All posts by : AyFa Collections

Paul’s room at the FTII hostel had a window that opened onto a garden and a bench that always looked like it had been recently sat on. It was the first room on the ground floor, pressed up against the hostel’s common telephone, catching heartbreak and homesickness as it passed through the wires. She arrived on campus during one of those tumbling rainy afternoons, and for a few days lived in a nearly empty hostel, waiting for her batchmates and seniors to trickle in. Electrified, lonely and empowered are the three words she uses to describe how she felt in those very first days.

Filmmaker and writer Batul Mukhtiar on campus, 1992

Decades later, when she held the FTII’s diamond jubilee coffee-table book in her hands, Paul experienced the same triad of emotions again, but now with a fourth note added: disappointment. The book featured roughly four or five women, the already seen, the always included names. “As you get older, you think of turning points, and FTII was a huge one in my life. To see women represented so sparingly, so narrowly, felt disappointing. Belittling, even. It made me question how success is measured and how women are always made to feel they have to work twice as hard, just to be seen,” Paul says.

Finding the best nude lipsticks that feel like they were made for you can be harder than moving past heartbreak or resisting midnight sugar cravings. After all, that little tube of pigment becomes your comfort zone when nothing else feels right—your trusted companion on every holiday and the one product you’ll never tire of. So, naturally, discovering the hue that truly works for you feels as rare—and as elusive—as spotting a snow leopard.

“The first thing to consider is your skin tone and lip colour,” says makeup artist Tanvi Chemburkar. For Indian skin tones in general, she suggests going for warmer undertones if you’re looking for brown nudes, dusty pinks for a rosy nude, and brownish undertones rather than corals if you want a true nude—“and trying it on your lips for your final decision.” If the consequent result is a skin-tone complimenting shade that applies evenly on your lips and doesn’t flush out your face or make it look pale, you are close to the one.

How do you find the perfect nude lipstick for your skin tone?

To get the best result, line and fill your lips with a lip liner that is very close to your nude or slightly warmer if you’ve picked a pale nude, “since often tend to have a double or two-toned lip, filling the lip with a pencil first makes a good base for the nude lipstick colour to come out evenly,” says Chemburkar.

And to make it all easier, we’ve done the hard work for you and tested one too many (we’re not complaining), to pick out the 50 best nude lipsticks that work for the Indian woman. Because it’s so unique to each individual’s face, we suggest taking one of these out this weekend to know if you’re ready for a long-term commitment.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick – N12 – Nude Instinct

Laura Mercier Rouge Essentiel Silky Creme Lipstick – 30 Nude Nouveau

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss – Kristen – Cool Desert Sand

L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick – shade 550 Le Nude Unapologetic

Estee Lauder X Sabyasachi Limited Edition Collection Satin Matte Lipstick – Pomelo Rose

DIOR Addict Lipstick – 418 Beige Oblique

Kay Beauty Hydra Crème – Verve

FENTY BEAUTY Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick – Blaz’D Donut

Simply Nam Satin Soft Lip Creme – Pernia Perfect Nude

Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip – Juicy Date

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G – Naughty Talk

CHANEL ROUGE ALLURE L’EXTRAIT 812 Beige Brut

Clinique Dramatically Different Lipstick Shaping Lip Color – Blushing Nude

Lancome L’ Absolu Rouge Cream – 238 Si Seulement

Dior Rouge Dior Matte Finish – Forever Nude Look

e.l.f. Cosmetics O Face Lipstick – Standing Ovation

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturising Lipstick – Pale Petal

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte Sculpt Lipstick – Indecent Nude

Ruby’s Organic – Bare

Pat McGrath Labs Satinallure Lipstick – Skinsane

Forest Essentials Tinted Lip Serum Madhu Rasa – Misri Cardamom

Color Chemistry Creamy Matte Finish Lipstick – Primrose

Rom&nd Zero Matte Lipstick – 07 Envy Me

IsaDora Ultra Matt Liquid Lipstick – Dusty Cedar

Kay Beauty Matteinee Matte Lip Crayon Lipstick – Rumour

KIKO Milano Lasting Matte Veil Liquid Lip Color – 02 Cappuccino

Kylie Cosmetics Matte Lipstick – Kylie

NARS Explicit Lipstick – Bare It All

Natasha Denona – My Dream Lipstick – 11NB Natasha

Lush Moist Matte Lipstick – Lotus Dew 01

Lakme Absolute Matte Revolution Lip Color – Morning Coffee

Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick – My Type

Lancome L’Absolu Rouge Intimatte Lipstick – 276 Timeless Appeal

M.A.C Matte Lipstick – Meher

Fae Beauty Lip Whip – Bone – A Cold Caramel Brown

Givenchy Le Rouge Deep Velvet 23 Ext Matte Lipstick – N15 Nude Amber

Melting Mocha – Bare Browns Ultra Matte Lipstick (Nude Brown)

Yves Saint Laurent The Inks Blur – 230 Beige Expression

RAS Lumiere Satin Matte Lipstick – Nude Silk

Hermès Rouge Hermès Matte lipstick – 11 Beige Naturel

₹7,000, available in stores

Nudestix Nude Plumping Lip Glace – Nude (Cool Toned Pinky Mocha With Glossy Finish)

NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream – Cannes

Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor – Boundless Nude

Clinique Pop™ Longwear Lipstick – Bare Pop

Sephora Cream Lip Stain – Vintage Rosewood

Shiseido Rouge Rouge – Desert Quartz

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick – Driver’s Seat

Kiro Non-Stop Airy Matte Liquid Lip – Nude Mocha 18

PIXI Naturelle Lipstick – Pecan

theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick – Committed

Also read:

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Quit your job on a whim by throwing your uniform at your manager after your holiday request was denied? Emergency stopped in traffic to let out a blood-curdling scream behind the wheel because someone pulled out in front of you? Triple-texted your situationship before blocking him and throwing your phone across the room when he took two days to respond to the meme you sent? If any of these scenarios sound familiar to you, you may be engaging in 2025’s hottest trend: crashing out.

Defined by Urban Dictionary as “to go insane and/or do something stupid” and “to lose all your self control”, the phenomenon itself is obviously nothing new. From meltdowns to ‘menty bs’, we’ve been snapping in the face of both minor and major inconveniences since time immemorial. But the term itself is relatively new. Spend any time online and you’ll see young people using the phrase to describe anything from talking themselves down in the work bathroom after an interaction with an annoying customer to losing their shit over having their time wasted by a man they had to force themselves to like in the first place.

Like most slang, the exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but—again, like most contemporary slang—general public opinion points to roots in AAVE (African-American Vernacular English). According to an annual research article studying patterns in American speech, many attribute it to Baton Rouge slang, and Louisiana rapper Youngboy Never Broke Again in particular, although there’s proof of it being used on Twitter as far back as 2013, according to the New York Times. As for its sudden ubiquity, you can thank social media’s propensity for shaping language at lightning speed. The term was a runner-up for 2024’s Word Of The Year in the publication American Speech, losing out to “rawdog”. Incidentally, rawdogging modern life is a surefire way to crash out.

But why are we all crashing out? And why does the term feel so pertinent? The Guardian summarises the phenomenon as “the young people of today, overwhelmed by stress and emotionally impaired by their social media addictions, finding themselves prone to visceral outbursts”. What this analysis fails to mention, however, is what the young people are actually seeing on their phones while they scroll. Sure, there is brain rot and AI slop and GRWMs, but there is also a world being ravaged by climate change, people being ripped from their families and imprisoned without due process by masked men and the daily atrocities that our governments refuse to acknowledge. Is it any wonder that we’re crashing out?

Cosmic tip: New beginnings will require new moves, but definitely fewer conflicts.

You may have recently experienced some profound shifts and realisations, Virgo. And now it is almost as though the cosmos is opening its doors to make way for your new way of life. Virgo, this is your chance to make your moves. This is your chance to take on those prospects that you know in your heart will flourish and thrive. This is your chance to step away from feeling trapped to actually realise you hold the reins of your life in your own hands.

Cosmic tip: Listen to your inner wisdom and allow it to help you bloom.

You’ve got an idea, an inkling, or a certain spark that is keeping you from taking a backseat or resting for a bit—and Libra, this excitement may feel temporary or passing; however, when you begin nurturing it, things will begin to grow and evolve rapidly. You have sown seeds that are taking root and this is not short-term gains you are looking at—this is something long-term. Just ensure you stay balanced and grounded instead of allowing your need to control to take over your innate ability to help things grow.

Cosmic tip: Focus on tending to your most intimate relationships and passions.

What the world sees is a young personality—what the cosmos sees is a wise old soul. Scorpio, you may or may not be the esoteric types; however, you are working through your promises, karma and personal growth lessons with quiet grit and integrity—and they are actually making an impact. You may have a lot going on beneath the surface—fears, insecurities, worries, and so much more; however, you are also realising that what needs to be done needs to be done. And you are not shying away from the hard work and resilience that are needed to come through as part of that effort and work. New opportunities for renewal await you.

Cosmic tip: Work your way through, even if the way seems a bit rugged.

You have several choices, you have many options and ideas, and, Sag, you may be feeling a bit conflicted to make decisions that need action. Past hurts, disappointments and things simply not going your way may be getting in the way of you making decisions from your present moment. And Sagittarius, your angels want you to know that through your sheer will of not being in this situation anymore, even if you feel like giving up, surrendering and allowing things to move in a different way than you initially wanted them to turn out to be, this is will be your surprise turning point where life takes over in a meaningful and rewarding way.

When Janhvi Kapoor lost her mother, the legendary Sridevi, she also lost the privacy to grieve. “Imagine losing your mother and it’s entertainment for half the nation,” she recalls in her Vogue Wedding Book cover story.

Every reaction was scrutinised. If she smiled, she was “too okay.” If she was quiet, she was “too cold.” She adds, “My sister and I have never let them see the cracks, and because of this, people have felt they can throw mud at us, that we are not really human. That took empathy and sympathy completely out of the question.”

Psychologists explain that grief isn’t linear. The process often cycles through denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance; there’s no set timeline. “Human beings are unique individuals, and our experiences vary dramatically. Putting a strict timeline for each phase is impossible, hence it is advisable to encourage people around to evaluate whether the person mourning is stuck in one of the phases or not,” notes Dr Nicole Nasr, a counselling psychologist and visiting lecturer at City, University of London. In other words, grief is individual, and so is healing.

“It’s unfathomable that it could become a meme,” Kapoor adds. “The loss is one thing but the damage that came after really made me cynical about human nature.”

Her words resonate beyond fame. For anyone who has endured loss, the truth is simple: grief does not look one way. Some people retreat, others carry on. None of these makes the pain less real.

For Kapoor, the hardest but clearest lesson has been that mourning is not for public consumption. And perhaps the most radical act is to grieve on your own terms—imperfectly, privately, and without the need for anyone else’s approval.

Photographed by Farhan Hussain
Styled by Devanshi Tuli
Hair: Yianni Tsapatori/TAP The Artists Project
Makeup: Savleen Manchanda/Eficiente Artist Management

Also read:

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6 things therapists do to stay calm when everything feels uncertain

You’ve heard the pitch: fibre feeds your microbiome, balances hormones, keeps you full, and may even help your mental health. Motivated, you stock up on seeds, switch to multigrain rotis, soak rajma and start your mornings with chia pudding.

And then your gut revolts: bloating, gas, cramps. Every movement feels heavy.

It’s not that fibre is bad—it’s that your body wasn’t prepped for the sudden jump. Despite recommendations of approximately 25–38 g daily, 70% of Indians don’t meet their daily fibre needs. High-fibre diets promise benefits, but studies show that rapidly increasing intake without hydration and gut prep can lead to discomfort, especially if insoluble fibre overloads the system.

“When someone goes from low intake to 30 g suddenly, it’s like asking a beginner to run a marathon,” explains Asha Menon, a functional nutritionist specialising in gut health. “Your gut needs to adapt.”

Why a fibre spike can backfire

Fibre comes in two distinct types:

Soluble fibre (like oats, chia, legumes): forms a gel-like substance in the gut, feeds good bacteria, and slows digestion for better glucose control.

Insoluble fibre (like wheat bran, vegetable skins, whole grains): adds bulk and speeds up elimination.

Both are vital—but increasing fibre too fast can overwhelm your gut’s capacity to digest, ferment and expel. The result: gas, bloating, cramps or even constipation.

Research indicates that increasing both soluble and insoluble fibre over time supports a richer gut microbiota without triggering bloating—especially when paired with sufficient hydration.

The 5-day plan to increase fibre without bloating

Day 1: Start with soluble fibre and hydration

• Add 1 tsp chia or sabja seeds to warm water in the morning.
• Stick to soft, cooked vegetables (pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd) and one whole fruit like a banana or a papaya.
• Drink 2–2.5 litres of water spread across the day.

Soluble fibre swells in water, helping stool pass smoothly while supporting friendly gut bacteria. Starting here helps your microbiome adjust without shock.

Day 2: Swap refined carbs for whole grains

• Replace white rice or maida with brown rice, quinoa or millets (like jowar or bajra).
• Steam or pressure-cook them well, and serve with a teaspoon of ghee to lubricate the gut.

All the staff at Le Royal Monceau speak English, which can be comforting when your brain is too foggy to conjure up the French you learnt in high school. The masseuse explained that she would perform their signature facial followed by a full body massage, and as she got to work, beginning with delicate but firm strokes meant to encourage lymphatic drainage and reduce facial puffiness, I found myself drifting off to sleep.

An hour and half later, when I sat up and took a look in the mirror, I was genuinely impressed by the results. Not only did the bright skin and healthy flush look like I’d just returned from a 5K run, my puffy face was gone. Even around the eyes, where I struggle the most. No space-age equipment, no detox regimen made up of bitter elixirs—just a massage technique that flushed the water retention away.

To make sure I wasn’t just imagining these results, I contacted Dr Kiran Lohia to validate the science behind this combination of a facial followed by a full-body massage. “The whole body is connected through the lymphatic system, so covering the entire face and body really helps with the detoxification and promotion of lymphatic flow and drainage,” she confirmed, quoting a 2020 scientific review that supported manual lymphatic drainage for mild to moderate fluid retention, especially in the face and limbs.

Courtesy of Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris

For Ganpati Chaturthi, Tara Sutaria chose a look that stayed close to the codes of traditional festive dressing in a tissue Kanjeevaram sari by Tarun Tahiliani, worn with diamond jewellery and jasmine flowers in her hair.

The champagne-toned sari featured a tissue silk base that gleamed with a subtle sheen, covered edge to edge in zardozi, aari, sequin, crystal and pearl work. Floral vines and geometric motifs were arranged in vertical panels across the pallu and borders, giving the look rhythm and structure. The fabric itself—owing to the stiff nature of Kanjeevaram saris—held form, while still flowing, making the drapes sit elegantly. The blouse featured fully embellished elbow-gracing sleeves and a sharply cut back framed with pearl edging. Styled by Tanvi Ghavri and assisted by Srika Badkar, the sari was framed with beaded tassels towards the hem of the pallu and the sleeves of the blouse.

The jewellery, taking a hard left from minimalistic jewellery trends, featured a wide diamond and emerald choker that sat high on the neck, paired with matching earrings and bangles. While the shape and design of the bijoux were rooted in tradition, the mixing of gems steeped it in contemporary styles.

Tara Sutaria’s hair was sleek, parted clean and pinned into a low bun, finished with a cluster of jasmine. Her makeup was luminous with bronzy cheeks, soft, smoky eyes framed with wispy lashes, and a glossy lip in a peachy tone.

From all that you’ve seen and known, what does marriage mean to you as an actor in the public eye?

JK: There was a big stigma in the industry, and in general, that if a female actor got married, it meant her career would end. But I’m so happy that the biggest heroines in our industry have changed what that means, from Kareena to Deepika to Alia and Kiara. I feel they’re doing some of their best work after getting married—and I don’t think the audience’s gaze toward them has changed. I know that when I get married, I’ll want to give that my best. Right now, I’m not at the stage where I can lose focus from my career and shift my attention, or even divide my attention with anything else.

It could be said that Gen Z has fewer reservations about sex and relationships. You have various means to connect but the downside is a less idealistic approach to romance. What are your views on love in a time of instant gratification?

JK: It’s so funny that you ask me this, because I was just thinking about it the other day. I think it is almost impossible to fall in love now. If you’re from this generation and you’re navigating your way in this world of finding a partner, instant gratification has made the entire idea of romance so transactional that I don’t know if we have the patience, aptitude or openness for a real connection. We’ve also become so rigid in our ways that we judge people a lot more. It’s ironic, really—this entire woke culture is about judging people less, right? But for me personally? I’m a hyper-romantic, devoted individual. But I also think that I’ve been extremely lucky in my personal life, so I value and cherish how rare what I’ve found is. And I love the institution of marriage. I love the idea of creating a family life, a unit that is yours, of having someone who’s on your team, of being devoted to them.

How do you see yourself as a bride?

JK: I’ve been dressing up so much that on my wedding day, I’d just like to be comfortable. I know I want to get married in Tirupati. I definitely don’t want too many people there. I want it to be quick, I want the honeymoon to be very long. I definitely know that whatever I wear will be Manish [Malhotra], because he’s my favourite person and he’s family.