Raaga Professional Gold Facial Kit

     Who doesn't love a good facial? An hour or so of pampering can do one's soul a hell lot of good :) I used to be quite regular with them back when I was in college. I wouldn't get the whole enchilada done ie to say I took the lighter version (aka sans the vigorous massage) since I was young. But fruit facials with the added benefit of a galvanic treatment were a must for me and probably one of the factors I have good skin. Unfortunately as life got busier my trips became lesser and now I would be lucky to do one in 6 months. So when I got an opportunity to review a facial kit from Raaga a brand belonging to Cavin Kare I was all gung-ho! Granted that the true bliss of a facial is all the wonderful massage that someone else does on you but I needed the power boost of sorts that only a facial can provide. I would like to mention that I have stopped using the Michael Todd cream, that I reviewed recently, sometime back so the results you see are the true indication of the kit being used.

Lakme Absolute Studio Sculpt Lipstick Plum Spell

     Lakme recently launched a whole new range of matte lippies called Lakme Absolute Studio Sculpt Lipstick which had the blogsphere buzzing. Few Kolkata bloggers got invited to an exclusive preview of their launch at the Anamika Khanna store before their grand debut at Lakme Fashion Week. I consider myself to be a matte lover in-transition as it is still difficult for me to embrace a true matte formula. Did you know that by design matte products are supposed to suck the moisture from your skin so that they can adhere to it properly and last longer? Well Lakme apparently came out with a new formula that gave you the benefits of a matte lipstick (deep long lasting color) sans its shortcomings (aka drying) and at the same time giving your lips a sculpted effect!

     Amrapali has always been synonymous with unique and eye catching silver jewelry. Best known for the tribal/traditional kind of pieces I personally love them for the Victorian and semi-precious stone jewelry that they do. They have been a favorite of the Bollywood brigade since quite a while and now even the Hollywood starlets can be seen walking down the red carpet in their pieces. I don't know about you but hearing that makes me feel very proud. Did you know that it is the first and only Indian jewelry brand that is available at Harrods? They have recently added to their product line by introducing gold jewelry. Some of us got invited to the opening of their new boutique which is adjacent to their store in Forum Courtyard, Kolkata.

Forest Essentials Store, Forum Mall, Kolkata

     Forest Essentials finally setup shop in Kolkata! I'm going to take a moment here and enjoy this warm fuzzy feeling :) It has been a year of changes for our city and a lot of brands are finally setting up a presence here. The retail scene has been picking up slowly but is getting stronger day by day. It is so good to finally have access to beloved brands in our backyard and not having to travel to other cities just to stock up. Some of us were invited by the PR of the brand to experience the new store and latest launches. I must say that from all the launches that I have attended so far this was among the top most simply coz of the one-on-one attention that they gave us. 

Maybelline The Colossal Liner

Maybelline The Colossal Liner in Black, Price - Rs. 425/-

     Maybelline has bought in a lot of new products in this past year, their recent launch being the Rebel Bouquet collection, and some of them have not only been very affordable but have just nailed it in the performance department. Recently they made some new additions to their very popular Colossal family. Today I will be reviewing the Colossal Liner in Black which is a felt tip liner pen. I really like this type of format as it makes the application process a whole lot easier and gives you more control on the kind of thickness that you want for your liner. 

     Smoke Shack is an open air restaurant located on the rooftop of Park Plaza hotel in the heart of Kolkata. I was very surprised to find such a good hotel and amazing food joint located mere minutes from my residence. They have a gorgeous infinity pool and a lovely view! I can go and sit there for hours just for the view alone...it is very soothing to look over the city line sitting beside the pool. They have special aqua exercise classes scheduled for summers in case any one is interested :) We were called in for lunch and coz it was very hot we had to shift to another restaurant of the hotel so couldn't enjoy the beautiful Smoke Shack in its full splendor. But it would be great spot for a dinner date as towards evening a lovely breeze is blowing and it becomes very pleasant...