Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Call and win
By Ishani Ranasinghe
Have you ever thought of how much time you spend listening to the radio? Every day, maybe early in the morning whilst getting ready for work, when you're in your vehicle or just lounging around.

A new culture seems to be emerging with the radio growing increasingly popular. One factor that definitely is on the rise is the number of competitions stations have for listeners. Stations claim they are inundated with calls so much so that they can't accommodate them all. And what's more, the callers seem confident and at ease on air.

It was late in 1993 that this innovative concept was brought in through YES FM. They were the first station to really have interactive programmes and their fun-filled competitions soon had listeners hooked and even skeptical listeners who thought Lankans were too shy to voice their thoughts on air were won over.

"It all depends on the competition," says the YES FM Programme Director, Ramon. "If it is a competition where they have to register, we get about 40 callers while if it is a competition where they have to call in with the answer, it is different. "Because the callers have to find the answer it takes time and we don't really have many calling in."

There's no particular age group that responds. "It all really depends on the promotion we are having, on what we are giving out," says Ramon.

Programme Manager of Sun FM, Jason agrees. "We get about 40 calls per hour and that is not counting the people who are unable to get through," he said. "When the question we ask is product-related, then the flow of callers slows down a bit as it requires more effort to give the answer."

"The number of callers mostly depends on the competition, how much fun it is and how interesting the gift is," says Howard, Studio Manager of TNL Radio. And how do they handle callers who might be rude on air? "We actually speak to the winner before and basically get a feel of how he / she would be." But what if someone escapes their radar system? "Well, then we would diplomatically cut the line. But, so far nothing like this has ever happened to us," he says.

Over the years, there have been countless listeners willing to try their luck. Says Shehani, with a big smile, "I had to call the station and be the 7th caller and I was." Kimaya won herself two tickets to Michael De Soyza's play The Last Elephant. All she had to do was give the name of another play which Michael had done. "It was really great though it felt a bit weird to hear my voice on the radio."

Mr. S. Perera was a winner in a wacky competition about the strangest gift. "I said a cow," he chuckles. He won a CD and was quite thrilled. And well, he once really did get a cow for his birthday as he used to have a farm.

Harshini was one of the lucky winners who won two tickets for the much-talked about Shaggy concert. "It was really amazing to win the tickets 'cos they just sold out so fast."

One thing's for certain, everyone's ready to try their luck.

Janet's beauty secrets
By Thiruni Kelegama
Beauty! Yes… That is something on the minds of everyone out there from the ages of 10- 80. Look around, and you definitely would find people are becoming extremely conscious of their looks and trying their very best to look beautiful.

That is the secret behind Janet Balasuriya. She realized that in time to come, beauty would be very important for any person, and she decided to help them achieve their purpose. Therefore she combined the science of life - Ayurveda, all of 4000-years-old, with a holistic approach to beauty, and voila… the Janet range was born.

"I have made sure that the Janet beauty range contains beauty products that would cater to every type of skin problem; dry skin, aging skin, and of course, bleaching products," says the person behind all their success, Mrs. Balasuriya herself. "We are successful because of the fact that we give free consultation at our salon, and recommend what is best for a type of skin. We do our best for the client and make sure that they get what they want."

The Janet beauty range is wide and can solve all your skin problems, admits the in house doctor at the Janet salon at Ward Place. "Anyone can walk in, and ask what would be good for their skin, and I would try my best to help them, as would Mrs. Balasuriya who is qualified to do so, as is her daughter, Shereen Fernando."

"We have our main skin products," explains Mrs. Balasuriya. "There is the Pure Skin range, the Revit-a-Clean range, and the Fair Skin range. These are the main products, but we also have a number of other products numbering more than 60."

The Pure Skin Range is recommended for teenagers with oily skin and acne. There is the Peppermint Cleanser, which is essential if using the Pure Skin range, as the main ingredient peppermint destroys germs, and takes off the excess oil on your face thereby reducing the possibility of acne erupting.

"This has to followed by using the Clove Gel, which helps in killing the germs on your face. However the most important thing in this treatment would be the Scrub. The Sandalwood scrub makes sure that the impurities come out and takes off the dead skin and lightens blemishes on your skin."

The Pink Rose Moisturizer is equally essential, as it retains the moisture on the skin. "We generally tend to think that when we have oily skin, we do not need a Moisturizer, but it is one of the most essential to lovely skin," adds Mrs. Balasu-riya.

There is the Margosa Skin Tonic, which helps the purifying of blood, and thereby cooling the skin internally and providing an excellent cure for rashes and itching.

The Fair Skin range is popular amongst Sri Lankans, she continues. "With different products such as the Passion and Lime Cleanser, Wild Turmeric Scrub, Orange Peel Bleaching Pack, and Orange Flower Body Lotion, you will be guaranteed flawless fair skin."

The last of the essential range is the Revit-a-Clean beauty range. "This range is for more mature skin, or for dry skin. With the skin treatments like the Oatmeal Face Pack, and the Aloe and Lemon Cleanser, this would help retain the smoothness and moisture in your skin for a long time to come."

Recently having won the "Leading Entrepreneur of the Year" award, Mrs. Balasuriya plans to widen her horizons in the months to come. "We have outlets in Paris, Australia, Canada, and many other countries all over the world, and we are hoping to introduce our products to the States."

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