#ComeCloser to Radiant Skin

There's an age old expression that says beauty is only skin deep, and that it's one's character and personality that are more important than the superficial glow on the skin. Of course one couldn't agree with this adage more, but then striving for some 'skin deep' beauty doesn't really hurt anyone. The idea of beautiful skin complimenting your beautiful personality sounds much better, no?  I remember as a young girl growing up in a fairly conservative household, there was never any overt pressure to work on my average looks. Cosmetics were a strict no, no and no fancy face-creams or powders were allowed in the house for it was common belief that they all contain harmful chemicals that do more harm than good. The only exception in our plain Jane household was the VICCO Turmeric Cream, for it had ayurvedic formula base and contained turmeric, the super ingredient that keeps all skin issues at bay.

Now after all these years, despite the advent of all kinds of complex skin creams and lotions, VICCO Turmeric Cream continues to hold its ground in India's  cosmetics market, thanks to its ayurvedic roots and people's continued trust in the brand.

Talking of ayurveda, when it comes to skin care regime, one can vouch for the fact that ayurvedic products score over chemical based creams and lotions. The natural ingredients used in ayurvedic products do not just clean and improve the texture of our skin but also they do not leave any side effects unlike the chemical based cosmetics. For example these days there are so many chemically strong acne creams available in the market, that clear acne but then either leave marks behind or adversely affect the skin texture. Therefore instead of using such products, relying on simple home remedies for skin issues always make more sense. 

Now that we are discussing skin care tips, here are 3 easy home-made beauty tips that can help you rejuvenate your skin.

1. Turmeric face pack - The anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of turmeric make for great skin cleaning agent. To make a simple turmeric mask, mix one spoon of hone, a little yoghurt and a few tablespoons of turmeric and make a smooth paste. Apply this paste on freshly washed skin, leave it do dry and then wash off with cold water. 

2. Use leftover bananas for radiant skin - If you have leftover bananas that have become too soft to be edible, then they can be mashed and used as an excellent pack for face and neck. They help in reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

3. Use potatoes for healthy hair - I am sure you have never heard that potatoes can be used in any beauty regime, but yes, they make for excellent hair conditioners. Grate a couple of potatoes and squeeze out the water. Put the water in a bowl and add some yoghurt in it. Mix it well and apply on your hair and wash it out when it dries. Apply this mix every two weeks and see your hair becoming healthier and shinier.

There are hundreds of simple and easy beauty tips where natural ingredients from the kitchen can add to the beauty of your skin and hair! For now use these and do share your feedback on how they helped you #ComeCloser to radiant skin!

Pearl Academy Portfolio 2015 - a Fashion Extravaganza

Creativity, fashion and glamour...the coming together of these three elements makes for an eye catching extravaganza, and in the week gone by, I got an interesting opportunity to cover one such intricately planned and executed extravaganza - Portfolio 2015, the annual graduating event of the renowned Pearl Academy. Held at NSIC Exhibition Ground, Okhla, New Delhi, Pearl Academy Portfolio 2015 marked the entry of trained students into the professional realm of creative businesses. Spread across 3 days, the event had lots of fashion and fun packed together, with graduating students not just putting up their best creations on display but also sharing their vision about their area of expertise. And icing on the Portfolio 2015 cake was the presence of ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who graced the event with his presence and shared words of professional wisdom with the graduating students.

Day 1 at Portfolio 2015 was spent taking in the engaging catalogues, art pieces and captivating designer items created by the students from all the graduating batches across the 4 schools of the Pearl Academy - School of Fashion, Styling and Textiles; School of Communication, Media & Film; School of Design; and School of Creative Business.

This exhibition put together by the students was a treat for the eyes - from lovely clothes with beautiful patterns and motifs, to quirky stationary items to recycled products, every single exhibit had something unique to offer.

While the designer clothes had everyone yearning to own them, other artistic creations were no less attractive. There were a lot of items that were high on the quirk element - coffee mugs, cushions, little trinkets and home décor display items were some such stuff that caught everyone's fancy. Besides these various innovative art installations too kept the visitors engaged.

Day 2 of Portfolio 2015 was all about panel discussions, grand fashion shows and of course the Guest of Honour, designer Manish Malhotra. The excitement about his visit was pretty apparent and when he finally arrived to address the students, it was a proud moment for both the students and the faculty. A superbly put-together fashion show was what followed next where students got the opportunity to showcase their designing talent before Manish Malhotra.

At Portfolio 2015, while the creative brilliance of graduating students left everyone mesmerised, their passion and professional approach towards the event and towards putting the exhibits together was something that impressed me the most. Indeed this professionalism together with their innate creativity and training at Pearl Academy will go a long way in establishing them as successful professionals in their chosen fashion domain.

About Pearl Academy

Founded in 1993, Pearl Academy is India’s largest private institution in design, fashion and creative businesses, and delivers over 30 uniquely designed under-graduate, post-graduate and professional programs through its 4 campuses in Delhi, NOIDA, Jaipur and Mumbai.

Pearl Academy was earlier known as ‘Pearl Academy of Fashion’. Over the past few years, this brand has evolved from being known as a cradle to fashion designers to India’s largest higher education institute offering courses in design, fashion and creative businesses. These courses are broadly categorized under 4 Schools:

• School of Fashion, Styling & Textiles
• School of Design
• School of Communication, Media & Film
• School of Creative Business

PORTFOLIO 2015 – Portfolio is Pearl Academy’s annual graduating event where all the students from the graduating batches of various courses across 4 schools showcase their final projects in the form of exhibitions, presentations and fashion shows.

*This post is cross-posted from solitaryreaperwrites.blogspot.in.

Anu PD's Bridal Collection - Soulful, Sensuous, Bohemian!

In my last post, I talked about the super fun mock wedding curated by fashion designer Anu PD. And now I am back with some super gorgeous Anu PD designs that I came across on the day of the shoot of the Weeding Diaries. All of these dresses are from the designer's Wedding Collection, and one look at them and I am sure that like me you too would want to own the! 

Anu PD's Bridal Collection - Juxtaposition of bohemian edgy vibes with

soulful charms of the Buddha!

Now that sounds intriguing, no?  But that's precisely how fashion designer Anuradha Prasad Dhawan, aka Anu PD defines the bridal that she showcased during the Wedding Diaries shoot. The Bridal Collection is a tribute to the deep impact that a trip to the Ajanta Caves left on the designer. Another inspiration was the notion of something as simple as love and sensuality - l'amour, which dates back to her travels to Paris, la ville de l'amour - the inspiration of sensuality. All this brings forth the inner bohemian goddess; a strong feminine edgy vibe juxtaposed against the soulful charms of he Buddha and his wisdom - and the result is the Modern Bride as envisioned by Anu PD. Here, feast your eyes on her sensuous creations! 

That is all from the wonderful time I had covering the Wedding Diaries! Hope you all enjoyed reading the posts as mush as I enjoyed writing about them. And if you did, then stay tuned for the next post is about the warm Le Meridien hospitality I experienced while covering the Wedding Diaries.  Happy reading! :) 

Designer Anu PD Curates 'innovative' Wedding Diaries

This post is coming a wee bit late, and I am guessing that those of you who have been following me on social media platforms know the reason behind this late lateefi. But then as the wise men say, better late than never. So here I am to share a wonderful event experience with you all. A couple of weeks ago, I got this fun opportunity to be a part of a unique wedding celebration - a make-believe wedding that was a beautiful coming together of an ace fashion designer's creativity and a leading hotel chain's warm hospitality.

The creative community of Le Meridian, New Delhi, forged a unique partnership with fashion designer Anu PD to curate a photo shoot of a day-long mock wedding celebration - the Wedding Diaries. This unique fashion shoot was conceived and presented by Anu PD and aimed at capturing the special moments in a bride's life before she ties the nuptial knot and also provided a glimpse into one of Delhi's leading wedding venues with flawless service.

The personalised invite and welcome kit at the hotel

Guests and members of the media were invited to experience the nuances of a wedding, unfolding of a day of vivid experiences, the rituals of the wedding day and open the stage for a wedding shoot featuring ensembles by Anu PD label.

Let the fun begin!

The guests were taken on a journey of discovery of the hotel's perfect wedding venues for various ceremonies and rituals, accentuated by Anu PD's bridal wear collection. At Three Graces by Amatra, guests enjoyed special therapies to rejuvenate and were styled in Anu PD's accessories. The Three Graces spa made for a relaxing stop to pause and revivify before the hectic schedule ahead and everyone looked forward to the rituals ahead.

 At Three Graces Spa

Post the rejuvenation break, it was time to deck up for the Mehndi ceremony. The styling experts at the beauty salon La Belle added a special touch to the wedding group with their special hair styles and make up for different ceremonies during the day. 

The colourful Mehndi venue

Friends of the bride, looking resplendent in Anu PD designs

The Mehndi Lunch at Allure was a grand affair with the bride dressed in Anu PD's bridal collection while her friends and family members were attired in Anu's ensembles. Later, Sovereign, the venue for the gala wedding came alive with the main wedding ceremony, with the bride and her guests all dressed in designer wear that spoke of style and elegance.

Beauties!

Here comes the bride! 

Designer Anu PD with the bride

The post wedding celebrations unfolded at a cocktail hosted at Nero, the chic bar where delectable selection of snacks and cocktails wit twists were served, but of course all eyes were on the bride dressed up in another one of Anu PD's lovely creations. 

The cock dresses! 

I guess the best line to wrap this post would be - 'And a fun day was had by all!' You would say it's such a cliché, but the truth is that indeed the idea of bringing fashion and hospitality together was not only innovative, but also great fun!
Check out my next post for the designer Anu PD's  lovely  bridal collection designs that are every bit worth coveting! Happy reading! :) 

Up Your Style Quotient with Oleva Leggings

Hello friends, I am back with some more tips and tricks to help up your style quotient. And today our fashion focus is on leggings, for they are becoming quite quintessential in our wardrobes, thanks to the versatile ways they can be styled. It’s one of those items of clothing that can be worn anywhere – from casual outings to formal parties, just match them up with appropriate tops and accessories and you are got to go! Plus a lot of celebrities too are seen wearing leggings these days, adding glamour to this comfortable clothing item.

While leather and spandex leggings are making a regular appearance in the international fashion scene, for daily wear its cotton that works best in hotter climates like ours. And when it comes to cotton leggings, Oleva is one brand that boasts of a variety of leggings. From fancy net leggings to the regular plain ones, there’s a lot in their collection to get you tempted to pick a few!

Oleva leggings are not just stylish but affordable too. And I am sure you would not want to spend more on something that can be had at an affordable price. Plus you get a wide range of colours to choose from.

When it comes to styling, there’s so much more you can do with your leggings than just pair it with a kurtas. Leggings can be paired in many different ways. Pair it with a flowing top or a long t-shirt and there are you are, all set to rock the fashion scene anywhere. An easy way to make your leggings look flattering is to choose the right top. In winters you can pair it up with long cardigans, sweaters and long boots, while for summers, pairing it up with flowy tops, loose fitting t-shirts and kaftan tops works the best.

If you are travelling make sure you carry a pair of leggings because they are not just fit for every season but also hardly take up any room in your bag. So if you are still contemplating about stocking up on leggings, you now know that they can be really stylish when combined with the right top and shoes. So wait no more and go ahead and catch up with the leggings trend!

Sporting Your Fluorescent Pair of Shoes!

Hi friends, summer is here and it's time to pack up the blacks and dark greys of winter and instead pep up our wardrobes with bright hues and neons! The fluorescent trend that caught up last summer continues to rule the fashion scene. From clothes, to accessories to shoes, fluorescent is everywhere. And if you think fluorescent is a girl's thing, then you will have to do a quick rethink for fashion forward men are wearing and flaunting fluorescent like never before. From models to celebrities to style conscious young men, everyone's adding up fluorescent shades to their wardrobe.

If you are someone who shies away from bright colours and yet want to be a part of the trendy fashion conscious bandwagon, then the best accessory for you would be a fluorescent pair of branded shoes.  Flip through any shoes catalogue and you are sure to come across a range of eye-popping fluorescent shoes dazzling the pages of the catalogue. Why, check out any online retail store and you are bound to come across bright and funky pairs tempting you to take a closer look. Fluorescent green, yellow, pink and blue are some colours that are very in and can brighten up your sporty look. 

A fluorescent pair of shoes is not just trendy to look at, but is also much more fun than your regular black/white/grey/other boring colour shoes. They are eye catching and instantly attract attention, now who wouldn't want that! It gives the wearer a playful and fun look, and of course adds a bit of quirk quotient to the wearer's personality. So what are you waiting for! Give yourself a fluorescent treat and pick up that fancy pair for neon shoes are here to stay! 

Step Out in Style with Comfortable Loafers

Summers are here, and so are loafers!  Loafers have made a comeback in the fashion scene, and how.  Almost every major national and international shoe brand has come up with their range of loafers – and in their trendy new collection, modern cuts and designs are giving good company to the classics. And if you are still opinion that loafers are basically casual wear and do not fit into your corporate cubicle, then it’s time you do a rethink for now there are loafers and moccasins designed to perfectly gel with your formal office wear, and make a perfect alternative to wearing stuffy lace-up shoes in summer.

Moccasins are slightly different from loafers however in many online and offline stores they figure under loafers. It is important that one understands the difference between the two styles so that they can match them up with the clothes accordingly. The easiest way to make out between the two is that while moccasins come with laces, loafers are without them. However also remember that the laces on moccasins are just for style and cannot be tied. So loafers are basically flat, slip-ons. Both of these designs now come in a range of designs and material ranging from suede to leather.

While loafers can be smartly paired up with formal and semi-formal office wear, it definitely ups the wearer's style quotient when teamed with casual wear. For a formal office look, you can pair them up with trousers and chinos. And if you are heading out for a party or informal outing, then you can team them up with denims, cargos and track pants. Make sure you pick up colours that suit your personality and clothing style - while black, brown and different shades of tan look great for office-wear, blue and maroon pep up casual wear. So what are waiting for, loafers are a perfect summer pick-me-up! So if you want to look stylish this summer, put your best loafer-clad foot forward!