summer beauty

Since the last few years, several celebrities have opted for hydration therapy also known as the IV drip vitamin therapy. Some of its hardcore patrons include singers Rihanna, Adele, model Chrissy Teigen and reality star Khloé Kardashian. This is a therapy in which multiple vitamins and antioxidants are administered intravenously and it is touted as a quick fix for multiple lifestyle issues such as dull skin, exhaustion, hangover, jet lag, etc.

However, reportedly, Kendall Jenner ran into complications after an IV drip session — held just before the Oscar night — went awry. This has made everyone sit up and question not only the safety of these procedures but also their validity.

How it all began

The trend began after a “collateral effect” experienced by patients who were being treated for liver failure. Dr Rinky Kapoor, dermatologist and skin laser specialist, SL Raheja Fortis Hospital, Mahim, explains, “Those patients who were injected with high doses of the master antioxidants, in particular, glutathione and vitamin C, exhibited changes in the skin. Their hyperpigmentation cleared and there was a general improvement in the skin texture and appearance.”

Several injectable combinations of antioxidants and vitamins are now doing the rounds in the market, in any and every dose. All experts agree that none of them were approved by FDA to this date for aesthetic purposes.

Self-care is one of the most fulfilling gifts you can give yourself, and it does not have to require you to splurge and empty your wallet. You can have your own version of a spa treatment right in the comfort of your own home. How, you ask? You may not be aware; but there are things in your pantry that have great benefits for your face, hair, and body. And the best part of it all is – they are natural!

You don’t have to leave home, go to a salon or spa. You can have your own luxurious treatments at home with these recipes for beauty:

Honey and Oatmeal Mask

— No, these are not for breakfast; these two are great ingredients for a face mask. Oatmeal helps in absorbing impurities while honey helps regenerate the cells on the face and make it smoother. In a bowl, mix the two ingredients together then spread it all over your face (you can include the neck, too, if you want). Let it stay for about 15 minutes then rinse it off. Now, your face is as soft as a baby’s butt.

Egg and Yogurt Face Pack

A typical wedding in Bangladesh is a melting pot of all things Bengali, and often blur the arbitrarily drawn lines of caste and class, only differentiated by the varying budgetary strengths. This unification of wedding and other celebrations becomes even more visible when we look into the steps and ritual observed in most weddings — be it meeting the family, presenting a token gift, or the brides return 'visit' right after a few days of leaving for her new home.

Some keep it simple, with just a day of revelry with friends and family, and others like a drawn-out affair, with four or five functions with different rituals and themes for each of them.

THE HINDU WEDDING

The first step of every wedding, after the decisions of marriage is made in case of arranged weddings, is where the families meet and finalise the nitty-gritties. In Hindu weddings, this ceremony is known as 'ashirbad' and it is during this event that the family of the bride and groom show their blessing by sprinkling 'durba' leaves and husked rice on them and by gifting gold. Then the priest fixes the 'logno', which is the 'auspicious time' according to the Hindu almanac.

The most interesting thing is that a Hindu wedding takes place at the exact time fixed, no matter how late or early the hour.

Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans married in an intimate ceremony with 100 guests in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Dec. 2 and now the newlyweds are giving a glimpse into their special day to People magazine. In the issue, which hits stands on Friday (Dec. 15), Ballerini shares that instead of toasting with champagne, the couple and their guests celebrated with a tequila shot.

“It’s a little bit different,” Ballerini tells People, “but that’s how we started.”

Following the awards show in March 2016 that they co-hosted in Australia, the two had a shot of tequila at an afterparty where sparks immediately flew.

“He was like, ‘Let’s take a shot,'” Ballerini recalls. “I remember taking that shot and putting it down and looking at him like, ‘Oh…he’s super hot.’ Later that night he leaned over and asked if he could kiss me, like a proper gentleman, and I said yes.”

Fast forward nine months later, and Evans proposed on Christmas Day in the kitchen of their home. A little less than a year later, they were wed. They both wrote their wedding vows for the special occasion, and got emotional while reading them on their big day.

Jeremy Weate Correspondent

I’ve been reading a script for a film about Sara Forbes Bonetta. If the name is unfamiliar, she lived a remarkable 19th Century English life and a movie should be made about her.

She was born into Yoruba royalty north-east of Lagos in 1843, and named Aina. But five years later, her village was raided by those infamous female Amazons of Dahomey (today’s Benin Republic). Her parents were killed in the attack and she found herself both an orphan and a slave.

More dramatically still, she was set aside by her captor, King Ghezo, to be ritually sacrificed, only for a visiting British delegation under one Captain Forbes to plea for her to be spared (of course money changed hands). Aina was renamed by Forbes, with the ship she sailed on to England – the HMS Bonetta – his inspiration for her surname. In London, she was introduced to Queen Victoria, who took a shine to the precocious young girl (she’d learnt English and French on the voyage) and took her on as her goddaughter.

That a gracious black woman was a close-knit part of the British royal court has at least a passing relegraciousvance today, given that Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Meghan Markle, is biracial – part white European and part African-American.

Every girl grows up dreaming about her wedding day -- be it the grand décor, mouth-watering food, flawless makeup or lavish venues -- but the most important of all is to choose the perfect bridal trousseau. To avoid confusion, one needs to be extremely clear-headed about what one wants to buy as it might lead to a situation where there is too much of the same thing.

While sarees will remain one of the essential attire for any bridal trousseau, the contemporary bride is open to adding ready to wear ensembles in her wardrobe. To make the most significant celebration seamless, Meena Bindra, Chairperson of BIBA and Siddharth Bindra, Managing Director of Rangriti, share style tips for the brides-to-be.

1. Evergreen Anarkalis: From ace fashion designers to Bollywood beauties, everyone swears by anarkalis for any ethnic occasions. Heavy or light weight anarkalis available in different lengths, designs varied colour palette making them an ideal option for any outing.

2. Setting in modern twist with Pashtuni pants: Mixing and matching attires can create extremely stylish looks for any occasion and one doesn't need to even bother about the repetitions. One can opt for trendy pashtuni pants inspired from the nomadic tribes of Kashmir lending a traditional yet contemporary look.

3. Reviving the royal styles with Nizami shararas: Experimenting with bottom wears has become the most popular fashion trend in today's time.Reminiscing the styles of the royal Nizams of Hyderabad, flowy bottom wears like nizami shararas are making a comeback. Shararas available in different prints, designs on rich silhouettes like brocades, chanderis and benarasis are adding dimension to the regular outfits. Team it up with statement rings and bracelets to accentuate the look.

A war kept Wayne Wood's brother from attending his first wedding, and a hurricane briefly derailed the secret plans for his second, but the 84-year-old has finally said "I do" again — this time with his unsuspecting brother serving as best man.

The brother, Gordon Wood, told the Bucks County Courier Times he had been hoping for a while that Wayne Wood would marry his girlfriend of 2 1/2 years, Joyce Mary Garren. He had been unable to attend his younger brother's first wedding because he was serving on a submarine in the Korean War.

Gordon Wood, 86, had pushed repeatedly for an answer on the possibility of nuptials.

"I kept asking him," he said.

But Wayne Wood stayed tight-lipped, replying only, "Soon."

Popular photographer and plus-size model Lesego "Thickleeyonce" Legobane cried so hard at the social media hate following her SA Fashion Week appearance on Tuesday night that her mother had to help her clean up the vomit she spewed after being physically sick.

Thickleeyonce, who is a strict advocate for body positivity, was one of several models who took to the runway for the Woolworths fashion show, drawing applause from the audience.

However, a video of her walking on the runway was ridiculed on Twitter, with users body-shaming her and complaining that she was walking like someone on the way to a spaza shop.

Reacting to the comments, Thickleeyonce said she did not usually care what people thought but cried after reading the hatred aimed at her.

"I usually don't give a f*ck, but tonight, I am sad. On one of my best days, I am sad. For the first time in four years, I cried. I read the comments and cried. It wasn't the biggest gig I got, but it's the one that made me happy," she wrote on Twitter.

A wedding planner claimed trial to two counts of cheating a client of a total of RM7,000.

Zurin Jundi, 34, whose real name is Zurina Ahmad Jundi, from Kota Raja here pleaded not guilty at the magistrate's court Thursday.

In the first charge, she was said to have deceived one Zainon Ali, 54, into believing that she offered wedding package services.

This induced Zainon to hand over RM5,000 as deposits for her daughter’s wedding.

The offence allegedly took place at the CIMB Bank in Port Klang on March 16.

A couple have spoken of their disgust after finding out their wedding photographer has been convicted of possessing indecent images of children.

Father-of-two Phil Davidson downloaded vile film clips of youngsters being abused and sex with animals.

He was arrested last December, but before he was charged, he continued working as a bus driver and part-time photographer.

He ran his own photography business, Storybook Photography, and after his arrest continued to book jobs and take wedding photos for couples across the county.

In March, he worked at the wedding of David and Jennifer Skilton at Knowle Country House, in Higham.

Online retailer Amazon aims to take the "see now, buy now" model of making clothes seen in catwalk shows quickly available to consumers to a new level, offering one-hour delivery on items shown in a fashion show on Saturday night to customers in London.

Former Diesel creative director Nicola Formichetti's Nicopanda label has partnered with the online giant for the initiative, featuring a selection of clothes seen at the label's London Fashion Week show to consumers.

The clothes comprise a six-piece unisex street wear collection including a hoodie, a long sleeve tee, a bomber jacket, an oversized scarf, a clutch bag and leggings. The one-hour delivery option will be available only to Amazon Prime members in London, and will come at a cost.

"Nicopanda's designs immediately turn heads," Susan Saideman, vice-president for Amazon Fashion Europe said in a statement. "We're excited to bring such an exciting brand to our customers for the first time."

Nicopanda is known for brightly coloured street wear, adorned with graphic motifs, including its cartoon panda.

Amid all of the wonderful parenting moments, like watching with pride as my toddler Isaiah mastered going down the slide on his own, there are some pretty wacky onestoo. Then there are those days where I have this picture perfect vision of how things are going to play out only to find that the reality ends up being quite different.

The besties meet the baby

Expectation: Having enough time to whip up a homemade treat before greeting my friend at the door with a smile and my handsome newborn swaddled in my arms.

Reality: When my friend Niki let me know that she was on her way, Isaiah was a perfectly cared for napping bundle, but I was a hot mess. His non-stop newborn needs had not left time for me to shower. Not only did I not have anything whipped up for Niki, I had not even had time to eat anything myself, and it was late afternoon. Niki did what a great friend does and brought me my fave fast food, listened to my new mama woes and marveled at my little guy.

Takeaway: My expectations of myself were way off. When my friend Jess stopped over to meet Isaiah, I smartened up and asked her if she would hold my newborn while I showered.