Oh Corsets!

Remember how I love sharing any new finds, new discoveries, revelations of sartorial importance with my readers? Well, this is one of those posts. If you thought corsets began with the French queen and ended as pieces of inner wear, then think again. When we talk of corsets in the current fashion era, they are as much an outer wear as a piece of inner beauty. A classy corset from this website that I chanced upon, will definitely take an outfit from bleh to wow! My idea of incorporating a classy corset in an outfit is by balancing out the edge of the corset with a well cut blazer and a sexy pair of jeans.
More on that later, but Corset Deal has definitely been an interesting find primarily because of the different styles of corsets that they stock. Following that up on Facebook, its interesting to discover how there are conversations happening on the relevant posts about how to style different kind of corsets. This one particular woman complained of being fat and was wondering whether a particular style would suit her and it was interesting to see that there are prompt answers juggled back and forth by the community and the company! The facebook page is a must check out. I had an interesting time figuring out the different styles of corsets that are designed for different needs and the facebook page raises just as much awareness about the styles as it does about how to wear them on different body types and needs! The retailers have ensured that enough importance is given to every pattern and style of corset with gorgeous corset images that makes it all very hard to resist!
The exciting bit is that they deliver in India and I'm currently eyeing some of theses beauties. What say?

 

 

A black brocade corset. Pair it with anything and layer it with a bright jacket.

The gorgeous purple embellished corset under a sheer white shirt is my tip for styling this.

For all those who are looking for that edgy Victorian feel, this steampunk overbust corset is the perfect pick.

Are you guys digging these corsets as much as I am? Tell me!
XOXO

Color me white, color me bright

The beauty of dressing up for summers will always be, well dressing down. No heavy pea coats, jackets, mufflers and the works. Not that that doesn't work for me. But the fluidity and the feather feel that this season's fabrics are about is what I have truly loved inculcating in my style. The highlight of this outfit is the breathtaking combination of sheer and pastel. Having coveted the 'perfect' mint green shirt for a large part of this season, it was interesting how nothing at the high end stores made the cut. Either it was too green, or too minty, or not so sheer or just not the right cut. Having given up the hope of finding the perfect mint green (mint green a la Kim Kardashian blazer mint green!) it finally struck me to do it the old school way. Having a best friend who runs a boutique has its advantages. One of them includes getting your perfect sheer white shirt replicated in the perfect mint green color. I couldn't have been more pleased. The other aspects of the outfit, they speak for themselves. Be it the serene combination of the mint green shirt with my newly acquired white zara pants with the beautiful zip detailing or the element of chunky bling around the neck and the coral feathered shoes.
One of my definite favourites for Spring-Summer 2012. What are your thoughts?

Wearing:
Sheer mint green shirt- Tailored by best friend S, White pants with zip detailing- Zara, Necklace- Forever New, Stacked bracelets- All over, Green ring- vintage find, Coral pumps with feathered detailing- ASOS

XOXO

Women: They mark their territory

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are my personal ones. It is an attempt to decode certain things women do and look at in a lighter vein. There are obvious exceptions to every rule but these are just some of my observations. You are entitled to your own opinion, of course.

Women will always mark their territory. While going to college, I met several of those independent, I-don’t-need-a-man-in-my-life, head on their shoulders (not on a man’s shoulder :P) kind of women. While that emotion is commendable and probably the right step towards a better world ( I sometimes wish the world had just women!), these are also the same women who would in their own way, mark their territory on any man they may hold close. I once knew a woman who would not let her guy friend date her girl friend because she wanted both their undivided attention. There are also more subtle ways for a woman to mark her territory, and no, not peeing on a man like a dog. Sometimes women may make public displays of affection towards these kith and kin or boyfriends and at other times they throw a tantrum to get their point across. And if you thought only the XY chromosomes were privy to these great spurts of enormous affection, think twice. Learn this, a woman will be as possessive about her girl friend as she will be about her man. Sisters before Misters. How many times have you heard about that famous high school showdown where the famous best friends duo split up because another (cooler) chicklet entered the equation! Not to say, that there is no way around this principle. Learn what a woman wants and keep her happy. Do not slight her love. The wrath of such a woman is no different from Mata Kali unleashing her power on mankind. Having said that, a woman is also most likely to deal with her possessive ways and insecurities best. Most women when confronted with such a situation will most likely, talk about it. And God forbid if you get the ominous cold shoulder, then know that you really need to set things right. She is the Susie Derkins when you become the Calvin. Or Hobbes. But a woman who claims she has not even the slightest bit of possessiveness or insecurity in her relationships is a myth. And I just busted it.

Quote me on this one day you shall, but a woman will always have an emotional upper hand in a relationship. And that’s just how we like it. ;)

Like a great soul once said, the end must justify the means. So know that if you have ever been a part of this, you are truly loved. In a woman’s own special way! :) :)

Another year gone

Another year gone. And its probably that time of the year to reflect on the past and ponder over the present and the future. Its been a hell of a ride which brought with it lots of changes, good and bad. But thats the thing with life, there is always a balance of everything. And even if you don't quite see it initially, when the larger picture begins to take shape, you see that the little obstacles were all a part of the bigger, better plan. As for blogging, my year has been more than satisfactory. I wrote my heart out, dressed up everyday of the year like it was a party and made connections with my readers. What else could I ask for? :D
The birthday this year was more than perfect. Well, every year is. I am one of those starry eyed girls who start striking off dates a month in advance for the birthday. You are really never too old for it. Besides when your family and friends fuss over you and your big day like you're six, you really couldn't ask for more. :)
After an absolute torpedo of a night, the morning after( the birthday morning) warranted some chic-comfortable dressing. This is the look I went with. It spells summer magic for me. The warm yellow, the burst of colors and the nautical striped maxi skirt. What do you think? :)

Wearing: yellow tank: Benetton, Blue and white striped maxi skirt: Forever New, Tasseled sandals: Steve Madden, satchel: ASOS, Bracelets and rings: Assorted, Necklace: Forever New

XOXO

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer- Review

I haven't done a product review in a while. Its pure laziness, no excuses. But then the Revlon Photo Ready Concealer came into my life to teach me a lesson. And it did or what! :D I was forced to work on this review tonight because it was too good to not share with you all at the earliest.
I am one of those people who has a problem of dark circles. I can lessen them to an extent by taking good care but always having had some, they never entirely go. I think. Anyway, so I have tried concealers in the past and then Revlon Photo Ready Concealer happened to me. To begin with,
RULE 101 of buying a concealer. Invest in a good concealer. Women use concealers all over the face or body for problem areas but thankfully for me under eye circles are the only real issue for me. Basically, do not buy a concealer just because its a steal. Know what works for you. Research. Read reviews. I'm no beauty expert but brilliant beauty blogs out there are doing their job to educate me about these things. :)
RULE 102 of buying a concealer. I think I did not pay much attention to it the last time but I learned. ALWAYS, buy a shade lighter than your skin tone, especially for under eyes. The reason behind this is that the darkness will only blend in well with your base if its covered by a shade lighter to make up for the pigmentation.

Now that we have that on the table, more about this product.

• Revlon Photo Ready comes in a roll-on stick form. Convenient to use. Small and compact. 
• Easy to use. Apply your base foundation over your face. Then dab the roll on under the eyes, over the dark circles. Use your forefinger to blend it in smoothly with the foundation. And you are done!
• Absolute value for money. It costs about Rs. 760/- and it gives me complete coverage, without the cakey appearance.
• The stick is 3.2 gms so I would say it would last me a year or more. Not bad, eh?
• The only backlash is that it contains really fine glitter/glimmer particles. I'm not the biggest fan of glittery concealers but I would let this one slide because they are really fine, not visible from a distance and the product does its job wonderfully! 

I ordered the one in Medium Deep(shade). Take a look.

Any other query that you may have about this product, feel free to get in touch with me. Over all, its an absolute yay for me, for the Revlon Photo Ready Concealer! :)
XOXO

Women and Drama (The beginning of a series)

This is not one of those conundrums which can be solved with a formula. Sure, a² + b²= c²  but Pythagoras also married a woman and went on to produce three daughters but we are quite sure he was nowhere close to understanding his interactions with them. Think of it this way, we could write epics day in and day out to understand how women think and react but we would not be any closer to understanding. Often in that quagmire of where to turn when drama hits the fan? You know you've come to the right place.

Women love drama. How is it that you hear women crib endlessly about how much they hate drama in their lives and the next moment they would sit and talk about it to yet another person and it would give you the sense of feeling that they quite enjoy it. I will tell you how it is not a hypocritical stance. Women love drama because of the immense emotional value attached to it. When a woman is confronted with a sticky situation, it sparks off emotions of angst and turmoil in her. It most often than not, leads to tears. Yes, crying in the bathroom alone with the water running also counts. Crying while talking to a friend on the phone, crying while being force fed some chocolate by the best friend, all those forms. Now the lighter side to all that drama and tears is that social construct we live in has made us believe that women and drama is a recipe for a potboiler of a movie! I once knew a girl( ok make that girls) who could create drama out of the slightest of the issues. “I mean sure, its no nuclear war but I did just break a nail”. I also knew a billion others who thought changing their facebook status to ‘in a relationship’ and ‘out of a relationship’ every third day qualified as drama in their lives which was worthy of being covered by the BBC!

We are the generation of women that only has time to be busy. Ironical as that is, these are the women who are out there in the world, doing a multitude of jobs, being a part of a variety of relationships, trying to pursue all kinds of interests and just looking for only that bit of extra attention from the drama. This is a generation of women that has been fed on protagonists like Andie Sachs from Devil Wears Prada, Simran from DDLJ, Anjali from KKHH, Margaret from The Proposal, Thelma and Louise, Romie and Michelle and not to forget Holly from P.S.: I love You. The first instinct of the crazed woman in the crime scene will still be to wish there was a background score to her life. They relate to these protagonists because the drama is like living a scene out of a movie, in this case a movie of their own little chick flick. Its comforting and even if the world doesn’t get it, the drama shall continue. 
And then when you see all the beautiful women in the world shed a tear and regain their composure when Liz finally finds love and peace with Felipe in Eat Pray Love, you know all is well with the world. :)

Living Out of a suitcase

I have been living out of a suitcase for almost a month now. Some trips planned and some not so planned. Some events anticipated and some not so much. But this isn't really news that we learn to take the bad with the good. The agony with the joy. And while I have been on the end of my nerves a lot off late, I have been keeping my calm by indulging in some good old retail therapy. The Sale fever has hit almost everyone I know of but I think I'm going to stick to scanning websites while the fever lasts. The crazed out war-like sales just aren't for me. I'm not a chip of the old block like that. :)
Moving on, living out of a suitcase comes with its pros and cons. For almost 4 days, I was living in combinations I never thought I would wear. Accessorizing outfits in ways I wouldn't normally. Because for as long as I can avoid it, I do not enjoy wearing the exact same outfit in the identical way again. Same pieces yes, but with tweaked combinations. So since my last leg of the trip was absolutely unplanned and while the suitcase definitely posed constraints for playing dress up, I think the stylist in me did half well with living out of what I had. What do you think? :)

 Wearing: White tee: DKNY, Zebra printed skirt: Zara, Coral booties: Shoe boutique (Bangalore), Neon pink belt: Kazo, Victorian-tribal necklace with hanging chains in bronze: Fab Alley.
Have you checked out Fab Alley, ladies? It is truly the Indian online shopping coming of age. If the variety of goodies wasn't enough, the delivery and prices just get you hooked!
Till the next time,
XOXO