Chiconomical

Summers are all about looking cool with your sexy shades and floppy hats as you lounge by the beach. They're also about endless commute if you aren't rich enough to have a lifestyle that has regular "beach chillin" and its these times that need you to have stylish yet versatile pieces in your closet. Seeing as denim jumpsuits or overalls as I liked to call them (and dungarees as mom calls them) when I was a kid are making a comeback this summer, I decided it was time to really show what can be done with this like beauty.

First off, these overalls are vintage Wrangler bought way before I was born by dad for mom (yes, he was pretty cool at picking things even back then). I have stolen them from here however, I know the streets are currently overflowing with some rather interesting overalls and if you can't find them, there are some great picks online too (many under 1500!). So trust me, all these looks are quite within a budget shopper's reach.

Look 1: City Cowgirl

So its the weekend and you can't be bothered with wearing all those extra girly dresses because florals make you want to run like the wind? Why not bring out your spunky side and pair your denim jumpsuit with a hat and a croptop for a day out? The croptop makes it look a little more feminine and since you're wearing overalls, you can bring out those really short croptops too! The hat, well, slap on a cowboy hat to make the look interesting while still protect yourself from the sun! Yep, a proper girls day out outfit fo the not so girly girl.

Look 2: Working Girl

Last month, I found myself on the streets of Mumbai with my sister for a spot of shopping. I was out for the very first time since coming back from Kolkata and I just couldn't get over the happiness I felt. First, this was some quality sister bonding time I was spending with my sister after a long time...and second we were doing one of our favorite things, shopping! I loved the sights, the sounds and the excitement at finding something lovely.

I remember a few years back when we used to count our pennies and bargain like crazy. While I still do that at times, my sister has grown but still has the spunk needed to tackle street sellers. So anyway, cutting my musings short, I managed to get my sister to take some images of the things we bought for her (and just a couple of things for me).

1. Red Full Sleeves Maxi Dress: Rs. 300 - Store at the corner of Elco, Hill Road


This dress caught my sister's eye because its demure yet sexy. It has a rather interesting back but the sleeves still keep it very demure. I can't wait to see it on my sister and honestly, for the price, this is a complete steal.

2. Assorted Crop Tops: Rs. 400 Each - Forever, Hill Road


My sister's one main aim was to find herself some croptops and boy did we find some! These croptops are made from such a good material and have the most gorgeous cut that I can't even begin to tell you how amazing they look. I got myself one that looks exactly like the black one, except in white. These tops have so many ways you could wear them, I think I'm going to have to do a post about all those ways very soon!

3. Striped Maxi Skirt: Rs. 150, Stall outside Fendi's - Hill Road

Yes!! This beauty is for 150. Now this is something my sister and I both instantly fell in love with (different colors of course, we don't have the same tastes). The guy had all kinds of stripes in all those nautical colors that we love. Honestly, this was yet another amazing find that I think is going to be a total closet staple for both of us.

4. Denim Dress: Rs. 350, Store next to Forever, Hill Road

This was by far my favorite find of the day! This denim dress is so on trend and the detailing is amazing. For the price, I wish I could have bought one for myself however, considering I spend most of my time at work (which means no denim unless its Friday), buying this wouldnt' have been a good idea. I still love this street find and it reminds me of why I have so much love for street shopping.
We did get a couple of other things but I haven't listed them here because they aren't exactly street shopping. I was still extremely happy with this summer haul. Denim, stripes, prints, we managed to get a little bit of everything and at throwaway prices. I think its important to keep in mind that street shopping isn't always this fruitful. I remember the last time my sister was around, we didn't find a single thing we liked and came back home with nothing. But, don't get disheartened if you can't find the prefect thing, there's always a next time!

Fab Bag...ahh, the leader in the beauty subscription boxes market in India. I was extremely excited when I saw the theme for this month's Fab Bag was "The Beauty Addict". So exciting when a beauty bag actually decided beauty is it's theme for the month. I expected lots of makeup products (well, more than one tbh) and also some exciting beauty bits that could expand my ever increasing beauty stash. So did I get what I imagined?


Sadly, not at all. Oh, the bag looks absolutely amazing, I'll give you that. It almost certainly builds up a crazy excitement that I can't quite put into words with its amazing quote that says "Eat Sleep Makeup Repeat" and sleek black look. The inside? It quickly killed my enthusiasm. Let's take a look at the products received in my June Beauty Addict Fab Bag:

1. Be A Bombshell Eye Shadow Crayon - Black Jack : Rs. 1200


This is honestly the only product that made me happy however, one swipe and you'll realise that it's less black and more dull black. It is a terrible crayon and even after multiple swipes, doesn't really give you a dark black look. I'm not quite sure if this is very useful seeing as it will at the most give you a smudged out eyeshadow, in a not so good way. This is a classic great expectations, disappointing reality situation.

2. Skin Yoga Coffee Body Scrub: Rs. 845


I absolutely loved skin yoga's products in one of my other subscription boxes. This body scrub comes in a almost blinding golden metallic sachet and claims to be a 100% natural body exfoliator. It's fragrance free, preservative free and paraben free. I'm quite excited to try it out since my normal body scrub is almost over.

3. Karite Buerre Pure Shea Butter: Rs. 199.6 for 20g


I've never heard of this brand before. so I'm happy to get this sample sized product to try it out. It's a 100% natural "Wild East African Shea" butter. It smells like most shea butters and looks the same too. I haven't yet used it (probably because the weather is too humid for me to even consider applying any kind of body butters at the moment) but I shall tell you what it's like once I get around to using it.

4. Ital Veloce - Midnight Kisses & Valvatina: Rs. 57 (for both)


Two little bottles of fine fragrance mist. I don't know how this relates to being a beauty addict which is the theme of the bag but I suppose its important to smell good. Midnight kisses is a lot more floral than valvatina which is a much more subtle fragrance. These aren't anything extra special as far as mists go, but I suppose they can be used while we desperately wait for the monsoons.



And that's it folks! Honestly, I'm not at all happy with this month's bag. Seriously, if you're a monthly subscriber, give it a miss. It's completely not worth it. Other than the coffee body scrub, everything else is pointless. The shea butter is interesting but I'm sure you probably have an equivalent already so it isn't that much of a novelty either. Oh, and I think the bag is pretty great in terms of looks. One of the best looking bags this year. Still, overall, give it a miss if you can.

Fashion Blogs, when I first heard about them were a source of inspiration and sometimes, aspiration for the everyday girl. Honestly, I started blogging because I googled till my fingers bled from different search combinations but I simply couldn't find an Indian Fashion Blogger who blogged regularly about affordable fashion. What I found, even back when I started around 3 odd years ago, was that most of the "big" bloggers had mostly sponsored posts. I didn't quite understand how it all worked but I dove in head first anyway.



Through this year, I've found more and more bloggers maybe posting about completely unachievable (for the regular folks anyway) products or getting invited by brands simply because they have a few million followers on social media. Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of them have worked hard to reach where they are today, and this is in no way a jealousy post. However, having said that, I feel that somehow, the more "editorial" a blogger's style becomes, it loses its connect with the regular folks on the way. Personally, I want to read a post where the blogger is excited about buying a pair of shoes for Rs. 200 or buying a lipstick that's Rs. 300 but still looks amazing. I squeal with excitement when I read about such things. I want to know how I can wear my Rs. 500 skirt to work and look like a model off a ramp, not where I can buy a Rs. 5000 skirt that's got gold on it. If we look at India as a country, I think we'd realise that most people live a life on a slim income. Is it right then, that the people who have the power to shape young minds tell them to buy a dozen new things every week?

I find myself unfollowing a lot of the bloggers since the content is purely commercial. Many bloggers seem to be nothing but walking billboards for brands. Yes, you're looking brilliant in your Rs. 100,000 shoes but will the girl who read your blog when nobody else was be able to buy it? Its true that we put our best face forward on social media but its not okay for a girl in her 20s to be jet-setting across the globe. Honestly, a girl in college does not have the means to buy business class tickets every month and if she did, I doubt the girl reading her blog does. While its great that you've grown over the years to reach a point where maybe you could afford such trips, but then I don't think the income of your audience has grown in the way. She probably still works her regular 9 to 5 job, comes home and takes care of her bills and looks to you for some form of inspiration.

Somehow, instead of focusing on the essence of it, blogging these days is all about earning a few thousand bucks per post and getting free stuff. I remember how shocked a girl I spoke to was (she was starting her own blog and wanted to know how I do it), when I told her I buy my own clothes for most posts on the blog. " Wait, so you don't get free clothes if you're a blogger?!?!" is essentially her reaction. This is what many people who blog these days feel. No, I don't earn big bucks from being a blogger. I do earn sometimes, but it always goes into the blog. I'm not saying you can't do it, just that its still a pretty bold move filled with uncertainty. I almost always spend a lot more on the blog than I ever make from it.

Everyone deserves a second chance. This applies not only to people but also to inanimate objects. This is exactly what "Once Again Store" offers. How many of us have clothes in the closet that we hold on to purely out of sentimental reasons. Or maybe that impulse buy that we just haven't gotten around to wearing because secretly we know it looks horrible on us? Me? I've been like that for ages and I think it just isn't fair! As I said previously, everything deserves some loving!


Once Again Store is a platform for people to sell their pre-owned, gently loved clothing so that they can go to someone who will truly care for them! I tried out their store a few months ago and recently they got in touch and asked me if I could review the store for them**. Of course, for something that supports recycling fashion (more on that later) I was more than happy to agree! So lets break down the review in two parts, buying and selling.

Buying:


Once Again has a very clean website which I rather like. The products are divided neatly into separate categories like Clothing, Bags, Shoes, Accessories. There's also a dropdown that offers you listings according to occasions so as to reduce your search time. The items are listed with images and there are helpful filter options on the side like usual fashion stores which again, help you narrow down your perfect match. One thing that bothers me is that the listing shows SOLD products by default unless you explicitly filter them out. I wish these would show up at the bottom because its a little disappointing when you get excited looking at the image only to then see the "SOLD" sign below it.

I ordered a Bag (check out the image below) from the store. I've recently started wishing for a red bag again so when I spotted one on the store, I was more than happy to get it. The delivery was extremely quick and takes a couple of days if everything goes smoothly. I however don't like that the site doesn't list anything about sanitation and from what I've received, it seems that the responsibility of ensuring a clean laundered product falls on the seller. I would be much more comfortable if there was a proper sanitation process done by Once Again instead of leaving it upto the seller.

While I absolutely love that the collections are quite extensive and lots of new items get listed everyday, I am a little miffed at their recent return policy change where you may not return an item that costs less than Rs. 400. I do get it's probably a logistics issue, but I still feel this limit shouldn't be imposed especially when it come to a pre-owned e-commerce portal. One other thing I've noticed is that the product doesn't come packaged in the Store's packing but depending on the delivery parter, the packaging is different each time. However, overall, I am happy with the listings and believe they do manage to offer some rather competitive prices as well as unique things. Plus with a wide range of prices there's something for every thrifter out there!

Selling:

Now, if you're a seller on Once Again, they do try and make things simple for you. You start with taking clear pictures of your product and upload them on the site. They have nine major categories of items they accept and also a list of brands they accept and its a simple interface where you can upload the images of things you wish to sell. Next, you need to price your items and the page will automatically calculate the listing item after adding the 15% commission that Once Again charges. Next, well, wait for the product to sell people!!

Once the product sells, its upto you confirm the pickup, launder and neatly pack your item. This is something that you need to ensure at your end and then package it well enough for the pickup agent to collect it. After this, once the product reachers the buyer, the store waits for 3 days to see if the buyer has issues with it and wishes to return it, and if not, you're good to go. The store transfers the money to your bank account (You need to add this when you're listing anything) and this transfer happens every Saturday. This means if your buyer receives the item on Monday, you'll end up getting your payment the following Saturday.

I find that the selling process is pretty smooth. Like I said before, I still find the fact that the seller has to manage the sanitation of the product a little problematic. However, if it doesn't bother the buyer, I don't see it being a problem for most people.


And that's the gist of it. Personally, I've bought a couple of things from the store and overall I think they try to provide a simple platform to satisfy all your fashion needs. There's nothing wrong with giving some love to something that's pre-owned in my humble opinion. Honestly, its a good idea to swap your old clothes that probably won't ever see the light of day with something that you would use today. Don't hold on to those old dresses with the tags still on people, give them life once again in the world. They deserve to be seen, not rot in the back of your closet! Don't you agree?

Sugarbox! Oh man, just the name oozes cuteness. This month (well, last month to be accurate) Sugarbox had a Boho Chic Theme which meant of course I had to buy it. For those of you who don't know, Sugarbox is a themed lifestyle subscription box that comes packed with something for everyone. It's got a bit of everything from clothing to bags to accessories to skincare to sometimes cute edibles too!

The Boho Chic edition had some stuff that I'd expected and some rather nifty stuff too. I always love the gorgeous box everything comes in since it has the cutest bow and tag on it. Honestly, this gets me more excited at times that the actual unboxing itself. So what does the Boho Chic Edition contain? Let's find out!


1. Honey:
A definitely quirky item to have in a Boho Box, I think the idea was that the free-spirited add Honey to their tea not sugar maybe? I don't know, and it doesn't really matter. This little one-time use sachet is such a nice sweet touch I think I'll probably have to get some of these travel-friendly sachets to stash in the office drawer!


2. Silver Boho Neckpiece:
Something that I think is very on trend this summer, a layered necklace can be used multiple ways. I didn't really like this neckpiece if we're being completely honest. I wished it was more intricate buy that's probably just me. I do think I'd much rather wear it as a headpiece than an necklace but that's also me just being me aswell. Also big props to the way it was packaged. I loved how a simple brown envelope doubled as a cover as well as interesting packaging.


3. Boho Feather Earrings:
If my past looks are anything to go by, feather earrings are a favorite of mine when it comes to beach dressing. I can completely imagine wearing these with my beach shorts and a casual tee on a weekend beach outing. I like the length and the fact that there are little strands without feathers too to give it a bit more volume.


4. Tassled Bag:
I don't think anything spells boho more than a tasseled bag. Tassles and fringe are big this summer and this bag is a nice addition to my every growing bag collection. It can be used as a crossbody bag and has two zip pockets and also a little pocket to keep your phone. (Although in all honesty if you use a bulky phone, you won't really be able to fit it into the pocket provided).


5. 'Good Vibes Only' Water Bottle:
So this was rather unexpected but considering we're standing in the middle of summer where staying hydrated is very important, this was such a welcome addition to the box. The "Good Vibes Only" quote on the bottle is sure to remind you to be a little kinder when you're feeling particularly grumpy at work.

6. Coffee Scrub:
Coffee is an addiction for more than half the world's population. Now if you can find yet another way to bring coffee into your life, why not right? This coffee scrub is a product I've never tried before and I think even if it doesn't make me look prettier, at least it'll make me smell like one of my favorite things in the world!


7. 'Normal is Boring' Muscle Tee:
Yes, I saved the best for last. This tee is such a beauty. It's made from super soft jersey material and I think just looking at it makes me want to pick up my backpack and go on a little solo trip! This was expected yet such a wonderful thing in this month's SugarBox that it instantly made me smile!



And that's it folks! Those are the things I got in my Boho Chic Edition of sugarbox. I personally like around half the things and the other half, while nice aren't really that relevant on a personal level. I think this is a nicely curated box that can be a great present to anyone who has the wanderlust in them!