Lakme

Indulge in a “precious” bag

Each piece in Hidesign’s Blossom Collection by Alberto Ciaschini takes more than 30 hours to create, and the delicate ‘flower buds’ are embedded with Swarovski crystals. With only 60 pieces available of each design, this is luxurious craftsmanship at its best. If you’d like to indulge some more, check out Audelade’s bags of handcrafted and hand-woven fabric made of gold / silver in combination with finest quality natural leather.

Below: Blossom Collection from Hidesign, bag from Audelade

Blossom Collection available at select Hidesign stores across India. Prices Rs 12,500 (clutch), Rs 18,500 (evening bag). Audelade available at Skyzone, Phoenix Mills, Mumbai. Prices start at approximately Rs 25,000 for clutches.

Cheer in style

Skip the team jersey this T20 World Cup, and opt for more stylish clothes to show your support for your favourite team. Check out Sher Singh’s country polos that “represent” India, Australia, South Africa, West Indies and other T20 teams. And then there is FreeCultur’s T20 range of crew neck cricket-centric tees. While these tees are designed for cricket-loving men, I don’t see why women can’t wear them too!

Below: Regular fit India Polo in Nawab Blue from SherSingh.com, Tshirt from Freecultr.com

Available at SherSingh.com (Rs 799 onwards) and Freecultr.com (Rs 599 onwards).

Get updated

Here’s the latest news from the fashion and shopping world:

Furla’s first India store is now open at Palladium, Mumbai. It’s got brightly coloured bags, clutches and wallets in its launch collection.

Accessories brand Stuart Weitzman will soon be in India through a long-term franchise agreement with Reliance Brands. The India launch will be early next year with stores in Delhi and Mumbai. The price range is expected to be Rs.25,000-Rs.75,000.

Also, Myntra now sells saris from a dozen brands like FabIndia, Satya Paul and Satyavee Designs.

And Amit Aggarwal now makes has saris too- under his eponymous label (available at Ensemble). Expect his expertise in fluid drapery in his saris too.

Doll up your eyes

Highlight your gorgeous Indian eyes with some interesting products- Lakmé Eyeconic kaljal and curling mascara. The Eyeconic Kajal claims to last 10 hours, while Eyeconic Curling Mascara comes with a curling brush for defined lashes. The more interesting mascara is from Maybelline New York- it’s called the The Falsies Mascara which hopes to give a false-mascara look with more visible and fuller lashes.

Below: Lakme Eyeconic kajal and mascara, Maybelline New York Falsies Mascara

Available at leading department stores across the country. Prices: Lakmé Eyeconic kajal Rs. 199, Lakmé Eyeconic mascara Rs. 250, Maybelline New York Falsies Mascara Rs 425.

Discard old season styles

I’m bored of the overtly feminine look of spring/ summer 2012. So pack up the girly prints, pastel blouses, pleated skirts and pussybow blouses. The new fashion season is here- enjoy it!

In 2012, Beauty

Chic Beauty List: Products that took me through winter (from Kiehl’s, Lakme and Nivea)

Speaking ChicFebruary 3, 2012February 3, 2012Leave a comment

I don’t usually blog about skin care/ beauty products, so this post means I’ve got something substantial and special to write about. 🙂 This winter has been a harsh one for my skin. Mid-December I travelled through some of the coldest places in north India—Delhi, Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Haridwar. Then I came back to Mumbai where it got quite cold and stayed that cold for about a month.

My skin is already on the drier side, so this winter I was geared up for the worst. I tried a number of products and luckily found the right skin care mix for myself pretty quickly. Here goes my list.

Face: Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate

The product literature dubs this product an “elixir”, and it claims to give you a smoother, more radiant complexion the next morning. Well, that didn’t really happen the next morning, but it did happen couple days later. The colourless serum with a hint of lavender moisturised my skin well, and did a superb job of giving me softer and supple skin. In short, I absolutely LOVED this Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate! I will continue to use it even in summer (it doesn’t make the skin oily).

Rating: 4.5/5

Body: Lakme Fruit Moisture Honey & Avocado Winter Care Lotion

Unlike other Lakme skin care products, the fragrance is strong but not overpowering. The Honey and Avocado lotion did a great job of keeping my skin moisturised throughout the day, though on some days I needed a re-application by night. Even so, I enjoyed using this lotion and the proof lies in the almost-empty bottle. 🙂

Rating: 3.5/5

Body: Nivea Happy Time Body Lotion

The trusted Nivea’s relatively new product “repairs dryness” and gives a “feel-good sensation”. Does it live up to its two major claims? Yep. Besides, the mild orange flower fragrance is lovely and I find my skin soft and moisturised even 12 hours after application. I could have done with a larger bottle of the product!

Rating: 4/5

Note: These products were provided by the brands’ PR agencies for consideration. But this post is based entirely on my experience with the products.

In Fashion, LFW W/F 2011

LFW W/F 2011: 5 reasons it will be chic, fashionable and fun!

Speaking ChicAugust 17, 20114 Comments

Some amazing designers: Rina Dhaka, JJ Valaya, Wendell Rodricks, Narendra Kumar Ahmed weren’t at the previous season of Lakme Fashion Week, so we’re hugely excited to see their winter/festive collections. And oh, there will be 87 designers in all at LFW W/F 2011!

Manish Malhotra’s finale show: The LFW folks leave no stone unturned in making their grand finales memorable shows, even though they start at least an hour late every season. This year Manish Malhotra will be the finale designer and Kareena Kapoor will walk the ramp. Manish’s collection will interpret Lakme’s upcoming makeup range Lakme Absolute.

Below: From Manish Malhotra’s LFW S/R 2011 collection.

More chances to browse designer collections: The Source, the space where LFW designers exhibit their collections, will get bigger this season. Besides more designers, some will get the opportunity to have a preview of sorts during a specified time during LFW. The best thing is—anyone can visit The Source, you don’t need passes!

Bryanboy is here! Some of us lucky folks covering LFW might just bump into one of the most popular fashion bloggers in the world. Or as NYTimes says, “Internationally-loved fashion superblogger.” If you haven’t read Bryanboy’s blog yet, read it now!

Buy top designers’ clothes off the ramp: After hosting sale events for GenNext designers last season, Fashionandyou.com will also host established designer collections through ‘LFW and Fashion & You exclusive collection’, ‘Hot of the Runway’ and ‘Bridal Festive Luxury’ lines. Keep your credit cards ready.

PS—If you don’t have much-coveted passes to your favourite designer’s show, you can catch LFW live online at LFWTV.in.

In 2011, Fashion, LFW, makeup, News

Fashion week updates: Manish Malhotra to close LFW W/F 2011, Delhi Couture Week begins July 22

Speaking ChicJuly 13, 2011Leave a comment

Bollywood favourite Manish Malhotra is grand finale designer for Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011

One of India’s best-known fashion designers—Manish Malhotra—will close LFW W/F 2011 next month. This is the third time Manish Malhotra will be showcasing his collection at an LFW grand finale (earlier such instances: 1999 and 2007).

Manish’s collection will showcase contemporary Indian evening wear, and will be based on Lakmé ABSOLUTE, a long-wear makeup range with skin care properties. According to Manish, “Lakmé Absolute is inspired by the contemporary Indian woman who effortlessly plays myriad set of roles across her personal and professional life. Akin to my style, the collection adapts contemporary fashion to the needs of the Indian woman.” The Lakmé Absolute collection is designed by Lakmé makeup experts and co-created with Manish Malhotra.

We absolutely loved Manish Malhotra’s chikankari and Kashmiri embroidery-based collection at the previous edition of LFW. We hope to see him outdo himself creatively… again!

Below: Manish Malhotra at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2011.

Second edition of Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week kicks off July 22

The second edition of Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week will begin July 22, with the opening show by Varun Bahl. The four-day FDCI event that aims to promote couture in India and globally will end July 25 with ace designer Rohit Bal’s show.

While we believe the idea of a couture week for India is a great idea, we hope the couture collections are taken seriously by both designers and the public. Only then can we hope to see much-needed creativity and fabulous fashion from India’s top designers.

Left : A model at last year’s Delhi Couture Week.

In 2011, Fashion, LFW, makeup, News

Fashion week updates: Manish Malhotra to close LFW W/F 2011, Delhi Couture Week begins July 22

Speaking ChicJuly 13, 2011Leave a comment

Bollywood favourite Manish Malhotra is grand finale designer for Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011

We absolutely loved Manish Malhotra’s chikankari and Kashmiri embroidery-based collection at the previous edition of LFW. We hope to see him outdo himself creatively… again!

Below: Manish Malhotra at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2011.

Second edition of Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week kicks off July 22

Left : A model at last year’s Delhi Couture Week.

In 2011, Fashion, LFW, LFW S/R 2011

Lakme Fashion Week update: New models, GenNext designers for Winter/Festive 2011

Speaking ChicJune 29, 2011Leave a comment

Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011 is still a while away, but preps for Mumbai’s biggest fashion event are in full swing. Speaking Chic brings you mid-season updates from LFW W/F 2011.

GenNext and Emerging designers for LFW W/F 2011
To start with, the list of debut Gen Next designers is out. The designers/ teams are from around the world—from Nagpur to Vancouver! Here are the lucky eight:

Farah Sanjana from Nagpur
Mohammed Javed Khan from Bangalore
Nikhil Thampi from Mumbai
Shashank Raj & Prajwal Badwe from New Delhi
Siddharth Arya from Mumbai
Theresa James & Roger Prince from Vancouver
Thinles Chosdup & Niranjana Adhya from Noida
Urmi Ghosh from Kolkata

Meanwhile, the emerging designers line-up has some familiar names, including Shivaji Dutta, Anna Liza Ganguly/ Anita Walia and Pam & Arch. A glimpse of the GenNext show from the previous season (Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2011):

Nine new faces on ramp for LFW W/F 2011
Earlier this week, an LFW jury selected nine new models to walk the ramp this upcoming season.

Ta-da!!

Check them out (pun intended!) from left to right: Keren Silveirra, Karen Lima, Xamira Mohlmann, Noelia Barreiro, Diana Loboda, Mariia Cherniakovych, Sweta Dolli, Nijhum Patra and Mitali Rannorey.

The long-legged lasses impressed the jury comprising choreographers Anu Ahuja and Marc Robinson, designer Aki Narula, photographers Prasad Naik and Vishesh Verma, Monikangkana Datta, Anil Chopra (CEO- Lakme Lever) and Anjana Sharma (Director- Fashion IMG Reliance).

Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011 will run from August 16 to August 21, 2011 in Mumbai.

In 2011, Accessories, Advice, Beauty, Fashion, jewellery, makeup, Shopping, trends

Chic guide: Fashionable (and affordable) things to do this week

Speaking ChicJune 13, 2011Leave a comment

Category: Fashion

Budget: Up to Rs 10,000

What to do: Shop designers for less

Designer steals aren’t restricted to online sales sites that deliver dresses by the time they’re out of season. Ensemble’s Styles for Less promotion is a great way to grab top Indian fashion designers like Rajesh Pratap, Wendell Rodricks, Tarun Tahiliani, Cue By Rahul and Rohit Gandhi, Savio Jon, Pankaj & Nidhi, Gaurav Gupta and Prashant Verma for Rs 10,000 or less! The range of designs will be a fashion lover’s delight: from casual tops to dressy numbers. Our cards are ready to be swiped.

Styles for Less is on till June 17, 2011 at Ensemble—Kemps Corner, Mumbai.

Category: Accessories

Budget: Up to Rs 5000

What to do: Go for blue

Oxidised silver jewellery will always be a great option to go with traditional wear, so bring a dash of turquoise to your jewellery box (we like this little set from Amrapali—below left). And while you’re at it, don’t ignore blues for casual wear (necklace from Toniq)!

Category: Beauty/ Makeup

Budget: Up to Rs 1000

What to do: Update your eye makeup for monsoon

The drops of joy every monsoon can be a nightmare for us girls who love our makeup. So stock up on Lakmé’s newest eye makeup products from its popular Nine to Five range. The Forever Silk Eyeliner and Kohl Ultimate are long-lasting, smudge-proof and water-resistant. The Forever Silk Eyeliner comes in seven metallic shades while the Kohl Ultimate is a kohl, smudger and sharpener all in one stick.

Forever Silk Eyeliner is priced at Rs 395; Kohl Ultimate is for Rs 650.

What chic things are you planning to do this week?

In 2011, Beauty, makeup, trends

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 3)

Speaking ChicMarch 31, 2011Leave a comment

In part 2 of our Lakme Fantasy Collection Review, we wrote about the face products. In the third and final part, we give a roundup of the collection.

Lakme Enrich Satin Lip Colour

Colours: Mostly pinks, peaches and light purples

Price: Rs 225 each (available in 8 shades)

Review:

We tried three shades from the collection, and our favourite was No 131 (pictured above on left) which was a nude pink. I’d recommend this shade as a must-have for ALL Indian women. The lipsticks are what you expect from Lakme—last long but when they start to fade, you need to quickly touch up. All shades work well with our skin.

Verdict: 4/5

Lakme Eye Color Quartet

Colours in the quad: Dewy green, petal pink, gold pastels.

Price: Rs 425

Review:

While the green in this eye shadow palette is lovely, I don’t think so highly of the other shades. The pink reminded me a bit of last season’s purple eye shadow shade. Also, while the shadows are rich in pigment, they could go easier on the shimmer. After all, we we wouldn’t want the nudish shadow to shimmer too much at work. 🙂 Another issue I have faced with Lakme eye shadow quads: the colour “powder square” breaks after a while on its own. But if you intend to use the palette only till the next season, it won’t be a problem for you. On the upside, shadows stay in place for hours and are great for summer parties.

Verdict: 3.5/5

Lakme True Wear Nail Colour

Colours: Pinks, lilac, mauve (six shades available)

Price: Rs 90 each

Review:

I won’t write anything in this review—just show you pictures of their lovely shades. Gorgeous!

Verdict: 4.5/5

Lasting impressions of Lakme Fantasy Collection:

Lakme’s Fantasy Collection gives Indian women the versatility to try a variety of looks over the next few months, and all at an affordable price. I’m glad that Lakme has experimented with new products like the bronzer and multi-purpose eye pencils. Fortunately, most of the products in the collection deliver what they promise. Our two wishes? We would have liked to see orange in their range, as it is a hot colour this summer AND can work with Indian skin tones. Also, after last season’s Gypsy collection, we’ve seen plenty of shimmer and shine, so maybe some matte products would be good too.

Our final words: Good collection with some winning products.

Related Posts:

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 2)

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 1)

In 2011, Beauty, makeup, trends

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 2)

Speaking ChicMarch 30, 20113 Comments

In the first part of our Lakme Fantasy Collection Review, we wrote about the collection’s eye products. In part 2 of the review, we cover the face products: Cheek Artist and Gold dust shimmer bronzer.

Cheek Artist

This is a creamy blush in roll-up stick form that can give a natural blush to all skin tones.

Price: Rs 395 each (available in two shades: Kiss of a Rose and Peach Blush)

Review:

An embarrassing confession: I’ve never used cream blush before, and I’ve never used a peach blush either. So before I used the peach shade, I was a bit sceptical about the colour and application. But my fears were unfounded. I used my fingers to dab a bit of the blush on my cheek and then blended it well. Did it look natural? Yes, and gorgeous! The blush did fade away over 3-4 hours, though not completely. Some women may need to get this right by trial and error.

A makeup artist from Lakme Studio used Kiss of a Rose for me a day later, and that looked great as well. However, she touched it up with a powder blush, saying it would help the cream one stay in place for longer (liked the tip!)

This is another of the handy products from this collection, and it’s definitely easier than carrying around something that requires a brush. However, I’m a bit disappointed with the roll-and-twist mechanism as it stopped working properly after only a couple of times. Lakme can do better in the packaging department.

Verdict: 4/5

Gold Dust Shimmer Bronzer

This is a pressed bronzing powder that you can use on your face or body.

Price: Rs 450 (3 shades available in 1 compact)

Review:

Not too many Indian women have used bronzer as part of their routine or even special occasion makeup for a number of reasons (suitable products not available, aversion to “tanning”, bronzer myths). I was a bronzer virgin as well, till the Lakme Gold Dust Shimmer Bronzer came along.

So I proceeded with caution—using it first as a blush. It looked great, stayed in place and added shimmer to my cheeks, which was just perfect for my Saturday night dinner with friends. Even after several hours, the bronzer/blush stayed in place.

The next day I looked up online tutorials on the correct way to use bronzer, and followed their advice: use a large brush and sweep across forehead, temples, cheeks, nose and chin. What I noticed first was the glitter in the product, then the pigment. I did not use too much of product as bronzers need to be used to the bare minimum. If I had used more, I might have ended up looking “streaked” or too shiny. Frankly, despite checking and re-checking myself in the mirror I wasn’t sure if I looked bronzed enough, though I know the look is supposed to be subtly sun-kissed. I think the problem is that many of us Indians are already a bit sun-kissed. 😉

The subtlety did look nice, though not wow. The effect lasted 3-4 hours, not more, though some shimmer was visible even after that.

Maybe going a bit lighter on the shimmer would have worked better for the Gold Dush Shimmer Bronzer. However, as one of the firsts among Indian cosmetic brands, I give a thumbs-up to the product.

Verdict: 3.5/5

Also read:

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (part 1)

In 2011, Beauty, makeup, trends

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 1)

Speaking ChicMarch 29, 2011Leave a comment

Earlier this month, Lakme launched its new makeup range for summer 2011: the Fantasy Collection. Besides introducing new shades in existing product lines like Enrich Satin lip color (lipsticks), Eye Color quartet (eye shadow palette of four shades) and True Wear nail color (nail polish), there are plenty of new and exciting products:

Cheek Artist (cream blush)
Gold dust shimmer bronzer
All over shimmer gloss
Shadow artist shimmer stick (cream-based eyeliner-cum-shadow)
Fairy dust eye shadow (like an eyeshadow in pen/ stick form)
Fantasy shimmer liner (sparkle eye liner)

The colour palette of this collection ranges from bright tones in green, pink and blue. Gloss and shine are key elements of this product range.

In part 1 of the Lakme Fantasy Collection review, we test some of the eye products.

Shadow Artist Shimmer Stick

These are creamy pencils that you can use in a number of ways: as liner on upper or lower lashes, or you can apply and smudge/ blend, or simply use all over the lid as eye shadow. And as the name suggests, they’ve got glitter!

Price: Rs 350 each (available in four shades)

Review:

I found the pencils easy to use, and I was also able to easily blend the colour. I wore the Green to office and while my colleagues liked it, one of them wished that the green was a deeper shade. I agree with her, as it isn’t always practical to wear such a colour to work or formal events and the darker colour would go well with our skin tone.

Anyways, my thick liner stroke stayed in place from morning to evening and faded just a little. I also turned it into eye shadow, by applying a few solid lines across the lid and then blending with my ring finger. The resultant eye shadow was wonderful—just the right hint of pigment and good dose of shimmer. Of course you can add more layers of colour if you want more colour.

Verdict: 3.5/5

Fantasy Shimmer Liner

The product description claims that it gives you twinkling eyes, and you can line, layer and blend this product without smudging.

Price: Rs 275 each (available in 8 colours).

You know what? Every word in the above-mentioned product description is 100% true. Though the product is in liquid form, it’s got a quick dry formula. So apply it once, blink, and there—it’s in place. And yes, your eyes do seem to twinkle. 🙂

The shimmer liner brush was just right to apply the liner comfortably and I didn’t have a problem applying it even though my hand tends to shake.

I tried Midnight Moon (picture on left), Gold and Pink Crystal—and I loved ALL of them! The’yre great for parties, weddings, shopping and fun! This product has to be on your makeup kit this summer (or rather, this year).

PS: I’d love to try the White in this range. If it’s transparent, I’m buying it!

Verdict: 4.5/5

Coming soon: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 2)

Showing all posts tagged Lakme

Chic Guide: Top 5 things to do this week (Sep 24-30)

Chic Beauty List: Products that took me through winter (from Kiehl’s, Lakme and Nivea)

LFW W/F 2011: 5 reasons it will be chic, fashionable and fun!

Fashion week updates: Manish Malhotra to close LFW W/F 2011, Delhi Couture Week begins July 22

Bollywood favourite Manish Malhotra is grand finale designer for Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011

Second edition of Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week kicks off July 22

Fashion week updates: Manish Malhotra to close LFW W/F 2011, Delhi Couture Week begins July 22

Bollywood favourite Manish Malhotra is grand finale designer for Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011

Second edition of Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week kicks off July 22

Lakme Fashion Week update: New models, GenNext designers for Winter/Festive 2011

Chic guide: Fashionable (and affordable) things to do this week

Category: Fashion

Category: Accessories

Category: Beauty/ Makeup

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 3)

Lakme Enrich Satin Lip Colour

Lakme Eye Color Quartet

Lakme True Wear Nail Colour

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 2)

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 1)

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 2)

Cheek Artist

Gold Dust Shimmer Bronzer

Chic makeup: Lakme Fantasy Collection Review (Part 1)

Shadow Artist Shimmer Stick