As you all know, I have been talking a lot about the Reliance Trends Spring Summer Collection 2015. We were invited at the Bandra Reliance Trends store to check out and review the collection and pick our favourites and style them 🙂
New Reliance Trends Collection included the brands Rio,Fig, Intribe, Fusion, DNMX and Team Spirit.
Rio has bright coloured tops and tees. Fig has nice summery tunics, sheer crop tops, harem pants,etc. DNMX was all about denim, from printed (polka dots too :p) denims to all types of pants, shorts and also nice denim shirts which mostly all of us picked 😀 It is perfect for layering in summers since quite thin and breathable. Intribe had floral numbered tops, lots of sheer and sequin and even faux leather. Fusion obviously had the Indo-western look and feel with bright skirts, shirts, kurtis,etc. And lastly, Team Spirit was all about casuals and sporty. Numbered tees, hoodie vests,stripes, etc.
For creating this look, I went went a vertical striped numbered tee from Team Spirit. I love how the number has an ombre effect <3 And paired it with blue skinny denims from DNMX, the ombre blue number on the tee matches and balances the outfit.
I paired it with my bright black and pink floral statement necklace, a classic watch, a pretty stone silver ring and studded black pumps. The reflecting sunnies steal the show though 😀 Absolutely loved the mirror reflecting round sunglasses.
The best part is all the brands are quite affordable and do not burn a hole in your pocket. The stuff is perfect for everyday wear and there is something for everyone,from sporty Team Spirit to trendy Fig and DNMX to Indo- western Fusion. You guys also have a chance to win this look and/or the looks created by other bloggers starting from 13th and going till 17th May on the Reliance Trends facebook and twitter. Go follow now 😉
Tee- Team Spirit by Reliance Trends
Denims: DNMX by Reliance Trends
Watch: Daniel Wellington
Necklace: Vero Moda
Shoes: Dune London
Ring: Silvette Jewellery
Sunnies: HERE
Bag: Michael Kors Mini Selma
Takeaway joints are your best bet when you are pressed for time and want to grab something on the go! I do that a lot. Mumbai is a fast city and most of the times people are running, so you definitely need some good takeaway options.
From Mexican Sandwich to Mayo to American Veg. and Cheese, you get all kinds of options here. They make it quickly and sandwich is something you can eat anywhere.
2. Smoking Pizza in Navi Mumbai
There are 3-4 outlets of Smoking Pizza in Navi Mumbai and I absolutely love their pizzas. One regular is so heavy that it becomes difficult for a single person to finish. They have number of options available and are super yumm and fresh.
3. Tibb’s Frankie
I had my first frankie from Tibb’s back in college at the Dadar Shivaji Park outlet and I am a fan since. You can find Tibb’s at most of the malls these days. It’s yumm,fulfilling and they make it quickly. Its a perfect takeaway option.
4. Faaso’s
As their slogan goes ‘Wraps On The Run’, you can judge how efficient Faaso’s is when it comes to takeaway. From wraps to rice feasts, all options are good. They are packed so well, that you can conveniently have it on the go. They also had special IPL meals.
5. Paninaro
You get super yumm paninis and brownies here and they all come together in a nice box as a meal which is a perfect option for takeaway. I love their paninis!
And there is McDonald’s,Subway,Domino’s and now Burger King any day, if there are no above options nearby :p
What is your favourite Takeaway joint? Do let me know in the comments below.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Soffe. All opinions are 100% mine.
At the risk of coming across as totally uncool, here is a serious post.
So apparently there is a new psychological disorder in town, affecting everyone (including me, to some extent).
1 million selfies are taken everyday, as per Adweek. Wow, that is quite a lot. But the devil as always, lies in the details. 14% of selfies are digitally enhanced and 36% of the selfies are altered in some form or the other.
52% of women and 50% of men with smartphones have taken a selfie (So, at least I am not in the minority here :p)
Apart from the fact they are a sheer waste of time – 1 million selfies everyday means 1.8 billion minutes wasted every year. 😮
Surgeries to enhance the “photogenicity’ for selfie taking (as if we didn’t have enough of implants, silicon and enhancement surgeries), inferiority complex issues (Ohh!! Her selfie has more likes than mine!!!!), narcissism and a sure shot path to depression……. And yes, suicide cannot be ruled out either – (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/selfie-addict-took-two-hundred-3273819)
Wow, These are interesting times after all!!!!
Apparently, someone has had a Eureka moment and instead, visualized a world where selfies are all about friendships, relationships, being together and being happy. Check out the #TheUsProject movement.
Let’s change this social media platforms from a “Me” focus to an “Us” focus.
Oh… And btw, I hate to say this, but it is us women especially who are a victims of this trend, in search of compliments, shares, followers & likes. Time to grow up women. Less selfie, more selfless. 🙂
Soffe has a contest going on where you can share a pic with your closed ones on Instagram and tag me @bhumika_t using the hashtag #TheUsProject to win #TheUsProject Apparel.
Check out this cool video by Soffe
You can win tees like these..
So, participate now 🙂 Go from ‘Me’ to ‘Us’ with #TheUsProject
Remember the Summer Sunglasses Carnival by Lenskart I posted about HERE. Well that was a smashing hit and they have once again come up with a sale!
This time it covers all kinds of eyeglasses and lenses. It runs from 11th to 14th April.
Following are the offers they are going to run..
1. Flat 50% Off on Latest Eyeglasses (*On purchase of Rs 1500 & above)
2. FLAT 70% Off on Complete Eyeglasses – With prescription lenses
3. Get Your First Frame Free (*Lens Package Start from Rs 799)
4. Kodak Lenses worth Rs 2290 Free with Eyeglasses
5. Flat 35% Off on Power Sunglasses (*T&C apply)
6. FLAT 25% Off on Premium Brands (*T&C apply)
7. Reading Eyeglasses at Rs 149 ONLY
With offers like Flat 50 and Flat 70 off, you just cannot afford to miss this! Wonder where was Lenskart when I had glasses back then :/ I would have definitely loved something like this. Do take advantage of this sale!
Also most of our parents need reading glasses now, so its worth stocking on them right now 😀 Oh and did I tell you they have Cash on Delivery too, try it before buying it 🙂 I am planning to get Anti-Glares to protect my vision when using a computer/laptop,etc.
Veg & Non Veg Delicacies at South Indian Restaurants in Mumbai
South Indian cuisine is what you will find anywhere and everywhere from a local small udipi to a nice restaurant. One can always find the idlis and dosas at the start of the menu mostly. Also coz they are light enough to work as snacks in between, whenever one is hungry.
Some of my favourite South Indian restaurants in Mumbai are Mani’s Lunch Home and Hotel Ramashray at Matunga, Cafe Madras at King’s Circle (yes the entire area had majority South Indian crowd before and hence more restaurants here) Being a Podarite, I have been a frequent at all these places, like every week or even everyday when we studied at the library in college.
Some other good restaurants in Matunga itself are Anand Bhavan,Sharda Bhavan, Idli House, Ramanayak, Shree Sundars. There is Vishwa Bharti and Kirti Mahal at Mulund, Gora Gandhi at Borivali, Babulnath Dosa Centre at Marine Lines. Few chain of restaurants all over Mumbai which are also pretty decent are The Banana Leaf,Sankalp, Tambi,etc..
When it comes to favourite delicacies, I have quite a lot of favourites..
1. Mysore Masala at Mani’s Lunch Home
You have to try this, delicious, super filling and easy on the pockets. Though finding a seat at Mani’s is difficult and all the restaurants in Matunga are closed on Mondays is what you need to remember :p
2. Sheera, Butter Idli and Filter Coffee at Ramashray
So there is no fixed menu here for sheera and when you place the order for sheera, you get the flavour of the day. It can be pineapple,apple or plain or some other flavour. But its super yumm and a must try. Butter idli here is melt in your mouth, you will not be required to chew it. And the filter coffee is the authentic South Indian filter coffee.
3. Cheese Chilli Uttapam at Sankalp
If you are like me who loves spicy food, this uttapam is going to make you cry 😀 A perfect combination of cheese and chillies on your very own uttapam
4. Kanchipuram Idli at Gora Gandhi
I love this masala idli with peas and cashews on top, coconut and hint of masalas..for those who don’t like their idlis bland 😀
Though I am a vegetarian and have not tried any non veg. dishes obviously, some of my friends love their Chicken Chettinad, Kheema in Coconut Curry, Squid Fry and Prawns. But most of these small udipis and restaurants serve only veg. food, though there are quite a few Konkani restaurants where you get all of these sea food and many more options.
What is your favourite South Indian delicacy? And favourite South Indian restaurant in Mumbai?
Remember Vellvette Box..it was the first beauty box in India. Later on, it changed their name and revamped to Fab Bag.
About Fab Bag: At FAB BAG, we are beauty experts and addicts driven by our passion for high quality beauty products and delightful service. We recognize that our members are beauty enthusiastic women looking for great products that would work for their specific beauty needs and tastes, but do not have enough time, access or resources to try out and experience all that is available. We work hard in association with brands to select 3 amazing products exclusively customized for each member and send them in a delightful box to her doorstep every month, so that she never has to make the expensive mistake of buying products that do not work for her! We also advise members on how to make the best use of these products and keep them abreast of the latest beauty and fashion trends and insider know-how through our magazine.
MRP: Rs.599/- per month
You also get discounts on 6 months and 12 months subscription. Currently they are giving a Deborah Milano Atomic Lipstick free with 6-months subscription and Clinique Blush/Eyeshadow mini palette with 12-months subscription. Subscribe HERE
I love the concept of bags how they have a different customized bag each month according to the monthly theme. Also these bags are pretty useful and handy for travel,etc when you want to carry some basic makeup/skincare
For the month of March, they have a Woman’s Day Special Fab Bag. It’s a cute bright pink pouch with a Coco Chanel quote and also they are running a campaign called #MakeupForDifference where you can leave a message here http://fabbag.com/makeupfordifference/ and for every message, Rs.50/- shall be donated on your behalf to these inspiring Fab Women.
Let’s have a look at the contents of my March Fab Bag:
Inveda BB Cream in Fair- Full size (Rs.140/- for 15ml)
SoultTree Kajal in Pure Black- A special 3g packaging (Rs.340/- for 5g)
Palladio Herbal Lipstick in Rosey Plum- Full size (Rs.650/-)
Sebastian Professional Hydre Shampoo- 50ml (Rs.1400/- for 250ml)
Fashionography Earrings
To start with the Inveda BB cream, its quiet nice and good for everyday use. Only issue being just 2 shades available: Fair and Matt
I have tried the SoulTree Kajal before, the Pure Black is much smoother than other colors which go on a little hard. Also its all natural and organic made from ghee and camphor, but if you are looking for something smudge free, this won’t help at all.
I loved a full sized lipstick in the bag, though I wish I would have got some other matte shade. This shade Rosey Plum has shimmer and I am not a fan of shimmer.
I like the Sebastian shampoo deluxe size and would be carrying it for my next travel.
Absolutely loved these cute butterfly blue earrings from Fashionography.
Overall, some hits and misses. Though more of hits for the price of Rs.599/-. I absolutely recommend giving Fab Bag a try.
Coming to the giveaway now, one of you lucky one wins this March Fab Bag. I am hosting a giveaway for the same,on my Instagram.
All you need to do is follow me HERE and Fab Bag on Instagram and repost the first image tagging 2 of your friends. The giveaway starts right now and ends after a week on 25th March.
When it comes to yummy food options, Pune is not far behind from Mumbai. I have been a regular at Pune and have spent many weekends there coz two of my best friends are from Pune, one of my aunt is from Pune and even my sister in law.
Coming to the best places for fast food in Pune, here are mine and my friend’s top most picks:
1) Marz-o-rin
Marz-o-rin at M.G. Road is the oldest and also probably the most famous place in Pune especially amongst the college crowd. You get the best coffee, shakes, sandwiches and pastries at Marz-o-rin. They also have Italian pastas and other continental stuff and equal vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
2) Juice World
Best of all stuff fast food at Juice World at East Street. You get the most amazing paranthas, chole bhature, Pav bhaji, etc. and fresh juices, milkshakes, etc. here
3) The Burger Barn Cafe
The Burger Barn Cafe in Koregaon Park is the best place in Pune for burgers, you can’t afford to miss this place if you like burgers.
4) Bedekars Misal
If you like Indian desi spicy ‘misal’, Bedekars Misal at Narayan Peth is the place. Pune being a predominantly Maharashtrian city, misal is one of the specialities there and Bedekars is the master of it!
5) Kalyan Bhel
Kalyan Bhel at Kondhwa is the place for chaat especially bhel, you get oli bhel, sukhi bhel, dahi bhel and so many different kinds of bhel puri here. Plus the variety of dosas, ragda pattice, etc. All kinds of chaats are super yumm here.
6) Corn Meadow
You get all the types of corn dishes on earth at Corn Meadow in Karve Nagar. It’s an all corn restaurant.
7) Kareem’s
If you love rolls, kathi kebabs, etc., Kareem’s at East Street is the place for you, especially for chicken roll lovers.
8) Dev Uncle’s Kitchen
Dev Uncle Kitchen at Bibvewadi is the place for North Indian/Mughlai food. You also get your sarso da saag and makai di roti here. Go for roti basket which includes a platter of all kinds of naans and rotis. Pizzas, Pav Bhaji and juices are also good.
God, I miss Pune and the yummy food. My mouth is watering as I complete this post, so want to go to Pune for 2 days, just to eat :p
Are you from Pune? What is your favourite place for fast food in Pune?
So I got an email at 3 am at night from Indiblogger on 10th Feb asking for details of a person whom I want to sent a lunchbox to,for the luncboxANDyou campaign.
Hubby rejoined office just 3-4 days ago and its quiet far for him from my inlaws place where we are living currently..and since I am on bed rest, I cannot do anything..I really wanted to surprise him and when I got this opportunity, I thought it was just perfect timing!
Why would I want to sent a lunchbox to hubby? For obvious reasons, he is my husband! 😀 Since his work place was near from our home, he used to come home for lunch and I have never ever sent him a lunchbox before, making it the first time, which is always special 🙂
He loves simple, home cooked food and is not at all fussy. Though he likes limited things, but he never cribs about having the same stuff everyday coz for him, as long as it is nice, home cooked food, he is happy. He is not much a fan of junk,pizzas,etc unlike me :p I sent him a punjabi subzi,rotis,daal tadka and rice followed by non chocolate cupcakes (He doesn’t like chocolate :/)
I even added a small personalized message in the luncbox, thanking him for everything he has done for me till now, especially during this testing time of my accident, when he himself was hurt. He did not even bother to get himself checked or treated untill I was safe and out of ICU. The times were tough, but we stayed strong. It was quiet early in our relationship i.e. within a month of the wedding, that we faced such tough times and we both did not expect each other to be so strong. But it was only his undying support that I am better today and progressing well.
I want to thank #lunchboxANDyou and Indiblogger for giving me this opportunity to surprise hubby 🙂
‘The Lunchbox’ Premieres on Valentine’s Day at 8 PM on &pictures. I loved that movie and would recommend you to watch it, if you haven’t yet! Irrfan and Nimrat were fabulous in the movie.
Have you seen The Lunchbox? Who would you like to send a lunchbox to?
I will start this write up with one simple fact. Tata Motors is not known for the best products in the passenger car segment. This legacy perception still carries on since the days of the Indica, the first passenger car from Tata Motors, which was plagued with problems on output power as well as mileage.
To be fair, Tata Motors has always tried to front lead and create a whole new segment via its passenger vehicles – Indica (small car segment) and Safari (SUV segment) specifically for the Indian market. Somehow, they met with limited success in understanding the pulse of the Indian consumer.
15 years after the Indica, In 2013-14, Tata Motors embarked on a mission – Project Falcon, to overcome the inherent limitation in TaMo’s passenger cars – Design & Styling. However, having one look at the Zest & Bolt, anyone will say that they score home runs on all fronts– Design, Performance, Mileage & Pricing.
Zest, launched in late 2014, had some initial production constraints, was well accepted by consumers. Bolt, promises to be better, and will mark the beginning of the Tata Motors Era in passenger cars. Both these are equipped with the Revetron engine (more on this later) – Reminds me of how Pulsar with its path breaking DTSi engine coupled with competitive pricing, performance and mileage changed the fortunes of Bajaj and soon became every Biker’s dream machine. Déjà vu. Competitors should be afraid.. very very afraid…
I was super excited on 14th January 2015 – Had set out to TCS Neptune, Thane to check out the Tata Bolt. I had dreamt of taking a Selfie with the Bolt. But met with a rude shock – Pics were not allowed inside the company premises for security reasons. 🙁
Anyways, I was completely bowled over by the Bolt. The design was sexy, neither too manly neither feminine. It was just right. Suited for a working professional as well as the girl next door.
One of my cousin, a car enthusiast warned me that it is completely normal to get taken away due to the media coverage, chutzpah and marketing blitzkrieg surrounding new car launches for big brands. I decided to do some objective ground level research and fact finding – Talking to car enthusiasts, dealers, existing car owners amongst my friends and online websites too – A first for me, as a beauty/fashion blogger. I nevertheless decided to take up this challenge.
Have penned down key points of my analysis in the table below, basically arrived at after comparing Bolt with two of the best-selling premium hatchbacks in the country – Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Grand i10. The below table will tell you almost everything you need to know before zeroing in on a hatchback. Of course, everything cannot be spoon-fed, you will have to go find out the nitty gritties on your own. 😎 I sincerely hope this table helps.
Bolt looks like a clear winner – whether it is performance, value for money or safety, Tata has once again proved that when push comes to shove, no one can beat it on value offerings, which is what we consumers want, 😉
In case you are wondering if this is the end of this post, well, it’s not. The icing on the cake is still to come. Apart from the above comparison matrix, there are some super cool features that clearly belong to Gen 2020. Earlier this week, I also had the luxury of taking this beast out for a test drive in the suburbs of Mumbai and came across some features, Features I loved in the new Bolt, which will blow your mind away…. Here goes…
Driving Mode
We commute to office, weekend getaways, inter city congested areas, etc. It becomes difficult to balance or change our driving styles to suit the commute with optimum performance and mileage. TaMo has had smart engineers working on this problem and has come up with a semi-automated solution. It lets us choose from 3 options to select the drive mode: Sport, Eco & City. Sport is for that adrenaline rush for highway drives, Eco for the best fuel efficiency and city to make the bumper to bumper traffic seem less taxing for the engine and us.
I did some research on it and basically, what this does is controls the flow of fuel to the engine when we use the accelerator. Simple but useful application of the laws of science.
Safety
We always say, “Kitna deti hai?” and “Kitne ki hai?” However, safety is one aspect which we tend to overlook. However, India has among the worst road accident records in the world. Just to add one more line for those who are still not convinced, Safety may not be for us, it is for the ones who care about us.
Bolt is laden with safety features –
Anti Lock Braking System is the most advanced globally. It comes with Electronic brake-force distribution, which distributes the brake force thus eliminating force concentration risk and gives better control to the driver. It also comes laden with Corner stability control which improves safety while taking steep turns/tight corners.
Dual front Air bags. Double Protection. I needn’t say more.
Speed sensitive door locks. Auto door locking when the vehicle’s speed increases. No more worrying about what your kid is upto on the backseat. You can drive in peace knowing that he is as safe as he is within the four walls of your home.
Comfort
Space will always be an issue when I make a buying decision. Because making 5 people sit cramped doesn’t make sense neither does making my hubby saying yes to a hatchback (He was already apprehensive about the hatchback visit). I can safely say this is the first hatchback he loved. Because it is big. Enough to make a 6’3 tall guy feel at ease.
Seats are plush and comfortable. Doesn’t feel cheap. But comfortable and cozy.
Smart Steering – When you are cruising, then the steering becomes more sturdy. When you slow down, it becomes more sensitive. Also, the active return function makes sure that the steering wheel comes back to close to original position when left on its own.
Design
This has to be seen to be realised. The Interiors are nicely spruced up and feel different. Black with a tinge of grey. Not one of those colors or materials which will easily get dirty.
Headlamps look suave and are smoked, IMHO, better than those fitted in Grand i10 or Suzuki Swift.
BTW, Bolt also comes with an in car entertainment system with 8 speakers 😮 . No more comments. Now listen to yo yo honey singh’s songs on full blast while commuting.
Tail lamps are tall, slim and sexy. Flame tail lamps, as TaMo calls it.
Dhoom machale
Running the risk of repeating myself, What is amazing in this revolutionary engine is it delivers a torque of 140 nm @ only 1,500 rpm, leaving everybody behind by miles and miles….
Again, inspite of the power, it gives a mileage in late teens which is only slightly less than that of the Swift, which again is brilliant to say the least.
Watch the Tata Bolt TVC here..
Phew…. I am now done with my longest blog post (Long because I am now a super fan of Tata Bolt, else I would not have cared much to elaborate in such detail).
No prizes for guessing the moral of the story – Get. Set. Bolt…… 😛 😆 😮 😎
There is something about black that attracts us and most of us love black. Black is mysterious. Black is royal. Black is hot. Black is sexy. Black makes one look thin and svelte.
I have so many black outfits. Black Dresses, Black denims, Black pants, Black skirts, etc.. I have lost count of it. Though I am a color person, but I love black equally. It surely dominates my wardrobe. I literally live in my black denims. 😀 And all IN for monochrome looks.
Black kajal/kohl is something I can’t live my home without or else people tell me I look sleepy/unwell. Also, a black kajal tikka is something which is supposed to protect you from evil or ‘buri nazar’ as its said. Black smokey eyes is something which will make a girl look smoking hot and clubbing ready immediately ! 😀
Here is a small wishlist of things I did love to have in black (Small,out of the uncountable things I did want :D)
1. Classic Black Louboutins
I have a definite fondness for shoes and bags. I have shoes in all colors including black. But simple,plain,classic black Louboutins would be a superb addition to my shoe stash. They work with almost all outfits and are just perfect.
2. An All Black Rado
A Classic Black Rado watch has been on my wishlist since forever. I love the fact that it is timeless, classy, elegant and stylish. Another piece I can pair with anything and everything and wear forever and pass on the legacy.
3. Black S- Class Merc
Even though a black car denotes authority, it exudes style and royalty. It attracts you in an instant. Merc anyways attracts one and a black S- class will not let you take off your eyes off it.
4. Black IPhone 6
Ok, I am not an Iphone fan yet coz I have always been an Android user. But, if I have to jump on the IPhone bandwagon, I did want it to be the latest IPhone 6. I would love to give it a try. But of course, in black. My current Lenovo phone is black too 😀 Told you, I am obsessed with black.
5. Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Being a beauty and fashion blogger, a good camera is a must have for me. Though there are many good cameras out there on a budget too. But, Canon EOS 5D Mark III is one of the best high end professional cameras in the market currently that one can possibly own.
Though I can go on and on, I guess 5 are enough for now. :p I love everything black and whenever I have to make a choice, I sub consciously have always finalized black and end up going for the black.
What about you ? Do you guys love black ? What would be your top 5 black things ?
