(Top) Piu Sarkar interacts with the audience at the GoodLife Talk Show at Megha Mallar complex; Rita Bhimani with the model-cum-actress-cum-painter. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

She is a model-cum-actress-cum-painter. And she turned star guest on Sunday evening in the second episode of the second edition of the GoodLife Talk Show, at Megha Mallar complex on Gariahat Road.

The spotlight was on Piu Sarkar as the ladies of the multi-storeyed building left their household chores and sacrificed pre-Puja shopping for tips on Beauty Within a Budget ? the talking point of the evening.

Anchored by Rita Bhimani, the show saw the ever-smiling Piu fielding a flurry of questions.

It began with the most obvious question: Piu’s beauty secret, dressed in denims with a maroon top teamed with a dupatta.

“There is no secret to it. All I do is follow a very simple cleansing-toning-moisturising routine on a regular basis. That’s the only secret. I would always say what you are internally, reflects on your skin. So, the key to staying beautiful is to be happy with yourself. That is the perfect symbol of beauty within a budget, ” said Piu, a trifle embarrassed at the compliments showered on her looks.

A collective coaxing on the part of the audience to talk about natural tips for a glowing skin had her saying: “Tomato juice, coconut water and malai can be very good for scrubbing purposes, not to forget besan coupled with milk or curd, with a little bit of lime juice. This can actually be your substitute for the expensive fairness creams and face washes that you find in the market. And take it from me, use this simple formula on your face and neck for about a month and you will see the difference for yourself.”

“Other than this, you can also add a few drops of olive oil to the water you use for bathing. These are simple things that do not take much time, but could keep you glowing for life,” she added

Rita then directed the next question at the few men in the gathering, asking them whether they were not in need of any beauty tips.

This evoked a tongue-in-cheek male response that their beauty was “inborn”, and then set the ball rolling for the youngsters in the crowd to join in.

Subhojeet, an event organiser, asked Piu what he could do about the nasty heat rashes that he broke out into when working under the sun for long.

“The problem of heat rashes crops up when the skin begins to lose moisture. In this case, I don’t think the use of a sunscreen would suffice. It would be good if you could use an umbrella or wear a cap. But my suggestion would be to consult a dermatologist immediately,” the pretty actress said.

Sampa Banerjee, a middle-aged lady and regular swimmer, asked about hair care, and was immediately joined by half the room wanting to know more about it.

“It is very important to wash your hair every day, particularly for those who travel and go out on a regular basis. It is also important that one uses an after-wash serum as it prevents the hair from becoming brittle. In fact, serum can also be a very good substitute for hair oil, especially for the fashion conscious, who have either coloured or highlighted hair. And once you get into the habit of applying serum, take it from me, you can go without oiling your hair for days or visiting the parlour for conditioning sessions, but still manage to walk around with quality hair,” said Piu, backed by Rita.

Questions flew thick and fast ? from how to take care of their children’s skin to which natural agent to use for bleaching to a look-good diet.

The lively hour-long session ended with both Piu and Rita advocating water therapy and a fresh fruit-and-salad diet. “There is no substitute for water as it cleanses the system of any kind of toxins completely. To maintain a healthy skin, you should drink at least 10 glasses every day. Also, add dollops of greens to your diet and see how it works wonders on the way you look.”