Tag Archives: Indian Lifestyle Blogger

All About LIVA and #UnboxWithLiva/My OOTD, Indian Fashion Blog

All About LIVA and #UnboxWithLiva/My OOTD

Accessorize, Bags, Global Desi, Lifestyle, Liva, Michael Kors, OOTD, Shoes, Shopping, Watches, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

All About LIVA and #UnboxWithLiva/My OOTD

Hi guys,

On Saturday I attended an interesting event which was a wine and dine at Bungalow 9 in Bandra with team LIVA. There were a few bloggers, people from LIVA, RJ Archana and fashion choreographer Shy Kalra. The event was hosted by the lovely Freishia Bomanbehram. The USP of the event was everyone was supposed to come dressed up in LIVA and fortunately no two were in same outfits 😀 #UnboxWithLiva was all about not being boxed in synthetic fabrics and how in our forever busy lifestyle, we need clothing and fabric that does not box us but lets us free. A fabric which lets you be as comfortable throughout the day as you would be in your PJ’s and do whatever you wish to.

About LIVA:  Liva is a new-age naturally created fabric (in a pure or blended form) that transforms not just the garment but also the person wearing it. It is comfortable, soft, 100% natural, and eco-friendly. It is a part of ‘Aditya Birla’ group.

A fabric so fluid, so breathable, so comfortable… that it moves with you. It is designed keeping the new age woman in mind, this fabric defies all norms of conventional materials and aims to keep you going through the day without being weighed down.

LIVA is made from natural fibres which are produced from wood pulp, a natural renewable resource. The pulp used is from trees which are specifically grown for this purpose i.e. more new trees are planted than trees are cut. It gives the earth a much-needed green cover, saves 6-7 times more land in comparison to cotton, and saves 3-4 times more water than usual.

We got to know a lot about Liva and how it is not only comfortable but also eco – friendly, made from wood pulp, conserves water, everything about this fabric is only good!

Also there was a fun photo booth where we clicked lots of pictures with the Liva hashtag placards.

This was the first time I had tried a Liva garment and I was so surprised by how comfortable and light it was, the fabric is outstanding! You know how terrible hot and humid it is currently in Mumbai, it is around 34-35°C. I was wearing this dress since afternoon and in that 4-5 hours, not even once did I feel uncomfortable or rushing home and changing into my PJ’s. The fabric felt absolutely light and comfortable.

LIVA retails at AND, Global Desi, 109°F, Lifestyle, Pantaloons, Desi Belle at Central, Allen Solly and Van Heusen to name a few, but you have to specifically ask them for Liva fabric coz not all garments are Liva. Liva garments have a  separate pink ‘Liva’ tag on them.

I bought this pretty black and orange maxi dress from Global Desi, there were just 3 options at Global Desi, 2 maxi dresses and 1 midi dress. Of which I liked this one the most.

I also checked AND and 109°F, sadly AND did not have Liva garments in their new collection and the 109°F store I went to did not have good stock, so finally settled on Global Desi and I am glad coz I love this dress.

It fits beautifully and I love the black and sunset orange combination, the orange creates an ombre here and it also has pink, gold and black detailing on the ombre.

I paired it with my nude and gold clutch, a gold watch and black sandals. Since the outfit is quite bright and colorful, it created a statement in itself and no other accessories were required with it.

Dress: Global Desi (Liva)
Sling: Accessorize
Watch: Michael Kors
Shoes: Shown HERE and HERE

On lips: Lakme Absolute Matte Lip Tint Tangerine Touch

Location: Bungalow 9, Bandra

I hope you liked the outfit, also don’t forget to check out ‘Liva’ whenever you are shopping next, you will absolutely love the fabric.

Swatch Fall – Winter Collection 2015 Preview, Favourites

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Swatch Fall – Winter Collection 2015 Preview, Favourites

Hi guys,

A few weeks ago I attended the preview of Swatch’s new Fall – Winter 2015 Collection at Out of The Blue in Bandra. We were asked to choose a band at the entry randomly. The entire collection was kept for preview on one side and there were tables for us on the other side with cheese, wine and also the OOTB’s signature cheese and chocolate fondue.

As you can sense, the entire theme was ‘Swiss’ since Swatch is a Swiss brand and everything from the food to the decor was as per the theme. We were divided into teams according to our color bands and we had a competition where we had to use chocolate and create anything related to Swatch, Switzerland and watches.

I was in the orange band team. We made ‘I Love Swatch‘ where Swatch was the Swiss flag and Swatch logo which is the same, of course we won 🙂 We had to! :p The entire team won a Swatch watch each.

Coming to the collection, we were given a brief about the collection and how it is based on different countries and themes. The collection is inspired from India, China, Switzerland of course and a few other countries. Each country theme has a range of watches. India inspired ones are more of gold and silver with floral detailing (any my favourites are India inspired ones).

There are a lot of bright colored watches in the Fall – Winter Collection and a lot of printed whites, the colored chronograph ones are very smart and good for daily casual wear.

My favourites from the collection are ‘Delhi’ and ‘Blue Poetry’

Delhi
Blue Poetry

Here I am wearing the Delhi one..it’s a slim gold chain watch with pink floral detailing and I think it would work with so many different outfits.

https://instagram.com/p/8N2MZDBM-W/

What is your pick from the new Swatch Fall – Winter 2015 Collection?

Style And The City on Fox Life India

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Style And The City on Fox Life India

Hi guys,

Today I am talking about one of my favourite shows on TV. I love lifestyle channels and shows based on fashion, current obsession is Fox Life India. Fox Life has a fashion band from Monday to Friday at 8pm, now you know what I do everyday at 8 😉

Go Style is an amalgamation of different shows which are topically about fashion and style. These shows include Clifton Shores, Style And The City, Life Mein Ek Baar and Styled by June. Every weekday Fox Life India will air one of these shows.

I personally love Style and the City. It shows the real side of fashion, how the shoots take place, what goes behind the shoots, how the sourcing is done and the backstage action behind the fashion shows. Also going to different cities of India from Benaras to Agra for inspiration and sourcing raw materials and how a fashion designer achieves what exactly what his client needs! Basically everything behind-the-scenes.

There is a new ‘Style Expert’, a fashion stylist or designer brought in every week who decodes looks or styles a shoot or fashion show or designs a new collection and we get to see how it is all done. My favourite style expert has to be Anaita Shroff Adajania, I love her styling be it in the movies or shoots or otherwise. And my favourite designer on the show is Ashish N Soni who gets into the minutest details of the fabric and designing.

Their tagline goes ‘Inside Celebrity Fashion Closets’ which is very apt and true for ‘Style And The City’. Apart from this, I also like ‘Life Me Ek Baar’ and all the other shows which air at the Go style band at 8pm everyday.

Now you can get the best of style on Fox Life India on Weekdays at 8 PM on #GoStyle.

The Importance of Diwali

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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

Food Review: Lunch Buffet & Cocktails at O22, Trident BKC

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Food Review: Lunch Buffet & Cocktails at O22, Trident BKC

Hi guys,

It was my husband’s birthday yesterday and we went to O22 at Trident BKC. We had buffet and there was a special cocktails promotion going on, so I tried one cocktail too, hubby did not since he had a doctor’s appointment later on.

I loved how the lunch buffet was a good mix from Indian to continental to a hint of street food. A perfect balance of veg and non veg dishes when it came to main course. Only when it came to desserts, there were just 2 options in eggless and there was ice cream, where as rest 10 options were all with egg 🙁

I made this small vlog, I hope you like it..

The veg and non veg salad options were equal and both had a separate dedicated table. One table was just all types of cheese and crackers.

I loved the salads. We were served Paneer Tikka and some Kebabs as appetizers, but they went cold by the time we went to get the salads. We did not get it exchanged though, hubby did not want to have the appetizers, I had one of each to try. I liked the Paneer Tikka but not the kebab.

There was a live Pav Bhaji counter where the chef made it fresh for everyone. And it was the best and yummiest Pav Bhaji I had ever had!! I had that twice, couldn’t resist 😀

Yummiest Pav Bhaji

The main course was ok, I did not have much of it. I liked the tomato rice.

I had this ‘Red Arrow’ cocktail which was a blend of strawberries, cranberry and basil with a hint of white balsamic in Ciroc vodka. It was refreshing with the perfect hint of vodka blended in the flavours.

Red Arrow

When it came to desserts, there was Fresh Fruit Cake and Lychee Baked Yogurt in eggless. I tried those and Honey Crunch ice cream. Loved the Lychee Baked Yogurt, cake was light and fluffy but I would have loved more fruits in it. Ice cream was very creamy with perfect sugar, not being over sweet.

Lychee Pista Baked Yogurt, Fresh Fruit Cake

They got me Tiramisu and Gelato in eggless option. I have had it before and it tasted exactly the same.The best Tiramisu I have ever had. (had it only here before :D) Coffee and mascarpone was balanced, again not over sweet, light and fluffy, just the way it should be. And with the perfect presentation of course.

Tiramisu & Gelato

Overall, an amazing lunch and I would definitely recommend the lunch buffet at O22 whenever you are around and searching a buffet option. I would love to try their Sunday brunch the next time.

Lunch Buffet Price: Rs.2050/- + taxes per person

Timings: 12.30 to 3.30pm

Cocktails: Rs.900/- excluding taxes

What are your favourite lunch buffet options in Mumbai? Do let me know.

P.S: I was invited for the lunch but it has not affected my opinion.

Shop Miss A Haul: Elf, Accessories,etc.

Accessories, Elf Cosmetics, Eye Pencils, Eyeshadows, Fashion, Hauls, Jewellery, Lipsticks, Makeup, Reviews, Shop Miss A, Shopping, Site Reviews, Tips and Tricks, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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: The Salad Bar & Walnut Cafe

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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.

Veg & Non Veg Delicacies at South Indian Restaurants in Mumbai

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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?

P.S: Images from Google

OOTD: Being a Kid at Disneyland, Hong Kong

Accessories, Bata, Daniel Wellington, Fashion, Lifestyle, OOTD, Shoes, Watches, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

OOTD: Being a Kid at Disneyland, Hong Kong

Hey guys,

Here is another OOTD from Hong Kong…from Disneyland 😀 Yay

Everyone becomes a kid again once you enter Disneyland..it was super fun, though in terms of rides, Ocean Park was much better. Disneyland is a place where the kids would enjoy a lot, where as adults would love Ocean Park and the rides there more.

I wore this fun blue tee which read ‘I am LOLing..what’s your mood today?’ with lots of smileys thrown in. How cute is it..I loved it and thought it was perfect for Disneyland.

Paired it with my blue denims and mint flats from Bata, accessorized with Daniel Wellington watch and a pearl and spiked bracelet.

Also my black blazer to layer since it cold there..Mumbai people not used to :p

Do you know there is a separate MTR just for Disneyland Resort station? One needs to change the MTR to get to Disneyland. Also the train has mickey mouse windows and handles..how adorable the train looked!

Tee: Vintage
Denims: Forever 21
Shoes: Bata
Watch: Daniel Wellington
Bracelets: Mix

I hope you liked the outfit..do let me know in the comments below 🙂