My Bridal Looks

There is love all around us. Specially today, you see talks of valentines on TV, on FB, on Blogs etc etc... For me, V-day was just another day... My marriage anniv was 3 days back and since we celebrate on 11th, we don't bother with the 14th... Every year, I do a wedding related post on FB but I missed this year. Hubs reminded me last night and I was like I am late by 2 days.. what's the point now... And then Suma posted this look and we got chatting. She suggested I do a post on my wedding look and I was like great idea!

I had a full blown Punjabi wedding with three major functions and two smaller ones... can you imagine the stress and the fun?

Chownki Look: Blue Lehnga 

The first one is from the Chownki we had... chownki is a four hour musical tribute to God. It is loads of fun because the presenters add a bit of comedy to lighten up things, they add mythology and spiritual stories and bhajans that are lively enough to be danced to! I wore a turquoise net lehnga for this evening. My makeup was done professionally and it was kept quite simple. The emphasis was on contouring and my nose has never looked better :)

Chownki Look: Blue Lehnga

The contouring is sooo visible in the second pic. But this was the first time I was exposed to it. The power of make up was slowly being revealed to me.

Keertan Look: Blue Salwaar Kameez

Anywhoo, the next function was a small Keertan and I wore a suit this time. But guess what, this was also turquoise! What can I say? I was on a colour fixation those days and everytime I went shopping, I singled out turqouise clothes :p So the look was very simple with compact, a light pink lippie and a crystal bindi.

Mehndi Look: Yellow Kurti & Red Dupatta

So up next was my Mehndi and Sangeet which was a very small affair. I didn't do anything fancy for that evening. Just a Yellow Kurti with Red Bandhani dupatta over red capris... 

Engagement Look: Red Saree and Curled Hair

Next day was the Engagement and Sagan. I chose a red (see the repeating colours!) saree and got my makeup done at Ambika Pillai's salon in Delhi. This is my most favourite look amongst all. I think it is festive without being overly dramatic :)

Engagement Look: Makeup

Are you still reading? Well then we are at the last look. The D-day... I was a typical bride complete with a 15 kg lehnga, lots of kaleerein and regular dulhan waala makeup. I realised that all Ambika Pillai brides look the same. :(

Wedding Look: Red Red Red!

So, what do you girls think?

Makeup when Hosting a Dinner

Hey girls, how many of you have hosted a lunch / dinner at home? All on your own? Stressful! right? I get goosebumps even thinking about the effort involved... cleaning and polishing everything, hours in the kitchen over food, the crockery, the knick knacks and what not... And when the guests finally arrive, you'd be running around making sure they are comfortable, managing the kitchen, watching the kids etc etc....

So, what kind of makeup do you wear at such a time? Here is my look and the learning from playing hostess:

Simple Makeup while playing Hostess

Face:

1. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in Fix+
2. Maybelline Blush in Apricot Flush lightly on the cheek bones

Eyes:

1. Avon Glimmersticks Diamond in Jade Green
2. Lotus Herbals Kajal

Lips:

1. Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick My Mahogany

That's it. Just 5 products! Who had the time for more? And yes girls, the first lesson is:

1. Less is More: The lesser number of products you apply, the lesser time you' take and will probably catch a few moments to relax before the early birds arrive. Every party has them early birs who will land in ten minutes before the time... :)
2. Use Mattifying Base: Specially if you are oily/combination skin like me. All the running around in and out of the kitchen or last minute cooking and frying will leaving your face sweaty and oily. Having worn a dewy base to begin with is not a good idea. Keep blotting papers in your kitchen for a quick dab once in a while
3. Keep is simple: Unless you are hosting a Wedding type ka event, keep your makeup as simple as you can. Let your amazing hostess skills dazzle them... the time to shine with your makeup skills is another day. The reason is that on a casual / semi formal party at home, you have no clue how your guests will be dressed. India does not have a concept of strict dress codes. It is better to be the least made up woman than the most
4. Don't forget the Hair: Now I am guilty of this. Usually, I just shampoo them and leave them to air dry after running a wide tooth comb. Not very becoming. An then I secure them with a hair tie or clutch clip to hold them away from my face during meals. It looks terrible. Specially in the pics. More so, when the group pic is taken at the end of the evening :(  For my last party, I decided to brush my hair just before the guests arrived and coat them with a leave in conditioner... much better results!
5. Touch Up: Its your house for God sakes! Just sneak into your room and do a quick touch-up if needed :p

Weight loss Drama?

Hey girls, how many of you have gone through the weight loss drama? The gymming, the dieting, the sugar ban, the caffeine ban, the juice diet, the gm diet, the soup diet, the yoga, the pilates and god knows what else.... how many websites or books have you tried to read? What happens when none of that works? When your resolve crumbles bit by bit,everyday.... How do you keep yourselves motivated?

Giveaway: Share the GLOSSYBOX Love

Hi girls, so we all know that Glossybox is coming to India. Right? And we also know that promotions are doing rounds big time. Now Feb being the month of Love, I thought we should share some love... some GLOSSYBOX love! And so, I bring you the Share the GLOSSYBOX Love giveaway... it is your usual giveaway, with a glossybox as a prize but... with a bit of a twist :)

GlossyBox India Giveaway: Share the Glossybox Love

So, to enter the contest you have to do the following:

1. Like the GlossyBox page on Facebook and leave your facebook name in the comments
2. Add a comment to the post below saying "If I had a glossybox to share with someone I love, it would be _______ because _____" and leave your friend's email id :)

That's all! Easy right? So where is the twist you ask... well, I was coming to that. You see, this contest runs throughout Feb. So it ends on Feb 29th. In the first week of March, one comment will be picked on random and the Glossybox will go to your friend :) Your friend will love you for it. Right? You can comment as many times as possible and nominate your mom, sister, MIL, SIL or even your boss! Please do not nominate yourself. Those comments will not be considered as valid entries... so if you want to win, patao your BFF... get the maska out girls and let your charm do the work... :)

After the winner is chosen, I'll mail them and they will have 48 hours to respond after which another winner will be chosen. Oh and one more thing, please ensure your friend in a resident off India.

So, what are you waiting for? Spread some love ladies!