What's in my Summer Bag?

Okay! This might just sound insane but I am only putting up this article because this one has been requested by a LOT of my readers in the past month, wanting to know what's in my "summer" bag. I can very well understand the curiosity. Its so much fun to peep inside other's bags, I know! Well, many of my fellow bloggers had already updated their blogs with this type, so I thought I really don't need to write about what's in mine, but because you girls really really wanted me to reveal it to you, here it is, finally! Only because I love you all so much!! *virtual hugs* 

Now, I may look really clean otherwise but I make sure my bag is never like that. Yes, I'm just like any other girl who loves to carry mess with her, a bag of total mess! Of course, if there is so much to carry, it automatically becomes one. Don't you agree? But its surely a beautiful mess! Comprising of my everyday essentials and some knick-knacks, I love to store all kinds of objects. Some cooler, some really shady, but only what's useful, because I change my bag mostly everyday (to overload myself with extra work, LOL)! As you know I'm a bag hoarder and because I have to carry a lot of stuff, I pick big bags, specially in summer, to store everything. For you too, I'm quite sure, you never forget to carry one, right? And as mentioned above, my bag is surely a mess (in the first picture itself), like everyday! But don't worry, I'm going to be telling you picture by picture as to what's in my bag for you to get a nice intricate view of it from the inside. Now, let's see what's in today..

This Mess! BTW, the bag is from Baggit and it was gifted to me by a friend.

Clutch - Just can't afford to forget it. As in, who would want to search money, all kinds of pay-cards and driving licences in different pockets of bags? Well, I bought this clutch from Link Road (Mumbai). Basically you get to see lots of neons and cool stuff while streets shopping rather than in branded stores.

Scarf - To cover my face from the direct sun. Now this is a nice cotton one which I bought from Colaba Causeway (Mumbai). I got 4 different colors & prints, so that I can keep changing it according to my different attires.

Gloves - One of my friends told me a few years back that my skin is pathetically tanned. So, since then, while driving a two-wheeler, I regularly to cover up my arms! And now that such beautiful prints have been created, I love to keep switching between them. Well, these floral gloves are from Big Bazaar.

Water Tumbler - You really really need to carry water in your bag, while leaving home, everyday. I never forget to carry water to keep myself hydrated. Bought this cute purple water tumbler from Tupperware.

Sunglasses - Summer sun is a killer. Agreed? Yes! Needless to say, I can't forget to carry my sunnies now. And these vintage ones were gifted by a friend.

Sunglass Case - To keep my sunglasses safe and clean and protect it from breakage. Bought this striped one from Store99. It looks really funky, no?

Spectacles - I always leave home with my lenses on, but keep my specs in case of emergency! These cat-eye spectacles are from Lunettes (one of my favorite eyewear brands).

Spectacle Case - Just like my sunglasses, I love to store my specs in a case, to prevent it from any damage. Got this leopard-printed one from an optical shop in Lucknow itself.

Rose Water - I don't carry a face wash with me because I know its not possible to find a wash-room that's clean enough to take out your face wash, apply it on your skin, wash it 10 times with water and then pat dry it. And in the soaring summer, I tend to feel dull because of the sun rays that hit me in some way or the other. So, I carry this little bottle of rose water to sprinkle it on my face a few times in a day that lets my skin breathe & makes it feel fresh, instantly. For me, Dabur Gulabari is such a product I trust the most!

Baby Wipes - And yes, these Johnsons baby wipes to wipe my face and remove all the dirt and water (after washing my face) is a must have again! These are soft tissues that doesn't cause any damage to my skin.

Hand Sanitizer - You don't get water everywhere to wash your hands. And I'm one of those semi-OCDs who are so hygienic that they'll never eat anything without cleaning their hands. So, I make sure that I'm always carrying a sanitizer with me, for myself and my friends too! :p

Cream & Mosturizer - Well, my friends love to give me a call at the last minute of every celebration, and being a girl I love to look good. But, that doesn't mean that I put a lot of make-up. Now, this magical BB+ face cream from PONDS is my new love. I always carry it with me for some instant uplift. And, this mosturizer from PONDS again is another essential, since my skin is a little dry and the heat harms it more, I keep applying it after 3-4 hours when I'm out.

Compact Powder - When your face sweats, you gotta wash it and apply some compact powder after the cream and you are done, babe! I highly recommend to carry a good compact powder with you always. The one I always have in my bag is LAKME perfect radiance.

Kajal - Like which girl doesn't have this in her bag? I'm sure anyone who doesn't carry a bag, only her! Well, to be frank, I love using kajal to highlight my eyes and pep up my look instantly & this kajal magique from Loreal is so tender and strikes perfectly under the eye that I'm obsessed with this product.

Lip Balm & Lip Gloss - A must must must have. I always carry a lip balm no matter where I'm going or I'm carrying a bag or not, its something that I never forget. The best thing to mosturize and relive my chapped lips is this new Maybelline Baby Lips. Also another of my favorite lip products is this matt pink gloss from 4 seasons. I love it completely! Not much color, no jazzing up, the best of summer shade. I tend to use both these products most in the day because I have a habit of eating up anything that sticks to my lips.

Perfume - Its a bloody turn-on! Like, if you're not wear a cologne, I'm really not hugging you. Its a "never-to-forget-no-matter-what-essential". I always carry it in my bag because summer sweating turns me off too! :p And, I'm a lover of this brand Sugandhco, I have tons of bottles at home and I keep testing & changing them according to my mood. One in this bag is Kasak; my all time favorite!

Comb - Do I even need to mention it? Be it summer or winter, or monsoon, you always carry a comb with you. Be it male or female, everybody has one in his/her pocket or bag. And, I mostly carry a thick bristled one. Got this pretty one from a local shop in Lucknow itself.

Mirror - Now, this is a magical mirror. As you may see, there's a little hair brush that's attached to the other part of it. So, now I can use the mirror to look at myself and on the other hand, can use that tiny hair brush to sleek-down my hair! Its such an amazing product. Bought it from an online shopping website years back, but sadly that website has shut down forever now! 

Hair Clip / Clutcher - Mostly I tie my hair in this scorchy summer because as we all know, summers be like 'pin-your-hair-up, girl'! So, you will always find a big clutcher clipped to the handle of my bag, since that's the best place to keep it with you without losing it!

Refreshments - Please don't judge me, but I just cant control my hunger! When I'm out somewhere for work and there's no food joint nearby, then a little biscuit packet comes to my rescue. And yes, a mouth freshner is something I always have with me so a strip of chewing gum and a box of tic tac is always there in my bag too!

I hope now you all are happy to read this post, and I promise I'll do a winter bag too! 

So stay tuned till the next season! :)

~xoxo~

Jumpsuitting in Pastels

jumpsuit, bag : StalkBuyLove | wedges : Limeroad.com

owl pendant : Myntra.com | watch : Gucci (gifted) | sunglasses : Amazon.in

Spring/Summer, and today’s Jumpsuits topic, no wonder my mind literally jumps to all those (hideous) jumpsuits from back in the day, starting with Elvis Presley (and his white over the top uber glam stage outfits) and ending with those disco-kitsch uniforms of pop/rock stars from the "Rock’n Roll" age. But as much as we love (NOT) those tight spandex glittery, neon bright circus costumes, going by the name of jumpsuits, designers sure deserve our kudos for how they’ve played up, nipped, tucked and reinvented the classic-with-a-twist jumpsuit. Some gurus of style and fashion have taken this working class uniform/once kitsch stage costume and did a 180 on it, luring us with long sleek silhouettes, silky fabrics, fluidity, softness, loose cuts, plunging necklines, bare backs, halter-necks, long sleeves, prints, solid colors. Designs for day & night. For skinny & curvy bodies. For women and girls alike. Sounds too good to be true, isn’t it? 

Well, the best part about having a jumpsuit is that you don't have to spend half hour hanging out in your closet, trying to match tops and bottoms and having little luck, or ending up with a bizarre look, especially when you're running late! With a jumpsuit, it becomes so much easy to pull-it-down from the hangers and pull-it-up your body. Just like the other day I got a call from a friend, asking me to meet her urgently as she was leaving in the evening! So, I chose to dress up in hurry, wearing this pastel blue jumpsuit (in the pictures above) which I recently bought from the amazing online store, StalkBuyLove, and I'm completely swayed by the silkiness of the fabric. Also, the cut of this jumpsuit looked perfect because it hides the extra fat I have at the waste and arms and thighs, and makes me look tall too (you know I always try to buy such clothes). The wonder jumpsuit as it appears to me, has pockets on the both the sides and I love it for that. So now even if I don't carry a bag, its easy for me to store my knick knacks in those lose pockets! Plus, its a full sleeved one piece, giving you an option to roll up the sleeves for a much cooler look; also I liked the chinese collar that can be buttoned up thigh and a belt on the waste to adjust it according to your fit (bow it up in the centre or sides, your choice). Now, I teamed up this jumpsuit of mine with a long owl-pendant chain, a same metal color wrist watch and a pair of purple wedges which I bought from Limeroad.com and that went nicely with the whole look. Since it was a sunny day I wanted to try on my new pair of mirror sunglasses, so I put them on too and to be true it went quite well with the attire. Not forgetting the bag which I again got from the super new collection of StalkBuyLove, this pastel pink & steel grey bow bag added a cute touch to my classy yet comfy look and I was all set.

If you ask me though, I think a woman's style should really be whatever she is comfortable wearing, regardless of whatever the official trends happen to be at the moment. No 'ins'. No 'outs'. There is no better quote about fashion than from the fashion king himself, Mr. Karl Lagerfeld, who said that "Trendy is the last stage before tacky". So I take full advantage of his sage advice and keep wearing jumpsuits because I LOVE THEM! As a busy student by day, blogger by night, daughter 24x7 and a partner in love, I think you get the point. Life is busy! And jumpsuits really simplify my life! These in fact, are fine pieces of your collection that give you tons of personality, and this time there is no exception, its made for all kinds of styles and silhouettes. There are many ways you can wear it, from casual-chic to sportive-cool. I love how versatile this one piece is, since you can pull it up for work, casual outings with friends, on Sunday brunches, movies, shopping or just at innumerable places and occasions. To be straight, lightweight jumpsuits are a must for the summer! With their soft woven fabric and cinched silhouette, they’re both effortless and chic. 

As per me, There are just three simple rules for purchasing a jumpsuit : 

1) Keep it simple, 

2) Keep it classy, 

3) Keep it 'SO YOU'. 

In case you're still not convinced that jumpsuits are your thing, check out the whole new collection of these modernly-classic jumpsuits at StalkBuyLove and I'm sure at least one of them will make your heart drool over it! :)

Photographed by : Rhea Ghosh (Exposure Imageries)

Shot at : Cappuccino Blast Aishbagh

~xoxo~

Chocolatey Date Bites

Since Eid is round the corners, I thought of preparing something really yummy but not what every woman makes at her place on the special day! Of course you can't match the 'sivayyain' (though I'm not very fond of it). But, if you have Muslim friends, you surely know that dates are an important part of the everyday 'iftar' in every family after they break the full-day fast! Don't you think, just a plain date is quite monotonous? So, here's a chocolately twist to it! If you follow me on instagram, you would surely know how much I love chocolates. Well, Eid is just two days away (I know I should have put up this post earlier), and 'rozas' (fasting) are almost over, but you can still prepare these sweet little bites on the big day and serve it to your family and friends. Scroll down to see, how...

THINGS YOU NEED

1. Dates (khajoor)

2. Almonds (soak in water for 2 hours and peel off the skin)

3. White sesame seeds

4. Chocolate Bar (I've used AMUL chocolate, but you can use any brand)

DIRECTIONS TO PREPARE

1. Slit cut a date from one side.

2. Open it from the side and put a full almond inside (like a filling).

3. Close the date, cover it with extra mashed dates and tighten it with your fist.

Once you've rolled back the date into its original shape, it will look like this.

5. Break the chocolate bar into pieces and put it into the double boiler to melt.

(Check the consistency with a spoon, it should be thick & smooth)

6. Roast the sesame seeds on a pan or tava.

7. Take a cling film roll & cut 5' x 5' square pieces out of it.

(Use your own discretion while cutting the pieces, if you need a bigger size, cut that much)

8. Pour chocolate on the rolled dates. Cover only half of the date.

(If you want to cover the whole date with chocolate, you can simply dip it into the bowl)

9. Dip the date, covered with chocolate on half side, into a bowl of roasted sesame seeds.

(Simply sprinkle some seeds with your hands if you want lesser crunch)

10. Once the dates are covered with chocolate and topped with sesame, wrap them into a cling film plastic each.

(cling film will help the chocolate to stay in place without letting the dates stick to each other)

11. its now time to put the dates inside the freezer to set, for about an hour or two.

Your mouth will water while you look at the wrapped dates, but control yourself!

12. Once the dates are set, unwrap them from the cling film.

Arrange the dates on a silver plate (or any plate) and sprinkle some more sesame seeds on the top!

Your yummy chocolatey date bites are ready to serve!

They smell nice & it tastes yum..Are yours looking the same? Beautiful and tempting!

Eid Mubarak! To all of you reading this post, have a nice one!

(I'm sorry the plate is not full, since I couldn't control my cravings :P)

Note :  These beautiful earrings are by Aetee Designs, an online store & I'm totally in love with them!

Photographed by : Rhea Ghosh (Exposure Imageries)

~xoxo~

Personally reviewing CORNERS OF A STRAIGHT LINE

So, its been really long that I've written a book review, the sole reason being as many of you know that books have never fancied me; and if you've read the last book review I wrote about Chetan's Bhagat's 'Halfgirlfriend' on this blog, you should know that really well! But, there are some books that really make me curious and I only pick to read those when a lot of people go gaga over it! Something similar happened about 'Corners Of A Straight Line' too (the name of the book is so catchy, no?). Since its written by a writer from my own town, Lucknow, I'd been hearing a lot about this book from my friends and family members since last month when it was launched. A debut work by a behavioural scientist and a motivational speaker by profession, Chandra Shekhar Varma, this book came to me as a surprise. More because I've always heard of him as a Hindi poet, not knowing he would come up with a novel one day, that too in English keeping in mind the youth of today! Well, after reading this book for about 4 days I'm finally through with it and of course here goes the review for you...

Starting with the prologue, I could automatically connect to the first line itself where the author mentions, 'All of us have a past and so do I'. It was indeed promising, since the line brought back my past in a flash. As the first chapter unfolds, Atharv (the protaganist) is introduced as a confident journalist, a man whose journey is the key to the eruption of this book. He firstly falls in love with Siya, as she plays the strings of Atharv’s heart being a high-spirited young girl with a heart that cherished immense warmth. The dynamic woman as she appears, leaves traces of herself on the reader's mind as she does on Atharv's heart while leaving all of us in shock! (I never thought Siya would ever leave Atharv). Next, as Atharv in his behest to overcome the episode of Siya, finds a refuge in Resham, a bold, ambitious, stunningly beautiful damsel aspiring to become a top model. She had all the attributes that could enthral and captivate the senses of a man. But soon the sour state of affairs wiped the sweetness of Atharv and Resham's love only to leave tart flavors of wrath, depression and pain. As the second chapter ended here, I was already in tears, praying for no more heartbreaks! (well, this is the reason I keep myself away from novels, sciences I can't read and love stories make me weep) :P

Moving ahead, the third chapter introduces the readers to Vedita, who was a dauntless, accomplished, happily married influential woman with a facile record of business victory and achievements. She casts an indelible impression on Atharv's mind only to lure him into the forbidden arena without justifications. An extra marital affair what we call, emerges between the two which is ofcourse not entertained by many! Poor Atharv, I felt quite absurd reading this chapter, to be true! There was a point where while reading I wanted to just stop and weep my heart out. But then, as the author mentions, 'even after love ends, the story continues.....' I had to complete the last one too. (with very moderate hopes I started the last chapter). Well, it was time to know the last lady in the protaganist's life. Her name is Susan. An air hostess by profession, while travelling to Bangalore she meets Atharv. The fate brought the two of them together at the doorsteps of an Ashram that besides healing their vexed and troubled state of affairs also gave their lives a new direction and purpose. Susan was a lady of wisdom and she chose her duties above her love; and as I expected, she too left from Atharv's life! (I am extremely saddened)

To end, this work of fiction has impacted me in many ways. Talking of separations, I am really not fond of them but I loved how the author puts it together showing that despite Atharv's many commitments, true love eludes him. In a world where lust trumps over love; and greed, depravity are rampant, Atharv managed to fall for so many ladies one after the other! What kept me gripped till the end were the complexities I was actually reading about and that love really never ends. 'Corners of a Straight Line' comes out to me as simple and perceptive. The best part about the book is that it leaves an impact on the reader's mind with the comment made by the author on the Indian polity. It is thus, an unconditional storyline justified by its characters and the never ending love story of a man who is still in search of true love. I so wish a sequel to the book is released soon so that I can sleep in peace for the fact I hate reading separations, though it touched my heart deeply and bloomed some love into it too!

Overall Rating : 4/5 

Suggestions : Don't form any strict opinions about the book from any reviews you hear or read. Please go ahead and read the book yourself! Also, if you have any additions or contradictions to the review, do comment below!

Extending my gratitude to a dear friend Aarushi Mittal for helping me get a personally signed copy of the book by the author himself, Mr.Chandra Shekhar Varma.

~xoxo~

Accidental Coordination

Remember the days when we all were in school and started planning with our friends about what to wear for a particular celebration or function, almost a week before? Yes! We all did that. Even if we went on school trips, we definitely wanted to consult each other and wear same colors or prints and go out flaunting it together. At that time, it was suppose to be a 'best friends thing', or if I may put it like, a group of friends decided upon wearing similar styled clothes to show up to an event, so it became a 'gang thing' after all. To be true, coordinating clothes has always been my favorite part of friendship at school. No matter where we're going, I felt my friends and I should always match anything and everything we wore or carried along!

She's wearing -  palazzos : Rajouri Garden Market (Delhi) | top & heels : Delhi GK1
earrings : Flipkart | ring : Shopnineteen

I'm wearing - croptop & palazzos : AND | heels : Steve Madden
necklace & earrings : Flea Market (Lucknow) | ring : Myntra | palmcuff : Pep My Persona

Well, I recently met an old friend of mine from school days. It had been five long years since I last saw her (of course at our farewell last). It was certainly delightful to meet her again, but what surprised both of us more was that, we hugged each other realizing we wore almost similar looking clothes, which brought back the good old memories in a flash. It was so pleasing to see her all grown up to be model like and stuff, doing advertisements for big brands; and trust me she is into real fashion! So, we sat together and discussed over how this accidental coordination took place, while we had no intentions to look like twins! While me and my DELL girl started to discuss about the coordination, it became a bit obvious that since its hot in the day, we both tried to wear comfortable clothes that are easy-breezy and as this new trend, palazzo pants, looked so elegant and feminine and because it kept us cool on a hot summer day, we picked up a pair each! These palazzo trousers are extremely easy to wear, provide balance & flatter your figure and create an illusion of a maxi skirt while keeping the freedom of pants intact. These fluid beauties can make your legs look taller and they are so comfortable that you would literally wish you could live in them. With the wide variety of fabrics and prints available out there, it won’t be a challenge either. 

As per the DELL girl, "palazzos are a great choice for a girl on the go; not only are they ultra stylish, but are super comfy which is perfect for a long day." So, she chose to team up her solid lemon yellow palazzos with a black sheer shirt-top with polka prints all over and pumped up her look by adding lemon colored earrings that dangled down and complimented her palazzos. She also added a black stone ring to her fingers finishing off the accessory part over all to keep her look simple and subtle. For her foot, she chose to wear black heels which matched her top perfectly because of the polka dot detailing on the straps at the upside of the footwear to make it comfortable for her to walk. Whereas, I chose to wear my light yellow printed palazzos with a lose, black crop top which had net borders hanging at the end of the top and the sleeves. Since I'm petite, and always thought palazzos aren't meant for short girls, for my footwear I chose heels that could help me cover up my daintiness! Its a beige colored pair, plated with gold blocks and strapped up above. I only picked up these heels to match it with my gold coined neckpiece and similar looking earrings with the gold palmcuff which I recently bought from this amazing e-store Pep My Persona; and a brass ring since I wanted to add a little sparkle to the gloomy day as it was! The best thing about the whole coordination we noticed was, we both had applied the same shade of red lipstick to complete our looks (well you know I don't apply it often)!

There was certainly a lot of matching that was happening. Still, as you can see (in the pictures above), both our looks appeared quite independent as my friend wore a printed top, where I wore a plain one; and while she chose a plain pair of palazzos, I chose to pick a printed one for myself! Also, she's on a fairer side and I'm a little duskier, so it became quite unconventional! You must have also noticed, that both the 'styles' of our palazzos are different too. As, she is wearing a pair with extremely wider bottoms at the end which looks quite flowy; while I'm wearing one which is straight and more structured at the length. Well, there are countless types of fabrics and cuts of these easy-breezy wonders which make them look different in style. Most girls are apprehensive about embracing the palazzos as the fear of looking bigger than usual exists. But that’s not true and it actually helps you look taller, a lot slender and non-bulky, waist down. You can find structured as well as flowy palazzo pants and depending on what suits your body type, you can add them to your closet. If you’re considering purchasing a pair of palazzo pants, the key to maximising wearability is to consider the proportions of your outfit. Think balance! You must remember a few smart tricks to up your style quotient. Palazzos are bottom-heavy since they flare out from the knees below, so keep the top you’re wearing light and well-fitting. Add a lot of character in by sporting a stylish accessory for a diva look. Wear high heels to add height and accessorize with contrasting jewellery for jazzing up the outfit and you're ready to rock at your work, day-outs, night parties or just anywhere!

Note : All this while, you must be thinking why did I kept calling my friend 'The DELL Girl' instead by her name, throughout the write-up. Well, its solely because she did this startling advertisement for the tech brand DELL, which most of you must have been watching on your television or before various videos on youtube (if not, watch HERE), and since then she's been named so by most of our friends! And yes, it was too much fun while collaborating with Saonyaa Shashan (yes, that's her name) for this post. A big hug to her for twinning up with me!

Photographed by :Rhea Ghosh (Exposure Imageries)

Shot at : Cappuccino Blast

~xoxo~