Wedding Bells: Shall I wear a 'nathni' ?

By Amaleena

If you or your sister or friend is about to get married, you must be busy advising her with all the tips you know..to make her look the best. A great way of making her shine from the rest is to make her wear a 'nathni' or 'nath'. Nathnis were worn by almost all brides earlier. In some communities they are a must and in some, they are the symbol of marriage.

Look how beautiful Madhubala looks wearing her nathni in Mughal-e-Azam

Nathnis are coming back in fashion much like other jewelry. See how Aishwarya  flaunted her nathni in Jodha Akbar

A nathni can be really helpful in enhancing your beauty but the wrong one can also spoil your whole look.

Small dainty nose pins

If you are not confident of carrying a nathni or you want to keep it simple on the face, go for this. Nose pins are frequently worn on a daily basis by many women and are not considered that special for you wedding. However, if your ear, neck and head jewelry is heavy, you can opt for this. Wearing these are very comfortable. Either you can get a permanent piercing of can use a stick on. The circular ones also come with a clip system that holds on to your nose tightly. 

Mid sized nathnis

These come in gold, kundan or eve diamond. These are best suited for girls having a sculpted face. People with heart shaped face can also carry off these nathnis well. It does not exaggerate your look yet makes you look complete. If you have an oval face and chubby cheeks like me, this size is not really for you dear. It might make your cheeks look too chubby.

Large nathni

These are the traditional nathnis that reach up till your lips. They have their own elegance and are royalty personified. They are my personal favourite. Chubby cheeks can easily carry of this size. However don't buy a nathni which encircles nearly half of you face.

Marathi nathni

These are look changers. The have their own charm and are worn by every girl in a Marathi wedding. They cone in beautiful patterns and make you look awesome.

 

Simple v/s Decorated nathni chain

The chain of the nathni comes in different types. Some are a simple chain, some have little decorations and some have heavy decorations. You can choose any based on how confidently you can carry it off. Before buying, give a trial and get an idea, which one suits you the best.

This one has a simple chain.

This one has slight decorations.

This one also has slight decorations

Nathni with heavy decorated chain

 You can also opt for pearl based chain like this. Looks traditional and classy.

Gala of London: Classic Red - Review

By Chandrima

Red lips..have always been in vogue till date. If you are bold enough to carry it, you are going to rock!

Hello Beautiful ladies,

Its time for a good product review and yes, I am going to review a red lipstick. This one is from Gala of London. The shade is E06 Classic Red.
It is a matte lipstick but the bold hue makes it stand out. Great wear for winter when you can wear as much as bright colours and not look bad.

Pros
provides a bold matte colour
colour has long lasting duration
gives a smooth matte look
is moisturizing and does not dry lips
gives me a gorgeous look

Cons
Long lasting colour becomes difficult to remove sometimes. Even after removal, leaves behind a reddish tinge on lips.

My Experience
I do wear this quite often, however I am quite conscious about my overall look when I wear this. You couple it with white top and denim jeans for a casual outing. If going to a party , can wear it with your simple black dress. The look would be bold and beautiful.

I will rate Gala of London, Classic Red 3 out of 5.
Will not buy this again if I get something better.

7 steps to beautiful feet

By Amaleena

Good morning Beauties,

With the kind of weather Kolkata has, I'm sure all of you are looking for how to take the best care of dry skin. My skin too is getting so dry that sometimes I feel I have to keep a body lotion in my bag like I keep my Lip gloss.
And the worst thing that can happen in this winter is dried, cracked feet. So today's post is dedicated to feet care.

Unfortunately I am a victim of dried cracked heels which compels me to care daily care or my feet. And with the wedding season approaching and all the invitations I have, I just can't afford to have anything less than beautiful soft feet.
This is what I do to take care of my feet. You can do this once a week.

Remove nail polish completely.

Step 1
Take hot water in a tub and add a tablespoon of salt and juice of one lemon. Soak your feet for about 7 to 10 minutes.

Step 2
Wash feet with mild soap. I often use a mild shampoo. Use a soft brush. It removes all the dirt.

Step 3
Scrub your feet well. You can use any foot scrubber. If you don't have a foot scrubber you can use any scrubber which is old or which you won't use for your face.

Step 4
Rub pumice stone. Pay attention to heels and toes. These areas have the highest possibility of developing hard layers of dead skin.

Step 5
Wash off with water and pat dry with a clean towel.

Step 6
Cut and file your nails according to the shape you want. Making them too much round can often cause ingrown nails.

Step 7
Apply a foot cream or any moisturizing lotion. Massage well especially the lower surface.

When the moisturizer is absorbed, apply nail polish.

For a daily basis, I would recommend washing your feet thoroughly after you'e been out, deep moisturizing after bath and before bed and wear socks when going out. If you are not wearing socks, please apply sunscreen of your feet. They are as valuable as your face.

Enjoy reading!!!

Contemporary Bengal Cuisine:Bohemian - Review

By Amaleena

As the name sound, 'Bohemian' offers a range of off track delicious dishes. Chef Joy Banerjee successfully presents you with novel and unique tastes in every single dish. As the Chef himself says "the fundamental truth is really about great food and not necessarily about what the cuisine is". He has gone beyond the horizon, inventing new dishes, new styles with ingredients used commonly in Bengali cuisine. He calls it Contemporary Bengal cuisine which is absolutely great!

I went there with m whole gang and thoroughly enjoyed our weekend dinner.


Chili Pickle and Cheese Baked Crabs with Kolmi Greens
Price rs 319
Creamy, cheesy texture and perfect blend of spice makes this a wonderful starter.

Gondhoraj Sorbert
This one is very refreshing. The flavour itself has a cooling  effect.

Magic potion
fruity combination of pineapple, orange, mango strawberry and ginger ale
price rs 139/-
This was nice and refreshing. I generally love fruity flavours and liked this one too.

Kachalanka Mangsho
served with steamed rice and green salad
price 429
This was tasty. But I have had this before. So not really new for me.

Pan Braised Bhetki with Aam Aada Sauce
served with tossed vegetables and steamed rice
price 399
This was the best dish of the night.

Grilled Bhetki with Bengal Berry Sauce
served with tossed vegetables and steamed rice
price 399

Spicy Grilled Bhetki with Radhuni enriched curry sauce
served with wilted greens and steamed rice
price 399

Stir Fried Prawns with muddled Grapes and Chillies
served with wilted greens and steamed rice
price 399

Bacon wrapped Chicken supreme bundles with Aam Aada reduction
served with tossed vegetables and steamed rice
price 399

Royal Bengal Mutton with Bhuna sause
served with tossed vegetables and rolls
price rs 419/-

Great Food
Great ambiance
Good quantity
Tip: Please increase the number of seats. Let more people relish the taste.

Hats off to Chef Joy Banerjee for such a bold step !
I will give a 4 out of 5 stars to Bohemian :)

Coffee House er shei adda..

By Chandrima

Coffee house er shei adda ta aj ar nei aj ar nei..

Kothai hariye gelo shonali bikel gulo shei..aj ar nei

You have guessed it right friends..I am talking about Indian Coffee House at Kolkata. It's a place of cultural heritage and history for people in Bengal. It has been for a long time, a renowned meeting place of famous personalities.

The birth of coffee house can be traced to as far as 1876. The place has been a meeting hub for poets, artists and literati and people from the world of art and culture. Some famous personalities who frequently visited the place were Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen, Aparna Sen, Ritwik Ghatak and many more.

It has a shabby entrance but once you enter, its very spacious (but still you won't get seats very easily as it's always full). I think the balcony in no smoking zone. Today it is a must visit place for the student population in Kolkata. No matter how better the new day cafe's are, Coffee House will always retain its charm. It makes you feel nostalgic God knows why.
Last week I visited this place with my friends, after a long long time.

Location
Just opposite to Presidency University at College Street

We just hopped in for adda which we had missed for a long time.

Menu
They serve a number of dishes but the most famous ones are Fish Kabiraji, Chicken Cutlet, Chicken Pakora and my favourite Chicken liver soup.

Price
For two people it is about rs 250 to rs 300

Rating
I cannot rate this place as I am too biased :P
I love this place.