Happy Hair, Happy Me. Thank You, Tresemme!!

'' I just wanna be myself

And I want you to love me for who I am

I just wanna be myself

And I want you to know, I am my hair

 I've had enough, this is my prayer

That I'll die livin' just as free as my hair ''

When Lady Gaga sang these lines, I think she was talking for every girl out there. Our tresses are our identity. Flirty, independent, carefree and gorgeous, those cascading manes define who were are.

Source : Google Images

We all love (and drool) at those gorgeous hair styles that those celebrities flaunt at the red carpet events and keep sighing and wishing we could try and carry them with as much ease and elan. And those Disney princess tales where our darling princesses like Rapunzel, Jasmine and Ariel had the most outrageously beautiful tresses adds to the wish for the perfect ramp ready hair.While our dear celebs might have their own stylists and hair dressers at their disposal 24x7, we mere mortals have none but ourselves and our girl friends to help us achieve those gorgeous looks. 

Source : Google Images

For me, a bad hair day ruins everything. I love trying new up dos every now and then to take a break from the boring pony tail look and when I can't leave my hair open due to the crazy weather here. But managing these unruly strands of hair (which seem to have a life of their own) is a Herculean task. Moreover, my hair is that boring straight with barely there curls towards the ends and are extremely fine stranded which makes styling them even more difficult. And add to that the fact that I absolutely hate (read I'm scared of) using hair styling products and heating,straightening and curling instruments. 

Source : Google Images. Collage done by yours truly

The last winter was a disaster for my hair. I hate winter because it turns my hair extremely dry, knotty and gives me itchy scalp and dandruff. Added to that a change of shampoo made my otherwise almost tame hair into a unruly mess. My hair turned brittle and rough to touch which gave me nightmares!!

Enter Tresemme hair products into the scene. Now, you don't need to worry about your crazy hair which turns into a bird's nest the very minute you step out of your house. And you don't need those hair styling instruments apart from your pretty hair accessories to add that glam touch to your hair. I have been a fan of Tresemme products from the time they were launched around last year and was eagerly waiting to try out their Split Ends Remedy shampoo and conditioner and when Indiblogger gave us members to try and see for ourselves, I immediately applied for a sample. And boy, I am in love...this thing is just amazing. This is going to stay in my hair care regimen permanently.

Even though I don't exactly have split ends, but my hair did seem pretty damaged and rough which was the first step to splitting. I knew I needed to do something before the ends started breaking apart. After having applied the shampoo and conditioner religiously for quite sometime now, I can actually see the difference it has done to my hair. My hair looks visibly healthier and is much softer and pretty much manageable.

The shampoo has tiny pretty glitters in it. The conditioner is a plain white colored one with a creamy texture. The best thing about the conditioner is that it doesn't weight down my hair unlike other conditioners and leaves them airy and with a faint and lingering fragrance.  Now, my hair is back to being smooth and shiny and is way more manageable so that I can easily try those celeb hair dos without frying or losing my hair. No cutting short of the pretty long ends. Yay!! 

Now, thanks to Tresemme, No Knots, No Split ends, Just long happy hair!!
This post is written for Indiblogger and Tresemme who believe that long hair should have beautiful ends and that ending should never be cut short.

Did you try Tresmme yet? If you haven't I really recommend you do. Do let me know if you liked it  :)

Till next,

My Mia Woman - Ganga Mashi

The word Mia in Italian means "My" and in Danish means "beloved". In my words it would mean an extension of me, of my identity, of who I am.

What does Mia Woman mean to you?

To me she is that epitome of womanhood - beautiful, efficient, smart and loving ; someone who is in perfect control of her life, be it her household or her workplace. She is the woman who thinks of her work to be her religion and her motivating force, a medium of her self expression and also a place through which she can bring in change, in her life and in the world, however small it might be.

My Mia woman is somebody I have always admired and emulated since the time I gained consciousness- my aunt, my mom's twin sister, Ganga mashi ("mashi" is the Bengali for your mom's sister) . Apart from the fact that I love her because she is my aunt, it is the person she is which commands respect, admiration and love from everybody around her. There hasn't been a single time she has ceased to amaze me with her beauty, her work and her dedication to every single thing she does. Mashi is differently-abled, one of her hands don't function properly; but that hasn't stopped her from doing everything she had wanted to do, overcoming all the physical obstacles on the way. She has been the perfect daughter, taking care of my dida (i.e. my granny) when she was extremely ill, which my uncles as sons failed to do. She single-handedly took care of my ailing granma for fifteen years till she passed away, sacrificing a lot from her personal life. What makes it all the more admirable is the fact that she never spoke a word of complaint against all the hardships she had to endure in the process.

That's her :)

What I admire the most about her is not just how she handled her personal crises but how she managed her work and gained the love and respect from everyone she knows. My aunt is an LIC agent. She started working for the Insurance company some twenty years ago when the whole concept of saving your money against future accidents wasn't very well known. Mashi's job requirements demand her to interact with a lot of people (her clients) on a daily basis, to be almost at their beck and call to collect and submit the money to the company in time. What makes her extra special is how she has actually transformed a lot of lives in the process. She went around to not very well educated people around the area she lives and helped them grasp the importance of having an insurance covered for their life so that their loved ones are not left helpless after them. And all of this wasn't done for of the commission she would get for each case she submitted, because I know a lot of under privileged people who have their lives insured and haven't paid a penny, my aunt paid the entire amount, all the installments from her own earnings for them. What started as a job requirement has now transformed into a personal relationship for my aunt. The people who are her clients have now turned her into a member of their own family for she has embraced each of them as her very own. The job leaves her with no time of her own and no holiday. She efficiently managed (and still does) all the household chores along side taking care of my granny and going to work everyday and running to help people whenever she was called for even if it is in the middle of the night. Every time I walk the streets with her, I see some old man, a tiny five year old and some lady wave at her with a smile, asking , "Bhalo acho?" (meaning "How have you been?") and she waves back replying and handing over a candy to the kid.

Ganga Mashi is everything beautiful means - simple, independent, loving and demure. She has not only made her own life beautiful with her work but has also spread her beauty to other lives around her. She is as beautiful as her work.

Check out this beautiful TVC by Tanishq which represents everything their Mia collection is - light and beautiful yet unflashy.

I believe that your clothes and your jewelery is representative of you, an external manifestation of the beautiful woman you are, inside and outside. If you liked those pretty danglers on Megha in the clip, check out Tanishq's website for them and more here.

Till next,

Polka :)

The Polka trend is something I have been obsessing over for quite sometime now

and when I spotted this pretty monochrome polka nail art on this blog,

I couldn't help but put up an inspiration board via polyvore

 a casual chic look. :)

Click on the pictures to get to the item

polka by swarnali 

Do you like the polka trend?

Till next,

Dress Up with Shopper's Stop

The final three months of every year are filled with celebrations of all kinds. And if you happen to live in my city, festivities never stop. People here at Kolkata celebrate anything and everything....we just need a reason to be merry!! Be it Durga pujo or Diwali or Christmas, dressing up is a major part of all of it . Here are two looks I created for these occasions-


1) The Indian Ethnic- I selected this net saree and added the accessories around it. Had Durga pujo and Diwali in mind. Could also be good for a wedding ...if you are planning to attend one :)

French Connection Clutch / Ashika Net Embroidered Saree / Lemon Pepper - Ladies Footwear / Pretty Women Earring PW-ER-3760

2) Festive Chic - This one was created for the late night Christmas and New Year parties.



French Connection Dress/ Clutch handbag / Earrings / Watch / Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color Copper Brown / Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner Black

And here is a random quote from pinterest that I couldn't help sharing :D


All pictures are from www.shoppersstop.com and the collages are created from www.polyvore.com (used Polyvore for the first time today. So please excuse my bad editing skills).
Check out Shopper's Stop's website for more amazing collections of clothes and accessories.

This post is an entry for a contest at Indiblogger in association with Shopper's Stop .

This post was selected as one of the winning entries :) 

Guest 9 - Lazygul Rashmi is here!!

Hola world!!

I have my bloggy BFF today as our guest blogger. Rashmi from mY F@Sh!nK wOrLd has happily agreed to be my ninth guest here. Rashmi was one of my first followers and active supporters when I started out with blogging. She was always there to help me out whenever I needed help. Fashion enthusiast and a fashion designer in the making, I have never known somebody who has been more dedicated to her childhood dreams. She has the most infectious and brightest smile in the whole wide world and you can't help but smile back.
Lets get to what she has to say to us-

Hello everyone, this is my first guest post ever. I doing it for my dear friend Swarnali and her guest post month.

SOME BASICS YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS

Today's post is all about the essential items you don't want to be without while stepping out. Kind of a must have if you don't want to be Plain Jane. 

These are all time essentials which can be changed with the requirement of the season and how your skin reacts to the changes of the season. Your skin is your temple. It reacts and tells you which product is good for you and which isn't. The items are as follows-

1. Sunscreens and Moisturisers

I cannot stress on the importance of a sunscreen. I am writing them together because now there are so many Moisturisers which come with an SPF. Choose the SPF content as per the requirement of your skin. Too much SPF does not mean more protection, it might burn your skin if it's sensitive. In moisturisers, if your skin is dry, you can go for a cream based moisturiser or if it is oily you can go for water based moisturiser. And do remember to re-apply your sunscreen every 4 hours.

Moisturising your feet is also very important. It helps keep them soft and moist, eases the pain of a new footwear, even if your are not regular with heels.

2. Hair products

This product is a must if you have a frizzy hair like me. You can use a hair spray or serum before combing your hair. Hair serum should also be applied after you have had a head bath, so that you have a tangle free hair.

3.Kohl

Eyes are your assets. Want them to pop out? Use a Kohl. Try to get a smudge free kohl so that it doesn't spread in any season. If your eyes are sensitive towards it, herbal options are available in the market.

My Tip- If your kohl gets smudged too much, you can try applying a line of face powder under your waterline or add a coat of mascara on your lower lash line to avoid the spilling.

4. Lip balm and lip care

You need not wear lipstick for everyday work. But Lip care is must. It keeps your lips moist and soft. A trick- apply lip care atleast 15 minutes before applying lipstick or till it is about to dry and then apply your lipstick to get a smooth texture.

5. Deodorant

Nobody wishes to be the stinky pig of the crowd. Deodorants are amazing and refreshing way to remain stink-free. Now so many varieties like whitening deo, natural deo, etc. are available. You can choose as per your like and needs.

Hope you like this post. I had an amazing time writing this post for you all. Enjoy!! :)

Thank you Rashu, for doing a post for me despite your very busy schedule. Wishing you all the very best for the new things in your life. :)

Till the nest guest drops in

Love

Swarnali

My Sunglasses, My Style

Summer is coming with all its rage. The necessity that pop in my mind with the very though of summer is a  pair of Sunglasses. By that I DO NOT mean that it is necessary only for the summer. In fact is a necessity throughout the year. But summer is the time when it is most necessary.
Many people have this weird notion that sunglasses are to be used only when the sun is bright and can be done without on cloudy or shady days.
NO ABSOLUTELY NOT !!! The sunglasses shield you not only through the visible(the VIBGYOR part) and tactile(the infrared part) parts of the light spectrum but also from the invisible and the most harmful part of sunlight i.e. the Ultraviolet (or UV) spectrum which cause harm to your retina and can also cause cancer on prolonged exposure.
Now what is the best thing about sunglasses? Not only do they serve the very important purpose of cooling and protecting your eyes from those harmful rays,they have also evolved as fashion accessories. Use them to enhance your facial features or use them as a hairband, they look cool both ways!! And another plus point is,they effectively cover those dark circles that you are trying so hard to hide from the world!
So when Blogadda came with this fantabulous offer,I checked out some sunglasses at gkboptical.com . They have a huge range of sunglasses from a price bracket of Rs.500 to over Rs.30000 with huge discounts upto 30%. They deliver free in India for all glasses above Rs.500 and worldwide at a very minimal shipping charge. The range of sunglasses is huge with multiple world renowned brands like RayBan, Bvlgari, Oakley, Prada, Versace, DKNY, Adidas, Puma, D&G and many others.Many different variants like Aviators,Wayfarers,Cat eyed, Polaroids, colored glasses are also available. Do checkout their website for more.
Here are the two I selected. I tried to select two very different ones for different looks.

The Gaga -
Lady Gaga was the first person who popped in my mind, the very moment I saw these Cat eye shaped sunglasses. With a pinkish tinge to the glasses and the pink detailing on the frame,this one was an instant favorite.
I would pair it with a summer dress with floral print / nautical stripes and a pair of flat calf length gladiators. Come summer!! Ah they remind me of an escapade to the beaches.

            VERSACE VE 4203 914/13

Price : 11,440

This is how it would look on a person with an oval face cut. you can try it on your face with their try-on feature. Click the price link under the picture to use it.

The Animal-
Animal prints are a rage now. I wouldn't dare wearing an animal print top or an animal print denim but these almost cheetah printed sunglasses from Ray Ban are a great option for experimenting.
I would pair it with a crisp white shirt, dark blue denims, nude pumps and a similar animal print clutch or nail art. The more daring ones can opt for similar printed pumps instead of the nude ones and minus the nailart and animal printed clutch. The trick is not to overdo it and not to mix up the prints.

             RAY-BAN RB 4129 710/13

Price : 5,590

This is how somebody with an oval face would look :)

Did you like the two looks I suggested?? Do you have something different in mind?? What are the ones you liked the best from their collections?? And what is your favorite style of sunglasses?? Mine are Jackie O's. Do tell me in the comments sections.
Till we see again!!
Love
Swarnali

This entry is a part of the contest at BlogAdda.com brought to you by GKB Optical Sunglasses

Guest post

Hello everyone!!
This is the very first guest post on my blog and am so glad that Anju agreed to do it for me....thanks a bunch Anju :D
So here's presenting *drum rolls* Anju!!!  Am sure she is somebody who needs no introduction. She is one of the best make up bloggers I know of. Found her blog while checking up for some good eye liners and am so glad I found her. She has the most wonderful make up tips on her sleeves and whats the best part,you have regular product and site reviews which are very very helpful. And guess what??? She is a doctor by profession,yep you heard me (or rather read me) right!! She is a doctor. Am amazed how she manages to keep her job and maintain such a wonderful blog together!!
Ok...now no more blabber lets go straight to what she has to say-


Hi all, Its been a long time since I did a guest post and Swarnali was kind enough to give me the oppurtunity
and a big thanks to you Swarnali.Your blog is amazing and I love reading the posts. I am flattered and happy
to know that you like my blog. It sure is nice to post your thoughts on other blogs once in a while
and once again I thank Swarnali for thinking about me. Today, I will be reviewing MAKEUPFOREVER HD POWDER.
Read on to find more......

When this product was first released it was hyped to be the next BIG thing in makeup industry. It is an HD powder that
claims to keep the face matte and promoted as the product to use during photoshoots. But, then came the huge
Hollywood makeup accident where a number of celebrities were photographed with whitish cast on photographs and this 
was found to be the culprit. I know that this is not the proper way to start talking about this product but it sure is a 
huge con and people planning to buy this should keep this in mind.

In the pic above you can see the horrifying faces of both Eva Longoria & Nicole Kidman

I was on the look out for an HD powder that would keep my face matte and came across this wonderful 
product that claimed to do exactly that. It can be worn on its own or over foundation to provide the
smooth velvetty look to face.

It comes in a 10gm jar and has a sifter on top which allows the product to come out. Make sure that you keep 

half of the sifter closed and if not most of the powder will come out and sit on top of the jar leading to

unnecessary wastage.

The product itself is a white colored setting powder that becomes transparent once its on the face. So, it

can be used by all skintones.I use a kabuki brush to apply this. No whitish cast will be seen by the naked eye. 

Overall it gives the face the much needed evenness and keeps the makeup lasting longer and fresh.It does not 

provide any coverage. It is talc free, but contains silica powder.

Personally I love this powder.Ok......so why so much negativity surrounding this particular product. It DOES NOT

leave a whitish cast even under flash photography when used with a LIGHT hand. I have used this & I have purposefully

taken flash photo to see the effect and I didn't see any white cast as I used only a very "light, needed" amount 

on my face.If you have your way with it then in real life you will look normal but once the flash hits you, you will end

up looking like one of those celebs above which is not acceptable and that too from such a big company.

I think the powder fails and gets so much of negative press as its marketed as HD powder for heavy duty flash

photography and falls short of its promises. 

Overall, this is an amazing product if you are sure to use with a very light hand and its best to avoid this

powder on days when you are subjected to flash bulbs going off. Just be safe than sorry :)

Overall I love this powder and I will repurchase as I love the smooth non oily effect it gives to my skin.

Cost 1500-1700 Rs( it comes in that range) and available at MakeupForever Counters.

Do checkout her supa cool blog here and don't forget to stalk her!! 

Love

Swarnali

Whos who???

Stumbled into Jennifer of  I know,right? and saw this post about the numerous look alikes in Hollywood and thought of doing a post myself. Here are a few celebs whom I always found difficult to differentiate between-

1) Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes-

Can you tell who is who?? Well I never could and still can't!! Liam Neeson is on the left and Ralph Fiennes on the right.

I always thought them to be the same person until I saw them together in Schindler's List.

Ralph Fiennes

Liam Neeson

The two together in Schindler's List. Ralph Fiennes is shorter. You can tell them apart in this pic (I could).

2) Zac Efron and Kevin Zegers-

I was always confused whenever anybody asked me to tell the High School Musical and The Boy Girl Thing stars apart. Take a look-

Zac Efron

Kevin Zegers

3) Natalie Portman ,Keira Knightlyand Winona Ryder-

These three actresses look very similar especially the first two. I always have a tough time trying to differentiate them.

Keira,Natalie and Winona (L-R)

Don't they look ridiculously similar?

Both Natalie and Keira acted in 1999 Star Wars Episode 1 the Phantom Menace. Natalie Portman played Queen Amidala in the movie while Keira Knightley was her double. 

A still from the movie. Natalie is in red and Keira in Black.

You can tell them apart if you are a big fan of either of them,Natalie has 2 faint moles on her cheeks which Keira doesn't,plus their eyes are quite different and so are their stares.

Natalie Portman

Keira Knightly

Winona Ryder

Could you easily tell whos who among these celebrities?? Do you have other sets whom you can't tell apart? Please share.

Love

Swarnali