BEST BEAUTY BUYS OF 2010

Well, I must say that 2010 was quite a year as it triggered and resulted in the much needed transformation in me from blindly using the products at the dressing table to keenly taking interest in the beauty products and brands to indulge in. It would be nothing but unfair if I do not give enough credit to my job as a journalist that has only added to my knowledge of the beauty industry. So here I am going to pick my top-9 products of the year which I absolutely love and honestly, cannot do without!!!

1.L’OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream- This is the product that sells like hot cakes at L’Occitane stores. So shy not, and get one for yourself and get blessed with nourished and moisturized hands. Besides you admiring your own silky and smooth hands, your guy too won’t let go of them that easy :p
Price: 1500
Available at: Select City Walk Mall, New Delhi

2. INGLOT Eye Liner- For a person like me who wouldn’t even mind sleeping with the liner on (alarm!that’s quite a sin)-it is a must. The liner does not smudge and stays in place right from morning till you have made your way home. The black shade of the liner is just perfect to get those enchanting eyes.
Price: 650
Available at: Select City Walk Mall, New Delhi

3.MAYBELLINE Expert Wera Quad Eye Shadow- It is smooth, it is effective. To top it all- this palette has all colors which are my favorite ones for the eyes as they blend well with my skin tone. So wear it either during the day or the night but make sure that you do get your hands on it sooner than later as it is among those rare products which do not fade that easy.
Price: 240
Available at: Leading Departmental Stores

4. L'Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Shampoo- It does come to one’s respite particularly if one is suffering from varying hair woes. It wonderfully helps to repair and strengthen the hair’s fibre and smoothen its surface. This shampoo was a welcome change in my beauty regime.

It isn’t one of those for which you have to pay through your nose as the shampoo can be picked off the shelf at quite a meager price.
Price: 130
Available at: Leading Departmental Stores


















5. KIEHL'S Icy Everest Lip Gloss- The tube says it loud and clear-Unusually Creamy, Yet Light, Sheer And Glossy. This handy beauty boon for those luscious lips should be bought and simply stashed into your make-up kitty. You would be elated to notice how this gloss can glamorize the whole idea of a quick touch-up when one is pressed for time.

Price: 700
Available at: Ambience Mall, New Delhi


















6. THE BODY SHOP Wild Cherry Body Scrub- Gifts mostly do bring a smile, don’t they?My reaction was no different when I received this with a few other goodies from my cousin in Australia. I have always been a fan of The Body Shop stuff at home but this is the one that I refused to share with my mum and sis. This scrub gives your bath a makeover of sorts. You come out feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and not to miss that subtle scent which is absolutely overwhelming. It is undoubtedly an excellent exfoliating scrub that removes dead skin cells with ease.
Price: 745
Available at: Select City Walk Mall, New Delhi

7. LOTUS HERBALS Colour Dew White Nail Paint- This is a color that seldom goes out of fashion. I wear it both in winters and summers and trust me, it always proves to be a safe bet. So take to it as the paint is natural and dries real quick, i.e. good news for all women who put their nail paint always in a rush. Now, just get set to experience the white magic!
Price: 95
Available at: Leading Departmental Stores

8. MARKS & SPENCER White Peach and Almond Hand & Nail Cream- I completely adore it. The fragrance is so romantic that you can’t stop yourself from falling in love with it. For me-it is a ritual to apply this cream every night before I call it a day! This cream is never given a miss even when I am on a traveling spree.
Price: 295
Available at: DLF Place Mall, New Delhi

9. TATHAASTU Yummy Chocolate Body Scrub- How I wish, I could taste it! Yes, believe me, you would actually feel the urge to binge- the moment you get your eyes on it. It looks quite like crumbled chocolate cake. Well, pamper your body with this scrub and gift yourself a younger and smoother skin.
Price: 1499
Available at: DLF Promenade Mall, New Delhi

GO GOA!!!

One only jumps with excitement with the news of a holiday in Goa. Trust me, my reaction was no different when our bookings were done way in advance. But the excitement was met with turbulence of varying degrees like major work assignment, hiccup in the bookings and so on. However, the love for Goa remains unperturbed by such minor obstacles. So, finally leaving behind all this-we boarded our Kingfisher Flight just visualizing the shacks, beautiful beaches, lots of parties, massages, luscious sea food and the fun-packed water sports.

Well, things always don't go as planned and maybe-it's fun this way too. So, here you go-just as we stepped out of the airport-rain welcomed us(this wasn't quite welcoming though because I was already quite fed up of the rains in Delhi) and just as we sat in our Taxi, we started inquiring about places to go, things to do etc etc. And the answer shook us all up and we tried consoling each other but only hoping that the taxi driver was a big time liar. 

If you want to know what he said- all shacks are closed, major restaurants and the rather happening-Tito's is under renovation and yes, absolutely no water sports as we had arrived just before the peak season time. Though while planning, we didn't pay much heed to the dates because we wanted to stay away from all the worries due to the Commonwealth Games considering we stay just five minutes away from Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and 10 minutes away from Siri Fort Sports Complex. However, I did catch up on the games once I got back.

Anyways, back to GOA. I must say that there was some truth in what the taxi driver said but we were determined to still have a great time in our most loved place. We had some of the best meals which were not just light on our pockets but absolutely delicious. Some of my recommendations would be Souza Lobo, Calungute; Cape Town Cafe,Baga; Brittos, Baga; Agua,Baga; Sunny Side Up, Candolim and some modest shacks at Anjuna.

(There are obviously more places as well which are quite high on the fun element but these are some of the good places which wouldn't disappoint you even in the off season.) 

Also, for those who like to go big on their breakfast then, Cavala(Baga) and Infantaria (Calungute) should definitely be on your itenary.

Being a wellness journalist, I was surely not going to miss the massages. So, even you should pamper yourself with some of the local massages which are rather relaxing and refreshing. 

Yes, I am also an avid shopper but this time I just wanted to relax considering it was a much needed break from all the hustle-bustle of Delhi but I did shop some local wines, jewellery and not-to-miss an ultra cool hat which I am sure going to wear at a polo match(invite me someone) :) If you happen to go during season time, then the flea market at Anjuna on Wednesday's is a must. And if you are one of those who only swears by top brands then, head straight to the boutiques of Wendell Rodricks and Malini Ramani.

I would also suggest you to look around and go for sight-sighing as it would open the window to the unseen beauty of the gorgeous Goa. The church in Saligaon is absolutely divine. So, whether you go in season time or not, Goa is one place which offers non-stop fun and frolic.

P.S. Thanks to our cheerful and cooperative driver-Dharmen who made sure we enjoyed moving around in his car which had awesome music. And also, my cousin who was always ready to fetch us in his bike :)

just GET SET and GO GOA!!!

Calling the Shots!!!

Trust me; what follows is not one of those run-of-the-mill issues revolving around-FEMINISM that all women love to talk about but something which maybe is sometimes equally disturbing.

What I basically want to express are my not so pleasant experiences, all of which have happened fortunately or unfortunately when I dinned out with my guy-friends.

Many girls consider it their good fortune that they are going out with guys and they shall be assured a prompt and good service considering the presence of men usually steers up the waiters to take note of their table. But I beg to differ, being single these 21 years-I haven't for a second felt the need or want to be accompanied by guys just for the sake of it. Well, but I undoubtedly love the presence of dad and brothers when we go out to dine and wine :)

The basic idea is that I prefer making my own choices and like the staffer coming up, telling me about their specialties and letting me order as per my whims and fancies. The trend is no different when I go and party with my girl gang. But the story is quite contrary when I am accompanied by my friends of the opposite sex. As a rule, the bar menu is handed over to him and the food menu to me. It's not that I am an empty tank or something but what if I too want to order for a drink or so. The matter doesn't end here, the other day I went out with a friend at a posh cafe in South Delhi and was appalled by the behavior of the attendants. Everything from the seat selection to ordering the drinks, the waiter only and only asked my friend as though he was my spokesperson too. And yes, even when I ordered a bottle of water, the waiter took it to the male friend first for his approval regarding the temperature of the bottle.

I am not saying that this is an issue that the world needs to take notice of but when issues of gender equality crop up, they tend to spark some sort of fire within us to change the system etc etc. Here, I don't wish to change the system-all I want is an equal right to call the shots when I go out to dine irrespective of my companion. I hope the concerned people are listening!!!

In the land of the Thai and the Chinese

Well, analyzing the lifestyle and culture of places is a highly learning and enjoyable experience. When I recently toured Bangkok and China, I was constantly comparing the two on various grounds and obviously not drawing conclusions as to which one is better than the other simply because culture of both the places are quite diverse and rich.

As far as the food aspect is concerned, both places have sizeable options to offer on their streets. However, more popular are the scrumptious Pad Thai and Seafood, available at almost every nook and corner of Bangkok. Also, one can fetch some refreshing juices and piping hot waffles in the city. China, on the other hand doesn’t really have lots to offer on its streets and especially if you aren’t the adventurous types as far as food is concerned.

Talking about the therapy that rejoices almost every girl i.e. the retail therapy, both these places are a paradise for shopaholics. Bangkok surely quenches the shopaholics thirst for affordable and trendy clothes and accessories. There are several open markets here like Chatuchak or Suan Lum and lots of swanky malls selling high-end brands which make shopping in the city a memorable experience. China too is a great place to shop but the ones on the heavier side won’t be overwhelmed especially when shopping for clothes in here. The outfits on sale in China are definitely more exclusive and classier than what one gets in Thailand. But yes, shopping in China might just prove to be a little heavy on your pockets.

When in Bangkok, one might not necessarily get the feeling of being abroad particularly if you have been living in India because the infrastructure is quite similar to India and isn’t very developed. Though the sky train in Bangkok on the same lines as Delhi’s metro, making travelling very comforting and speedy. Bangkok also houses few of the best hotels in the world which provide an overdose of luxury to their guests. China, on the other hand is appreciated across the world for having the finest infrastructure with impressive buildings and wide roads. Overall, China is far more developed than many other countries of the world.

Lastly, I must say that people of both the places are extremely hardworking and hospitable. In Thailand, one enjoys the pleasure of communicating with the locals. But in China the interaction with the locals is mostly restricted to non-verbal communication.However, both these destinations should surely be on every avid traveller’s list of must visit places.

Lunching with Ladies!!!

One usually thinks of distant places for their merry-making occasions. But then few intelligent ones like us  thought of trying out a new joint- Capri Italy at our very own Defence Colony Market.

The occasion being – my best friend's birthday, giving my girl gang the perfect opportunity to chill out and spend some jolly good time with each other. Though one would expect some waiting on a Sunday afternoon at a newly opened joint but to our advantage, the place wasn’t full in fact it was quite empty. This also meant that excellent service and food were in store for us!!!

All three of us with keen interest in food took a good look at the menu card to order our drinks and food. As we were already quite high on the ‘girly gossip’, we thought of going in for mocktails instead of their non-virgin versions.

When in doubt go for a Virgin Mojito like I did!!!

For starters, we ordered mouth-watering Crostini Alla Ragusana and Involtini. The former though a vegetarian dish but wasn’t a mundane one from any angle. It had an array of toppings on bread such as artichokes, olives, capers, Italian mayonnaise, pesto and freshly chopped tomatoes. This dish is surely not worth a miss especially for people who like variety!!!

        Where should I start???They all look yummy!!!

The other dish we ordered in snacks was Involtini- a tasty delicacy. The dish had chicken finely cooked in chesse, butter, garlic and white wine. Ahhh!!! Italian food is so not complete without the wine...

That's my piece: Involtini

But it was actually the main course that took the credit for making our outing extremely special. The luscious wheat pasta and Lassagne Bolognese were heavenly… With oodles of cheese, the food simply melted in our mouth!!!

Overall, I would say that the place is worth a visit. The pleasant ambience, soothing music and friendly staff surely wouldn’t leave you disappointed!!! This is one place which I hit almost once a week with my gang :P

Munching in Mussoorie

Mussoorie, the queen of hills. Its scenic beauty is not unknown to most of us, either one would have been to the hill station itself or would have read enough on its charm in Ruskin Bond's books. But there is more to the place, especially for food lovers like me. Here are top five places which are a must visit to satisfy your tingling taste buds.

1. Kalsang- The joint offers amazing Chinese,Thai and Tibetan food. The soups, steamed chicken momos and crispy wontons are a must try. This restaurant is usually packed during season time especially in the evenings. In Kalsang,one can enjoy good music and be amidst friendly staff. Overall, it's an easily accessible and inexpensive joint.

2. Chaar Dukaan- Situated near Sister's Bazaar, these four shops offer simple yet yummy food. Here, one can enjoy home cooked pancakes,maggi,pizzas,waffles,omlettes and patties among other dishes. Though reaching this place requires some amount of effort but a visit here is totally worth the effort. You don't just have food which is light on the pocket but also get a beautiful view of the mountains.

3. Green Restaurant- This vegetarian joint offers mouth watering food through the day. Must haves during breakfast time are their paranthas and pooris. My other favourites are their dal makhani and palak paneer with butter naan,ofcourse!!!

4. Tavern- This is my most loved joint in Mussoorie. Besides offering amazing Indian food, the restaurant has awesome live music. A rare combination in Mussoorie. Also, a place where one wouldn't complain of bad or rowdy crowd. To please the alcohol lovers, Tavern also has a bar license.

5. Chic Chocolate- Offers a range of sweet dishes. Most popular are their softy and slush. A hit amongst the youngsters and a cool place to hang-out.

Besides, these five I would recommend you to visit Inder sweets(especially those who have a sweet tooth). Their gulab jamuns and ras malai are to die for.

In times of globalisation, Mussoorie can't be left far behind particularly because it is one of the most frequented hill stations in the country. Therefore, one sees Dominos,Cafe Coffee Day,Barista and Nirula's(to open soon) coming up. But once in Mussoorie, do it as the locals do,eat at the local joints.

YELLOWED

Yellow is no longer the dirty colour for me. This bright colour is my pick for the season.Few of my recent purchases from both India and Abroad surely suggest that I am head over heels in love with this colour. Lately, have bought tops,jewellery,home decor, shoes,wallets and bags among other stuff in this sunny colour. Not to miss, even my room has few strokes of yellow paint.

Here is a peek into few of my yellow possessions-





Inexpensive jewellery picked up from Platinum Mall in Bangkok. A must have is that yellow-rock ring!!!




Big on Bags!!!




A pick from Chatuchak Market,Bangkok...




Simple yet Stylish!!!




Even my shoes have a bright sunny smile :)




To top it with few soothing t-shirts!!!
P.S. Hope my collection inspires you to pick up something in yellow for your wardrobe!!!

BANG-KOK

This time my trip to Bangkok seemed quite jinxed.Firstly, just fixing the date of departure and getting the desired flight was an issue and finally when it happened, we had to return from the Delhi airport due to some passport issues concerning my cousin. Going through the entire process for the second time was definitely not as exciting as usually it is ought to be. Though we were still battling to get our air tickets done, guess what? Emergency was declared in Bangkok in light of the protests by the 'red t-shirts'. Phewww... The media reports did give a sense that things were quite messy in Bangkok but few of my relatives their assured that things were under control.

So, finally things fell in place and we mustered the courage to board our Cathay Pacific flight to my most favourite place.Well, I love the place mainly because of the fabulous food,people and shopping. On getting out of the Bangkok airport, things seemed pretty normal and calm but as we were nearing our hotel which enjoys a good location of being near the main shopping outlets, we saw innumerable cars carrying Thai people wearing red t-shirts who were thankfully moving in the opposite direction to our car. To be honest, this was quite a scary site. As our trip to Bangkok was just three days long, I was dying to get to our hotel to refresh and get started with exploring the shopping malls. Due to the traffic jam, we were stuck on the road for quite sometime. Not getting affected by the ongoing tension, we headed to a nearby Thai joint to eat the yummy local food. On our first day, we checked out the Platinum Mall(a must visit for fashionable clothes and accessories), the Indira market and the Emporium Mall, a replacement for Siam Paragon as the latter was shut due to the protests. Now, Bangkok is known for its nightlife but well majority of the places shut early due to security reasons. So, we headed to Suan Lum market where we dined and enjoyed some great live music. After a series of activities during the day, we decided to relax and pamper ourselves with the very special Thai massage. Trust me, the massage helped us have a sound sleep.

The following day, after the regular and boring breakfast in our posh hotel, we headed to a market that can drive even a shopaholic like me crazy-Chatuchak market. One of the largest markets in the world which has something for everyone, be it clothes,plants,pets or home decor and the like. I pampered myself some more on the second day with a wonderful hair wash and massage. Getting a sense that the situation was improving, we decided to go to Khao San in the night. But little did we know that we ourselves chose to go to the problem area. On our way to the place we again saw the red t-shirt herd. Well, all four of us had our hearts in our mouth and asked the driver to immediately take us back to our hotel. We breathed a sigh of relief as we got out of the problem area.Due to lack of options to explore in the night, we hopped onto a nice bar opposite our hotel for a drink or two. Also, next morning we learnt that several people were injured and a few died just sometime after we had left Khao San. We visited the MBK mall and few other nearby places on our final day.

I won't say that my love for the place has lessened because of what I witnessed but I genuinely think that lots of locals as well as tourists are facing the brunt of the ongoing tension to quite a high degree. I have always liked going to Bangkok for the simple reason that one can just let go but this time with the restrictions on the places we could visit and things we could do-Bangkok surely wasn't the same. I just hope that normalcy returns soon to the place with the most hospitable people.