I should have been born a boy -PC

Parineeti Chopra

DNA

As an actress there's a lot of pressure on me to look good. Everything from what I do, to even the way I smile, dress or walk is under scrutiny. So how do I handle the stress? I don't do anything because I've never allowed the pressure to get to me. I have never been a person who's bothered about her looks, in the first place. I also know well enough that fashion's not my forte but I don't worry too much about it because I know I'll get better with time and experience.

If someone had asked me the question of what I do for skin care even a year back, I wouldn't have had an answer because I'd never done anything! But today, as an actress my job requires me to be under make-up for long hours that leaves my skin ravaged. I literally had to wake up one day and tell myself that I have to start taking care of my skin because, while I am young today and can possibly get away with doing nothing, the damage is going to show five years later and that's not something easy to ignore.

I am not too fastidious about my skin care regime. I have now begun to follow a simple routine that involves cleansing my face with a simple face wash like Nivea's and then moisturising it. Has it helped? I've always had dry skin but today, thanks to this daily 15-minute ritual, I can literally feel the difference on my face ' the skin feels fresher, softer and better.

Surprising as it may sound, I am not a spa-lover like most girls generally are. So after a hard day's work, my idea of de-stressing is having a hot shower. I can stand under a shower for 45 minutes or longer even, but getting pampered at a spa with massages and facials... definitely not my thing.

I sometimes think I should have been born a boy. That's because again, unlike every regular girl, I don't splurge much on cosmetics, creams and similar indulgent stuff. Believe it or not, I don't own any make up products except for lip gloss and plain old Chapsticks. I always carry a Chapstick in my pocket and during shoots, I also ensure my assistant's carrying one in her pocket too. You can say that lip balms are the only things I splurge my money on.

My mom's always giving me home remedies for good skin care. While I don't really follow all her suggestions, the one home remedy that she always tells me to try is of applying natural aloe vera juice to your face. It keeps the skin soft and moisturised.

There's a lot of talk about how actors and actresses go under the knife all in a bid to look young. Will I do any such thing later? No! I just can't imagine myself going for that.In fact, if I wanted to, I'd have undergone the fat reduction procedure by now because I am overweight. I haven't and I won't ever. I can't do it. I am scared of it too!