Achoooooo!

The last few days have been tough, tough, tough. I have a head cold that just wouldn't go away. So here I am sipping chai with ginger and black pepper and browsing make-me- happy websites and blogs. One of them is ecofabulous. Always ready with sexy, sustainable stuff, their beauty section is so earth-friendly and fabulous smelling( well at least sounding since I don't have smell-o-laptop) that its almost edible.

A few years ago, I happened to read Rona Berg's Beauty:The new Basics. I did not expect much from it except may be a quick cure for whatever my beauty peeve may have been at that point. But is turned things around for me- forever. The book goes over ingredient lists on common beauty products and decodes the mile long chemical names for the lay person. It is not your average dumbed down color-chic-page flipping- beauty book. This one takes you on a ride away from the superstore beauty aisle, down history lane and back into your backyard via your kitchen. I have not used a chemical based shampoo or creme since. And I realized that I have gone back to a lot of "old wisdom" and sometime unglamorous choices. Works fine for me because what chemicals go on us also go in us and we can all do with a little less chemicals in our already over exposed bodies.

In India, I find that I am often the fish swimming in the other direction from the rest of the school. My friend was incredulous when I picked up a un-glam "they still make this!?" kind of soap at a local grocery store. She also perhaps did not like my disapproval of her Labratoire Garniere shampoo. Oh well!

If you are going my way, here's what I have to say. Not all organic- natural things are made equal, so decoding labels and background research on the company is a good start. Then again, companies can change policies and ingredients. When a reputed natural products company like Burt's Bees gets bought over by Clorox, you can only hold your breath and hope you will not smell something bleachy in your next jar of creme!

As for me, I can't wait to find some Eucalyptus leaves to simmer and pour in my bath!

Inspiration

All this hanging out with sulking plumbers and impudent rude "karigars" has made me sluggish and unhappy. So my gut reaction is to turn to things simple and beautiful. Time to reset the balances by looking at a beautiful photograph or reading a poem or making something simple and fresh to eat. To take a pause, catch my breath.
Browsing some of my favorite websites brings happiness. I chanced upon Mark Poulin's website. He is an Oakland, California based artiste whose work I have long admired. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much into jewelery and dressing up. Yet chancing upon Mark's work at the SFMOMA had me do a double take some years ago. I was a struggling student and unfortunately wise enough to know I couldn't afford the week's grocery AND the jewelery. When I did leave the US, I bought a pendant as a gift to self. Small wishes fulfilled make me happy!
Check out Mark's website, his links to his jewelery and also his beautiful sketchbook.
"Simple line drawings pared down to the essence of sophisticated design."
Yep, that for me is beauty.

(Images borrowed from Mark Poulin's Etsy Shop)