Product Review: Richfeel Quinoa Hair Repair Serum

Today I am going to review the new hair repair serum from Richfeel. In today’s hot and polluted weather conditions, just a shampoo and conditioner just don’t cut it. You absolutely need to follow up with a good serum on damp hair to protect the hair follicles.

Especially if you have frizzy hair like mine, hair serum is your best friend! Even on the days that I don’t wash my hair, and I am planning to go out, I am used to dampening my hair a bit and scrunching them with some serum. So you can imagine how much I am always longing to try out good hair serums.

 

Richfeel has come up with their new hair serums which contains the latest Superfood on the block – Quinoa. Now everyone who is health conscious knows how beneficial quinoa is for your body. It contains loads of proteins and can be substituted for other starchy carbs like rice or sooji. Similar to our body, our hair also needs a constant dose of proteins to make them shiny and supple. So maybe quinoa is really the answer!

I used the serum for a couple of weeks to try and see the impact of it on my hair. After brushing my damp hair post a shower, I used a small quantity (about 5 ml) and ran the serum through my hair (avoiding my scalp) scrunching my hair (mainly because of the curly quality of my hair, girls with straight hair may avoid the scrunching).

 

Post this I generally let my hair naturally, but in case you are used to drying it with a hair dryer, that should be fine too post the application of the serum.

My general observations to the usage were that my hair stayed on quite curly with fewer frizzes – which are mostly what I expect from a good serum. There was no stickiness or crunch in the hair (which I totally hate!). Also, there is no distinct odour to the serum which also generally what I prefer – because odour would generally mean additives. 

A couple of drawbacks, according to me, were that firstly it is a bit too runny for a serum and secondly I think this would work better for hair which is less frizzy/ curly unlike mine, since by day two my frizz was back.

So, in conclusion, I would recommend this hair serum strongly – especially to girls with frizz free hair!!

Product Details:

Quantity – 100 ml

Price – INR 249

-Gouri Patwardhan
  For So-Saree

How I brought my 'Gharwali' Diwali in Vancouver!

And just like that, as quickly it had arrived, its gone! Diwali 2017 and my first one in Canada was a bitter sweet experience. Bitter for all the pangs of homesickness and sweet for all the new experiences and memories. Like most Indians, Diwali is my favourite festival too! During my growing up years in Mumbai, it was my favourite time of the year as this festival of lights literally illuminates the whole country with the radiance of joy and hope. Everyone's happy and cheerful; for some its the excitement and thrill of the holiday season, for some its the anticipation of buying new clothes and dressing up in finery, for most people like me its about the sheer joy of gorging on the variety of sweets and savouries prepared for the festive occasion. As much as I like Diwali for these superficial reasons, I also enjoy the customs and rituals attached to it. Every year I enthusiastically partook in all the diwali related activities at home, right from cleaning the house, to decorating it, making rangolis, helping mom make diwali treats, buying last minute presents and so on. It was a time of the year when I spent quality and fun time with my family. Being away from home on diwali feels sad and although I have been through this experience a couple of times before (while I was studying in London), I can never really get used to it.

Diwali fever hits mumbaikars a month in advance, but here in Vancouver there was no sign of Diwali at all. I was already dreading the thought of a dull diwali this year. I comprehended that I would be extremely homesick, if I don't have the diwali feels around me. To make myself feel like home during my favourite festival, I decided to bring my 'gharwali' Diwali here in Canada. Let me show you my small attempt at bringing the diwali feels in Canada.

Home is where the heart is: 

Although not a house owner yet, the rented apartment that I currently live in Vancouver is my favourite place in the city. Its where I spend most of my time and for someone who knows me very well knows that my home is my temple. Its typical to get paranoid about Diwali cleaning,  and with only weekends on my hand to do some real cleaning, I started it a few weeks in advance. I made a list of things I needed to decorate my house and ordered them online. Most of the stuff was ordered from Mumbai, my mum and sister picked up a few things along with my Diwali outfit. Just a couple of days before Diwali I received a box full of Diwali presents and goodies from home.

Truly a festival of lights!

Some ethnic decor

My feeble attempt at making rangoli

Diwali treats that came all the way from home

Diwali dinner on Lakshmi Pujan

Diwali at work:

Diwali fell on a weekday this year and as you can guess it was not a holiday in Canada. However, I decided to go to work instead of staying home and sulking over being away from family. Since I am the only Indian in my office in Vancouver, not many people were aware of this festival or its significance. I took this as an opportunity to share some Diwali gyan with my peeps at work. I dressed up in a traditional outfit and brought in some traditional sweets and savouries to work, and to my surprise everyone liked it. At the end of the day, although I worked on Diwali day it felt like a mini celebration with my colleagues. 

The celebration:

Diwali calls for a big celebration and get-together, so I decided to host a Diwali party at my apartment for my close friends in Vancouver. After all what's a Diwali celebration without sharing traditional sweets and food with your loved ones. I tried my best to cook an authentic Indian meal for dinner. Instead of playing the traditional card game, we played Uno :), took random pictures, chatted, laughed and had a really great time. This was my favourite part of Diwali.

So, as opposed to my fear and dread of not being able to celebrate my 'gharwali' Diwali away from home, this experience taught me that no matter in which part of the world you are or how far away from family you are, you'll always find light in darkness.

-SOnali
 For So-Saree Canada 

HEMA MALINI - When Dreams Transcend and Reality Confounds

As clichéd as it sounds, She really is the one and only “Dream Girl” who has graced Indian cinema, ever. Gorgeous ladies have always dominated the Hindi film industry, but it is difficult to think of anyone who has enamoured us – males and females alike, for so many decades.
The lyricist who penned down the immortal Dream girl song, just about managed to capture the beauty of this mesmerising diva - She really is like poetry in human form! Add to that those absolute mouth watering sarees, her natural charm and aura of sophistication and you have the perfect package!
And just like perfectly aged whisky (I really am full of clichés today!), Hema Malini has not
disappointed us with the passage of time. Maybe it is enviable genes, her strict dancing routine or decades of hard work in perfecting perfection, she really shows no signs of aging or losing any of her impeccable fashion sense!
Whether it is a dance show or an award function, a photo shoot or her daughters’ weddings, Hema Malini manages to effortlessly pull off any saree and always end up looking like someone’s dream taking human form.
Here are just a few pictures I managed to put together of my saree idol; hope you enjoy them as much I did.

 

-Gouri Patwardhan
 For So-Saree