Tag Archives: Indian Blogger

The Importance of Diwali

The Importance of Diwali

The Importance of Diwali

Hi guys,

I know this is off topic but Diwali is coming soon and I realized that Diwali for us somehow has lost its charm, especially for me. It is not the same as before, the fun we had when we were kids.

My memories of Diwali have been buying different colors for rangoli, a stencil, selecting a design from the book and all the preparation of making a brown base and then making a rangoli which took 2-3 hours. Decorating the whole house with lights and diyas, spending those 3-4 days with the entire family, the Diwali Pooja, dadi teaching us how to make kajal using ghee and an earthen pot on Kaali Chaudas, the lunch I had with my brother on Bhai Dooj, the Laxmi Pooja on Diwali and lighting some phooljadis for shagan (I had stopped using the loud crackers long back after seeing the pollution and the streets filled with remnants and how scared the dogs would be)

And then finally on the last day of ‘New Year’, going to every friend and family member’s place to wish them Happy New Year and they coming at our place.

But now, things have changed so drastically, people look forward to relaxing those 3 days of holidays. Forget going to each other’s place to wish New Year, there are no phone calls too and we end up wishing everyone on Whatsapp. There is no time for rangolis, we hardly spend time with families and lights are just for name sake to show Diwali.

I saw this video recently where this old grandfather was missing his grandchild and how he used to spend Diwali with her. And guess what, the dadu gets the best surprise of his life. What do you think the surprise is? Yes, she probably is coming to meet him this Diwali!

Perfectly timed, Lufthansa has unveiled its #DiwaliSurprise campaign which gives you an opportunity to fly to the one you love! It also gives you an opportunity to help brighten a child’s life by just registering your wish – so awesome! 😀

Fly away to be with the one you love – your friend and you could both win a ticket with your Diwali wish and also your wish will add Diwali lights to illuminate a Lufthansa plane – a digital marvel to behold on the Festival of Lights!

So click HERE and send your wishes quickly to your loved ones this Diwali 🙂

Share your Diwali memories in the comments below

P.S: Image from Google

OOTD: Two Diverse Outfits (Maxi Dress & Monochrome)

OOTD: Two Diverse Outfits (Maxi Dress & Monochrome)

Hi guys,

If you follow me on my social media, you must be knowing I had attended the Reliance Trends’ Tarun Tahiliani show at Lakme Fashion Week and I had to pick two outfits from the new Reliance Trends collection and wear one of it for the show.

I tried a number of outfits as you can see here..

Finally I went with these two.

First is this super pretty royal blue maxi dress which is from their in house brand ‘Fusion’ and it has an Indo-western feel to it obviously as the name goes.

I love the print on top, the fit, the flowy fabric, the color, everything about this dress and also it is super comfortable! I had been living in this maxi dress for entire day for 2-3 days in a row since it felt so comfortable.

If it would have been available in more colors, I would have bought all of them 😀 And guess the price guys!! It retails only for Rs.799/-!! Beat that. Definitely recommend checking out ‘Fusion’ at your nearest Reliance Trends store and buy this if you spot it! There were some other shirt dresses and halter dresses too which were quite pretty.

I wanted my 2nd outfit to be completely different from the first. Since the first was bright and colorful and Indo-western, I went with a monochromatic black and white semi-formal look in the 2nd.

I chose this textured white boxy top with an embellished neckline with a simple black pencil skirt. I love the waffle print texture and the neckline is super pretty. You don’t need any additional accessories with this top. This top was priced at Rs. 799/- too.

Other accessories seen in these looks are my infinity layered neckpiece and my hamsa hand harness. (Both seen HERE). I wore my silver Forever 21 loafers with these.

Outfits: Reliance Trends
Shoes: Forever 21
Accessories: LucLuc

August Favourites & Mini Reviews: Video

August Favourites & Mini Reviews: Video

Hi guys,

A monthly favourites video, I have way too many favourites this time and also I realised I went on and on, I had to edit a lot of stuff coz the original video was about 25 minutes :/

Here is the video:

List of products:

  • The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Scrub & Body Butter (Review HERE)
  • Bioderma Photoderm Max Mineral Compact SPF50+ (Review HERE)
  • Lakme Absolute Face Stylist Compact – Rs.1000
  • Bioderma Sebium Purifying Foaming Cleansing Gel – Rs.1350
  • Za Total Hydration Amino Mineral Gel (Review HERE)
  • Dove Nutritive Solutions Oxygen Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner– Rs.83 for 80ml, Rs.91 for 80ml respectively
  • Revlon Nearly Naked Makeup (Review HERE)
  • Oleon Moroccan Argan Oil – Rs.1700 for 50ml (Available on Flipkart HERE)
  • Utama Spice Tangerine Lip Balm
  • Acrygel Nails done at Jean Claude Biguine India – Rs.3500/- (Details HERE)
  • Hamsa Hand Harness: Shown HERE

I hope you liked my favourites, do let me know your favourites in the comments below 🙂

Join my ongoing giveaway to win Maybelline ColorShow Lipsticks: https://youtu.be/rM9QWe-4_pk

Please like, comment, share & subscribe 🙂

Also I am on Snapchat too, add me @bhumika_t. It is so addictive!! 😀

The Start – Up Life

The Start – Up Life

Hi guys,

No, I haven’t started any start – up yet :p This post is about the problems faced by start – ups and entrepreneurs all around the world, especially in their day to day life.

Startups get a lot of press. They have to overcome several challenges to taste success. Like they say, “Ek aag ka dariya hai, aur doob ke jaana hai” (You have to swim through fire to get to your destination).
Well, I am not the stero-typical startup founder, hell bent on solving a billion dollar problem or evangelising whatever comes my way. But there is one thing, which overlaps with startups to a large extent – Entrepreneurship from scratch. In fact, rather than the websites or mobile apps they build, it is the rags to riches story which is more important to learn from.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and leaving a cozy job with a private coaching classes, I took the plunge couple of years back to be a full time blogger. Sharing my 0.02$ on the problems I encountered along the way;
a) Aap ki beti karti kya hai?
It is the most difficult thing in the world to explain your Baroda wali masi what “Blogging” is all about. Forget talking about monetisation, sponsored content, social media, followers, etc etc. I have a very convenient solution for this – I am practicing as a Chartered Accountant (This is the bare minimum use of my 5 years of hard work for completing CA)
b) $$$$$$
Ok. So now you have developed a loyal visitor base. Google knows that you know some cool stuff about beauty, makeup, etc. But how do you monetise all of that? Ad sense is going down the drain since quite some time now. And then you start getting these nightmares. Did I screw up by choosing to come out of my comfort zone? Should I go back to the 9 to 5 job and a stable income?
c) Peer pressure
Facebook updates, LinkedIn updates. Someone just got promoted to a manager. Someone has shifted to Dubai. Someone is out on a foreign business trip. Wow. People from my batch are doing awesome in life. They are earning 7 figure salaries. And how much am I earning? Shit. I am not even close. <Panic mode>
And the list goes on and on…..
But at the end of the day, all said & done, Entrepreneurship is the most satisfying thing ever. To quote Liquid guru from Pyar ka Punchnama, “Kutto ka koi Sunday nahi hota, Kutte Har Din Kutte hi hote hai”.
Entrepreneuship gives you the freedom, flexibility & potential, way more than a 16th century Bell Curve policy determined 7% increment and a rigid corporate structure ever will. :p
Here is a fun video that shows some start- up problems made by www.vistaprint.in

As you saw, the CEO himself is the assistant, secretary, peon, etc. all in one. From the lunch buffet and high tea at five star hotels to the vada pav and cutting chai, the transition is very difficult!

Are you a part of the start – up life? What problems do you face daily?
P.S: I am loving the TVF Pitchers and desperately waiting for the final 5th episode which will be live this Sunday, have you seen it yet?

How BoxMySpace can Help Declutter Home

How BoxMySpace can Help Declutter Home

About BoxMySpace: BoxMySpace is a unique storage solution, that helps you make space in your urban life. People today are living in smaller and smaller houses and do not have the luxury of space to keep all their stuff around. That’s where they come in. They bring storage at your doorsteps. They deliver high quality boxes at your doorsteps. All you need to do is pack all the stuff in the boxes. They then collect and store them safely for you. Done!

With convenience being taken for granted in urban cities, be it booking a cab or ordering food; we still strive to make your storage experience simple and hassle-free.

Established in January 2015 by Pratyush Jalan, BoxMySpace was formed with an aim to bring the same convenience of cloud storage to the physical goods of a consumer’s home. The consumer can effortlessly avail on-demand storage service for their household goods at their doorstep either through the web or mobile application across Android and iOS platforms for a monthly fee starting Rs.99/-. BoxMySpace delivers quality storage boxes to customer’s homes/offices wherein they can pack their belongings in the boxes, thereafter BoxMySpace collects it and stores it for them. It also provides spaces for larger storage items through it’s 4×4 and 6×6 packages. BoxMySpace leverages the unused spaces in large warehouses and plugs the gap to provide a technology backed solution to retail customers. It also provides the consumer with their storage dashboard to create a visual catalog of all their stored items and a unique code to each item/box to enable recall within 12 to 24 hours.

Currently this is only available in Mumbai.

As their tagline goes ‘Unclutter your space, Box By Box’. If you live in Mumbai or have ever lived in Mumbai, you know how expensive the real estate is and how tiny the homes are! People from Delhi and Pune who live/have lived in Mumbai homes feel claustrophobic 😀 You can guess,right.

Space has to be managed very well with extra storage wherever we can find it, coz we are always pressed for space. Especially for someone like me who has loads of stuff, I can never find enough space for my stuff. I seriously need to declutter my home and when I read about BoxMySpace, I was like ‘this is it’, something which is perfect for me.

Especially my beach clothes,winter clothes and shoes which are hardly used on a day to day basis, those are like once or twice a year required things, but do occupy space. I have two huge cartons of shoes lying just like that occupying a lot of space and I am currently not even supposed to wear heels, I am thinking of using BoxMySpace for that.

All of us have extra shoes and books and those ‘Goa’ and ‘Winter’ wardrobe which we use once a year and sometimes not even once a year, but it occupies so much of space in our homes. Piling up stuff over the wardrobe or under the bed if you don’t have storage ducts, etc. at your home. Now no need of layering all those additional stuff,you can free up space and de-clutter your homes by letting BoxMySpace take care of your belongings.

How does it work?

How is it priced?

 

This is how the box looks..

Isn’t that amazing?! You can get your stuff within 24 hours whenever you need it. They pick up for you, they drop back the stuff, you save a lot of space and your stuff is completely secure, all this at a nominal monthly fee! Totally worth it, I say. I am definitely trying out BoxMySpace. Are you?

Also, they have a contest going on currently on their facebook, we are in luck! Who do you think needs a free box? I certainly do 😀 Go here and participate now http://on.fb.me/1I4BOz1

Also check out their twitter here http://bit.ly/1IdsPjq

Renault Lodgy: New MPV in India

Renault Lodgy: New MPV in India

Well last weekend at this time, I was in Goa with the Blogadda team and 40 bloggers from all over India to drive and experience the new Renault Lodgy, the latest Multi Purpose Vehicle in India.

Starting with the design, it looks fabulous with the wide head lamps. It is totally sleek and stylish, especially the black ones look killer.

It comes in 7 seater or 8 seater options and the 2nd and 3rd row are foldable and super spacious. I sat on all the three rows to experience how comfortable it is. Renault claims their third row is their advantage compared to other MPV’s in the market, coz it is spacious and has a separate A/C vent for the third row. I was on the third row for quite a while and it is indeed very spacious with enough leg room which is usually an issue in mostly all MPV’s.

Also the 2nd row can be easily folded for people to get in the 3rd row, with just a push of the button on the top of the seat, unlike trying to fiddle with the bottom adjusting bar every time in MPV’s.

The interiors look super classy and it has  beige and grey quilted design on the seats. A MediaNAV console with a touch screen in the higher models and chrome finished AC vents on the front look super classy!

The suspension was pretty good, and there were no jerks felt even on the third row. Coming to safety, it has airbags for both the front seats, one button car lock, etc. It goes from 80kmph to 0 in 35 metres which is again a superior feature compared to its competitors who are in 40-45 metres range, well every metre matters during an accident! The curves and bends went super smooth. Renult Lodgy also offers cruise control where you can just relax and let the car work on long road trips. Even though it is diesel, it hardly made any noise and it was NIL on the inside. It can practically give a mileage of 19-20 kmpl

It comes in 85 and 110 PS engine,well we got to try both. The 110 PS engine of course was super! It comes in 7 variants and starts from Rs. 8.19 lakhs.

Overall, I can only say that is the most stylish, practical and comfortable MPV in India that I have tried and experienced or sat in 🙂

P.S: It was raining continuously and I could hardly manage a few pics. Pics are from the Renault Lodgy website.

I was a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive by BlogAdda.com in association with Renault India

World Ethnic Day by Craftsvilla.com

World Ethnic Day by Craftsvilla.com

About the World Ethnic Day: World Ethnic Day is a day to celebrate the cultures of different countries together on a single day. In the digital world, “World is One” yet we all carry different identities represented by what we wear, eat, believe and celebrate. Lets come together and celebrate our diversity as “One World”. World Ethnic Day is a day of fun, dance, music, food and party in ethnic way. Lets go back to our roots and share with others our uniqueness. Lets be One. Lets be Ethnic.

Every country and culture has its own ethnicity and uniqueness. When it comes to India, its all colorful, pretty and larger than life, coz it is again not just one culture, but a mix of so many different cultures in one country. We have such diverse cultures but yet have some common nuances.

If we talk about a saree, most of the cultures in India have a saree but each have a different type,work, style of wearing or calling it. There is a Bengali way and a Gujurati way of wearing a saree. Then we have a Maharastrian navari, South Indian Kanjeevaram sarees, Banarasi Brocade sarees, etc.

It’s more of lehengas in the Northern India.

And these days, we all love our kurtis, churidars and salwars, and of course everyone’s favourite anarkali. It is easy and convenient to wear and be around with these and yet gives an ethnic and traditional touch and feel.

Not only clothing, we have diverse arts and crafts too. We have minakari and marble work, gemstones, tie and dye, crochet, wooden and brass handicrafts, block prints, chikankari,clay and pottery,etc.

Craftsvilla.com is celebrating 19th June as ‘World Ethnic Day’. I love the site and the amazing ethnic and traditional items it stocks,also I am happy that a website is actually celebrating Ethnic Day and it anyway helps a lot of local artisans to sell the products on Craftsvilla and gives them an easy,global platform. A nice way for the local people to reach globally and also gives them a new source of income.

Vidya Balan is the brand ambassador for World Ethnic Day and rightly so, she was the first in Bollywood of late to have adopted the saree trend and she wears all the traditional kanjeevarams, from her own wedding to award functions to the Cannes Film Festival, she took the Indian ethnic nine yards everywhere.

“By celebrating World Ethnic Day, we get an opportunity to go back to our roots. I feel strongly about the dying art of handlooms in the country, and also about the plight of artisans who are struggling for livelihood. I am delighted with the opportunity to spread awareness about it,” Vidya said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to have Vidya Balan endorse World Ethnic Day. There is tremendous synergy between her vision and ours. Vidya is a living ambassador for everyday ethnic. Her remarkable success and body of work stand testimony to ethnic is cool,” said Manoj Gupta, founder of Craftsvilla.com.

What do you think of the World Ethnic Day?

Shop Miss A Haul: Elf, Accessories,etc.

Shop Miss A Haul: Elf, Accessories,etc.

Hi guys,

A few weeks ago I shopped from Miss A and here is the huge,huge haul!

About Miss A: Explore your personal styles. Enhance your complete lifestyle. MISS A, world’s No.1 “fast-fashion” retailer, provides an unprecedented selection of today’s fashion, always changing and always in style. Visit http://www.ShopMissA.com

The price formula that is being offered to our customer – “Everything is $1” – lets every MISS A shoppers enjoy a fun and exciting environment to shop and also makes them cherish the moment being in MISS A. It is amusing and welcoming, which allows our customers enjoy their shopping experience at MISS A.

Yes, you read that right! Everything on Shop Miss A is just $1!! Can you beat that?! From accessories, to makeup to knick knacks, you get them all for $1 each.

I bought lots of jewellery, few makeup items from Elf Cosmetics and Kleancolor, LA.Colors, etc.

Coming to the haul now, lets see what all I got 😀

Starting with makeup first, I got

  • e.l.f. Essential Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil-Plum Passion
  • e.l.f. Essential Eyelid Primer-Champagne
  • e.l.f. Essential Healthy Glow Bronzer- Sun Kissed
  • e.l.f. Essential Dual Pencil Sharpener
  • Vintage Cola Lip Gloss- Strawberry
  • e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Color-Day 2 Night
  • e.l.f. Essential Shine Eraser- 2 packs
  • Everlasting Lipstick-Holiday Red
  • Wizard Nail Polish Remover Pads
  • Eyelash Adhesive-CLEAR
  • L.A. Colors Shimmering Loose Eyeshadow- Chocolate Sprinkles

Some makeup brushes and tools..

  • e.l.f. Essential Smudge Brush
  • e.l.f. Essential Eye Crease Brush
  • e.l.f. Essential Eyeliner Brush
  • Metallic golden Tweezers
  • Leopard Print Nail File
  • Retractable Travel Lip Brush
  • Multi Polka Dots Cosmetic Pouch

Next are my favourite,accessories..

  • Enamel Star Open Ring- Black & White
  • Enamel Ribbon Bow Ring- Red
  • Genesis Teardop Hoop Gold Earrings
  • Andrea Filigree & Stone Shield Ring- Black
  • Bead Accent Threader Earrings- Teal (So pretty!)
  • Bridget Wrap Bracelet/Arm Cuff- Gold
  • Front & Back Turquoise Stone Earrings (My Favourite)
  • Colored & Clear Rhinestone Earring Set (12 Pairs)- Red
  • Pearl Safety Pin Brooch- Silver(Another favourite)
  • 6 Piece Flower Ring Set- Red

The statement neck pieces..

  • Genesis Luxe Collar Necklace- Gold
  • Shelby Two Tone Chain Link Necklace- Black & Gold
  • Sleek Chain Layered Collar Necklace- Silver

And some random stuff..

  • Floral No Show Socks
  • Filigree Masquerade Mask (which broke a bit in transit :()
  • Superman Locket Charm (I got confused and thought it was with the locket :/)

Yes, all of the above was for $1 each 🙂 I hope you liked my haul. And I am sure, many of you are tempted to shop now, and you should, coz it’s a steal and you save on a lot of bucks!

They have a flat rate shipping of $3.95 within US,$5.95 for Canada and $9.95 for anywhere else in the world. They use normal post and I received the package in 22-23 days. Also, they were no customs charges and I don’t think customs would be levied on them, since they are quite cheap with every product just $1 untill you are ordering something worth $100 or more.

What did you like the most? Do let me know in the comments below.

Food Review: Fuhgeddaboudit at Botticino,Trident BKC

Food Review: Fuhgeddaboudit at Botticino,Trident BKC

Hi guys,

We went to Botticino at Trident, BKC yesterday for lunch. They have this Fuhgeddaboudit festival going in which is all about light ‘on the go’ Italian power lunch from 16th to 19th May.

About the fest: Fuhgeddaboudit! Italian gangsters, or ‘wiseguys’, love to eat. With one eye on the pasta and another on the clock, they’re always on the lookout for a great meal. So you might just bump into one at Botticino, where we’re serving some unforgettable Italian power lunches. Whether you’re a Godfather, or one of the Goodfellas, or just another wiseguy, you won’t be able to “fuhgeddaboutdit”!

Manager at Botticino, Alisha Rampal and the Chief Chef, Sushil Multani explained us a bit about the fuhgeddaboudit festival and what it involves. How it is supposed to be light and quick and inspired from the Italian mafias.

These are the items included in the Italian fest.

Coming to the food, we were served fresh bread with a dip, at the start. It was quite fresh and some of them were really nice.

I went with the Chandon Brut Rose and hubby went with his favourite Sula Satori.

For the appetisers, we were served Compressed watermelon and goat cheese salad with citrus fruits, roasted pine nuts and lemon vinaigrette. Chef told us how the watermelon is compressed with kaffir lime leaves and the blend with citrus fruits, feta and roasted pine nuts was delish.

Compressed watermelon and goat cheese salad

And the Tomato and Bocconcini with fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes.

Tomato and Bocconcini

For main course, we were served Eggplant Parmigiana and Spinach Ricotta Crepes with roasted tomato sauce. The crepes were nice. I did like the blend of flavours in the Parmigiana but I am not a fan of eggplant, so couldn’t have much.

Eggplant Parmigiana
Spinach Ricotta Crepes

Since the food was taking time, we were served orange sorbet in between which was quite refreshing.

Orange Sorbet

And lastly, the Penne Arabiatta pasta with garlic, chilli flakes and tomatoes. Ok, so I like my pasta with an extra dash of olive oil and lots of parmesan. While this was supposed to be light and had no cheese, I missed my Parmesan. I wish I could have added the Parmesan additionally on top.

Penne Arabiatta

For the desserts, we had Panacotta with seasonal fruits and raspberry coulis topped with cinnamon honey and hubby went with Mango Cassata.

Panacotta with seasonal fruits and raspberry coulis
Mango Cassata

The panacotta was light and absolutely yummy with the fruits and a tinge of cinnamon honey in between every bite.

I was not very pleased with the waiting time though. For every dish, we had to wait for 20-25 minutes,and I thought according to the theme of the fest, it was supposed to be quick and ‘on the go’. Though I appreciate the chef cooked stuff fresh for us, but we were getting late, I hope that is not the case always.

Nonetheless, the food was nice and I had a great time. If you love Italian food, make sure you go for the fuhgeddaboudit festival at Trident, BKC. Tom is the last day!

Do you like the pics? Which is your favourite dish?

P.S: I was invited for the fest but that does not affect my review.

Food Review: The Salad Bar & Walnut Cafe

Food Review: The Salad Bar & Walnut Cafe

The Salad Bar and Walnut Cafe is a new place near Vashi station, opp. Four Points by Sheraton. There are no salad places as such in Navi Mumbai and only 1-2 in Mumbai, so The Salad bar is a refreshing change indeed.

The ambiance is simple and nice, I liked how they used jars for lighting, etc., for decorating the place. They play good music too.

Coming to the food, we ordered the Legends of Greece,Mediterranean Chick Pea Salad and Cottage Cheese Salad.The Cottage Cheese Salad had paneer in tikka masala which was yumm, red wine vinaigrette dressing went well, it was slightly over spiced and had quite a lot of Cucumber pieces.

Legends of Greece was a nice,basic salad with oregano vinaigrette dressing. But being it a greek salad, I was expecting much more feta cheese.

The Mediterranean Chick Pea was my favourite! Light and creamy tahini yogurt dressing and perfect blend of ingredients.

Hubby tried the Detox juice (which was too much of beet) and I went with simple Lemon Iced Tea. Lemon Iced tea was nice and refreshing with mint sprigs on top.

We tried  the Pasta Creamy Tomato and the Oreo Milkshake from the Walnut Cafe Menu. Absolutely loved the pasta, perfect olive oil and parmesan cheese drizzling. Creamy and cheesy sauce with a nice blend of tomato and cheese,as mentioned. And the garlic bread were slightly grilled too. Highly recommend trying this!

Oreo milkshake was kind of OK, too creamy for my liking. I had to remove quite a lot of cream from it, it was a tad bit sweet as I prefer less sweet.

Overall, I would say its a nice place to chill and have some yummy salads, or wraps, sandwiches, pastas and chocolate milkshakes.

If you love salads and stay at Navi Mumbai, then you know where to head this weekend!

P.S: This review is a part of #NaviMumbaiFoodies #FoodTrail. You can follow them on twitter or Instagram.