#BestEver Pantene Bloggers Meet With Anushka Sharma, Sibhani Dandekar and Bianca Hartkopf

Pantene has become a name synonymous with Haircare in India. They have an array of products in shampoo and conditioner category. Being popular does not stop Pantene from evolving constantly and coming up with innovative products.

Pantene has unveiled The new Best ever Pantene range that is equipped with revolutionary Pro-V formula technology which claims to restore hair strength and shine from within. unlike other products that address only the outer 5% of the hair fiber, new Pantene Pro-V with "Keratin damage blockers and histidine", goes deep inside the hair shaft- to the cellular level - to work on the remaining 95% where damaging impurities exists. We all know that as impu\rities build up over time, hair starts to weaken. Hair feels rough and becomes less manageable, and visibly loses its depth of color. Histidine is being added across Pantene’s new Pro-V formulas. When used in conjunction with Pantene’s shampoos, which feature EDDS Keratin Damage-Blocking technology, the system works in different parts of the hair shaft to prevent and repair damage on the surface and at the core of hair. Pantene pushes to innovate their formulations because Pantene knows that when your hair is strong on the inside a more beautiful you shines through. [Source Pantene]

Bloggers Meet with New Brand Ambassadors

Recently Pantene called the bloggers across Mumbai to talk more about the new Best Ever Pantene in a good company of celebrity hairstylist Bianca Hartkopf, VJ Shibani Dandekar, TV Actress Krystle D Souza and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, who as you all know is the new brand ambassador of Pantene. 

The invite

Pantene's invite came in a cute yellow balloon and, a bottle of their new Hair Shampoo and Conditioner. Here's a dekko-

If you are following me on Instagram, you would have seen them and much. If you are not yet following me, Do follow me- Haute Kutir On Instagram

My association with Pantene goes back to days when I was in school and Pantene was not launched in India. My family in the USA brought a big, lovely bottle of my first ever Pantene shampoo and conditioner. Call it my hair quality or Pantene magic, every time I shampooed them, they looked silky, bouncy and soft. Somehow that magic lost given the stress, change in water, and other factors today. Still, I continued to be a regular Pantene user. 

Needless to say, I washed my hair using Pantene, hoping that it will once again help me in controlling my hair fall.

After a staggering wait of 1.5 hours, Bianca started the session with further details on the new Pantene, explaining the theory behind the new innovation. She roped in Shibani and Krystle on stage, who talked about the difference that the new Pantene brought to their own stressed, over-heated hair and how they consider it as #best ever Pantene. 

Stress Test

Proof of a pudding is in eating. So Bianca took both the ladies to the "torture" kiosk wherein they underwent two pressure test consisting of-

1) Rigorous hair Brushing

2) Blow drying

The test demonstrated Pantene's claim for Zero Hair fall. The videos are at the new Haute Kutir YouTube Channel. You can check the one with Shibani here. 

Here's some glimpse from the event-

Bianca took questions from bloggers across hair care, shampoo age and much more. the two ladies heartily participated and remained sports throughout the Q&A session. 

  

Here's Anushka, looking dainty and sweet in her off white dress, answering questions on her association with Pantene to hair care woes and more. Know what Anushka do on a bad hair day? Well according to her, she simply tie up her hair in a neat pony to combat bad hair day.

I have taken more videos but given the large size and intermiddent speed of my Internet, I shall post them later. uploaded a stress test on YouTube HauteKutir Channel. Do check it out.

Here's me, posing at Pantene Booth. Know what I belief that a girl should do on a bad hair day? Well, check out my picture below and you will know ;)

What I wore-

Blazer from Arrow

Jeans: levis

Top: H&M

Shoes: Adidas Supernova

Accessories from Tanishq

And if you think that my outfit looked coordinated with Bianca, well it was sheer coincidence. :)

Five Tips to Balance Lifestyle and Eating Habits

Every time I switch on my television, I am inundated with the advertisements of food products and services brands. Lately, “health and lifestyle” has become the quintessential part of advertising jingles and “instant food” has become a lifestyle fad.

Apparently, nothing seems to be left untouched from food adulteration and preservatives, leaving 

households confused between taste and health, and their preferred lifestyle.

You are what you eat

My grandmother always told me – “You are what you eat”. Maybe that is the reason why I find myself looking more like the junk food eater rather than the fit person I used to be Does it mean that if I start eating green leafy vegetables, I would start looking like grass? Well no, a balanced diet that suits our palate and lifestyle is very important.

How to Balance eating habits and lifestyle

Life has become busy and we often find ourselves running behind our duties, dreams and responsibilities to such an extent that our diet gets neglected. With incorporation of new “lifestyle” food, health has taken a backseat. Whether you stay in a city or a small town, it is very important for you to balance your lifestyle and eating habits. Here are a few tips that I think would help in achieving the balance, irrespective of the lifestyle.

Morning Breakfast

You needs to eat your breakfast every day and it should comprise fibers, dry 

fruits and essential nutrients. Research shows that people who eat their breakfast regularly weigh lesser than those who do not. Eating breakfast revs up your metabolism and helps you fight stress, thereby keeping you active for the rest of the day. 

Increase water intake

You must drink at least 1-2 liters water a day. Water transports nutrients and energy to cells, regulates body temperature, removes wastes, supports muscles, and helps to regulate body weight. Irrespective of the job you are in, ensure that your workplace, meeting rooms and cars have sufficient amount of water storage. 

 Replace excessive hot beverages with healthier alternatives

I have seen people jumping from one meeting to another, working late, and resorting to high intake of caffeine and tea. Your daily dose of 2 or 3 cups of caffeinated drinks is acceptable, but ensure that you learn to say no to additional drinks or replace them with green tea, black tea or plain warm water.

Smart food 

By smart food, I did not mean junk food or instant food. I rather implied “right food” which is natural, balanced, and in right proportions.  At times, when you are busy or on the run, keep fruits, dry fruits and steamed vegetables handy. If you cannot carry a big lunch pack to work, a box with raw salads or steamed vegetables would be helpful. They would not just give you enough energy but also keep you mentally alert as well.  

Eliminate White Poison:  Avoid Salt, Sugar and White Flour from your food.

- “A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. ”Leo Tolstoy

Avoid Meat

Non-vegetarian food, as compared to vegetarian food, takes a longer time to digest. It stays in your body for almost a day or two. Till it gets digested, it needs to be preserved in the body. Eating meat is fine, but prefer to eat healthier ones like chicken and fish. Mutton is a strict no-no. If not for the concern of other living beings that cannot speak and resist, avoid meat for your own health benefit.  

There's a great metaphor that one of my doctors uses: “If a fish is swimming in a dirty tank and it gets sick, do you take it to the vet and amputate the fin? No, you clean the water.” So, I cleaned up my system. By eating organic raw green vegetables, nuts, and healthy fats, I am flooding my body with enzymes, vitamins, and oxygen.

Remember healthy habits not just prolong your lifespan but also aid your overall well-being and mental fitness. What we eat is what we become. And who does not want to look good and keep fit these days? 

A healthy lifestyle also calls for the right Health Insurance Plan. I recently came across the Royal Sundaram Health Insurance Plan which has good offers for you and your family too. Take a look at the array of their policies online. They also have ISO certified claim process that you may want to know. So if you have decided to take this policy? What are your thoughts on Health Insurance Plans? Do write to us.

Promote Hair Growth with Banjara Samvridhi Hair Oil in 8 Weeks

I am sure, Hair fall scares you as much it does me. However, we do not have much choices, except that we look for a good diet and suitable products that not just help arrest hair fall but promote hair growth too. How? By expensive sittings at Spas that claim to reduce hairfall or try some DIYs at home that aide top your motive.

Recently Banjara's, a brand popular with face mask and packs products have ventured in to hair care and launched a new hair oil- Samvridhi

About Banjara Samvridhi Hair oil

Banjara's Samvridhi Hair Oil is an amalgamation of several Ayurvedic Herbs in sesam and coconut oil, known for their beneficial properties for hair since ages. Nourishing properties of these oils are easily absorbes into the scalp,stimulate hair follicle to promote growth. It increases the blood circulation in the scalp area;make the head deeply relaxed thus balancing the body energy flow. Banjara's Samvridhi Hair Oil hasbeen clinically tested to prove its efficacy. Over a 8 week Period, Hair Fall was reduced by 64% and hair growth waas increased to extent of uptp 8cm* under clinical test conditions. Banjara's Samvridhi Hair Oil acts on your hair at 3 leve. It coats the hair shaft and prevents it from breaking. It penetrates into the scalp and stimulates the hair follicle to grow thereby increasing the anagen hair. It reduces all hair problem and damages leading to strong and lustrous hair. [Brand claim]

Price: Rs 299 for 125 ml [Less than a single hair spa sitting]

Availability: Online including Flipkart

Packaging: It comes in a simple plastic cylindical bottle with tight screw in cap. Overall packaging is simple and designed in green, brown colors essentially, highlighting the herbal proposition.

What it consists of?

It has essential oil and herbs like- Sesame Oil, Coconut oil, Olive Oil, Bhringraj, Amla, Japa, Henna, Aritha, Shikakai, Brahmi, Neem, Methi, Pippali

Haute Kutir Review: I used the product and liked it quite well. I am already having incessant hair fall which was somewhat controlled by this. Here's what I liked and did not liked about the product.

What I liked

1) It smells raw and gives semblance to natural

2) The oil works well on scalp and does not cauise any head ache

3) Easy to apply

4) Use of the array of herbal annd proven to be beneficial for hair ingredients

5) Very easy to shampoo off, in just one wash unlike Parachute Aromatherapy Oil

6) Effective

7) Promotes Blood circulation

8) Not very greasy or artificially fragrant 

What I did not like

Nothing as succh except the smell gets a little stromg for me sometime but am given to understand that its the natural ingredients, doing good to my hair, I am actually ok about it.

Do I recommend using it- Yes

Will I buy Again? Yes

Overall Verdict- After L'oreal 5 oil, if there is any hair oil that I liked, is the Banjara Samvrudhi. Unlike Parachute Aromatherapy that just helps promote a good sleep but does not aid to any other hair benefit, Banjara Samvridhi is much better and efficient. The brand has hired actress Tamanna - bahubali famed for promotions. However, the brand seems to be playing a low profile on advertising but I guess that is because it is letting the product to speak for self. And I consider that much better than big celeb advertising showcasing a product largely on mere brand value than the actual benefit. 

The product is good and worth trying. Rest I say, suit yourself and you skin, scalp type. besides, do check for you Vitamin and Folic acid levels in your body if you hair continue to fall. 

My rating: 4.5 /5

Alle Belle - A Sweet Recipe by Chef Sandeep Pande, Renaissance Mumbai

दिन है सुहाना , आज पहली तारीख है,

खुश है ज़माना आज पहली तारीख है 

Remember this jingle that emancipates joys of million households in India on the first day of every month, enticing people to celebrate their payday, the sweetness of salary coming home with something sweet to eat. To commemorate this joy and make it even more memorable for those millions of households and more, Popular Chef- Sandeep Pande had shared a recipe of a modern dessert fo all the beautiful readers of Haute Kutir.

Chef Pande, a popular name associated with one of the hottest property in Mumbai and world, Rennaissance, presents to you- Alle Belle.

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What: Alle Belle
By: Chef Sandeep Pande

For: Everybody who has a flair for good taste, creating new taste buds and love to experiment dishes straight from the master's kitchen.

Ingredients: 

For the Pancake:

 250 gms. Maida
 2 Eggs (lightly beaten)
 Salt to taste
 Water as required for the batter
 a few drops of vanilla extract (optional )
 Oil/Ghee/Butter for coating the pan for each pancake

Procedure 

 In a sufficiently large bowl, sift the maida along with salt.

 Add the beaten eggs & water to prepare a sufficiently thin batter. The batter should be of dropping
consistency like dosa batter which can spread easily.

 You may even use a smaller or even a larger pan; depending on the size of the pancake you would like to prepare.

 Heat a med. size frying pan till hot & add/brush just enough oil to coat the pan. Do not add too much oil.

 Pour a ladle of the batter & immediately roll the pan along with the batter.

 Make sure it coats the pan evenly & sufficiently thick.

 If the coat is too thin then the pancake will break. The batter should hold well.

 Cook only on one side for about a minute or try & lift with a spatula. If it tends to lift easily then it is done.

 Overturn the pan to flip the pancake onto the plate.

 Prepare all the pancakes with the batter in this way.

For the Filling:

 1 big fresh Coconut (grated )

 75g Palm Jaggery, coarsely grated

 4 pods Green Cardamom (powdered)

 1 tablespoon Ghee

 Raisins & cashew nuts

Procedure for the filling:

 Heat ghee in a pan, fry raisins & cashew nuts till golden brown.  Keep aside.

 Add grated coconut to the same pan, mix for a while.

 Add grated Jaggery, green cardamom and give it a good stir.

 Add fried cashew nuts & raisins .Mix well.

 Keep aside to fill pancakes.

 Fill the stuffing in the pancake & make small pouches.

 Serve Hot.

Here's how the lovely Alle Belle would look like-

Now, this looks so tempting that I am definitely going to try it. I am sure, you too would love to. Just in case, if you are not much in cooking, am sure that you know where to head to have some amazing Alle Belle in Mumbai? Did I also mention, beautiful lakeside ambiance?

So that was Alle Belle for you, exclusive posted on Haute Kutir Blog by Mumbai's one of the finest Chef. Do let us know if you have a question.

You can also find Chef Pande on Twitter @pandesandeep

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