All posts by : AyFa Collections

When it comes to learning how to make eyes look bigger, few understand the craft better than professional makeup artists who’ve spent years perfecting the quintessential doe-eyed gaze. “Doe-eye makeup looks are a favourite of mine,” celebrity makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown tells Vogue. “Since the early days of ingénues on screen, they’ve been a timeless way to draw attention to the eyes in a softer, more diffused way than a smoky eye.”

It’s true: whether you have small eyes, hooded eyes, round or deep set, the simplest of eye makeup tricks can transform your look from siren or ingenue. “Making the eye appear larger is a delicate endeavour. It all comes down to balancing the natural shape,” celebrity makeup artist Kate Lee tells.

Of course, there are the usual suspects: sky-high lashes, strategic liner, and thoughtfully placed shadow. But there’s a real method behind where each touch of colour goes. “As a sculpting rule, dark shadows recede and highlights bring features forward, so brightening the lid can instantly make the eyes look more awake and defined,” Reiko Brown explains. She recommends avoiding dark tones on the lid and lower lash line. “Instead of black for drama, reach for a warm, light brown with a hint of shimmer,” she says. “Soft, pale greys can also add depth to smaller eyes without closing them in.”

Interestingly, makeup artist Leiya Phinao Ningshen, national artist, M·A·C Cosmetics India, echoes a similar sentiment but takes it further with a soft-smoky approach. “Diffusing kohl along both lash lines for dimension instead of tightlining the inner rims can make the eyes look bigger,” she says. Her approach focuses on smoked-out kohl and strategic blending to enhance width rather than weigh down the eye.

As for lashes, restraint is key and the false-lash look isn’t your friend. “Lashes absolutely help open the eye, but too much mascara (or a heavy strip lash) can weigh everything down and undo the effect,” Lee adds. More on all this below, where both our pros share step-by-step tricks to fake your way to larger-looking eyes.

Get strategic about your concealer placement

A well-placed dab of concealer can work far more magic than you’d expect, especially when applied with intention to subtly open the eyes. Lee suggests tapping a light-toned concealer onto the inner and outer corners for an immediate brightening effect. She’s adamant about choosing a lightweight formula to prevent any creasing around the delicate eye area. A serum concealer is your friend. “Another tip to brighten the eye area, depending on the eye shape and the fullness of the brow, is to apply a little concealer in a light shade just under the arch of the brow,” she says, noting that this trick is particularly effective for those with a naturally arched brow shape.

Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer

MILK MAKEUP Future Fluid All Over Cream Concealer

Natasha Denona HY-Glam Concealer

Apply nude and shimmery eyeshadows

Reiko Brown’s favourite makeup technique for bigger eyes involves picking the perfect eyeshadow shade. She often reaches for a nude, bright, shimmery eyeshadow to create a luminous, uniform backdrop behind freshly curled lashes. “After applying a nude brightening shadow across the lid, I’ll take a shimmer shadow in the same tone and place it on the eyelid just above the iris, as well as on the inner corners,” she explains. “A touch of light in the inner corners can spark an instant awakened effect. When paired with lifted, angled lashes, the whole eye appears wider, fresher and more alert,” she adds. Lee echoes this approach, noting that a grey-toned matte shadow can subtly enhance the socket line without closing the eye in. Ningshen also recommends applying a slightly deeper shade at the outer ‘V’ of the eye and blending it upwards instead of sideways. She explains that even a subtle upward lift in shadow placement can elongate the eye shape and create the illusion of height.

Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Palette

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color

Sisley Les Phyto-Ombres

Curl your lashes to the Gods

Then, of course, there’s the matter of getting your lashes to stand at full attention. “Hold the eyelash curler as close to the base of the lashes as comfortably possible and press, holding until they’re firmly locked into place. Apply two coats of an inky, ultra-black volumising mascara from root to tip, concentrating most of the product at the base,” says Reiko Brown, stressing the importance of starting at the roots of your lashes and wiggling upward as you brush it on. “Keeping the bulk of the formula near the lash line ensures the tips stay light, which prevents the curl from collapsing.”

For a wedding of this scale, floral emergencies are practically accounted for, except the one at Netra Mantena and Vamsi Gadiraju’s wedding looked like it had stepped out of the pages of a fairytale. “All the wedding flowers that were meant to arrive three days before the wedding only landed the evening before. Picture this: thousands of fresh-cut blooms landed at the venue at 5pm, and because this was Jagmandir Island Palace, the only way to bring them in was by water. Cue boatloads and midnight sprints to pull off the early morning wedding setup in record time,” recalls Anuja Joshi, founder at Interflora India. The wedding came with its own logistical ballet of flipping multiple heritage venues in impossible timelines, backstage transitions on clockwork and a 15,000sqft cold room built solely to store the flowers.

There’s tired and then there’s the kind of exhaustion that seeps into your skin, sleep and blood work. Most of us are already doing the micro self-care: ten-minute meditations and the odd massage when our back starts to complain. It helps, but it doesn’t always touch the kind of stress that shows up as gut issues, weird migraines, stubborn weight or that constant edge of irritability the way that some of the best wellness destinations can.

That’s where the serious retreats come in. If you’re looking for the kind of wellness destinations that don’t just give you Instagrammable photos, but a slightly healthier baseline to carry into 2026, these are our recommendations:

Swastik Luxury Wellbeing Sanctuary, Pune

Carved into Peacock Valley, this Hobbit-esque sanctuary is for when your brain feels like 47 open tabs. With Vedic-inspired gardens, it blends Ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga and meditation with architecture built around the five elements, so your customised programme feels more like being reassembled slowly rather than fixed overnight.

Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort, Parwanoo

Shanaya Kapoor’s Mayyur Girotra lehenga builds its visual story through contrast and surface work. The ivory skirt is covered in Kutch-inspired embroidery arranged in dense panels, each edged with mirror accents and bold black applique that stands out clearly against the base. The work reads intricate without feeling overloaded, letting the detailing set the tone for the entire look.

The woven zari Banarasi dupatta shifts the texture. Draped over one shoulder, its gold tracery brings in a different kind of shine that sits well alongside the stark ivory-and-black palette. The choli-cut blouse keeps the silhouette sharp, with cap sleeves, a keyhole back and sequin tassels that add movement.

Her jewellery continues the mix of tones. She paired a kundan-polki choker set with coloured stones with oxidised silver ear cuffs finished with small jhumkis. On her wrists, she wore a green-stoned kundan bangle, a white kundan bangle and slim black bangles from Indinoor, mirroring the colours of the lehenga.

The beauty look stays close to the outfit’s lines. A centre-parted bun wrapped with a gajra keeps the neckline open for the choker. A smoky black eye ties in with the darker embroidery, while brown-pink lips and a small bindi complete the face without drawing attention away from the textiles.

From Vogue’s Fashion Desk:

“Shanaya Kapoor reminds us that black, ivory and gold is an overlooked but regal colour combination. When done with Indian wear, it reads rich (texturally) and regal. Take a cue from her and make a Rajasthani choli or kanchli your focus. Pair this with a draped skirt in ivory or black silk. Complete this look with traditional jewellery and a metallic filigree clutch,” says Vogue India fashion associate Divya Balakrishnan.

Girls’ nights out have started to feel like speed dating, with everything set on a timer: the restaurant reservation, the babysitter, a middle-aged woman’s ever-diminishing tolerance for noise. “Ladies’ Nights,” as they were known at their late-20th-century inception (shout-out to Kool & The Gang), weren’t even designed to satisfy women’s desires. A discounted drink to increase female patronage on a slow night was just bait—to lure male patrons willing to pay full price.

That’s not to say that girls’ nights in haven’t fallen prey to late-stage capitalism. Typing “adult sleepover” into Google’s search bar will take you down an Instagram rabbit hole to a yassified version of your childhood slumber party, replete with matching satin pyjama sets, balloon arches and personally-branded Prosecco. And, because it’s Instagram, group dances!

Performing choreographed dances in matching pyjamas is about as appealing as getting my annual mammogram. What I want more than anything these days is time. My girlhood sleepovers offered time in excess. When my sixth-grade bestie Denise swore during one slumber party séance that she saw my name flicker in the candlelight—which meant, as she explained it, that I would die that night—daybreak couldn’t have come soon enough. (The only thing that failed to survive was my friendship with Denise.)

I set out to schedule some low-key sleepovers across the two weekends a month when my kids were with their dad (which, admittedly, is one of the main reasons I could even consider this social experiment, as I have a house to myself every other week). But I lost one weekend to COVID and suddenly found myself cramming three sleepovers into the span of five nights in order to meet my deadline.

To ready myself for this five-night deep dive, I consulted a local expert: my 12-year-old daughter. In the few years since she’d started having sleepovers, she had tried every version, from full-blown, stay-up-all-night slumber parties to intimate one-on-ones; overnights with only boys (except her), only girls and a mix of all genders.

So, what was the key to a successful sleepover, in her seasoned opinion?

“Snacks,” she told me, flatly. “You’re going to need snacks and sooo many drinks.” She also revealed the number-one rookie mistake: pulling up in an outfit. “What you actually want is to come in the most comfortable, beat-up shit you own.” (Matching pyjama sets, be damned!)

Danisha, the deputy director of a nonprofit supporting Black and Latine children in private schools, arrived for the first sleepover around nine on a Friday night. We’ve been close for a decade, since her son and my daughter became fast friends in preschool, bonded by their love of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and roughhousing. She’d spent the afternoon and the better part of the evening at her son’s sports-doubleheader (first, flag football at school, then YMCA basketball), with both games going into overtime. During game two, she learned her childcare fell through, and with her husband out of town on a boys’ trip, she had a choice: cancel our sleepover or leave her son, now 13, alone overnight for the first time.

Does conflict and stress feel strangely comforting Taurus? That’s because you are used to being stuck in survival mode. Your nervous system now flags this as normal life. While it may have served a purpose in the past, it does not any more. The good and bad exist within each other, Libra. This is true for everything in your life— financial, relationship or any other goals. You are here to embrace the colours that exist between black and white.Your fear of missing out is really anxiety. Leo, today mind your own business, reduce your screen time, be more present, hydrate and eat healthy. Call up your loved ones and open your heart. Remind yourself that you are invincible. Instead of measuring your outcomes, focus on sharing your ideas in a way that adds value, Gemini. One prospect might feel more exciting than another and it is entirely up to you to see how things shape up. However, be assured that your decisions do not need to be made based on fear.

Read on for what the stars have in store for you, and make sure you check out your sun, moon and rising signs for the complete picture.

Choose what is being offered to you, Aries, even if it seems like the smallest fruit in the basket. You may have to navigate through choppy emotions but it will ultimately lead you to brighter places and sunnier spots that will become welcome changes in your life. Instead of treading these waters alone, let the support you receive carry you.

Cosmic tip: Open doors to reciprocal support and relationships.

Does conflict and stress feel strangely comforting Taurus? That’s because you are used to being stuck in survival mode. Your nervous system now flags this as normal life. While it may have served a purpose in the past, it does not any more. Your guides simply remind you that boredom is not the basis to invite conflict. Don’t you let an idle mind become the place where empty vessels keep clashing.

Cosmic tip: Rise above your fears and try something new.

Partnerships, fusions and recalibration are all on the cards today Gemini. Soon enough, offers, opportunities and prospective collaborations will arrive at your doorstep. Instead of measuring your outcomes, focus on sharing your ideas in a way that adds value. One prospect might feel more exciting than another and it is entirely up to you to see how things shape up. However, be assured that your decisions do not need to be made based on fear.

Cosmic tip: Remind yourself today that the Universe is on your side.

Sunglasses have followed Shah Rukh Khan through the decades the way a signature follows a letter. Used as punctuation at the end of dialogues; they’ve travelled with him through different hair eras and leading-man phases, settling into the visual shorthand that shapes how he exists in the public imagination.

That thread runs into the new D’YAVOL X eyewear campaign, built within the D’YAVOL Luxury Collective co-founded by Shah Rukh Khan, Leti Blagoeva, Aryan Khan and Bunty Singh. The collection comes out of what Aryan Khan and Blagoeva describe as a collaborative build shaped by shared taste, technical testing and rounds of refinement.

“He has been the biggest fan of glasses for as long as I can remember,” says Aryan Khan of his father. “From the start, he kept saying to make eyewear. It took time because we wanted the pieces handmade in Japan by the right people.”

Blagoeva describes the approach as one with wearability at the centre rather than a trend chart. The debut introduces a small set of shapes in the classic zone, each adjusted through colour or detailing. “We wanted frames people could use for years,” she says. “Not something that feels tied to one look or one moment.”

Finding that balance also meant paying attention to fit. “Most people do not want loud, costume-like glasses,” says Aryan. “It comes down to what feels flattering. The right detailing can add interest without turning it into something only a few people would attempt.”

Preview sessions echoed that desire for versatility with people finding more than one shape that worked for them, often in unexpected ways. Blagoeva remembers the reactions clearly. “That range mattered to us,” she says. “We wanted broad use without losing character.”

The frames are handmade in Japan in small batches using pure titanium, premium acetates and ZEISS lenses. It is the most technically complex category D’YAVOL X has attempted so far. Blagoeva recounts hours spent refining the smallest components, from the hinges to the wire cores that line the temples. Even the way the metal sits inside the acetate on the chunkier frames uses a method developed specifically for the line. “When you see the drawings, they look like diagrams for machinery,” she says. “There are many small parts that need to work together.”

For Aryan, one of the most useful insights came from his father’s long-wear habit. “He says. “Sometimes ten hours straight. He was very clear that the metal had to be titanium because it is so light. Otherwise it starts hurting your nose.” Shah Rukh had been wearing early versions for months before the launch, testing how they held up in daily use. “His feedback saved us a few rounds of mistakes.”

Cottage cheese has been blessed with an image overhaul. Once considered a stodgy health food, it’s now a popular recipe add-in thanks to its sky-high protein content; a huge advantage in a day and age that treats protein like the be-all and end-all of nutrition.

For people who eat dairy (because not everyone does), “cottage cheese is a really excellent concentrated protein source,” Desiree Nielsen, RD, a recipe developer with a focus on plant-based nutrition, tells us. While it also contains other vital nutrients like calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B12, protein is really the standout. Just a half-cup of cottage cheese contains around 12 grams, putting it at par with some protein powders, so even a small amount will have a big impact.

Compared to some other dairy foods (like regular cheese), cottage cheese is low in saturated fat, making it an especially strong dairy protein choice, according to Nielsen. It also has a mild flavour and soft, blendable texture that adapt well to a variety of dishes. “You can absolutely eat it out of a bowl with a spoon if you like, but it lends itself very well to incorporation in different recipes too,” Nielsen says. “There’s endless possibilities in terms of what people can make with cottage cheese,” Jasmine Hormati, MS, RD, a certified intuitive eating counsellor and the founder of the New York City–based practice Mendinground Nutrition, says. “The sky’s the limit right now.”

On that note, we rounded up a few of the best tips and tricks for turning cottage cheese into high-protein breakfasts, lunches and desserts. Here are seven creative suggestions for sneaking this ingredient, a bona fide “protein delivery vehicle,” as Nielsen describes it, into your cooking for a meaningful boost.

Put it in smoothies

For Nielsen, this is the first option that springs to mind. Relative to protein powders, which tend to be pretty expensive, cottage cheese is a “great, affordable option for boosting,” she says. Adding a cup or two to your blender could deliver a comparable protein value for cheaper. Basically, any smoothie that you’d typically make with Greek yogurt “will also taste delicious if you put some cottage cheese in it.”

Spread it on toast

While this tip is not earth-shatteringly original, it’s still worth mentioning because it’s so tried-and-true and it even happens to be a personal favourite breakfast hack of Hormati’s. Once the cottage cheese is on, add vegetables, fruit or other toppings as desired. “It could be some sort of fruit with honey drizzled on it or some sort of jam or vegetables like tomato, avocado or cucumber,” Hormati says, adding “I personally love doing a cucumber-tomato option.” Her suggestion: lean into seasonality. In summer, “fresh peaches would be really nice,” she says, though apples or berries could be tasty too. And honey always “brings a nice little bit of sweetness.”

Enhance dips and dressings

You can easily protein-ify any dip or dressing by adding in blended cottage cheese, according to Nielsen. For an easy two-ingredient cottage cheese pesto, just stir some of the former into the latter. P(r)esto: a protein-enhanced version of the beloved basil-leaf paste. “So delicious and easy,” Nielsen says. Plus, it takes “five minutes to make.” Heads-up: “You might need to balance the salt level or, if it’s tasting flat, add a little fresh acid, like a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar or a little bit of lemon.” Just make sure your cottage cheese is blended, since that will soften the sludgy-yet-chunky texture and, in turn, make it easier to work with. “It becomes more like yogurt,” Nielsen says. Whatever dip route you take, finish by dunking in some veggie sticks for a “fantastic” afternoon snack.

Turn it into a pasta sauce

If you’re not feeling a dip or dressing, “making a creamy sauce with cottage cheese could be another alternative,” Hormati says. You could try substituting cottage cheese for heavy cream in a homemade white sauce, adding cottage cheese to store-bought sauce for a creamier texture or even striking out on your own entirely. If you’re in the mood for something seasonal, a suggestion from Hormati: try blending chopped, cooked squash with cottage cheese for a DIY option that embraces fall flavors.

Swap it in for mayo

No mayo? No problem. You can always use cottage cheese in a pinch. This hack can apply to any number of recipes: egg salad, mayo-based dips, dressings and sauces, according to Hormati, even deviled eggs. “I’ve seen someone do that before,” she says and it was “just so unexpected, so good.” More recently, she and her partner made chicken salad this way, replacing the mayo with an equivalent amount of cottage cheese. “What we we did was make the sauce first in a bowl and use a whisk to make it smoother and creamier and then add in our food.” Chopped boiled chicken, tomatoes, pickles, almonds and dried cherries, plus some dill, sumac and pomegranate molasses for an Iranian twist, Hormati says. She notes the swap results in a lighter texture and slightly different flavor profile that some people might find more pleasant.

Use it as a base for a burrito filling

The sheet pan strategy is always an excellent meal prep option if you’re trying to get ahead on your breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the week. Nielsen recommends mixing cooked eggs, cottage cheese and various other burrito filling-type foods (“like black beans and corn or tomatoes and greens”), spreading the mixture on a baking sheet and popping it in the oven to cook. If you’re planning to incorporate lettuce, make sure to add it in after the baking step, otherwise the heat will turn it limp, soggy and wholly unappetizing. Once the mixture is done baking, you can cut it into sections and roll it into tortillas for an easy to-go meal.

Boost your baking mix

Yep, you can even make sweet treats with cottage cheese, athough, FYI, Nielsen doesn’t recommend going off-book. “I highly recommend that you seek out recipes,” she says. “Maybe just don’t sort of freestyle it on your own.” Thankfully, there should be no shortage of inspiration online if you’re in the market for a cottage-cheese-based baked good. Banana bread is a popular option, Nielsen says, but if you’re feeling something a little more out of the box, you can find creators putting cottage cheese in everything from bagels to pancakes. Plus, the protein boost isn’t the only benefit. Taking this approach will also enhance the moisture content, arguably improving on the OG.

And if none of these options really speak to you? Not to worry; there’s plenty more where that came from. Use it to instantly elevate any egg recipe (eggs pack less protein than you think), including egg bites, egg muffins and even frittatas.

Their texts quickly became the highlight of her day. A week after matching, she accidentally butt-dialled him. The missed call turned into a four-hour FaceTime conversation. A few weeks later, he told her he would be in town “scouting locations” for his Crumbl store. In reality, he flew in just to take her on their first date, then kept flying in every weekend for two months. “Billy is my best friend, the person I laugh with until my sides hurt, and the person who makes me the best version of myself,” says Saboo.

They spent two years together while she was in business school in New York and the next three years long-distance between Chicago and New York as they both built their companies. “We ended up dating for the two years I was at business school in NYC, but the next three years, through our engagement and all our wedding planning, we were long distance between Chicago and NYC,” she says. “Finally, we are now both NYC residents and are so happy.”

The proposal arrived in June 2023 on a cliff in Encinitas, near San Diego. The excuse was an annual boys’ trip. Every summer, Badruddin and his childhood friends follow the Chicago Cubs to an away game. This time the destination was San Diego and he encouraged her to join, folding her into what sounded like an easy weekend of baseball, brunch and the farmer’s market. While Saboo sipped lemonade at a kids’ stand with her friend Emily, pretending to wander, Badruddin engineered an elaborate setup at the Hyatt Alila Marea Beach Resort. On a private cliff, a live violinist played their favourite songs as a photographer waited beside a rose arch that read “Will you marry me” and golden stands displaying photographs from their years together. He had even packed her suitcase, down to her makeup bag, and arranged for them to move hotels.

“As we climbed the steps, I first saw Billy’s friends, then the violinist and finally him,” she recalls. Walking down a path lined with their photographs felt surreal. She barely remembers the words, only the joy of saying yes. Their friends popped the champagne. A pod of dolphins leapt across the water below, something their friends, who are locals, said they had never seen. Later that night, they skipped the fancy dinner for In-N-Out burgers and animal fries. “It was romantic, thoughtful and completely, perfectly us,” she says.