Nivea Nourishing Body Milk (Very Dry Skin) Lotion Review

Looking for a powerful moisturizer for your dry skin? Wondering which one to choose to make your skin dryness a thing of the past? Read on to know how well this Nivea Nourishing Body Milk Lotion serves the purpose...

Product Claims:

Try Nivea Nourishing Body Milk Lotion to meet the special neds of very dry skin.This rich and creamy formula with Hydra IQ and Almond Oil deeply moisturizes and softens your dry skin effectively.

Ingredients: Shown in image below.

Nivea Nourishing Body Milk Lotion comes in a traditional blue color plastic bottle. It has flip open cap bearing the brand name engraved on the top. I got a small pack size of 75ml (priced at Rs 110) which is so nifty and readily accessible to throw in your vanity kit due to its size and light-weight. 

Nivea has variety of body lotions for varied purposes and for different skin types. But for the extra dry skin type like mine, I opted for Nivea Nourishing Body Milk Lotion formulated for Very Dry Skin. 

The product comes from Nivea's Hydra IQ Line that is an innovative skin hydration technology based on glyceryl-glucose compound. Hydra IQ boosts tissues' ability to retain water n results in long-lasting moisturization of cells.

The milky-white colored body lotion is of medium consistency. Its runny, but not watery thin. Infact the creamy rich texture and its consistency together make the body lotion so easy to spread and blend in, that it disappears into skin in no time when applied.

Like many other Nivea products, I love the delicate scent of this body lotion too. The scent doesn't last long but leaves a faint smell behind that you can whiff briefly if brought closer to your nose. I would have loved it more with bit strong fragrance.

I usually apply the body lotion post shower on my damp skin, so that it seals in the moisture for longer. Despite being light on skin, the body lotion works to repair skin dryness layer by layer and stimulates moisture production naturally as desired, because it is enriched with Almond Oil. Its regular application smoothens the skin and imparts a glow to the skin. 

At times, my skin craves for more hydration than this body lotion offers. So I need a re-application after few hours depending on how and where I'm spending my day. And I don't mind it provided its offering my skin its daily dose of hydration curing flaky, itchy and tight skin issues.

In a nutshell, Nivea Nourishing Body Milk has efficacy to impress with intense care for normal to dry skin. Its easily available at departmental stores and at online portals. at pocket-friendly prices. 

DIY - Flash Tattoo Phone Case

I'm on vacations...
nope, that doesn't mean I'm traveling, rather I'm at home utilizing my time in doing things which sit aback during normal working days. So today there is the time for an easy DIY post to decorate a boring phone case into something worth showing off ;)

What I used?

Phone Case
Flash Tattoos
A pair of scissors
Towel
Water

Steps:

1. Clean your phone case for any possible dirt on it.
2. Measure the area on your phone case that you wish to cover and cut out the flash tattoos of same size. I chose basic geometric shape pattern, so cut those into stripes.

3. Think of the placement of the tattoos on the phone case and try placing the tattoos on phone case to have a clear idea.

4. Once decided, start the process by removing clear film from the tattoo sheet.

5. Place the tattoo sheet upside down on the phone case so that the sticky tattoo touches the surface of phone case.

6. Now, make the tattoo sheet slightly wet either by dipping your fingers in water or using a sponge applicator. Press it gently using the towel so that excess water is absorbed and the sheet doesn't slip away from its place.

7. After 30-35 seconds, peel off the tattoo sheet and what you get is a transformed phone case that gives your phone a stand out look suited to your stylish persona :)

I'm happy to reuse my old phone case in a new avatar now ;) Do you think it was worth investing few minutes on it ... waiting to hear what you have to say.

Nivea Creme Care Cream Shower Review

Hello

Let the Monday Blues be blown away with this blue pack of a Nivea product ;) sounds stupid, I guess!! But let me review Nivea Creme Care Cream Shower without any further delay..

Product Details:

Let this pampering, yet light cream shower with selected elements of the original NIVEA Creme - Pro-Vitamin & caring oils-envelop your skin with its soft foam and the unique NIVEA scent leaving it feeling intensively moisturized and smooth. pH skin-balanced, Skin compatibility dermatologically approved.

Ingredients: refer image below

The Nivea Creme Care Cream Shower comes in deep blue plastic bottle. The bottle has convenient flip open cap that lets you take out required amount easily. The bottle cap is tight yet requires you to be careful to carry it in your basic bath kit while traveling.

The Nivea Creme Care Cream Shower is a pearly white creamy liquid. It has thin, flowy consistency that may lead to excess product running out during shower. So you need to be extra attentive and tilt the bottle to control the product flow.

The moment I open the lid of the bottle, the authentic Nivea scent took me down the memory lane when that tin container of Nivea cream always used to sit in front on mom's dressing table and I remember myself making mustaches on my face using this cream and have fun :P

The cream shower continues to be the identity of Nivea's sweet, soothing, floral scent that we may now enjoy under the shower. A drop or two of shower cream on my loofah generates soft foam when massaged on wet body that's enough to cleanse whole body. So I'm expecting this 250 ml bottle to last for almost two months for me and for a price tag of Rs 165, the quantity is worth appreciation.

The shower cream doesn't need vigorous rubbing to clean and rinse off, just a thorough gentle coverage removes all kinds of topical impurities including dirt, sweat, oil n pollutants. I totally love the refreshing scent of the shower cream that lingers on for many hours without being so acute and unsettling.

The shower cream claims to maintain skin's pH balance and so is compatible to skin. The shower cream doesn't aggravate dryness issue of my skin and my skin doesn't feel stretchy. Still, as I love a soft and intensely moisturized feel over my skin; I back up my shower ritual with a good nousrishing body lotion for offering richer care to my skin.

All in all, Nivea Creme Care Cream Shower is a luscious shower crème with mild scent to indulge your senses without disturbing your skin's natural oil balance and enjoy smooth and clean skin.

1000 FB Followers Giveaway (closed)

Hi Friends

1000 FB followers is definitely an achievement for me. I'm so grateful to each of these 1000 people who made it possible for me to taste this success today. To celebrate the occasion, one of my favourite brand has offered to sponsor a giveaway for you all. My readers must have seen me admiring the handmade, skincare stuff from Aroma Essentials a lot. And also I get maximum

readership for the posts talking about this brand. So I thought of giving you a chance to win some of the natural, chemical-free, non-toxic stuff from Aroma Essentials.

Ms. Madhurima, the gorgeous lady behind this innovative venture has curated an exclusive gift hamper which will be freshly prepared by her and sent to winners as the giveaway gets over.

Giveaway Key Points:

Valid for: Only residents of India.

Giveaway Duration - 27 May to 17 June, 2016.

2 Winners - selection based on their consistent efforts who qualify all the steps properly.

Prize Hamper: Each of the winners will receive a hamper consisting of handmade skincare goodies exclusively made for him.

Orange Soap (Rs. 200) 

Orange Vanilla Body Butter (Rs. 350) 

Orange Grapefruit Facewash (Rs 175)

Orange Vanilla /Grapefruit Lip Balm (Rs. 175)

Simple Steps to participate:

1. Subscribe to my blog via email and verify your subscription by clicking on the link which you will get in your mail. (the email subscription box is placed in the right side bar)
2. Follow Alive n Kicking and Aroma Essentials on Facebook. Share the giveaway on your Facebook timeline, tag both pages and your friends.
3. Follow Artisanme79 and Aroma Essentials on Twitter. Retweet the Giveaway, tag both pages and your friends.
4. Follow ShilpaBindlish and Aroma Essentials on Instagram. Repost the Giveaway, tag your friends and both pages. 
5. After following all the steps, don't forget to leave your participation details in comment section (including your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram share links and email address), else your entry won't be counted.

p.s. Brownie points to those who share and comment on blog posts during giveaway duration.

Its a sponsored giveaway, so I won't be held responsible for delay or damage of prize hamper in transit.
In case of any query; Please feel free to contact me via Facebook message. 

                               All the best!! Waiting to see you participate enthusiastically.

Winner Update:

• Shilpa Majumdar
• Bhawna Varshney

Kids Favourite Paav Bhaji Recipe

I'm enjoying the messages that I'm receiving for kids special recipes which I'm posting these days :) Last night, I cooked Paav Bhaji for dinner and here is my version of this kids special recipe that I'm sure they won't be able to resist.

Ingredients:

2 onions (finely chopped) 

1 capsicum  (finely chopped)

4 tomatoes (finely chopped)

2 potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed )

garlic (finely chopped)

1 tbsp paav bhaji masala

1 tsp red chilli powder

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)

salt to taste

2 rbsp fresh lemon juice

6 paav

water

Method:

Heat butter in a pan and add cumin seeds. 

When the seeds crackle, add chopped onions and garlic. Sauté till light brown while stirring occasionally.

Add chopped capsicum and again sauté for 2 minutes on medium flame. 

Add tomatoes before the onion/capsicum in the pan get tender to retain its crispiness. Cover the pan and cook on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Sprinkle the dry spices over the cooked vegetables including salt, chilli powder and paav bhaji masala and stir to mix it evenly.

Add mashed potatoes, mix well using potato masher and cook for few minutes. You may add some water if you don't prefer thick consistency of bhaji. Keep aside the cooked bhaji.

Now, heat the flat griddle (tawa). Pour some butter on it, slit a paav into two halves and place over melted butter. Bake the paav from both sides till they turn light brown and crisp. 

Garnish the bhaji with chopped onion (like I mostly do) with a dash of some fresh lemon juice. Serve with hot paav. 

Hope all the kids there would love this tasty dish :) 

Interactive Rhymes On Chu Chu TV To Keep Your Little Ones Engaged

Summer Vacations are on and its that time of year when there is family-reunion at my home every year. While the elders cherish meeting all the family members after long time; the kids totally get immersed in their playful, fun activities for the whole day. The only concern that worries us, the parents, amidst all enjoyment is to insist kids stay indoors to avoid scorching heat outside. I genuinely don't want my kids to strain their eyes and ache their body playing tech-games on gadgets for hours at the cost of zero learning. So its actually challenging to find such indoor engagement for little ones that is of interest of kids and also has some positive impact on them.

Recently, while searching for a video tutorial for some craft ideas on YouTube, I discovered a children's entertainment channel Chu Chu TV focusing on comprehensive development of kids through a series of interactive animation performances.

To give the channel a closer glance and to assess its viability as a parent, I just clicked on this random video Lets Play in the Park from the playlist and as soon as the peppy sound started playing; the kids from every corner of the house rushed near the laptop. Each of them with a big grin on their cute faces started clapping and jumping with joy. Feeling relaxed to see everyone happy, I decided to let the merriment go on for the little bundles of joy:)

My son, who can operate the computer easily, took the charge of selecting the favourite rhymes or songs and entertain his younger cousins. Some all-time favourite poems like Johny Johny Yes Papa and Baa Baa Black Sheep have been reproduced with beautiful animated graphics, eye-pleasing colors.
The most incredible thing that I observed about these rhymes is that the creative team of Chu Chu TV has incorporated meaningful messages and contextual words within the rhymes that takes the experience of watching these rhymes to another level. Educating kids has not been so fun and easy-going ever.
Infact, after watching the Brush Your Teeth song, the kids do not give excuses to clean their teeth rather remind each other to follow the morning and night ritual without a miss. I'm amazed by the positive effect of these animations that not only cheer the children up, but also nurture qualities like kindness, disciplined and respectful and obedient in these innocent children. I see endless potential of keeping the children occupied with healthy entertainment and learning.
Now, until the kids in the family resume their regular school time table, I don't mind if they seem to be hooked on Chu Chu TV.

Highly recommended edutainment channel for parents of little kids!! 

Homemade Khatta Meetha Aam Papad - Recipe for Kids

Its the season of King of Fruits..Mangoes. While most people of every age or gender are crazy about mangoes, you will be surprised to know that I rarely eat it. But one mango dish that I love is Aam Papad. The aam papad that I always bought from market in my childhood days is now prepared by me in my kitchen. I always relished its tangy, spicy variant more than sweeter variant. So here is my version of the Chatpata Aam Papad for our little kids.

Ingredients:

3 Ripe Mangoes

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Green Cardamom (Powdered)

1/2 tsp Black pepper powder

2-3 pinch ginger powder

1/2 tsp Black Salt

1 tbsp Cooking Oil/Ghee

Method:

Peel and slice mangoes.

Make smooth paste of mango pulp in the blender mixed with cardamom powder.

Pour the mango paste in a pan on medium flame and bring it to boil. Now add sugar, pepper powder, black salt, ginger powder in the paste and stir continuously until thickened. Turn the flame off when the paste turns dark yellow in color and more viscose.

Grease a flat steel tray with oil or ghee and spread a think layer of cooked mango paste in it.

Cover the tray with a thin muslin cloth or net and keep it under the sun to dry. Depending on the heat of sunlight, the time to get the aam papad ready may vary. (it may even let it dry inside the room in night)

Peel off the dried aam papad from tray using sharp tip of a knife and cut into shape you like.

The spicy, tangy homemade aam papad is ready to enjoy with kids without worries of hygiene ;)

P.S. You may use any type of mangoes and can adjust the quantity of sugar and salt as per your taste or according to the original sweetness of mangoes. The aam papad can last for a month or so if stored in an air tight container and refrigerated. 

Potato Stuffed Idli - Recipe for Kids

Hi Mommies

One more quick recipe for your little ones that you can offer them without compromising in nutritional value. Its Potato stuffed Idli with only few ingredients that need not be purchased exclusively and are available in our kitchen all the time.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Moong Daal (soaked overnight)
• 1 cup Chana Daal (soaked overnight)
• 3-4 Boiled and Mashed Potatoes 
• 1 Onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 cup Curd/buttermilk
• Salt to taste
• Cooking Oil
• ENO salt- 1 pouch 
• Water

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute it for 2-3 minutes. Don't let its crispiness lost. Add chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and fenugreek leaves & mix well. Now add the mashed potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. The stuffing is ready.

2. Grind the soaked moong daal and chana daal together with some curd or buttermilk to prepare thick batter out of it. Add salt and chilli powder to taste. Grind it once more to blend uniformly.

3. Keep the Idli-mould ready by oiling it generously.

4. Now add one pouch of Eno salt to the batter prepared and stir it to instantly ferment the batter. Pour the batter on the idli moulds upto half its depth. Place a spoonful of stuffing over the batter and pour one more layer of batter to cover the stuffing.

5. Place the Idli stand in the steaming hot water in cooker and let the Idlis cook for around 10-15 minutes. Before you serve it, check by piercing a fork in idli if the batter doesn't stick to fork, its cooked properly.

6. Serve with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

P.S. you may make stuffing of vegetables of kids liking or can give it a different twist every time by adding or removing some veggies.

Hope the kids and mommies are enjoying!! Happy Cooking!!

Kids' Favourite Honey Chilli Potatoes Recipe

Hello Kids

Here is a spicy, tasty, tangy recipe for you that you should ask your mommies to make for you this holiday season. My son loved Honey Chilli Potatoes whenever we ask him for ordering a snack of his choice while eating out. And I feel this easy style recipe can make kids happier when prepared at home.... Infact, this recipe is my personal favourite too ;) 

So lets follow the steps on how I cook it..

Ingredients

4 Potatoes (peeled and cut lengthwise)

2 Onions (peeled and cut lengthwise)

1 each Red and Green Bell Pepper (cut lengthwise and remove seeds)

4-5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1 tsp red chilli powder (or chilli flakes)

1 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tsp soya sauce

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp vinegar

Cooking oil to frying

Salt to taste

Method: 

1. Soak the potato in hot water mixed with salt. Drain the potatoes after 5 mins and give it a quick rinse under running water so that excess starch is removed. 

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and deep-fry the potato fingers on high flame till they become crisp and golden brown evenly from all sides. Keep aside the fried potatoes.

3. Heat little oil in the pan and sauté chopped garlic on medium flame till it turns light brown. 

4. Add chopped onion and bell pepper in the pan one by one and sauté till you experience the colour and aroma coming out of it. 

5. Now, add chilli powder (or chilli flakes), salt and vinegar in the cooked vegetables and mix well.  

6. While the vegetables are ready in the pan; add honey, tomato sauce and soya sauce in it. Turn the flame off and stir well.

7. Add the fried potato fingers in the saucy mixture prepared. Toss well and serve immediately. (You may garnish it with roasted sesame seeds if the kids like it.)

I would love to know how you liked this recipe..