Thursday, December 24, 2015

Vedic Collection's Tatha Skin Care



Tatha, is an organic skin care brand under the umbrella brand Vedic Collection, founded by Dr. Divita Kanoria. All products of Vedic Collection are absolutely natural without preservatives, paraben or chemicals. And this is what attracted me the most to the brand. A whole media kit of Vedic Collections’ Tatha products was given as trial pack in cute organic wooden box. Here’s my review on two products from the box-

Review of Tatha Face wash- Almond

The first look- The moment I opened the cap of the cute little jar, the yummy aroma hypnotized me. The texture is thick brownish jelly like, mixed with almond particles. The aroma will linger on to your senses and you would feel like eating it. One extra point for a natural scent.

The packaging- So stylish and cute. Easy to carry in hand bag or even while travelling. The golden cap and the little spill proof glass jar are absolutely stunning. The jelly texture is another reason for it to be spill proof.

The ingredients- as per the label are: coconut oil, sesame oil, almond oil, almond, honey. Rich in protein and vitamin D, it soothes, softens, nourishes and conditions skin.

How to use- Take a small quantity on your hand, rub palms with water and apply on face, leaving eye areas. Very less lather will form on palms. But don’t get trapped! The lather is because of almonds and honey. Upon initial application you might find it greasy and difficult to wash off. But you have to rinse well with water after massaging on face.

The results- The face wash will leave your face squeaky clean. Skin will not feel dry at all, unlike face wash of other brands from the market which tend to dry your skin after washing. The presence of natural oils prevents doing so in Tatha’s case. After wash, your skin feels nourished, bouncy without having the moisture stripped off from skin.

Word of caution- Avoid eye contact. Eyes will get burning/itchy sensation if face wash comes in contact with eyes. Splash eyes with water if that happens.

My recommendation- 100% yes! I loved this unique face wash and recommend to all those who are looking for natural products for their skin. It is safe and soft on skin. I rate it 4 on 5.

Review of Tatha Face scrub- Normal
The first look- The dry content inside the jar left me wondering about its usage. Usually scrubs of market are not so dry. But then again, I realized this is natural product without chemical binders or preservatives. The aroma is delectable for sure.

The packaging- Same as the face wash, the cute jar with golden cap looked very adorable. Neatly done, I must say.

The ingredients- as per the label are avena sativa (oats), prunus amygdalus var. dulcus (sweet almond oil), apis mellifera (bee honey), prunus amygdalus var (bitter almond)

How to use- Scoop out the scrub on your finger and dab on wet face. Focus on forehead, nose and chin, avoiding eye areas.


The result- Since the content is dry, I found it gliding on skin with difficulty. The scrub had a sticky consistency on my palm. Feels very soft and not harsh on skin. However, it did not work well on my skin, may be because I am used to the usual scrubs from market with thicker and harder granules. While scrubbing my face with Tatha scrub, the product lumped in places refusing to spread out. It was difficult to use.

Word of caution- Avoid eye areas.

My recommendation- This scrub will suit you if you have normal skin type. The scrub particles are soft on skin and not meant to exfoliate white or black heads. This face scrub is recommended for those who want mild scrub or want to exfoliate every day. I rate it 3 on 5.

My experiment- For an effective result, I mixed almond face wash with this scrub. It worked well. My face did not dry out, dead skin cells and mild white heads were exfoliated and skin looked refreshed. I can advise you to use the products together or a daily regimen if you want to see visible difference in your skin. The products are 100% natural, contain no parabens, have not been tested on animals and contain essential oils.

You can order all Vedic Collection products from https://vedic-collection.com/

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Informal Bar- Review




Food bloggers' meets are always unique and this time I was invited to an equally unique place named INFORMAL in Connaught Place, Delhi. The newly opened restro bar cum club is easy to locate on Tolstoy Marg, just few blocks away from British High Commission.


Lockers@Informal


Against all expectations of a dark place buzzing with smoke and loud noise, Informal made a pleasant
 impression. With wooden floor and rustic walls, the place has its own charm. A well-lit ceiling instantly gets your attention. The rugged looking lockers, as explained by the staff, was for guests to store alcohol if they are unable to finish the same. The lockers are tagged with the guest name and the bottle is given to them the next time they come. A great way to relationship building with the unique personalization!

The ground floor is spacious enough for 40-50 people at one time. The staff directed us to first floor where half the floor was indoors and rest half on-looking into open terrace bar. The aesthetics are beautiful, very charming and do not look overdone. Not to forget the staff, who is super friendly and very courteous. They did not leave us unattended even for a minute. I am impressed indeed.

Informal has a large variety of food & beverages.

I started with Dahi k sholay and it was incredible. Crispy outside, tangy and soft inside. The dahi sholay left me asking for more. I coupled the snack with Virjin Mojito and it was bang on! Fresh, tangy and sweet, the drink was refreshing indeed with minimal fizz. Unlike other eating joints, Mojito wasn’t full of aerated drink. I loved it!

The second specialty dish was served in no time after we finished dahi sholay. Loved the presentation of Turkish caviar olives with lavish bread. Bread was crispy. The caviar did not suit our taste buds so we left it half eaten.

Fruit Mocktails




















On the first floor, we dined in the terrace bar soaking the warmth of sun. The staff brought us basket bread with herb butter, barcelona tumaka and extra virgin olive oil. The bread platter had a good variety from soft buns to lavish bread and soft flat bread. The presentation was excellent, but the breads not that exciting. I ordered Curvature, a drink with orange chunks, lime chunks, passion fruit and peach, topped with apple juice. Hubby’s drink was a similar kind with lemon chunks replaced by apple chunks. He ordered chicken bites in charcoal with cilantro and spice parmesan sauce. Looked yummy! Hubby’s feedback- The taste was excellent but the smoky flavor was missing.

Mushroom rolls
Smokey chicken

Vodka on flame
As the day progressed with a huge variety of food on display and interaction with bloggers, we gorged on the Madrid specialty croquetas with mushroom. Deep fried and crispy, the golden rolls were loaded with cheese. Sinfully heavy but delicious.

I eyed the thin crust pizza but was too full to eat any further; though I did not miss chocolate coated lavish breads in dessert.

Informal put up a great show to mark the end to the meet with their “Vodka on flames” activity. Inverted glasses full of vodka at the base were lit up. The guests were to blow at the base of the glass to light up the flame. It soared high! Loved the activity.

My rating to Informal-

Staff Service- 5 on 5, courteous, helpful, friendly, quick

Food- 3.5 on 5 Great quality, less on quantity

Food Variety- 4 on 5 Nice experiment with food

Innovation in beverages- 4 on 5 Nice variety and mix n match

Music- 4 on 5 Not the annoying loud one but peppy, lively, new

Ambiance- 5 on 5 superb, spacious

A repeat visit for me? Definitely yes!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Vedic Collection bloggers' meet



New Delhi (December 12th, 2015) —Vedic Collection announced the launch of a new, redesigned version of its website-https://vedic-collection.com

Key features of the site include a cleaner and more attractive design, a more engaging user experience with enhanced search and navigation. Vedic Collection specializes in Essential Oils and Aromatherapy based products for mind, body and spirit under the categories Tatha and Samaya. A large number of bloggers, journalists and young digital enthusiasts were invited to the event, where Vedic Collection founder, Ms Divita Kanoria and the team disseminated valuable information to enhance the skills, knowledge and outreach of the participating audience.

The speakers and participants held enlightening discussions about the site’s refreshed and simplified look combined with optimization for mobile devices which allows consumers to better interact with Vedic Collection online. The consumers can choose the beauty products according to natural ingredients like Almonds, Rose, Lavender etc and customize their own beauty box according to their regime, diet, skin type etc.

The site intends to build an online community that changes the beauty-shopping pattern; an interactive community where consumers’ opinions matter and where all beauty lovers are valued. So one can actually try out a product prior to buying it by choosing samples and getting them delivered. The users can also sign up for exclusive newsletters as well as the Vedic Collection’s special. The event witnessed some fun filled activities like ‘What’s your skin age’ wherein the bloggers filled up a form to determine their actual age of skin; ‘What’s your Rashi’?wherein the Bloggers were given an essential oil according to their sun sign. There were also enthralling round of discussions and a good grub session. The beauty , wellness, lifestyle bloggers and journalists were delighted to get hands-on experience and personal guidance from the learned experts of Aromatherapy.
Speaking on the launch of the website, Divita Kanoria, Founder and Chief wellness Officer says “Theelegant, consumer-centric design of the new Vedic collection website provides an innovative platform for our users that will boost the discoverability of our products and drive sales. There is an abundance of relevant and useful information on the site such as usage, tips, ideas and benefits of essential oils. This new website launch takes into account several of the most requested features including addition of tips and tricks, in-depth information on essential oils and aromatherapy, and enhanced search functionality, all of which give the reader a pleasurable viewing experience. We are pleased to see the young digital influencers who have participated in the Bloggers event and I courteously thank them for their enthusiastic participation .Vedic Collection looks forward to sharing and creating greater momentum with them.”

About Vedic Collection

The Vedic Collection is totally committed to provide pure, natural, safe and effective products,
thereby, enhancing and enriching the lives of all those we touch. All our products are handmade under strict quality supervision and are paraben, sulphate and chemical free and are not tested on animals. We use, only recyclable glass bottles for storing our products to maintain its purity, as we are aware that plastic containers react with the essential ingredients used in aromatherapy and loses its potency. Our products are 100% pure, authentic, unique and safe. They do not contain any chemicals.

Face Care: Tatha Face care range suggest you the best natural products according to your skin Kind.

Body Care: Tatha works towards re-establishing harmony and balance. Tatha body care products help in Detoxification, facilitate healthy living, maintain youthfulness and vitality.

Hair Care: Nourishes the scalp, Keeps Hair Strong, Keep them shining, Keep hair thick, Enhances circulation.

Mens Care: Tatha range for men is focused towards the much herald metro sexual generation

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Are you a responsible tourist?

I am blogging for #ResponsibleTourism activity by Outlook Traveller in association with BlogAdda

Cover places on foot
How does one describe travelling? For few it means discovering new cuisines and culture, for few it is a change of place and weather, and for few it means pure fun or family time.

For me, it is unraveling myself keeping stress at bay. But how many realize the stress that we pass on to the environment or the residents of the place visited? Like many others, the realization came to me after I graduated from school. I became a frequent traveler who loved to make short trips on extended holidays or weekends. Convenience is what travelers pay for, and the most convenient way to travel for me was Volvo bus. Little did the fact dawned upon me about the fuel consumption and the pollution caused due to it. It was for the first time when I went to Jaipur, I found it so difficult to breathe in the polluted air! Unlike Delhi, commercial vehicles in Jaipur run on diesel instead of CNG. Perhaps CNG does not generate profit. Same was the case in Manali, when I almost choked in polluted air, in spite of the serene nature and trees around. Further,  the disastrous news on ban of snow sports in Manali left me heart broken. Activities like skiing, snow biking, paragliding were banned in Manali due to rising pollution level. The entire purpose of my visit was defeated with this ban! However, the very next moment, it was also a learning for me, how tourism has destroyed our environment.


While trekking up the hills of Manali and McLeodganj, heaps of non-bio-degradable waste turned me off. Why can’t we stop trashing plastic, if not stop using? I trash wrappers, packets or bottles in my handbag but never leave them at picnic spots. Shopkeepers at hill stations, wrap items in paper bags, as a measure to curb plastic pollution. It is the responsibility of tourists like us to respect the move and not litter the tourist places. Boozing at the recreation places in hill stations should be banned and a fine be imposed on those who leave their bottles there. That’s not a dustbin, mind you!


Love nature
Agra Tourism ministry has introduced battery operated rickshaws for tourists from parking to the Taj Mahal entrance. Any initiative to bring down the air pollution should be encouraged. Welcome the initiative and travel in eco-friendly vehicles, wherever possible. If the distance is short, why not walk? You might as well burn some calories! As a responsible tourist, I propose nature walks or jungle safaris instead of hiring diesel jeeps or noisy cars. We have strayed away from environment in the daily hustle bustle of life. Lets reconnect with nature and rediscover some inner joys while touring. In fact, many tours are for a change of weather. Let’s keep the same weather stable, green and pleasant for all.

Refrain from littering in water bodies too. My dad once scolded a gentleman washing utensils in the river while we were on a picnic in Sahastradhara (Sulphur water spring and river in the hills of Uttarakhand). The gentleman had a perception that running water carries away the dirt/waste. Little did he realize the harm he was doing by adding pollution to water and river-bed, which my calmly dad explained. Such is the kind of stand we need to take, for the environment, as a citizen, if not as a tourist. Let’s think beyond “Oh there are so many washing clothes/ trashing packets in the river already. Why not me?” Let’s do that everywhere, in any country. You don’t want the coming generations to see a dead world, will you?

Protect monuments
Stand up and speak up if you witness historical monuments being tampered. From scribbling names to fishing out stones or breaking walls, a responsible tourist will refrain from such activities as well as be vocal against these. Destroying cultural heritage is nobody’s business, and I am intolerant about it as a responsible tourist.

I have pledged to gift a green from my next tour onwards. Instead of buying fancy show pieces, why not bring back a tree sapling from the place visited? Apart from that, why not gift a sapling or indoor plant to your friends/ relatives as a memoir of the place, instead of bringing sweet boxes or fatty snacks? This will encourage green tourism! 

Respect wildlife. Do no barge into their habitat or disturb their lifestyle, else they should come charging at you. As far I am concerned, I end up befriending animals (not the wild ones of course), bringing back great memories from each tour.
Be kind to animals
Be compassionate

In a nutshell, we as responsible tourists can contribute a lot consciously to make Earth a better place. We can balance our recreation activities with little efforts for the environment that can make big difference gradually.