Review: Oriflame triple core lipsticks

I ordered the new ( new for me) Oriflame triple core lipsticks from a lady who has the agency. Received the order in a week's time and I'm happy...
• Packaging: the lipsticks come in a black packaging which mentioning everything from the weight to the shade, ingredients,  etc.. Not very sleek but functional.
• On opening the package: the tube is a dull silver colour, which I really liked.
• The lipstick itself: The lipstick it composed of 3 concentric circles. The innermost is a lip balm. Next is a glitter circle. Outermost is the lipstick.
• On application: the lipstick is creamy, soft and feels good on the lips. This I'm sure, is due to the lip balm core. They say it has avocado, jojoba oil, chamomile, vitamin E oil, etc.
• Shades: There were 8 shades to choose from. I chose Ravishing Rose and Explosive Pink. I loved the rose one. It is a subtle shade, excellent for everyday wear. The pink one is also good but maybe I'll reserve it for special occasions when I dress up.
All in all, I really liked the lipsticks and will recommend it to all you beauties...

Yeh "bond" hum nahi todenge...

Yeh "bond"??? Not the shaken/stirred Bond but I'm talking about the bond between the teeth and various resin materials we use nowadays to fill a tooth. By now all of you reading this must have atleast one tooth-coloured resin filling in your mouth. Dental composite resins are types of synthetic resins which are used in dentistry as restorative material or adhesives. Synthetic resins evolved as restorative materials since they were insoluble, aesthetic, insensitive to dehydration, easy to manipulate and reasonably inexpensive. Composite resins are most commonly composed of Bis-GMA monomers, a filler material such as silica and in most current applications, a photoinitiator. A photoinitiator is a substance added to the composite material which catalyses the setting of the resin by applying light of a certain frequency. Technically the silver amalgam fillings are good and last longer when properly done. But they're also unsightly and cant be used on surfaces that have no retention to hold these fillings.. In short, they can't be used in the anterior aesthetic zone.. Also there is the growing concern of mercury being present in the silver fillings. This is where the Composite Fillings come in. They mimic the tooth structure and blend beautifully to give a lifelike appearance. Stronger composites are used for restorations in the teeth with decay on chewing surfaces. 

So all in all, composites are the way to go... So dont go to your dentist asking for 'chaandi' in your tooth. Go 'au naturel'... 

Have a little cheekbone, girl... Intro to highlight and contour

I have only recently discovered this gem. So whatever I say will be only from a limited experience. Highlighting and contouring has been in existence for very long time. But it has gained popularity now with the advent of social media and YouTube. Kim Kardashian tweeted a series of selfies with highlight and contour makeup in process. And everyone wanted it done.. After all, the difference in her face was massive.

Women have been made aware that its not difficult to have some bone structure where none exists (atleast have an illusion of bone structure for photographs to post on Facebook, Instagram, etc.).

Highlight means you literally put a spotlight on features that you want to stand out in pictures or even plain light. So these features are a lighter shade. Contour is its exact opposite. You darken parts of your face that you want to hide. How many times have we seen pictures of models and filmstars and coveted that chiseled face... Well, its not difficult to get that. You just have to use the right type of highlighting and contouring and Voila... you have prominent cheekbones, your nose looks smaller, your double chin is hidden and your chubby face appears thinner. Really??? Yes... really.. Well, atleast on special occasions.. In fact I do this only on spl occasions.  After all I'm no Kim Kardashian.. 

What you need for these is a product with a darker shade (atleast 2-3 shades darker than your natural skin tone) and a lighter shade (2-3 shades lighter). Various companies make bronzers and highlighters and make sure you get the ones which are non-shimmery or your face will glow like a light bulb. And I mean in a bad way.. So after applying your foundation your face starts looking nice and even and thats what you dont want... Start applying your bronzer and highlighter and dont be afraid of a little colour on your face. After all, plain white pleases no one...

                              

This picture gives a precise idea as to where your bronzer and highlighter go. Feel your cheekbone and apply below it in a line extending from middle of the ear to the mouth. Use an angled brush to apply the bronzer. But dont go all the way. Stop at the middle of the eye.. Now use a small concealer brush or your finger or using a stick product, apply the dark colour to the side of your nose as shown, extending all the way to the tip of your nose. Apply bronzer to the temples, side of the forehead and below the jawbone too. Apply highlighter as shown to the side of your nose, below the eye, on the ridge of the nose, to the cupid's bow,chin, etc...  

Then blend out with a sponge, beauty blender or a flat stippling brush. Make sure no harsh lines remain and it all blends in and you just leave with shadows and light on the face. This is what gives the carved out look to the face... Now apply a little blush on the apples of the cheeks blending it towards the hairline at an angle of about 45 degrees. Add some setting powder. And voila... you have a thinner nose, your double chin is hidden, your forehead appears smaller and so on... But ladies, a word of caution.. you might want to leave the contouring out when attending a place where there is plenty of sunlight or you might end up looking muddy.. And if you still want to do it, do so very subtly.. Go ahead, give it a try and practice a few times before attempting to do it for a special occasion. It really works.. trust me.. Those of you who have seen my new Whatsapp DP will know what I'm talking about.

Products I Use:

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural : Shade Dark 
  
  
  
• MAC Cream Colour Base : Shade Hush (frost) 
  
• Maybelline Dream Touch Blush : Shade 07 Plum 

• Vega Contour Angled Brush 
  

Try using a light and dark eyeshadow as your contour and highlight colour and tell me how it goes..

Keep Smiling Sweeties,

Much love,

Dr. Rasika

Teeth whitening... now thats something...

When I started my practice, the first thing I bought was a dental shade guide. Shades from D4 to A1 are found here. We use this routinely to determine the shafe of a particular tooth to be fabricated as a crown. This is when most patients see their shades and ask,"Can I better this shade". My answer to them is always, "yes, you can but I will not force you". I feel bleaching of teeth or whitening is a very personal choice. One that a dentist should not force on the patients and one that patients should not have to undergo unless they want to. Whitening, be it of teeth or skin should not inculcate a negative personal image. People in the US tend to ask their doctors for a smile so white that in the dental fraternity, we call it toilet-bowl white. That's the effect of Hollywood and Pop culture, I guess.

Having said that, let me briefly tell you about whitening of teeth or bleaching as we call it. Bleaching is done for teeth which are discoloured. Discolouration of teeth happens due to various reasons like excess fluoride in water (people from Rajasthan/Kutch have this problem), age, tetracycline medication in pregnancy or infancy, discolouration due to red wine, tobacco chewing or smoking and vibrantly coloured spices. Discolouration of a single tooth may also occur in cases of necrosis of the pulp tissue (i.e destruction of the pulp tissue due to trauma or decay). Unclean teeth also look darker due to the tartar deposits on your teeth.
To treat various types of discolorations, we use bleaching agents. But bleaching agents will not work on fillings or crowns, so an evaluation by a dentist is a must. The active ingredient in these is primarily hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer. This oxidizes the various colouring agents on the tooth surface and make the teeth whiter. But hydrogen peroxide is also very caustic and can cause burns of the soft tissue if used incorrectly or at home. Hence hydrogen peroxide based bleaching agents are reserved for use in dental office under the supervision of the dentist. These are available at strengths of 30-40% depending on the brand. Some of these are light-activated. The dentist applies these gels to the patient's teeth in cycles of 10-15 minutes each. The gums are protected by using a light-cured gel to block them out. Typically 3 cycles are recommended for a good result. I have personally used the ZOOM! system (discus dental) on my patients hundreds of times and the results are amazing. You typically get a jump of about 8 shades by using in-office bleaches. Hence, it is recommended for patients on the go and who want quick results. There is a mild sensitivity in a few patients but nothing that doesn't go away in a day or two. Also the shade tends to slightly go down a notch as the teeth, when bleached, get dehydrated. The shade stabilises over a period of 72 hours as the teeth rehydrate. We tell the patients to avoid coloured food during this period of 72 hours.
Carbamide peroxide on the other hand has only one-third the strength of hydrogen peroxide and hence is safe for at-home use. The strength of the product varies from 10-30% carbamide peroxide (3-10% hydrogen peroxide). We make an impression of the patient's upper and lower teeth. A customised soft acrylic tray is fabricated which is used by the patient in the comfort of his home. The tray is half-filled with the bleaching gel and snapped onto the teeth and kept in place for 2-6 hours, depending on the product used. The lower the strength of the product, the higher is time to keep the tray in mouth. But since the gel is very low in strength,  it needs to be used for 5-10 days till a desired shade is achieved.
Some over the counter bleaching products are available but being a dentist I doubt its safety as patients wouldn't know when to stop using them. Same applies to home remedies like using soda bicarb and lime juice. One easy thing that you can do sometimes is rub crushed strawberries on your teeth. The malic acid present in it acts as a bleaching agent. 

Tooth bleaching is one of the most conservative and cost-effective dental treatments to improve or enhance a person’s smile.  However, tooth bleaching is not risk-free and tooth bleaching is best performed under professional supervision and following a pre-treatment dental examination and diagnosis. In my next post I will talk about another fascinating subject, Smile Design. Till then, my beauties, keep smiling.
Dr. Rasika

Additional reads:

http://www.ada.org/1902.aspx

http://www.ada.org/sections/about/pdfs/HOD_whitening_rpt.pdf

Various shades guides

ZOOM! Bleach and its use

Customised acrylic trays

Dentist-dispensed bleaching gel used with the acrylic trays

Baby teeth...

Children and their teeth... Parents always have a very tough time maintaining their child's oral hygiene. The morning and night hassles are mostly about brushing teeth. But there are also parents who seem to have "over-relaxed" attitude about their child's teeth. These people always tell me that the milk teeth are going to fall out, so why the treatment???
So today's blog is for such parents...
•The milk teeth are not just for decorating your child's mouth but for function too..
•The milk teeth(we refer to them as primaries) are supposed to exfoliate(fall out)at their specific time, not earlier.
•The primaries have very big pulp chambers and higher pulp horns. So the chances of a decay leading to a Root Canal situation are higher.And yes, children also require root canal. The filling material being different, such a treated tooth would serve its purpose successfully until it naturally exfoliates.
•Children also require yearly clean-ups and such visits to the dentist will inculcate a healthy regard for oral hygiene from a young age. These visits are important to identify any new decay in its early stages and we can fill it and not end up with a root canal.
•Lastly, children learn from their parents so set a good example by maintaining good oral hygiene youself and take your child along for your dental visits.

Gorapan.. Sawlapan.. The great Indian whitening tamasha..

Recently I read an article by Nandita Das, the dark skinned acting powerhouse about her campaign against fairness products.. I was so happy that someone's taking this stand. When I was getting married everyone would ask me one question.. how did he choose you.. He's so fair and you're so wheatish.. Well wheatish was the kindest of the lot.. The bottom line is that our society is very crazy about fair skin.. Every minute atleast two to three channels show infomercials about fairness products. Our superstars make crores of Rupees endorsing fairness creams. They don't give two hoots about the impact of their image attached to these products. We have been brainwashed since childhood that if you are not fair you'll not get good husband, good job, good future... Not true.. I got a good husband..I became a dentist. And I never used fair and lovely or anything..
Yes, I agree for a few months before my marriage I was sort of depressed and got a few chemical peels and all done. But all it did was removed the upper layer of dead skin cells. So naturally the new layer looks fairer.. But after a few hours you look back to normal.. But once I understood that someone's love is not dependant on my skin, I stopped all that. Nowadays even my facials are only skin improving ones not skin lightening.. And honestly I'm happy I'm not predisposed to sun burn or worse.. skin cancer. A little dark skin hurt no one..
Some people say their children were so fair when they were born and then turned dark.. Naturally, sunlight does not reach the womb and the melanin concentration increases with age and exposure to sun. This melanin protects your skin from harmful effects of sun. Same thing happens to children with light hair and eyes. Staying in a tropical country like India, these higher concentrations of melanin is surely a boon. Also fair skin wrinkles more easily. Compare old fair skinned and dark skinned women and you'll know what I'm saying.. I have nothing against fair skin but just that instead of determining your happiness with your skin colour, learn to love yourself as you are.. HAPPY AND DARK or HAPPY AND FAIR.. To each his own..

Dry hands and cracked heels.. Ouch..

Hola beauties...
I see so many people, even youngsters with cracked heels and dry hands and it gets painful even, for some. So what to do.. We should understand that dryness of the skin is due to lack of moisturisation (duh!).. So what to do.. Put back what's lost... We are blessed to live in a country which is the birth place of ayurveda and has so many varied medicinal plants. I used to get cracked heels till a few years ago. But regular pedicures and daily application of foot cream seems to work.. My beautician started using a small razor on my foot to remove dead and dried skin.. But get this done from an experienced therapist, you don't want to bleed from your foot.. I went and bought this said razor from beauty centre, crawford market and started removing the dead skin. Very enthusiastically.  Needless to say I couldn't put my foot on the floor for 4-5 days and was hobbling about :-( So be careful.. Has any of you tried kokum butter or kokum oil. This is a waxy substance from the kokum tree ( garcinia indica). This works wonders on cracked heels. Its also supposed to work well on other dry skin areas. The super famous and expensive Burt's bees products have kokum butter in it.
https://m.burtsbees.com/ingredients/kokum-butter.html?ingredientId=1000000015996&tab=
so why spend so much for something available easily. Go to your local ayurvedic store and ask for a blob of kokum butter/tel and apply it every night to soothe your feet. Some people also wear socks after applying foot cream. Try it. What's the harm..
I am a dentist and need to wash my hands very frequently with soap. So I used to have dry hands.. This seems to be a concern with many people. We wash our hands several times a day and use hand sanitiser frequently.  But all it does is exacerbate the problem. Soap dries your hands and the alcohol content in the hand sanitiser makes it worse.. So what to do.. apply kokum butter here as well. But you cant always roam around with it. Now what.. I found a hand lotion from Marks and Spencer recently which is real good. And its only Rs. 199. I have been using this for a couple of months and its been good. If you know of some other stuff do let me know.. and as far as possible don't wash hands so frequently.. Unless you are a doctor, nurse or a young mother why wash hands like a person with OCD.. Dont become Sheldon Cooper.
Oh yeah. Before I forget.. my shoe always wears out a certain way and my orthopedic surgeon said its because of the way my foot is designed. Unequal weight distribution and what not.This also gives rise to many varied problems of the foot and subsequently the spine. So if thats happening with you, consult an orthopaedic surgeon or a podiatrist immediately.  They will give you corrective footwear/inserts etc.
Stay healthy.
Love,
Tfs.com

My quick makeup routine

Hello all beautiful people,
We all live such fast lives that who has the time and energy to apply makeup everyday, right?? Wrong! We should always spare a few minutes to groom ourselves. To look presentable and fresh-faced in front of our colleagues, staff, clients, friends.. Thats the basic courtesy.. Then you would say even if I do all that, by the time I reach office/college, its all a mess thanks to the great indian travel.. But cant we reach 5 minutes early and primp up ourselves.. (look who's talking, the late latif...).
So, today I will tell you my 5 minute routine to a very quick makeup. I recently discovered mineral makeup and decided to give it a try. And it does actually work wonders. I bought Bare Minerals get started kit and my makeup has been simplified so much.. What I routinely do is I do my 3 steps (i.e. Cleansing, toning, moisturising) immediately after shower. My bare minerals kit came with a primer called Prime Time. This is a transparent liquid which when spread on the face gives a smooth surface to the face. Then its the turn of the actual foundation. This comes in a powder form. There are 2 colours in my kit called medium and medium beige. I take a small amount of both the colours and do the swirl, tap and buff motion. And Voila.. My foundation is done.. 30 seconds flat.. Then I apply my creme blush Maybelline Dream Touch blush no.04 (mrp. Rs.375). The kit also comes with a dark colour for some warmth ( called Warmth :-/ ). But I dont apply this colour routinely and only use this for contouring (we'll talk about that later). Then its the original mineral veil applied in the same motion. This sets your makeup. A quick dab of kajal and lip gloss and I'm done...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zdy576AWljk
This video shows the swirl, tap and buff motion.
I know you would say bare minerals are not available in India but you can use L'oreal mineral foundation powders equally well.
http://www.lorealparis.co.in/cosmetics/face/true-match-minerals/honey-glow.aspx#tab:profits
Basically, I'm in love with mineral makeup currently.. sigh sigh..
Try sheer cover instead.. A friend wore it to a professionsl photoshoot and the results were great..
Btw.. I found Bare Minerals get started kit on http://www.junglee.com/100%25-Pure-BareMinerals-Started-Complexion/dp/B002GQI6PC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1377060914&sr=8-9&keywords=bare+minerals
I know the price quoted here is Rs. 6158/- but the dollar exchange rate has increased. I got my kit for $60 last year and there's not even a dent in it. It lasts and lasts and lasts..
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oEEbKl1sqb0 This is a video link for sheercover.  You can buy sheer cover at www.sheercover.in . The only problem (according to a few friends) is that sometimes this site automatically sends you kits monthly even if you dont want them.. Many other companies too make mineral foundations in powder form and since its mineral makeup, it doesn't harm your skin.
This is my everyday routine.. Get going guys.. Put your best face and smile forward..
Love,

Tfs.com

Basic skincare routine

A good makeup begins with good skin. And to take care of such a skin involves a few steps. These, while being very easy and quick are also very important. You need to follow these like a religion. For these will not only keep your skin clean and supple today but for many years to come. You must have heard of these 3 steps but I cannot tell you enough about them. CLEANSING,  TONING, MOISTURISING...

• Cleansing: You need to clean your face with a facewash that suits your skin type. Clean your face atleast 3 times a day but dont overdo it.. you'll just dry your skin out. Pat your skin dry and be ready for the next step before your face dries out completely.
• Toning: This step is very important as the first one. A good toner should tighten your skin and reduce the size of the pores. Skip this and you may get blackheads or whiteheads due to dirt settling inside your open pores. Apply toner with a cotton ball in circular motion. Now before the toner dries up do the next step. 
• Moisturising: Use of a good moisturising lotion/cream is extremely important. This one should also be according to your skin type. Your skin becomes thirsty every time you wash it. So this is its elixir. Apply moisturiser from middle of the face outwards. 

These 3 products should be your best friends. Buy them from a good store. As far as possible do not buy from your friendly, neighbourhood 'makeup ke samaan ka dukaan'. You never know if the products are spurious (nakli) :( .. Go to your nearest mall. Buy from places like shoppers' stop or lifestyle or central. Trust me, money spent on this is really worth it..

I personally use the Clinique 3 step system. For the past few months I use the dramatically different moisturiser only if my dkin feels extra dry otherwise it's just moisture surge for me. Also sometimes I use liquid neutrogena facial wash or L'oreal deep clean facewash(comes with its own scrublet). Also get a pack of cotton balls to apply your toner. Now get going girls.. 

Much love, 

Tfs.com

                       

Note how the Clinique ones have the skin type on them. So thats real cool. In the next few posts I'll do a review of some of the other CTM systems which are not expensive.

Feel beautiful...

I've been thinking... Why don't  girls smile in their pictures? Why don't they come across as confident? But that's just it.. confidence comes when you feel good about yourself.. You smile beautifully when you are happy. So give yourself all the help to feel good and happy from within..
  Everyone looks good smiling.. If you feel that your smile lacks that something, seek out your dentist. The most important thing is a clean-up (what we call scaling and polishing) every 6-12 months. Clean teeth are always welcomed. If you feel your teeth need some help, ask your dentist for a smile analysis. There are so many dentists who do good aesthetic work. Go out there and get that clean-up. ( Your husband/ boyfriend will thank you for this).
Much love
Tfs.com

it starts..

Oh yeah.. it starts...
Firstly I would like to say that this is my first blog in a long long time and under a new name.. I am currently on a sabbatical and kept myself busy (like countless other women) by watching youtube videos on how to apply makeup, craft diy, and blah blah blah.. Watching these videos gave me an idea. Why not do a blog on various things I'm familiar with in my life..
I'm a dentist by profession.. so I know (a lot) about teeth. I'm passionate about beauty products and keep buying stuff I hardly need. And can even talk about life and some such.. :) While watching those makeup videos I realised one thing. Almost all of the good ones (make that all the good ones) are from foreign countries and use products not so easily available in India. Even when it is available,  its expensive. The really good products in these brands are unavailable here and only a few generic things are sold here.. So that's that. About dentistry, I see around me a lot of people who are not aware of the recent developments in dental science. People have a lot of misconceptions about their oral health and a great amount of fear of us dentists doesn't help either. Through this blog I will attempt to clear some misconceptions and give information about some dental treatments and diy's.
I will write an entry each day. And I hope you guys like it...
Much love,
Tfs.com