With wedding season in full swing all the spotlights are on the lucky couple…the bride and groom. However, the bride and groom can’t forget their guests by thanking them and making them feel special and an (more…)
Flower jewelery at South Asian weddings is not just limited to garlands. Flower jewelery comes in everything from earrings to maang tikkas. Flower jewelery is very fun and unexpensive. It’s perfect for pre-wedding events such as mehndi or haldi. You can make your own flower jewelery or purchase it from specialized florists. What do you think of flower jewelery?
My Little Pakora is an organic clothing company for young children, based out of Boston. The company was started by Sonia Gupta, a California native and mother. (more…)
We’ve all seen that Corelle commercial, at least I have, where they “grease” the run way so that the model falls along with the plate which doesn’t break, showing us how Corelle can stand up to anything! Almost everyone’s got Corelle laying around somewhere or another. They’re cheap, economical, and unbreakable. No, I’m not advertising here but I found some Indian-inspired designs I thought of sharing. Whenever I see paisley it reminds me of mehndi.
Though a little to “busy” for me they’re worth considering if you’re traditional. But, nothing reminds one more of mehndi then this “Henna” design! Its Indian vibe and cultural beauty are in line with today’s ethnically inspired trends.
Look around…and you’ll see so much that has been inspired by India and it’s culture. Then share it with us! If your pick is chosen it will be featured in our next issue!
The bindi, significant in Indian culture, although traditionally religious and meaningful has now become a fashion symbol as well. (more…)
“We’ve made it simple for you to write your wedding invitations. Our basic templates will help you in choosing the right words for you invites. (more…)
A walk into Starbucks recently, reveals that they are promoting tea. In fact, everyone is drinking more tea. Whether it is black, green, or herbal. However, chai is nothing new. Indians and the Chinese have been drinking it for centuries. Of course, America has discovered its benefits much more recently. It is also a fact that once Americans discover something they make a BIG deal out of it. Such as when mehndi became a popular craze during the 90s. Westerners started applying mehndi all over their body. They misused it to such an extent that today the limitations of mehndi have changed.
But coming back to tea…the word chai has been misused constantly. Chai which literally means tea is translated into America as a spiced tea. These people are too ignorant to realize that although masala chai means spiced tea, chai simply just means TEA! Starbucks and many other coffee and tea shops throughout the nation serve chai or a “chai tea latte” as a spiced, milky tea. Unfortunately, it does not come close to even compare with the chai or masala chai drank in Indian homes! It’s usually prepared with some type of syrup concentrate and is more watery and often very foamy.
To insult chai even more Starbucks is now promoting Berry Chai and Apple Chai. But is it really an insult or an honor? Is it a step ahead or simply just a step towards making money. Personally, I dislike both of these tea “infusions,” as they are known. They are not the type of taste that would suit most Indian palates or are they?
So looks like chai is really hot in 2009! It is “the” thing to drink and it’s definitely more “in” than coffee right now. Sure coffee is still the all-American drink but according to a recent study, 9 out of 10 customers are tea drinkers, whether soley tea drinkers or in addition to coffee. So, say good buy to frappuccinos and get ready for tea time!
Mehndi, or henna, has a long and ancient history. It’s been around for thousands of years. Mehndi was introduced to India in the 12th century, by the Mughals. (more…)
We all know that Arabic mehndi is popular right now. The problem being that it has been popular for way too long! It is time to bring back traditional mehndi, also known as Indian mehndi. Every passing trend must diminish sooner or later and this is the right time. Bollywood celebrities have made this trend way too popular. The chunky designs have taken over the more intricate traditional ones. Many of you may have adorned your hands with henna just recently for Eid. It was probably Arabic Mehndi! So was mine, believe it or not. I usually don’t even get mehndi done for this very reason. This year I decided that I also wanted to take part in this lovely bit of festivities. I was determined to let the mehndiwali know that Arabic was not for me! Much to my dissapointment she outright refused to do a traditional design! I was willing to pay for it. It’s not like she was doing anyone any favors but her stubborness left nothing more than sheer dissapointment to me. She even refused to fill in the fingertips! It was an outrage I must say. Does everyone really like Arabic mehndi or do they just follow it because it’s so popular? What ever happened to our own culture? Our we abandoning our traditions for new ones? All these questions lead to only one answer. Not everyone likes the Arabic designs. They are just following trends. In the process our traditions our being abandoned. Traditional mehndi has become reserved only for brides. Even the bridal party is getting Arabic, and many times the bride herself! The solution? Speak up for what you really love. Bring back traditional mehndi. Together we can make a new trend! It’s time to defeat Arabic Mehndi.
Sure you’ve booked the best makeup artist you could find and afford for your Big Day but what about (more…)
There are many different types of mehndi, based on different cultural backgrounds. (more…)
Let’s face it, most of us are not makeup artists! Therefore, sometimes doing your makeup can become difficult, especially if it’s for a special event. (more…)
