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For your eyes only...

Individuals wear contact lenses for cosmetic or medical reasons; some simply prefer to wear contact lenses instead of glasses for correcting refractive errors of visual ergonomic reasons and some people wear them to change or enhance their eye colour. Contact lenses can be worn by most people. Be they nearsighted or farsighted, older or younger, they can probably wear some type of contact lens.

Soft Contact Lenses:
Most people today prefer to wear soft contact lenses as they are considerably more comfortable to wear than hard lenses and this is most apparent during the initial break-in period. Disposable or frequent replacement soft lenses are also available, with the advantage being that a new lens in placed on the cornea every day/month, which promotes healthier corneas.

Clear Lenses:
Regular clear soft contact lenses are very safe to use. As soon as the need for vision correction is identified, contact lenses are a viable option. They are better suited for people participating in sport, especially contact sports where spectacles pose a risk of breaking and damaging the cornea.

One of the reasons for choosing contact lenses is improvement in personal appearance. In Bangladesh, there is a latent demand for contact lenses in women and young adults. The self-esteem of women and teens is closely related to their appearance. If they don't like the way they look in glasses, it can affect their personality, and their performance in workplace or school. Once they start wearing contacts, many shy women and teens come out of their shell and begin participating more in life.

Cosmetic Lenses:
Colored or cosmetic lenses are very common today, especially when people consider the number of advancements made in lens technology in the last two decades. The most common uses of them are for cosmetic purposes, along with vision correction. Cosmetic lens wearers use the lenses as a "boost" to their daily appearance without any real desire to advertise the fact that they are doing so.

Coloured contact lens wearers often want to enhance their existing eye colour or correct a natural defect, such as eyes with two distinctly different colors (i.e. one black and one brown eye), bloodshot irises, or eye color that is too faded.

Cosmetic contacts have quickly become the latest teenage fad. Teens say coloured lenses are a kick, whether you need glasses or not. People who have no need for correcting their vision are still donning these lenses simply for cosmetic purposes. Depending on the outfits, they like to change their eye colour frequently.

Brands and Quality:
Today there are various contact lens brands available in the market. But it is important to know that not all the brands are manufactured with good materials which can be harmful for the cornea. There are many small retailers who are selling cheap quality contact lenses in the market and so it is advisable that while purchasing contact lenses, you go to a big and well-reputed retailer who assures quality products. Fashion Optics Ltd, the leading optical company in Bangladesh, has introduced two new quality brands in the market, Johnson & Johnson, USA and New Bio, Korea (ISO 9001). Both clear and colour lenses are available for these brands. You will be astonished to see the three tone colours of both the brands. You can try wearing Johnson & Johnson colour lenses and you will be pleasantly surprises at the different you! The New Bio color lenses will make a difference with a new dimension to your expressiveness. An existing brand Ego Soft contact lenses are also available for clear lenses and the good news for Ego wearers is that Fashion Optics has just introduced Ego Colours Cosmetic Lenses that will project a dynamic, bold, and expressive you!

Price:
The price for contact lenses varies greatly depending on the contact lens brand and type. Below is the price range for different brands available at Fashion Optics Ltd:

Johnson & Johnson: Tk 1700- Tk 2200
New Bio: Tk 1400-Tk 2900
Ego: Tk 1300-Tk 2800
How to Purchase:

If you are a first-time contact lens wearer, you must see an eye specialist before wearing contact lenses whether clear or cosmetic. Only the eye specialist can tell you if your eyes are fit to wear contact lenses. Then you make a purchase of your convenient brand from Fashion Optics Ltd. retail shop located near to you. The salespeople will also assist you to know lens wear instructions, storing and other important factors you need to know about contact lenses.

Contact:
For more information on contact lens brands, price, wear instruction or for any personal query, please contact the Fashion Optics Ltd. salespeople of any retail showroom.

By Farzana Islam

News flash

Sunsilk Boishakhi Shaaj

The Bangla New Year is a time to let down your hair ... or to style it. And this Pohela Boishakh, Sunsilk made that the theme of a contest the Sunsilk Boishakhi Shaaj Contest. It brought a new dimension to the Bangla New Year celebrations.

And the country's premier shampoo brand Sunsilk provided a new avenue for expression for thousands of young women who participated in the contest. Video cameras at the Ramna and Shahbag Boishakhi celebrations captured attractive Boishakhi hairstyles that came their way. Some came with hair let down, just a garland of blossoms to show off the tresses; some came in elaborate, traditional coiffures. There was one thing common to every Boishakhi head: flowers in the hair.

A distinguished panel of judges went through all the video footage and pronounced the winners: the best Sunsilk Boishakhi Shaaj award went to Aupie of Moghbazar, Sumana Sharmin of Rajabazar was the Runner-up, while Sania Hossain of Keraniganj was adjudged Third. The winners got Gift Vouchers redeemable at Aarong and at the Persona Beauty Parlour.

Raowa Club: Seminar on fashion and interior design

On the 19th of April Raowa ladies club arranged a seminar with the help of Chittran Institute of Design and Arts to highlight the prevailing trends in design. Architect Sharif A. Chowdhury talked on the recent emergence of design studies. He stressed on its significance for the young generation as it is becoming a hot new profession. Design whether focusing on fashion or home interiors is something that could be easily adopted by everyone from professionals to housewives.

LS Desk

Tips for your nails

If you have a large collection of nail polish then you must also know how to take care of these bottles. Always remember not to store polish in a warm place because your polish will change its thickness in warmth. In contrast to popular belief, it is a safe idea to store nail polish in refrigerator!

Whenever you file your nails, bear in mind not to file the corners of your nails because filing the corners of nails will weaken the nails and make them brittle.

Be careful about washing your hands after handling germ-prone things like the doorknobs, public lavatory and etc. Although long nails in women are considered appealing but remember that keeping very long nails often gives rise to yeast infection. So keep them moderately long and clean them regularly.

Eat nutritious food to keep your nails in healthy condition. Your nails will reflect the kind of diet list you follow. For instance, lack of vitamin A and calcium will make your nails brittle and dry. If you don't procure enough zinc from your food then white spots will develop on your nails. Besides, white bands across nails evolve from lack of protein. Cuts and breaks on your nails indicate that you need to consume more liquids.

In order to maintain a set of beautiful and flawless nails, eat lots and lots of fresh fruits and raw vegetables in order to meet your needs of essential vitamins and minerals. Also consume foods like fish and onion, which are full of sulphur and silicon. Don't forget to drink plenty of water, fruit juices and other liquids. If possible, try drinking fresh carrot juice to give strength to your nails.

While you paint your nails, keep in mind a simple trick; if you have tiny nails then never go for deeper shades of nail varnishes. Deep shades like red or maroon will make your small nails look even smaller. So, try out the lighter and more natural shades.

Remember to apply nail polish remover if you are planning to coat a new colour on your nails; nail polish remover will remove any grease or traces from the previous nail polish you applied and thus, make your new nail varnish stay longer.

Many renowned companies now sell nail varnish with matching lipstick; you can try out these packs to add extra glamour to your look.

If you have brittle nails, try not to use too much of detergent, which is highly corrosive in nature. Your nails might also be brittle 'cause of insufficiency of calcium in your body.

There are many ways to keep our nails in tiptop condition; it's just our little will power that is required. So go ahead, take care of your nails and stir up envy in your friends…

By Wara Karim

Hanging Out

Hanging out in the DU campus

One’s favourite hangout spot, can even be the tin-shed tea stall just a block away from home. One may prefer a burger or pizza joint, lavish coffee shop or simply the sidewalk in front of a shopping mall. So many of you tried places just like that. How about trying something different? University of Dhaka being so close to every hotspot of the city is an ideal location for cool adda. Apart from the students, it is a regular hangout of the city couples and jobholders. Let’s move around a bit inside the campus and find out what is it that attracts hundreds of addabaj everyday for hours.

To be frank, it is no amusement park, yet it offers a feast of fun. Centre of all these adda is the Kalabhavan. Students gather in small groups in different hot zones. There is the historical Madhu's canteen. This is the hub of all activities and is open from morning till 11 at night. People stay there for hours, lazily sipping the not so tasty tea, smoking and discussing about politics and what is new in life. The IBA canteen is another bustling place. Inside this canteen there are no chairs and tables. Card games continue along with tea and cigarette. Then there is the DUCSU café (open till noon), and TSC café (open till 5).

DU campus is one of the greenest areas of the city. Some of the open spaces have names such as hakim chattar, mall chattar, or buddhijibi chattar. There is a newly established chattar situated right beside the DU masque. It is called the parhejgar chattar by many some others call it shaalik chattar. According to some students Omar mama of this chattar serves the best tea of the campus. Outside the DU central library there is the Shahadat's tea stall that attracts many.

Lunch is available in DUCSU café, IBA canteen, TSC canteen. There are two mobile snacks one is called Ravenous in front of the central library, another is called Venul in front the Fine Arts premise. Both these places sell Tehari during lunchtime. And there is DUS in front of the TSC.

There are lots of tea stalls where the stove is always burning with kettles on it. Deshi munchies like jhaal muri, chatpati, baadam bhaja is always available. You can also cool yourself with a glass of fountain coke, green coconut water and with sugar cane juices.

Occasional cricket matches on the streets are held sometimes even using tree branches as bats. Songs accompanied by guitars can be heard. Students of Natyakala enchant the campus with traditional songs and by playing instruments like dotara.

Location of adda changes hour wise. Madhu is one place, which is always on the go and so is parhejgar chattar. Outside the TSC, there is always some crowd. In the evening, some adda happens in front of the girls hostels mostly Rokeya hall and Shamsunnahar hall. Raju bhaashkorjo and Shoparjito shwadhinota is preferred by many. Couples from around the city visit during this time. Their rendezvous continues till 9pm.

Interesting feature of the campus adda is that, it sort of wraps up when all the female dormitories close at around 9: 30. Most of the boys get back to their respective halls. Those who hang out in the Madhu, mostly ex students, start to move slowly but an extended adda continues till 11 at night.

As mentioned before, this place is no amusement park but if one can get inside the mood of the place then it is easy to get glued down. The best thing about this place is that carefree young minds always full of ecstasy come together with their diversified thoughts and ideas. Political atmosphere can be a little rough sometimes besides that one can speak out loud and spend delightful moments, as it possesses a liberal stature absent in so many other places.

By Shahnaz Parveen