Beauty is not being perfect but learning to love an imperfect life. Perfect does not exist!!! Even in those messy moments, if you pay attention, you can notice you are blessed.

Before we concentrate on ourselves, let’s acknowledge that there is nothing perfect in the world. Sometimes we find a person with a crooked teeth quite charming; sometimes a mole at the right place on the face becomes a part of their character, this is the beauty of imperfectness!

Everybody is beautiful in their own way, and of course, your inner beauty will enhance the sereneness and glow of your face and skin. So let us not worry about how people look at you as everybody will have a different perception that seems alluring to them. So we must first concentrate on “feeling” beautiful so that inner confidence spills out as radiance that is only yours.

But there are two sides to the coin! Consumerism has blunted the basic sensitivity, and hence people are lured into buying cosmetics through media, aggressive use of celebrities, attractive and expensive packaging and various other schemes. Consumers use cosmetics unaware of the ingredients, scientific terms, sensitivity to their skin towards cosmetics etc. Since cosmetics are not well understood by the consumers so manufacturers easily exploit them. This is not only very harmful to their health, but also throws poor light on the cosmetics industry. If given the right products and the right guidance, it can make people “feel” absolutely in charge of themselves.

That certainly does not mean we cannot take the help from the outside agents, like cosmetics and costumes, to enhance our confidence, self esteem, appearance and that youthful radiance. From ancient times, people in India have used various natural, herbal and ayurvedic products to increase their beauty. So as the time evolved, so did multiple methods and products in pursuit to make a person “feel” and “look” beautiful and healthy.

This is where we step in!

The primary aim of our Beauty Approach Channel is to educate, guide, support our customers to learn cosmetics; applications, usage, safety, guidance, tips etc. This is Jstor’s gesture to its’ customers.

Rest assured, your questions will not be the certificate for our abilities but will go a long way in benefiting many more besides you. Let us begin the path to make this section an encyclopedia of beauty and cosmetics products.
You can send us queries, and we will post answers in this section as soon as possible.

Looking forward to your “barrage” of questions!

Q. What are the products I should use daily as “must”?- Akhila, Jamshedpur

A. Not clear which category of cosmetics you are talking about. However, when it comes to daily skincare routine you must use products that clean your face (e.g. face wash or face cleansers), tone the skin (skin toner), and some nourishing cream at night (you can choose this depending upon the
skin concerns you have ).

When it comes to the body, use some cleanser like soap, shower gel or body wash depending upon your choice. Then use body lotion to protect your skin.
Hair oil is just as it is a kind of nourishment for your hair. Also, conditioner is a must post shampoo.

Q. Please suggest some Lip balm hacks.

Answer.

1. Lip balm will hydrate the area under your eyes, which reduces the appearance of lines.

2. One of the most important lip balm benefits is that it helps your lip makeup glide on smoothly. You can apply a thin layer of lip balm under your lipstick to keep them from drying your lips. Your lips can get extremely dry, if you use lipstick on an everyday basis, especially if you use a lot of liquid lipstick and matte lipstick. Apply a thin layer of lip balm and let it dry before swiping on your lipstick.

3. If your nail beds are looking dry, simply take some lip balm and apply it to your nail bed and massage it in. It will hydrate your cuticles. You don’t need to purchase a separate cuticle oil.

4. When you sleep, your lips rise in temp so they can flush out any toxins and produce new skin cells. This causes your lips to lose moisture overnight. Applying lip balm before bed will keep your lips moisturized and the new skin cells being produced will be protected too.

5. Your lips can start flaking to the point where they will bleed and it hurts. Using lip balm will prevent you from going through that dreaded pain.

6. While doing jogging or walking, use lip balm around your nose in cold weather to prevent that area from getting dry and chapped.

Q. Is it necessary to use face scrub?- Pinki Singh, Delhi

A. Once you attain around 23 years of age, the process of cell regeneration slows down making dead skin cells stay longer giving dull look to the face.
Scrub exfoliates your facial skin and removes dead skin cells. In addition, it helps in getting rid of impurities and makeup residues. As a result, skin feels smooth and clean.

Use mild scrubs, avoid large crystal scrubs. Do not scrub your face more than twice a week, you must give a gap of 5-6 days. If the skin is scrubbed or scratched more than twice a week, it starts protecting itself by forming a thicker layer of dead skin cells on the surface.
Do not scrub if you have acne or extremely sensitive skin.

Q. What is the difference between Body Butter, Lotion, and Cream? It’s so confusing to decide which one to buy? – AK Singla, Jamshedpur

A. Many people spend years buying and using many of the skin products available out there in the market. Still, not many people know the difference between body butter, body lotion, and cream (e.g. day, night, and skin cream).

All of these 3 products are used to soften and moisturize the skin, as well as add vital nutrients, but the following is the main difference-

Body Butter

The thickest of the three is body butter, which has the strongest scent and lasts longer than both lotion and creme. Body butter products are typically manufactured using a combination of carrier oil and essential butter. Each body butter product will vary in its unique texture, rigidity, and absorbency. The ingredients (carrier oil and butter) are combined, with additional specialized ingredients, (the secret formulas of every brand) to formulate a body butter product.

Body butters are applied to retain moisture, lubricate and nourish the skin. You can use body butter on your lips, hands, elbows, legs, and feet. Some absorb into the skin quickly while others may leave a slight oily barrier depending on skin type and formulation.

Creams

Cream products are thinner than body butters and usually contain the same basic ingredients as butters, plus water-based ingredients.

Body Lotion

Lotions are similar to creams but are even lighter and provide the thinnest type of application and are very lightweight. It will not necessarily moisturize as much or stay on as long as butter or cream might.

How to decide what is best for your skin?

Depends on your skin concern. Creams and lotions may work better if your skin is especially dehydrated. Body butters are thicker and so they may stay on top of your skin longer helping to prevent further loss of moisture by creating a barrier, lubricating, and softening the skin, but won’t directly moisturize. It’s best to apply the body butter to damp skin.

Of course, each formulation contains unique scents and additional vitamins and minerals with benefits.