things, especially books.

But, things are still easy online when you are feeling lazy. And, now the good part is you have so many coupons which you can use to avail discounts on the websites. Sounds awesome, right? I recently came to know of the coupon culture in US and now its in India!

Anyways, let me recount what happened yesterday. My dad is gonna come to Hyderabad so he needed to finish the hotel booking. And, only recently, I came to know of Couponation. So, I was very happy to direct dad to the site when he asked me if I had any coupons or discounts!

And, guess what, he got a damn good deal on the hotel booking. But, the flight was booked just a day before when I totally forgot to tell him about the website. So, that was sad. But, still I went and checked out the website for what coupons it had and it had some good deals for Makemytrip, Yatra and GoIbibo (well, that's my favorite of all).

So, that was quite an experience, huh! Oh btw, in case you are thinking you have to waste money buying the coupons, its free! You don't have to even register which is like awesome coz I totally hate going to a site and getting a page which says fill in your details.

So, have you shopped coupons yet?

PS: This is a sponsored post but the personal experience described is true.

Just Gossip Vol. 29 - A Blind Test and The Week!!

PS: I am sorry for posting this but my post went up live quite before it should have been!!

So, I was preparing lunch today taking instructions from my mom on phone when P got this courier. It could never have come on a more opportune time! I was just waiting for the bhindi to get fried to go for a head bath. I had slapped quite a generous amount of oil in my hair right when I got up thinking it would be a nice day to give my hair a very relaxed weekend. 

What courier am I talking about? Ok, I was approached by these PR people to be a part of a blind test they are conducting. An international brand is launching itself in India with its Love Long Hair Range and it has found out a very innovative and interesting way to get everyone's attention. 

So, I think many of the bloggers would be getting these shampoo and conditioner bottles with no names or anything and we have to test the product for two weeks and get the verdict out before the brand reveals itself!! Did it catch your attention? Well, it did mine! 

And, I am soooo excited to test this product out. The best part is the conjecture about what brand it could be? Well, the conditioner smelt something familiar to me. My guess right now is on Pantene but I have to say that the shampoo did not really lather that much! Update: Now, I think it is L'Oreal coz it smells almost like the Total Five Conditioner!

Anyways, lets wait up to two weeks and see how the product works out for my hair. For now, I can say that, even though I thought it would fail, it did pass in removing all the massive amount of oil from the hair in two washes!! And, yup, today, I made the first almost entire meal of my life :D It is so damn exhausting to work the entire day in the kitchen :|

So, how is your weekend going on?

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Just Gossip Vol. 9 - Since how long have you been reading this blog?

Hey Everyone. Yes, I am skipping a beauty post today coz honestly I am very very tired and feeling a lot sleepy and its just 8. I have not yet had my dinner also so have to remain awake till then. 

So, I thought I would keep today's post very light and try to find out who among you have been the oldest reader of my blog. I know most of you are passive readers but I would earnestly urge you to please comment on this post just to let me know you are there.

Bloggers are very insecure people. They need a lot of encouragement and lot of reassurances. So, please answer this question. Since how long have you been reading my blog?

The answer can be anything from the date if you remember :D or in months or years or at least a tentative year month specification like around December 2010 or whatever you remember. I am looking forward to your answers :)

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Exercises and Health {Health}

I have come to realize of one important factor. And, that is that if you are regular at exercising from the earliest in your life, any disease you might have developed can be controlled. Be it heart issues, blood pressure, diabetes, PCOS, any other hormonal issues, or any major chronic diseases, the exercise is your only savior. 

The reason I am doing this post is because I have lately seen so many people who try to control what they eat in order to control their weight. Well, a conscious diet a very good habit but one has to remember that exercise is an integral part of your routine. 

You might go for crash diets or leave milk or take to fruit diets or go for healthy diets (which is very good) but all of them can not do what exercise does for your body. Without exercise, your body wouldn't have proper blood circulation or properly toned muscles or stronger bones. And, these are very important to prevent any kind of diseases in the long run.

Yoga is one of the best ways to regain the body strength. But, how so ever much you want to avoid exercise, you can not do without it. So, do exercise for a healthy life and not just for weight loss. Think that as an added incentive.

The reality is that a person who has exercised all his life reaps the benefits during old or middle ages when a normal person is actually prone to feel the lack of energy. And, here comes one important message for even the thin people who don't ever feel the need to exercise - you do!

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Salon Range Products or Natural Products for Hair? {Your Opinion}

I have always been torn between these two. Well, for starters, I love experimenting with natural products and home remedies!! But, on the other hand, professional products are well-researched and prepared and categorized exactly for your hair type and issue. 

If you ask me to choose between the two, I would be hard-pressed. These days my hair care routine or habits have changed so much. If I look at all my hair diaries which started way back in 2012, I used to use over-the-counter products and stressed more on natural brands (mainly Biotique) or home remedies. But, slowly, I can see myself transition into using hassle-free products. 

I have started spending more and buying SLS-free shampoos and professional range conditioners because the regular conditioners do not work for me at all. Ok, one reason I can say natural products or herbal brands appeal more is the expense. The professional products are usually very expensive. I would love to give Kerastese a try, its not that I can not afford it but somehow I do think before going for it, not that I can guarantee Kerastese will work fabulously on me!!

Also, lately, I have started hating applying products which are gooey and need a lot of pre-processing or post-processing like mixing some herbal hair powders with water or something else or mashing banana and papaya into a mix and applying it or even curd, for that matter. For one, the smell is awful and second, you really need to make sure nothing is dripping all over the house while you are working with all that on your head.

So, I have reached a compromise with myself and have started buying ayurvedic oils which I try to diligently apply before every hair wash. I do love to check out different ones so you will never find me sticking to one which is quite sad in one way!! And, I have started buying organic shampoos and conditioners, not professional yet, which reduce my time in the bathroom. Also, as a leave-in, I am sticking to natural oils for now because they are working great.

What do you prefer - the natural or herbal products or the salon or professional ranges for hair care?

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