Chiconomical

So if you haven't yet realised that skirts are your friend, I hope these pictures make you change your mind. I absolutely love wearing skirts no matter what the occasion, but the beach is especially a great place for them. The trick is to find fabrics that dry quickly. Polyesters are great, jerseys not so much. Also, if you've got an old skirt you don't quite like in terms of the fit, take a pair of scissors and cut out a slit (like I did) and voila, you've got a beach skirt. The idea is to give your feet freedom to battle the waves. Secondly, instead of wearing the same tshirt everytime, try going to the beach in your strappy camisoles. The idea is to make your everyday clothes double up as a weekend outfit piece.

But what if you don't own a fancy skirt and tshirts are all you have? I hear you girl, I've been there and guess what, you can definitely look good. Get yourself a long scarf (they're about 100-200 and are complete life savers) and try wrapping it around your old shorts as a sarong. Floaty fabrics work best because there' just something fabulous about your dress slighly fluttering as the sun sets. Oh yes, and this works just as great with a regular tshirt as it does with a top like mine. One extra tip, try knotting the tshirt to give yourself a bit of waist. It doesn't cost a thing and trust me, it'll make your curves pop!

I hope this post's given you a few ideas about beachwear. The idea is to wear something fun, but still be you. So what if you're not a bikini and booty girl, you can still rock an awesome beach outfit while being covered! Don't forget to share your looks with me on social media! I always feature my favorites on my social media (yep, we're all about sharing the love). Have a great weekend! 

I know what you've been thinking, Where have I been recently? Working! No, not working in the "I'm a student working in the lab" sense. Instead, I've now got a job. My first ever real office job! Yes, crazy right?! The last few weeks have seen me busy with office (omg! its weird even saying that) and wrapping up my academic commitments and there's a whole new set of rules I need to know and follow now. Obviously, one of the key ones is office dressing! The new job came with its own set of dos and don'ts for what is and isn't appropriate at the workplace. Whoa! Quite a challenge for a girl who likes her grunge jeans! Let the hunting begin!!


On my little hunt to find office wear that was chic and in my price range, I came across Dress4Less. So impressed was I with the items on the site (and the prices too), that I decided to get in touch with the beauty and brains behind the store, Naina Seth Jain. Naina is one of the nicest people you'll meet and she told me a little bit about the collection! She curates each piece and tries to offer the quality that you may find in a boutique in UK (she lived there for a few years) to the Indian market. A lot of her pieces are similar to collections I've seen on high street stores such as River Island and H&M, but don't have the price tags of those brands. You should definitely check out the tops section for some interesting pieces (read cute crop tops and a minions and cartoon print vest I'm coveting!!

Now, onto how I got on the site in the first place (and my outfit of course), there are some really amazing blazers in a very affordable price range.  I've spent loads of time looking for blazers and other officewear bits recently, and let me tell you, finding one that doesn't fall in the 3-5 grand range is a challenge. Dress4Less has some unique pieces in the 1.5k price range. There are also some great bags that are office as well as pocket friendly. Oh, and for those evening dinner parties, there's some interesting gowns too! With easy shipping and returns options, I found the store to be a simple, hassle free shopping experience.

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.