Six Yards

Here is something a little different from my usual beauty post and product reviews for you guys. Like I mentioned in this post I am looking forward to doing things I never thought I would do this year. I want to do things that take risk, courage and do things that my gut tells me to do, and do it a 100% or not at all. Quitting my job was one such thing, I quit my stable multinational day job to do what I am genuinely passionate about and I have not regretted a single moment since then. Now I have all the time in the world, to discover my passion, my strengths and weaknesses, time to travel, to take risk and most importantly to spend time with my loved ones.

Speaking of travel, I did quite a lot of it in the past month and I finally got the time to unpack yesterday. I was out the whole month of January, and I got the chance to visit two of my really good friend's hometown and loved each moment I spent there. I also had the chance to attend my friend's wedding and had the best time ever.

Quitting my job has actually made me busier than I was before. I actually wake up on my own every morning, by 9-10 am (a massive change from sleeping at 4 and waking up at 12) and schedule my whole day and work my ass off the whole day. I love it.

These pics were just taken before I left for the wedding, and since I was so busy, didn't have time to actually shop for sarees in person, and this saree couldn't have come to me in a better time than this. I got this saree from Sareez.com. It is one of the largest online stores for Indian ethnic wears like sarees, salwar kameezes, lehengas and sherwanis. In today's time, I think e-stores like this are such a bliss for working women, or men.  This saree isn't too heavy and still not too simple at the same time. I prefer bright colours and patterns over bling when it comes to sarees. Bright colours and patterns will never make you feel underdressed or overdressed anywhere. The material of this saree is bhagalpuri silk, with a beautiful floral and leaf print and a bright printed border. Here is the link to this particular saree, it is named as Davy's Grey and Amber Yellow Bhagalpuri Silk Printed Casual Saree. What I was most impressed about the way the blouse fit me. I just mentioned my size and design preferences and I got it exactly like the way I wanted. I didn't have to alter or change it, which is something that I always worry about if I order clothes online and since this time I didn't have any time I was really really happy about this. They courier the cloths via Bluedart, so you can track your order and know exactly when it is going to be in your door step.

This six yards of clothe has a unique charm to it, as very rightly told by Laxmi Rebecca, a filmmaker and entrepreneur, saree is a power suit and as soon as you enter a room you know what the man are talking about. It can make you feel sexy and powerful at the same time.

I learned draping a saree when I was in boarding school, it happened because of all the dance performances I was taking part in. Here are a few nostalgic pics if you want to go down my memory lane.

I had a lot of fun while photographing this saree and all the credits goes to Kushal Gandhi for taking these pictures. You can check out his work and follow him on instagram @gandhikushal 

When was the last time you wore a saree? Talk to me in the comments down below :)

Click here for the link to buy this saree.

*The saree was sent to me by sareez.com*

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LOREAL PARIS COLLECTION STAR PURE REDS, PURE AMARANTHE BY GONG LI

Loreal has very recently launched their collection stars pure reds range which has 7 different red toned lipsticks to suit every skin tone, from bold oranges to fuschia pinks and bright reds. The collection star range caters to all ages and skin tones. I know if I buy Sonam's Red for my mom, she'd love it, and my sister will love Blake's red (I love her red too, btw). When I went to check out the collection and swatched all the shades on me, Pure Amaranthe was the shade that stood out the most on me.

The collection star pure reds lipsticks comes in an attractive black and gold packaging, and there is a plastic window on the body which coordinates the colour of the lipstick, which is very helpful in recognising and organising the shades.

The formula and colour of these lipsticks are custom made for each of the stars they represent. Pure Amaranthe is the Chinese Actress Gong Li's red (I didn't know who she was before this range came out) and it is a vivid fuchsia pink with a red undertone.  They go on super smoothly, but you get an opaque application after two swatches on my lips. These lipsticks are well pigmented, and these will leave a creamy, lustrous, and matte finish on your lips. Even though the lipsticks are well pigmented, they don't bleed or feather out of your lips.

These lipsticks are do last long on my lips. The creaminess fades away after a few hours, but the stain lingers on your lips for a couple of hours more. You need to be a little careful when you wear the lipstick as it can easily transfer onto your teeth or your tea mug.

The Loreal Collection Star Pure Reds are available in 7 shades and are priced at Rs 995 each.

You can see me wear this lipstick in this video..

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SCHWARZKOPF BC BONACURE HAIRTHERAPY CELL PERFECTION REVIEW

I have been trying the new Schwarzkopf BC Bonacure hair therapy range for almost a month now and my hair has seriously changed since then. I have been in mumbai for more than a year, and now I am almost used to frizzy hair and have accepted it as my natural hair condition, because every time I let my hair dry on it's own, no matter which shampoo or conditioner I use, it ends up being frizzy.

I have always been reluctant about using hair products from this brand, it's just a pointless prejudice I had in my mind and I am seriously a Schwarzkopf convert now (just don't ask me to pronounce/spell the brand)

The repair rescue shampoo does an excellent job of cleaning your hair without stripping off your hair, you don't hear that squeaky sound if you run your fingers down your hair after shampooing. Most days I followed it up with the repair rescue conditioner, which is a really light weight conditioner, and the deep conditioning treatment (my favourite from the range). The deep conditioning treatment is very thick, almost like a hair mask, and I use it once a week or twice if I've applied heat onto my hair. It leaves my hair incredibly smooth and supple. I mean it, it has literally transformed the way my hair feels and looks.

I have been getting a lot of comments on my hair in my instagram (@debasreee) and I think my hair has started to appear glossier after I have started using the restorative serum and the beauty balm. The serum comes in a bottle with a dipper attached with it and you need only two to three drops of it, applied directly onto your scalp. It helps in minimising breakage, and strengthens fragile hair (something that I needed badly). The Beauty balm is a leave in conditioner and it locks in the moisture from the conditioner. This is what I owe the glossiness and the lack of frizz in the hair for. Beauty balm was the first product from the range that I applied onto my unwashed hair and I felt the difference immediately. My 3rd day hair is usually very oily at the scalp and very dry and frizzy at the ends, and this had actually tamed down the frizz.

To be honest though, the volume boost is the least used product from the range as I don't like using hair mousse every time I wash or blow dry my hair. I have used this a couple of time and I was happy that it didn't leave my hair or hands feeling sticky and didn't made me want to run and wash my hands immediately. It lifted my hair up and the volume stayed the entire day, but went away the next day.

So in retrospective, I am very happy with the way my hair is behaving (never thought I would use behave and hair in the same sentence before) ever since I've changed my hair care routine. I would highly recommend that you go check out your nearest Schwartzkopf salon and experience this range first hand. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think Lakmé salons keep schwartzkopf, so you can go check this range out there.

Have you tried any hair care product from Schwarzkopf before? Talk to me in the comments down below. :) 

This was a PR sample. All opinions are mine and a 100% honest. 

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The Body Shop Hemp Butter

This one is for those of you with extremely dry and dehydrated skin; Familiar with the itchy sensation you get post shaving? This is the only body butter that has actually stopped me from scratching my legs over and over again when those prickly 2nd day hair comes out. 

The body shop hemp body butter, like all TBS body butters, comes in a plastic tub and is mint green in colour. I am not particularly fond of the fragrance, but thankfully it doesn’t linger and you don’t have to smell like ‘hemp’ the whole day. 

In case you’re wondering if hemp is really what you think it is, then yes, this body butter is actually made out of cannabis leaves. I was very skeptical at first, but then I did a bit of digging, and found out that these are made up of community fair trade hemp seed oil. Hemp seed oil is extremely moisturising and it actually locks in the moisture for the longest time. It has long been added to products made specifically for very dry skin.

The butter is extremely thick, that’s why it is takes a little effort to spread it onto your legs and arms. It’s easier to spread the butter when you are freshly out of a hot shower or bath, and that’s also the best time for you to you generously spread this all over your body as all your pores are open and it will absorb the oils faster and will lock it in.  I am honestly blown away with the results, and I think this is going to be ‘the’ winter body butter for me. The body butter will be only suitable for those with very dry skin, places with very harsh winters. or someone who gets very dry, flaky and itchy skin post hair removal. 

You can also read my review on the hemp hand protecter for dry hands and cuticles, here. 

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Happy Hair Challenge with Garnier Fructis

I love a good challenge so when Garnier got in touch and sent me their new Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Strengthening shampoo and conditioner for their #HappyHairChallenge,  I thought why not. This would help you guys a lot if you are looking forward to a full and honest review of the new range and find out if it's worth using it. I will start my challenge today, and in the next 30 days I will use it every single time I wash my hair.

I have always loved the loud and bright packaging of the Garnier Fructis shampoos and I absolutely love the bright yellow bottles of this range. I also really liked the fruity and zesty fragrance of the shampoo.

Right now my hair is quite well behaved by not being too frizzy or unmanageable. I have a few split ends because of using a lot of heat tools recently. My ends are a little dry at the moment and I need a trim desperately. I also have a mild hair fall because of breakage at the moment. Other than that I think my hair isn't doing so badly, but I am hoping that using the new shampoo, which has coconut, almond and olive oil, will help me with my dry ends and breakage.

I am looking forward to trying this one, and will get back to you in 30 days.

Have you tried any one of the Garnier Fructis Range? Which one is your favourite?

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