World Heart Day Special

One of the seven vows we take when we get married is to take care of each other, which includes taking care of each other's health too. Saffola Life has come up with an incredible campaign on the occasion of #WorldHeartDay, as follows:

The women of the family are the ones who take care of everyone around. Be it as a wife or a mother, they are the ones everyone turns to for help, sustenance and guidance. They are at once the captain and the anchor of the family’s ship. In short, they put everyone first. Now it’s time to put the women first and take care of their health, their heart health.

Research shows that 2 out of 4 women are at risk of heart problems due to increasing weight*. The good news is that research also shows that a 30 minute walk can improve your fitness levels and is a simple yet significant step to protecting your hearts.

So all you couples out there, take the pledge to walk together and make this your mantra for healthy weight management and a healthy heart!

Being a married woman, working and with a small baby, I'm either sitting in front of a PC round the clock or taking care of the baby; leaving no time for exercise. So I really wanted to take the Weight Heart Test to know how I fare.

And the results showed : Your heart risk is 19% higher compared to people with normal BMI. My post-delivery baby weight has refused to budge, and I have not really given too much importance to working out. The test also tells how much weight I need to loose to eradicate my risk. I thought, I'll do the test for my husband also. His results are that he's in the normal BMI range, but should continue walking and daily exercise to maintain himself. I personally think he needs to lose some fat from the waist region, I had once read somewhere that tummy fat and heart problems are correlated.

So though we just need to take slight care and keep going, this initiative enlightened me how careless we are about our health. Specially now that we're getting closer to the 30's and heart attacks and strokes have become common in young age due to stressful life, we need to take care. I have decided to take up the initiative, go for walks with husband on weekends and do some yoga together every morning. We can motivate each other, he can encourage me to loose the weight and I can encourage him to quit some bad habits. Together we can be fit and also be a good role model for our baby boy so that he'd be active from the start.

You too should go take the Weight-heart test right now, it will take just two minutes and then read the help tips and recommendations specially for you!

I am joining the Saffolalife #ProtectHerHeart initiative and pledging my support to better heart health in Association with BlogAdda.

#SoftestForBabySkin

Last weekend I was invited for the preview launch of a new product by Pampers. Curiosity got the better of me, and I stalked them on their social media handles, and soon enough knew that they're launching a new range of premium diapers! That was really exciting news for me because of 2 reasons: 1st being that I have a 11 month old baby and 2nd being that I swear by the Pampers Active Baby diaper, they've been the best one in the market, until now maybe.

The stage was all set up and I love the way it was done! Cuteness everywhere. I had taken my baby along for this one because I was told I could. Though that was not the best decision ever, it was a good experience and his he had his first celebrity moments (coming to that later).

A lot of parenting and mommy bloggers were gathered, I even met a couple of them who I knew virtually. We were all excitingly waiting for the program to start.

We had a panel of experts & celebrity moms talking about baby care, skin care, diapers etc. Mandira Bedi brought to life the importance of skin health in infant baby & how a soft & dry diaper can help babies have the best skin comfort and happy development. Ajita Gopal Seethapalli, a child sleep consultant talked about the importance of a comfortable, soft diaper for a baby to sleep through the night. We also had celebrity mother Tara Sharma who spoke of her experiences with Pampers, raising her two kids and lastly we had Dr. Wei Sing Long the Pampers R&D expert, tell us how this premium pampers range is unique.

What's special about the new Pampers Premium Care Pants:

1) Soft fabric

2) All-around waistband for a comfortable, snug fit.

3) Up to 12 hours of dryness

4) Baby Lotion

5) Wetness Indicator (Only in the small sizes, for a new overwhelmed struggling mother)

Dr. Wei also mentioned a point that just because a diaper can hold up to 12 hours, does not mean you keep the baby in that diaper of 12 hours. It is meant for them to sleep comfortably through the night, which is about 8-10 hours. There were live demonstrations of the quick drying gel, lotion on the diapers, etc. We were all even made to do a blind test (image above) where we had to feel and vote for the diaper that felt the softest. 90% of us voted for number 2 which was indeed the pampers premium pants.

My baby was so excited that I just could not restrain him to sit with me. In fact he kept swiftly crawling from one end of the set-up to another, drawing quite some attention from the panel, audience and photographers. Haha, I can't blame him for being a happy  super-active child, he's a pampers baby after all. We also saw a few super adorable and emotional video clips by Pampers.

#PKSharma 's first celebrity moment! Look at this boy staring at these beautiful ladies! #BabyDiaries

A photo posted by Avantika (@stunningmoon) on Sep 22, 2015 at 1:00am PDT

He also had his celebrity moments with Tara Sharma & Mandira Bedi! Haha.. look at the way he's staring at these beautiful ladies! There was a Q&A round, post which we were given a hamper including the new premium pants and a few P&G samples.

“This blog post is written for the Pampers #SoftestForBabySkin activity in association with BlogAdda”

Fun Facial with VLCC Silver Facial Kit

I rarely get facials done at salons, must have got it done 2-3 times in my life. Yes, I swear. My skin is sensitive and hence I'm skeptical of making it go through anything and everything. Even the normal monthly threading regime makes my skin red for a day or two. And then VLCC send me this awesome facials kit, with which I'm all set for the festive season right from Ganesh Chaturthi to Valentine's Day (I wouldn't want to use a facial more than once a month).

It was really confusing to pick which one to try first, they all look so amazing with their different benefits. I finally decided to go with the Silver Facial Kit that purifies & detoxifies for Healthy Skin. This one is priced at Rs.250/- In fact all of them in the kit except for the diamond facial (Rs.350) are at the same price. 

The facial kit is a completely professional one with 6 well packaged products to be followed as per the step by step instructions - Cleanser & Toner (Pre Facial), Scrub, Cream, Gel, Pack and Moisturising Gel. These sachets cannot be opened by hands, wish they had a tear here thing. So remember to keep a pair of scissors handy or you'll be searching for one last minute.

The main steps are mentioned on the back of the box, and the detailed instructions are mentioned on each individual sachet. Have an hour and a half in hand for the facial to be done properly, because the steps need as much time as you would give in a salon. Only difference, you're doing it yourself and it costs less than one fourth of the money! Yahoo!

I did not make it a point to read through every step in detail in advance, and hence wasn't prepared with a few things you'll require. Make note of them in advance - 

Cotton Balls / Swabs, Face steam machine (If you don't have that at home you can take it from boiled water in a utensil or a hot towel), Blackhead removing tool (I didn't have that), Cold compression ice pack or ice cubes. Also if you want to use the facial till your neck and shoulders, wear a tee that you don't mind getting spoilt.

Steps:

Directions of use Comfrey Cleanser cum Toner (Step 1):

Apply Comfrey cleanser cum toner on the face and neck, massage in the circular motion for 2-3 minutes and wipe off with moist cotton. This tingled & burned slightly for me, but nothing after that.

Directions of Use Silver Glow Scrub (Step 2):

Take VLCC Silver Glow Scrub and apply evenly on clean, wet face. Massage gently with circular movements for 5-7 minutes. Let it dry and wipe off with moist cotton. The scrub isn't harsh, but remember to scrub very gently and not putting too much pressure.

Give steam or hot towel therapy and remove blackheads if required. Then give cold compression with gauze or cotton strips soaked in cold water.  I did not have the tool parlours use to remove blackheads, hence I skipped that.

Directions of Use Silver Glow Gel (Step 3):

Apply VLCC Silver Glow Gel all over face and neck. Gently massage the gel in upward and outward strokes till it gets absorbed. This had an amazing fragrance and glittering silver particles in it which are mesmerising to look at!

Directions of Use Silver Glow Cream (Step 4):

Apply VLCC Silver Glow Cream all over the face and neck, massage for 15-20 minutes in upward and outward strokes. Wipe off with a moist cotton. Okay, I didn't massage for 15-20 minutes, my hands were already aching, I gave up.

Directions of Use Silver Glow Pack (Step 5):

Apply VLCC Silver Glow Pack over the face and neck area with the fingertips. Avoid the eye area and let it dry. Dampen mask and then wipe off with moist cotton.

Directions of Use Oil free Moisturiser (Step 6):

Apply evenly over face & neck, post facial The face had become dry after the facial, but this moisturiser took care of that.

What I loved:

The quantity of every sachet is generous. In-fact I think two people could do a facial using each kit. Maybe that's because I didn't apply it till my shoulders and just partial neck.

All the products smell great and it was really soothing throughout the process.

Most of the ingredients are herbal/safe like winter-cherry, silver powder, bergamot extract, liquorice extract, etc making it completely trustable. It's been 72 hours since the facial now and I have no rashes or reactions or redness, just clean glowing skin.

I had a random acne breakout the day I applied the facial, and for some reason it got better after the facial and next day it got lighter. Now the spot is almost gone!

Priced at Rs.250 onwards, these facial kits are worth every rupee! Even makes a great gift to give to your BFF / Sister / Mother etc.

What I didn't:

I wish the steps didn't need massaging for 10, 15 and 20 minutes, it get's really tiring. Maybe VLCC can come up with a face massager so that the same can be done without tiring the hands? Then it would become a totally relaxing experience.

Loved reading this? I shall write about another one I use soon too. Or maybe I'll blog about a family member's experience using the products! If you loved reading this blog do comment away, maybe I'll send one of the facial kits to you?! :)

Entertainment on the go! #TataSkyTransfer

I travel 3+ hours daily, and this daily commute would be impossible without some entertainment. Since I'm out of home from 9 to 9, I hardly get to watch TV. On weekends when I do feel like watching a nice movie TV premier, or some interesting reality show; there is too much commotion at home because everyone is home and I cannot watch anything peacefully.

Of-course there is YouTube & steaming on browsers, but on-the-go network is always fluctuating and I can hardly talk properly, viewing clear videos is a far call. And then, one has to think about expensive 3G/4G data plans too, right?

And then, as if sent from a messenger of the almighty, came the Tata Sky Transfer.

I love watching sitcoms, FRIENDS, Gossip Girl, The vampire diaries are my few favorites. I wait for a new episode of my fav sitcoms to come every week like a crazy addict. And to be able to transfer them wireless and seamlessly on my smartphone so that I can watch them while travelling home from work would save me so much time that I would have otherwise spent at home; hence letting me do other things at home.

And traveling would be so much more fun. No more listening to the constant chatter of women in the ladies compartment, or listening to women fight on the phone or with each other (True Story!). I also love watching movies, specially Hollywood rom-coms. Romedy Now is the best channel for that, and I don't get to see that at home because husband likes action, mother-in-law likes devotional and father-in-law likes to watch the news. And anyways, kissing scenes are so awkward to see when the family is around (I know you agree). Hence, watching the movies on my iPad in solitude would be awesome! Earphones on, world off.

I love to cook, but I need to follow a recipe, can't come up with stuff on my own. But in the busy metro lifestyle, I never get time to read or watch cooking channels even though there are so many of them now. It would be great to transfer a few nice shows on my phone and watch them while going home from work. Then I can watch the instructions, and while they're still fresh in my mind, go home and prepare delicacies! I'd be my husband's masterchef! :D

There is no end to what all can be done thanks to this new super-cool technology by Tata Sky, which feels more like a superpower to me!

Got embellished and how!

Life is too short to wear boring jewellery. And as if the fairy godmother heard me say that aloud, a pretty box arrived in mail yesterday from Embellishment Box.

A white box tied with a ribbon, with a pink satin cloth inside was enough to get me all curious and excited to find out what lies beneath! I had my fingers crossed for it to be something special. It had not one, not two, but four pretty pieces of fashionable jewellery! A hand cuff, necklace, pair of earrings and a ring - all in gold!

Gold never goes out of fashion, that is something any fashionista, or even a normal shopaholic like me would know. The necklace has a very tribal feel to it, which is so in these days. And the hand cuff and earrings are absolutely elegant. The ring is a cute delicate one with a bow and pearl together. All in all, these would be perfect to go with any little black dress!

You can subscribe for a monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annual subscription of the Embellishment Box. That's not it, they even have a Mini Embellishment Box for little divas, so if you're looking at getting something for your daughter, this is a great idea!

I have enough jewellery, said no girl ever! So if you want to win the Embellishment Box, here's what to do:

1. Follow me on twitter - @stunningmoon

2. Follow Embellishment box on twitter - @embelishmentbox

3. RT this tweet and tag atleast 3 friends - https://twitter.com/stunningmoon/status/644032767517323264

One lucky lady will be chosen by Embellishment Box to win a one month subscription box worth Rs.1200/- 

Update: Winner for the giveaway has been announced on twitter.

The Joy of Writing!

I love to write, since childhood. Whether it was school projects, or diary writing since my teens, or short poetry or blogs as I do these days. Writing is a way of catharsis for me, and though I'm not the best when it comes to vocabulary, my dream is to write a book some day.

To celebrate 'The Joy of Writing' I got this awesome neon diary from Doodle Collection!

Isn't it just amazing? The cut in the front cover showing the bright yellow pages (Also available in green and blue pages). I took yellow because  I think yellow is the colour for JOY! They also have another cool variant in the series that says "We all have a STORY to tell!". I love that one too, but couldn't really decide which one to get, maybe I'll get that one too. :P They're priced at Rs.545/- each.

Source: www.doodlecollection.com

The cover is leather, and it feels very nice in the hands. Basically, the book spells 'Niche' all over it and is one doodle diary any creative person would want to get their hands on, so if you know someone like that, this would make a great gift! They sell online on their site or are also available in all large stationery chains like Landmark, Crossword and the sort.

Do follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay tuned about new product launches, contests and offers!

P.S. The pen doesn't come along with the diary, it is from my collection of pens. (If you know me well, you know I have a collection of notebooks, diaries, pens etc). Take a look at my notebook collection, and now I have an addition!

Gentle Baby Wipes by Himalaya Baby Care.

I last spoke about how I was absolutely happy with the Himalaya Baby Oil that contains Olive Oil. Another one of their products that I totally recommend to all new mommies is the wipes.

Baby's skin is extremely delicate, soft and prone to rashes if there is the slightest friction and discomfort. Wearing a diaper overnight, sitting in a wet diaper for a long time etc results to rashes. Even using a towel or normal wipes can make the baby's skin agitated and red.

I use wipes to clean my baby after he has pooped, whether at home or out. I find wipes very handy and comfortable, and they're the best for the baby too.

Though I have used wipes from a few brands, I love the one by Himalaya because they're really really soft, contain aloe vera and the goodness of the Himalaya Baby Lotion. They smell also like the baby lotion and that makes my baby smell all pure and loveable, (The baby smell, as they say).

About the product: 

What it does:
Infused with the goodness of Aloe Vera and Indian Lotus extracts, Gentle Baby Wipes are mild enough to soothe baby's bottoms during a diaper change. The wipes can also be used to gently cleanse baby's skin. The natural ingredients ensure that baby remains bacteria-free throughout the day. Ideal for use when travelling.

Key ingredients:

• Aloe Vera, a renowned herb in Ayurveda, is used in a host of dermatological remedies. A natural skin soother, the plant extract leaves baby's skin feeling fresh and moisturized.

• Indian Lotus contains natural conditioning agents, which keep baby's skin soft and supple.

Pack size: Packs of 12s, 24s and 72s

Directions for use:

Gentle Baby Wipes are used to clean baby's bottom during a diaper change.

They're moderately priced at Rs.40 for 12 wipes (This makes a great portable option for the diaper bag), Rs. 75 for 24 wipes or Rs.175 for 72 wipes. But when it comes to your baby, you definitely want just the best, and these are the best wipes I have come across so far! 

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Hands On Review

I was disappointed with my Nexus 6 for a few reasons. Mainly because the front 2mp camera was making my selfies and video chats bad; 4G bandwidth on Nexus is not supported by Airtel and overall I was disappointed with the phone after my Nexus 4. With the new Nexus 5 & 6 about to launch, I thought better sell this soon or else will not get any value. The resale value of phones is as it is so bad. The MRP was Rs.44,000 when I bought it and now it is Rs.29,999 and I sold it for Rs.21000.

Anyway, though there are quite a few options in the market in the price range of 20K to 25K, I had a "love at first sight" moment with the Zenfone 2 Deluxe when I saw it at the Diva's Meet held recently. The beauty of its back panel and the configuration, at that price looked very appealing to me.

What I Love:

Beautiful Design: The polygonal back feels so good and looks so enchanting that I can stare at it forever! If looks could kill, I'd be dead. The white option seems nice too, but the purple one has this illusion which makes the colours change with different angles.

Value for money: For Rs.23K I am getting great cameras, speed, 4G, 64 gigs of space and more! What more can I ask for?

Zen UI: After using pure vanilla Android for the last 2 years, I was pleasantly surprised with the Android running on the ZEN UI. It makes my smartphone smarter, with automatic app grouping, smart reminders, and a lot more. I read this blog to learn about the best features of Zen UI. The camera also has insane inbuilt features like creating Slow-Mo's, Time Lapse, GIFs etc. Zen Motion is another really cool feature which allows you to start a few apps with a gesture, from the screen locked mode!

Back button: When I first removed the phone, I was shocked because I couldn't find any volume button, there was just one power button at the top! But then soon realised that the volume/camera button is at the back. I can finally take selfies easily! Otherwise with big phones and side buttons I always felt I would drop the phone.

What I don't:

Back cover is hard to remove: You can access sim slots and micro SD slots only if you remove the back panel. And I found that very tough to do, maybe it's because of my nails. But if you just need to insert your sims and card once, it's okay, but if you're someone who changes 'em frequently, it's troublesome.

Sound:  Unlike my Nexus 6 that had dual front speakers. this has a single back speaker, the sound quality is not that great or powerful. If you're a earphones person, all is well.

Screen Glare: When I tried using the phone under bright sunlight, it was almost impossible, so you need to get a nice antiglare screen guard for sure.

Weight: I would have been happier if the phone weighed a little less. Though the weight is almost as much as my earlier Nexus 6, it feels heavy in front of the other phones in the market like the One Plus One/Two, iPhone 6, Sony Xperia, etc.

Verdict:

It's honestly too early to say anything since I have been using the phone since just about a week. But I am happy for now, and looking forward to make use of all the many tools and tricks this phone is capable of! And am loving all the Wow's I'm getting when people look at the phone! :D

Mi Band Hands On Review

I know that this review is coming very late, I started using the band way after the entire world did. I really wanted to buy the moto 360 but never got myself to buy that expensive a wearable gadget. So finally bought the Mi Band from flipkart at Rs. 999/-

It comes in a very smart compact packaging, and being a creative person, I'm definitely reusing the box in one of my projects sometime later. The box contains the unit, a black silicon band and USB charger.

What I like:

1. The price. One doesn't have to think twice before purchasing this. And even if it gets lost, or like my brother's whose unit popped out in a jam packed train, it won't be heartbreaking to lose it.

2. Accuracy. The pedometer and sleep hours calculator are both very accurate and tell you the true story. If you swiftly give your hand a jerk to check the band, it will light up the LED's to show how far you've reached today for your daily fitness goal. So you don't need to open any app again and again to check that. The band also syncs with Google's FIT.

3. Compatible with any android phone. Though it is a Xiaomi product and works best with mi phones. It is compatible with any android phone and the only feature that doesn't work in other android phones is the swipe to unlock phone feature.

4. Vibrate on calls and alarm. For me, this feature is why I bought it and is more useful for me than the fitness aspects (I'm not much of a fitness freak you see). With a baby in the house, or at work, my phone is usually on Silent and I used to miss a lot of calls. No more of that, since my wrist vibrates when there is a call! Only thing, you need to be in the same room as the phone or in the range, or else Bluetooth connectivity gets lost. And Vibrate on alarm is the sole thing that makes me get up on time, or else it was always me snoozing my phone's alarm or not hearing it at all.

5. Long lasting battery. Once you charge it completely, it's good to go for a month or even more!

6. Completely waterproof. You don't have to remove this wearable gadget when taking a shower or swimming etc. It would've been quite a pain if it was not waterproof.

What I don't like:

1. Can be charged only via its charger. The unit comes with its own special charger, which you can connect to any outlet or PC to charge via USB. So if by chance you loose the tiny charger, you're stuck.

2. No options of colours for the silicon band. The Mi Band at Rs.999 comes with a default black band. If you want another colour band, you need to buy that separately. They should have at-least given a basic choice of three colours on purchase.

3. Wish it showed time. I wear the Mi Band in my left hand. Because I use the laptop a lot, or write a lot, I am not comfortable with wearing anything in the right hand. But then I can't wear the watch and Mi Band both in the left hand. I'm not sure how, but if there was a way in which the LED notification could indicate the time also, it would be great. 

Verdit:

Overall, it's a great buy! Wish they add more features in the app update, to use the band even more! If you've been hesitating till now, don't!

Start-up Problems

Start-up. This word has been seen everywhere these days. When you ask any Tom, Dick or Harry what are they currently doing, they'll tell you they have a start-up idea or are in process of getting the start-up (for lack of a better term) started up.

Start-ups are booming in India. What was earlier called as "I have a business" is now known as the cooler version, I have a start-up. But though the dreams of these entrepreneurs are very big, there are way too many obstacles on the way, Startup problems at every milestone.

Take a look at this funny video by Vistaprint for instance:

I must admit, we Indians have a very "Chalta Hai" attitude. Not only in a start-up scenario but also in day to day life. When the auto-rickshaw driver does not have Rs.2 change to give back to you; When your colleague conveniently forgets to give back the Rs.100 they borrowed from you; or when someone you hired gives a random excuse for coming late to work- every time our thought is- "Jaane do, chalta hai."

But this laid-back attitude can be very harmful on the long term. To motivate you or your partners/colleagues to work towards achieving your start-up goals, you need to get rid of the Chalta Hai attitude. If you remember Kabir's Dohas from school time, it says it all in a couplet -

Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ub
Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kub

[Tomorrow's work do today, today's work now
if the moment is lost, the work be done how]

For a start-up, everything should be in perfection, even if it is something as basic as a business card; it is something that gives anyone the first impression of your start-up and hence should be proof-read and well made. I love how easy the process is made, thanks to Vistaprint. I have been using their services since a long time now, and happy with the results each time! Chalta hai ko chalta karo, and then see the boom in your startup!