Sk Md Sabah Al-Ahmed
It’s the fag end of January, and we are still struggling with winter blues. Talk of winter and immediately ‘skincare’ pops up like the joker in the box. With the once quintessential lockdowns finally done and dusted with (as of now), the pollution quotient has gone up in the city of Guwahati. If this wasn’t enough, the plethora of construction activities being carried out by the GMC and PWD in the alleys and bylanes of Guwahati has further worsened the pollution scenario. The green leaves are coated in a fine layer of dust.
Going back to our initial take on skincare, especially with winter still around the corner, here is what some of our city-based skincare and make-up experts, along with one or two commoners and a former supermodel from the city, had to say. Juri Saikia, entrepreneur and make-up expert, who runs a makeup and styling school in the city’s Rajgarh area, when asked on the importance of healthy skin, opined: “It is extremely important to keep our skin naturally beautiful, as it gives us confidence even without make-up. It adds more beauty to our inborn looks.” On her views on beauty and make-up, Juri says: “Beautiful skin is skin-deep, make-up is the ornamentation on it, which gives a person an instant confidence when properly done.” Dipannita Sharma, actor, supermodel, producer, who was recently invited by Juri for a make-up and hair contest, had a passionate take on beauty: “For me, beauty, or for that matter, looking beautiful, is more of an internal and intra affair, rather than an external and inter affair.”
Anupam Acharjee, a senior Science faculty of Don Bosco School, Guwahati, who has an innate penchant for dressing up and style, opens up: “Beauty is not just skin-deep, it comes from within. A good metabolism can keep one ageless forever. To keep oneself beautiful, one must keep oneself hydrated with plenty of fluids. A timely food habit and a fixed sleep cycle are of utmost importance when it comes to glowing skin and a radiant face. Never forget that beauty imparts confidence and confidence is the key to success.”
Dr Madhumita Saikia, a writer, and Principal, Signature Beauty & Ayurveda Institute, Dispur, and one who prefers to call herself a ‘beauty educationist’ has her own subtle take on the topic: “The cosmic aura of body, mind, and soul that can attract others in a positive sense is beauty. Features, dresses, or ornaments alone cannot make one beautiful, but a personality that stands apart, to attract everyone around with looks and manners is true beauty.” On asked about the importance of beautiful skin and looking good, Dr Saikia says, “I think, if you wish to be beautiful, you have to stay fit, healthy, acquire good taste, create a good personality, and take care of your diet, skin, nails and hair. This actually leads one to be active, ambitious, and be in good company. All these together and the beautiful person you see in the mirror then becomes your best friend.”
It would be in the fitness of things to conclude that beauty, indeed, lies in the eyes of the beholder. It’s all about perception, just as one admires water hyacinths blossoming amid some muddy nondescript marshlands.
