Vanity fair! When every 'red carpet darling' swears by her favourite moisturizer to the neighbourhood Miss Locality titleholder professing allegiance to her night replenishing cream as a bedside essential, no surprises, it's become a gazillion dollar industry. What? You haven't heard of sea-wood extracts infused with double dose vitamin QRP, deep ocean rock minerals injected with the goodness of rich avocado and virgin aloe vera oils! Interestingly none of them ever went under the knife or heard of botox…

From products to services, the beauty business has witnessed unprecedented statistical growth.

Says Zahid Khan of Body Ink-8, "The industry has grown not enough but a lot. Things have changed upside down. I have been in this industry for the past 25 years now. There were times when there was one parlour in one sector, now there are countless in each." The authentication continues.

"When I came to Chandigarh around 15 years ago there were hardly four good salons in the city and now…it's 400." Yeah, right your guess is just as good! Meanwhile, Mary Kay, the cosmetic company, operates in more than 35 international markets but its country manager, Hira Nagarajan, refuses to divulge details or statistics though she vehemently agreeing to the growth part.

While from the rank and file to the CEOs, everyone nods about the expansion in the industry, the steep rising graph appears branching out, in another trend of sorts. That of extensions, specialty treatments, professionalism. Not long ago, one neighbourhood parlour was not just sufficient but enough. Now? There's a salon for hair, another dealing exclusively in skin, another completely dedicated to treatments, yet another just for your nails, till the one promising to cater only to toe-nails gets inaugurated.

The Scratch nail bar-cum-salon was first thrown open six months ago in Chandigarh. Let alone long, not very long ago, it was a concept unheard of, unimagined. Today, the salon already boasts of a pan-India presence with around half a dozen branches spread in cities like Hyderabad and a lot more coming up. Says Pammy Kaul, CEO, Scratch, "No more do people want the person doing hair or pedicure or other stuff to be treating their nails too. I think the customers were more than ready for the concept." Ditto for salons giving exclusive spas, skin treatments, hair solutions et al.

Experts are raising no brows; it was a phenomenon long overdue. Says Rohit Mehra, business process manager, Blossom Kochchar products, "Earlier, only the women folk would visit the parlour and merely during family weddings. Now, a salon stopover is a ritual comparable to periodic servicing."

Says Zahid, "Right from five-year toddlers to 50-year oldies of both genders, all those obsessed about looking good 24x7 have been the key in bringing about the dramatic change."

The discarding of a long-beheld belief that 'only cold-cream is essential' too further catalysed things. Night replenishing cream, anti-wrinkle, moisturiser, sunscreen, toner; everything's a bare necessity in a woman's bag these days. Says Rohit, "Our especially formulated facewash, sunscreen, treatment creams for various purposes are the fastest selling products."

In an age where the flipside shows up before the pluses can seek in, the question is: is too much of specialisation even required. Is it a case of creating demands where there's no need.

Hira Nagaranjan says, "Yes, there is a risk and there are plenty of examples to prove that." A lot actually should be spent on testing and safety before a product hits the market, including in-depth analysis of customers needs.

But, not surprisingly, on and on, the industry's not frowning. Reasons Zahid, "It's good and positive all the way. Competition also means quality work, even frivolous services are good, because they are for people only, you can't do them at home." That's from where it all began.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

The geris have reduced, fests are long gone, bunking classes is history, star nights are over, submissions are near, and notes are nowhere while date-sheets are staring in the face. In short, exams are here. Well, almost here. So, what if the Oxford Dictionary describes the word as, 'a formal written, spoken or practical test, especially at school, college or university?' If there ever were some Universal Students Advanced Learners Dictionary, most will bet the explanation would be - 'The 'only' regret of student's life, those brief spells between unadulterated fun, the devil's invention doubting students' capacity'. Better still, a variation of 'The tool, device, apparatus created by conspiring parents and teachers together to revenge the young innocent ones'. Either way, here they come. The face of the campus changes 360 degrees (if not more!) during the examination phase. Here's listing what has changed, how much and why?

And the acclamatisation exercise is on full swing. So the great grand Students Center has meekly given way to the adjoining A.C. Joshi Library. Spurned, snubbed and slighted throughout the session, the library this time of the year beats every venue hands down in popularity. So much so that a minute's absence for water-break is enough to make your seat going missing. And while in the library, do as the studious do. No fancy formals or spick and span casuals. Here, flip-flops and lowers rule. Though girls vanish after late evenings but reading rooms bustle with boys till wee hours.

Elsewhere, in god-forsaken secluded campus alleys, instead of lovebirds sitting in corners, it's bookworms busy cramming that is a common sight. In the process, someone even suggests there can be a complete write-up on the 'unfair techniques'. Only it would never surpass the censor and printing stages. In the streets and markets, the action and the crowds have again shifted from the coffee bars and reassembled at the Xerox shops. Place where students haggle over delivery time of notes and catch up on whole years lectures by flipping through the pages of the neatly maintained copy of a frontbencher or who so ever been kind enough to lend the precious notes. Preparatory holiday actually stands for accumulating bundles of photostat sheets, two days before the exams involves sorting those very notes and making sense of them, a day before it's the sifting that happens to decide what to leave and what to read. Then who can forget the late-night joints at the Sector-17 or even the recent night food street?

Amidst the gloom, to get through the trying times are the hopes of long lazy summers and string of holidays, new session.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

Hmm…so are you wide awake by now? No, not from a good night's sleep but from the long slumber of not getting 'involved' in the democratic process of our country. The young India would vote for their favourite Bollywood hero, favourite sportsstar, favourite rockstar, but their favorite politician. But change is what defines this generation, not to forget the pace with which it comes. So, we have the youth of the country responding to the awakening call of the Jaago Re campaign, through the best possible way they know, technology.

With a clear mind and conviction, they are ready to take the first steps towards change. The awareness has come alongwith its tools. Since this year's elections are all about democratisation of technology, the young brigade is speaking out aloud through various portals. From checking out their constituency details to googling the candidate's background, exhausting discussions on blogsphere and checking out the official websites of political parties for details, the groundwork is foolproof. "One should have a clear idea before voting a certain candidate. The person should represent your needs in the best possible way, and for that one needs to ensure that their vote doesn't go waste," say Swati Acharya, student from School of Communication studies. Another such 'aware' voter is Yogesh Negi, a reasearch scholar from PU, "One can go through the election manifestos of these parties online, alongwith the links of candidates that are contesting from various areas. There are some non-profitable organistaions like Janagraha and citizen portals that help you get information required to make an empowered choice," he says. As for the grassroot efforts, we have student leaders on campus coming to fill in the required gaps. "One cannot influence but create opinions, by general discussions. Though it is a matter of interest, but we make sure that we attend rallies and canvassing of the political parties involved in elections to get a clear idea," says Sahil Nanda, president of the student council.

As for the initiator of this awakening, the Jaago Re campaign extends its help online as well. "It stands for social awakening. The initiative was to awaken the youth to get the entire nation to vote. The campaign is based on a customer service model - it integrates technology with feasibility. The registration online is fairly simple and empowers people to take a step forward," said Vikas Ratanji, outreach coordinator for the campaign in North India.

Giving them a mantra, har subah sirf utho mat, jaago!, the campaign has made us go into stop-cribbing-and-start-acting mode. But even after all the 'awareness', our friends, family and sometimes fascination governs our voting choices. "Since the day we were introduced to the Indian democracy, we have known the family or community system of voting in India. But with the changing times and trends, young political faces demands a voting uplift, which means a well-deserved vote," says Chakravarti Mahajan, a research scholar from PU. "Voting is an individual decision and not a group activity. It defines who you are and what you stand for. It is a proof of your existence socially, politically and morally." says Swati.

lifestyle@tribunemail.com

Some obsessions just cannot be explained. Fascination for shoes is one of them. Bright hues, stylish designs, they can sure be a showstopper. And, when it comes to girls and their passion for footwear, they can sure sacrifice a date with a handsome hunk, but not with the latest in collection.

So, ladies who are fan of neutral colours like light tans and beiges, options galore. But if you are looking for a dash of colour, do not worry — green, red, pink and mauve will also be seen this spring/summer. A quick round of the city shops and the summer footwear trends unveil.

From cage (that started popping up last year) to collar sandals (read on to find out more about it), wedge heels to peep toes — we even saw platform heels, sexy stilettos, check and striped patterns and gladiator sandals on the shelves.

Starting with the hi-end party wear type, the spring- summer collection of Woodland is definitely classy. In neutral hues, here we saw some smart wide collar sandals. Not sure what a collar sandal is? Here’s to it, it is a sandal with a wide collar in place of an ankle strap, but some of these so-called collars go way beyond just being wide ankle straps, and actually extend several inches up the leg. So, if you want to have a crack at it, you’ll have plenty of opportunities, as these sandals seem to be taking over the city. We also found them at Regal-17, Mochi, Chief and Woodland.

Though it’s been a while since square-toe and peep toe shoes have been popular but they are still ruling. Omnipresent, we saw some smart peep, pointed and square toes at A&M-17. Tapered in front with a short blunt nose, here we saw a riot of colours. From mauve to creamy white to copper golden — checkout for stripes and checks with a cute bow at A&M.

At Regal-17, you can find jazzy, sequin-lined heels, ballerinas (that have almost become synonymous to girls), hooped flat sandals and the all-so sexy stilettos.

Talking heels, well, wedges are once again taking the centrestage, but they’re not pushing out platforms. “In fact, many of spring’s hottest styles combine both wedge heels and platform soles,” says Bobby Emmanuel, regional sales manager, North, Woodland.

Now to embellishments, from buckles to straps to laces to studs, it’s all there. Suede makes a comeback, as does (artificial) reptile skin. Mixed materials (combinations of leather, suede, metalics, all on the one piece) are prominent. Well, these are the elements that dictate trend this summer. So, wait for none and bag your style.

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com

Smoky look with shimmers or traditional Jodha-Akbar type look? Have your pick…

Women just can't get enough of beauty. So here we had on Tuesday yet another workshop on some 'just invented' techniques of looking presentable and applying make- up. Organised by VLCC and conducted by Mithilesh Chauhan, the workshop saw demonstration on make-ups for various occasions.

Now, women might be applying lipstick, eye shadows from ancient times, but the lady teaches them the apt way. "Every woman knows how to put make-up but then a little more proficiency at the same might work wonders for them." For example? "One shouldn't apply beauty products in the same way for every occasion. It has to be different for a cocktail party and for a wedding."

She elaborates, "Cocktail parties demand a soft and glamorous look. Smoky look with lots of shimmer goes well with the occasion whereas for a wedding function, heavy make-up is suitable. However, it should be in accordance with the colour of the costume." She is quick to add another important factor, "Wear make-up keeping in mind the weather. Bright is the look for the winter and in the summer, keep it light and soft."

And she knows it pretty well, what kind of make-up young girls are going for. "Girls aren't shy to enter the glam world these days for which, it is mandatory to get a quality portfolio clicked." Her tips for the same are - "The base of the make-up should a be tone lighter than the colour of the skin. Make-up helps in highlighting the best feature of the person."

For women, who still swear by the traditional look, VLCC has just introduced the Jodha Akbar make-up. "It is the traditional bridal make-up of yesteryear where the emphasis is on accessories. Meant basically for brides, it renders a regal look."

Ashima Sehajpal

For Harish Bhatia, an international hair designer and beauty advisor, his most significant achievement is helping visually-challenged people get employment. This is what, besides his talent, brought him into limelight, "I have trained many visually-challenged people to give a hair cut and body massage. Today, so many of them are earning through this profession."

Personal hair stylist of Kamal Hassan and late Dhirubhai Ambani, he has been featured for his blind-fold hair cutting in various television shows. In the profession for the past 35 years, he prefers to stay away from celebrities. "I didn't want to limit my services only to the glam world. My idea was to give a complete make-over to the common people and make them look great," he says. — TNS

Men in flashy cars really do make women go weak in the knees. A new study has confirmed what many men and advertisers long believed: driving a flashy car really does make a person more attractive to women. Psychologists at the University of Wales presented women with separate images of the same man sitting in a silver Bentley Continental, then a red Ford Fiesta.

The study involved 120 participants. After seeing the male, the volunteers viewed him as ''more attractive'' in the prestige car.

However, when men were shown images of a woman of comparable attractiveness sitting in the same cars, she was judged to be equally alluring.

Dr Michael Dunn, who led the research, which has been published in British Journal of Psychology, said: "In the past, women were very restricted economically and tied to men for financial security but in recent years, through female emancipation, they have become independently wealthy with access to their own financial security.

"But what you find is that there is still a preference for wealthy males, which suggests that these preferences are evolutionary, rather than social factors." According to him, men were hard-wired to view women in terms of purely reproductive attractiveness, regardless of the outer signs of their wealth or status.

Donna Dawson, a psychologist specialising in personality, behaviour and relationships, said: "This doesn't surprise me at all. It's hard to fight against our genetic inheritance. I think women have always looked to men for some sort of financial security and the car is proof of that." — ANI

Confusion over what constitutes plagiarism is a leading cause of unauthorized use of written material at graduate school level, says an expert. "There is something happening at the undergraduate level. We don't require enough writing and we do not do careful editing of what students write and, therefore, within the context of their own education, students are not properly educated and are more likely to fall into traps," said Dr. George M. Bodner, who serves on the Ethics Committee of the ACS.

He said that the lack of metrics to measure plagiarism cases has made it impossible to tell how widespread the problem is.

Moreover, the Internet has also given students access to vast amounts of text, and other material that could be plagiarized.

"I usually tell students if it's more than four words you better be quoting them," said Dr. Thomas Holme, a professor at Iowa State University.

He said that the problem of unauthorized use of written material goes beyond students and plagiarism. Teachers sometimes unknowingly cross the line with unauthorized use of copyrighted standardized test questions, including those from ACS's widely used standardized tests in chemistry.

"When someone puts a copyrighted test up on the Internet or incorporates questions from a copyrighted test into one of their own exams, that's a violation of copyright law and a serious matter," Holme added. — ANI

Kabir Bedi and Dimple Kapadia on the ramp as the "King and Queen" of Valaya's "Kingdom Of Love" (the name of his collection). Photo: PTI

He kept the his guests, buyers and the media waiting for a maddening two hours at the grand finale of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW). But couture czar J.J. Valaya proved that his show was worth the wait as Bollywood veterans Kabir Bedi and Dimple Kapadia walked the ramp.

A kingdom's story from gloom to glory - that was the transformation that Valaya attempted to showcase through his collection at WIFW held late Sunday night.

Fallen pillars, dull lighting, a leafless tree - the first setting of the finale indicated gloom, despair and destruction as models sashayed down the ramp wearing black and white coats, dresses and jackets.

This was followed by a phase when the veil of darkness lifted and the ambience changed from black and white to dull yellow. There were bubbles all over the hall before the models walked in clothes in brighter tones like red, brown and orange.

This culminated into an all gold and glitter collection that suggested glamour and celebration in the kingdom. The set was magically transformed into a bright stage - fallen pillars now stood erect, multiple chandeliers went up, a chunk of lights were pulled up from amid the audience - the ambience was royal as models walked in clothes exuding opulence. The attire ranged from jackets, jodhpurs and tops matched with skirts and dresses along with exquisite and elaborate jewellery by studio Amrapali.

The show reached its apogee when Kabir and Dimple appeared on the T-point of the ramp, looking ethereal in their white and cream attire and bewitching jewels. Kabir was garbed in a sherwani teamed with a shawl and a unique crown in place, Dimple looked resplendent in a white Indian suit and a stole. The spectators cheered as the two walked further down and Kabir kissed Dimple's hand. According to Valaya, the line celebrates optimism, colour and energy that transcends the disturbed world of today.

"If you look around, there is just depression, negativity and violence... my line showcases the bright side of life," Valaya said.

The front row saw former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, actor Jas Arora and Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Choudhary, who came to cheer her daughter Tejaswini, who made her debut on the ramp. — IANS

Filmfare certificate was a pleasant surprise: Purab Kohli

He was a tad bit disappointed for not being nominated for a Filmfare Award, but VJ-turned-actor Purab Kohli says the special jury certificate he got for his performance in Rock On!! was a sign that people were noticing his work.

"I think I did a reasonably decent job in Rock On! to at least get nominated at the awards. I was a bit disappointed with no nomination at the Filmfare. But the certificate that I got was a pleasant surprise...it's nice to know that the industry is paying attention," Purab said.

"More than anything else what really made me happy was the audience reaction there. I got the feeling like everyone there wanted me to win something," the actor said.

Sharing his philosophy on awards, Purab said: "When you don't win one, they are nothing...When you win something, it's everything."

Ever since the film's release, the four actors have been performing Rock On! concerts in and out of India together. In fact, they have just returned from a concert in Dubai. "Quite mad! There's no feeling like being on a stage when the crowd just loves you, you have to just love them back and that's easy," said Purab.

While all the guys of the Rock On! team have gotten busy with their respective film schedules, they still make it a point to catch up with one another at least once a month.

"We have a Rock On! party every month. That's where we do all the catching up. Post Rock On!, life has got quite busy in a good way, so hanging with the boys every day is not possible. But the parties are fun," Purab said.

With a bunch of films lined up he has - Shaadi of the Dead, Rectangular Love Story and Mok-tale to be released. — IANS

London-based British Asian theatre company Tamasha is staging the Indian-version.

Popular Hollywood actor Nicole Kidman arrived at Udaipur for shooting of an advertisement film.

She is scheduled to participate in an ad film shoot for a foreign based multinational company.

Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal and several models have also come to participate in the shoot to be directed by Director Shekhar Kapoor. — UNI