Events

I love it when Indian women win in “masculine” sports, especially combat events. Boxing is such a taxing sports, tough on the mind and body, so I was elated when Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal in the women’s welterweight event in Tokyo couple weeks ago.

Lovlina Borgohain with her medal at Tokyo 2020. Photo source: Lovlina Borgohain on Instagram

As I read about her, I was struck by her sheer doggedness and determination. Truly a legend, and still a long way to go!

Her story is inspiring, and here I share it with you:

She’s confident and ambitious

Lovlina has stated that she’s already aiming for a gold in Paris, where the next Olympic Games will be held in 2024. “I promise all of you that I will be back with the gold medal after Paris Olympics,” she said when she arrived in Assam after winning the bronze at Tokyo.

She’s super focused

Back in 2020, with the Olympics delayed due to the pandemic, Lovlina told a that in 2015 she got the Olympics rings tattooed on her wrist to remind her of her goal of winning a medal at the Olympics Games.

She is grounded and unassuming

Despite everything, Lovlina remains deeply rooted to her family, tending to the fields during the lockdown in 2020. Meanwhile, she is already advocating for more young people in Assam to take up sports as a career.

In Advice, Beauty, Chic Promotion, Events

9 things to know about shaving for girls

Speaking ChicMay 11, 2015Leave a comment

I have a confession: I have never shaved my body hair before. I’ve mostly waxed and used a depilatory creams for emergencies. The women in my life (mom, cousins, friends) don’t really shave and I’ve never really considered it an option.

But then I attended an eye-opening session on shaving with actor Kriti Sanon, dermatologist Dr Rashmi Shetty and makeup and hair expert Namrata Soni last week. During their candid discussion, I learnt that Kriti and Namrata have been shaving for years and swear by the technique. Both these women knew a lot about shaving and shared their personal experiences with hair removal, especially shaving.

9 things about shaving I learnt from the experts

1) All three experts said that shaving is completely safe.

2) Namrata and Dr Shetty mentioned that dermatologists advise patients to shave instead of wax for patients afflicted with certain skin conditions or undergoing certain treatments.

3) Shaving does NOT make hair grow back thicker or darker.

4) Shaving is less painful than waxing, if you’re careful.

5) Shaving is super quick- you can do it in the shower or just before a party.

6) As long you calm your skin post-shaving (with calamine, aloe vera or a soothing moisturizer), you don’t need to worry about itches or rashes.

7) Since shaving doesn’t involve chemicals like depilatory/ hair removal creams, it won’t harm your skin.

8) No ingrowths if you shave correctly! (This often happens when I wax.)

9) You can shave your bikini area if you really want to and you’re comfortable with it.

Now that I’m hearing some positive (read non-scary) things about shaving, I’ve decided to give it a shot over the next few weeks. I will be taking up the Subscribe To Smooth Challenge and try shaving! Stay tuned for my experiences with shaving.

In Events, jewellery

Bollywood jewellery, Minawala style

Speaking ChicOctober 2, 2014Leave a comment

Over the decades, most creative fields in India (from dance to fashion) have been strongly influenced by Bollywood and the people who make it glamourous. This season, it’s Minawala’s design team that’s caught the Bollywood bug and has created a collection that follows Bollywood trends and style.

I got a good look at the Bollywood by Design collection when I visited the Minawala store last week. The range is about drama, glamour, beauty, grace and charisma. In jewellery trends, this has been translated into colour, exclusivity, highly stylized contemporary designs, and of course, a touch of OTT.

Take a look at these colourful earrings from the Minawala collection:

Rightly so, there were also plenty of diamonds in the collection, used artistically with precious and semi-precious stones to create several multi-coloured pieces of jewellery. The stand-out pieces were statement earrings, oversized cocktail rings and multi-tiered necklaces.

My favourite piece? This kada featuring beautiful diamonds in several cuts.

Some fashion tips I picked up from the Bollywood By Design jewellery:

Fashion is fickle- it changes every season. But jewellery trends are everlasting. Invest in a few good pieces and you could wear them forever, unlike clothes which you need to discard every season or at least once a year.

Go OTT with jewellery when you want to look glamourous like the stars. Team your diamond jewellery with a stylish dress or gown for an evening out. It’s okay to “over dress”, but make sure you don’t resemble Diwali fireworks.

Use colour (plenty of it!) in clothes, accessories and jewellery. While fashion dictates specific colours every season, jewellery trends don’t usually follow such rigid stories, which makes choosing your jewellery easier.

Wear a statement piece of jewellery for an elegant look. It could be dangling earrings, an eye-catching cuff or ring. Diamond jewellery can be worn on all occasions, but is best suited for classy, tasteful style.

While we usually choose our clothes first, and then our jewellery, why not try dressing the other way round once in a while? Pick the piece of jewellery you wish to highlight, then put together the rest of your ensemble. 🙂

Minawala’s Bollywood By Design collection is available at Minawala stores in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

In Events

Chic Event: Bebe’s Wheel took me for a fashion spin

Speaking ChicMarch 4, 2013March 4, 2013Leave a comment

Who needs Fortune when you got the Wheel of Fashion (and awesome clothes to go with it)? At Bebe and Strut120’s event on Friday, the cute Wheel of Fashion was the centre of attention. As I entered Bebe’s Mumbai flagship store, someone was already spinning the Wheel of Fashion. The task– put together a look from the clothes in the store that fit the theme the Wheel throws up for you.

As luck would have it, my theme was- Party All Night. (I’m not a party animal). But hey, a fashionista is supposed to put together looks in a jiffy, so I took it up as a style challenge and was happily encouraged by the Strut120 and Bebe gals.

Luckily, Bebe’s got plenty of party dresses and separates in a range of silhouettes and bling variations to keep a fashion lover busy. I loved a brocade jacket and skirt, and tried on the jacket with a gold dress. Next, I was extremely tempted to try on some corsets (I’ve never worn one before), and finally wore a black sequinned one paired with black tights that had leather-finish inserts.

I never thought I could carry off a corset given my curvy figure, but Bebe’s corset was easy to wear, looked great and fit me well though I did straps for extra support. Most importantly, it was super comfortable, and I didn’t need to suck in my stomach or hold my breath. A big thumbs-up to that!

My final look was a sequinned V-neck dress with stringy back, paired with my black heels and a black shimmery clutch.

BTW, some of the other looks on the Wheel of Fortune were Work It At Work, Date Night and Neon. There were some great fluorescent pieces in the store, and a couple of girls did a great job with the neon look! Amidst general chatter, finger food and drinks, I bumped into a couple of friends, one of whom advised me to take a fashion risk. 😉 And oh, there were cupcakes too. A sweet end to a fun stylish evening.

Showing all posts in Events

3 reasons boxer Lovlina Borgohain is an inspiration

Bollywood jewellery, Minawala style

Chic Event: Bebe’s Wheel took me for a fashion spin