Look stunning this Durga Puja with expert make-up tips

On the auspicious day of Ashtami, Bengali women offer prayers to Maa Durga and dress up to the hilt to celebrate the ongoing Durga Puja. The traditional attire which includes a stunning saree with heavy eye make-up, a big bindi and ornaments, is the norm for this day. Bengali or not, if you too wish to enjoy the festivitives of Durga Puja, here are tips to get your look right. 

Make-up 

For the day puja or one at home, it’s best to keep the look rather subtle. To stick to a simple and not-so-glam make-up, professional make-up and hairstylist Swati Dedhia explains, ‘Ensure your face is well-moisturised and clean, because it’s more about the natural look here. You could brush on some loose powder and highlight your cheek bones with a sheer blush for that radiant glow.

‘Since it is the day, the eye make-up shouldn’t be too dark or bright. For this, you can simply use the the sheer blush and apply it lightly for a thin coat of shimmer as an eyeshadow. Then, use the eyeliner or kajal pencil to shape your eyes well. Use a red lip colour or a shade of nude on the lips.’

If you are attending a Durga Puja in the evening, then your make-up and hair are bound to be heavy. As for heavy traditional make-up, your eyes have to be given the most attention. Swati suggests, ‘You could use warm shades of eyeshadows with gold, copper, bronze, for a heavy look. However, the most important thing is to shape your eyes well with kajal or eyeliner on the eyelids.The best way to make your eyes look bigger is by extending the tip while applying the eyeliner from the corner of your eye. This defines your eyes better and looks great for a traditional look. You cold use the classic red lipstick or try on a plum red.’

Hairdo

‘You should be particular about the way your hair looks for this festive occasion. To be hassle-free and simple, just pin your hair into a neat bun and wear a fresh gajra. You could choose to leave out a few strands of hair near your face and curl them. Or simply puff and back comb the front of your hair and pin it tightly,’ says Swati. 

If you want to try out something other than a basic hair bun, then opt for a messy bun that looks modern and will blend in well making a good combination with the rest of the ethnic look.  Swati suggests, ‘Another style you can try out is with a bun behind but with a twist in the front section of the hair. You could braid your hair from one ear to another into a regular plate or a French braid. For this, begin with side parting your hair and braid the hair from either sides, and move to the other. Then take the rest of the hair and tie it into a neat bun. Secure the bun section with pins.’

Traditional attire

Your look is going to be a miss if you don’t pick a cotton, silk or the traditional tant saree. You could stick to the classic red and white colours but if you are in a mood to experiment then look for borders in bright colours like pink, yellow, green or orange. 

There is nothing like it if you can manage wearing the traditional red and white Bengali saree with puffed sleeves. Or traditional silk borders against basic or neutral colours would look elegant as well. Ensure your saree is well-ironed as a creased one will only look shabby and spoil the appearance of your attire. You could also wear a printed ethnic blouse or opt for bold dark colours in contrasting colour of your saree. 

To keep the ethnic look in tact, don’t forget to wear a big bindi. A basic maroon or red one will do the trick. Wearing a bindi also helps draw attention to your eyes. For a more grand look, you could wear a maang tika, one with a single band or a tri-band covering the sides of your head. Many married women also wear sindoor in addition to the bindi to add an ethnic touch. 

Image source: Bollywoodlife.com 

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Can E-Cigs Make You Sick?

You've already heard that electronic cigarettes might be useless for kicking the habit. Instead, they could make you dependent on something else: tissues. Vaping may curb your ability to fight colds, suggests a new study from National Jewish Health in Denver. 

Researchers exposed healthy human airway cells to either e-cig fluid or a harmless liquid. Next, the cells were infected with human rhinovirus-16, a strain of the common cold. 

Within 6 hours, the cells exposed to e-cig juice harbored more rhinovirus, produced more inflammatory proteins, and expressed less of an infection-fighting protein called SPLUNC1 than the other cells. That may open the door to illness.

"The reduction in these proteins may be one of the mechanisms by which e-cigarette smoke increases the likelihood of viral infection," says study author Hong Wei Chu, M.D. In a separate experiment, mice who couldn't make SPLUNC1 were more susceptible to a virus.

So how does vaping hijack your body's natural defenses? It's unclear which chemicals in e-cigs are responsible for the immune-suppressing effect, says Dr. Chu, because even nicotine-free versions were harmful.

Even scarier: While this study only tested one cold virus, Dr. Chu says e-cigs might lower your defenses against other bugs, like the flu. "They may be bad for other bacterial infections, other strains of viral infections--people just have to watch out," he says.

The takeaway: Skip e-cigs--especially if you have asthma, a history of pneumonia, or if you tend to have trouble kicking colds, Dr. Chu says. If you think you need nicotine replacement to kick cigarettes to the curb, stick with an FDA-approved option, such as a nicotine patch.  Click here for more ways to quit.

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INTERMOT 2014 Live – Suzuki GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000F

The popular Gixxer donates the engine to the new duo.

The new Suzuki GSX-S1000 naked sportsbike and its faired sibling, the GSX-S1000F, broke cover at the ongoing INTERMOT 2014, a biennial two-wheeler expo held in Cologne, Germany.

The twins are offered with ABS brakes.

The GSX-S1000 sports a text book modern naked superbike styling with a generous helping of aggression and muscularity. The GSX-S1000F is essentially a fully faired variant with twin headlamps and a prominent visor, wanting to be a tourer.

Nestled in the duo’s new aluminium chassis is a 999 cc in-line four cylinder engine which shot to fame in the GSX-R1000 superbike. The power and torque outputs are under wraps but Suzuki says that the engine is tuned for crisp low to mid-range performance. The transmission is a 6-speed unit.

The aluminium swing arm has been derived from that of the GSX-R1000, promising an exciting handling character. The inverted telescopic front suspension and the monoshock rear suspension have adjustable rebound damping and spring pre-load.

The top-spec braking system with twin discs upfront and single disc at the rear is supplied by Brembo. ABS is also on offer and the new Suzuki sportsbikes benefit from a traction control with three modes to suit wet, city and sporty riding requirements.

Suzuki GSX-S1000 at the INTERMOT 2014 – Image Gallery

Suzuki GSX-S1000F at the INTERMOT 2014 – Image Gallery

Suzuki at INTERMOT 2014 – Press Release

[Can't see the press release above? Head to Slideshare]

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Latest Ebola News: First Ebola positive case confirmed in US

Despite all the efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the deadly Ebola virus is spreading rapidly and has now gained entry into the United States. US health authorities Tuesday confirmed the nation’s first Ebola positive case in Dallas, Texas.

The patient had come from Liberia to visit his family, earlier this month, reported Xinhua. Reportedly, he showed no symptoms of Ebola while leaving West Africa. However, four days after her reached US on September 20, he began to develop Ebola symptoms, confirmed Tom Frieden, director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The patient had been isolated on Sunday in a hospital in Texas. His blood samples were sent to a CDC laboratory and the results turned out to be positive on Tuesday.

Frieden noted the possibility of more Ebola cases in US, as those who came in contact with the patient including his family members and friends are at a greater risk. However, Frieden confidently said that the outbreak won’t spread beyond that. ‘There is no doubt, in my mind, that we will stop it here. I have no doubt that we will control… this case of Ebola so it does not spread widely in this country,’ Frieden said.

The US health authorities will be identifying people who might have come in contact with the patient. To ensure that it is controlled, US President Barack Obama and Frieden have discussed implementation of ‘stringent isolation protocols’ to mitigate the risk of additional cases.

According to the statement from White House, CDC was earlier well prepared for an Ebola case in the country, and that they have all infrastructure in place to respond safely to any such case effectively.

Earlier, there have been five Ebola patients in US hospitals but they acquired the infection in West Africa and were then brought home for treatment.

Here are a few reasons Ebola virus is deadly

It can kill within seven days: Unlike other viruses (like HIV) that can remain dormant in a person for years without causing the disease, Ebola violently multiplies until the viral particles are amplified to about 100 million viral particles in a droplet of blood. Further, without resting in a dormant stage the virus kills the host to find a new one. The fatality rate of the disease is 60 percent.

There is no vaccine or treatment available: What makes this virus deadly is the fact that researchers have not been able to find an effective treatment or preventive technique to combat the virus and the spread of the disease. The experimental drug Zmapp has shown promising results but the safety and efficacy of the drug are to be evaluated. So, as of now, neither do we have an effective form of therapy nor do we have a vaccine to prevent the disease. 

Attacks every part of the human body: Ebola only needs a host cell that can help it produce multiple copies of itself. What worsens the condition is the fact that the virus does not need a specific type of cell to multiply (unlike other deadly diseases). According to studies, except for skeletal muscles and bones, the virus is known to infect every part of the human body. Connective tissues, the ones that hold your internal organs in place, are primary targets of the virus.

Image source: Getty images

With inputs from IANS

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For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.

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Sex after pregnancy — how to get her in the mood

Having sex after pregnancy can have its own set of complications and may not be the same as before. It might take weeks or even months for a woman’s body to recover and be sex-ready. The best thing is not to rush into it. More than the mother, the partner needs to be understanding and accepting of this condition. It is important even for the father to curtail his expectations about sex after the birth of the baby. Here are tips you can use to get your woman back in the mood for sex after pregnancy. 

Give her ample time to reconnect with herself

Even if she doesn’t mention it, the new-found identity of being a mother takes a toll on her. For most women, the initial months after birth make them feel disillusioned, what with all the stress of pregnancy and labour pains. This is when she needs support, love and affection, especially from her partner. With hormonal changes still surging and with low energy levels, add to it the demands of the newborn, sex is the last thing on her mind. However, have faith that things will change. All she needs is time for herself, to reconnect and reflect on her needs and be reciprocating towards other’s emotions, including the partner.

What you can do: Ensure that she regains her energy fast. To do so, help her in whatever little you can do – doing the dishes, making the breakfast, babysitting, helping baby to sleep or just sitting beside her throughnthose long nights. Remember allowing her to gain some vigour will help her recover soon from the post baby blues and probably help her get in the mood for lovemaking sooner then you expect.

Remind her how beautiful she is

While a woman’s sex drive takes a dip right after childbirth, her sensuality can still be revived. In fact, gentle touches and physical comforts can go a long way in helping her gain some energy and think of the world beyond her baby. Moreover with all those changes in her body – stretch marks, sagging skin, scars – it lowers her confidence to open up again. So sex even when she has the urge for it, takes a backseat.

What you can do: Try to make her feel sensual with your touch and actions. This won’t ensure sex right at the onset but can help you build her sex drive step by step. To arouse her sensually, tell her often that you love her and admire her for who she is, be honest here. Flattery will lead you nowhere. If you aren’t good with words find some practical ways to tell her that. Give her gentle massages and ensure lots of hugs and cuddles. Don’t expect anything in return. These little actions won’t ensure your immediate payoff but will help you get your woman in the mood soon.

Respect her needs and keep your sexual desires in-check

Taking care of her while keeping your own sexual desires in-check isn’t easy. Keep in mind that sex under pressure or due to any obligation will not serve the purpose of love and affection. Instead, it would definitely spell doom for your relationship.

What you can do: Masturbate. Even if this sounds odd, this is your best resort, at least for the time being. This will help you stay in tune with your desires while giving her space and time to get back into the mood.   

Make her feel special 

This might sound odd but if you want your sex life to be back on track after your baby’s arrival, it is important to regain her confidence and love again. This will help your woman to look forward to couple time despite the demands of the baby.

What you can do: Start going on dates when you get time. Surprise her with cute gestures such as flowers, gifts, chocolates, etc. These will help build the desire for sex as soon as her body recovers from the stress and strain she’s undergone. 

Go slow

When she is finally in the mood for it, don’t rush into things. This might just kill the appetite for sex once again. Instead remember that the thumb rule to resume sex after pregnancy is to go slow.

What you can do: Be slow, gentle and affectionate in bed. Hugs and kisses will work in your favour to help your woman relax. Try and arouse her sensually. Allow her to take the lead in bed. You can also do things she likes to please her and set the mood right for the rest of the night. 

Image courtesy: Getty Images

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For more articles on pregnancy, visit our pregnancy section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.

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INTERMOT 2014 Live – Ducati Scrambler

It’s a bike for non-conformists, says Ducati.

The eagerly awaited Ducati Scrambler graced the INTERMOT 2014 which is being held today in Cologne, Germany.

The Ducati Scrambler derives its engine from the Monster 796.

The latest beast from the Bologna-based superbike marque is designed to satisfy playful riders. Underpinned by a twin-spar steel trellis frame which features a diecast aluminium swing arm, the Scrambler has demonstrated its handling prowess in spy videos that appeared all over the web in the run-up to the launch.

The Scrambler sits on 18-inch front and 17-inch rear rims which are wrapped in enduro-derived Pirelli rubbers. With a minimalistic styling, the motorcycle has a lithe and agile personality. Salient design features include LED head- and tail-lights, eccentrically placed circular digital instrument dial and an underseat storage compartment with USB port.

Power comes from the 803 cc Testastratta L-twin motor which has 75 PS and 67.7 Nm of torque in store. The power is harnessed by a 6-speed gearbox. The bike has a low centre of gravity and tips the scales at 170 kg.

The suspension system is a standard sportsbike affair with inverted telescopic forks and monoshock, both from Kayaba. The single front and rear disc with 2-channel ABS are supplied by Brembo.

The Ducati Scrambler will come in red, green and yellow color options with a black theme for the alloy wheels, engine and the frame.

Ducati Scrambler at the INTERMOT 2014 – Image Gallery

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