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Four Seasons Wines Vineyards, Baramati

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If at gunpoint I was ever asked to choose between “having excellent food and wine” or “traveling to incredible places” for a year, and I could only choose one or the other, with a heavy heart I would have to choose the former. I am that kind of a person.

It was a pleasantly cool, breezy night as I sat by the poolside of the Four Seasons Winery in Baramati, sipping on my glass of Sparkling Rosé. I had spent the day with wine specialists and enthusiasts going through the various stages of wine making in the Four Seasons Winery, savouring spectacular wine and food. And as they say, a day spent drinking good wine is a day well spent. (Okay “they” don’t say it, I say it, but who wouldn’t agree with me?)

I had wanted to visit the Four Seasons Vineyards ever since I had come to know about it at a wine tasting and was delighted to receive an invite to visit the vineyards right in the harvest season. The winery, which has been modelled on the French Château style, is an hour and a half’s drive from Pune near the village of Rotti, in the Baramati district of Maharashtra.





Chef Hitesh Gautam of Hyatt Bangalore had planned an exceptional food menu for our two day stay at the winery. My favourites were Coorg Chicken with Neer Dosa served with Shiraz and Jalebi Batter Coated Pinapple and Apple with Dhoodhi Halwa and Gulabjamun served with Chennin Blanc Late Harvest. 

The winery with “its fourteen suites, a large party deck overlooking the vineyards that can accommodate a thousand people, a swimming pool, a spa offering vinotherapy and a wine tasting room” would soon be open to general public and Wine Tourism. Seems like a perfect weekend getaway to me. What do you think?

To know more about the complete range of Four Seasons Wines, visit their website.

Karishma
xoxo




Café Coffee Day's Brain Freeze Style Meet

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Last week I had a refreshing evening at Café Coffee Day, where I was introduced to their latest launch "BrainFreeze at the “Brain Freeze Style Meet.”  

It was quite a fun evening. My hair and makeup was taken care of by celebrity beauty expert Marvie Ann Beck. I loved the look I got-braids and bold lips! I was happy to be associated with the rich flavor of Iced Eskimo for the outfit while I got styled by Superdry.

BrainFreezeis a combination of crushed ice and refreshingly cooling flavours - Green Apple Meltdown, Berry Berg, Cool Blue and Iced Eskimo! My favourites would have to be “Cool Blue"a syrupy blue blend on crushed ice,and “Iced Eskimo” a slush blended coffee drink. 

A session of indulging in the new cool flavours along with my all-time favorite CCD's "Smoked Chicken Sandwich," was the perfect end to a painstakingly hot day! 
 
Don't forget to step in to your nearest outlet of Cafe Coffee Day to pick up the latest edition of Cafe Chronicles where I would be featured in. So, have you tried the Cafe Coffee Day’s "BrainFreeze” yet? Which flavour catches your fancy?


Karishma
xoxo



Giveaway Time! Win Lakmé Absolute Drama Stylist Shadow Duos!

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I had vowed not to be lazy this year. And now that almost half the year has passed, I think it is the perfect time to start following my vows. What I want to say is that I had wanted to run a lot of giveaways on GingerSnaps this year, and somehow just never got around to it. But enough is enough and it is about time that I pull up my socks and get back to my blogging mode. Here is a small giveaway for you all!

By now we all are pros in entering giveaways, so I don’t think I need to explain how Rafflecopter works. But yes it has made running giveaways much easier than before. Two winners would be winning one Lakmé Absolute Drama Stylist Shadow Duos! The winners will be announced on GingerSnaps’ Facebook Page and Twitter. May the odds be forever in your favor!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*National Giveaway
Karishma
xoxo


 
 

How I Met My Model- American Swan Beauty & The Blogger Day 0: Arrival at The Corinthians Resort and Club Pune

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Me: Kids, have I ever told you the story of how I met your aunt Audrey? 

Kids: Umm No.. We would love to hear the story, but we were just on are way to..

Me: Oh just sit down, Now this is a story that you are going to love! It was way back in the May of 2014. AmericanSwanin association with Famebox hadlaunched a first-of-its-kind, online reality show Beauty & the Blogger.






8 Bloggers were going to be paired with 8 models to be pitted against each other for a 3-day challenge in Corinthians Resort and Club Pune. 

We started from Mumbai early in the morning, but you know how it is, things hardly ever go as they are planned. Our journey came to an unexpected halt when our bus broke down. All of us contestants and the crew were left stranded somewhere on a highway where we had to wait for another bus to come to our rescue. And though it was scorching hot, we made the best out of the situation and started conversations with fellow contestants. 


This is where I talked to the lively and friendly Audrey for the first time, who was actually doing a blogger’s job by making a vlog of all of us. Little did I know that this charming girl and I would be teamed up together!

We finally reached Corinthians around 3 o clock, way behind the planned schedule and as much as I wanted to drift around the splendid resort, we were given the schedule and were requested to have a quick lunch. My room was quite close to Bhumika and Shanaya's and for the next three days we three were practically inseparable. 



Lakmé and TRESemmé were the official partners of 'Beauty And the Blogger' so our hair and makeup was something we did not have to worry about. The blogger profiles that had to be shot on 'Day 0' were postponed to the next day and we all were made to shoot a couple of videos getting our hair and makeup done. Finally around 1 AM when we were retiring to our rooms, we were given our call time for the next day: 5:30 AM! I tried to catch up on the little sleep that I could, to gear up for 'Day 1' in the Beauty and the Blogger house. 

And what a day it was going to be...!

(To be continued..)


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Have a look at our abode Corinthians Resort and Club Pune, where all the #BeautyNBlogger action took place.


'Nestled in the warmth of lush green surroundings, The Corinthians Resort & Club is truly a mesmerizing destination. “Escape from the cityscape” to this sprawling land, spread across 25 acres of verdant countryside and let the soothing environment of our resort invigorate your mind & body. Be it the most memorable wedding celebrations or your exclusive partners meet, a weekend getaway or a private party, The Corinthians offers the best of everything.

Shrug off the stress, slip out of the heat, leave boredom behind and free your mind to wander through myriad avenues of pleasure. Indulge yourself in a variety of activities designed especially for your entertainment. Or, treat yourself to a lazy holiday.'

For complete details, you can visit their website


Karishma
xoxo
 

How I Met My Model- American Swan Beauty & The Blogger

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(If you haven't already, you should probably read this first: How I Met My Model - Part 1)

*The year is 2035*
Me: So where was I?
 

Kids: You just told us how you met Aunt Audrey for the first time. And it all sounds really interesting mom, but.. hehe, we really need to be..


Me: Oh yes yes! And now I'll tell you all about the three days of the 'Beauty and the Blogger' shoot!



Sleep , sunscreen and good battery backup, is what I wish I could have had more of in the 3 days of gruelling social media updating and task competing in the #BeautyNBlogger house. One of my most prominent and painful memory of those three days is that of running around looking for a charging point, even after keeping an external phone charger handy. I and all the fellow contestants were all tanned and sunburnt after shooting in the sun continuously. And I guess the most amount of sleep that I got was of four hours. *Sigh* But at times like this, I tell myself that 'At the end of your life, nobody remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep.' And truly ‘Beauty and the Blogger’ has been one unforgettable experience for me.



While the host of the series Cyrus Sahukar had us in splits all the time ( 9 out of 10 things Cyrus says will have you 'Rolling On The Ground With Laughter'), Miss Malini mentored the Bloggers along with Anusha Dandedkar who mentored the Beauties. 

The competition kicked off by pairing the models and bloggers together, for which the models, who were looking sizzling hot in their American Swan swimsuits, were made to get sachets out of the swimming pool which contained names of bloggers and were being timed for the activity. As you know, the name that Audrey got out of the pool was mine, and she was the second fastest contestant to complete the task! And thus team #GingerSnaps was formed.


Audrey is a team-player, and I was extremely happy to be paired with her. Not only is she fabulous with her modelling skills, she is great person to work with. Above are some shots of Audrey that I clicked for a task, and oh my does she look gorgeous. 

Adventure task, Talent round, Bollywood night, the 8 teams were made to compete through all kinds of activities that had us up on our toes throughout our stay at The Corinthians. All the running around, ceaseless social updating and sleeplessness finally paid off as me and Audrey ranked number in the overall results of the 'On Ground' tasks! 

Ecstatic as me and Audrey were, we knew the online battle was still left. For the next month the episodes of 'Beauty And The Blogger' went live on FameBoxFashionChannel on Youtube, and guess who finally won the series.....

Kids: Okay mom we are getting late for meeting our friends, we'll see you when we get back okay. Bye!!

Me: Wait, I still have not told you who the winners of the series were.. Kids!! Ah nevermind.. Maybe next time then...

Hair:TRESemme Makeup:Lakme Styling by: Stylecracker

___________________________________________


So this was how I imagine I will harass my kids by telling them my life stories. But yeah, the game is still on as the 8 Model-Blogger teams will be competing online for the next month. Do follow all the action on FameBoxNetwork‘s YouTube channel and my twitter account. And thank you so much for supporting team #GingerSnaps, your words of encouragement gave me and Audrey immense optimism and confidence all throughout the competition!



Karishma
xoxo



DIY Glamorous High Updo with TRESemmé

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Audrey With Celebrity Makeup And Hair Stylist Daniel Bauer




Till now I have mostly steered away from updos. Not because I don’t fancy them, but only because I don’t trust my lousy hair styling skills. Here is a sleek, glamorous and easy enough updo that TRESemmécreated on my model Audrey for #BeautyNBlogger, which seems simple enough to try by myself.




1.For better hold and texture, apply a styling mousse all over the length of your hair. Start by taking the crown section of your hair and tie it into a ponytail. Divide the ponytail into two and twist it one at a time and secure it with hairpins.
2. Now start taking the sections from below the ponytail and continue twisting and securing the sections with hairpins. Take a big section from top of your head and tease the section for volume.
3.Take the complete top section over the teased hair and bobby-pin in place. With the remaining open hair, repeat the starting process by dividing it into two and twisting it one at a time and yes you guessed it, secure it with hairpins. Finish the look by setting it with hairspray.

Karishma
xoxo
 

#BeautyNBlogger: Behind The Scenes With Lakmé

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It was not till I was putting this post together that I realized how distraught I am by the fact that I lost my camera at the 'Beauty And The Blogger' shoot. I had clicked an infinite number of pictures with it for my blog, on top of it it was a gift by my dear friend. While the models and bloggers were always on the run to get tasks done, Lakmé took charge to make us look fabulous. Our makeup and hair station was set in a hall called Alexandria in Corinthians, and here is a where all of the contestants have spent most of their time laughing, talking and bonding over getting our nails done (not talking about Jeremy, Kaushal and Himanshu of course.)

And guess what, the Trailer for Beauty And The Blogger is out today! If you would like to see me make a complete fool of myself (oh the tasks that I have done!), do follow
Famebox Fashion on Youtube, where the web-series will be up soon. Till then please show some love for team #GingerSnaps by voting for my model Audrey D'Silva and me on this link.

Karishma
xoxo

Pond’s Men now in India

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Dull, tired-looking skin for men is a thing of the past as global skin care pioneer - Pond’s sets out to make Indian men look bright and recharged. Pond’s is all set to energize Indian men with the launch of Pond’s Men – its international range of premium facecare products for men.  Consisting of two different product platforms:
Energy Charge and Oil Control, this range of face washes and moisturizers with special ingredients will instantly recharge and brighten your face.

Pond’s Men was launched in India at an exciting on-ground event in Mumbai. Resonating with the brand’s promise of an energizing effectafter use, the event was a fully-charged experience for all present. What added most to the event’s energy was Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan who is the face of the new Pond’s Men range in India. While interacting at the launch, the young actor endorsed the adoption of a regular grooming routine for all Indian men, especially daily facial skin care.

Each platform in the new Pond’s Men range features a face-wash and face-moisturizer with special ingredients and proven benefits which address the most evolving skincare concernsamong Indian men. The unique invigorating Coffee Bean Extract present in the Energy Charge range is known for its skin care benefits & anti-oxidant properties. Scientifically, Coffee Bean Extract is also known to help boost collagen production, improve skin elasticity, give a smoother skin texture and add brightness to the face.  It is also known to help fight the damage caused by UV rays.
Speaking at the launch, Varun Dhawan said, “My skin has to go through a lot during a regular work day – since most of my time is spent outdoors in dusty environments. So a good face wash that can refresh my skin instantly is almost indispensable to me. I love the new Pond’s Men range of facewashes and moisturizers because they are an effective and no-fuss solution to my skin needs. Pond’s is amongst the most reputed skincare brands in the world. It is exciting to be the face of this product range for men.” 



Fashion Therapy: The Pineapple Trend

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I went for a little window shopping the other day, and all I could see was pineapples! The pineapple print is back this year, and it is everywhere. At first I couldn’t fathom the idea of wearing a giant pineapple on my t-shirt, but then of course the pineapple print is available in various sizes, patterns and even colors. I am ready to welcome this juicy trend this summer, what about you?

Karishma
xoxo



DIY : How To Replicate Hairstyles Of Famous FIFA WAGs

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by TRESemmé

FIFA 2014 is here! In just two days from now, world’s best football players will begin the battle for the sport's ultimate prize - the WORLD CUP TROPHY.
While the most talented football stars will be seen battling for the top spot, off the field, their glamorous better halves - wives and girlfriends - are expected to start a glamour riot of their own.
Expect them to flaunt the latest global trends from head to toe!
Marcus Francis, official stylist TRESemmé, spots the famous WAG’s unique styles and shows you how to kick off the soccer season on a glamorous note!




Shakira's Side Swept Wavy Hairdo

If you love to experiment with different kinds of waves, Marcus shows you how to flaunt the perfect side swept waves.

  1.  Wash and condition your hair thoroughly with TRESemmé Split Remedy shampoo and conditioner
  2.     Blow dry hair with a large barrel brush to give movement to your hair
  3.     Use small or medium tongs depending on the size of the curls desired. Work with four sections each side, depending on hair length and alternating by curling one section clockwise and the next anti-clockwise
  4.     For the side sweep: use a paddle brush and firmly brush from the crown up and over left to right, avoiding the waves from the ear down by bringing them around the nape and over gently by hand 


Irina's High volume ponytail

A high volume ponytail looks glamorous with anything from a gown to pair of denims.

1.   Wash and condition your hair with TRESemmé Keratin Smooth shampoo and conditioner
2.     Blow dry your hair straight and part out the crown section of your hair
3.     Backcomb the section at the crown working towards the front to get volume
4.    Brush all the hair back at the nape of the nape of the in a ponytail and secure with an elastic band


Bruna Marquezine’s Dainty Side Bun

If you are feminine and love to flaunt soft looks, try an elegant side bun hairdo in just a few easy steps.

1.      Begin by choosing a right side part and brush a section of hair from the front straight down and to the side, creating a dramatic side-swept bang
2.     Pin to the side, teasing the hair a bit at the crown for a little lift, and smooth it out with your brush
3.     Divide hair in half into a top and bottom. Pin the top up on top of your head. Create a low, messy side bun behind your right ear by pulling all the hair through once then pull back through again, but only halfway. Twist the hair tie once more and pull half of the bun through. Pin around the edges to secure your bun
4.     Release the top section and twist it all the way to the end. Wrap your twist clockwise around your bun and pin the end securely

Antonia Roccuzzo’s Glamorous curls

Dress your long hair in extreme chic style with the glamorous curls. These will make head turn and how!

1.      Separate freshly washed damp hair into small sections, apply an extra-long spiral curler towards the end of your hair strands to create soft waves
2.     Curl your hair in a way that you create waves spiraling in different directions.
3.     Leave your hair to dry naturally. Once your hair has dried, you can take out the curlers
4.     Take a smoothing brush and use with your hairdryer on a low setting to smooth and coax your curls into fabulous flowing waves

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Giveaway Winners!

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Hello to all you beautiful people!
Updating you about the winners of Lakmé Absolute Drama Stylist Shadow Duos Giveaway, whom I have already addressed on twitter last week. And the winners are:


Raina Jaiswal and Ashwini Prashanth


Congratulations girls! You have won a Lakmé Absolute Drama Stylist Shadow Duo each! Please email me your details on bloggeradmin@gingersnapsxoxo.com.


Karishma
xoxo

5 Awesome Natural Skincare Products by Tattva

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“68 percent of what we put on our body is absorbed by our body. Why should we let our body absorb harmful chemicals when nature has blessed us with infinite natural ingredients to benefit from.” –Shabia Walia, Founder and Owner of the brand ‘Tattva’

Now doesn’t this statement make you think twice about all the products that are lying in your beauty pantry? I recently came across Tattva, a brand which makes
chemical free, natural and handcrafted products, and boy am I glad that I did! Tattva was founded by Shabia Walia in January this year, with the intention of providing natural products at reasonable prices. These
products are handmade from natural ingredients, and are 100% chemical free which makes them 100% more appealing and wonderful to me.My favorite Tattva products will have to be the 'Honey Almond Face Scrub', and the heart shaped 'Lemon Bath Bombs.'

Here are 5 awesome products from Tattva that everyone has been talking about, and that have made Tattva a loved and trusted brand in such a short span of time :



Lemony Soap and Scrub Bath Bombs 

Tattva's heart shaped 'Lemony Soap and Scrub Bath Bombs' are packed with the goodness of sugar, soap, lemon and natural oils, these double up as soap and scrubs both leaving your skin moisturised and soft!! These also make great gifts for your friends and loved ones. Available in sets of a dozen. Shapes, Colours and Flavours can be customised.

 

Tattva Body Lotions 

Tattva's 'Cooling Aloe Vera Body Lotion' is a light non-greasy yet mositurising body lotion for summers. With the goodness of aloe vera, shea butter and almond oil, this one leaves your skin soft and supple. Tattva's 'Soothing Lavender Body Lotion' is a super luxurious body lotion with the wonderful fragrance of lavender. Great for your skin, Great for your senses.

  

Tattva's Honey Almond Face Scrub

A face ­scrub ideal for oily skin. The lemon juice reduces the oily skin while almonds and honey nourish and balance out the skin.

 

Vanilla Cinnamon Body Scrub 

A wonderful smelling body scrub. The vanilla gives a great start to your mornings. Scrub, exfoliate, feel fresh and come out smelling like a million bucks.

 

Scrubby Soap Bars 

When women complained that they had no time to scrub, cleanse and moisturise everyday, we got thinking and came up with a three in one. Introducing our very own 'Scrubby Soap Bars' which has an exfoliant, a soap and a moisturiser combined. Now have a normal bath everyday with these bars and get benefits of all three in one go. With crushed almonds as exfoliant, gentle soap with essential oils to lather up and shea butter as moisturiser, this one's sure yo be one helluva bath. Now scrub, clean, moisturise everyday without investing extra time

                                ________________________________

 

You can buy Tattva products from their Website and also on Natural Mantra. While I may not be ready to toss out every chemically-laden cream and face-wash that I own, I am going natural, one product at a time. What about you?



Karishma
xoxo

The Twisted Twenties by Deepali Junjappa

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Here are some crucial points from Mimi Hittalmani's manual for the 'Twenty Somethings':
 
Stop thinking you are special.
Don’t tell your parents “Every Damn Thing!”
It's okay to be NON-listed.
Make your first solo trip.
Date as many people as possible.
The twenties are a rehearsal for the Thirties.
Get over yourself!....
 
And as much as I would like to deny, there are, ahem, a lot of things in the Manual that I would agree to. 

In her debut novel 'The Twisted Twenties', Deepali Junjappa has incorporated the language of ‘The WhatsApp Age’ with elegance and created a refreshing narrative. Now Mimi could be any girl of today’s age. Born to Academic Indian parents, she is expected to ace everything she touches and preferably do something academic as well. She has other ideas and decides to go her own way which leads her to good jobs, bad jobs, evading possibly the worst job ever, heartache, blasts from the past, screwing up, falling into the low’s and climbing out of them.  

Pick up the book for Mimi Hittalmani's maddening, exasperating and thoroughly entertaining journey through the roller-coaster that is 'The Twisted Twenties.'
____________________________________

From The Back Cover:
For Mimi Hittalmani, a confused twenty something life is about to begin. After getting sacked by her bad ass editor for attending a silly Bollywood bash, clotted with a nasty breakup; Mimi decides to expand her worldview. Two years later, armed with a foreign degree and some flashy Aussie stories she begins her mis-adventures in Mumbai where she meets the gorgeous Mehra brothers and falls in love with all three at once. Mimi then joins the carnival and let’s herself go on the train of chaos, cacophony, camera and drama. She’s glad; her co passengers are all potential soul mates, she never met; the brotherhood of lost loves. From then on the joy ride of working, flirting, schmoozing, networking, hiring ‘tight assed’ women and finally falling in love become part of Mimi’s quirky and hilarious journey. By the end she realizes that the twenties are indeed twisted; it’s OK to goof up, jump courses, change careers, flout opinions and of course chat up four guys at once! 

You can purchase 'The Twisted Twenties'here.

Karishma
xoxo

Monday Quote

American Swan Beauty and the Blogger - The Last Phase

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                              (You can watch the whole playlist of my team #GingerSnaps here.)

It's the last lap of Beauty and the Blogger and the winners are going to be chosen soon! Have you watched my team #GingerSnaps' videos yet? If not then go ahead, and click on the videos above and watch me parading around in heels and talking about blogging like a boss #SWAG (#LolJK.)


Oh and yes, you can also catch Beauty and Blogger on ZoomTV on Sunday at 10:30 PM.

Karishma
xoxo


Monday Quote

Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014: Mumbai Winners for the Kids Fashion Show

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Barbie and Hot Wheels in association with Hamleys is hosting the first of its kind fashion show at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014, where 20 kids aged between 6-12 years from across India will get a chance to walk the LFW ramp in August 2014 in Mumbai.

Mumbai Winners1. Sayf Ali Khan2. Aadiv Kaul3. Anushka Chanil4. Malhar Shah5. Inaya Gala6. Vaani ChauhanTo be a part of the final Mumbai audition, children had undergone the Hamleys Ramp Camp workshops which helped them from confidence building exercises to posing on the ramp. The final city audition round was conducted at the Hamleys store in High Street Phoenix and the judges evaluated the young participants on the basis of their confidence, enthusiasm, poise and overall personality.

At Lakmé Fashion Week these mini fashionistas from Mumbai will walk the ramp in the mesmerizing latest collection from Barbie for little girls signifying the brand message 'with Barbie Anything is Possible' and the young boys will have a thrilling experience with Hot Wheels collection as they will be styled in edgy designs that will embody the brand attributes of speed, performance and power.


Karishma
xoxo

Tip Tip Barsa Fashion - Inorbit Mall

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Psst.. I have a confession to make. No this is not a part of the forgotten ‘Saturday Confessions’ series that I used to post here, and this may be something that might seem bizarre, but the truth is, I am terrible at shopping. All the myriad of choices which are supposed to make shopping pleasurable for us, drive me crazy! I can spend hours contemplating whether I want a dress in red or blue (FYI, both is never a good idea.) You can only imagine what my stress levels were when I was given a challenge at Inorbit Mall to create a monsoon look while being timed!

Left - Vero Moda, Right Top and Bottom Pic - Only







Take a look at how Bhawna, Megha, Zubi and I try to make the most of the one and a half hour allotted to us, in this video


Karishma
xoxo

Monday Quote

Monday Motivation

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