Fusing Fashion

For centuries now, India has been a source of inspiration to many international designers. From its intricate embroidery to the colourful blend of fabrics. Unfortunately, many of us ignore this inherent beauty and steer towards more international trends. Besides that, fickle trends and the growing retail industry intimidate the best of us. Give in to the desi touch to stand out in the crowd.

Sonu wore a denim shirt with a floral patiala

Shirt, Fashion Street (last worn with a skirt here)| patiala & mojris, Chandigarh| bag, PAX| glares, vintage Ray Ban| ring, c/o Blur| bracelets, Aquamarine

• Indian pants -- patialas or jodphuris -- are a great way to incorporate an ethnic touch to your look. Comfortable and stylish, these pants suit all bodytypes. 
• Make use of your salwar suits beyond the usual style and wear them with a tunic, over-sized shirt or a tank with blazer combination. 
• Add high heels in nude pumps, caged gladiators or some lightweight booties for a more international look. Alternatively, go all desi with mojris and jhola combination.

Read more about the dhoti trend.

Jasleen add a desi touch to her palazzos and tunic combination with ethnic jewellery

Palazzo, Splash (see another great pick here)| shirt, Fashion Street| necklace, c/o Just Jewellery (see another piece here)| ring, Forever 21| bag, c/o Romwe| mojris, Chandigarh

• Make use of your vintage jewellery passed on from generations to make a statement. Don your jewellery pieces to make a statement in quirky ways.
• Wear a big necklace with a printed dress for a change and not just with your LBD. Pair your oversized kundan ring with a boyfriend blazer and jeans.
• Try your chandelier earrings with an androgynous-inspired outfit like pleated pants and a blouse. In a nutshell, break away from the urge to wear statement pieces only with plain outfits thinking it’s OTT, think differently to make the most of your jewellery. 

Read more about our bling box.

Review: SimplySizzl.in

We love a young energetic team who invest their sweat and blood in their newly launched venture. The Simply Sizzl.in team has it all: they are professional, chic style and most importantly a great product. With the online boom and many e-commerce sites cloning one another, Simply Sizzl.in comes as a breath of fresh air.  

Thumbs Up:
Neatly organised site: Check out the Looks Section, it's a shopping haven. They’ve segregated looks to suit your personality, from Bollywood inspired quirky picks to a glamorous diva or a chic beach body to the modern Indian bride they seem to have it all.

Wide variety: Unlike most sites replenish their stock intermittently, the SS team is out there to give you the widest variety of accessories and clothes (we are lusting over 1, 2 and 3).

COD: We don’t own credit cards (we’d be in severe debt) so any e-commerce site that offers Cash on Delivery gets brownie points from us.

Thumbs down:
Price: The site has an assortment of designer wear (Ranna Gill, Swati Modo, AM:PM to name a few) and one-of-a-kind accessories that would be a little steep. But hey, great taste comes at a price. We suggest save up your pocket money for these gorgeous heels, we certainly are.
The price range starts @ Rs 1,800/- onwards. You can also enjoy their sale here.

*Disclaimer: We have been compensated for this post, however, team Fashion Bombay reserves the right to content and opinion.

DIY: The Pom Pom Necklace

Many of you asked us about our little DIY attempt from the last video. We love easy DIYs, they are a great way to showoff your creativity on a budget. Check out our 3-step DIY statement necklace and add that zing to your plain jeans and tee combination. Hope you enjoy this video, more on our Youtube Channel.

Location Courtesy: Shiro

Steal Versus Splurge: Beauty Series II

Yes, we've literally been obsessed with all kinds of red lips. They instantly dress up any look and just make you so glamorous suddenly. Here is another battle of the Steal versus Splurge.

Disclaimer: These are all tried first hand and bought products and we are not being paid to do this. Strictly our viewpoint, we bring you some damn good steal options for days when you don't want to spend a bomb and still indulge yourself. You must have heard of the 'lipstick effect'?

STEAL
Faces Radiant Red lip cream Rs.350/- approx.

Pro: This lip cream is so light and matte without being drying. The red is a nice brick shade that will suit most Indian skin tones. The matte cream formula we feel always has a plumping effect on the lips.

Con: This is a great product but unfortunately it just doesn't stay.  You have to keep touching up your lips but for the price and the lovely colour, we don't mind a couple of trips to the ladies' room.

Chambor Rubis Rouge powder matte lipstick Rs.450/-

Pro: This lipstick is exactly what it says. A gorgeous powder matte finish. The product looks so expensive when worn, no one will think you've spent under Rs.500/- for this lip colour. The red is a nice bright true red, not like the usual orangey reds you find in brights. Stays long enough through a long night of eating. It fades pretty evenly too so if you can't touch up, don't worry.

Con: When you run it on your lips you might find it too dry to apply but I find that when I apply it light handedly, this problem is eliminated. However, just a dab of lip balm before application
can solve this problem. Once you wear it, it's very light on the lips.

SPLURGE:
Nars Heat Wave semi matte lipstick Rs. 1,300/- approx.

Pro: This lipstick is a dream for more than one reason. Flawless application and finish, fantastic packaging, a beautiful bright red that stays put on your lips without being heavy. It smells gorgeous and you'll just be so happy to pull it out of your cosmetic bag. We have seen this red on dusky and really light skin tones and it simply looks great on everyone.

Con: The price can be the only damper for this product but we feel if you make just one red lipstick purchase unlike us, then this will be worth it.

Revlon Really Red matte lipstick Rs.600/-

Pro: This lipstick glides on like a dream inspite of being a matte lipstick. This is a deeper, more vintage red and an ideal pick for those who would go with something safe. It stays for a decent amount of time and requires minimum touchup.

Con: The final finish takes a while to settle so it tends to look a little glossy at first. Also, compared to Nars, Faces and Chambor, this is slightly heavier on the lips.

See the Part I of the Beauty Series, here.

Limited basics

As fashion bloggers we often are hard under the radar to dress, well, differently. While we consciously don't give in to that and stay true to our sensibilities, we do subconsciously find ourselves reaching out for an extra blazer, an additional scarf or something to jazz up our looks.

Of late however, we have decided to say 'No' when required. We are also purposefully rummaging through our wardrobe for old clothes. These looks are a fallout of this thought process.
How do you like them? 

Jasleen wore white linen pants with a tucked in floral shirt

 Shirt, Fashion Street (last seen here)| pants, Zara sale| shoes, Aldo| bag, DKNY| necklace, c/o Amaira (see another piece here)| rings, Bangalore and local silver shop| glares, Prada| lip shade, Addis Ababa by NYX (last worn here)

Sonu wore a colour-blocked blouse with comfy pants

Blouse, F21 (last worn here)| pants, c/o Calvin Klein Jeans| necklace, local silver shop| wedges, Zara (worn with shorts here)| bag, Hidesign| glares, Ray Bans| watch, Guess| lip shade, Rubis Rouge by Chambor

Fashion Bombay meets the Devil

So, one of our favourite people ever, Santu from The Devil Wore is like a house on fire at the Lakme Fashion Week and everyone wants a piece of him. We however, managed to pull him aside to shoot some pictures of us. After all, we seldom get to pose together in pictures since we shoot each other.

For the final day of the Fashion Week (seen Day 1 yet?), both of us can't help but be a little dramatic in our own way. A Grecian dress with an OTT stacked up was Jasleen's pick while Sonu wore stripes on stripes effortlessly. Which of these looks would you wear for a fashion event?

Jasleen is wearing: Dress,Zara| flats, Charles & Keith| bag, Hidesign| bangles, gifted & Kazo| necklace, F21
Sonu is wearing: Dress (worn as a blouse, see here) c/o Pocketfull of dresses| blazer, tailor made (last worn here)| bag, PAX| ring, c/o Pret-amoda| necklaces, Aquamarine, Curio Cottage & vintage| mojris, Chandigarh| glares, Ray Ban

Steal versus Splurge: Beauty Series I

Over the years we have experimented a lot with beauty products and here is us sharing some little secrets of what we learnt. These are all tried first hand and bought products and we are not being paid to do this. Strictly our viewpoint, we bring you some damn good steal options for days when you don't want to spend a bomb and still indulge yourself. You must have heard of the 'lipstick effect'?

The prices are an approximation since we've bought them over a period of time shuttling between the Beauty Centres and departmental stores but are very representational of the market prices currently.

The Mascara battle:

Lancôme Hypnose (approx Rs 1,800/-)	Maybelline Colossal Volum Express (approx Rs 350/-)
Why we love it: After trying mascaras from Marks and Spencer, Clinique, L'Oreal and Bodyshop, it is not an exaggeration when we say that Lancome Hynose is the best in the category of gorgeous lashes with plenty of drama.	Why we love it: Maybelline has a lot of different kinds of masacaras but definitely the volum express feels closest to Lancome. You get great volume and long lasting stay in very very little money which is awesome.

The Pros: Lancôme v/s Maybelline

Staying power: This masacara doesn't flake or smudge and doesn't leave those annoying black dots around your face once it is dry. After application, just give it a couple of seconds to set and then it can stay all day long. Even sweating is permitted because it doesn't streak down your face.	Staying Power: This is pretty smudge proof but have noticed that on a really long day, you could expect some flakes under your eyes which you can just dust off. It doesn't stain.
Long lasting: Have been using a small tester tube for the past two months with regularity and it still has a lot left. The Lancome Hypnose in my experience doesn't even dry off when not in use like I have experienced with some other mascaras.	Final effect: It delivers on its volume promise and makes a visibile difference to your eyes. No lack of drama, this will make your lashes look longer in one swipe too.
Final effect: It gives volume, length and drama at the same time and doesn't make your eyes heavy at all. Also, we realise that this mascara takes almost no technical skill like many other mascaras will work for you if you apply them correctly like pros but this one gives the same effect no matter how you apply it. Also, it doesn't look fake and OTT even when worn during the day.	Packaging: Simply love the bright yellow colour, thickness and chunkiness of the brush. Though it makes it difficult to fit in travel pouches, it is amazingly comfortable to use.

The Cons:

Can't think of any reason to not like this but Rs.1,800 may be steep for some. However, you can be rest assured that you will get your value for money.

This does make your lashes slightly heavy, leaving your eyes tired on a long day. But this problem may be strictly an individual one.  Other than that, you have to consume this with reguarity or it will dry out.

Hope you liked our efforts,stay tuned for the next part of the series. 

See our previous Steal v/s Splurge here.

The Fashion Mela

It's that time of the year when all fashion lovers get together and create magic. The Lakme Fashion Week is indeed the most awaited Indian fashion event of the year. But a common mistake people make is overdo their style, add that extra bling which is often an overkill. Our mantra is to stay effortlessly stylish. As always, we try and stay away from heels and stick to our comfort zone and personal style. Sonu layered and Jasleen wore her current obsession her Mickey tee.

 Sonu wore a denim jacket with a jersey maxi dress

Dress, Dubai (worn here and here)| necklace, c/o Just Jewellery| bag, PAX (another fab bag here)| jacket, Mango| flats, Zara| bracelets, Aquamarine and mom's

Jasleen wore a Mickey tee with an asymmetrical skirt

Skirt, Zara (last worn here)| tee, Vero Moda (see an androgynous look here)| flats, Zara| ring, c/o Blur| necklace, c/o Amaira| hair clip, Inky Blink @ The Source| bag, Hidesign (see here)

The Coffee Date

The rainy weather calls for some hot chocolate and fresh croissants! We met up for a casual coffee date for some fun, gossip and our first vlog. Check out our video if you are wondering how to dress up for a girlie coffee date or to simply beat the monsoon blues.

Jasleen is wearing: Blouse & denims, Zara| necklace, Curio Cottage| bracelet & clutch, c/o Pret-amoda| wedges, Charles & Keith
Sonu is wearing: Dress & crochet tee (worn inside), Colaba Causeway| wedges, Bandra| bag, Hidesign| necklace, DIY| ring, Curio Cottage| bracelets, Aquamarine

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