Chiconomical

Sugarbox turns 2!! This little subscription box has been an absolute favorite of mine this year and I was obviously superbly excited to receive it. This month, the box is choc-full of absolutely delightful goodies and without wasting more of your time, lets just dive into it!



1. Grey Tasseled and Frills Scarf

This scarf is made from the softest wool. I haven't yet figured out what kind but its got a whole lace, tassel, ruffle thing going on which is  totally on trend. A great piece to add to your wardrobe!

2. Meow Cat Ears Beanie


3 & 4. Kallos Face Pack and VIP Chocolate:

7. Bracelet:

 Everyday, I see hundreds of ladies travelling to work, wearing outfits that could very well be call the "uniform" of the working population in India. A shirt and trousers is what qualifies as formal wear, leaving little room for a woman to indulge in her feminine side.Blame it on the Valentine's day paraphernalia around, I seem to be putting together increasingly feminine outfits recently and today's outfit is just a little nod in the direction of what office wear should be. You don't need to sacrifice your femininity in order to look chic and put together. Haven't you seen those fabulous ladies on Suits that define power dressing? Well, I'm nowhere near close to them in any respect, but I still feel this is an outfit that would work well in many situations. A bright skirt, simple top and minimal accessories with pulled back hair make it a look you can replicate with most of the things you have in your wardrobe.

• Ruffles are extremely distinct and feminine by nature, so if your clothing item has loud ruffles, try to pair it with a more severe piece to make it more work appropriate.
• Don't wear something that has big ruffles all over to avoid the you know, cupacke with icing look.
• Pair a structured pair of trousers (or a skirt like the one in this post) with a ruffled top to get a balanced look
• Keep the accessories minimal, this applies to most office outfits as you don't want to be distracted by jingling pieces while working.
• If you are uncomfortable with wearing ruffles, wear a blazer with the top to add structure to your look. 
• Wearing a ruffled skirt to work is fine, but only if you manage to pair it with the right pieces, so as to avoid the tiered wedding cake look. Be careful, if the skirt has big ruffles, then the look can descend into juvenile very quickly. Its better to stick with a little but of ruffle at the end or small accents. 
• Finally, don't be afraid to experiment! You may need a few tries to find the perfect piece that balances work and off duty! Till then, keep trying!! 

Happy Holi everyone!! Don't know what that is? Here's a really helpful Wiki on it! Well, like every year, I celebrate Holi fairly low key with my family. I'm not a big fan of celebrating in big and loud crowds with some people who invariably can't handle their liquor and then try to paw others in the name of Holi (also, my best friend sending me pictures of torn clothes post holi aren't really all that pro-big crowds).

I always celebrate with my cousins and this year was no different. A bit of color, a LOT of water (it usually ends with the cousin hogging the water buckets!!) and endless enthusiasm in the form of a 8  year old cousin who's only aim is to color me pink n red and any other color he can lay his hands on! What I'm wearing is nothing extraordinary, but I think the pictures (weirdly cropped to remove pictures of the fam) speak for themselves!





In case you're wondering, that tshirt used to be a pale pink. I think its safe to say its now forever more a deep pink. Also, I'm currently grappling with post holi lethargy coupled with trying to finish a rather difficult implementation for Uni. I really do need to get about three hundred more hours in my day. I wish the 'Bura na mano Holi Hai' mantra extended for a week post holi, for Universities, when I can't finish the work assigned. 'Bura na mano, Holi thi'! ;)

Well, hope you liked the little peek into my holi avatar. I know a 'fashion' blogger is supposed to be all glam and perfect looking even during festivals, but hey, I think I'll leave that to the people who are more worried about the pictures than the festival. For me, it will forever be the festival of colors, family and food!

Today is possibly the first day of Summer. The beginnings of a hot and sweaty summer always mark a sad goodbye to winter trends. One of these, and of course my all time favorite is the tartan trend that has caught everyone's fancy. However, my city's weather makes it quite impossible to wear anything 'warm' as soon as we hit March. Well, unless you wanna turn into a human pot roast its time to say say tata to tartan. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to try and sneak it in every once in a while (I can't seem to live without it) but its definitely going to be a little less, unless I find a summer tartan shirt. (Come on Colaba, make me a lucky girl!!)






I love red on red. Its just such a pretty color that it makes me feel pretty and powerful, even if I'm just bumming around the house. I've lived in this shirt the past few days, and I'm going to miss it once the mercury hits its high notes. Its simply too warm to be worn in summer. The skirt has been around for quite a while and the rest of my look is typical of a weekend in my world.

Are you getting ready for Summer? What new pieces are you adding to your wardrobe to make it summer friendly? Tell me in the comments!

Hello readers!! Are you ready for another edition of Sunday Haircare? I'm really grateful for all the positive response I've got from you guys! While I'm no expert when it comes to hair, it really is quite important to me. So here's my list of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to hair care. Sometimes, you don't even know you're doing something that's causing hair fall. Hopefully, my list will enable you to find out the reasons why you're hairbrush has just slightly more broken hair than usual.

1. Over-washing: This is the most common mistake people make. Its a myth that washing your hair everyday keeps it healthy and shiny, no matter how much your shampoo bottle tells you. If you have a lifestyle that does require frequent washing, I'd suggest doing it every alternate day. Over washing is one of those things you don't even think of but it does make your hair brittle and more susceptible to breakage. Hey, you make be a clean freak, but you wouldn't want to be one without any hair right?

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2. Tight Braids and Buns: Imagine someone continuously applying a strong force and pulling your hair. That's what you do when you have tight braids or ponytails or buns everyday. This is literally you, plucking your hair with a little help from gravity. Even hair needs a little breathing time. If you must have a high ponytail, try using a hair-tie that doesn't give you a headache.

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3. Over styling: Not to sound like a broken record, but I cannot stress this enough. What happens to your skin when you touch a hot vessel? Exactly. You keep using those heating irons and curlers, your hair is going to lose all its sheen. Also, lets get another styling faux paux out of the way, hot irons and wet hair, DO NOT MIX!

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4. Brush Brush Brush: Over brushing is something we're all guilty off. While you may have seen those 'Arabian Nights' movies where the princess has a thousand brush strokes that make her hair shiny, it isn't true. All that's gonna do is break a whole lotta hair and no shine!

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5. Avoiding Trims: If you're like me, you probably hate going to the stylist to get your monthly trim. I mean, between buying that new bag as soon as it goes on sale and working and running errands, where is the time? I'm sorry to tell you, but you cannot mend split ends and this just means that getting your regular trims actually keeps your hair healthy. It even makes it grow faster. Believe me, I've tried it both ways.

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I hope these tips make you that little bit more aware about things that all of us do, but never really think of. So you want gorgeous, shiny, long hair (who doesn't!!)? These little things may seem like nothing, but they do go a long way in keeping your tresses and in turn yourself happy! Hope this helps!

Its all about the trainers!! I have so much love for these new ones from Asos that they've been on my feet practically since I snipped open the parcel! They are super comfortable, and the matress/quilted effect just gives that that little bit of edge.

On to the outfit post, I wore this today to Uni coz I wanted a laid back look that didn't skimp out on style but managed to keep me cozy in this brief winter stint that seems to have started in the country. Overall, I got a few compliments for it and it felt so warm!










I feel that the contrast of the printed trousers with the printed scarf gives the look a little bit of an edge. While I'd worn my spiked necklace during the day, when I came back home to take pictures, I couldn't resist adding my new necklace to the outfit. I mean, its fate isn't it? This new beauty is my first ever 'Thrifty Thursday' item! Yay!! I can see it with a few other outfits already, so cost per wear makes it practically free right?

What do you think of today's look? Tell me in the comments. You can always reach me on Twitter and Facebook! 

Every girl needs an outfit that can take her to from a regular work day to dinner with friends. The other day, I showed you how you can wear a simple slip dress to work with an oversized blazer (Granted, I did wear it to a dinner). Well, this got me thinking, swap the oversized for a structured blazer and you could actually wear it in a more formal setting. I decided to take things out of the office though (eventhough I usually leave the 'party' dressing to others who actually enjoy partying) and see if I could style it for a post-work drinks and food setting. Here's what I came up with...






Excuse the funky hair, I took these after a long day at Uni. I love how gorgeous this dress looks and I think these dresses are the reason why I started the blog. You see, its finding pieces like this one that make me love street shopping. I fell that no matter how many malls crop up in the city, I'll never get over the charm of street shopping.

What do you wear on days when you know you're gonna have to run from work to party? Tell me in the comments below. You can also catch me on Twitter and Facebook!

PS: Have you told me what you want me to find on the streets for you yet? No? Go say what you want on Thrifty Thursday right now!!

Its the second day of 2014. I've been to Uni today, caught up with what all my friends did over the holidays and overall had a relaxed day. A few friends who had been overseas got chocolates, so I did spend a major portion of the afternoon stuffing my face. No, I kid you not. I had about three chocolates in my mouth at one time, and still tried really hard to wedge another one in there. If you've ever spent any time with hostel-ites, you know its either eat it or lose it when they're around.

Anyway, on to today's outfit. I decided to wear something relaxed and air out my only pair of jeans that fit. I've lost quite a bit of weight in the last few months thanks to Uni stress and this is how practically ever morning starts when I have to get dressed on time.

Me*whines and wails*: Muuum, these pants don't fit either!

Mum: You need to eat something my love. You're really disappearing.

Me: I really don't have time for that mum, what do I do?!*hysterical by now since I'm already late*

Mum*calmer than the ocean voice*: This is what belts were invented for you know. Go try one of your million belts.

Me: Realising I haven't tried my belts on yet, runs and tries to pull one out. Of course they all decided to jump out together, and get tangled together at that. Yay! That's another five minutes to my morning routine.

Me: (after trying three belts and wishing my pants magically shrink a size): No!!! Mom!! These make me look like a coat hanger, It looks Terrrible! MOOOOM!! I'm late!!!

And so on...I won't bore you anymore. But yes, as you can imagine, when I found these jeans hiding at the back of my closet, I SCREAMED! Hallelujah! They fit! Without a belt! (which means they don't fall down without one)




I added this necklace to spruce things up a little bit. I love how it brightens up the whole look. A pretty casual look you can wear to college or coffee. I think accessories are great for days when you can't be bothered with too much thinking in the morning.

How's 2014 treating you so far? Talk to me in the comments below. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook!