perfume

In 2012, Beauty, Fashion, Shopping

Chic Guide: What to do this weekend

Speaking ChicJune 9, 2012June 9, 2012Leave a comment

Shop: Vinegar

I visited the new store Vinegar at Bandra recently, and loved their collection. It’s feminine, quirky and chic. I especially liked their focus on multiple shades of green, seen on everything from shorts to lacey blouses.

The Vinegar Store, the ground floor of ‘Kirabo’, behind Shree Khatwari Darbar Trust, 13th road Khar, Mumbai.

Visit: Monsoon Bazaar

If you’re in Mumbai, check out the Monsoon Bazaar. They’ve got 60 women entrepreneurs and NGOs at the exhibition, selling everything from clothes to jewellery. And the add-ons are good too (tarot card reading, cooking demo, free mehendi).

Monsoon Bazaar at Blue Sea, Worli. For one day only (June 9, Saturday), 11am-7pm.

Relax: Purifying Foot Soak Fizzy from Iraya

If there’s one thing you need after a long and tiring week, it’s a good foot soak to relieve tiredness! Try Iraya’s Purifying Foot Soak Fizzy- Neem, Basil & Mint that cleanses, tones and refreshes feet. Its ingredients have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Their Lavender foot soak seems promising too.

Rs 95 for 25 gm, available at Iraya stores and select spas across India.

Discover: Ralph Lauren Big Pony fragrances

Ralph Lauren’s Big Pony collection for women has four distinct scents, and each relates to a different type of woman. My personal favourites- Pink (No 2) and Purple (No 4) matched my personality perfectly (sensual + stylish)! So spritz on the four fragrances and figure out your scent. 😉

Rs. 2900 for 50ml and Rs. 4100 for 100ml, available at leading department stores and perfumeries across India.

In 2012, Beauty, Fashion

Chic February Guide: What to do, where to shop, what to buy this month

Speaking ChicFebruary 1, 2012February 1, 2012Leave a comment

It’s February already! And while it’s time to take stock of broken resolutions, it’s also time to figure out your fashion agenda of the month. Here’s my guide to being chic this month.

Buy Valentine’s gifts: Fragrances

It’s the month of romance so it’s the right time to buy some chic gifts for your special someone and close friends. Give your guy the newest launch from the Giorgio Armani perfume stable—Code Sport. The fragrance is a woody aromatic citrus and an explosion of freshness on a base of torrid sensuality. I know why the ladies will love this one. 😉

Guys looking for a special fragrance for their special gal could try Ralph Lauren Romance Valentine’s Day 2012 Limited Edition, a fresh sparkling floral. The pink-silver carton enveloped with delicate metal-grey entwining flora and vines would make her swoon. 🙂

Buy Valentine’s gifts: Gizmo

The Diesel Noise Division’s VEKTR headphones are the perfect gift for a fashionable music lover (or a musical fashionista). These headphones fuse Monster’s secret experimental audio savvy with Diesel’s iconoclastic design.

The gizmo has a sharp and faceted look and translates Diesel’s obsession for innovation and details: head of the Mohican inside the cushion and on the metal piece, contrasting colour, and clash of different finishing outside-inside (shiny and matt). Even the cable is designed not to tangle. Can’t wait to hear music on this one!

Shop at: Ensemble

Ensemble’s end-of-season sale kicks off today, and if I was in the mood for designer wear that’s where I’d be headed. (I shopped at their Lion Gate store during the sale last year). Running up to February 4, you can get up to 70% off on outfits from designers like Savio Jon, Tarun Tahiliani, Anamika Khanna, Gaurav Gupta, Gauri & Nainika, James Ferreira (picture below) and many more.

Attend: ‘Demystifying the Drape’ workshop

At Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, fashion designer Shaina N.C. will shed light on the different ways the sari can be re-vamped. The workshop is meant for those who wear saris regularly and those who don’t. I’m hoping I can make it to this workshop.

The workshop is on February 6, 2012 from 2 to 3.30 pm at Artisan’s Centre, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.

Look forward to: Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

FDCI’s Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2012 kicks off February 15 in New Delhi, and it’s going to be the fashion event of the month. Designer duo Shantanu-Nikhil will open the season and pave the way for over 130 designers to showcase their collection. WLIFW A/W 2012 promises to bring awesome fashion and fresh trends!

What are you looking forward to this month?

In Accessories, Beauty, Fashion

Chic Launches: Lancome, French Connection fragrances, new collections by Metro shoes, Hidesign bags

Speaking ChicJanuary 28, 2012January 28, 2012Leave a comment

January’s been a month of launches, though February will see more as new collections hit the stores. Take a look at our picks this month.

Accessories: Hidesign Lizard Leather Collection

Fear not, animal lovers! Hidesign’s latest collection is made of faux lizard printed vegetable tanned leathers. The deep emboss and hand finished colours give the leathers a rich gloss. The bags in this collection are available in colours like midnight blue, deep red, forest green, brown and black. The styles range from clutches and wallets to totes and day bags. My favourite: Thelma grab handle bag (picture below).

Accessories: Metro Shoes’ Bling it on collection

Drawing inspiration from unconventional prints, metallics and nature, the Bling it on collection adds a tint of azure to monotonous wardrobe colours.

For women, there are flats, denim textured ballerinas, polished kitten heels, gladiators, wedges and slip-ons, mostly in shades of blue. My pick- the tie-up flats (picture below).

The guys can choose from zipper shoes, loafers, lace-ups and boots in cobalt blues, earthy browns and burnt sienna. For men’s party shoes, there are comfy slip-ons, buckled formals and high-tops in vibrant blue.

Fragrance: Lancome Trésor Midnight Rose

Endorsed by Emma Watson, this fruity floral is colourful and upbeat. Lancome Trésor Midnight Rose embodies mischievous femininity and embodies romantic yet contemporary love. Rose bring playfulness to the fragrance, with deliciously tangy raspberry tones, wooden shimmers and voluptuous vanilla notes. This perfume could be your signature with its spontaneous, irresistible charms! Spray it on and feel like you’re in Paris. 🙂

Fragrance: FCUK3

This set of fragrances for him and her is for the bold and witty. Think bright florals for the playful young lady (top notes of red berries, mandanrin oil and pink pepper, base notes of amber and vanilla), and creamy musk for the flirtatious guy (top notes: pineapple, mandarin, orange; base notes: amber, musk).

Packaged in a high-gloss shell enclosed in glass, these fragrances will add a fun touch to your life and your dressing table.

What’s your chic pick of the month?

In Fashion, News, trends

Chic Guide: Be summer-ready, get silky-smooth hair and give the gift of water

Speaking ChicMarch 4, 2011Leave a comment

TGIF—yup, it’s that day of the week again. If you’re confused about weekend plans, let Speaking Chic be your guide.

Chic Thing No 1: Gear up for summer!

Its’ getting warmer, so it’s time to do some spring cleaning. Purge your wardrobe of clothes that really really need to be discarded: the sweatshirt you wore almost every week in the past few months, or the sweater you’ve had for years. Then reward yourself with a trip to your favourite store or mall for a spot of window shopping. New collections are in stores (Esprit, French Connection, Vero Moda, Chemistry), so take a look at the trends before you decide on the clothes you really really want this summer.

Chic Thing No 2: Get straight silky hair, go to Lakme fashion week!

Lakme Fashion Week starts March 11, and it’s going to be fashionable fun! Not got an invite to fashion week? Not a problem—just visit any Lakmé Salon or Studio in Mumbai, ask for the Sleek Mystique service. If you’re one of the first 500 customers, you could get into one of the LFW fashion shows!

There are four looks you can choose from. I liked the Creative Look (picture on the left)—great for layered hair like mine. (The service costs Rs 950.)

Chic Thing No 3: Buy a perfume, donate clean drinking water to children

It’s simple actually—every time someone buys one of two Giorgio Armani fragrances (Acqua di Gio and Acqua di Gioia), they generate a donation of 100 litres of drinking water per year to children and their communities.

Once you buy the perfume, you can log on to Facebook’s Acqua for Life application, enter the code on the perfume carton, and build your own community with friends.

FYI, this campaign was showcased at Giorgio Armani’s Fall/Winter 2011 show at Milan Fashion Week recently. The Acqua for Life project is part of Armani’s partnership with Green Cross International and the Unicef Tap Water Project. (Hey, this is a great piece of trivia the next time you want to silence a pretentious hobnobber).

In 2011, Beauty

Chic Fragrances: Romantic perfumes for Valentine’s Day

Speaking ChicFebruary 8, 2011Leave a comment

The best perfumes make for great indulgences— for yourself, or as gifts for your special someone. This Valentine’s Day, gift an exotic perfume to your special someone, or choose a fragrance that makes you feel gorgeous for your night out.

L’Occitane Fleur Cherie Eau de Toilette

This new fragrance has a heart of jasmine and orange blossom, with a lingering aroma of musk and patchouli.

Emporio Armani Diamonds

Adorn your dressing table with this diamond-inspired perfume bottle (Diamonds for femme). Though the fruity freshness comes from raspberry and lychee, the perfume has a floral heart built with rose, tinted by freesia and lily of the valley.

The homme variant has a woody signature, and is encased in a sleek crystal-clear bottle with a classy chrome spraycap.

Ralph Lauren Summer Romance

The latest offering from Ralph Lauren’s Romance collection, this fresh fruity floral perfume in a pink bottle will transport you to the nearest tropical island. The fragrance evokes romance with blooming flowers (hibiscus, tiare flower), exotic fruits (mandarin, passion fruit), and milky sweet musk (exotic woods, apricot musk).

Which is your favourite “romantic” perfume?