Resolutions & A Garage Sale

Hola ladies and the few gentlemen who occasionally stray to my blog! Compliments of the season to all of you..Now that the new year frenzy has settled and we are back to our sober selves (or may be not? Hic..hic..hic..), lets talk about the most staple thing of every new year – Resolutions. Apart from the usual favorite- a resolution to keep the resolution for the whole year, I am resolving something fun this year...to LET GO! Let go of my inhibitions and and let go of my happy-go-lucky side….I will travel even more, shop no less and act responsively but not restrain myself by other things.

Speaking of shopping(my favorite-est activity ), this new year starts with a great shopping event my buddy is hosting –The Shopaholic’s Closet Garage Sale. She is stocking a huge collection of brand new stuff contributed by the compulsive shoppers & fashionistas (we all know there’s always a plenty with peeps like ‘em!) and also an unnerving load of once-worn stuff at throw-away prices. You have fair chances of laying hands on a Zara top or a MNG skirt along with the usual brands like Vero Moda, UCB, Remanika, Biba, W, Tommy Hilfiger and many more…

The sale is on only for two days this weekend – 7th & 8th Jan’12 at Nirmal Lifestlyles Mall at Mulund, Mumbai. So my fashion blogger friends, this is your chance for making the most of your half-filled wallet(I presume half-empty owing to the party season :P) and may be we can touch base with each other while attaining a discount sale ‘Nirvana’. I’ll definitely be there, will u ???

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There's something about December

I don’t believe this! Its New Year eve, already??!!! Feels just like yesterday when I made this post on this season’s festivities and holiday cheer.Time sure flies…but I’m loving it anyways!

There is something about the month of December that brings with it a sense of joie de vivre, as world over people get ready to celebrate the festive season and the beginning of a new year....celebrations at home and the workplace...and a general air of happiness and excitement that pervades the air.

So living up the high spirits, here's wishing the season's greetings to all you lovely people out there..I know I'd been a bad blogger this year.. but promise to be good  the coming year. This would go as my first resolution for the new year...atleast that will give some food for thought to kickstart the new year with a blog post :P

How are you celebrating this new year ?

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That Girl in Yellow Shoes

Color Blocking. Hot trend. Nuff said. And if I start writing about how cool the Color Blocking trend is, I’d have to bear the risk of sounding like Flintstone! Bad analogy, I know but hope the message is clear. I’d been a late-riser to this trend. Not that I follow all trends as soon as they hit the runaway but at least I consciously ‘try to try’ the ones that I fancy.Color blocking had been on my mind but I walked the extra mile in trying it when I bought myself a pair of yellow shoes.

These yellow shoes (aren’t these cute??) fit so snugly on my feet that I instantly fell in love with them and these have been my savior this monsoon season. Yep, they r waterproof! So I’d been wearing them a LOT (hope they last another season:-S) and they’ve travelled far in a short span. I recently holidayed in Kerala and they proved to be great traveling partners as well :)

So these yellow charmers inspired me to try a color block look and I made a few modest attempts and here’s one of those which I found somewhat worthy of finding a room on this blog. Using the bottom up approach (shoes upwards),I teamed them with a cobalt blue shirt from Chemistry and basic blue jeans and accessorized with an oversized bag (in another shade of blue, totally by chance!)

Shirt: Chemistry; Jeans:Levi's; Shoes:Catwalk; Bag:Baggit

Whatever might be lacking in my color blocked outfit, the surroundings made up for it. What say??? :)

Thumbs up or Thumbs down??? Let me know…



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And I'm Back!!!

Hello girls! Have u been missing me?? Puhleeez say u did (even if u didn’t!). I had been extremely busy for the last couple of months that was keeping me MIA…business travel, role change and harrowing work load didn’t leave me with any time for blogging. Now that I’ve got a breather owing to a few public holidays (I love India for its religious sentiments ;)), I’m hauling myself from my dormant state to active blogging. I’m sure I’ve got loads to catch up on your blogs and I’ll do that very soon…

Some travel stories, snapshots from the wedding shoots and ample food for the fashionista soul coming up soon...Stay close, lovelies ! :)

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Of Fragrances and Apples

I have been donning a Cheshire cat avatar for last two days. The weather in the city is just  perfect for outings and now that the semi-annual sale season has kicked off, I had  the perfect excuse to paint the town red. Who needs an excuse, anyway?!! I had been literally living at the malls all this weekend and cannot help boast how fabulous are the discount deals I got! I raided the Baggit store and bought 4 bags which merits a dedicated post later, picked up some stuff from Mango, only sniffed stuff at Nine West & Aldo (:P) and hauled a Nina Ricci assortment which is a winner hands down :) 

Trust me I am trying to curtail my shopaholic streak and consciously avoid hoarding unwanted stuff but sometimes my weakness for freebies makes me fidgety and I give in…I’m only Human!! Frangrance was not on my shopping list(not that I go with one all the time!) but a whiff of freshness made me spend 2 min extra at a Nina Ricci kiosk in the mall and that was time enough for me to get lured. No doubt Nina Ricci’s universe shells out stellar products all the time and I’m a big fan of her fragrances, but this time around more than the scent, it was the freebies that stole the show.

With my purchase of ‘Ricci Ricci’, came this amazing assortment of scents and a charm that left me totally in jitters. Saying no would have been downright stupid! The freebies included a non-descript 50 ml fragrance for daily use, two pocket scents (Premium Jour & L’Elixir), a miniature dab-on of their new fragrance L’elixir in an apple-shaped bottle and an apple-shaped charm which can be used as a pendant as well. Now isn’t it irresistible?!!!

The complete freebie assortment

L'Elixir miniature

Apple charm-pendant

The apple is a part of their new campaign for L’Elixir…apparently implying the forbibben fruit in Eden. Sinful indulgence,hmmm…..

So wouldn’t you have grabbed this up? 

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A Love Affair with Weddings

My fascination for weddings is no big secret. Having pulled a Bridezilla act myself (about which you read here), I always knew it was more than just-a-passing-phase. If not an engineer, I would definitely have been a journalist. And I even harboured a secret ambition of becoming a wedding planner! So when my growing passion for shutterbuggery gave me a chance to combine both of these and find my true calling, I succumbed. In simpler words, I combined my love for weddings, photography and journalism to pursue Wedding Photojournalism.

Photojournalism, in plain words, is a genre of photography where each picture tells a story. In new-age photography, the same concept is being applied to wedding photography and is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds. The days of the overbearing  photographers bullying you into awkward poses with your spouse on the wedding day are slowly on their way out and making way for more candid photographers who do their job discreetly and let the couple enjoy their own wedding!  

Personally, I always disliked the concept of ‘posed’ and ‘filmy’ pictures. I mean who wants to see oneself cupping her mehendi-ed hands to see a moon formation or two friends pretentiously holding ur ‘jhumka’and to top it all, such pictures are blown-up and printed into a BULKY album which gathers dust all its life (at least mine is !)

So with the wedding photography undergoing a sea change with the increasing emphasis on candid pictures and more and more new-age couples taking confident decisions for their weddings, I took a plunge in this sea (see my talent for finding apt words all the time :P) and now I’m a part of this noble effort to redefine the way we have known our wedding pictures all this while.

I publish my work under the name ‘Anamika Singh- The Memory Keeper’ (yep, that’s Inky Pinky’s real name :)). Believe me, its so much fun being a part of so many weddings, sharing the emotions, seeing pleasant smiles and moist eyes through the lens, creating beautiful memories for a lifetime AND the joy you see on their face on seeing the pictures – its PRICELESS!

All images are copyrighted by Anamika Singh-The Memory Keeper

For more of my work on wedding photography, check out my page on facebook and LIKE it if u like what u see :)

P.S. All you lovelies waiting to walk the aisle, trust me hiring a good wedding photographer can be the bestest thing you can do for urself! It can make a world of a difference to the most special moment in ur life and you will surely thank me for these $0.02 and if u need help, I'm just a call away ;)

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Fashionista for less - Rooja

Talk about coincidences! The other day I was listening to the song Fashionista by Jimmy James and was appreciating  how well he has read a fashionista’s mind. Here are a couple of lines from the song which I’m sure you can relate to:

“Kenneth Cole, Michael Korrs
Mr. Ford I can't afford
D&G and BCBG
Looking good is never easy”

“I wanna be Delgada
To fit into my Prada
Oscar de la Renta
Louis Vuitton
Imitation of Christ, beauty has a price”

And almost the same time I got an invite for this luxury online shopping site, Rooja which offers designer stuff at 60% of their retail price! What a coincidence, isn’t it?

Are you also like me? Have you ever desired a bag or that pair of heels which is wayy too expensive and would leave a huge hole in your wallet ? Fret not ! Fairy Godmother has made it easier for us to get our hands on that bag or that pair of shoes we have been longing for!

Based in India, Rooja is India's truly luxury online shopping experience. However the prime reason behind Rooja is to give you a say in what you wear, and what you buy- most importantly empower the "original you". Membership is exclusive and by invitation only, and their sales will only last 2 to 3 days.

Rooja plans to bring to you amazing brand names like D&G, Missoni, Versace, Gucci, Juicy Couture, Michael Kors, Burberry, Diesel and many more at prices much below the Indian retail prices.

Thanks to Raj at Rooja, they have given me an invitation for Readers of Pink Diaries. Signup Now for an exclusive early invite when they launch.

Check out their website (here) and Facebook page (here) to be a part of the goodness they promise to unleash shortly.

Stay stylish

XOXO

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And the winner is...

A big thank you to all those who participated in the Tangier Giveaway...I really had a whale of a time keeping track of the entries here, there and everywhere and now the aftermath of the counting  is the giveaway winner announcement. Oh btw, my choice of the word aftermath is far from its literal meaning ; its just that it involved a good amount of maths after :P

 Out of the participants who scored 10/10 (well 5/5 actually!), we have a lucky winner

And the winner is Mini of Mini's Musings

Congratulations Mini. Pl email me your address for shipping the outfit to you. Enjoy the moment!!!

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Glad-iators Weekend

I had my plate full this weekend. Unlike the past few languorous weekends, there was so much to do and watch. From being a part of the awesomeness that Kungfu Panda in 3D is to LMAO in the side-splitting Hangover2, the last two days were mostly 70mm centric interspersed with shopping and dining out(as usual those came as add-ons with movie night-outs :))

I also caught up with an old-time friend after a long time over coffee and cheesecakes (slurp!!!) and thoroughly enjoyed this girls’ time-out. I decided to throw in some fun in dressing which otherwise is all nudes and pales under the influence of the sweltering heat.

I took out my colorful gladiators and a thrifted shimmery blue bag and then picked my outfit to go with these. (Accessories maketh the look!!). Here are the pics:

 





Tunic -Globus; Capri- AND; Gladiators -Catwalk ; Bag- Thrifted from Goa

This mutipurpose bag can double up as a shoulder hobo or a regular hobo by a slight adjustment of the straps. And can even be folded and slipped inside ur purse if you may. Isn't it cool?!! I'll look forward to such fun & glad weekends with or without the glad-iators :D

What is ur summer staple?

P.S. Enter The Tangier Giveaway if you havent yet..its closing soon.

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The Versatile Blogger Award

I am delighted to receive yet another blogger award from a fellow blogger today. Bhusavali of Fashion Panache has passed on ‘The  Versatile Blogger’ award to me. Thank u sooo much, Bhusavali ! It feels great to know that your two cents do get noticed, duly appreciated and suitably rewarded :)

Now as per the rules of this award, I have to tell 7 things about myself and pass the award on to 7 bloggers. Also, I have to leave a comment on their blog to let them of this award and link back a post to the blogger who passed it to you. (I did that already!)

So here are 7 things you don’t know about me (Gosh! How I love talking about myself…I could have gone on and on but keeping the rules in mind, I’ll restrict to just 7 random ones). Here it goes:

1. I’m a business consultant by job profile, an engineer by qualification and a freelance photographer by passion. New-age wedding photography is my forte (check out my work on my facebook page here and here)
2. I’m a compulsive shopper …the amount of stuff I’ve accumulated far exceed the storage space in my home which makes housekeeping the most repetitive activity every single day!
3. Pink is NOT my favorite color :P (White is…I never tire of wearing white and my wardrobe has atleast 10 outfits in white :))
4. I have a fascination for polka dots and ribbons
5. I’m a travel junkie –have travelled extensively in India mostly on road trips..the longest road tripping we did was from Mumbai to Himachal across 8 destinations over 10 days (Hell lotta fun!!!)
6. I’m a sucker for romantic comedies(don’t we ALL love ‘em??)
7. I wish I can get home a Birkin someday (Amen!)

I’m passing the award on the following bloggers who I think dish out a lot of variety through their blogposts.

1. Tanvi of The fabulous life of not-so-rich and infamous
2. Prutha of Don’t Shoe Me
3. Geeta of Occasionally Chic
4. Chic & Cliché of The Chic Cliche
5. Chandana of  The Girl at First Avenue
6. Karishma of Purple Peeptoes
7. Tanveer of Addicted to Blush

Congratulations gurlz…share the love!

P.S.  The Tangier Giveaway is on till 31^st May. A gorgeous outfit is up for grabs so hurry up and participate! For details, go to http://huesofpink.blogspot.com/2011/05/tangier-giveaway.html

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