The Perfect Push-up

I've been on the hunt for a do-it-all push up bra for a while now. They make such a huge difference when you're wearing form fitting clothing, and for people as tiny as me - give me a little bit of help in the boobage department. Sigh. Such is life.

So when Zivame sent me their Penny Luster Level 2 Push Up Best Tee Bra in Sinberry*, I was doing a happy dance around my room. 

Look at how it came packaged. I felt so loved. They do SUCH a brilliant job of making lingerie feel all luxurious and special - as it should be!

So, after I ripped off the adorable wrapping paper, I found this really nice sturdy box. I've ordered lingerie online before, and it always comes in these flimsy little cardboard boxes. Zivame package it up in a huge cardboard box for you so nothing gets squished, because hey, they're called delicates for a reason!

So let's get into it. Push up bras can be a real struggle because I've seen some which literally elevate the boobage to somewhere around your eye level and well, unless that's what you're going for, it can be a little too much. Not to mention overly tight and painful. The Penny Bra has what they call a Level Two push up with underwire for support and some light padding. It also has a 3/4th cup which is great, cause a demi cup would basically be super useless as you're going to have half your boobs hanging out. I think this a brilliant foundation bra for me personally, cause some of my dresses and tops do require some extra form-fittingness as I am pretty darn skinny. 

It fits me like a dream. The push-up aspect is just the right amount without being excessive. The straps are really soft, so they don't dig into my skin. And I really like that they're a 3/4th cup rather than a semi or a demi cup. I also LOVE the color, but I would definitely be buying one of these in a black and a nude soon. 

I haven't washed it yet, but their instructions say specifically to handwash. Ladies, don't go throwing your padded bras in the machine, for that matter, because they COMPLETELY lose their shape. And they'll start gaping after a few washes. I'm hoping this one continues to fit well even post-wash.

You can shop for it here: http://www.zivame.com/penny-luster-level-2-push-up-best-tee-bra-sinberry.html. At 945 INR (It is now 851 INR on sale!), I think it's a brilliant buy for what it is. 

To have some fun, I wanted to show you guys how I'd wear it. I think this bra is SO fun, especially for the summer. I got such happy, beachy vibes from it.

Thank you to the lovely people at Zivame for letting me be a part of this!

* This product was sent to me by Zivame for reviewing purposes. All opinions expressed in this post are solely my own.

Monthly Grocery List

Every month, I see myself repurchasing these bare necessities. Call them my holy grail products if you will (the less glamorous kind), but I thought I'd share a few of my favorite monthly beauty buys that always end in my shopping basket.

The Loreal Paris Total Repair 5 is my go to hair serum. I've tried LOADS over the years - even your fancy hairdresser-only ones. And this works with my hair the best. It doesn't weigh it down and I can feel my hair getting softer because of this.

I've used Nivea Creme for as long as I can remember. My eczema requires me to really slather on the moisture sometimes and this REALLY stays for hours. Although the product is a bit thick, once you work with it, it does wonders for dry skin.

The Nivea Antiperspirant Pearl and Beauty has me sniffing myself all day (#nojudgement). It isn't drying or flakey or gooey, like some roll ons are. And boy, does it last. I've tried a lot of roll ons (I stopped using spray ons a while ago) and this one takes the cake. One of these can last me up to three months. The only drawback with this is that it is a glass bottle after all, so I get a teeny bit scared travelling with it.

I have done a rave review of the Loreal Paris Skin Perfect 20+. It has made my skin SO even toned, I hardly get zits anymore (touchwoodtouchwoodtouchwood) and any patchiness has totally vanished. I've been using this constantly for the past two months now and I will keep using it till I need the 30+. Which marks the beginning of my slow decline into old age.

The Garnier Purifying Neem Active Facewash is every oily faced girl's dream. It gently takes off that layer of oil buildup and doesn't dry your skin out. And continued use takes off any scarring/pimple marks that you would've acquired because YOU POPPED THE DAMN PIMPLE WHEN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE IT ALONE.

So, these are my go-to, absolutely cannot live with out products that I will petition to the company for if they discontinue it.

I'm currently nursing a very bad throat so I look like death. Hence, I refuse to put my face on the blog till I don't look like I've been through the mill.
Thank you for understanding.

Happy (to the people in Chennai) gloomy weather day!
- A

PWT (Pretty White Thing)

I'd like to start this blogpost off by thanking my awesome cousin who gave me this fine piece of garmentation. I ADORE it. It's from the Forever 21 Contemporary line which is pretty much my favorite area in the whole store apart from the jewelry.
THANK YOU ANJU.

Now.

I love my monochrome. I've paired it with this bag from Aldo and a super delicate necklace from Forever New. I didn't want anything competing with the beautiful pleated detail on the front. And my regular black trousers.

You could of course add some color to this by wearing it with colored trousers, or a nice bright bag - very summer appropriate. I like to stick to my neutrals when I have tops as delicate as this.
And yes, this top is pretty sheer. I'm wearing it with a skin colored bra, so it's all good. But you could also slip on a cami in skin/white (avoid black).

I have also tanned atrociously, and am slathering myself every day in curd and  gram flour. Sigh.
It works though.

Happy Wednesday!

- A

The Budget Wine Lipstick

When I was running around Bangalore trying to find something to wear for a certain gig because a certain member of the band in question forgot to bring my bag of clothes that he was supposed to. He then patiently drove me to the mall to find something to wear. Needless to say I was laughed out of town by the remaining band members who don't seem to grasp the concept that good (black) clothes are a necessity. But they all intently listen when I tell them what to wear for shoots.
Jokes aside, their music is fucking good. Check them out here. </shamelesspublicitybyaproudfriend>

Anyway.

I knew I was running low on my holy grail wine lipstick - Loreal Moist Matte Lipstick in Arabian Night - and I was just going to repurchase it when I hit the Lakme counter. Now I've never really felt that Lakme do well in the longevity of their lipsticks, even though they get the shades pretty spot on for Indian skin. There was some discount too, so I was like, what the hell. I picked up what I thought would be a nice wine shade from the Enrich Satins range in number 421. Billed it.

Oh my Lord. I am OBSESSED. It lasted ALL freaking night. Through all the food and the drink. It's a brilliant creamy matte formula. I will say though, that it takes around 10 minutes to actually set into your lips properly. And when it does, it ain't going anywhere. Good job, Lakme!

Then I came home and decided to compare both.

Aside from the fact that the Loreal lipstick (below) is a tad bit more pink, I think for the girl that's in the market for a budget wine colored lipstick, this is the one you need. The Loreal is pretty well priced for the brand/quality (I am after a couple of other shades in the same line) and retails for around INR 899. The Lakme, on the other hand is a complete bargain at INR 230 (I snagged it for the righteous price of INR 180) and in my honest opinion - has pretty much the same quality.

Here is an old, slightly awkward blogpost of me reviewing Arabian Nights.

Let me know if any of you try either of these lipsticks out - I vouch for them both!

- A

Summer Jewelry for the Minimalist

I recently went on a trip to the Andamans (it was nothing short of insane). And on beach holidays, you get to wear the cutest jewelry. I don't usually carry statement necklaces when I travel because 1) I'm always scared they'll break and 2) I prefer travelling really light in the trinkets department.

And I realized that I tend to wear a type of jewelry during the summer that never sees the light of day post August. Not like we in Chennai have seasons other than the monsoon (more like summer, summermore, summermost), but I thought I'd share with you some stuff that I would pack if I was going on a more resort-y kind of holiday. The Andamans was more of the 'getupits5amweregoingtobelatefortheferry' variety, so I barely wore the jewelry I packed. I hope this gives you guys some inspiration on what to wear for those beachy, summery days.

Items:
1. Turquoise Stone pendant - Matalan (UK) - ten million years ago
2. Skull Pendant - JC Penny (USA) - on sale for like $4
3. Layered bracelet - Ayesha
4. White shell bracelet - gift from the mother
5. Feather Necklace - Primark
6. Anchor bracelet - Accessorize

Work It: Internship Lookbook

I'm sure a lot of you (especially juniors from my college) are interning this year in various parts of the country/world. And I think, in a lot of offices, there is a more relaxed outlook on what 'workwear' really is. 

When I was interning and later on, working, I felt like I had a lot of freedom in terms of the way I could dress. Granted, I work in fashion, so they're pretty lax about rules in terms of dress. 

But I do know that on the days where I dressed sharp, I felt more awake, more productive and more professional. And that is what a good outfit can do for you.

I know a lot of you will still have to follow some sort of semi-formal dress code, so maybe only a couple of these ideas are good to go for you. But this is the kind of stuff I loved wearing to work. It's easy to put together, comfortable for the whole day, and makes you look like you actually know what you're talking about. I'm not a person that can wear a skirt that hits below the knee because I prefer my minis. So  I end up wearing dresses instead. Sigh. Short people problems. I hope you guys get some inspiration in terms of what to wear during your internships or your new jobs!

I adore this dress. It's from Mast and Harbor, Myntra's in-house brand. A simple a-line dress with a nice little skinny belt that came with it. The fabric is super soft, and for the price, the dress is amazing quality.

You can't go wrong with a nice shirt. This light blue striped number from Chemistry is so lightweight and delicate. I am not a fan of those super heavy cotton shirts that Van Huesen sometimes do. So I tend to look at lighter cottons, they're a lot more flattering on my figure and easier on my skin. I've paired them with these cropped navy trousers from Mango who I want to give a HUGE shoutout to - they do the BEST formal trousers and pants, especially for petite sizes.

 I love blazer days. Makes me feel all professional and shit. I picked this up in Delhi a year ago, for some throwaway price. And I adore it. Paired it with a printed top to make this look a little more semi formal and fun and them blue trousers again. 

Finally, this jersey skater dress from DressBerry (another Myntra in-house brand). I am obsessed with this dress. It's so easy to wear, and so drapey. This is for those days where you really don't want to wear an a-line, maybe it's Friday and you want to go out with you friends after - throw on a pair of heels and a nice necklace with this and you're good to go!

I hope this has given you guys some sort of inspiration for what to wear. I realize that I tend to veer to wearing blues to work (I have no idea why). Of course, you guys can wear neon pink if that suits your fancy. You don't need to stick to your safe 'formal shirt-formal skirt/pant' combination - have fun with it! And make sure you're comfortable, cause you're going to be in these clothes all day.

Good luck with your internships/jobs!

More Summer Staples: Keep it Light

I find myself going with the whole 'less is more' concept during the summer. I mean yeah, I love wearing pops of color (OCCASIONALLY). I don't know if it's a placebo thing, but I feel myself wearing dantier jewelry, nuder nailpolish, lighter perfumes and floatier scarves. I think I trick myself into believing that the less shit I put on myself, the less heat I will feel.
And it works!

Here are some lovely products that I'm sure you can get a hold of, and if not, anything similar works too!

So the scarf that is playing background is this lovely sheer one from Delhi which cost me all of 70 INR. It has some fancy label attached to it also. Export reject WIN. I love dark florals for summer, so this had to come home with me. Whenever I wear a tank, this usually goes over it. I need to find more of these.

I love this delicate art-deco-ish number from Forever New. I somehow CANNOT do chunky statement pieces during the summer months, so this does a great job of dressing an outfit up. I usually pair it with this midi ring from Forever 21.

Lovely, light fragrances. The Lychee Blossom Body mist from the Body Shop  is for those days where I want something refreshingly cool - it has a permanent place at the bottom of my bag (thank you to Dipali who got me this for my last birthday :D). The Aqua Lily Eau De Toilette (Discontinued)  is what I use as my 'going out' perfume during the summer. I simply cannot do those heavy, sweet scents that I enjoy during the cooler (cooler being 39 degrees) months. Very sophisticated, and boy, does it linger.

Best. Nude. Ever. Revlon nailpolish in the shade 011 Sheer Rose. Suits my skin tone. And it just is WONDERFUL when you want something clear, but with a hint of color. 

So there we have it. A few summer bits I've been loving over the past week of this lovely Agni Nakshatram that the universe has blessed us with. Stay hydrated!

- A