Creating an at-home Spa Experience
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Creating an at-home Spa Experience

Tired toes, aching heels or cracked toes are all a consequence of the griefs of the routinely troublesome lives we drive. Whether it is cooking, shopping, running errands, rushing for conferences, spending endless times in queues or jogging, we drive our toes to fatigue. It is not accessible to rest with our frantic job schedules these days. At the end of the day, it is not about pushing the deadlines, it is about taking some time for pampering yourself. Gone is the era when you had to take the trouble of visiting a spa or salon to pamper yourself. The latest trend that has germinated the interior design industry by passion is creating an at-home salon and spa. Now you can prefer your ideal niche, gird yourself with your desired song or grab your favourite flick while relaxing at your home spa. Here’s how you can enhance your spa and salon experience at home. Declutter Decluttering your area is a great method to begin decluttering your mind. It is vital that all bathroom essentials are kept convenient and everything else has been effortlessly tucked away to aid in managing a calming ambiance. This not only helps declutter your area, but it will also help you create an authentic spa aesthetic. Build extra storage If you have difficulty spotting an area to stock all of your bathroom toiletries and essentials, get artistic by figuring extra storage in areas by imagining how a spa would organise and arrange toiletries. Attempt utilising transparent glass vessels to collect cotton balls on the countertop, figure a wicker container to publicise hand napkins and tray for holding hand cleanser, creams, and other products. Embrace pleasing colour palette Use of neutral hues like beige, white and blue serves to anchor the colour for your at-home spa, thus formulating an appealing ambiance. Build-in your shower head By renewing your shower with a massage shower head, you can modify your whole at-home spa activity. Whether you choose a waterfall shower, hand-held, or a high-pressure showerhead, deciding a unique shower head that operates fully with your technique will hastily renew your washroom. Affixing calming aromas Aromatherapy gives the primary impact to your home spa practice by exciting passions, intensifying leisure, and releasing strain. Essential oils, scented soaps and cosmetics, with aromatic candles are the best forms to fix the mood when formulating a bathroom spa and salon. Give your bathroom areas the latest spa experience with calming aromas, fragrance, elegant accessories and visually delightful and soothing tones to formulate a personal retreat within the confines of your home space. By Hemil Parikh, Founder, Elysium Abodes LLP. Creating an at-home Spa Experience

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A Taste of Timeless Virginia Recipes
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A Taste of Timeless Virginia Recipes

Virginia would like to send a little comfort your way, courtesy of some of their signature culinary delights. Bring the joy of food to your homes.  When it comes to food in Virginia, there’s always a lot to LOVE. Many consider Virginia to be the birthplace of American cuisine, with Thomas Jefferson regarded as “America’s First Foodie“… so you know they take food seriously! Their state’s signature cuisine is a reflection of its abundant agriculture. All across Virginia, talented chefs have access to fresh ingredients and artisan products year round, to design menus that are as creative as they are comforting. While stuck at home, why not recreate some of Virginia’s signature dishes for yourself? Here are some traditional recipes for three of those famous dishes, along with some of their top chefs’ interpretation of those same plates. Bring a little Virginia to your kitchen and travel virtually by enjoying Virgnia’s local flavors. Virginia Peanut Soup If Virginia had a state soup, it would have to be this one. With peanuts growing abundantly in the state, this dish proposes a unique way to savor these tasty legumes. The traditional recipe is offered by the Food Network, while the Hotel Roanoke serves one of the best versions of this dish, along with their famous spoonbread. This Tudor-style hotel built in 1882 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it features many preserved elements from the past, such as its Palm Court, the original ceiling of which was painted to show the constellations as they appeared in the skies the day the first train came to Roanoke in 1852. Recipe link –  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/virginia-peanut-soup-recipe-1915881 https://www.hotelroanoke.com/downtown_restaurants/hotel_roanoke_recipes/ Shrimp & Grits Talk about a classic southern dish! You can typically find Shrimp & Grits on menus of restaurants across Virginia. Taste of Home suggests a traditional recipe; however, the interpretation of The Red Fox Inn & Tavern can’t be beat. A pillar of the beloved Middleburg village, The Red Fox Inn has been Virginia’s Hunt Country jewel since 1728. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Inn has welcomed many notable guests over the years; among others, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and more recently, Tom Cruise. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/southern-shrimp-and-grits/ http://www.redfox.com/recipe-shrimp-and-grits/ Apple Tart This luscious fruit is abundant in Virginia, and it yields itself to a plethora of savory and sweet dishes. You can make a traditional apple tart, or kick it up a notch by recreating The Inn at Little Washington version by world-renowned Chef Patrick O’Connell: the Warm Granny Smith Apple Tart with Buttermilk Ice Cream (rest assured, the ice cream recipe is also available!). The Inn opened in a converted garage in 1978 and over the last quarter century has evolved from a simple country inn to an international culinary shrine with a Michelin Three-Star ranking. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apple-tart/ https://theinnatlittlewashington.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Apple-Tart-with-Buttermilk-Ice-Cream.pdf A Taste of Timeless Virginia Recipes

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How can Women Improve their Health during Quarantine
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How can Women Improve their Health during Quarantine

As the lock down is still going on all of us our spending more time in our homes watching Netflix and chilling with our family. Women are also cooking a lot more during quarantine. Women have a lot of pressure on their shoulders because these days they are managing the household work alongside doing their office work from home. Dr. Rohini Somnath Patil says, “connecting the dots between food, exercise, and sleep can make a big difference for your health”. “If you can exercise and you can have a healthy nutrition program, often times that’s just as effective as taking medication for high blood pressure, for high cholesterol, for diabetes, for weight control, there are so many benefits to lifestyle therapies.” Here are most important points that are must for a woman to keep herself healthy. Make self-care a priority: The first and the most important point is to make self-care a priority. It’s natural that women tend to give all their attention to their kids and family and to every other thing around. Prepare a diet for yourself and include necessary nutrients. Drink plenty of water. Get between seven and nine hours of sleep each day. High protein diet: After the age of 35, wear and tear happens at a faster pace in the body. So it is very important that your diet is rich in protein which helps in enhancing the regenerative metabolic processes in the body.” Eat meat that is antibiotic free and hormone free. It’s also important to make sure you’re getting enough fiber and vegetables in your diet. Have six servings of vegetables a day, two or three servings of fruit and make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet. Having a healthy diet also means having a healthy sleep schedule. Sleep is really an important part to being healthy. When you sleep you make growth net hormone. Growth hormone is necessary to building healthy skeletal muscle. So you can see how everything is connected. If you’re not building healthy skeletal muscle you can’t metabolise and burn your calories. Calcium and Vitamin D supplements: Bone density, calcium and Vitamin D starts reducing significantly after the mid 30s. So regular check up of these parameters and taking the right supplements is very important to maintain a strong health in 40+ women. Vitamin D supplement can be taken with or without food and the full amount can be taken at one time. While your body needs Vitamin D to absorbs calcium, you do not need to take Vitamin D at the same time as a calcium supplement. Multivitamin Supplements: There are multiple nutrients which lack in our day to day diet and the best way to restore that is by taking a good multivitamin supplement. Women can ask their physician and take the right supplements. Eat one bowl of fresh fruits and sprinkle flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds on it. Diet rich in antioxidants: Antioxidants are compounds produced in your body and founds in foods. They help defend your cells from damage caused by potentially harmful molecules as free radicals.Antioxidants rich foods like turmeric, garlic, berries, green tea, cinnamon, amla, nuts and seeds help you reduce the oxidative stress in your body thus slowing down the ageing process in the body. Physical health and exercise: It’s very important to be physically active. It can be anything from just a 40-minutes walk everyday to doing online Zumba or pilates or yoga or swimming or aerobics or just simple suryanamaskar for 30 minutes daily. This will also ensure that you feel fresh, energetic, positive and happy throughout the day. Doing exercise and workout can really work wonders for your health. Mental Health:Mental health is one of the most important aspects of health in 40+ women. Here are some things that you can do to ensure a good mental health:  1) Practice meditation for 20 minutes every morning. 2) Practice pranayama and breathing techniques every morning and evening. 3) Practice any of your favourite hobbies like singing, dancing, drawing etc for an hour everyday. 4) Take out time to do things that make you happy. Lastly, Don’t be too hard on yourself. Let things go. You don’t have to be on your toes all the time. Take care of yourself and make self-care a priority. How can Women Improve their Health during Quarantine

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Life without Art is a Life Half Lived…
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Life without Art is a Life Half Lived…

Art has always been a soothing factor in times of world crises. During the Spanish flu, we have seen some significant works of contemporary masters of those times come out. Art is the best way to tell a story and has played a great role in reaching out to people during tough times. The transformation of this global health crisis to a social crisis was not surprising but it is heartening to see the entire world come together and handling it with a level head. The covid-19 crisis is far from over but we are at least hoping that the worst has been done with. There is no denying that there have been some soul searching and serious takeaways from this pandemic and it has definitely given us all a chance to sit back and reflect on all the valuable things that we have missed out in life. Paintings have always been socially distancing themselves. One can only see a painting from a social distance and not touch or feel it. Unfortunately, the extension of this concept to humans has been probably the toughest to deal with.  No man is an island. We all have an inherent need to be touched and embraced. “Business as usual” is another concept which has had a fundamental shake-up. Of course, what we all are trying is to keep the essence of what we do and change the way of doing it. Well, I for one, am on social quarantine in my Los Angeles home where I am based right now. My scheduled trip to Bangalore was disrupted unexpectedly. I have been always working remotely in LA and so it didn’t take me time to adjust to this new schedule. However, the clamp on travel has been a huge brake on the wheels. On the upside, this has given a high quality family time with my husband, who is usually busy traveling the world, and our little Maltese poodle. Like many other cultural institutions, Galerie De’Arts is also taking a stab at moving content online for the first time which will give people an opportunity to draw connections between art and the current pandemic that we are experiencing. I think it is the responsibility of art to be able to build perspectives and spread positivity in these extraordinary times. We are presenting the works of six Bangalore-based artists who will also be talking about art during the covid-19 lockdown. This is the first edition of a series and we look forward to this new phase of art and life. – By Deepa Subramanian, Founder & Creative Head, Galerie De’Arts, Bangalore. Life without Art is a Life Half Lived…

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Easy hacks to keep your furniture as good as new
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Easy hacks to keep your furniture as good as new

The furniture in a room contributes a good deal to its ambience. It is one of the first things that catches the eye of visitors. However, it can also be easily soiled, especially if there are pets or kids in the house, or if the elders do not take adequate care. While cleaning and maintaining furniture might seem like a tedious chore, it is actually quite easy if you know the trick to doing it right. Furniture experts at Flipkart have compiled a list of trouble-free, do-it-yourself hacks that will help you get rid of annoying blemishes on your furniture and make it last longer, seemingly as good as new. Sofas: The most important and most used living room accessory needs special care. The stain-removal hack you can choose depends on the material of the sofa. Fabric Sofas: A couple of simple, non-expensive ingredients from your kitchen can give your tainted sofa a brand-new look. All you need is a mix of baking soda and vinegar to get rid of the stains and the dullness. Leatherette Sofas: Mix half a cup of olive oil with a quarter cup of vinegar and spray it on the surface of your leather couch. Then, buff with a clean cloth for an instant makeover. Dining and Coffee Tables: Water rings are a common occurrence on frequently used wooden surfaces. These include dining table-tops, coffee tables and side tables. To remove the water ring marks, mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil and apply it with a soft cloth to the spot. Take care to move with the wood grain. Use another clean, dry cloth to wipe up, afterwards. Dressing Table Mirror: Many of us often neglect to clean mirrors, as we seldom touch them during use. Over time, a mirror surface tends to attract a coat of dust and deposit minerals. The easiest way to clean it is with vinegar. Use a spray bottle to apply white vinegar to the glass and wipe it off with a lint-free rag. However, avoid spraying vinegar on a wooden frame. Scratched Solid Wood Surfaces: Solid wooden surfaces on the sides of the beds or storage units are susceptible to scratches as people and things move around the house. These scratches can be hidden with lemon juice and oil. Mix one part of each in a small dish and moisten a lint-free cloth with it. Rub the cloth firmly over the scratches until they are no longer noticeable. Engineered Wood Surfaces: Clean the surface regularly with a spotless, damp cloth. Use coasters or mats when placing anything hot, cold, or wet on the surface. Wipe spills and stains immediately with a clean, dry cloth. Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight and temperature variations, as it may cause the colour of the wood to fade. Moisture can cause veneer laminates to warp or bend. Try and prevent exposure of these surfaces to humidity changes. Easy hacks to keep your furniture as good as new

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Beyond The Horizon with Ethnicity
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Beyond The Horizon with Ethnicity

With the trend across the country on going local, here’s a fashion brand that can make you stand out in the crowd. Ethnicity has in store an array of apparels inspired by the amber hues beyond the horizon. Subtle yet elegant, this ensemble is all about prints and single coloured checks in flowy silhouettes of viscose muslin and rayon slub. In this ensemble, you get to choose between a range of hues such as indigo, white, yellow and olive green. Ethnicity, the Indianwear destination is available online for delivery across the country at www.ethinicity.in. These prints accentuate the cuts and flow of the garment, adding a touch of grace to your appearance. With the use of breathable viscose muslin fabric, the apparels are made for you to enjoy the Indian weather in complete comfort, and the addition of rayon slub, gives the garments a unique charismatic look. Each apparel is crafted to liberate and urge you to live life to the fullest. Adorn an elegant and timeless piece from this ensemble to curb the heat this summer and enjoy the monsoon winds in these flowy dresses. The entire ensemble is available online at www.ethnicity.in. There is a constant check on the warehouse and a sanitation process is conducted on a daily basis. The delivery process across India is completely sanitized and monitored from the moment an order is placed to the time the delivery reaches your doorstep. Beyond The Horizon with Ethnicity

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Not Dropping the Ball this World Whisky Day
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Not Dropping the Ball this World Whisky Day

If you were to look at Japanese drinking culture as a whole, you’d notice that a couple of drinks dominate the landscape. The Japanese culture prefers to consume their whisky neat or on the rocks. However, there is one drink that has risen above them all – the highball. While a highball is a simple cocktail to make – a mixture of soda water and whisky, but the quality can reduce if made incorrectly. The temperature to ensure the balance and carbonation; the balance of whisky, soda, ice and garnish; and using the right soda to build the serve correctly – these are factors that one should take into consideration while preparing a highball. Treat yourself with a simple yet flavourful highball this World Whisky Day with Jim Beam. JIM BEAM CLASSIC HIGHBALL Ingredients Required: 30ml Jim Beam 75 -90ml soda water (it depends on the size of ice cubes) 1 lime wedge Method:  Chill the glass, soda, and Jim Beam. Squeeze a wedge of lime and drop it in the glass. Fill the glass with ice. Add 1 part of Jim Beam Stir whisky to get it chilled Add ice if it melted Pour soda gently filling the glass till the top of the handle Stir once and enjoy! JIM BEAM LIME & MINT HIGHBALL Ingredients Required: 30ml Jim Beam 75 – 90ml soda water (it depends on the size of ice cubes) 10ml sugar syrup /Mojito mint syrup 1 lime wedge 5 – 6 Mint leaves Method:  Chill the glass, soda, and Jim Beam. Squeeze a wedge of lime and drop it in the glass. Add Mint leaves Fill the glass with ice and add Jim Beam Stir everything to get it chilled Add ice if it melted Pour soda gently filling the glass till the top of the handle Add syrup on it Stir once and put mint leaves on it! JIM BEAM ORANGE HIGHBALL   Ingredients Required: 30ml Jim Beam 75 – 90ml soda water (it depends on the size of ice cubes) 20 – 30ml orange juice 1 piece of an orange wedge Method:  Chill the glass, soda, and Jim Beam Fill the glass with ice Add Jim Beam, Orange juice Stir everything to get it chilled Add ice if it melted Pour soda gently filling the glass till the top of the handle Stir once and put an orange wedge on it (if ice cubes are small, you can add orange juice) JIM BEAM CRANBERRY HIGHBALL Ingredients Required: 30ml Jim Beam 75 – 90ml soda water (it depends on the size of ice cubes) 20 – 30ml cranberry juice 1 piece of an orange wedge (if you have something red like cherry etc. might look better) Method:  Chill the glass, soda, and Jim Beam Fill the glass with ice Add Jim Beam Cranberry juice Stir everything to get it chilled Add ice if it melted Pour soda gently filling the glass till the top of the handle Stir once and put an orange wedge on it (if ice cubes are small, you can add cranberry juice after pouring soda) Not Dropping the Ball this World Whisky Day

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A CLASSIC TAKE ON WHISKY
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A CLASSIC TAKE ON WHISKY

The world of whiskey is expanding with blenders perfecting and innovating constantly. Likewise, the list of great cocktails continues to grow – so are whisky bourbons! There are, however, a few tried and true recipes that are essential to creating a well-rounded whiskey bourbon experience. These drinks showcase the versatility of whiskey. They include some of the most popular whiskey cocktails that have been enjoyed by enthusiasts for decades or longer. Using Beam Suntory’s Jim Beam, here is a perfect list for beginners and connoisseurs to explore everything that’s possible with whiskey, this World Whisky Day. Claremont Club – Jim Beam, Raspberry, Cinnamon and Egg White Ingredients Required: Jim Beam 50ml Raspberry Puree 2 bar spoons Cinnamon Syrup 10ml Sugar Syrup 10ml Lime Juice 25ml Egg White ½ Mint Leaf for Garnish Glass: Coupe or Cocktail Method: Shake and strain Garnish: Mint Leaf. And fresh raspberries on cocktail Skewer if available. The New York Sour – Jim Beam, Red Wine, Orange Ingredients Required: Jim Beam 50ml Red Wine to Float 20ml Orange Juice 30ml Sugar Syrup 20ml Lemon Juice 20ml Ice Glass: Rocks Glass Method: Shake and Strain. For a little more depth, float red wine on the drink at the end. JB @ FB – Jim Beam, Pineapple, Curry Leaf, Star Anise, Tamarind, Jaggery Ingredients Required: Jim Beam 50ml Pineapple Juice 45ml Curry Leaf 10-12 Leaves Star Anise 1 for garnish Tamarind Water 20ml Jaggery Syrup 20ml Glass: Old Fashioned Method: Muddle the Leaves in a shaker and add all the ingredients except the star anise. Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish: Star anise Spice Route – Jim Beam, Spiced wine, Treacle Ingredients Required: Jim beam 40ml Spiced wine decoction 20ml Treacle or Jaggery Syrup 2bar spoons Kokum 1 piece Orange peel 1 piece Glass: Old Fashioned Method: Stir all the ingredients together with ice and pour over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned Glass. Squeeze an orange peel over the drink and discard the peel. Garnish: A piece of Kokum A CLASSIC TAKE ON WHISKY

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Mango Mania!
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Mango Mania!

Celebrate Summer with Magnolia Bakery. Magnolia Bakery adds some stunning sweetness to your summer with their limited edition of mouth-watering mango treats. Start the season on a sweet note with our special Mango Jamboree, a pecan studded shortbread crust with a cream cheese and whipped cream filling topped with delicious fresh mangoes. Delight your taste buds with their new Mango Lime cupcake – a coconut lime sponge filled with mango curd. Topped off with a meringue icing and coconut flakes, the mango lime cupcake is delightfully vibrant and refreshing. These delectable treats are available all through the month of May in limited quantities – make sure to order yours while supplies last! Just like all the desserts, the special mango desserts are hand-made and freshly baked daily. For: Mango Jamboree: INR 350 + Tax and Mango Lime Cupcake: INR 145 + Tax. Call: +91 9606746364 for pre-orders. Where: Magnolia Bakery India, No. 788, J.K. Plaza, 12th Main Rd, Indiranagar, Bengaluru. Mango Mania!

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Bring Home The Pump House Experience
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Bring Home The Pump House Experience

The Pump House, one of Bengaluru’s most loved breweries is back with your favourite brews for a limited period of time. They are offering takeaway service for their patrons who missed sipping their favourite pint on a sunny afternoon. So now you can bring the ‘The Pump House Experience’ at the comfort of your home. The beers are available in 1 litre cans so you can share the joy with friends and family or keep it all for yourself! The microbrewery has taken all the necessary safety and hygiene measures including social distancing at the time of take aways to ensure all round safety. Quench your thirst with as many as six beers available from tap i.e. Blonde, Wit, Hefe, Stout, IPA & oatmeal imperial IPA-an exciting variant although it has a high alcohol strength, this beer finishes smooth and is easy drinking. So head to The Pump House to grab your brew before the stock ends!! Where: The Pump House, JP Nagar, Bengaluru. When: 15th May to 30th May, 2020, 9 am to 7 pm. Price: INR 500 for a litre (INR 525 with the glass bottle). Call: 96061 28666 Bring Home The Pump House Experience

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