Mosaic Art by Vandeepp Kalra

A couple of posts ago I said I will feature a couple of female artists on this blog as March celebrated as Women's History Month. I am sure you loved learning about designer and entrepreneur Shivani Patel and I am happy to let you know her crowd-funding venture is going well. If you haven't contributed yet then go to my previous post *here* to read up about her eco-friendly range of fabulous designer bags.

I would like to introduce you to the work of mosaic artist Vandeepp Kalra. She delved into the world of mosaic art as a hobby which soon turned into an obsession and then into a full fledged career. Each piece is a beautiful work of art that you have to see with your own eyes. It takes hard work, immense patience and a great amount of passion to create the kind of work that she does. If you think it's too late to find your true calling in life then know that you are not the only one and it isn't too late to start. Vandeepp did her B.A. in Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, while her P.G. degree was in Business Administration. Her education has helped her in developing a sensibility of handling her business with grace and creativity. She is a self taught artist to top all of that.
She sources her materials from United Kingdom, Netherlands and Italy as well as India. Life inspires her mosaic artwork. The way she captures light and movement in her work is commendable. Each work takes one or two months to complete, the process is so labour intensive. She specialises in hand crafting mosaic portraits that flawlessly capture all kinds of silhouettes. Her studio offers product customisations to cater to client's specific needs.
Vandeepp Kalra is poised to shape a mosaic industry in India, which is still not fully exposed to the medium, through her innovative products and excellence in quality. As the only mosaic studio from India, it aims to educate and create awareness about mosaic as an art form and would like to be synonymous with similar artists that are present around the world.

And here is my favourite mosaic art from Vandeepp Kalra's exhibition that I personally got to gawk at the previous day. This Predator poster can become a collector's item for a movie buff.




image c/o Anupriya DG

You can drop in at her studio, located at Wood Street any time and bring home some of her finest pieces or order something one-of-a-kind that can be customised especially for you.

FlySongbird

Magnum Ice Creams-Royal Experience

this pic and food styling c/o Anupriya DGs

Belgium chocolate covered Magnum ice creams are a favourite of millions across the globe. 1st March onwards Magnum is officially hitting the stores of Calcutta! This will be a really grand summer for Calcuttans. These ice creams are made with at least 35% cocoa, making them rich in flavour. The Truffle flavour is for the dark chocolate lovers. But, you can pick any of their flavours for a rich royal experience. There is a delicious crackle in every bite, there is no fear of it melting all over your hand as the chocolate coating is ever so generous and there is never a risk of sweetness overload since the inner creamy filling is almost like a palate cleanser.

 I was at the launch event where chef Kunal Kapoor hosted a master class. Soha Ali Khan, a self professed Magnum lover since she was a child was there for the launch as well. Many stories were shared about their memories of chocolates and Calcutta. And hence Kunal Kapoor decided to make a dessert with Magnum inspired by Calcutta. He made a Patishapta, which is essentially a crepe that is traditionally filled with kheer, jaggery and coconut. He filled the Magnum Patishapta with crushed chunks of Magnum Classic, berries, nuts and topped it with some sprinkling of khoya kheer, almonds and pistachio. If you follow me on instagram(click to follow if you don't already), you must have seen the delicious dessert in a jar that I was gifted at the event. It was made with Magnum ice cream and once they are officially available at the stores I will try to grab one and recreate the recipe to share it with you guys on the blog.

The 3 flavours of Magnum you can get in stores - Classic, Almond and Chocolate Truffle

Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kapoor at the photo op

Soha trying her best to help out the chef

The delicious Magnum filled Patishapta

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FlySongbird

Niine by Niine-Styled by Me

I featured Niine by Niine in my previous post(click to read) and here I am, back with a post where I have styled a few items from their fabulous collection. Go and read all about what the store offers for both men and women in my last post(link provided above).

I chose similar looking earrings in different colours because I loved how easily I could team them with a retro outfit as well as an Indo-Western fusion outfit. They were about INR550. I am not a big fan of bows but, I chose this dress because of the polka dots and the awesome layered bell sleeves. Have I mentioned ever that I am a huge fan of good bell sleeves? It's a love affair that started when I was a tiny tot. This sequin jacket is perfection. Agree? I just slipped into it and it fit perfectly. It is only INR2200 and you can have it custom made in your size if needed. I bought these round sunglasses the very day of the event from a street shop. These were technically gifted, not bought. I finally have a round pair with silver rims and faded pink glasses and I love them.

Earrings, Polka Dotted Dress, Sequinned Jacket - Niine by Niine

Teal Mary Jane Wedges - B.K. Market

Pink Round Teashades - Gifted

Blue Ethnic Printed Stole, Black Cardigan - my own

FlySongbird

Niine by Niine-Designer Wear For Every Body

Niine by Niine graciously invited us over to check out their latest offerings for the upcoming seasons at their store. It was a good opportunity for me to go back to the locality of my old school. It is just near where the famous Ekdalia Park Durga Puja takes place every year in autumn. So, all in all you can say this store is located right in the midst of a lot of nostalgia inducing landmarks for me. 

Sprawling over three stories Niine by Niine houses the best of both Western and Indian wear for men and women. The different labels you will find here are - in house designer Sonia Kripalani along with Seema Oberoi and Mini Singh from Delhi. The 1st floor is filled with traditional weaves like chanderi, chiffon, kalamkari, cotton jamewars, tussar and muslin. The 2nd floor is full of the prettiest gowns, bandage dresses, and a plethora of accessories discovered on travels across the world. On the 3rd floor you will find menswear for all occasions ranging from regal looking jackets, vests to bridal and other traditional garb. There is also a segment dedicated to shoes that range from the chunkiest of platforms to the most glittery heels. There are plenty of chic and trendy options here for everyone.

Things I loved about designer and proprietor Sonia Kripalani's work is the vibrant use of colour and prints. Even better is the fact that you will find something gorgeous for yourself no matter what your size is. The store is full of statement making pieces. If you love something and they don't have your size, fret not because they will customise it for you. It's not just the size that is customisable over here though. They can make something specially for you that fits your budget for your special day. We all know weddings can be darn expensive if you don't wish to compromise on your aesthetics. Niine by Niine is the store for you if you love bright, cheery colours and if you love trendy pieces that will make you stand out wherever you go. Constantly innovating and striving to provide the best of the best, Niine by Niine aims to grow by opening stores around the country & foray into standalone menswear boutiques.

FlySongbird

Green Trends Salon Review - Forever Blue Hair

I was invited to review the upcoming Durga Puja hairstyle and beauty trends at Green Trends Salon, Salt Lake branch. But, me being me, I got my hair coloured blue and decided to take my time and review it properly after the colour had properly faded and washed off. So, here I am to rave about Green Trends Salon for doing such a great job. I also should mention right away that here I got one of the best pedicures of my life ever. Just go in and ask for Zainab. It would be an understatement to say that I have horrible feet. And she worked magic by scrubbing and massaging all the right spots. I felt truly pampered.

Green Trends is a family chain salon originally from Chennai, but now they have around 200 branches all over India. They have 3 branches in Kolkata - Salt Lake, Golpark and Bangur Avenue.

"Green trends is a contemporary hair & style salon that offers cool looks for a new you– all at practical prices."

We had a chat session with head trainer, Saddique Alam. He suggested colour chunks and curl enhancing treatments as Bong beauties have a natural tendency towards curls. He personally oversaw every step of my colouring method. It was decided that my already honey blonde ombre hair had to be lightened further for the blue to show up. After the single bleach session, they put in the Majirel mix blue colourant in my hair and kept it in for no longer than 10-15 minutes. This ensured the colour did not turn too dark. There were 3 people working at my hair and that was a very funny feeling. The other bloggers opted for red hair highlights, curl enhancing haircuts and treatments, nail art and facial treatments. The end results for everyone was pretty amazing.

Pre-bleach and colour

Waiting for the bleach to lighten my hair further

The Majirel Mix Creme Blue looked like this after being mixed with a 20 vol developer

The process begins. Soon he will be joined by 2 others and Mr. Alam

The awesome pedicure where Anupriya and I got pampered. Pic c/o Poorna Banerjee

Saddique Alam brushing my hair personally before the money shot. Felt like a celeb in a photoshoot. Pic c/o Anupriya Dg

The money shot Pic c/o Anupriya Dg

Wish I had magical powers so that I could change my hair to all sorts of amazing colours like this whenever I wanted. My hair was as blue as my studded Peter Pan collared sheer top from Vero Moda. I washed my hair once or twice(maximum) a week. It took a full month for it to completely go away. It faded to green. After waiting for 1 & 1/2 months I decided to use the soap capping method(details here) to remove the colour completely.

Green Trends already has very reasonable rates for their wide range of services, but if you get a membership card worth Rs.100(valid for 2 years!) you get further discounts. Now, I have given you every reason to try out their services for yourself. Go get pampered!

FlySongbird

Get Love Struck by Westside Wunderlove Lingerie Collection

Last week I went to check out the latest collections that Westside launched. In my previous *post* I talked about the plus-sized Sassy Soda collection.The other in-house brand they have come out with is the Wunderlove lingerie collection.  The price range is within INR899. There are basic as well as fancy options. The bras and briefs come in matching pairs, but the best thing is they can be bought separately. It is a good thing because women often wear different sizes of tops and bottoms. Also you can choose not to buy matching pairs if that isn't your style. The briefs come in 3 styles-high leg, bikini briefs, full briefs. You can get the regular cotton briefs in combo packets of 3 and 4. The sizes range from small to XL. The bras range from 32 to 38 in sizes and the highest cup size you will get is a D. They have padded, wired options as well as regular non-padded and non-wired ones. Everything comes in neutral shades as well as with prints like florals, polka dots, animal prints and some with lace detailing. There are pretty blues, bright pinks and monochrome colours available as of now. They also have camisoles in neutral colours from S to XL. I really wish there were more sizes in this range because lots of women have cup sizes higher than a D. Especially if they have a smaller underbust size compared to bust circumference it becomes difficult to get something that fits properly. (read about how to measure yourself properly before you go lingerie shopping *here*). However, what the Wunderlove collection may lack in sizes they make up for it in style.

FlySongbird

Stay Sassy with the Westside Sassy Soda Collection

My Durga Puja shopping is rarely complete without a customary visit to Westside. They always have something I like in a variety of sizes. I am very happy to tell you that Westside has launched the Sassy Soda collection on 29th August which caters to the style loving plussized girls. They called me over to check out the collection and I really liked the designs. It is a casual meets party wear kind of collection. They have printed pants with zippered details, jumpsuits with lace detailing, casual tees with velvet appliques, sheer blouses, tie-up tops, crochet shrugs, denim skirts and pretty dresses as well. I was told they will keep adding more things to the collection every week. I was really impressed that they have incorporated all the latest trends in this collection. The sizes range from a US 16 to 22! That's what makes it even better. Larger women often wear drab solid colours that give them no shape and make them look and (I presume) feel even worse. We all know the power of dressing nice no matter what our sizes are. It is not about dressing like you are ready to hit the party circuit. Even if you love wearing slogan T-shirts and jeans, it needs to fit you well otherwise you will feel like shit. Don't reach for sack like garments to hide your body. Sassy Soda is here to help you with that problem. They have shades from dreamy corals, reds to darker blues and blacks. It is an in-house brand and the prices are pretty reasonable. So, kudos to Westside and I wish this range keeps expanding. Check out some of the things I clicked when I visited the store.

FlySongbird

Royal Repast at Dum Pukht, ITC Sonar

Dum Pukht at ITC Sonar has introduced Royal Repast from 22nd June onwards and I was there last Saturday to taste and write to you about the Nawabi delicacies they have on offer. The legendary Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi has crafted a regal Royal Repast Experience beautifully graced with a fine spirit Royal Salute 21YO (21 year old matured whisky with complex notes), paired by whisky expert Sandeep Arora. Royal Repast is a set menu of five courses(see the pictures for the non-veg selection on offer).
'Dum' means to 'breathe in' and 'Pukht' to 'cook'. Imtiaz Qureshi has been with Dum Pukht since its inception, fans of his food include people like the Clintons and Queen Elizabeth (no big deal, right?). The man speaks impeccable Lucknavi Urdu and regaled us with stories behind each dish that is on offer in the menu. Keeping in mind the recent trends he has incorporated sea food in the menu, which is traditionally not a part of Awadhi cuisine. He also told us these complex dishes are made keeping in mind the health conscious. The hero dish of the menu, the Dudhiya Biryani, which consist of a layer of fragrant, pearly white rice on top of the spice infused layer mixed with soft morsels of lamb, is made with olive oil. Each and every dish had its unique flavours. My other favourites from the menu - Raan-e-huzoor, jhinga qureshi, koh-e-avadh, desi murgh ishtew and lab-e-mashooq.
INR 6500/- plus applicable taxes per guest.

(see what I wore to the event *here*)

FlySongbird

Bengal Fashion Week 2014 - Backstage II

For all those who liked my post on the backstage shots taken at the fashion week that I got to attend a couple of weeks back, here's round two.

I was invited by The Body Shop.

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