Quarantine Life Archives - FashionForRoyals

Make the most of Diwali at home

Diwali is a great time to spend some quality time with friends & family. Here is how you can make the most of Diwali with your family at home.

Diwali, the most-awaited and biggest festival in India is just around the corner. The 5 days festival that is also known as the festival of lights is celebrated to honour the victory of good over evil. It is believed that on this day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with his wife after killing the demon Ravana. On Diwali, people dress up their finest clothes, light diyas, make rangoli and worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. Checkout more festive blogs here.

The 5 days of Diwali

Dhanteras marks the beginning of the 5 days Diwali festival. People worship Lord Kubera and Goddess Lakshmi, the god and goddess of wealth on this day. Dhanteras is considered an auspicious day to buy jewellery and clothes.
The second day of Diwali is celebrated as Choti Diwali. It is believed that on this day Goddess Kali and Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.
Diwali is the main festival of the 5 days celebrations and it symbolises the victory of light over darkness. On this day people decorate their homes, exchange gifts & sweets and perform Lakshmi puja.
Govardhan Puja is celebrated on the fourth day of Diwali. On this day, a Lord Krishna’s idol is made out of cow dung and then it is worshipped and some women also fast on this day.
The last festival of the 5 days celebration is Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters perform aarti for their brothers and wish for their long and happy life.

How to make the most of Diwali at home

Diwali is a great time to get together and spend some quality time with friends & family, but this time because of the pandemic the celebrations are going to be a bit different. Here is how you can make the most of the festivities with your family at home.

1. Dress up for pictures

Celebrating Diwali at home doesn’t mean that you can’t dress up. Put on your finest, traditional clothes and pose for some nice pictures and share them on your family Whatsapp groups. This will make this quarantine celebration a memorable one.

2. Prepare a grand Diwali thali

Diwali without food is incomplete and now that you are celebrating it at home, you can invest even more time in the meal preparation. Cook your family’s favourite food and treat them with a grand thali. Checkout the thali I prepared here.

3. Celebrate on Video call

Not being able to meet your friends and family on Diwali can be tough, and in times like these, a video call is the best way to connect. Decide a time and bring your family & friends together for a video party.

4. Send Gift cards

You can’t meet your loved ones to exchange gifts, but you can surprise them with a gift card. If you want to give them something thoughtful sitting at home, then gift cards are the best way to do that and believe me it will make them happy.

5. Indulge in Online Shopping

Diwali is the time for some amazing online offers and discounts, so why not make the most of them by shopping online. You can even surprise your friends & relatives by sending them online gifts.

Tips to celebrate an Eco-friendly Diwali

Celebrating at home doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali. Here are some tips to make your at-home celebrations eco-friendly.

Decorate the house with eco-friendly products or do the DIY decorations.
Use earthen oil diyas instead of LED lights and lamps.
Wish your loved ones by gifting them organic products or green plants.
Use natural colours for rangoli or flowers instead of chemically synthesized colours.
Instead of bursting crackers play some fun family games.

Here are some things that you can do to make the most of Diwali celebrations at home with your family.

This year things won’t be like before, but we can still celebrate it and make it memorable by doing some simple things. Hope you have a happy and safe Diwali.

Low Calorie – Vegan Alfredo Pasta Sauce

This cauliflower sauce is a healthy alternative for your traditional alfredo sauce. It is exactly like the original sauce, just lighter and healthier.

I am sure everyone loves a good, creamy alfredo pasta sauce. I personally can never get enough of it. It’s smooth, buttery, and rich texture always leaves me wanting for more. But since I try to incorporate healthy eating in my lifestyle as much as possible, the traditional recipe just doesn’t fit in. So, I thought why not find a way in which I can enjoy alfredo pasta and not worry about the calories at all. That’s how I discovered this low-fat vegan cauliflower alfredo sauce recipe. You can find more healthy recipes here.

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about this recipe at first, but once I made it all my doubts vanished instantly. Believe me, when I say this, it’s as good as the original alfredo sauce, just more healthy & less heavy and you just need 15 minutes to make it. I am so excited to find this alternative for alfredo sauce, that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you all.

Print Recipe

Low Fat Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Recipe

This cauliflower sauce is a healthy alternative for your traditional alfredo sauce. It tastes exactly like the original sauce, but it’s on the lighter side,so you won’t have to worry about the calories.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: alfredo pasta, alfredo sauce, pasta, pasta recipe

Servings: 1 Bowl

Calories: 75kcal

Author: Archana

Cost: £3 – £4

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

1 bowl Boiled Cauliflower
2 tbsp Sautéed Garlic with Olive Oil
1 cup Almond Milk
1/2 cup Pasta Water
Salt to taste

Instructions

Put the boiled cauliflower, sautéed garlic with olive oil, almond milk, and pasta water in a blending jar.
After you are done adding all the ingredients in the blending jar, put the lid on, and blend all the ingredients to get a smooth paste.
Once you get your desired consistency, add salt as per your taste.
Now that your Low Fat Vegan Alfredo sauce is ready, mix it with boiled pasta of your choice, garnish with nuts & coriander and enjoy.

Notes

You can use this sauce as a dip and as a sandwich spread.
Cauliflower is 92% water and water-rich foods help in weight loss, so this recipe is perfect if you are trying to lose weight.

Try this sauce for your next meal and don’t forget to tell me how it turned out.

Weekend De-Stress Ritual

A relaxing bath is proven to help you calm your mind and unwind. Here are a few things you can do to have a rejuvenating spa-like bath experience at home.

We are all doing our part by staying at home and social distancing as much as possible, but sometimes everything can get a bit overwhelming. While going through this time, it is vital to take some time out to relax and rejuvenate ourselves and weekends are a great time to do that. For me, nice baths helps me unwind, de-stress, and feel like a completely new person. Here is how you can turn your usual bathing into a spa-like experience at home and you can also find more self-care blogs here.

Add scented candles

Dim the lights of your bathroom and add scented candles for that perfect soft glow of light. Scented candles will instantly add that soothing, calming vibe to your bathroom, and their scent will uplift your mood. I like using Aequil London’s candles, as its refreshing fragrance takes me to a whole place right away.

Sip on your favorite drink

Sitting in the bathtub with your favourite drink takes the at-home relaxing session to a whole new level. I like to slowly sip on red wine while getting lost reading a good book.

Bath oils

Enriched with the goodness of essential oils, bath oils have therapeutic properties and are great for rejuvenating the mind and body. They are also good for various skin issues, inflammation, muscle aches, and insomnia. I add 6-8 drops of Olverum Bath Oil to my bath water and it works as an icing on the cake.

Sheet mask and relax

Indulge in some skincare while unwinding your mind with a sheet mask, after all, your skin needs pampering too. Garnier’s Moisture Bomb Mask is my go-to for my weekend de-stressing sessions, as it is super hydrating and gives my skin the moisture it needs.

Bath salts

When it comes to a good bath, Westlab Pink Gin Bathing salts are a must for me. They detoxify the skin by peeling away dead skin cells and keep the skin supple and delicate. They are also useful in removing skin tanning and pigmentation.

Bath fizzers

Bath fizzers take your at-home bath experience up a notch. The beautiful, colourful bubbles add a luxurious touch to your bath and put you in a happy mood. I love using bath fizzers by Bubble T Cosmetics, as they have an amazing fruity fragrance and are enriched with essential oils that nourish the skin.

Hair mask

While the bath oils and candles work their magic and calm your mind, you can use that time to nourish your hair with a hair mask. Apply your favourite hair mask, put on some soft music, close your eyes, and feel your mind getting calmer with each moment. I generally use Refibra Hair mask.

These are the things I include in my bath to take my bathing experience to next level and they help me release the tension and feel fresh.

Simple Hacks To Look Fabulous When Video Calling

Following simple hacks can make a huge difference in how presentable you look for work video calls. So, here are a few hacks to make you look put together.

We may be confined to our own homes, unable to go to parties or take ourselves out for a fancy dinner, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still look great. While working from home, you are probably enjoying the comfort of leggings and baggy tops while being able to give yourself an extra half an hour of sleep each morning as your normal beauty regime isn’t currently needed. There is some upside of the pandemic aren’t there? Read more quarantine blogs here.

But then it happens, the dreaded video call. While we enjoy catching up with colleagues and having someone other than household members to talk to, it can also mean we are rushing around trying to make ourselves look presentable and professional. But this can be done quicker and easier than you might think. From simply popping on a pair of strip lashes to choosing the correct lighting, we’ll help you look stunning for your next virtual meeting.

This isn’t just confined to work-related calls, virtual dating is the latest trend when looking for love and we always want to enhance our natural beauty when meeting a love interest, even if it is through a screen.

1. Effortless Lashes

Nobody wants to spend ages blending, highlighting and contouring just for the sake of a half an hour video call. Lockdown is the perfect chance to let our skin breathe and recover from years daily makeup applications.

However, we understand you still want to feel beautiful and for many of us, the comfort of makeup makes us feel 100 times better.

That’s why false eyelashes are the perfect solution for this. Choose a natural-looking set and pop them on beforehand. You’ll notice an immediate difference in your face and they may even give you the confidence you need to nail that presentation you’ve been worried about.

The best part is, you can remove these straight afterwards, you don’t even need to leave your desk! You can even reuse your lashes as often as you want, reducing waste and saving your expensive mascara for when the pandemic is over.

It is always best to remove the eyelash adhesive, if not straight away, at least before you go to bed as it can cause damage to your lids if left.

2. Matte Your Face

If you are happy to put a little extra effort into your face, especially if you have an important pitch or perhaps a date with someone you really want to impress, it’s important to choose the right base coverage.

You may go for a dewy, glowing look on a normal day, but your low-quality webcam can give you an awful effect. Instead of glowing skin, you can look shiny and even greasy, not the look any of us want.

Use a matte foundation or powder, teamed with a matte setting spray to give yourself coverage but avoiding glare on your screens.

If you don’t have any matte products, you don’t need to spend money just for a few uses during lockdown. Lightly apply some translucent powder over your usual foundation, or even talcum powder, to give a temporary matte finish.

3. Get Your Lighting Right

You can be forgiven for trying to achieve bright lighting, directly hitting your face. After all, that’s what models have for photoshoots so surely it’ll work for your video call, right?

Going over the top with bright lighting and using a standard webcam or phone camera will highlight any imperfections and can cause your skin to look washed out.

Instead, backlight yourself. This works best with natural lighting so if you can position yourself in front of a window then do so.

If you can’t do this, you can use lamps instead. Be aware that if they are directly behind you and pointed towards your laptop, you may end up blinding those you are talking to. Set lights at a slight angle and make sure they are above your eye level, lighting from underneath your face can give a real horror story look!

4. Lip Stick Not Gloss

We love lipgloss but not for a video call. Anything ‘glossy’ will bounce off the light and draw too much attention to your lips.

It will also highlight any imperfections in your application. Let’s face it, you might apply this quickly a few minutes before your call and not get perfect lines. This may not be noticeable during normal social events but sitting for a long time face-to-face with colleagues will make it obvious.

5. Hair Hacks

If you’re not leaving your home every day, it’s more than likely that you’re not washing your hair as often.

Instead of trying to hide that grease with a messy bun or high ponytail, be a bit more creative.

Headscarves and turbans not only hide our oily locks but can also be a great statement and give the appearance of high-end fashion, instead of just covering our laziness.

You can even match these colours with your outfit to make the whole thing look very deliberate.

If covering your hair isn’t your style, take some dry shampoo and section your hair at the hairline. Using a small round brush, work the dry shampoo into your roots. Not only does this remove oil but also provides volume that will hold for your video call and longer

6. Speak With Your Body

Perhaps you don’t want to put makeup on an impromptu call means you don’t have time. Using the right body language can make all the difference.

Make eye contact with the other participants, look into your camera and don’t be distracted by looking at yourself on the screen.

Hold yourself properly and don’t slouch, you wouldn’t do so in a normal meeting so this shouldn’t be any different. Make sure you’re comfy beforehand, wriggling and adjusting yourself throughout the call can look unprofessional and be a distraction for others.

If you are still worried about what you look like, take the time to think about how others really perceive you. Are you conscious of anyone not wearing makeup or how they’ve styled their hair? You probably haven’t given it a second thought and that’s exactly how others will feel about you.

At the end of the day, a smile and a confident manner are what is most crucial with video calling.

Things To Do At Home While In Lockdown Mode

As coronavirus continues to ravage different parts of the world, a large number of countries have resorted to self-imposed lockdowns. Though the measure for social distancing seems stringent, it is surely meant for the greater good. And I see the silver lining in the fact that now is the time we can get back to the basics, spend more time with family and catch up everything that we’ve been missing in the race to stay ahead. Here are some things I would suggest doing at home to make the most of the lockdown mode.

Cook- If you are an avid cooking enthusiast like me, now is the time to experiment with your grandma’s classic recipes. Or you can just try using that recipe book you bought but never got to open. You can even bake some cakes with kids to keep engaged and spend some quality time with them.

Read- I’ve always loved reading but this hobby somehow took a backseat, with my personal and professional responsibilities taking up all my time. I’m using this lockdown as the opportunity for hunting down the old and new works of my favourite authors and reading them.

Movies- Now is the time to dig out the all-time favourites and the latest releases and catch up on the movies you have been missing. A cup of steaming hot coffee with homemade popcorn is all you would want for a perfect evening!

Exercise- Don’t forget your exercise routine! Try innovative indoor exercise techniques such as aerobics, yoga and tai-chi instead of the gym and morning jogs. After all, you wouldn’t want those extra pounds on when you get back to work.

Dance- And if you want to have fun while losing calories, try your favourite dance form. The best part is that you can involve your partner and rekindle your romance with this amazing pastime.

Hope these cool ideas will make the lockdown less stressful. Let’s stay healthy and think positive, this will pass too!

How To Manage Work And Kids Together when Working from Home

Every working mom and dad knows the challenges of managing work and kids together and the best part is that a majority of us do pretty well. But the sudden outbreak of coronavirus has made us question our capabilities as we struggle to align the work-at-home culture with unexpected school breaks. So the concern that almost every parent shares today relates to managing work and kids together as we get quarantined for at least a few weeks or even months ahead.

Here are some suggestions I have for work-at-home parents with kids of all ages.

Create and maintain schedules- It will keep you productive and sane and the kids will feel comfortable and normal as well.

Build a strategy with your partner- Don’t expect to handle the crisis by yourself, rather create a strategy with your partner. Consider working in shifts so that you can balance things as a team.

Communicate- You may be super-busy while working remotely but don’t miss out on communication with the children. Let them know you are always there for them, even when working on your full-time job.

Keep the kiddos engaged– Art and craft makes an ideal pastime for the younger ones, while you can find some good apps and games for the older children. Still, keep a check on their screen time.

Delegate- You can delegate the household chores to keep the kids busy and reduce your workload. Rewarding them for helping is a good way to keep them positive and motivated.

Find activities you can do together- Fun family activities like indoor games, preparing dinner together and yoga sessions every evening make a good idea.

Set boundaries- Set clear boundaries for your children and let them know you will be working from home just like you did from the office.

Try to have a separate work area- It would be great if you can allocate a work area away from where the kids spend most of their time. Ask them to stay out when you have a virtual meeting or conference call.

Take breaks and pamper yourself- Be sure to get breaks and spend time pampering yourself because you will need to recharge once in a while

Take one day as it comes- You will not feel stressed about the future as it is hard to predict how long it will last.

Most importantly, my advice is to be flexible and realize that you cannot be perfect in such an imperfect situation!

How To Have A Productive Day Working From Home

Though we may have all worked from home once or more, mandatory work-from-home has now taken us by surprise with the coronavirus crisis taking over the world. Being productive while working remotely can be challenging, with all kinds of distractions you have at home.

There are kids to handle, pets to look after, housework to do and a lot more to deal with. And sometimes, the vibe itself makes you feel off. Still, my personal experience says that achieving optimal productivity even while working from home is possible if you take the right approach. Some tips if you are trying to work from home, and either getting bored or losing spirit:

1. Have a Plan for the day – My tip is to do this the night before
2. Get started early, as it helps to get more out of the day.
3. Pretend like you are going into the office, dress up for those video conference calls as well.
4. Structure your day like you would in the office. You will definitely be at your productive best.
5. Choose a dedicated workspace; don’t try to work all day from bed because it makes you feel lazy.
6. Don’t stay at home all day. Go for a walk in your park or garden, step outside and breathe some fresh air.
7. Have social media interactions and online-only during free time as we have a tendency to watch and read the news or feeds and generally lose track of time.
8. Commit to doing more and use time wisely. You will actually end up doing more as you are saving time for regular commuting.
9. Work when you’re at your most productive. It could be in the early morning or late at night. I structure my day accordingly and keep my calls for the afternoon.
10. Use technology to stay connected with family, friends and teams.
11. Get kids into a schedule so your work plan can be managed with their schedule, though easier said than done.
12. Play some music in the background and work will be so much fun 😉
13. Take breaks after a long sitting and finish some household work in that break (like drying up laundry, washing dishes or chopping vegetables for dinner)
14. Spend some time with family and have fun. Take this as an opportunity to reboot.

Do share and let me know if you have any more tips and I will add them to the list with credits. Also, comment below if you want me to share more tips on anything else #workfromhometips