4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Comprehensive Visual Stunner -- Reason enough to own and display!, December 3, 2008
This review is from: Almond Eyes, Lotus Feet: Indian Traditions in Beauty and Health (Hardcover)
Just thought I'd add a brief observation on the purely visual delights of this beautifully produced title. The soft, colorful dust jacket hints of classic charm, and the book delivers, offering an abundance of shiny, high-quality color pix on heavy matte white stock.
Whether classic old sepia photo portraits; hi-res botanical prints; reproductions of costumes, toilette artifacts and beauty ads; formal theme paintings and scenic hand-toned lithos; or depictions of jewelry, storage vessels and spices, you'll want to just eat up these delicious images.
The book is a one-volume eye opener to the many extra-religious dimensions of an India we only think we know. Those old portraits are so dignified, the costumes so enchanting, the children so captivating!
Check out the sensitively rendered madonna-and-child painting on page 46, the gemlike princessa painting on page 82, and especially the languid "Garbo" on page 144! Much of the real India, whether modest or opulent, is the India at home. Perusing this book is the next best thing to being taken in by an Indian family, and shown the album and apartments!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almond Eyes, Lotus Feet, October 29, 2007
This review is from: Almond Eyes, Lotus Feet: Indian Traditions in Beauty and Health (Hardcover)
I am currently study Ayurveda, and love this book.
I tried some of the recipes for Masques and Face Creams.
If you are into Beauty, this book is a must have..
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charming book with natural remedies, beauty tips and priceless illustrations, September 14, 2009
This books is written by one princess, co-authored by another princess, has a foreword by yet another princess, and includes photographs of many other princesses - as someone pointed out - it's pretty much an Indian princess diary.
The book is written in a very charming style and contains priceless black and white, and color photographs of Indian princesses, maharanis and few rajas, of different plants used for health and beauty, as well as of an assortment of traditional utensils used for preparing, storing and applying herbal preparations. In that respect, a book is somewhat like visiting an Indian health and beauty museum.
While the main reason I have purchased this book was to learn more about a variety of Indian herbal preparations, the charm of this book is that these preparations for health and beauty are also presented in a context of the author's life which brings those herbal preparations to life. As author exchanged notes with women from other parts of India - either with women who lived in the same region she did through marriage, or with those she met during her travels through India - about their health and beauty customs, she also shares these variations and preferences - so you may find different remedies that may help to alleviate the same health and beauty issues. For example, she would mention that some women may be partial to coconut oil, some to sesame oil and some even to mustard oil. Oiling ones body from head to toe and massaging one's body helps in many ways to detoxify the body, to moisturize it, to keep it healthy and beautiful. Some of the most popular herbs used to alleviate all kinds of health and beauty problems are turmeric and amla.
The book is written by women for women, so you may find a remedy for permanent hair removal which involves turmeric - however, she points out that fresh turmeric was used, made into an oil and massaged into bodies of baby girls on daily basis for six months and that after puberty - it may not be so effective, or at least it may be more challenging. She mentions that when mothers share the knowledge of herbal preparations with their daughters they also point out what is each herb in the preparation supposed to do, as well as that since herbs tend to work slowly over time, to patiently keep on using them, so that girls wouldn't quit if they don't see results after a week or two.
The herbal preparations mentioned in this book range from those that may help a woman to conceive, have a comfortable delivery, help the woman's (female) body parts to shrink and return to normal state after the birth of a child, some exotic ways of contraception and the doses used if a woman wants just to have a short break from conceiving, or a bit longer break, or doesn't want to have any more children; Indian aphrodisiacs, skin care for oily or dry skin, remedies for morning sickness, and many more.
In this age where we all seem to be so rushed and no one has enough time to do all the things she'd like to do, reading this book may make you feel as if you were visiting a place where people lived in a way that is unimaginable today - where women had all the time in the world and could spend hours each day gathering herbs, preparing them fresh from the garden, and then pampering themselves.
The herbal preparations are dispersed throughout the book and there is a separate section with recipes near the end of the book and since the ingredients can be purchased, some at local grocery stores, and some over the internet - they are easy to prepare. Very helpful are also few pages that contain a listing and cross-reference of herbs using their English name, Latin name and Indian name.
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