Activated Charcoal: One Woman's Dust is Another Woman's Favourite Skincare Ingredient

I love the colour black so much, that if I could, I would have an all-black wardrobe. Unfortunately, Indian weather does not agree with my sartorial choices. So, when I saw a charcoal mask video on YouTube, during one of my many post 12am internet surfing sessions, it drew me in mainly because it was a black mask. At that time, only a few charcoal based products were available in India, and the ones available were so costly that one might wonder if activated charcoal is actually code for black diamond dust. By now, everyone and their next door neighbour knows that over the past couple of years, activated charcoal went from being messy black powder to a very trendy ingredient that could be found in almost all products ranging from a facemask to cleansing juices. Yes, people do drink (and swear by) activated charcoal based drinks to “get rid of toxins”.

Being a poor college student, unable to lay my greedy paws on all these cool products, I got the next best thing that I could afford- activated charcoal capsules. I just crack them open, mix it up with random things, and slather the jet-black goo on my face. These are some of the masks that I have tried out (and loved) for over a year.

Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan- a western state in India. It is known for its rich history (and even richer food), jewellery, textiles and a vibrant culture. It is one of the biggest tourist destinations in India, owing to its sprawling forts and even bigger bazaars.

Now that I sufficiently sound like a ten-year old writing an essay about Jaipur, let us move on. Quickly.

I went to Rajasthan during the month of August a couple of years ago with my family and some family friends. I am not cool enough to travel with my own friends. Yes, I do have friends, thank you very much. I did want to post all these photos and knowledge gathered from the tour guides on my blog, but I forgot. I didn’t even listen to the tour guide properly because I was busy fidgeting with my camera and complaining about the heat and humidity.

Moti Dungri Fort and Birla Mandir

The Moti Dungri Fort sits on top of a hill, overlooking the Birla Mandir. It is a private residence, so no tourists are allowed inside, you can just look up at the fort, say ooh, take a photo and visit the Birla Mandir instead. The temple is a beautiful structure made of marble and stained-glass windows, you can go there to to admire the architecture and design even if you aren’t religiously inclined.

Moti Dungri Fort

Vichy Normaderm: A Fan Letter

Hello everyone,

Being unemployed has its own benefits (unless you lost your mind out of boredom in the first couple of months) especially if you have an internet connection. As everyone around you is working, getting married, having kids, travelling, generally excelling at life, you will find yourself changing your Wi-Fi’s name to ‘new best friend’.

During this time, my skin changed completely from a mischievous child to a raging hormonal teenager. This was almost entirely because of PCOS, which caused hormonal imbalance in my body and caused my skin to turn oily and breakout into a lovely cocktail of pustular and minor cystic acne- these mostly popped up along my jawline, cheekbone area, and forehead. I knew the reason for my acne so I decided not to go to a dermatologist and look for solutions online. I don’t recommend you do that but my mum is a doctor so, technically, I was under medical supervision as I did consult her on various ingredients that these products contained and if they were any good.

This is when I came across Vichy Laboratories, Vichy to its friends.