Milni Spring Summer 2017 by milni

Issue 2, Volume 2 | SPRING/SUMMER 2017

CAPTURE YOUR COLOUR Meet the ladies from Vasanti Cosmetics and see how they are redefining skincare for any shade of skin.

PLANNERS TABLE Advice from Toronto UNDER THE wedding planner, Adore! TUSCAN SUN Events | Weddings

THE "F" WORD Learn how to talk about your finances with your partner

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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IN EVERY ISSUE 2 A Letter from the Milni team 3 What is Milni 4 Contributors 9 New & Now

FEATURES 6 Capture Your Colour Meet the ladies from Vasanti Cosmetics

12 Planner's Table Adore! Events | Weddings talks to Milni about how to navigate wedding planning

15 Where is the "I" In Us Dimple Mukerjee sheds some light on how we can avoid losing ourselves in a relationship

16 Wedding Beauty Makeup artist, Karima Sumar, gives us a breakdown of how to get ourselves ready before the big day

19 Staying Healthy Pinky Kaith shares with us her tips on staying healthy during wedding season

23 DIY Decor Perfect floral pom poms for any bridal occasion

27 The "F" Word Aleem Visram gives his advice on how to discuss finances

29 Real Weddings Harneet & Kunal Neelam & Abhishek

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A letter from our editor Welcome to the second issue of Milni magazine. In this issue, our team was inspired by the stories we heard from our couples. This issue is focused on content that can help you find yourself and develop your relationship with your partner, while you plan one of the biggest events of your life. Our contributors have taken the time to curate content that is applicable to anyone - from the friend attending her best friend's wedding, to how to stay healthy and fit through wedding season. We're always open to contributors, so please feel free to contact us if you're interested in finding out more about what we do, this digital magazine or our wedding service provider platform. Thanks, and enjoy reading this issue of our magazine! Neeti Passi CEO, Milni.co CONTACT US team@milni.co

Milni is published by Weddeveloper, Inc. Toronto, Ontario, Canada www.milni.co

@milni_official MILNI

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Get a list of curated wedding service providers based on your needs

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CONTRIBUTORS DIMPLE MUKHERJEE

@wholeselfconsulting /wholeselfconsulting

Dimple Mukherjee is a holistic lifestyle coach and the founder of Whole Self Consulting and Bindi Parlour, companies designed to help women take better care of their bodies, mind and soul. Having gained insights from her own life and combining those experiences with her knowledge based in occupational therapy, health coaching and applied positive psychology makes Dimple the ideal coach for the modern South Asian woman. She believes in the power of dreams (a.k.a. living with purpose and intention), holistic lifestyle practices and harnessing your intuition to living an abundant life filled with meaning and happiness. Dimple’s big vision: To lead women to the best versions of themselves through the support of powerful female connections.

KARIMA SUMAR Karima is a self-proclaimed beauty junkie! She has always loved cosmetics and the beauty world. Karima began working in merchandising and could not deny the need to express herself creatively by being a part of the beauty industry, taking a leap and following her passion. Karima has over 6 years of experience in the makeup industry working for clients such as Pink Tartan, Canada Goose, Hudson's Bay, Indigo, and L'Oréal. Her greatest pleasure comes from working with brides and being part of their special day. She loves helping brides look like the best version of themselves when they say “I do”! Karima helps you find the balance between the glam look on camera and looking gorgeous in person.

@barnonebeauty /barnonebeauty

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CONTRIBUTORS PINKY KAITH Pinky started off in the Health & Beauty industry in 2003 where she fell in love with the idea of helping people feel better about themselves through their skin and beauty. She knew that true beauty comes from the inside and had a passion for helping people feel more confident about themselves, whether it was through their skin or their health. As a mother of a thirteen and eleven year old, she took the leap and became a Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition and is now a Fitness Coach and P90X Live Instructor offering valued advice in her personal groups on Facebook. /pinkrockkaith

ALEEM VISRAM Aleem is the Owner of MIRFP Financial Planning, a company that helps individuals and businesses maximize their wealth and protect them for the future. Aleem has been a keynote speaker for the Richard Ivey School of Business Alumni Association, the Economic Planning Board of Ontario, Empire Life National Conference in Las Vegas, Advocis, and to Qualified Financial Services. Aleem also teaches Management courses in the BBA, MBA and Executive Education Programs at the Schulich School of Business. Prior to teaching, Aleem spent over a decade in Management at several global Fortune 100 companies, including Pfizer, American Express, Kraft, Novartis and Tata. @money maximizer

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VASANTI COSMETICS For those of you who have never heard of Vasanti Cosmetics, let us be the first to tell you that their lipsticks have been a staple in our makeup bags for years. What started with the simple question, "why doesn't makeup look good on me?", soon sparked four passionate women to create a skincare and cosmetics company structured around a single vision - to make beauty inclusive, accessible, and inspiring. Built on the bond of sisterhood, these female entrepreneurs have redefined how makeup can enhance the natural glow of any woman, with any shade of skin, without feeling weighed-down. Milni had a chance to sit down with the ladies of Vasanti Cosmetics to learn more about their company history and why Vasanti Cosmetics customers are so loyal to the brand. Milni: What is your brand philosophy? Vasanti Cosmetics: Vasanti is about sisterhood. It’s what binds us, inspires us, and drives us. We believe that you’re most beautiful when you feel good. Don’t you? It’s our mission to provide this foundation of comfort, to help you see yourself as those who love you see you: Beautiful. Confident. True. M: Where do you get your inspiration for beauty products? VC: We find inspiration in everything around us: the seasons, the runway, nature…even great designs. We watch all emerging trends, carefully considering how they could translate into comfortable, everyday wear.

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M:Where did the idea of "Vasanti Cosmetics" come from? VC: We just couldn’t find products that matched our complexions, or that felt comfortable on our skin. Cosmetics brands at the time only seemed to want to mask our flaws, instead of bringing out what was beautiful in each of use. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, we did what came naturally: we decided to solve the problem ourselves by starting our own business. It took us three years of research and development before we launched in 1999 with formulas to enhance natural beauty, suit every skin tone, and allow women to forget that they’re wearing makeup at all. Since then, we’ve built Vasanti Cosmetics with one product at a time - carefully developing each product to provide the versatility and high performance we ourselves were looking for all those years ago.

M:What defines Vasanti Cosmetics today? VC: Today we continue to live by our original motto: “welcome all with the warmth of an embrace, and the energy of a new experience.” The same values of inclusivity, performance and inspiration still drive every thing we do, and all decisions we make. We are continually improving; creating new formulas; sourcing the very best ingredients; maintaining our commitment to welcoming price points; and, always listening and learning from the women who use our products every day.

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M: What sets Vasanti Cosmetics apart from other makeup brands on the market? VC: Every single product we create reflects our mission; giving women the chance to look and feel beautiful by being most themselves. From skincare to cosmetics, we want to give you high-quality products you can trust and rely on to enhance your best asset: your natural beauty. We are a brand built on the love and promise of sisterhood as well as the simple, magical truth of accepting you for you.

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Carry some light in your hands with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder ($55, sephora.ca), which adds the perfect illumination to any face.

NEW & NOW

Clutch

From top centre, clockwise: Saks Fifth Avenue Collection Long Rectangular Crystal Clutch ($395 CAD), Gucci Broadway Brocade Embroidered Clutch ($4110 CAD), Alexander McQueen Floral Embroidered Knuckle Clutch ($4290 CAD),Rebecca Minkoff Leo Glitter Envelop Clutch ($125 CAD), Alice + Olivia Large Bohemian Embroidered Leather Clutch ($610 CAD), Jimmy Choo Holographic Multicolour Crystal Clutch ($6415 CAD) MILNI

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Lasting

NEW & NOW

IMPRESSION Choosing the right scent to leave a lasting impression on your wedding guests is simple with the newest selections. From floral to orange blossoms, your distinct scent can be the clincher to any fabulous reception outfit!

VICKTOR AND ROLF Petit Bonbon

GUERLAIN Mon Guerlain

NINA RICCI Luna

MIU MIU Miu Miu L'eau Bleue

CHLOE Love Story

TOM FORD Velvet Orchid Lumiere

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NEW &

Images: People Magazine and Google Images

NOW

From Pharell Williams on the red carpet at the Oscars, to the runways of Indian couture, we are seeing the rise of the men's brooch as a key must-have jewellery item for 2017..

TRY the Rose & Champagne crystal sherwani brooch from Alibaba (bottom left) or the Ruby and gold chain double brooch from Amazon India (top right) MILNI

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by Milni

TABLE

When we think about planning a big South Asian wedding, we cannot help but feel the pressure (and a bucket of sweat) of coordinating multiple events, over multiple days, with multiple ceremonies. More and more couples are opting to have the helpful hand of a wedding planner to reduce the stress involved in organizing one of the biggest events in their lifetime. Having a go-to person to run through the details and assist in orchestrating the flow of each event has been crucial for many couples to cope with the stress of wedding planning and execution. We sat down with Geeta Gosain of Adore! Events | Weddings at Fahrenheit Coffee at their Richmond Street & Portland location to savour some yummy Americanos and to chat about how to keep it simple when planning your wedding. Milni: What are your top 3 tips for today's South Asian bride planning her wedding? Geeta Gosain: My advice to South Asian couples is first to take a moment (just the two of you) to think about what you really want before you start planning. Be sure you stick to what you know and makes you two happy, what you grew up knowing, and stay true to your traditions. Second, try to limit the social media/wedding show noise, where vendors from all categories are coming at you with what you need and what you should have. Choose a few vendors from each category and narrow it down to two or max three before making a final decision. Lastly, both the bride and groom need to understand what this day is all about. Couples get consumed with all the wedding planning details and forget that this is YOUR day- you are making a lifetime commitment to each other as you begin this new journey!

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M: What's the best overall advice you've heard - and repeated - related to wedding planning? GG: One piece of advice that I've heard when I was younger which has stuck with me ever since is to "keep it simple". This phrase has been said to me throughout my life, and it's something that I have adopted and repeat constantly to couples. Keeping it simple means being realistic and knowing the things you want, versus the things someone else told you that you need. Dividing your planning into these simple categories of what you want vs. what others think you need will make the process that much simpler. It will help you to stay true to who you are individually, and as a couple. It will also help you maintain a realistic budget, make smart & easy decisions, and allow you both to be truly happy on your big day.

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M: What are some wedding trends you would like to see the general public to move on from? GG: One trend that couples should move away from is having too much at their wedding. It's easy to get lost in the glitz and glam, especially if you see your friends and family are doing the same thing. It's hard not to compare and automatically think to do more to beat the competition (which it really shouldn't be), but it's common instinct to want to do more to be better than them. A wedding ceremony, reception and any other related events should be a reflection of the couple's personality and represent their unique love story! Keep it simple, classy, chic with a splash of glitz and glam!

Adore! Events | Weddings & Virtual Wedding Planning caters to all event planning, locally and beyond borders. Our goal is to create lasting relationships with our couples throughout the planning process and of course on their big day. Along with planning, coordinating and consulting, it is our top priority to make sure that our couple's wedding day is seamless and an unforgettable experience. MILNI

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WHERE IS THE "I" IN

by Dimple Mukherjee It’s so easy to lose yourself in a relationship - it happens to the best of us. Slowly over time, identities start to blend and you find yourself in a mesh with your partner. How do you stay true to yourself without having to forsake the closeness that comes with a romantic bond? In short, get to know yourself really well. White Space: carving out time just for you is essential in gaining clarity and to cultivate a healthy relationship with yourself. Engage in self care practices that are only yours and yours alone. An example of this is journaling, a life transforming tool that will undoubtedly help you in this self discovery process. Connect with Others: making time for other people in your life who feed your soul is just as important as carving out time for your romantic relationship. In fact, this level of richness further enhances your relationship as you bring different perspectives to the table for stimulating conversations and in return, to understand your own perspective in the midst of it all. Be Curious: continue to engage in some level of learning, either in the form of an educational or creative pursuit. Not only is this a great way for you expand as a human but it also reminds you of your unique strengths and gifts. Meditation: you knew this one was coming right? Hands down, one of the best tools available to mankind - the art of mastering your mind and developing a deep level of self-connection. It will save you years of therapy ;) "The greatest gift you can give someone is the space to be his or herself, without the threat of you leaving." ~Kai Greene.

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Your Wedding Beauty

Countdown by Karima Sumar It’s the year of your wedding, and the countdown is on for you to look your best - but how should you be prepping that pretty little face of yours?? Here is a step-by-step guide for the year that will help you shine for your big day! Take care of your skin, find a good skin care regimen! You don’t want to be trying a bunch of different things, find something and stick with it! If your skin is a bit problematic, find a great facial specialist and plan to do a few appointments before your wedding! Also, take your vitamins as they always help with great skin, hair and nails!

Start trying out different makeup, hair and nail looks for your big day! Find out what you love and then book your trial! Hair and makeup artist get booked 8-12 months out, so you if you know who you want, get them booked. Go see your hair stylist and figure out your colour.

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Start getting regular manicures and pedicure so that your nails are in amazing shape for your big day! Also, start using cuticle oil (I love CND solar oil) every night to keep the nails hydrated! If you think you will want a spray tan start trying them out to find the shades that works for you (I am a huge fan of Vita Liberata, the tan the Victoria Secret models use!).

Get your teeth whitened if you need it, or book a cleaning for the week before the wedding. If you cannot get into your dentist, Crest Whitestrips do a great job at helping you get those teeth pearly white. Look at creating an emergency bag for your big day. Buy any makeup or hair accessories that you’ll need.

Go for your last facial with your aesthetician. Make sure you have enough skin products to last you for the month - you don't want to be changing your regimen at this point!

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Do your waxing/threading, depending on how your skin reacts you might need more or less days for your skin to calm down.

Deep condition your hair, exfoliate your skin, do a mask, just pamper yourself! Shave today if you’re getting a spray tan.

Go get your nails done, I would suggest a gel polish so that you don’t have to worry about fading and chipping! If you did a spray tan you might want to do your mani/pedi before the tan. Then get your spray tan!

Keep your skin and your insides hydrated with lots of water! Don’t try any new products or food (you don’t want any allergic reactions). Get lots of sleep, tomorrow is your BIG DAY!!

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7 TIPS ON STAYING HEALTHY THROUGH WEDDING SEASON by Pinky Kaith With wedding season quickly approaching, many of us start to think about adopting healthy eating habits and exercise, so that we can fit into this year's newest lehenga style. However, how do we stay healthy and avoid weight gain during all the wedding festivities, when we’re faced with indulgent food (yummy gulab jaman) and higher-than-normal stress levels? Well here are 7 simple strategies that you can implement to make the hectic wedding season a bit more balanced:

Stick With Your Healthy Habits During The Week Don’t get caught up in the wedding bustle and let your regular meal planning or workout routine fall to the wayside. Continue to incorporate nutritious meals and exercise into your usual work week, when your schedule is more structured. This will give you a little more wiggle room for enjoying that special weekend.

Eat Only The Foods You Love You’ve only got so much space on your plate, so don’t fill it with foods you feel lukewarm about. If you’re going to indulge in high-calorie foods at a party, go for the ones that will bring you the most enjoyment; just strive to keep the amount modest.

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Go Booze-Free Sunday - Thursday I know… I know… but if a glass of wine or cocktail is part of your evening ritual, consider doing without your nightly drink throughout the wedding season. Like pop, alcohol is a source of empty calories and, over the course of a month or so, those nightcap calories really add up. If you want to stay healthy and avoid unwanted weight gain, save your alcohol calories for the ladies sangeet and reception!

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Skip Pre-dinner Drinks

Bring Your Favourite Healthy(ish) Dish

Whaa?? Yes… I know it makes the speeches go by faster but not only is alcohol a sneaky source of empty calories, it makes us more inclined to overeat. Alcohol appears to sensitize the brain’s response to food aromas, which can lead us to eat more. So make sure you eat before you drink!

To make sure you’ll have a healthier option you enjoy at wedding events, bring your own dish to share. If you’re not comfortable doing this, do what I do… sneak a protein bar in your purse!

Get Enough Sleep

Schedule One Activity for Every Wedding Function

Sleep deprivation not only messes with your mind, but it also makes you feel hungrier too. When deprived of sleep, the body produces more ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” that increases your desire to eat. It’s not always easy to do but, by getting enough sleep, your body will be better at regulating hunger and you’ll be less likely to overeat.

Participate in a group run, coordinate a family hike, or sign up for a special workout class with a friend before the parties begin!

Staying healthy and avoiding weight gain during a hectic time isn’t easy, but it’s also not as hard as you may think. Put these strategies into practice and enjoy the festivities with friends and family. If, come the end of the season, you’re still hovering around your current weight, consider that a win! MILNI

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DIY Decor: Tissue Paper Pom-Poms

Decorating a space doesn't always have to be a costly venture! We love the idea of adding simple pops of colour to a space and these pompoms made of tissue paper are the perfect way to do that. They can be made in a variety of sizes, making them a versatile craft that you can customize entirely based on the scale of your room. We can envision smaller versions filling clear vases or accenting tablescapes. We also love the idea of multiple shades of tissue paper in each pom-pom. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make these ultra-easy and whimsical pom-poms. All you need is scissors, ribbon and tissue paper in your preferred colour(s). Keep reading for full instructions! STEP 1: Open your pack of tissue paper. Unfold it so it's flat and then fold it in half (width-wise) and cut the layers of tissue paper down this fold line you've created. You've essentially doubled your total layer of sheets (so we went from 20 sheets to 40 sheets here). From there, you can count out 8-10 sheets per pom-pom. This will really stretch each pack of tissue paper you have! If you're interested in pom-poms with more layers, then simply increase your total count.

STEP 2: With the tissue paper stacked, start to accordion fold your layers of tissue paper. We opted for folds that are about 2 cm or 1 inch in width.

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STEP 3: Your accordion folds will start to take shape as you continue down the length of your tissue paper!

STEP 4: Your tissue paper layers will resemble a fan when you're down making your accordion folds.

STEP 5: Fold your tissue paper in half, as pictured to the right. Now it really resembles a fan!

STEP 6: Take your ribbon and tie it in a knot at folding point of your tissue paper. Be sure to tie it and knot it tightly, as this will be the centre of your pom-pom and you don't want it to unravel! Also be sure to be mindful of the length of ribbon you leave for your pom-pom. We left about 45-50 cm extra so that we could have extra length to tie it to a fixture for hanging purposes.

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STEP 7: When your ribbon is tied, it will look like this (see left). Afterwards, press your tissue paper layers back together so they're neatly stacked. Trim the edges into a shape. Here, we rounded our edges (see below, left) so that the pom-poms will have a soft, fluffy appearance. Alternatively, you can trim the edges to a pointy shape for a more graphic finish.

STEP 8: It's time to fluff out the layers of tissue for the pom-pom effect! Tackling one side at a time, gently peel back the layers of tissue paper, starting from the outside layers and working your way in. Be sure to use gentle pressure when moving the layers of tissue, as they are quite delicate and can rip easily. Also be sure to get as close to the centre of the tissue paper layers when peeling your layers back, as it adds to the roundness of the pom-pom's overall shape.

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STEP 9: This is what a half-fluffed pom-pom looks like. Repeat the fluffing process on the other half of the pom-pom, being mindful of not crushing your already-fluffy layers of tissue paper.

The Finished Product!

POM-POMS IN ACTION! We made these pom-poms in three colours (see right) for a recent outdoor event and they were great for a pop of colour that didn't break the bank or blow our decor budget. We curled the remaining ribbon with scissors as a finishing touch.

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HOW TO TALK ABOUT THE

"F" WORD WITH YOUR PARTNER by Aleem Visram You have taken the plunge into one of the biggest decisions in your life, but the time has come to have "the conversation" about the one thing everyone tells you not to talk about - your finances! Having the conversation about how the two of you are going to financially run a household, as well as personally save for the long haul can be difficult. Starting this conversation can be hard, so here are five key questions you should ask your significant other (I highly recommend having a glass of wine or beer on hand while having this discussion):

How do you like to spend your money?

How much debt do you have?

How much do you spend on a monthly basis?

What are your career goals?

What are your big financial goals?

Your financial goals as a couple are probably a bit more complicated. You may be paying off credit card debt and student loans, paying off the wedding debt. You are probably working on building emergency savings and kicking retirement savings into high gear—while also saving for a house down payment and perhaps thinking about starting a family. MILNI

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So what’s the dirty little secret to keeping all those balls in the air without it all come crashing down? You can’t just work on one goal at a time, but you also don’t want to spread yourself too thinly, so I recommend narrowing your focus down to three goals. If you haven’t mastered the big two —paying off high interest debt (like credit cards) and building an emergency fund, then now is the time to start. Once you have tacked these two goals, then set aside a portion of your income to a monthly contribution to an RRSP or TFSA investments to take advantage of tax-free saving opportunities.

If you’re still paying down your credit card balances, concentrate on the card with the highest interest rate, while paying the minimum on the others. This will help you to be debt free and focus on other financial priorities sooner—and help you pay less in the long run. MILNI

Ideally, you should aim to have your annual take-home pay saved up in your emergency fund. But if that figure seems too lofty a goal, your number-one priority is to save one month’s worth of income. Then graduate to a goal of three months’ worth of pay—and build up from there.

Start contributing 10% of your pay cheque to an RRSP or TFSA. If 10% is too high, then start with 5% and increase it by 1% every six months until you max out your contribution room. Make sure to take advantage of employee matching programs - it's free money! www.milni.co | 28

Real Weddings

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"It was important for us to have a regal and elegant vibe that would flow between the ceremony to the reception. Apollo Convention Centre was a great venue to help us bring our vision to life"

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Milni helps you save time and minimize your wedding planning stress by connecting you directly to the best wedding vendors all with the click of a button. We have helped hundreds of couples simplify their planning efforts - let Milni do the same for you! Join for FREE today!

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