Well winter’s definitely catching up here in Delhi now, without the monsoons of course. I can safely tell everyone that when I wake up I can’t see the railing of my balcony and when I sleep, the ‘moon don’ shine’ because of the bloody fog….

Some old uncles with tight belts tied really high might tell you that it’s not fog-but smog, ”all the bloody dirty no-good pollution”. Ah but it’s fog alright. What’s worse is that you begin to cozy yourself up with all these oomphy products that lure you with their ‘Keep Moisture Intact, Dryness at Bay’ tag lines  and suddenly develop this eye for winter-tailored package designs (the light blues and the pumpkin yellows’), you also begin to suddenly carry thermoses or tiny disposable cups of hot coffee, when you’re not really a coffee drinker and keep a tube of lotion in your bag, when you actually have oily combination skin. But ahh it’s winter, and these are just the tools for the whole ritual.

So let’s get down to business then. I got a really ‘lovey’ gift from a friend who stays in a humid country, and have surely been wanting to show it off. It’s a ‘lovely’ La Source travel bag from Crabtree & Evelyn. Encased in this soft compartmentalized ‘baglette’ is a La Source Relaxing Body Wash, a Relaxing Body Lotion, some loofah gloves and finally the Hand Therapy Cream. I don’t really understand how far these marketing geniuses can go with adding ‘Relaxing’ or ‘Rejuvenating’ everywhere on products, it’s a little ridiculous huh? I mean, I’ll only buy that gimmick if I saw ‘crushed sediments of Valium’ under the ingredients. But anyway, if someone gave you the Crabtree & Evelyn bag you’d feel really girly and special in an instant.

 

It’s a pretty useful thing, this bag. The moment I received it,  images of dumping all the contents out to use it as my next travel bag quickly fluttered about in my mind. It’s a nice gift, really.

And now the piece de resistance . The Hand Therapy Cream. This is what really got me thinking about stuff.

The packaging is beyond classy. Clean and white-ish blue it spells of exclusivity. The ingredients are simply edible…No really, they are and we’ll come to that point later on.

The cream leaves a buttery residue on your wrinkly hands for a few blinks before it completely gets absorbed and is essentially light. You definitely have to use it twice if you hate that callus like feeling around your nails and inside your palms at night (like me!).

Now it get’s a little juicy here! (while the lovely aroma of fried eggs invade my room right now through my open window)

I was went to this dark and dingy market where I get my custom made jeans from and happened to have some extra waiting time. I love walking into chemists’ shops when I have nothing to do, the sight of new products (as well as the ones with layers of dust on them), little pills kept in their foils and packets, brown paper bags, weird ayurvedic gels and stimulants, all serve to amuse me in some way. While being totally jobless at this chemist’s shop my eyes rested on this:

Boroline! The first over the counter antiseptic cream in India! Over the years, the brand’s popularity soared, and it became an icon of national economic self-sufficiency in a nation that was still under the British rule and started in 1929 (in fact Boroline was handed out for free to anyone who asked for it on 15 August 1947,India’s Independence Day). The packaging has pretty much stayed the same, however as the years progressed it became more than just an antiseptic cream;

It’s an ayurvedic do-gooder! What doesn’t it do really? Herbal, healing and hygienic! (A lot less hoity toity than the one with the crabs- Crabtree & Evelyn….I still love them, but eh!). Its main ingredients are Suthol – an antiseptic liquid which takes care of all skin problems, Eleen – a perfumed light oil with the goodness of amla (Emblica officinalis) & vitamin-E and Penorub – a medicated ointment which treats all sorts of aches, sprains, cramps & gives relief from arthritis.

Leaves an oily residue on wrinkly skin, that remains as a light sheen brightening the back of the hands, at the same time.

So what would you rather pick- a pricey pretty thing that everyone has in their guest bathrooms along with their rosy pink towelettes, or something that’s great when you’re out on the dusty grimy roads of the capital, while you’re out clicking, buying fresh produce from the street vendors (who smile at you sheepishly while they reach down some unforeseen area to grab the change they owe you), handing out an extra bag of chips to a ragged child, clutching the greasy escalator hand rail when someone wearing a flashy sari and heels out steps you? I would personally opt for something that does the job of disinfecting your hands while moisturizing the  hell out of them, since it is winter and why should anything stop you from doing what you always do?

The Boroline tube is just for a tiny sum of Rs 22, but don’t let that lead you into believing that everything cheap and ‘classic’ or age old can do the trick…..

Oh dear, no way! On that note, let’s finish off with something  modern , enjoy this traditional Assamese song with a rock twist, about nature!