MC Recommends: A trek to Siachen glacier, Forest Essentials’ makeup range, and the best astrophotography cameras

Indian Army jawans will lead two treks to Siachen glacier - the world’s highest and coldest army base - in August-September.

Travelling to the world’s coldest army base

The Indian Army has opened Siachen Glacier for travellers and trekkers this year. In August and September, two treks with 15 carefully selected travellers and trekkers will be taken on a trek across not just the world’s highest and coldest army base, but also a picturesque landscape of mountains and high passes. The trekkers will be chosen by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, which will test their fitness and endurance levels. The trek begins in Leh at a height of about 12,000 feet above sea level, moves to the Siachen Base Camp at 10,000 feet and, then heads to Kumar Camp which is at 16,000 feet. In about nine days, the trekkers will cover 60km of high passes and treacherous crevasse-infested glaciers. But those who make it will be among the rare few who have been accompanied by army jawans on a thrilling walk across one of the most inaccessible parts of the world. For more details log into www.indianarmy.nic.in.

A watch that lets you check your NFT holdings

Watch brand Tag Heuer leverages the new luxury investment trend of holding NFTs (non-fungible tokens) for everything – from rare wines to artworks – with its Connected Calibre E4 watch range. The brainchild of Tag Heuer’s CEO Frédérick Arnault, the watch allows owners to display their NFTs and the proof of ownership in clear view, using the lens watch face. Multiple NFTs can be transferred to the watch’s lens face by tethering the timepiece to a smartphone. The NFTs are protected by blockchain technology. You can download the app to track the NFTs on the watch from the Apple App Store or Google’s Play Store and even buy the watch using Bitcoin.

Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E4

Waterproof sunscreen and moisturisers for monsoon

Looking for skincare products that don’t run off in pouring rain and hydrate your skin? Here is our primer.

-Avene’s Very High Protection Cream, formulated for hypersensitive skin, is perfect for people with a light complexion. Thermal spring water, which it is infused with, is hydrating for the skin. Mineral sunscreens usually take a minute to rub in. But this one blends in seamlessly without leaving any residue.

-Kiehl’s Ultra-Light Daily UV Defense has the right filters to not only protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays but also pollution.

-Water-resistant Innisfree Intensive Triple Shield sunscreen with pH 50, makes it ideal for outdoor activities and sweaty workouts. The mineral filters shield skin from harmful rays.

-Forest Essentials Hydrating Moisturiser with sandalwood and orange peel helps infuse hydration in dry skin.

-Dot & Key Vitamin C + E superbright Moisturiser is a lightweight cream with three types of vitamin C. The antioxidant-rich cream helps reduce dullness and intensely moisturises skin. All these products are waterproof. Vitamin E protects skin from environmental aggressors to improve overall skin texture & complexion.

Playful coffee tables from Baro Design

Baro Design head Siddharth Sirohi's handcrafted furniture is influenced by mid-century design aesthetics. Plectrum, a coffee table from his new collection, is inspired by the plectrum used by guitarists to pluck the strings of the instrument. The playful coffee table has two parts, made from two different materials: reclaimed teak and back-painted glass. When positioned together, they form one table.

Baro's guitar plectrum-inspired coffee table.

Forest Essentials’ makeup range is all you need

Luxury brand Forest Essentials, known for its Ayurveda-inspired indulgent skincare products, has now moved into the makeup segment and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Tinted lip serums that moisturise as much as they tint your lips, ash grey rose water infused kajal, natural foundations, plump Nayantara eye and brow serum, mousse-like Noor Nikhar cheek tint in cherry colours, and even a Soma Rasa Silk Skin Tint to take care of patchy skin. The formulations are inspired by ancient India’s tryst with makeup – from women using soot from earthen diyas to line their eyes, to freshly cut beetroot being applied a tint to their lips and cheeks, of course, all formulated and packaged for modern times.

Forest Essentials makeup range

Shooting the stars: Best Astrophotography Cameras

Astro-specific cameras are specialised devices that are mounted onto telescopes for incredibly clear Astro photographs that surpass anything a DSLR or mirrorless cameras can take, but they are not suitable for regular photography.

Nikon D850 offers huge stills resolution to capture extra details and is reliable even in the most inclement weather. It has two card slots for SD and XQD/CF Express cards to ensure it can record all that fabulous detail at speed.

Nikon D850

Canon EOS 6D handy vari-angle touchscreen display makes it simple to compose the scene. The EOS 6D Mark II can shoot 4K timelapses (in timelapse mode) making it perfect for detailed videos of the night sky.

Fujifilm X-T4’s multi-swivel screen makes composing shots much more comfortable. The body-mounted dial controls make it easier to use in the dark and the 26.1MP APS-C sensor contributes to excellent image quality.

Fujifilm X-T4

Sony A7III handles image noise well and produces great image results. If you do not want to shoot a video, the ISO can jump higher, expanding to an insane 204800 for still photography.

What if your perfume is called Mumbai Noise?

Inspired by Byredo founder and creative director Ben Gorham’s childhood, Mumbai Noise is a tribute to Mumbai's chaos, noise, and multifaceted modernity. Born in Stockholm and raised in New York and Toronto, Gorham visited Chembur, a Mumbai suburb, as a child, and revisited the city 15 years later to find that much was still familiar.

With Mumbai Noise, Gorham attempts to capture this childhood nostalgia for the city along with its contemporary reality. The smoky haze of incense and burning woods in Chembur’s temples, interspersed with street-side coffee carts and the cacophony of the city landscape is captured with warm top notes of Devona, followed by Tonka Beans and coffee in the middle, and concluding with the base notes of labdanum, sandalwood, and agarwood.

Mumbai Noise has top notes of Devona.

Dior’s Birkenstocks for men

Dior has partnered with Birkenstock to reinvent two iconic designs – the Tokio mules and Milano sandals. The debut collaboration pays tribute to Monsieur Dior’s passion for gardening by combining functionality and elegance. Unveiled during Dior Men’s Winter 2022 show, the clog received a high fashion makeover from Thibo Denis, the footwear mater responsible for Dior’s B27 sneaker. Created to closely fit the foot’s anatomy and shape, the Dior and Birkenstock shoes feature a cork-latex footbed, rubber detailing and industrial-style buckles, referencing the iconic Dior Saddle Bag.

Tokio mules and Milano sandals get a high-fashion makeover.