Mekhela Sador | Traditional Indian wear for Diwali

Ever since the festive season started, I am just in no mood to wear western clothes to work or elsewhere. Have been continuously wearing only Indian clothes to work and outside. Tomorrow is Diwali and I decided to wear something bright and colorful to work. As much as I am excited for Diwali, the weather forecast has been playing a dampener as its going to pour tomorrow. :(

Well nothing can beat my high spirits though. :) I chose to wear this bright Mekhela sador to work today. Its a beautifully embroidered blue and yellow color. Its not the traditional silk material but is made of raw silk and is super light weight. Perfect to be worn all day long. This particular one was gifted to me and I got so many compliments for the bright color combination. Hope you guys love it as well. Here's wishing every one a very bright Diwali. Stay happy, stay blessed.
XOXO

Indian Festive MakeUp Haul | Morphe, Sivanna, Miss Claire, Sugar Cosmetics and more

I love this time of the year Aug-Sept. First Of, Aug is my b'day month so its special :) and Sept marks the coming of Autumn and the upcoming festivals like Diwali,Durga Pujo,Dussera.  There is something in the air, some vibe--some smell--some energy, that makes it so so special. As a little girl I would always wait for this time as we get to buy all new clothes, meet cousins, go out with friends and the most exciting part..no studies,no school..only good food and loads of fun.

Durga Pujo is one of the main festival for all Begalis across the world. It marks the victory of Good over Evil. The festivities usually go on for 5-7 days. This year I am doubly excited as I will be visiting my hometown :) The last few years I have not celebrated Durga Puja with that much vigor as I had personal commitments but this year is going to be super fun. My vanity needed some 'renovation' and what better time to invest on some good make up than this festive season.
The haul mostly includes affordable items.


1. Morphe 35R palette : This is the STAR of the haul.The moment I saw this palette online, it just kept talking to me :) (Does it happen to you?) I tried to ignore but finally gave in. It is my b'day month and I deserve some goodies . Ended up gifting it to myself. The palette consists of mostly warm brown, neutral, gold, bronze and copper shades.In love with it. Its Playtime with this lovely!!!!!

2. Sivanna Shining Star Shimmer Brick : I am a sucker for soft glowy make up look . Since I don't use bronzer on a regular basis I decided to invest on an affordable but good quality Bronzer. Sivanna is known to make good quality shimmer bricks and Oh My God, this is amazing stuff. The product is a BOMB. Its super pigmented, creamy and a lil goes a long  way. You can use it to highlight, bronze and also use it as eyeshadow. Another Love.

3. Sivanna Eyeshadow Palette in Pink : I got this palette as I never tried glitter pink eyes and since it was affordable and also travel size did not think twice to pick it up (remember I am traveling during Durga Pujo) But I am not extremely satisfied with it. The glitter pink color has chunky glitter particles (unlike the shimmer brick which was so creamy) and I ended up having a lot of glitter fallout. Will see how I work with this one.

4. Miss Claire Blush (Shade ) : Miss Claire makes some really good blushes and soft matte lip cream. Since I cannot use their lip products, got their matte blush.



5. Try sugar lip crayons : Any makeup look is incomplete with the perfect lips. Since I am allergic to all lip products including mac, nyx, maybelline, lakme ..etc. This is the only formula that does not irritate my lips and sits for hours without reacting. (I still avoid wearing lippies on an everyday basis and its reserved only for special occassions). Got two shades, Scarlet O Hara (Berry Red) and Holy Go Lightly (Pink Nude). Already have their Marry Poppins (Fuschia with blue/purple undertones) and its my fave.

6. Maybelline colorshow nail Polish : I dont know why I am digging for Rosegold these days. This is a decent glitter nailpaint and is also super affordable.

7. Eyeconic Black Kajal : This is a repurchase, I love it and will keep on restocking.

* Review * and uses | The Face shop Bamboo Damyang Gel

For an avid Aloe Vera Gel lover like me, buying this Bamboo gel required lots of persuasion but at last.... I gave in :) And finally when I decided to buy it , it was OUT OF STOCK..really????? :(  For weeks it was in my cart and  one fine day..(midnight actually) it was back in stock ....ordered mine with no further delay. Its all mine now. :):)
Bamboo gel might not be as popular as aloe gel, however it does have an edge,thanks to the silica present in it.With age our skin loses its firmness and that's exactly where silica comes in picture.

My 2 cents sourced from the internet: To retain the youthful firmness, our body needs silica to create and maintain collagen, the protein that is responsible for making skin wrinkle free.

With pretty high expectations started to use the face shop Bamboo Damyang gel.

Packaging:
The product comes in a green tub packaging. I love the fact that the tub resembles a bamboo shoot. It comes with a protective shield to save the product from getting spilled. Honestly I would have preferred a tube packaging. Its colorless and has a mild fresh fragrance But I can live with it.

Price : 390 INR

My take:
I have been applying it for quite some time now (more than a month). I mainly apply it for hydration after cleansing and toning my face. Also apply it post shower. It has a mild fresh smell, not too over powering which I like. Also applied it as a hydrating mask, it was extremely cooling and the hydration is immense. It is less sticky than my beloved Aloe gel. Overnight application does make the face super hydrated and supple. (I do get similar effect with Aloe gel as well). I feel it will be particularly helpful for people who are allergic to aloe vera.(I can feel it as I myself am allergic to a host of ingredients, not aloe though :) ) What I enjoyed most is applying it as a overnight hair mask. Gently massage it all over your scalp and don't forget to apply on the hair shaft. Keep overnight or at least 1 hour before washing. Wash hair with a mild shampoo. Hair feels so amazingly strong and manageable. All in all for the face and body it offers the same results as aloe vera but for hair it has been slightly better. I also apply it on face for night time moisturizing by mixing a drop of facial oil with it. (It my own recipe, try it, it will give you a surprising supple face in the morning..minus any sticky feeling)

Uses:

1. Hydrating primer, right before you apply your makeup.
2. Hydrating hair mask.
3. Hydrating face mask
4. After-shave and after-wax gel to soothe the skin 
5. Non-sticky hair styling gel.
6. Eye mask. (dip a piece of cotton in the gel and and apply it on eyes as you would apply cucumber)

Overall Rating : 4/5

Will I repurchase?

Yes, yes , yes and yes. I got it from www.nykaa.com

* DIY * | Embroidered Shirts | #RecycleOldShirts

They say that the year 2017 has been taken over by embroidery. There is embroidery everywhere be it on shirts, tops , jeans......just everywhere.
Not that I follow trends religiously. But this was one that I actually loved and felt that it is so my style. My inner shopaholic looked up to buy some embroidered shirts online, but then I have been shopping too often and also it is difficult for me to manage my ever increasing wardrobe. Also I had promised myself to shop for clothes only when I actually need them. (I break the promise every 2 months but happy that this time I was able to keep my words :)

This shirt was bought almost 3 years back when I was dying to have a red shirt. Looking at my wardrobe it felt that this little bright red thing could easily be the canvas for an equally bright embroidery. I immediately looked up online for some easy embroidery designs. There were tonnes of designs but I was searching for something that would be easy to work with and would not take much time to complete. Petrified that I might start it and then never be able to complete. Zeroed upon this design. Used a carbon paper to put the design on the fabric.

Embroidered some lazy daisies for the flowers, stem stitch for stems and leaf stitch for leaves. Pretty easy and simple.
I referred to this video for inspiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA0SFQ4LMbc&list=PLUeXctVo_ATIxvEyle7Ywz92vNNrROwuE

So see it really pays, if you take your school needle work classes seriously :) But again in this era of youtube and pinterest never mind if you haven't taken your classes seriously, there is always a tutorial online to learn from.
So grab an old Shirt and make it into a DIY trendy embroidered shirt and dont forget to let me know if you liked the idea.

Skin Care Haul | Khadi Natural,Juicy Chemistry, The Face shop, Innisfree , Kama Ayurveda, Soulflower

Crazy work schedule and sick toddler left me with no time to blog. Yes, June was one crazy month, extreme work pressure and my baby had a terrible viral fever :( :(  But now things are much better, and its my turn for some much needed TLC :) :) :) :)
Off late my skin has been behaving really weird. Actually its super sensitive.It reacts to almost everything, shampoos, body washes, lip balms, lipsticks. Its extremely frustrating so much so that I had to see a dermat. So invested in mostly organic skin care stuff.They are mostly herbal products with minimal preservatives and chemical. Some of them are 100% organic with no chemicals at all. 

Juicy Chemistry:

This is one brand that I feel so safe to use. Over last one and half years I have been suffering from a terribly sensitive skin and a never ending bout of contact dermatitis. Till now I have made countless trips to the dermat but its only recently that I realized that the sensitization is due to the presence of the harsh chemicals in the ingredients of most of the products in my stash. Juicy chemistry products are formulated with absolutely no chemicals and preservatives.You can visit their site here.
I got their revitalizing face scrub and their under eye gel. Will do separate reviews on them.

Khadi Natural:
Khadi in itself means a handspun fabric usually made out cotton. It is of aesthetic value to Indians as it is related to the Khadi movement led by Mahatma Gandhi himself during the British Raj. Khadi Natural is an Indian skincare brand. They use all herbal and natural ingredients in their products.Their body soaps are really good. I got the chandan and haldi (sandalwood and turmeric) soap and their honey body wash. You can read about them here.

Just Herbs :

Just as the name suggests this is another brand that has its roots in Ayurveda. Their formulation depends heavily on herbs and plant extracts. They also claim to not use any harmful chemicals or toxic perfumes which is BIG Yaay for me as I have suffered a lot in the last 1 year (may be more) due to contact dermatitis from chemicals and toxic perfumes in various products. Planning to do a seperate post on that.
You can read about the brand here.


Soulflower :

Not blessed with the best of hair and since the past few months it has been shedding like crazy. Stumbled upon this rosemary and lavender hair massage oil. It had some good reviews and hence decided to give it a try. Soulflower is a 100% vegetarian company providing people only the goodness of nature. Read about them here

Kaama Ayurveda :
Much has been said about this product by Indian You tubers and bloggers. And now that I am using it I know why they love it. This is a must buy.Their rosewater is to die for. ‏Kaama Ayurveda claims to  be  100% natural, vegetarian and use the highest quality of natural ingredients. This means - No artificial colors. No artificial fragrance. No petrochemicals, parabens, urea, propylene glycol or other harmful additives. Know about them here. 

The Face shop Sheet Masks : 
Sheet masks are the one stop solution for that perfect hydration. so restocked on my sheet masks. I have a complete review on the Face shop sheet masks. Read it here.

Innisfree Sheet Masks : 
Wanted to try these masks from Innisfree as I had already used the sheet masks from other brand and loved them.

All the products except the Khadi Naturals one were bought from www.Nykaa.com.(Khadi is also available on Nykaa though) So glad that this beautiful herbal brands are available to us, considering my current sensitive skin situation this is a Savior. Also I am a huge fan of Korean sheet masks and if you haven't tried them I don't now what you are doing :P :P
So this was my small summer skincare haul. Hope you enjoyed reading it.


Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post and all products are bought by myself. All information about the brands are sourced from their respective websites.
                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                   

3 Ingredient Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Toddler decides to go on a food strike. I remember mentioning in my earlier post 'How to Introduce Solid food to babies' (click here) about how me and my little toddy enjoy meal time. But since the last few days he has not been interested in eating at all. Well when the world is full of so many interesting things who would like to waste time on something as boring as eating? :) or may be "Mamma you need to revise my MENU"
All hell broke loose as I constantly kept researching on what to introduce. He seemed to really enjoy peanut biscuits and that's when I thought of baking some peanut butter cookies. I donno why but any thing that requires to knead a dough scares me. So I searched for a easy peanut butter cookies that requires only 3 ingredients plus NO KNEADING =D> =D>
Its extremely simple and came out really good.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (used the crunchy one)
3/4th cup sugar (used crystalline sugar)
1 egg

Steps:
1)Mix all the 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2)Create small balls of the mixture and place in baking sheet.
3)Flatten them lightly with the back of a spoon.
4)Preheat oven on 175 degrees C
5)Bake for 10 mins in 175 degrees C. Check and if required bake for another 2-3 minutes.

Do not over bake. Let them cool and then serve. Your yummy and uber easy peanut butter cookies are ready. Little man loved them too.
Well it seemed so on the first day, but then on the second day he ate only a few bites and on the third day he ran away :( I swear they were really good, everyone at home loved them, I gained a pound too. Probably its time for Mommy to bake something NEW!!!!




Before getting into the Oven

Let me know if you loved them.
XOXO

Know Me | The pursuit of happiness, my real journey into the beauty world

Hi !!!!

I had been meaning to write this down since a very long time. Don't really know if I would ever publish it or it would keep lying in my drafts, like forever. People who know me might find it a lil strange of me putting up blogs on beauty reviews, outfit posts etc . So here is the story behind all of it. It all started a few months before my wedding. You know how we girls are so excited about wedding. As if we had been planing this day since the day we were born. We want to look our 'bestest best' on our wedding day. Turns out, I knew nothing about makeup apart from putting on lipstick that too the same old burgundy shade (for some strange reason). So i decided to watch some YouTube tutorials. Back then there were no Indian you-tubers. All the tutorials were from creators based in the US or UK. I could hardly ever find the products that they used in Indian market. Back then online shopping in India was almost non existent. I bought a couple of make-up here and there and failed horrendously :P:P.  And that brings me to the End of my endeavor, I knew its not my cup of tea.

A few months post marriage we moved to US for our work. There, I was amused by the style and fashion sense of people at work. Couple of years later we moved back to India, since I was out of Indian market for some time, I used to google and read product reviews whenever I needed to buy any make-up or skincare/hair care items. Was not only amused but almost taken aback by the content availability by Indian bloggers this time around. It seemed as if there was a huge leap.

Then came the summer of 2015, when my life was to change forever. I still remember the blinking phone screen, the phone call from Mom. I was at work, and my father had suddenly fallen ill(my parents and me stay in different cities, states actually). It was by far the most difficult phase of my life. My father was admitted to ICU. But destiny had other plans as I was also entering the most special and extraordinary phase of womanhood at the very same time. There was this life beaming within me. I tried to keep my self engrossed in work as much as possible to keep the stress at bay. Whatever spare time I had, I began to watch beauty channels on YouTube. And this actually kept me stress free at least momentarily. It was almost therapeutic. I began to realize that makeup and beauty were not just vanity for stupid snob girls but it is a form of art. Make up is not about putting a pile of products on your face but its all about looking naturally beautiful. There are days when a lil bit of makeup can uplift your mood, again there are days when bright painted nails can make you feel on the top of the world. Beauty surely is not just skin deep. Keeping myself updated with the latest beauty trends became my passion. I enjoy learning about beauty and makeup. Its more like an extension of my personality :)

So that my friends was my journey into the beauty world and since then my perspective towards life has been more logical and less judgmental.

Just saying : It took me a few weeks and repeated attempts to pen down the last para, as it was really difficult to go through this all over again. Bapi(my father) eventually left for the heavenly abode after a brave battle with life. HE is now in his happy place probably looking at us and smiling from above.

Congratulations!! You made it to the end, Yaaay!! =D>=D>

Thanks for stopping by, much love,
A Proud Daughter

* Review * The Face Shop Sheet Mask

I blame my extreme curiosity for getting these. And m glad that I did. In India all women are used to applying home made masks (ubtans as they are called). I have always used gram flour mask on my face which also doubles as an excellent exfoliant. I have also used sandalwood mask for the longest time, it works wonders in removing sun tan. But these seem ages back. Since the past couple of years I have not been to a salon for skin care purpose. I don't know but 24 hours in a day just doesn't seem enough for me  (i guess I manage time really bad  :( ). I don't do at home face masks anymore not even the ready to use ones because I find them really messy and I am always too tired to apply them. First apply on face, wait for it to dry (which is like for ever) and then remove, not to mention the stained T-shirts and messy wash basins.

Now I am in my early 30's and not getting any younger and I need to really really take care of my skin. So decided to give sheet masks a try. Quickly ordered them on Nykaa. You can find them here. Nykaa always has some cool offers on them.

This is my first experience with sheet masks. I have used them a couple of times and thought  its about time I share my views on it.

Packaging : The packaging is pretty basic, nothing fancy. Quite convenient to tear and use the sheet inside..

Price : Rs. 100

My take : I have dry skin and my skin always demands hydration. Applied them on my clean and washed face after toning with rose water.The mask sits comfortable on the face.You have to keep them for 15 minutes (or more if u want to) and then remove the sheet mask. Just that..isn't is super easy and fuss free. Post application my skin felt as if I had woken up to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep (distant dream :) ) that too after applying intense moisturizing cream at night. I do not wash my face immediately after removing the mask. Let the product sit for an hour before wiping off with a clean, moist wash cloth. It makes the skin smooth, hydrated, soft and supple. I liked the Rice water variant the most. It gives a lil bit of glow and firmness along with the hydration. The effect does not last for too long though. But still I am happy with the quick results.

 Now Rs 100 for 1 time application might seem to be a lil too much but considering that you do not have to splurge on salons this can be really  an affordable alternative. If you have dry skin like me you need to try these. Sheet masks are my new found skin care love and I am going to try more of these. Visit back to see my reviews from other brands as well. I might do a comparison as well.. Let's see.

Overall I absolutely love these masks.
Rating : 4/5

April Mommy Favorites 2017

Hi Everyone!!

Feels like I haven't sat down to blog in a while. End of last month was a bit rough as my poor baby fell ill, he is still not 100 percent but doing better now :):) This month I tried a few new stuff, liked some and hated some also I rediscovered some old favorites. So here I bring to you my favorites for the month of April.

Mother care Baby Shampoo and Body Wash : These little babies are really good. I use them every day for my little toddler's bath time. He loves it. Both of them are very mild and have very soothing fragrances.Very gentle for little baby skin. I started to use it since he was 3 months, have tried some other brands as well but always switched back to these little wonders. Only wish that they came in smaller packaging as well so that I could travel with them.

Nivea Deo : Summer is here, this time officially and this little thing is a bomb I tell you. It just locks the body odor for the entire day. The scent is not overpowering and you can also wear perfumes over it if you like to. Basically if you apply it you wont smell like sweat for the rest of the day..Period.

The face shop sheet masks: These are a boon to mankind. I am going to do a detailed post for the review of these masks so stay tuned. Absolutely loving them.

Cetaphil DAM Cream: I have been struggling with super sensitive lips since a couple of months. Have struggled in the winter months and finally decided to visit a dermat. Thanks to him I rediscovered this cream. Its non greasy, doesn't have any fragrance and is non-comedogenic. I apply it for daily lip moisturization and also for my face and hands. Its super affordable as well.

Karachi Bakery Biscuits : Hubby was on a office trip and picked this up from the Delhi airport (probably, didn't bother to ask him :P:P).It tastes so good....like soooooo... freaking..G.O.O.D....I completed the whole of these 2 packets, shared very little with others, gained a few pounds and so on... Ya its that good. If you see it some where GRAB..IT!!

PomPom Ballet shoes : These are my very own recycled or up-cycled whatever you choose to call it, pompom ballet shoes. It adds a fun element to the entire outfit and m loving every bit of it.

March Mommy Favourites 2017

Hi Beautiful!!

Can't believe its almost mid of April and Spring time, time is flying. Talking about spring, there is hardly any Spring here in Kolkata. Last checked, the temperature was 37 degrees Centigrade and its blazing sun outside with hot wind blowing. As its so hot outside, I have been reaching out for only comfy stuff to wear to work and minimal makeup that stays throughout the day. So here are my list of favorites for this summer ..aah I mean SPRING!! :P:P . And when a Mommy says its her favorite, it better be good :)) :)) :)) :))

Little's Maxi Feeding Bottle : My little Pompom, is becoming so active and naughty these days,its difficult to keep up with his energy levels :) Its important that he stays hydrated at all times. I have been using Little's bottles right from 5 and 1/2 months when I introduced him to solids and water. Its a gem of a bottle, I have tried other bottles from reputed brands, which have not quite worked. I also use Little's bottles for milk. He too loves them.

Maybelline Fashion Brow :Well if you don't like too much makeup (just like me,atleast for now) here is my two cents.Define your brows with a brow pencil, put on some mascara and a tinted lip balm and you are ready to take the world.This brow pencil was a new find. I have used the earlier version of Maybelline Fashion brow which was too waxy for my taste. But this one has my heart 😍. This has the perfect consistency and I have been reaching out for it like NON STOP.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Pencil (Lustrous Sapphire) :I need not say much about this one just that I have been constantly reaching out for it. Have already reviewed it on my blog. You can find the review here.

The Body Shop Wild Argan Body scrub : This is an oldie.On weekdays I hardly have 10 minutes to shower but I make sure that on weekends I make up for it :):) This is my weekend pamper routine. It smells divine and feels luxurious.

Crocs Slip-Ons : I have been wearing this pair of Crocs for the longest time. Started to wear it during the winters to keep my feet warm and now I don't seem to part with it.

T.M.I: I am very picky and choosy of the things that I love(sometime its a lil furstrating though). So its really difficult for things to make up to my list, hence such a small list. :)

That's All for now. Much Love,
XOXO

Easy Bengali New Year Look | Poila Boishakh look

The day is bright and sunny outside and I have to be at work. Yes its Bengali New Year or Poila Boishakh (as we call it here)  and I chose to wear a saree to work, just to get the festive feel. Else it would have been just another day at work. Well wearing saree to work is a herculean task for me and that too with a toddler in hand its 10 times more the struggle. But nevertheless I decided to wear it. After putting Sreehan to his morning nap i started to drape the nine yards. As much as I like to wear saree, I find it really challenging and time consuming to wear it by myself. At last did a pretty decent job in wearing the saree at one go (have to thank my stars) and that too with no help =D> =D> =D> =D>. Also managed to do some minimal makeup in 10 minutes flat....wohoooooo.....

Saree : PRAPTI

Makeup details:
Face: lotus suncreen and maybelline fit me, maybelline 2 way cake compact
Eyes: lakme eyeconic kajal, lakme eyeconic mascara
Lips: maybelline superstay 14 hrs (shade non stop red)
Brows: Maybelline fashion brow

These are actually made of wheat grams !! how cool is that

Random decorations at work

Hi Beautiful!! Thanks for stopping by,
XOXO