Say NO to food wastage!

 By Ayesha Ahmed

 Do you eat to live, or live to eat?

As much as your conscience is coercing you to agree with the biological sense inherent in this concept, the truth is that we all love devoting our attention to food. Food is, hands down, the most major attraction of all the attractions, regardless of the nature of the occasion.

Unfortunately though, in the quest of keeping our taste buds tantalised, we, more often than not, stock our plates with more food than we can consume and, consequently, most of it is wasted.

United Nations Secretary, General Ban Ki-Moon has, hence, rightly said, “We live in a world of plenty, where food production outstrips demand.” However, “870 million people remain undernourished and           childhood stunting is a silent pandemic.”

Think

Have you ever pondered over the resources you consume? Do you make an effort to conserve water? Do you turn out the extra lights without getting the regular bashing by your dad? Do you avoid making emotional/ extravagant choices whenever possible? Do you have plans of running a responsible organisation or are you ambitious about working in one, perhaps?

If you responded affirmatively to at least two of the aforementioned questions, then you should take pride in the fact that you are playing your part in ending a global waste epidemic, in which almost one-third of ‘good’ food goes to trash.

Eat

It goes without saying that you are what you eat. Some of us eat to maintain our health while majority of us just like indulging in food, whenever we can.

However, regardless of your association to food, one thing that matters the most is being smart. It is mandatory that you contemplate the way you shop for food, serve it, eat it and, most importantly, discard it.

So, eat…to your heart’s content, but of course thoughtfully!

Save

Ever wondered where all the products on the grocer’s shelves come from?

With the easy availably of food, it is only natural to shrug off activities involving grocery shopping, cooking, eating and, certainly, trashing. Undeniably then, the acts of harvesting, manufacturing packaging, shipping and merchandising the food required for our sustenance are hardly paid any heed.

It, therefore, shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is little or no awareness about the score of food that ends up in the garbage along the entire food supply chain during production, distribution, consumption and disposal.

Sadly, such a colossal food loss and waste is playing havoc with the economy, society and environment, at large. About time we seriously thought about saving, not only for ourselves, but for our fellow beings and certainly the planet!

What’s it all about?

Did you know that one in seven people, in the world, go to bed hungry daily and over 20,000 children, aged five and below, die from hunger everyday?

It is tragic how the planet is striving to attain resources to nurture a whopping population of seven billion people (growing to nine billion by 2050) and yet, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a third of global food production is either wasted or lost.

Owing to this massive inequity in lifestyles and the overwhelming effects it has on the environment, the theme for this year’s World Environment Day celebration- Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint - encourages each one of us to become more aware and think over the food choices we make and how the environment has to suffer the devastating consequences.

World Environment Day

Every year, everywhere, everyone

The ritual of celebrating World Environment Day started in 1972 and ever since then it has turned out to be one of the primary modes through which the United Nations enlightens people across the globe about the environment and stimulates political attention and action.

World Environment Day, celebrated on 5th June every year, is also given so much significance because it’s probably the only day when people from all walks of life take out some time out of their busy lives to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter prospect for themselves and their progeny.

WED’s campaign this year - Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint - urges each one of us to come together and contribute against food wastage and then witness the might of collective decisions to reduce food waste, save money, lessen the concussion instigated by food production and consumption and encourage food production processes to get to the next level.

The global host for WED 2013 was Mongolia, a country whose economy is growing by leaps and bounds and one that is yearning to transform into a green economy and a green civilisation.

The reason behind choosing Mongolia for hosting WED 2013 is not because it is a big waster of food but because of the traditional and nomadic lifestyles of its people who can use their ancient wisdom to come up with great ideas of avoiding food waste in the contemporary age.

Here’s a blast from the past- Genghis Khan, the renowned Mongol General, and his troops made use of this peculiar food, borts, when touring through Asia and did not feel the need to rely on elaborate supply chains at all. Borts is actually processed beef equivalent to the protein of an entire cow, however, it is minimised to a size as small as a human fist.

This incredible technique of preservation, without refrigeration, was capable of preparing a meal equal to quite a few steaks when the protein shavings were immersed into hot water to make soup. Besides, Mongolians have several other secrets worth sharing that can help a great deal with the preservation of food.

Let your act begin at home!

As General Ban Ki-Moon says, “Although individual decisions may seem small in the face of global threats and trends, when billions of people join forces in common purpose, we can make a tremendous difference.”

Keeping that in mind, there is plenty we can do at an individual level to not waste food and charity, unquestionably, begins at home.

Listed below are a few ideas which I found quite easy to follow to reduce my foodprint and hope you will too.

Buy funny fruit

A great amount of fruits and veggies are disposed off because they don’t look ‘right’, probably because there is some fault in their colour, size or shape. So, the next time you hit the market, purchase such foods which will otherwise be wasted.

Donate

You can actually kill two birds with one stone by giving away extra/unwanted food. You won’t only be avoiding food wastage this way but will also be feeding the poor at the same time who can,   unfortunately, be found at every nook and corner of the country.

Freeze it

Bought seasonal fruits in surplus and afraid you won’t be able to have it all in time? Freeze it!

Frozen foods remain edible indefinitely. So, freeze fresh produce and leftovers if you won’t have the chance to eat them before they go bad.

Invent new recipes

There are many creative ways to deal with remnants stored in the fridge.

Scour the web to search for new recipes using leftovers and also learn innovative methods of storing food to keep them safe for a longer period of time.

Learn and Educate

Did you have any idea about how ONE litre of milk is produced? Yes, by using about a THOUSAND litres of water!

It’s extremely important that you keep yourself up-to-date with the environment impact of food product. Also, tell your peers and friends how their individual actions against food waste can make a big difference!

The original article appeared here

Do you eat to live, or live to eat?

Do you eat to live, or live to eat?

Shades of Ramazan

By Sarah B. Haider

The month of blessings is finally here.

Every year, Muslims all over the world wait for the commencement of this holy month.  Though, fasting and prayer may seem difficult to practice, all the Muslims out there treasure this month and wish it would last forever.

Ramazan provides Muslims with an opportunity to bring the best out of themselves. In fact, it could become a turning point for many Muslims to become better human beings.

Sadly, though, the opposite happens!

This light write-up highlights how many of us tend to act in a weird fashion during this blessed month.

Listed below are some of the typical categories that one comes across during Ramazan.

The social media fanatic

The presence of this person is a must in everyone’s Facebook or Twitter list. They compulsively update their status or tweet about their minute-to-minute activities to grab attention.

As soon as the Ramazan moon is sighted, they are the first ones to congratulate everyone with a “Chaand Mubarak” status. And the moment they would wake up for Sehr, you’d find their status update saying,

“Just woke up for Sehri – Feeling excited”.

Throughout the day, they would keep whining about their fast on the social media. “Two hours to go, feeling extremely hungry”.

Right before the Iftaar, you are likely to see their status update yet again, but this time, it would be something like this, accompanied with a few pictures of mouth-watering food,

“Waiting for iftar with friends” – at a top-notch restaurant of the city.

Though, many of us do not realise it, one’s religion is personal and advertising it is nothing short of a sleazy act. Fasting is all about patience for seeking Allah’s pleasure, and definitely not people’s attention.

The bear with sore head

This person has serious anger management issues, and is almost always in a black mood. The problem exacerbates during fasting as his stomachs growls for food and therefore all hell breaks loose.

Such people are often spotted on the streets during Ramazan, particularly during a traffic jam. With the iftar time approaching, their fury heightens particularly.

If, God forbids, someone dares to overtake their cars, they turn into animals and use foul language, and even worse, engage in physical fights, paying no heed to the purpose of their fast, which requires endurance and humility.

The canting braggarts

 Such people have a profound love for boasting about the religious rites and duties they perform.

If they give charity, they make sure that everyone gets to know about it. If they are offering prayer five times a day, they make sure that someone or the other sees them.

During Ramazan, their desire for bragging about their religiosity increases by leaps and bounds.  They would often bombard others with absurd questions like, “Hello, aren’t you fasting? How can you not?”

Though, many people don’t do it intentionally, but one must remember that Allah doesn’t like showing off.  Our purpose should be solely to please Him, not to impress people.

The sanctimonious evangelists

These people have a holier-than-thou attitude towards everyone.

During Ramazan, they think that they are the only devout Muslims existing on earth, and everyone else is an infidel. As soon as they get to know that someone is not fasting, they start talking behind their back.

They are also the ones who are always ready to police people’s morals. You are likely to hear them commenting, “Why did she have to wear sleeveless dresses in Ramazan? She is spoiling every man’s fast”.

Though, it is a good thing to appreciate good deeds and condemn evil ones, demeaning someone on the basis of one’s own piousness is fruitless!

The frail adherents

These people are intrinsically religious and practice all religious rites with utmost devotion and sincerity.

However, during Ramazan, all their energies get exhausted (along with their religious devotion). During the fast, they incessantly complain about feeling weak and fragile.

They would refrain from doing any work and pretend that they are sick to the stomach. Whenever you ask them for a favour, they usually snap back, “Yaar, mera roza hai” (Dude, I am fasting!)

For such people out there, remember that your fast is meant to be an act of obedience to Allah. So don’t deem fasting a Herculean task. It is, after all, for your own good.

So, now that you have all the categories straight, which one do you think you fall into?

Ramazan Mubarak!

From a father's daughter

By Ayesha Ahmed

 The last time I met him was seven years ago. He kept fumbling with the electronic tasbeeh in his hands and looked very vigilant of his surroundings. I could not understand why until his wife approached us and lipped, ‘You need not talk in such quiet hushed tones; I’m sure you guys have much better things to discuss, than me.’ 

  

I wanted to hug him, kiss him, take a stroll with him, demand for candies, do all those things which we used to indulge in back when I was a seven-year-old kid, but his indifference left me shattered.

Stress and perpetual fights between my parents had led to my father walking out when I was just an eight-year-old adolescent and the next time I met him was 10 years later, when I was 18. He said he still had recollections of the day he left us (my mom and me) … how I had kept waving at him excitedly thinking I would get to see him again as soon as he would get done with his assignment overseas. He blamed fate and claimed it had something else in store for us. Therefore, he decided to start a new family in a new country, because he just couldn’t cope with the existing one anyway.

I don’t think I can ever bring myself to comprehend the mindset of a man who finds it perfectly fine to accuse fate for keeping his only child then deprived of a parent. My only hope is that he did it because he saw himself failing as a father and might have thought I would be better off without him.

Never did a day go by when my mother wouldn’t make me count my father’s despicable traits and tell me about his maliciousness; how he was never there when I was born, how he unconcernedly left for his job slipping a five-hundred rupee note in her hands to deal with the childbirth expenses; how she had to struggle with the in-laws to enrol me in one of the leading schools of the city of those times, how my maternal grandparents would spend on me instead of my father, as his hard earned cash would religiously be transferred to his elder brother’s bank account.

But I always tuned a deaf ear to her wailings because I liked being my daddy’s girl. I stuck up for him, defended him and treasured every phone call he made, even if it would be once in a month. After all, what can you expect from a child who has to bear the brunt of adult confidences! But tell you what … it had more to do with my age.

There exists a fine line between growing old and growing up. And I am a staunch believer of the fact that you can’t grow up until you can acknowledge and deal with your parents’ strengths and flaws.

Today, at 25, I have gone full circle from idolising my father to being outraged at the way he abandoned us to a mature acceptance of the entire episode.

There will, however, always be a void because I don’t think I can ever relate to how it feels to have your father’s protection and support, to see him telling you how proud he feels of you when you have graduated and to be exhilarated on you receiving your first pay check. But oh well, c’est la vie (such is life).

Now I’m frantically looking forward to my wedding month because he has promised to be there with me on my big day. I can already foresee that that meeting will be our last one, but I have always treasured our time together and now that there is so little of it left, I cannot stop fantasising and conjuring up those moments of togetherness.

  

Happy Father’s Day, Abbu! I know you don’t believe in this but I couldn’t care less. I have always loved you and will do it till my last breath, whether we are physically together or not!

Love, your eldest daughter.

 The original article appeared here 

From dating to courtship: The musings of a newly-engaged

By Ayesha Ahmed

With so many single, aging women in our surroundings, lately, and the increasing number of young, potential prospects changing their status to ‘committed’ by the day, any lady, who is newly engaged/married, is bound to feel like she is among the angels. 

And, trust me, she certainly deserves to feel so –cue, talk to some of the single women in your circle about their rishta ordeals to know the reason behind this shallow verdict.

Regardless of how much we deny, the fact prevails that our culture has always disliked women who are not supported by men; first it is our fathers and brothers and as soon as we hit the twenties, the so-called prince charming is consigned our fate. 

And if a girl has the audacity to stay single, piercing comments like Haan bhaie koi lerka werka dhoondha kay nahi (So, did you manage to find yourself a catch as yet or not) and/or shadi ker lo iss se pehle k umr nikul jaye (get hitched before you cross that particular age) are incessantly hurled at the poor soul.

So, if a girl, especially in a patriarchal society, finds herself a partner before she turns thirty, she definitely should consider herself lucky (and luckier if that happens by the time she reaches her mid or early twenties). 

However, little do we know about the feelings of the being who ‘we think’ is on cloud nine, is usually all decked up, is almost always under the spotlight and is looked upon with envy by most of her unmarried friends, peers and relatives alike.

Listed below are a few tormenting situations that an apparently blessed maiden has to experience, as quoted by a newly engaged:

First and foremost, if you ever thought that impressing your immediate in-laws would suffice, then you are, sadly, in for a big disappointment! It is substantial that you ‘act’ in a certain way, think (thousand times) before you speak (no, staying quiet isn’t an option) and do things that make a positive impact, not only on your man’s parents and siblings, but also on his grandparents, aunts, uncles and the infinite number of cousins. So, besides giving frequent cheesy grins, you will have to ensure that you keep exchanging kisses/hugs, pass fake compliments and be inviting enough for the adolescent girls to mingle with you and talk about their preposterous teenage issues, which you were glad to have left behind.

Having mixed feelings about what your demigod’s family thinks of you? Dying to deduce if you were able enough to meet their expectations? Log into Facebook the moment you leave the party at your in-laws. Find your account bombarded with friend’s requests that all have your fiancé as a mutual friend? Brava! You have qualified being the ideal candidate for the slot with countless contenders. In this era of technology, social media has taken the world by storm and be it a 70-year-old father-in-law or a 9-year-old cousin-in-law, anybody and everybody is on Facebook. So, now that you have portrayed yourself as an uber sweet lady, there is no other option but to confirm all those friend requests, whether you like them or not or you have met them in person or not. 
P.S. Nothing would be more offending than keeping your account private.

Despite living in the 21^st century, there still exist a great number of families who believe their honour lies in making their offspring do medicine, engineering or law. And children usually oblige; so what if a girl, decides to sit at home idle, beautifying herself, after studying medicine! Her folks would popularise her as a doctor, nonetheless. 
However, if you, unfortunately, belong to the lot of those deviants who pursued a career within the field of liberal arts, and not pure sciences, then be prepared to have ridiculous questions thrust in your face all the time. For instance, “Mass communication? woh kya hota hai? Something related to telephones?” 
“Oh, so you studied Mass Communication because you wanted to read news on TV?” As if! So, in order to prove your mettle, being a Social Sciences/Arts graduate, get employed in a well-known organisation. Trust me, your in-laws will never stop bragging about where their bahu works!

Every woman has her own unique approach, in terms of fashion and style. Some like keeping their hair short and adorning themselves with dainty, silver jewelries while others love stuffing their wardrobe with everything pink, orange and green. 
Dismally, once you get engaged/married, you have to let go of your fashion sense, which your friends/peers thought was exquisite, and follow trends your mother-in-law/sister-in-law/husband fancies. 
Abhor those neon-colored, chiffon joras with a lot of intricate embroideries, sequins, chamak dhamak and what not on them? Too bad, because you can’t wear anything but only that on the first day of Eid! 
Never has a day gone when you haven’t straightened your hair to flaunt those funky bangs? Sigh, you need not do that anymore because it’s important that your entire face, along with that huge alien-like forehead you have always detested, is visible to your audience.

But dear committed ladies, don’t lose your heart just yet because good relationships, especially like marriage, have a lot more to them than these petty, nitty-gritties, not to mention those resplendent presents you will get on every other random occasion. 
All things considered, no one can put it more succinctly than Nicholas Sparks: “So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.” 

The edited version appeared here.

Valentine's Day: A time to express love or make money?

By Ayesha Ahmed & Sarah. B. Haider

Love is in the air! While an estimated growing majority deems Valentine’s Day the most romantic day of the year, others dismiss it as a commercial bonanza. Nevertheless, the fact remains that many noted companies employ innovative methods and strategies to bolster up sales and increase the marketing of their products.

How it came to Pakistan

Although the exact significance and history is vague, the origin of this day dates back to the Christian saint, St. Valentine’s, who gave up his life in the name of religion and love. Since then, the world has been commemorating the tradition of courtly love.

Europeans first began celebrating Valentine’s Day during the 14th and the 15th Century, while it became popular in the US in the 19th and 20th Century. The idea was eventually introduced in India in the 90s. Since Pakistan has a huge viewership of Indian TV channels, the concept of Valentine’s Day also crept into Pakistan.

Mixed feelings

“This year, we decided not to contribute anything for Valentine’s Day as the owner has joined a religious party,” acknowledges Rehmatullah, an aged salesman working at an uptown gift shop at Dollmen Mall. He admits last year when they stocked according to the occasion their sales increased fourfold.

“Do westerners ever bother to celebrate Eid? Then, why should we celebrate Valentine’s Day with so much fervour and zeal?” grumbles a grey-bearded salesman, working at a renowned gift shop which has denounced such celebrations this year.

Quite a few numbers of billboards and banners can be seen around the city, condemning Valentine’s Day.

Despite a large number who are against the adoption of this “alien culture”, Cupid’s arrow finds its way to the hearts of countless young urban people. According to the 55-year-old shopkeeper, Rehmatullah, young people, usually between the ages of 16 – 25, invest the most on Valentine’s gifts. On the other hand, men, on an average, spend twice as much as their female counterparts.

Business boom

Retailers who make the most of this occasion, in terms of sales, include restaurants, clothing outlets, gift stores, bakeries, beauty salons, cosmetic brands, accessories and florists.

“People were least bothered about Valentine’s Day some years back. However, thanks to the media, celebrating Valentine’s Day has become all the rage these days. We get special orders for heart-shaped cakes, strawberry cupcakes, candles and balloons. Like every year, we expect about 25 – 30% increase in our sales this Valentine’s as well,” says Saqib Khan, manager of a bakery.

Similarly, owing to the principle of demand and supply, restaurants have also arranged for special packages, exclusively for lovebirds.

Manager Regent Plaza Ghulam Abbas says: “Besides buffet dinners, we have gone an extra mile this time by including a dance floor in our special Valentines’s Day package.”

Upon asking the reason behind such lavish preparations, Ghulam Abbas informed that they had received an overwhelming number of requests and suggestions from clients regarding Valentines’ Day celebrations.

Additionally, to make this day all-inclusive and extraordinary, clothing lines don’t want to lag behind either. While some eminent brands like Crossroads have offered 50% discount on their entire stock in the celebration of Valentine’s Day, Ego, Gulabo and Threads & Motifs, to name a few well-liked labels, have also launched their Valentine’s Day special collections.

Likewise, accessories, cosmetic brands and beauty salons are also following suit. While expensive brands of fashion watches and cosmetics are offering funky pouches, plush bears and gaudy, oversized key chains, on a certain amount of purchase, beauty parlours have introduced Valentine’s Day special packages.

“Our special packages offer a variety of services at discounted prices. We want our esteemed clients to share them with the most special person in their lives- their beloved mothers,” says Cynthia, manager at a renowned beauty salon, Sab’s.

A rose for Rs200

Traditionally, exchanging flowers has always been the norm on Valentine’s Day, and both the local and the branded florists are seemingly benefitting from it.

While small-scale florists are selling a single stem of English rose for Rs50, florists in elite areas are selling it for Rs200. “Roses are everyone’s favourite on Valentine’s Day. We especially import English roses from Kenya during this season,” says Ghaffar, manager at a flower shop in Zamzama.

“Orders for roses start to pick up by walk-ins, via the telephone, and online, but most people prefer to handpick their bouquets,” says a salesman at an upscale flower shop.

Sale of Valentine’s Day cards has also pushed up to a considerable extent. “Though the trend of exchanging cards has noticeably decreased over the years, Valentine’s Day is one particular occasion when card sales experience a significant boom,” says a shopkeeper, who along with his counterparts has occupied the entire floor of a shopping mall in Saddar, with stalls selling Valentine’s Day presents and cards.

The original report was published here.

What's with fairness?

By Ayesha Ahmed & Sarah B. Haider

The liaison of Pakistani woman and a flawlessly fair complexion is nothing new and shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us. Time and again, we have read innumerable news stories, blogs and articles discussing our women having a fetish withgora rung and how it is imperative for the kind of society we are raised in. 

While some women are naturally gifted with a fair skin, others resort to artificial means for that perfect complexion. However, in a country like Pakistan, the yearning for light skin has more to it than a mere wish -it has become a psychological problem for womenfolk. From cheap whitening creams and facials to the most expensive skin-lightening treatments, Pakistani women are ready to go to any length to get rid of their natural skin tone.

There are many underlying factors which have led to this frenzy of obtaining a fair skin, the foremost being the stigma surrounding dark complexioned women. Hundreds of girls, despite having symmetrical faces, good figures and impressive personalities, are considered 'unfit' for marriage solely because Pakistani men deem girls with fair complexions compatible. So, women are compelled to try every feasible method to get married.

Owing to the principle of demand and supply, fairness cream manufacturers flood the markets with different varieties of quick-fix remedies that work overnight but take their toll on the skin, in the long run. This particularly pertains to creams that are easily affordable and accessible.

In the ceaseless rat race of getting the 'white' skin colour, women keep experimenting with various creams and lotions to reduce the melanin content of their skin. And one such addition in their list of solutions is the magical 'formula cream'. Invented by some self-styled beauticians, a decade back, this concoction promises to transform any dark skinned plain Jane into a fair complexioned beauty queen.

Being sold like hot cakes off the beauty parlour shelves, this popular formula cream is an amalgamation of four different creams -a renowned bleach cream, a well-liked fairness cream, a so-called pearl cream and a famous ointment (used for treating skin irritation). The cream is applied overnight and upon daily applications, for almost two weeks, astoundingly 'good' results are procured. Many girls have testified that the mixture is incredible and the best part about it is that all the ingredients of the cream are available without causing a dent in their wallets. Though the formula cream facilitates women in achieving their dream complexion, most women are entirely oblivious to the repercussions of this 'unbelievable mixture'.

Dr Rabia Shafiq, a dental surgeon by profession, has been using this formula cream for the past four years. "Earlier, my skin colour was dull, but ever since I started applying the mixture, my skin started glowing, and within a month I accomplished the fair complexion that I had always longed for." However, Dr Rabia complains that though the cream gave her the desired skin colour, within no time, there was a considerable increase in her facial hair growth. Also, regular usage of the cream worsened the condition of her acne-prone skin, especially during summer.

Even though, a doctor herself, Rabia never bothered to consult a dermatologist prior to using the cream. "I knew that one of the constituents of the formula cream contains steroids which would play havoc with the inner layers of my skin. But I am happy with the way my skin colour has changed. However, I will have to continue using it forever, because as soon as I discontinue, the dullness comes back within a week."

Rabia's condition was nothing compared to Hira's (name has been changed), a civil engineer by profession. She also belongs to the same lot of women who admire clear complexions and hence used this cream religiously to look her best on her wedding day. However, she ended up with a burnt face.

According to Dr. Khurshid H.Alvi, a dermatologist "Women come to us only upon reaching such extreme stages. The contents of the products used to make this cream are quite hazardous with betamathasone, a topical corticosteroid, being the deadliest. Being a corticosteroid hormone, it reduces symptoms such as swelling and allergic-type reactions and should not be used for more than four days, and that too under a doctor's supervision. However, with prolonged use of betamethasone, there is a high probability of systemic absorption of corticosteroids which, in turn, can result in skin atrophy (thinning of the skin), appearance of facial spider veins around the eyes, nose and cheeks (a condition called Telangiectasia), as well as a decrease in the production of collagen in the skin tissues due to which the skin loses its suppleness. Other side effects include outbreak of acne or rosacea with redness, bumps and pus-filled pimples and dryness of the skin. Therefore, long term use of this medicine should be avoided whenever possible."

The use of steroids for a long time causes the skin to become soft and thin, which increases the skin's absorptive capability and the contents of the formula cream are absorbed faster. Hence, the bleaching and fairness properties of the formula cream tend to be more effective, and it, consequently, gives off a radiant skin tone.

The cuticle layer of the human skin acts as a barrier and plays an instrumental role in protecting the skin against foreign agents, harsh environment and bacterial infections. Unfortunately, prolonged application of the formula cream destroys the cuticle layer, thereby, decreasing the skin's immune response against harmful substances.

White is certainly beautiful, but getting it at the cost of your health is definitely not worth it! The formula cream can surely make you a potential catch for your future husband and in-laws but what's the point of having a skin which is ugly from within? So, the next time you overhear a lady talking about the wonders of the miraculous formula cream, burst their bubble and reveal the facts.

The original article was published here.