A date with romance

With young women earning good salaries, men wait for this year’s Valentine’s Day with great expectations, and even suggest what they want from their partners, writes Vimla Patil

Valentine’S DAY, 2010, is here, and designers and dealers of novelties of all kinds are tempting men to be greedy and lust for some really beautiful goodies. Up until now, V Day was mainly for lovers to send flowers, heart-shaped cards and sundry sweets to each other. Mostly in the years gone by, young passionate men gave their girlfriends, partners or wives gifts of perfumes, jewellery, clothes and took them out for moonlight cruises or dinners in sumptuous luxury restaurants. Young women in love looked forward to V Day to enjoy a bit of luxury mixed with a whole lot of romance.

Young men and women look forward to having a romantic time on Valentine’s Day
Young men and women look forward to having a romantic time on Valentine’s Day Tribune photo

With young women earning fat salaries or incomes from their professions or businesses, the tables have turned a full circle. It is men’s turn now to await this year’s lovers’ day with great expectations and even suggest what they want for V Day from their loved ladies. And as well-to-do women say, nothing is too good for their lover boys. "I don’t mind spending big money for my boyfriend, though almost Rs 15,000 will make a hole in my pocket. He wants a silver artifact and I will certainly get it for him," says Usha Jain, a bank executive. "Women want to express their commitment to their boyfriends as much as men do, and this year is going to different on V Day because the market will be flooded with wonderful gifts for men as well as women. I have seen candle stands, silver floral sprays and roses, boxes to fill with chocolates and heart-shaped trays and photo frames. I will surely choose silver this year," she says.

Yet other women are choosing special love-designed furniture for their loved ones. "Valentine’s Day furniture collections are being launched by designers," says Laila Khurana, herself a fashion designer in Mumbai. "I have seen twosome sofas, circular beds and even elegant screens made of bamboo. My boyfriend has recently bought a flat and I want to surprise him with a piece of furniture which will always remind him of me and my love," she says.

Sheena Iyer goes for the unusual. "I looked around in the market and found that hand-painted gold leaf resin animal forms are very attractive this season. They are subtle and convey the playful, loving mood — with a touch of humour — of this festival for young people. I will surely choose one of them on V Day."

Sheena’s colleague Ratna Rao will choose stone jewellery that can be worn any time of the day. " I will make a bouquet of flowers with a poem that is special for the occasion and give my partner a bracelet set with stones. This year we are lucky to have a huge choice with presents for men as well as women and we look forward to celebrating V Day with great enthusiasm and passion. This is a youth festival and romance and friendship are its spirit. We want to please our partners just as they do everything for us on this day. It is wonderful that V Day, too, has a semblance of gender equality now with an equal variety of men’s gifts as there was for women in the past," adds Rao.

Before you set out on the love trail, get rid of that dry look by applying
a few simple homemade remedies, says Sharmila Chand

Face pack: Mix one teaspoon each of oatmeal, ground almonds, honey and yogurt. Apply on the face and wash off after 10 minutes.

Cleansing very essential: To cleanse dry skin, add 10 drops sesame seed oil to five tablespoons milk. Mix well. Dip cotton wool pads in it and wipe the skin with it.

Moisturising lotion for oily skin: To 100 ml rose water, add one teaspoon of pure glycerin. Shake well and keep in a jar. Apply a little of this daily on the face to relieve dryness.

Hair care: After shampoo, wrap the head in a towel and allow it to soak the water. Comb the hair. To disentangle the hair, start at the ends and work upwards, using a wide-toothed comb. Avoid using a brush. Hair is porous and absorbs water. Wet hair stretches and breakages are common if you are using a brush.

Hair shine: To add shine, give your hair a lemon and tea rinse after shampoo. To the juice of a lemon, add tea water — tea water can be made by boiling used tea leaves again in 4 to 5 cups of water. Use it as a last rinse. It leaves the hair clean and shiny.

Get rid of acne: Men are probably more prone to acne than women. Male skin is thicker than female skin and also richer in oil-producing glands. The simple way of preventing acne is to cleanse the skin morning and night with a medicated cleanser or cleansing gel. Rinse with plenty of water. If there is no acne, use a facial scrub two or three times a week, applying it on the face and rubbing gently with small circular movements. Wash off with water. This helps to prevent blackheads, which in turn prevents acne.

For dry skin: Apply sesame seed (til) oil before bathing. Immediately after bath, while the skin is still damp, apply a body lotion. For the lips, after washing the face, wipe with a soft towel. This helps to remove dry skin. Apply a lip balm with sunscreen during the day, or apply a sunscreen lotion sparingly on the lips. At night, apply pure almond oil or an almond cream daily on the lips and leave on overnight.





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