Chiconomical

This outfit post was supposed to be at a beach. And it was supposed to be a series of outfit posts. Turns out, beaches don't work as good places to shoot in the mornings. What's with everyone deciding to take a walk or walk a dog or defecate on the beach (yes, you're welcome for that image). So after wandering around possible shoot locations for around an hour, we drove back to my all time favorite, Powai. Yep, seems I'm destined to take pictures with the lake within 100 meters of me.

Of course, once we did reach the garden I was overly excited by the little circles on the ground. I kid you not, circles excite me, so much so that I insisted on standing right in the center to take all the pictures. Erm...lighting wasn't working out (or so I was told) so I had to leave my circle. I do have some rather great ideas about role-playing some circle games here. Okay, maybe not.

Onto the outfit, I wanted to showcase a fun, bright beach outfit. There isn't a beach here, but this outfit is still pretty great for say a weekend drive. A bright orange top and bright pink shorts equal lots of happy colors. The top was a great street find and there are lots of lovely solid color tops out there which I think every girl should own (in atleast 3 different colors). A pair of sunnies and a big tote to carry all my day's supplies, and I'm ready for a day at the erm...beach/garden. Honestly, I could pack a nice lunch in that tote considering how big it is!

Tips to Color Blocking In Summer:

• Summer is all about bright colors, so don't be afraid of mixing colors you wouldn't normally put together.
• If you're afraid you'll look like you dressed for the circus, start small, use colors you're most comfortable with and then work your way to things you find daunting.
• Usually, colors from the same color palette work well when it comes to color blocking. For instance, red and pink actually look great! 
• Don't want to color block using your clothes? Use accessories it add a little color and interesting dimension to the whole outfit. Think bright shoes and a bright bag. 
• As the outfit itself is pretty bold, tone down the accessories. Neutral accessories work well when it comes to color blocked outfits. 
• Finally, remember to have fun with it! If you aren't loving your outfit how will you expect others to like it! 

BB cream? I really don't want to sound like an beauty illiterate, but I really haven't used a BB cream before. Yes, I've heard it's a Beauty and Benefit Cream (thank you sister dear for that description) and is essentially a tinted moisturiser, but I  never really used one. So when I got a mail asking me to to be a part of the Fair and Lovely BB Cream launch, of course I said yes! Who doesn't want to learn how to use makeup that doesn't require complex instructions to make you look pretty!

So off I went on a Sunny Sunday to Novotel Hotel to learn and enjoy. The day started off with a interesting 'introduce you're fellow blogger' session and the day's activities became increasingly enjoyable. I came home with a gorgeous little hamper and my very first, BB cream! I've used it for about a week since I got it (I got an eye infection last weekend and it's been strictly no make for me).

The hamper I got at the event!

And look how lovely it was inside too!

A small snippet of what the even was like

And some more shenanigans from the event.

The Fair & Lovely BB cream comes in the trademark pink and white packaging and they say that it tone works very well for people with the Indian Skin tone and is tailored to a hot and humid climate. Its Rose Gold shade has that perfect shade which works well for Indian women, unlike Caucasian skin tones that most of the other BB Creams cater to. They say that its the First Ever Matte Vasnishing Cream! This makes me quite interested because I have extremely oily skin. Thankfully, this BB Cream doesn't make me look like an oil painting. It isn't oil based so that's a plus for anyone with skin that can fry eggs.

Swatch without blending the Fair & Lovely BB Cream

Swatch After Blending the Fair & Lovely BB Cream

Coverage? It gives an extremely light coverage and will hide minor spots easily, giving you even toned skin. You can take a look at the swatch above to get a better idea. I like that post application you feel like you haven't got any makeup on, and think this works well for days when you can't be bothered to spend time putting on make up (read, every single day in my life). Oh, and there is this delicious faint smell once you apply it. It smells a little like rose gold? Erm.. Sorry I'm rubbish at describing smells, so I shan't even try! Let's just say its a good, not very overpowering sent.

However, I have a feeling (eventhough I'm assured that rigorous product testing proved otherwise), that it may not work for darker skin tones. It does have SPF 15 so its great if you forget your sunscreen at home. Still, for the Indian summers, I suggest you wear a sunscreen in spite of the SPF rating. Finally, I was glad that it didn't melt off my face when I walked in the sun for hours, but I feel that it might clog my pores a little, seeing as I had a few extra spots on my face the next day. Overall, its still a pretty great product and if you must have one item in your bag, its gotta be this!

Talking about minimalistic baggage, I was set the fun task of styling a look for "Essentials for a Roadtrip with my friends! Well, road trips in my world are seldom planned with a lot of time, and require a very laid back, quick fix packing. Of course, I haven't been on a holiday for ages now, but that doesn't mean I can't dream right?! So here's the look I came up with!






I was asked to list out my essentials for a roadtrip and turns out don't need much. I usually get my bag, my comfy shoes, my bottle of water, sunglasses and of course my makeup. That usually involves sunscreen, a bit of light foundation and a compact to set the whole thing. Turns out, I really can get the result similar to all of this by simply carrying the Fair & Lovely BB Cream. Oh Btw, other than lip balm and the Fair & Lovely BB Cream, I don't have anything on in all of these pictures, make-up wise. I quite like the free space in my bag due to this. (More opportunities to shop, obviously).

Finally, here are my Pros, Cons and the Final Verdict for the Fair & Lovely BB Cream

Pros:
Low cost, one of the best value for money BB creams in the market.
Matte! This is a heaven sent for women who have oily skin like me.
Blends well, its almost like you aren't really wearing anything.
Light coverage, which may be a con for many people, but I rather like it since its more of an everyday wear product.

Cons:
Packaging. I wish the nozzle was smaller, and I tend to press to hard and a lot of excess cream gets dispensed and wasted.
May not suit darker skintones as only one shade is available.

Product: Fair & Lovely BB Cream
My Rating: 4/5
Price: Fair & Lovely BB Cream is available at for Rs.169 for 40g, Rs.79 for 18 gm & Rs.49 for 9 gm.

Final Verdict: This is a great product, given the price range. If you skin tends to dry out, I suggest a moisturiser before applying this. I wish they would make it in different skin tones.

So I've got a few requests to do style posts for men. While I still don't have a model (hello guy friends of mine who are reading this) I thought it would be a good idea to do atleast a post on where the boys can find some good deals! So here's my very first boys shopping post.

A simple white tshirt is always in fashion! This one from Koovs makes me wanna dress like the boys! Oh, and did I mention, it comes in different colors too! WIN!!

Sunday mornings shouldn't induce stress right? Well, waking up to a full page ad in the newspaper saying that one of your favorite online shopping sites goes Mobile certainly is! I mean, wait? What? I can't use the laptop to buy things from there anymore? Are you serious?! No, wait, they're just going to be on the app from now on! Certainly that isn't so bad? No wait, I don't trust my phone to make major payments! Or do I? Well, that's all the questions I thought of the instant I saw that ad. I even let out a small scream prompting mom to tell me, its only a store my dear, (little do you know mom, little do you know).


Well, after a mini fret session, I decided to tackle the bull by its horns and download the app. Few seconds later, HELLO shopping mall on phone! Okay, lets take a quick poll, how many of you spend all your free time on the phone? I'm guessing quite a few! Every time I hop onto the train to travel home, I see everyone scrolling through somebody's feed, or reading somebody's status or texts. Well, I'm guessing, while we may not realise it, this was a rather smart idea by the good folks at Myntra!
Here's what the App says in its very own words via screenshots.



Hello, there's not way I'm spending my coffee break sitting in front of the laptop finding last minute presents for the friend's birthday party. Instead, its much more enjoyable to tap and scroll through the app while I enjoy that latte I've been craving since morning! Yep, it may have taken me sometime, but I definitely see the benefits of the App!



Oh, and that time when you just boarded a train to Goa to realise your good friend's getting engaged in two days? Of course you aren't lugging your laptop around on a holiday! Oh wait, you've got your phone to the rescue! I've had so many of these scenarios run through my head since downloading the app! The sleek and easy to use interface doesn't hurt either! I love the little fashion quotes that pop up while you wait for the pages to load! (Fun and knowledge people! Isn't that what life's supposed to be!)

Overall, my verdict? It's GREAT that Myntra's going to be Mobile now! Its definitely a more intimate experience somehow when you're using the app on the phone. Probably because we have a much more intimate relation with our phones.  Stress? I think it's a way to get rid of stress instead of adding it! A quick little app that solves your shopping on the go needs? Well, that's not stressful at all! Its rather exciting!

Get the App Today! Try it out! And tell me how you like it!