Biba Store Visit + Collection Review

The festive season is closing in on us and like me, probably all of you are looking for some pretty Indian wear outfits. Shopping for a casual garment especially Western wear is always easy and affordable but when you go out to buy Indian wear outfits, it's hard not to break the bank! Well, there's one place where you can find designer and absolutely beautiful Indian wear this season and that place ladies and gentlemen, is Biba!

Last time I had visited a Biba store was probably 2 or 3 years back when I needed to buy formal wear for my business college. I hated wearing trousers and formal shirts and ditched them for easy wear kurti tops. However, this time when I visited the store, I was honestly stunned by the collection! The riot of colors! The Rohit Bal collaboration! Oh, where do I even begin!

The collection is based on themes and each themes dictate the prints, colors and silhouettes of the pieces in that particular collection. The one I liked the most was "The Rockstar" with myriad of beautiful and funky prints. Then there is a festive wear collection and I fell absolutely in love with a black and red piece from this one(pictures to follow). And the most exciting section? The Rohit Bal for Biba collection. The anarkalis are beautiful and the prints and embroidery so-very-Rohit. And so so affordable! The one I liked was a blue and cream anarkali which is also featured on the front cover of the catalog, it was priced somewhere near Rs.9000/-. That is very very affordable from Indian wear Price Range perspective if you ask me!

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Do stop by the store and have a look at the Rohit Bal and the Festive Wear collection whenever you are in the mall. Trust me, you won't be disappointed and with the festive and wedding season approaching, you will want a couple of such pieces handy.





Talking Tuesday: Episode 5

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Hello guys!! It seems like I haven't blogged in a realllllly long time! And it is truly so as I am always busy these days. The job is taking over my life but honestly, I don't mind as I love my job! My colleagues are super nice and my boss is the best! She is very sweet, friendly and chic and helps me out with all the beginner obstacles. But, in the midst of completely occupied 6 working days and the only Sunday where I pile up all my blog work, I have missed two Talking Tuesday posts and I genuinely apologise (Again! I know!). I still have the list of the requested posts (skincare, haircare, etc routine) and I will do them for sure. Now before I waste more of my precious few hours before I start feeling sleepy, let's begin!

1. Help me style a pair of white linen pants?
- Anonymous
White linen pants are best worn in Summers. Pair them with pastel hues for a soft summery vibe and and keep the accessories minimal. If you do wanna wear some bling, go for statement cuffs rather than necklaces or earrings. The linen pants have sort of comfy sporty feel to it, so choose your accessories accordingly. White on white look is also a good idea if you can pull it off. Pair the pants with a white linen soft blazer and wear a semi-sheer white tank underneath for a very summery but high-fashion look.

2. Hi, I'm only 5ft tall and chubby married woman. What kind of style should I follow to look good. I always fall in love with those sweet dresses floating on all the websites but they are only for petite girls.
I want to follow the style which I can carry without caring of my weight and height.
help me
- Viju
People with your kind of body type usually hide their figure in loose clothing, but if worn correctly, the fitted dresses can look just as good on you as on the models! Don't be afraid of trying out what you like, you might be surprised how good it looks on you! Showing off your neckline, forearms and a little leg looks classy and it would help you look longer and leaner. Opt for tapered trousers, soft georgette shirts in darker and smaller prints. One thing you should avoid is wearing big prints, they can emphasize wrong places very easily, go for busy and smaller prints for a slender look.

3. Plz suggest a good, long-staying foundation and a compact powder (along with shade name) to set it. I have T-zone problem and i'm a medium skin toned person.
- K
If you are looking for a medium to heavy coverage foundation, go for MAC ProLongwear Foundation along with MAC Blot Powder. The foundation will last you a really long time and is very cost effective as you need a very tiny amount to cover your whole face. The Blot Powder is a really amazing product from MAC and I have already gone through 2 of these. It soaks up all the oil on your face and keeps your face looking matte all day long. You will hardly need to reapply once or twice if you are in a humid weather conditions.

4. Plz suggest a hair fixing spray or serum after straightening my hair.
Recently i got the philips hp8310 hair straightener (i read ur post of hp8310 and just went for it).
But i couldn't leave my hair free after straightening..if i don't use a hair clutch.. within a few minutes it gets frizzy and the straightening effect fades away. Help me :(
- K
Use MorocconOil Serum or any anti-frizz serum like from John Frieda or Kerastase. If you live in too humid conditions, it's better to k=just avoid straightening all together coz no matter how good the straightener is, your hair WILL frizz up. So, it's better to spare your hair from all the heat and try some nice updo or heatless hairstyles.

5. Pls suggest a good primer and a setting spray ( i'm in oh-so-hot Chennai weather) and also suggest me a good oil-free moisturizer for face. Thank u!
- K
Few of the best primers are the Makeup Forever Primer and Smashbox Primer. For setting spray, I love the Urban Decay All Nighter but due to it's unavailability in India, try MAC's Fix+ Spray, have read a lot of good reviews about it.

6. Hi, I have curly and dry hair. Regular oil massages, hair spas, conditioning - I do everything! Yet I've been losing a lot of hair recently. What can I do about it? I love my curls and don't want to change the style.
- Ishita
So glad to hear that you love your natural curls. People generally crave for what they don't have. Don't be too alarmed about loosing a lot of hair, in this season everybody looses hair. I have been shedding a lot of hair as well, it worried me too but you can;t really do a lot about it. Just eat healthy, take lots of protein rich diet and pamper your hair, the phase will pass :)

7. Hi, I am a working girl and have recently put on a lot of weight. I think wearing Indian clothes somewhat camouflages the bulges. Can you suggest some Indian looks for an hourglass figure? I'm 5'4" and 59kgs. Thanks :)
- Ishita
Judging from your height and weight, I think you are in perfect figure! You don't really need to worry about it but if it helps you, you can wear kurti tops over denims or leggings. Casual cotton anarkali suits are also very much in trend and I have myself seen them in my office. The head designer at my office wears a lot of anarkali suits which are very casual but looks very elegant and chic. Skip the dupatta.

8. I love lipsticks and have about 20+ bright lippies which look really good on me. I somehow feel that a nude or no color makes me look very dull inspite of a heavy eye. What would you suggest for a toned down lip. Also, I don't like the feel of glossy lips - I love rich color and matte most of the times.
Thanks Srish! :)
- Ishita
For nude lips, try a lip color which has hints of peach or pink in it. I am listing down few very good options for you, try them out whenever you are in the mall, and see which one suits you the best!
- Rouge Dior Nude "418 Ingenue" by Dior [My personal favorite lippie to pair with smokey eye look]
- Mac Cosmo
- Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in "My Mahogany"
- Lakme Lip Love Lip Color in "Love Haze"
- Colorbar Lipstick in "Bare"

9. Hey!! My question is very typical for me but I never got a good solution to my problem! But I'm sure you will answer it! I'm Sikh by religion and can't get a haircut, because of that my ends are very light ,colourless , rough and split ends ! How to maintain all this without cutting??? Thanks
- Harjas kaur
I can understand your problem but split ends is something that cannot be repaired. However, you can go for deep nourishing treatments and use a mixture of yogurt and honey on the ends. Apply the mixture on the ends and keep it for 15-20 minutes, rinse with cold water so that it seals in the moisture. Another hairmask you can try is a mixture of mayo and avocado. Here’s what you do: take a full jar of full fat mayonnaise and one half of one very mashed up avocado. Mix well and apply to your hair.After 20 minutes rinse your hair in cold water.

10. I bought a black leather blazer a few months back and I'm having a hard time styling it. Its different from the average fabric blazers. Please help.

- Shivika
A black leather blazer is something I consider Wardrobe Essential Piece! it is actually rather easy to style. You can refer to the links below for styling ideas:
- http://www.stylefashionetc.in/2013/02/comfort-shoes.html
http://www.stylefashionetc.in/2012/11/fall-outfit-inspiration-leather-jacket.html
http://www.stylefashionetc.in/2012/11/fall-outfit-inspiration-military-jeans.html
http://www.stylefashionetc.in/2012/12/ravi-bajaj-celebrates-his-25-years-in.html
or you could just style it the way you would style a regular blazer to toughen up the look.

Hope I helped some of you guys out. Write to us HERE!




Transitioning into Fall: Outfit 2 [Black Sheer Panel Maxi skirt with Printed Military Grey Shirt]

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{Shirt - Mango, Skirt - Koovs, Belt - Promod, Shoes - Steve Madden, Bag - Accessorize, Accessories - Forever 21}

The days are hectic than ever and while I try to jam writing blog during office's coffee break, I wonder how these changes are going to affect this space. I have got questions from PRs and a couple of readers that will I still blog? The answer is yes! Of course! Since, I was in the middle of moving, I had to skip Talking Tuesdays last couple of weeks but this blog and you readers have given me an identity that I am always grateful for... so rest assured, the blog will go on.

I have moved to my new place, big thanks to mom for handling everything with such finesse and not letting me worry for a single thing. I am still unpacking and settling down. The furniture has been bought, the AC has been ordered, the bed is arriving in a few hours and the fridge and drapes are due tomorrow. I guess I have everything covered and if all goes according to plan, you will soon be watching me talk on YouTube again!

This was all the recent update and now I gotta go. See you all very soon!

xoxo