My definition of being productive over the summer entails catching up on movies and books that I did not have the opportunity to enjoy throughout the school year. While I started out watching some quality academy award winning movies, I quickly succumbed to the power of what we all know as “chick flicks”. Whether or not you admit it, chick flicks are every girl’s guilty pleasure (and I’m sure some guys watch them too!).

Chick flicks are often labled as sappy, boring, melodramatic, silly, or cliché. While this may apply to some of them, I find that others tell valuable stories. Regardless of the quality of the film, there are a few key elements that make up the quintessential chick flick.

• Romance, no matter the level of cheesiness, is always necessary!
•  An attractive, and more importantly, a sensitive male makes us weak at the knees.
• Even if it is the most cliché conversation, relationship, or plot there has to be something that makes us cry.
• Strong, empowered females are always a plus.
• A  female bonding situation with friends or family certainly adds to the emotional appeal.  

The next time you’re in the mood for a girl’s night, or you need some inspiration for cute outfits, or you just want to watch an adorable love story even though you know exactly what’s going to happen, then check out one of these films. Feel free to add to the list by commenting below. Grab some popcorn, and chocolate, a couple friends, some nail polish, and a couch, and you’re ready to go!

• A Walk To Remember
• How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
• The Secret Life of Bees
• The Proposal
• Confessions of a Shopaholic
• My Sister’s Keeper
• Love Story
• Notting Hill
• The Notebook
• Miss Congeniality
• Falling Up
• Valentine’s Day
• Letters to Juliet
• Dear John
• Legally Blonde
• She’s All That
• 27 Dresses
• The Ugly Truth
• 500 Days of Summer
• Bride Wars
• Leap Year

If you’ve never heard of Dev Patel, you must live under a rock. Seriously. He first broke through to American cinema with his award winning role in Slumdog Millionaire but actually was in the British show Skins prior to his Slumdog fame.

While perusing through GQ this month I was delightfully surprised to see Dev looking suave and chic in a six page editorial promoting his upcoming movie The Last Airbender. In the movie Dev plays Prince Zuko, the 16 year old prince of the Fire Nation. The film, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, opened on July 1st, 2010.

Fun Facts:
Currently dating Slumdog co-star Frieda Pinto
Has a black belt in tae kwon do
Won a bronze medal at world AIMAA championship
Won 11 awards for his role in Slumdog Millionaire and was nominated for another 11

Here are images from the shoot, enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/fashion/22Gimlet.html

and

http://jezebel.com/5593761/a-womans-life-represents-indias-feminist-hopes

It was the fourth of July, and I was prepared for the annual wave of patriotism that washes over even the most self-critical corners of the United States. I was unperturbed, my affection for America ripe, the smell of fireworks in the air. But I woke up the next morning, and it got ugly. Time magazine published an opinion (humor?) piece by Joel Stein about Indian immigration in his hometown of Edison, New Jersey. Full of nostalgia and recycled clichés, there isn’t much in it worth talking about. Except that it unveils in spectacular fashion the rhetoric and logic that still lies beneath the sexy, suit-jacketed face of Post-Racial America. (“Post” in the sense that it exists beyond any awareness of what it is to be “racial”.)

Four sips into my free world coffee, and I’m pissed.

As though it weren’t enough to dislodge yourself from the familiar for the promise of something the world insists is “the good life”. As though it weren’t enough to scrounge together an identity and carry it with you in a suitcase ten thousand miles to a place where you must remake home from fragments, against an entirely unfamiliar backdrop. As though it weren’t enough to have no idea who you are and where you fit and how to BE in the world. As though it weren’t enough to deal with the dissolution of self and dreams. Let’s also take on the responsibility of ruining the landscape of American nostalgia.

Sorry, Joel. We totally disturbed your past in pursuit of our futures.

The malls in India really are “that bad”.

Alanis Morissette may have thanked us, but we never got a chance to thank YOU, America. Thank you. Thank you for all that you have allowed us. Thank you for your jobs at desks or in cabs or behind counters, slingin’ donuts or ringing up Slurpees. Thank you for trying so hard to decipher our accents when you’re trying to get your laptop fixed, and for putting up with the overwhelming curry smell we bring with us everywhere we go. Thank you for the eight Oscars, for the occasional pop-culture nod, and for waving a literary hand in the general direction of our experience. Thank you for recognizing our skills, and for telling us what we lack. Thank you for advertising yourself to us, and then withholding. Thank you for luring us away from ourselves, and relocating us in a nowhere. Thank you for letting us lose ourselves trying to be good enough for your left-overs.

So Joel, please let me know the next time you need to watch soft-core porn or steal and I’ll get my shit out of your way. It’s the least I can do for someone who has figured out “why India is so damn poor.” And do accept my apologies on behalf of my fellow countrymen who have flooded you with violent emails. It seems we can’t even be relied on to play Gandhi anymore. What ever happened to bending over and turning the other cheek? Tch.

So, while most people do normal things during their weekends, I read books on clothes.  Yep.  That’s what I did.  Completely sad part – I proceeded to re-read the books AFTER I finished them.  Like, directly after.  Like, I didn’t even put them down.  I went from last page to first page.  I’ve read some good books in my time and I’ve never re-read a book back to back.  Clearly, I HEARTED these books: That Extra Half Inch by Victoria Beckham and The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia (Project Runway Judge for clarification.  She’s also fashion director at a little magazine known as Elle).

Victoria’s book (Yeah. I’m on a first name basis with her. Whatevs!) has some great tips.  Proper way to buy jeans, what to take on a long airplane flight, what to wear to red carpet events….er, yeah, its practical.  I mean overall it’s pretty cool to know what goes on in her head.  And she’s got some great tips.  Yeah, I know I already said that.  But there were a few things I didn’t like about this book: too much British lingo (vests = tank tops.  WHAT? Are you serious England? Man I’m so glad we won the revolutionary war), and the “where to find things for cheap”-themed section came off as contrived. I just feel like that was thrown in to appeal to the masses.  There wasn’t much substance to it.  I mean I do like the book – it helps inform you on designers, the types of clothes out there, and just gives insight to how V.B. approaches clothes.  I just wouldn’t buy it.  Get it from the library.

But, oh man, when I finished The Little Black Book of Style, my life was different.  Seriously.  It’s what I imagine a self-help book does for people.  First, it’s small and sleek, easy to read with chapters on:  Figuring out your own style, Classics, inspirations, style tips from industry insiders, and fashion footnotes (loved these!!!).  It’s absolutely fab.  I’m gushing right now.  How unattractive.  I took the book kind of as a life lesson:  Keep things simple and classic but always evolve.  Loved it, loved it, loved it! I had this over-crowded place in my brain where clothes are concerned. But this book helped me figure out my style perspective, where I want to go, and what clothes mean to me.  At the end of the day clothes are a form of art, a reflection of yourself.  It’s okay to get inspired by people and its okay to not follow the crowd at the same time.

It’s okay if you don’t take fashion seriously and it’s okay that you don’t consider yourself a “fashionista”.  All I’m asking is that you think about what you wear every once in a while, think about fashion as an accessible way of self expression, art, and creativity.  These books may or may not be your guideline.  If they are, great, and if not, oh well.  At least I’ve got you thinking about it.  And yes, I’m going to re-read them for a third time.

You can check out more of Simerjeet’s fashion rantings on her blog “Fashion Rehab”.

BG had the privilege of getting to know Sarah Ali, an entrepreneur with a very creative soul. She has taken her love for make up, mixed it with her background in psychology, and transformed it into a beautiful studio, called (what else?) The Transformation Studio.

Located in Sugarland, TX, the Transformation Studio aims to be a wellness center and beauty spa that focuses on inner and outer beauty, a healthy lifestyle, positive self image and reaching one’s full potential. At her studio, Sarah provides world class services such as makeup application and professional makeup courses. In addition to world class spa services and photography, Sarah provides personal growth workshops and seminars, as well as counseling.

Sarah is definitely one smart, hip, beautiful brown girl!

BG: Please tell us a little bit about your background:

Sarah: I am Indian-Pakistani Muslim American. I’m not a confused ABCD. I am extremely comfortable in being brown and American and I really do enjoy both cultures equally.  I am a licensed professional counselor, Hollywood trained makeup artist and photographer. I have a bachelors in Psych and a masters in Counseling Psychology. I started my own wellness and beauty center, The Transformation Studio Jan 09. I started Transformations Makeup Academy, the 1st makeup school in Texas in July 09, and own makeup line, Chamak Makeup, in Jan 10.

BG: Where did you grow up?

Sarah: I was born in NY, lived in South Korea for ten years and then moved to Houston.

BG: How did you first get started in the world of make-up?

Sarah: It all started in high school when my sister’s best friend had a disaster and called me on her wedding day. From there on I was hooked because I was able to work with people and use my personality to put them at ease, make them feel special and connect with others. It never stopped! Then while in school I started working at the department stores for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, M.A.C., and then  was the regional artist for Texas for CK Beauty.

BG: Where did you get your inspiration for the transformation studio?

Sarah: I started researching wellness centers and med spas and saw that there was scope in that area. I already knew that the beauty industry and makeup industry was booming. I felt that psychotherapy and counseling was something more people should be exposed to. I thought about blending these separate entities together. I also wanted to add the world inspired angle because of my respect and fascination with the different cultures in the world. My vision was a warm inviting center for beauty, wellness, and health, for beauty that is inside and out.

BG: Was this a joint venture, or was it all you?

Sarah: While this is my brainchild, it definitely is a family business, along with investing all of my savings, I also have the financial, emotional and physical support and backing of my parents. My father is a civil engineer and my mom works for a school district but they both help out after work and weekends whenever I need them.

BG: Tell us a about your make-up products (Chamak).

Chamak Makeup (www.chamakmakeup.com) is a line that I created to celebrate the South Asian culture with vivid and rich colors that actually show up on our skin. I wanted to showcase our heritage with the product logo, packaging and names. It took a very long time to come up with the themes for each product and shade name. I had so much fun coming up with the concepts and got names from listening to Hindi film songs, researching English-Urdu websites, and badgering my parents, uncles, and aunties and grandmother.

The colors that every Desi girl would complain about not being able to find were deep golds, bronzes, coppers, silver,  maroon, dark green, and dark blue eye shadows both pressed and loose. I knew I had to fill this niche and offer them. Finely milled glitters in Desi friendly colors were also nonexistent or if available were too expensive. That was another item I knew Chamak would need to offer.

As predicted, those were the items that our customers instantly fell in love with.  Among several products we also feature liquid foundation, concealer, powder, lipstick, lip-gloss, lip liner & crème blushes. Each and every product was hand selected by me and I use them on clients on a day to day basis along with the professional studio lines I carry at the studio. The mineral lipsticks have also done well with the crowd, but I’m very excited to introduce a custom blend lipstick and matte foundation very soon. When customers come in to our Chamak display room, we help them shop for exactly what they are looking for, and especially help with foundation/powder selection, record  purchases in their client history, and create a face chart for them to take home and practice new looks. My goal is to make makeup fun for Desi’s or any woman of color and to demystify makeup for the everyday woman.

BG: What are some of your favorite products and why?

Sarah: It is hard to answer this question. I took a year to pick out each product and shades for my line and all of the products are favorites. Though, in particular, I am obsessed with our Dhoom Powders because they are pulverized glitter blended into loose powder, and look like diamond dust, absolutely gorgeous! I also really like the foundations, concealers, and powders, because most clients start there. It took a long time to find a manufacturer that made mineral face products that had a texture that I liked, had the proper shades, and had enough coverage. Also, I like the Lashkara Face Shimmers because they are the perfect amount of shimmer for the face.

BG: Where can people purchase your products?

Sarah: Currently Chamak can be purchased at the studio or online at www.chamakmakeup.com.

BG: What other services do you provide at the Transformation Studio?

Sarah: The studio is a one stop shop offering makeup services, I teach pro makeup classes (we have the 1^st makeup school in Texas), salon/spa/massage by appointment, services using natural products, world dance fitness classes, portrait photography, private events, and personal growth (counseling, naturopathic medicine & life coaching).

BG: Can you tell us about your “Personal Growth” and Make-Up Workshop offerings?

Sarah: Personal growth includes counseling, naturopathic medical appointments, life coaching, image consulting, and nutritional/fitness coaching. We have a charm school workshop aimed at young girls in middle and high school.

Our makeup workshops are made for people who want to learn makeup tricks. People schedule their 2 hour workshop with us, there is a minimum of four in a group and they pick what lesson they want to learn. Lessons can be everyday makeup, smokey eyes, evening makeup or just a beauty update. Our workshops range from $50 to $75 and include product kits. We have several options and our classes are taught in our Hollywood makeup lounge on the 2^nd floor. The classes are affordable, interactive, and informative.

BG: What have been some of your best moments since you started Transformation Studio and Chamak?

Sarah: TTS moments: Reading positive reviews on Citysearch, I get misty eyed at some of them! There are times that clients come in to book a service or come by for a simple tour but stay for over an hour just hanging out because they like the ambience and our staff. When clients become friends, add me on Facebook, start hanging out, invite me to their graduation parties, and weddings.

Chamak moments: At parties, when people ask me what shades I have on, and then show up to the studio. When moms steal their daughters Chamak and the girl brings the mom in next time for Mummy Ji to get her own stash! Makeup students returned their Urban Decay eye primer and bought my Kora Kaghas eye primer after using it in class. Friends bust out with a Chamak lipstick in front of their friends at parties and all the girls ask what product it is… surreal!

BG: Where do you hope to see these endeavors go in the future?

Sarah: My next goal is to start a you tube channel online talk show with tips on wellness, health, beauty & life skills. I hope I can throw some comedy sketches, makeup how to’s, bhangra/yoga clips in there.

If I can make and save enough money,  I would love to partner with charitable organizations and create a South Asian women’s shelter that was stylish and where we could transform lives of women in need.

Also, if my business becomes established and I actually make some money, I might open another branch of The Transformation Studio. I hope that I can build up Chamak Makeup and eventually open up a few retail accounts at South Asian salons around the country.

BG: If there is one piece of advice you would give brown girls about make-up, what would it be?

Sarah: Wear powder/foundation that is your color and blend it well, go past your chin and blend it into the neck!! Set your liquid foundation with a loose translucent powder.

Don’t keep patting more powder on top, use blotting paper instead. Less is more with this stuff, let your natural skin show. Be proud of your skin color and your ethnicity.

Check out more about the Transformation Studio and Chamak Makeup at www.thetransformationstudio.com.

http://browngirlmagazine.com/2010/02/blending-in/

http://browngirlmagazine.com/2010/04/check-it-vogue-india-tackling-color-prejudice/

http://browngirlmagazine.com/2009/02/the-fair-skin-battle/

Switzerland never had trouble attracting tourists, but now there is another reason to go see the beauty it has to offer and the little town of Montbovon. Why not? Americans have been visiting Salzburg, Austria for decades to trace the steps of The Sound of Music. Just add up Kajol + SRK + Bollywood and you might have a classic bigger than that!

Check out the NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/world/europe/12swiss.html?hp

modeling by ‘Tygrr’ DosRemedios

Photoshoot information:

1. Wakesurf: ShredStixx boards by slayshTank (http://slayshtank.com/)

2. Surfing: Dan Taylor board, slayshTank apparel

Dear Wise Brown Girl,

I’ve been dating my (non-Indian) boyfriend for about a year.  We’re long distance, and now that we have both graduated, I fly to visit him often.  My parents have no idea about the boyfriend, though I think they suspect.  It’s more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and they have never come out and asked me.  The relationship is going well, but we are taking it slow especially since we are so young.  I feel really guilty about lying to my parents, especially when I don’t tell them I am traveling.  I don’t want to tell them everything until I know the relationship is really serious (i.e. close to engaged), but how can I feel less guilty about my secrets? I feel like an awful daughter for lying when I know how upset they would be if the truth came out.  Any suggestions?

Signed,

Disobedient daughter in love with boyfriend

Dear DDILWB,

I understand your problem. Whenever it comes to relationships, for some reason I start living a double life even though I hate lying to my parents.

The problem with your problem is that there’s no simple, solve-all solution. We’re Indian and that means that unless we have parents who are completely supportive of any romantic decision we make regardless if the guy is even a part of your race and religion (most parents don’t even believe in dating), there is going to be some fibbing somewhere. The question really is how much you’re willing to lie, and for that you really have to ask yourself a couple questions:

1. Are you thinking marriage in the next couple of years?

If the answer to this is ‘yes’ then you have to think about whether you could end up with this guy, regardless of how your parents feel about him. If marriage is high on your priority list but you can’t see yourself marrying this guy – then it might be best to cut ties now before things get more hairy.

2. How serious do you feel about him – really?

You say you guys have been together for over year so it can’t be a fling, but you say you’re taking it slow. If you really are just having fun, then it might be time to evaluate the situation and think about whether your ‘fun romance’ is worth the hundreds your spending on flying back and forth, and the lies you’re feeding to your parents.

One last thing is the traveling back and forth. If you must do this, you should consider at least telling your parents you’re leaving town to visit friends or something. If anything were to ever happen and your parents didn’t even know you were out of town, imagine how hurt and embarrassed they would be that they didn’t even know where their daughter was. If you can find some way to tell them you’re flying to where your boyfriend lives and say you’re visiting friends, that would be best. If not, at least a ‘Hey, I’m going out of town for the weekend.’

Once you’ve really thought about your relationship and how much you are willing to risk for it, you may have a clearer head to figure out what to tell your parents. If in the end, you end things with your boyfriend (though, of course it’ll be hard), then what your parents didn’t know won’t hurt them and there’s no use in worrying about it. After all, we do have to live our lives some way. Just make sure you’re responsible and safe!

The Wise Brown Girl

If you need some advice, submit it to our staff at staff@browngirlmagazine.com!