Raise your hand if you love the idea of baby-soft skin but find it difficult to achieve. Well, I can’t see your hand, but I see you! Getting smooth and soft skin is not hard to achieve, but it sure requires some effort. And while exfoliation is the key, there is a lot you can get done at home with some DIY body scrubs.
The next time you are tempted to buy those fun-colored products, make sure to dodge the thought since I’m going to share some of the best DIY body scrubs recipes which you can easily make at home without spending much. So, grab your bowl and get started.
1. Green tea sugar scrub
Green tea is known for its anti-oxidant properties both when taken as a drink or put on topically. It reduces inflammation and provides firm skin while killing the bacteria. Green tea is also thought to reduce skin damage caused by those pesky UV rays. Try this green tea and sugar scrub to get that youthful and glowy skin for summers.
Image source: https://www.onlinelabels.com/
Ingredients
Two teabags of green tea
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Directions
Add tea bags to hot water and steep it until it cools.
Add brown sugar to a bowl and mix in some coconut oil.
Once the tea has cooled, add it to the sugar mix.
Add brown sugar or cooled tea until desired consistency is achieved.
Spoon your scrub into a container
2. Oatmeal Honey Scrub
The oatmeal honey scrub is best for sensitive skin or those who can’t withstand complex sugar rubbing against their skin. Oatmeal is not only gentle on the skin but also leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. However, you can also use this scrub on your face since it will exfoliate your skin without causing microtears.
Image source: https://www.healthline.com/
Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup coconut oil
Two spoons honey
Directions
Grind the oatmeal in the blender. However, make sure it’s not powdery, and you can feel the grains.
Mix in the coconut oil and honey.
And in the oatmeal. Make sure the mixture is not too viscous or runny.
3. Sea salt scrub
Sea salt is calming and relaxing for the skin. Yet, it has antibacterial properties, which can be helpful for irritated skin. You can also customize this DIY recipe and add in the flavors of your choice.
Image source: https://www.skincare.com/
Ingredients
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup oil of your choice
A few drops of essential oils
Directions
Combine sea salt and oil in a mixing bowl. Make sure to use ground sea salt since coarse can irritate the skin because of big particle size.
Mix thoroughly to get the consistency right and add-ins some essential oil
Once you’re satisfied with the consistency and fragrance of your scrub, spoon it into a container.
4. Unicorn Sugar Scrub
Try this unicorn sugar scrub which will make you want to play with it for hours. The part is that you can package and gift these cute jars to your friends and family.
Image source: tealnotes.com/
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
A few drops of blue and red food color
Directions
Combine sugar and oil in a mixing bowl.
Part two servings of the mixture and add in food colors, respectively.
Now mix these mixtures or scoop them in separate jars to get all the unicorn vibes.
5. Coffee Scrub
Coffee is thought to be one of the best ingredients for body scrubbing. Its anti-oxidant properties add brightness to the skin and reduce puffiness. The well-known ingredient caffeine acts as a magic ingredient to reduce water retention and stimulate blood flow while providing firmness to the skin.
Image source: https://www.thekitchenmccabe.com/
Ingredients
1 cup ground coffee
1/2 cup coconut oil or olive oil
A few drops of essential oil
Directions
Combine coffee and oil in a mixing bowl.
Add in a few drops of essential oil.
Mix in the ingredients and scoop them in a container.
Try these body scrubs, and let us know which one you liked the best.
Which one would you love to try? Let us know in the comments below.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
It is a common misperception that sunscreen should only be applied on hot, sunny days. This, however, is not the case. Sunscreen is crucial for the skin and should be worn at all times of the day (even inside your house). Because our skin works to shield us from dangerous ultraviolet radiation, we should apply sunscreen to protect ourselves. Even on gloomy days, our skin is vulnerable to the sun’s rays, which can eventually lead to skin cancer, discoloration, and wrinkles. Here are the top five sunscreens to test this summer with links for where to buy them.
Spectra Matt SC SPF 40
Price: Rs 1,398
Unique formulation consisting of sebo micropore structure to help with the excess sebum, leaving behind a silky, matte finish that makes it an ideal companion of oily, acne prone skin people. This product is oxybenzone free and perfect for the hot weather. Some of its benefits include:
SPF 40
PA +++
Broad spectrum
Oily skin, Acne prone skin
Normal skin
Sunburn
Prevents premature aging and wrinkles
Prevents skin darkening
Suitable for face and body
2. Sunplay Skin Aqua Clear White SPF50+ Sunblock
Image Source: Daraz
Price: Rs 2,245
Skin Aqua sunblock is a popular sunscreen in Pakistan that is also recommended by physicians and several skincare and beauty bloggers. Skin Aqua is SPF 60+ and has a non-greasy consistency that is ideal for Pakistan’s humidity. It’s also lightweight and effective as sunscreen if you sweat a lot. It’s my particular favorite, and it never lets me down. It’s a little costly, but it’s well worth it. The lightweight composition is ideal for mixed skin types.
3. Solaris 60SPF Anti-Oxidant Sunblock day cream
Image Source: Pharma Health
Price: Rs 500
Solaris Sunblock is another sunscreen for sensitive skin that is also suitable for mixed acne-prone skin. This contains vitamin C and E, which not only provide a wide spectrum 60 SPF sun protection but also use antioxidants to heal sun-damaged skin cells.
4. Vince sunblock SPF 40
Image Source: Al Fatah
Price: Rs 780
Vince sunblock SPF 40 protects skin against the sun’s broad spectrum of harmful UV rays. It also helps protect against the visible signs of premature aging and also slows down the development of wrinkles. It contains titanium dioxide and the best thing about it is that it leave no white sheet and it suitable for all skin types. Also, it is Paraben free.
5. Bioderma photoderm max crème Sunblock
Image Source: Cutish.pk
Price: Rs 3,500
Bioderma products are high-end and come in a wide range of varieties with some of the greatest components. They are widely available in most superstores, however, the Bioderma sunscreen price in Pakistan is a bit more than others. Bioderma provides excellent sun protection with 100 SPF and can even prevent sun tanning. It is widely regarded as the greatest non-comedogenic sunscreen in Pakistan.
Do you have more to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
Islamabad – June 27, 2022: Pakistan’s leading fintech JazzCash, in collaboration with Bank of Khyber (BoK), is strengthening the country’s digital payments ecosystem. JazzCash users living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) will now be able to receive PKR 2,100 for the government’s Insaaf Food Programme through the JazzCash retail network and existing JazzCash customers will receive funds in their JazzCash mobile wallets. The signing took place at the BoK office in the presence of Managing Director and CEO BoK, Muhammad Ali Gulfaraz, CEO JazzCash, Atyab Tahir and Chief Financial Officer Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited, Sardar AbuBakr.
Through this strategic partnership, JazzCash and BoK will facilitate the Govt of KPK for their Insaaf Food Program, which requires BOK to distribute an amount of PKR 2,100 for 1,000,000 KPK individuals who fall within their criteria, for 3 years, every month. Families will be provided easy and convenient payments on their JazzCash Mobile Wallets and if they do not have a JazzCash account, the same will be transferred on their CNICs payments can be cashed out through JazzCash retail network.
Speaking at the occasion, Atyab Tahir, CEO JazzCash, said, “JazzCash executed over 1.7 billion transactions generating a volume of more than 3 trillion for the year 2021. We have a network of 17,000 agents across KPK, with an aim to grow our network even further. Through our mobile wallet, we have always prioritized financial inclusion (Particularly amongst women) in the country and to achieve this, key strategic partnerships like the one with BoK are critical. Through our facilitation of services like food subsidies, healthcare, etc, we are enabling a stronger financial ecosystem in Pakistan.”
MD and CEO BoK, Ali Gulfaraz, commented, “The Insaaf Food Programme is an initiative by the KPK government to facilitate 10 lac impoverished households. BoK through the JazzCash mobile wallet will enable quick and easy accessibility to these financial services for all the deserving families. Enabling an ecosystem of inclusion and promoting economic diversity in Pakistan.
“Financial Inclusion is at the core of Mobilink Bank’s ambitions and the agreement with BoK is another step in enabling this, especially for the people of KPK through the government’s Insaaf Food Programme. We are committed to reaching the masses and leaving no one behind,” said Chief Financial Officer Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited Sardar AbuBakr
Launched in 2014, JazzCash finished 2021 with 15 million+ monthly active users and 105,000 registered agents nationwide.
When the trailer of Rehbra launched, one could immediately sense another Bollywood inspired movie – if I am more precise here, Jab we Met-ish kind of film that pairs Ayesha Omer and Ahsan Khan in the lead. The first 20 minutes of the film, where the two meet each other for the first time at a train station, tell you ‘that’s exactly what it is’. The director of the film Amin Iqbal, who also wrote the screenplay and dialogues, picks up little references such as Ayesha’s chirpy and happy-go-lucky character named Bubbly, Khan as Danish a serious mindful guy, multiple train encounters and an adventurous love affair remind you of the film mentioned above.
The story revolves around Bubbly, who happens to be the main protagonist, who wants to explore life, travel, and have fun before she finally weds her childhood friend, Tito, played by Muhammad. However, fate has other plans and one sees that ‘you don’t find love, it finds you’ type situation when Bubbly meets Danish in an unexpected clash. There is a little twist though. Danish is also committed to his childhood sweetheart played by Sarish Khan (late film star Sabiha Khanum’s granddaughter) and even though they are not in love (so we are told), they are set to marry. How both Bubbly and Danish come to terms with this apparently hopeless romantic situation – from a casual hook-up to falling in love and troubled circumstances is what the film is all about.
Ayesha Omer as Bubbly justifies her role and pulls it off pretty well throughout the film. However, the loud shrilly tone in certain scenes was a little annoying at times. Ahsan Khan fits his character well, though I have to say the chemistry between the two seemed more platonic. The film also stars Saba Faisal and veteran actor Ghulam Mohiuddin as Bubbly’s caring and open-minded parents. Their characters add fun, perfect comic timings, and lightheartedness to the narrative. While the father is sweet and tolerant, open to the wants and desires of his daughter ‘baap apni aulad ki chahat ko chahata hai’ he says, his reactions are unconventional for certain situations and even appear unrealistic at times.
The second half of the film introduces an interesting character a Seraiki-speaking dacoit of the Gajju Gang played by Sohail Sameer. It is unfortunate that he comes much later in the film since this character with all his charisma and dramatic presence could have added more value to the plot. If given more screen time, a compelling narrative could be created around him and the leading pair.
Image Source: YouTube
It is unfortunate that he comes much later in the film since this character with all his charisma and dramatic presence could have added more value to the plot. If given more screen time, a compelling narrative could be created around him and the leading pair.
The soundtrack is a decent one though the title track Rehbra comes in the third act, nearly when you are expecting the final climax, hence not very situational. Nevertheless, the location and cinematography is great reminding you of another Bollywood number Gerua. Overall this romcom is just another Bollywood inspired love story that we have seen a zillion times.
Have you watched the movie yet? Let us know in the comments below.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
With the rapid growth of e-commerce, shopping has become convenient, fun, and trustworthy. Especially since Daraz has become the first choice for online shopping, people from all age groups rely on the platform for a reliable shopping experience. The forum has also become a credible source for top-quality slightly used certified iPhones.
For all those, who believe that buying an iPhone is a hectic process that needs rigorous checks and balances, Daraz has come up with a solution that takes care of all such hassles.
With the help of their new addition, ‘Daraz Like New’, everyone can get their hands on a PTA-approved, certified, slightly used Grade A quality iPhones with three-months Daraz guarantee. The rates, too, are exceptionally affordable. More than anyone could think or ask for.
Why ‘Daraz Like New’ is different
Unlike other entities that sell slightly used iPhones without any authorized procedure, Daraz Like New makes sure that the device passes 60+ quality checkpoints before appearing on your screen for purchase. These quality tests are conducted by a team of well-trained in-house quality assurance teams.
Each test is prepared to eliminate any possibility of glitches, and all devices come as factory restored. Every iPhone device is tested using the international standard grading software, reiterating Daraz’s commitment to ensuring the highest standards of quality assurance.
Most importantly, a customized test for camera and performance is carried out as these are some of the stand-out features of an iPhone. All products come with OEM components, ensuring peak performance of at least 80% battery health, grading report, Daraz guarantee card, and Daraz logo pin. Each iPhone is made available at affordable rates with no signs of wear and tear.
In case of any claims or complaints, customers can scan the QR code embedded on the guarantee card, and the customer service team will walk you through the process.
It takes us years of learning and socializing to evolve as a person and to grow as a human in your educational capacity and in the professional field you are in, but there’s always that one thing, one thought, one place, a person, or sometimes just a smell that takes you back into the life you lived ages ago. Those sweet little memories, those times that you still wish you could re-create or just re-live for whatever length you can.
Memories are a special force that drives you and motivates you in little things in life and carves you as a person. But have you ever thought that recalling memories can make you win something? Probably not! But what if we tell you that’s very much possible? Keep reading!
It’s widely known that Suzuki is a very well-established brand that has had hegemony over locals for decades and has been a part of an average Pakistanis life in some way or the other. Even when thinking of old good times there must be a Suzuki automobile in your memory, be it your uncle’s Mehran or your elder cousin’s bike you used to race around on, Suzuki as a household name holds some sort of sentimental value.
On these same notes and a similar pattern of memories, Suzuki launched My Suzuki My Story, a platform where people were encouraged to share their Suzuki-related memories depicting what part Suzuki played in their life in any format, be it a vlog, a story a picture or even a song. The last two seasons got immense popularity as thousands of aspirants got into the race to win the MSMS competition and the prizes associated with it.
This year, with Season 3, My Suzuki My Story is on its way to becoming a pioneering platform to give creators a floor to showcase their capabilities on a wider spectrum and to compete with a lot of similarly artistically loaded individuals. To make sure of this, they have onboard big names like Ukhano, Ali Gul Pir, and Bekaar films to emphasize the importance of such a platform and to make it reach a wider audience that would in return make a more creative impact overall.
To get yourself rolled into the process of nostalgia powered by creativity, all you have to do is record, write, shoot, sing or even draw, basically use any format, and send in your entry at www.mysuzukimystory.com.pk and get a chance to not just win the title but also win grand prizes like the all-new Suzuki Swift, Alto 660cc, Gixxer, GS150 and GR150. Sounds exciting right? Now go make your Suzuki Story shine!
Behroz Sabzwari and Javed Sheikh were together when recently the former said something controversial. The matter was related to Khalil-ul-Rehman, Pakistan’s most notorious director and writer. Sabzwari and Sheikh are indeed veteran actors and their opinion should be respected but how much is too much? Read about what he said here:
At a recent interview, Behroz Sabzwari was asked what would Khalil-ur-Rehman be doing if he was not a writer? To this, he replied in a heartbeat that “wo logoun se pitt rahe hote” implying that he would be creating a ruckus elsewhere and dealing with its consequences somewhere else. If we focus on what was said we can partially even agree, that’s true.
Half the reason why Khalil-ur-Rehman is still popular and also unharmed is because of his prestige as a writer. If that gets taken away from his, what will be left? Someone who simply incites bad and backward ideas.
However, it is one thing for an online blog or anonymous person to say this and one thing for an established and senior actor to say. Both of them are very close in age, perhaps Sabzwari is older. Their profession also demands that they walk on eggshells and be careful about what they say. The way even Javed Sheikh laughed afterward added fuel to the fire.
Image Source: OK Pakistan
Khalil–ur-Rehman is not the deserver of sympathies but as colleagues in his own profession, Sabzwari and Sheikh should have been more mindful about what they say and what they laugh at.
More About Behroz Sabzwari
Behroz Sabzwari also seems to be showing that he has a penchant to stay in the news nowadays. The retired actor recently made headlines after his Twitter account was compromised and the hacker kept tweeting opposite things. The hacker even said something about him wishing Shehroz Sabzwari wasn’t his child. Then there were also some political tweets.
Anyhow, Sabzwari then created a video in which he informed everybody that he will be taking action against this. Now it’s this interview and its contents that will make headlines, in fact, have begun to do so. Let’s see what he has to say about this!
Whenever you get in contact with the stalwarts of the drama industry, you get to hear about how our dramas’ niche is real-life events. This is why you will never come across Pakistani Flash or The Arrow. But whilst we are showing the real-life stories, shouldn’t we take a better approach? Because what is happening at the moment is that yes, Pakistani dramas were made on real-life events, and then the moments five to six issues trended, the creators decided to use those five concepts in the rest of the 1000 dramas. One of the issues is that of step-parenting.
Step Parenting
Step-parenting is not always bad. You and I would definitely have come across bad step relations but at the same time, we have come across good step relations as well. We have come across stepmothers who love the children equally and we have seen children return that love as well. But you will come across numerous dramas that show someone as a definite villain if there are step-parents involved. Because of this, we have also heard our society express discomfort at the idea whenever a widow, widower, or divorcee has to marry.
Let’s look at some of these dramas, shall we?
Pakistani Dramas with evil step-parents
Step parent, be it a mother or father, will first of all, not accept the new children.
Let’s take Zindai Gulzar Hai. Kashaf’s mother was very much present in her life, so they did not have to be traumatized by their step mother b ut the woman would constantly degrade them when talking to Kashaf’s father.
Moral: step mother would never have a good opinion of you.
Image Source: mansworldindia.com
Parchayee
In Parchayee, Asif Raza Mir’s character outright refused to accept the wife’s daughter. And even when harassed, he chose to kick the step daughter out of the house.
Moral: Stepfather would never completely accept you
Image Source: ultimatedramareview.blogspot.com/
Udaari
Possibly the worst representation of a step father was in Udaari. Here, Ahsan Khan played the role of a man who was a sexual harasser of his step daughter.
Moral: Stepfather can potentially rape young daughters
Image Source: Dawn Images
Pakistani Dramas with evil children
If the stepmoms in the Pakistani dramas are nice for a change, the children will be the villain.
In Kadoorat, Sanam Saeed played the role of a villain. She was the step daughter who could never accept the arrival of a stepmother. The character was plain evil.
Moral: stepchildren never accept the new mother.
Image Source: Wikipedia
Azmaish
The story is of a girl who is evil because she genuinely assumes that the stepmother and her daughter are here to take over. She believes them to be at fault.
But here is the thing. The stepmother claims that her biological daughter needs not pampered but her step daughters do. And in that, she kept on pampering them, never really raising her step daughter and teaching them right from wrong. With her biological daughter, she would even scold her but with her step daughter, she would always be a maid. Then, Mrs. Stepmother, they would respond you the same way.
Moral: Keep pampering the child and not rear them and then cry when they treat you as a maid
Image Source: YouTube
Almost all Pakistani dramas on step relations will show you something similar; Either the mother is evil or the children. This leads to a negative connotation in the minds of the viewers who are then unable to accept step parents and step children in their lives.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates!
The scorching summers are here, along with humid weather, and the temperature keeps rising. In such instances, it is essential to maintain your body temperature. At the same time, some can do that by staying indoors in the air conditioner. Others not so much.
Image Source: Gif Images Most Wanted
Merely because either they do not have the option or they are keeping their wallet in check. So, what to do if you can’t afford to stay cool in an AC. Let’s have a look at this list to beat the heat this summer.
1. Drink Lots Of Fluids
Image source: https://edition.cnn.com/
Be it juice, Lassi, or some cold water. Fluids are the best way to protect yourself from rising temperature, increasing the chance of heatstroke. Suppose you are someone who keeps forgetting to drink water. Invest in a good water bottle that will not only look cool to carry but will remind you to take a proper amount. Pop some cucumbers and lemon in your bottle for an added boost of freshness.
2. Take A Shower
Image Source: The Times
There is a reason why it’s vital to take showers every day. It does not only suitable for your hygiene showers tend to cool down and lower your body temperature. So, it is best to take a shower early morning or at night to get some cold water without feeling like a boiled egg in summers.
3. Keep Some Cool Washcloths
Image source: /callapollo.com
Make good use of your refrigerators and freezers by freezing extra ice cubes and using them to cool down your body. These ice cubes can be used in a cloth to soothe your skin. However, make sure not to put ice directly on the body since it can leave cause burns. Instead, prepare a washcloth with chilled water and put it on your body to lower down the temperature.
4. Keep Out Sunlight
Image source: http://wap.dssetshutter.com/
Try to keep the sunlight away from your room so that it does not turn into a sauna. Use blinds and curtains to prevent excessive heat from coming into your rooms. You can also use high-reflectivity window films to cover your windows. They are proven to reduced heat transmission by 5 to 10°C.
5. Take Proper Food
Image Source: Navicent Health
Mindlessly eating oily and fried foods can only lead to excessive sweating. Instead, take notes from experts and indulge in light food. Salads and fruits are your best bet to maintain your body temperature.
Try these tips and make sure to stay cool and hydrated without an air conditioner. Then, let us know which one works best for you in the comments below.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
Pakistan’s auto industry has been struggling in the calendar year 2022. From jacked up taxes in the mini-budget in January and now difficulty in opening Letter of Credits (LCs) amid falling foreign exchange reserves in the country.
LC is a banking instrument that companies use to import goods and the auto sector is a large importer since localization is low in Pakistan. The State Bank appears to be hindering auto companies from opening LC in an effort to conserve foreign exchange reserves.
Since the companies were not able to import auto parts or commonly known as CKDs (completely knocked down units) in the auto sector, they have been suspending booking of some of their models.
Moreover, rupee depreciation to unprecedented levels has also been making auto assemblers nervous since they appear to price their cars in rupees on the basis of the cost incurred on import of CKD in dollars. Therefore, the falling rupee has made it unpredictable for them.
Earlier, the industry has already been facing a semiconductor chip shortage, which has been a global phenomenon post-economic shutdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Due to this, the auto industry was unable to deliver some of their variants, mostly automatic, on time and they later suspended their booking.
All of these facts have forced most car assemblers to suspend the booking on their different car models.
“Toyota has suspended bookings of all of their cars,” said auto sector analyst Muqeet Naeem. “They have done it probably because they first want to see the rupee stabilize against the dollar so that they can price their cars accordingly.”
The analyst said Suzuki has also suspended booking of its top-selling cars Alto and Cultus amid supply chain constraints.
KIA has also suspended the booking of Picanto.
As the industry struggles with these issues, social media is now replete with videos of late deliveries where buyers are seen chastising car dealers for long delays.
If a car is priced Rs5 million and has a delivery time of one year, an investor, who has booked a year ago and his delivery is due, would sell it for around Rs5.5 million. This is rampant but an illegal practice. This practice chokes supply of cars and tends to further increase delivery time hence giving more space for investors to earn.
The car delivery time is the time taken by dealers to deliver cars to buyers from the time buyers booked the car. Delivery time has gone up by as much as one year such as happened with Honda Civic.
This high delivery time of the industry has jacked up incentive for the investors to earn own money.
Image Source: Smartchoice.pk
Own-money is a price charged by investors to make a quick delivery of a car. For instance, if a car is priced at Rs5 million and has a delivery time of one year, an investor, who has booked a year ago and his delivery is due, would sell it for around Rs5.5 million. This is rampant but an illegal practice. This practice chokes the supply of cars and tends to further increase delivery time hence giving more space for investors to earn.
As the industry struggles with the reasons discussed, some reports on the auto sector see the sector’s sales falling in the fiscal year 2023. One report sees the sector’s sales declining by as much as 25%, which may erode the profitability of the car companies.
Imagine wandering new gorgeous cities but feeling grumpy due to hunger because there’s no halal food around. You can also imagine digging into a delicious plate of food only to realize it’s not Halal! These are problems people face on a daily basis abroad, here’s how to avoid that with apps!
This is an excellent app if you’re traveling in the UK. Download the app on iOS or Android. It helps you customize search filters to find places where you can buy halal food. Best part? You also get more discounts with usage.
Image Source: Launchgood
2. Halal Dining Club
This app was launched back in 2016 after a crowdfunding campaign. It has over 90,000 registered users. The Dining Club app lists thousands of restaurants across the globe. However, their directory is most detailed and full of nine particular cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong (Kowloon), London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Manchester and Birmingham.
3. Scan Halal
This is another helpful app that does barcode scanning. Scan Halal app will let you know whether the edible product you’re getting is halal or not. Love technology, yes?
Image Source: App store
4. Halal Trip
The name sounds trippy but the app is not. This app will let you find Halal-friendly hotels and restaurants around the world. It even helps out with hotels! Wherever you’re planning to go, simply make a search for the place on the app and you’ll be sorted.
5. Best of Halal
This is another popular app to find halal food when traveling abroad. Best of Halal has great reviews and halal food locations for cities like Bangkok, Sydney, Hong Kong and Chicago. It also has more details to show whether the owner is Muslim or not.
Image Source: I Love free software
6. Crave Halal
This app only covers restaurants in South Korea, USA, and Canada. It has one of the most accurate databases. The team behind it used to call each and every restaurant to manually verify their Halal status. Sounds too easy? It isn’t considering their database has 13,000 places!
7. Verify Halal
The last app is an initiative by Malaysia’s JAKIM (Malaysian Islamic Development Department). It’s there to help Muslims navigate a global Halal that can be really confusing. The app is linked to 6,000 local companies and 60 global certification bodies from Australia to Taiwan and South Africa. Isn’t it amazing?
The PS5 has been out for a couple of years now, so rumors are starting to appear about a potential slimline version that would continue the trend set by all the Play stations that have come before.
With the PS5 being the largest console Sony has ever released, the PlayStation 5 Slim can’t arrive soon enough. Meanwhile, Matt Perks, known as DIY Perks on YouTube, has spent a considerable amount of time and effort to create a PS5 ‘Slim’ that brings the size down from nearly four inches to just under an inch.
PS5 Slim
The slim copper console contains the key PS5 components, and a rather giant external power supply and cooling solution that can be hidden away. Most of the thickness of the PS5 comes from its cooling heatsink and power supply, so DIY Perks relocated those into a long external unit to make the actual console far more attractive on top of a TV stand.
Image source: tweaktown.com
A custom water cooling system replaces the PS5’s existing cooling solution and makes use of copper sheeting to channel water over the CPU. This sheeting also includes several thermal bridges to help cool components like the SSD and power circuitry that are attached to the PS5’s motherboard.
While Sony has lowered the power consumption of some previous PlayStation models to create slim versions, that’s a little out of reach for DIY and modding. Instead, DIY Perks went the route of the PS2 or PS One slim models by creating an external power supply.
This external power and cooling unit resulted in disaster at first, frying the motherboard of the PS5 because the unit fell over and blocked air-flow to effectively cool the console. After swapping the motherboard out, the PS5 “Slim” successfully boots and plays games as you’d expect.
While some will call the enormous power and cooling unit cheating, the entire project is still a fascinating 30-minute journey into the trial and error of modding consoles. The custom copper water block is impressive in how simple DIY Perks makes it seem, built using a jigsaw and regular tools.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
All hail the Lotus Biscoff because it made us go all crazy a few years ago, and it’s safe to say we still are not over it. Seriously though, the stuff is addictive, so proceed with caution if you haven’t tried already. Lotus Biscoff is famed for its distinctive caramel taste and is commonly served with coffee in cafes and restaurants. A few years ago, a trinity of lotus cheesecakes was introduced in our country, too and many brands and cafes jumped on the bandwagon. There are so many cafes and home-based bakers that have included lotus cheesecake and desserts on their menu.
Let’s take a look at some places where you can get the most mouthwatering and heavenly lotus cheesecake. You know, just in case you have been craving it lately.
1. Swing
Swing was one of the first ones to introduce a lotus cheesecake on the menu. As if the interior was not enough to keep us hooked, their lotus cheesecake is one of their best desserts on the menu. Their cake is the perfect treat for all the sweet lovers who like an extra kick of sugar. Thick cream cheese is topped with drizzling lotus sauce and a biscuit, leaving you licking the spoon.
The Second Serving was among the first home base brands to introduce a lotus cheesecake. Their flavor is unique and distinctive and a perfect option for cream cheese lovers who like a balanced flavor. However, their customized boxes and giveaways for special occasions take the award home for being the best ones in town. So in case, you plan to surprise someone, hop on to their page.
Image source: facebook.com
3. Pie In The Sky
If you love the creamy lotus biscoff but do not like the idea of a cheesecake, then Pie In The Sky is the perfect option for you. Their version of cheesecake comes with a sponge cake instead of cream cheese. However, the top of the cake is loaded with lots of Biscoff enough to satisfy your cravings.
Image source: https://peekaboo.guru/
4. Therapeutic-Secrets By Amna
Therapeutic Secrets have also got a lot of rave reviews from their customers. They are known for their big cheesecakes, and their lotus cake comes in a two-tiered version which you customize as per your choice.
Image source: facebook.com
5. Theatre Live Bakery And Cafe
Despite opening in the middle of the pandemic, the Theatre was able to gain a lot of attention thanks to their relaxed and aesthetically pleasing ambiance and variety of flavors on the menu. Their lotus cheesecake is a must-try that is full of the creamy goodness of lotus.
Image source: facebook.com
6. Meat The Cheese
They offer a creamy cheesecake that screams Lotus in every bite! Meat The Cheese provides a lotus cake with the perfect crunchy top and drizzling lotus sauce which is sweet enough to keep you on the hook.
Image source: facebook.com
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
In the internet-powered world that we live in today, people have gotten used to quick gratification of their wants and needs whether that be a sandwich for their hungry stomach or the latest smartphone to hit the market. foodpanda is a dominating figure in the food and grocery delivery sector in Pakistan, allowing you to browse countless restaurants and shops to get your favorite products delivered to your doorstep. Until now, while you could browse through a few tech options, no smartphone brand had a presence on the Q-commerce platform. Recently, realme Pakistan has entered in a strategic partnership with foodpanda in order to make its products more readily available to potential customers.
This new development is great news for fans of the tech democratizer as they can purchase their much-liked realme products from the comfort of their homes and receive their brand new smartphones the very same day. Established in 2018 by Sky Li, realme as a brand has shown a deep understanding of what its consumers want with its range of high value for money smartphones that feature next-level technology at economical prices. The smartphone brand also goes above and beyond to remove barriers for customers to purchase its products through alternate delivery and payment channels such as with this partnership.
Through this partnership, realme fans in five major cities across the country including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Multan will be able to log onto the foodpanda app and browse through the entire realme catalogue including AIoT. Through the activation of brand stores in different areas, the aim of this partnership is to allow realme fans to purchase their desired products through two alternate payment channels (Cash on Delivery and Online Payment) and receive their products in the staggeringly low time of 30 minutes. This new partnership will act to target product availability area-wise and ensure that areas with high demand of realme products get catered to according to their needs. realme hopes to connect the open market with the massive potential of the q-commerce market in order to create a valuable shopping experience for its loyal fans.
This is an exciting time for tech enthusiasts in the country as realme and foodpanda work together to tear the barriers preventing the adoption of new technology in the country further down. realme has had an eventful year of coveted releases so far in 2022 with the debut of the high value for money 9 series phones (realme 9i and 9 Pro+) as well as the budget-stunner, realme C35. The smartphone brand does not plan to slow down by any means with two to three more phones expected to join the release slate before the year comes to a close. With a commitment to maintaining quality, realme has service centers in major cities across Pakistan so new customers coming through foodpanda can rest assured that they will be able to avail support from realme if the need arises. Consumers can expect realme products to drop on Foodpanda soon so keep your eyes peeled for realme to make its big debut on the Q-commerce platform.
June 24, 2022: Taking inspiration from the vision of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) to help mainstream tourism in the country, PUBG MOBILE, Pakistan’s No. 1 gaming platform, is working towards bringing attention to Pakistan’s stunning scenery and beautiful culture both online as well as offline, which can be further supported with patronage from Pakistan’s foremost tourism authority.
From the rivers in Sindh and Punjab to the snow-capped mountains in Gilgit-Baltistan, PUBG MOBILE Pakistan’s users will get to travel across the plains and plateaus and numerous national monuments through PUBGM’s in-game activity that takes players on a virtual tour of the country from June 13 to July 3.
During the campaign, PUBG MOBILE’s users will win exciting prizes upon completing tasks while immersing themselves in the social and cultural experience that the region offers. To spread this message of positivity, PUBGM has branded a bus operating on the most popular route which include Kalma Chowk in Lahore, taking the Canal Road to Thokar Niaz Baig and Faizabad in Rawalpindi. Players will be able to take photos and join the online activity to claim their rewards.
Speaking on the occasion, Khawar Naeem, Country Head Pakistan, Tencent Games said, “This is an exciting initiative to highlight Pakistan’s most popular tourist attractions by featuring them in the virtual space of PUBG MOBILE. We want to promote Pakistan’s beauty in line with the vision of PTDC by sharing the untapped potential of the country based on its diverse topography and provide our users with a highly immersive experience”.
PUBG MOBILE’s Version 2.0 Update is available now! Download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.
June 24, 2022, Lahore — The annual Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference (CVPR) came to an end in New Orleans, with globally leading technology company OPPO successfully having seven of its submitted papers selected for the conference, putting it among the most successful technology companies at the event. OPPO also placed in eight of the widely watched competition events at the conference, taking home three first place, one second place, and four third place prizes.
“In 2012, deep neural networks designed for image recognition rejuvenated the research and application of artificial intelligence. Ever since, AI technology has seen a decade of rapid development.” said Guo Yandong, Chief Scientist in Intelligent Perception at OPPO.
“OPPO continues to promote artificial intelligence to accomplish complex perceptual and cognitive behaviors. We empower AI with higher cognitive abilities to understand and create beauty and develop embodied AI with autonomous behavior. I’m delighted to see that seven of our papers have been selected for this year’s conference. Building on this success, we will continue to explore both fundamental AI and cutting-edge AI technology, as well as the commercial applications that will enable us to bring the benefits of AI to more people.”
The Seven papers accepted by CVPR 2022 showcase OPPO‘s progress in creating humanizing AI
Seven papers submitted by OPPO for CVPR 2022 were selected for presentation at the conference. Their areas of research include multimodal information interaction, 3D human body reconstruction, personalized image aesthetics assessment, knowledge distillation, and others.
Cross-modular innovation is viewed as the way to ‘humanizing’ artificial intelligence. Text data frequently includes an elevated degree of over-simplification, while visual picture data contains a lot of specific contextual details. OPPO researchers proposed a new CRIS framework based on the CLIP model to enable AI to get a more fine-grained understanding of the text and image modal data.
The biggest difference between human and artificial intelligence today lies in multimodality. Humans can undoubtedly figure out data in both words and pictures and draw relationship between the two sorts of data. The novel method proposed by OPPO improves multimodal intelligence, which could potentially lead to artificial intelligence being able to truly understand and interpret the world through multiple forms of information such as language, hearing, vision, and others, making the robot and digital assistants of sci-fi movies become a reality.
3D human body remaking is one more region in which the OPPO Research Institute has made significant progress. At CVPR, OPPO demonstrated a process for automatically generating digital avatars of humans with clothing that behaves more naturally. By analyzing RGB video of humans captured with a camera, the OPPO model can accurately generate 3D, 1:1 dynamic models that include small details like logos or fabric textures. Creating accurate 3D models of clothes has remained one of the biggest challenges. The new model effectively reduces the requirements needed to perform 3D human body reconstruction, providing technical foundations that can be applied to areas such as virtual dressing rooms for online shopping, AI fitness instruction, and the creation of lifelike avatars in VR/AR worlds.
Structured Local Radiance Fields for Human Avatar Modeling
AI image recognition has now reached a stage where it can accurately identify a wide range of objects within an image. The ability of AI to evaluate images in terms of their perceived aesthetic quality is often strongly related to the big data used in training the AI model.
In collaboration with Leida Li, a professor from Xidian University proposed Personalized Image Aesthetics Assessment (PIAA) model. The model is the first to optimize AI aesthetics assessment by combining users’ subjective preferences with more generalized aesthetic values. In the future, the model will be used to create personalized experiences for users, not just limited to the curation of photo albums, but also provide recommendations on how to shoot the best photo and which content a user might prefer.
Personalized Image Aesthetics Assessment with Rich Attributes
OPPO has also chosen to make the PIAA model evaluation data set the open source for developers, with a number of research institutions and universities already expressing an interest in using the data to further their own efforts in personalized AI aesthetic assessment.
Further to this, OPPO also proposed a multi-view 3D semantic plane reconstruction solution capable of accurately analyzing surfaces within a 3D environment. Developed in partnership with Tsinghua University, the INS-Conv (INcremental Sparse Convolution) can achieve faster and more accurate online 3D semantic and instance segmentation. This can effectively reduce the computing power needed to perform environment recognition, which will enable such technology to be more easily adopted in applications such as automated driving and VR.
OPPO makes AI ‘lightweight’ with second place win in the NAS Challenge
CVPR 2022 also saw a number of technical challenges take place, with OPPO placing third and above in eight challenges. These include the neural architecture search (NAS) challenge, SoccerNet, SoccerNet Replay Grounding, ActivityNet temporal localization, the 4th Large-scale Video Object Segmentation Challenge.
From mobile photography to automated driving, deep learning models are being applied in an increasingly large pool of industries. However, deep learning relies heavily on big data and calculation power and consumes a lot of cost, both of which present challenges to its commercial implementation. Neural architecture search (NAS) techniques can automatically discover and implement optimal neural network architectures. In the NAS competition, OPPO researchers trained a supernetwork of 45,000 sub neural networks to inherit the parameters of the supernetwork by optimizing the Model.
Using the NAS technique, researchers only need to train a large super network and create a predictor to let the subnetworks learn by inheriting the super network parameters. This provides an efficient and low-cost approach to obtaining a deep learning model that outperforms those manually designed by expert network architects. This will ultimately bring previously unthinkable levels of AI technology to mobile devices in the near future.
During CPVR 2022, OPPO also participated in seminar presentations and three high-level workshops. At the SLAM seminar, OPPO researcher Deng Fan shared how real-time vSLAM could be run on smartphones and AR/VR devices. In AICITY Workshop, Li Wei proposed a multi-view based motion localization system to identify abnormal behavior of drivers while driving.
OPPO is bringing the benefits of AI to more people, sooner
This is the third year that OPPO has participated at CVPR. OPPO’s rising success at CVPR during these three years owes much to its continued investment in AI technology. At the beginning of 2020, the Institute of Intelligent Perception and Interaction was established under the OPPO Research Institute to further deepen OPPO’s exploration of cutting-edge AI technologies. Today, OPPO has more than 2,650 global patent applications in the field of AI.
Guided by its brand proposition, ‘Inspiration Ahead’, OPPO is also working with partners across the industry to take AI technology from the laboratory into daily life. OPPO’s AI technology has also been used to develop products and features such as the real-time spatial AR generator CybeReal, OPPO Air Glass, Omoji, and more. Through these technologies, OPPO is aiming to create more lifelike digital worlds that combine virtual and reality to create all-new experiences for users.
Karachi, June 24, 2022: Spotify announced Zoha Zuberi as June’s EQUAL Pakistan Ambassador. The program is part of Spotify’s commitment to showcase women creators revolutionizing Pakistan’s music industry and to celebrate the women-leading innovations and exciting developments in the Pakistani music scene. Zoha became the fourth Ambassador after Arooj Aftab, Mehak Ali, and Hadiqa Kiani, representing young and established women artists in the country. In addition, as the EQUAL Pakistan Ambassador of June, Zoha was featured on a Spotify digital billboard at Times Square NYC on the 23rd of June, promoting her latest single, “I Rather“.
For the last five years Zoha Zuberi, an independent singer and composer from Pakistan’s capital city, has changed music dynamics both within the country and internationally. The vibrant indie musician is a voice of her own, amongst the women making a mark for themselves in the entertainment scene through their unique compositions. Through songs such as ‘Kuch Kehna Chahta Hun‘, ‘Judaa‘, and ‘Jo Tu Na Mera‘, Zoha has captured the attention of a global audience across India, the US, Bangladesh, and Canada.
When asked about her feelings about being the EQUAL Ambassador of the month, Zoha said, “A sense of gratification is overwhelming but what this really means to me is far more than just a sense of personal achievement. It is for me and the woman of Pakistan to step into the spotlight. For all of us to express ourselves and take our place in the music scene.”
Zoha Zuberi is also featured on Spotify’s EQUAL Global playlist alongside artists from Poland, Morocco, Peru and more, along with being on the cover of EQUAL Pakistan.
Rising inflation has been the talk of the town. To keep up with the demand and supply, brands are now increasing their retail prices, further adding weight to customers’ budgets. Amidst the skyrocketing inflation, designer HSY has announced that the brand will not increase its prices so the customer can go to them and shop for their bridal and luxury outfits as usual.
The designer shared the news on his social media account, reassuring the customers. He also announced the launch of different payment plans, so everyone has a chance to get their hands on designer pieces, even if it’s heavy on their pockets.
He further added that they want to treat their clients as their family, so they don’t feel like they are going to strangers while preparing for their special occasions.
HSY’s Statement Sparks A Debate
While HSY is a big name in luxury known for its stunning designs, good customer service, and statement pieces, it is known that the brand’s prices are not on the steeper side. While HSY charges for his craft and services, some customers already find it a little absurd. One such user took notice of the brand’s announcement and called out the designer on social media.
The netizen’s statement started an online debate, and social media agreed with the opinion. Meanwhile, some users also shared their own experiences with the designer. While the designer’s statement sounds like the brand is budget-friendly and is going to be the same in the near future, the reality is quite the opposite of that.
The designer turned actor reassures the customer that they can count on them. However, the customers are displeased. While HSY caters to a specific niche, is it justified to question the brand regarding its decision?
Islamabad, 24 June 2022 – Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL), Pakistan’s largest digital bank, has been recognized for its services in offering innovative digital financial solutions at the 13th Annual Retail Banker International (RBI), Asia Trailblazer Awards 2022. MMBL won the prestigious title of ‘Best Retail Bank in Pakistan’ along with an honorable mention of ‘Highly Commended’ for Excellence in Client Onboarding through its premium digital financial services application – MMBL DOST.
Organized in collaboration with Retail Banker International (RBI), UK, Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), UAE, and GlobalData (Singapore), the 13th annual edition of RBI Asia Trailblazers Awards celebrated retail banks and leaders in adapting to the modern customer in these unprecedented times. The awards program celebrated the best-in-class retail banking and consumer finance institutions and individuals for their innovative service offerings and commitment to customer excellence. For the 13th edition of the coveted awards this year, MMBL was among 50 winners selected from over 300 entries across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony given ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols.
The RBI Asia Trailblazer Awards highlighted MMBL’s continued efforts to introduce new innovative digital financial products and services to help curb the financial gap and promote financial inclusion in the country.
Commenting on the achievement, President & CEO MMBL, Ghazanfar Azzam said, “We are honoured to be recognized as the Best Retail Bank in Pakistan for the second year in a row. This prestigious title is a testament to our unwavering efforts in promoting financial inclusion in the country through digitally-led, customer-centric product offerings. MMBL is consistently optimizing products and services to meet the growing financial needs of our customers. We remain focussed on leveraging our extensive digital capabilities to continue serving the underserved/unserved segments of society.”
The Bank, through its expanding product portfolio, has been a key enabler for millions of Pakistanis to become financially empowered. Today, a significant ratio of financial transactions is processed digitally, further cementing MMBL’s place as a digitally-oriented organization committed to customer facilitation on all tiers. An insatiable drive for innovation coupled with a traditional brick-and-mortar network that expands across Pakistan, even in the most remote and inaccessible regions, has contributed to MMBL’s successful journey in the last 10 years.
As Pakistan’s leading digital financial institution, MMBL is currently serving over 40 million registered users, including 15 million+ monthly active mobile wallets and has over 100 branches across Pakistan. The Bank strives to facilitate customers by streamlining nationwide access to simplified and convenient financial solutions. MMBL, over the past decade, has introduced multiple innovative and customized digital and financial initiatives, such as digital onboarding of customers, Self-service banking through the DOST App (available on both iOs & Android), Internet Banking, the Women Inspirational Network (WIN) program, and the Humqadam program to provide employment opportunities to the differently-abled and much more.
In this hot heat, cherries are the ideal fruit to consume. They are low in calories and high in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Each fruit also contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium. They include antioxidants such as beta-carotene as well as the vital mineral choline. Pakistan is also the 48th highest producer of cherries, so make sure you consume all the cherries provided. To luxuriate in the deliciousness of fresh cherries, try these three dishes.
Cherry Pie
Imagr Source: Baker By Nature
Ingredients:
Chilled pie dough for top and bottom 9-inch pie
6 cups pitted fresh cherries
1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
2/3 to 3/4 cup (135 to 150 grams) sugar, adjusted accordingly to sweetness of cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small squares
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy or whipping cream
Additional sugar for topping crust (coarse sugar is a nice option)
Directions:
· Make filling
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon juice and the salt together then add cherries. Gently toss to combine. Set aside.
Prepare and fill the crust
Remove half of dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-inch (1/8-inch thick) circle. (Occasionally, check if dough is sticking to the surface — add a small amount of flour when necessary).
Check for size by inverting pie dish over dough round. Look for a 1-inch edge around the pie dish. Carefully press the dough into the dish.
Spoon cherry pie filling into pie crust. Discard most of the liquid pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Dot filling with little squares of cold butter.
Top pie
Roll out second half of dough then top pie. Use a knife or pair of kitchen scissors to trim dough to within 3/4-inch of the edge of the dish.
Fold edges of top crust underneath edges of bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it so that it creates a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Then, crimp edges by pressing the pointer finger of one hand against the edge of the dough from the inside of the dish while gently pressing with two knuckles of the other hand from the outside Refrigerate dough at least 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
Bake pie
Just before baking, make egg wash by whisking egg yolk and cream together in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush over the top crust. Then, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Then, cut 3 to 4 slits in top of pie.
Bake for 20 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling. Cool pie at least 2 hours, preferably 3, before cutting to allow filling to set.
Michigan Cherry Salad
Image Source: Taste Of Home
Ingredients
7 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 9 cups)
3 ounces spring mix salad greens (about 5 cups)
1 large apple, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans/walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup fresh cherries
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh cherries
1/4 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients.
Place cherries, vinegars, preserves and sugar in a blender. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat.
Cherry Chutney
Ingredients
3 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and mixture achieves desired thickness, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.
