Monsoon Mix

Blazer- Marks & Spencer, Dress- Hues, Bag- Rebecca Minkoff, Rings- Romwe, Bracelet- PipaBella, On my lips- Cosmo by Mac

When it rains, all I want to do is, sit with my hot chocolate by the window and admire. And yes, I've done a lot of that in the past one week while the rain gods were going berserk! So when I finally had to step out, smashing prints was the only thing on my mind. I've attempted mixing florals with stripes before and so this time I opted for yet another classic print, the polka dots. I grabbed this jersey jacket in the mid-season Marks&Spencer sale and boy do I love it! When mixing prints, the basic rule is to use one colour as your base colour which would act as a mediator between the prints, which for me was navy blue. The navy blue in the dress and the blazer help create a perfect outfit despite the contradicting prints. I added some minimalistic rings, a wrap bracelet and my current favourite bag to complete the look! 

Now the reason I had to step out was to attend a meeting for the exhibition I'm hosting this Saturday, 22nd June 2013, for the Final Sale of the StyleDrive for Spring Break collection along with the phenomenal upcoming jewellery brand, PipaBella! I adore their jewellery and here's a chance for you to grab some pieces from their semi-annual sale and also get a preview of their brand new Monsoon Collection! Come say Hello to me at Lagerbay between 12 to 6 pm and grab some steal deals. I'd love to see you there!

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Camouflage Attack

Jacket/Overshirt- Zara, Blouse- Mesh, Pants- Zara(old), Sunglasses & Shoes- Zara, Purse- Mom's, On my lips- Mac's Twig, On my nails- China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy

Whether you've been an ardent follower of this blog or you've just been casually browsing on a regular basis, you would know that my style tilts more towards the feminine side. I mean I love my jeans & pants but if you ask me, honestly, I could live in my skater dresses and flouncy skirts forever. But as they say, change is the spice of life. So every now and then I do try to pick up some pieces that are slightly out of my comfort zone or style barricades. This jacket is just one of those pieces. I saw it over a month ago and visited the store thrice before I finally made the splurge. And boy, am I glad I jumped in. I've worn it with pants and rocked it with a dress too. I look forward to wearing it more often once the humidity and heat decide to leave us alone. For this outfit, I decided to go with these burgundy/oxblood/whateveryouwanttocallit pants with the jacket because I love the contrast it creates. I added a simple off-white flowy blouse for that neutral touch and finished it off with tan shoes. For the bag, I stole my mom's vintage leather purse and I am in no mood to let go! I hope you guys enjoyed the post and hopefully, I motivated you to go buy those floral pants or that sequin dress or that velvet skirt which you weren't sure of buying, until now of course!

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Top 5 favourite lipstick brands

I was never into makeup products like I am now. It's been almost 2 years since I first started collecting makeup and learnt about the techniques and tools to be used. It's definitely something that intrigues me a lot and now I end up spending a lot of my money on it.
As I got more and more into it, I also figured out how certain brands are better with certain products or simple things like shelf lives of a product and how to spend less money on things like Mascara which can only last you a maximum of 3 months and more on products with a longer shelf life.
My all time favourite make up products would have to be a good concealer, a voluminousness mascara and a bright lipstick! These are 3 things that I cannot live without. I have collected quite a few lipsticks- some high end and some drug store, over the years. Here are my top 5 lipstick brands :-

1) Maybelline

They make such amazing products at such affordable prices. I love their lip products! I own a few of their  lipsticks and Pink Petal is by far my favourite shade from Maybelline. They cost somewhere around Rs.300 and smell amazing (if you care for that). The packaging is alright, not my favourite but it works out. All in all you get more than what you pay for and if you are a lipstick lover like me, you must try these!

2) Revlon

Revlon is such an amazing brand just generally. I love their mascaras, their nail polishes, their lip glosses and of course the lipsticks! They make some absolutely wonderful finishes in gorgeous colours. They range anywhere between Rs.400-600 and usually have a sleek black packaging. My favourite Revlon colours have to be Coral and Pink Pout. Both of them look gorgeous on a skin tone like mine and stay on for a good amount of time! So next time you're at the mall don't forget to check out the Revlon counter!
( I can't wait for their Lip Butters to launch in India. I picked up two of them on my recent Holiday and I absolutely love them!)

3) MAC

Mac by far has the most amazing colour range as far as lipsticks go. They do about 5 finishes out of which Amplified and Creme sheen's are my favourites! Everytime I go to a Mac store, I want to buy more lipsticks! It's kind of a problem. But they are so amazing. Not only do they have a sleek packaging and delicious smell but they are also moisturizing and last on my lips for a decent amount of time. The darker colours tend to stay on better though. They are priced at Rs.990 unless they are from a limited edition collection. My favourites would have to Impassioned, Russian Red and Chatterbox. Do try them if you love wearing lipsticks and want to invest in some good one's. Mac also has a back to mac policy, in which you can take back 6 empty product containers and get a Free lipstick in return! Bonus points!

4) Chanel

Chanel is one of my favourite cosmetic brands. Their products smell so good and every time I use Chanel products, it just makes me happier. Their lipsticks are not the best but they are pretty good. I am not a big fan of their finishes and colour palettes but every now and then I do find a shade I love. They cost around Rs.2000 and are definitely not something I indulge in all the time! Their lip glosses are pretty awesome too. Pluses, they are super moisturizing, smell SO good and I love the packaging. Minuses, over priced.

5) Nyx/ Colorbar

Okay so these 2 brands rank the same for me! They are both amazing and cost the least out of all the brands I've mentioned above. I love the Nyx Matte lipsticks and their Soft Matte lip Creams! I had ordered so many from www.beautyjoint.com( btw, you can get a discount on this site if you use the code- STYLEDRIVE at checkout) last year and since then I have received a compliment every single time I've worn them in person or even in my outfit posts! Their packaging is pretty good but what I love the most is the colour pay off of their lipsticks! Another amazing thing is that their Matte lipsticks are not drying unlike most brands. Really good stuff!

As for Colorbar, I own 3 of their lipsticks and they are all so good! Not a big fan of their packaging but I love their wide range of colors and the fact that they are so affordable! My favourite shade would have to be Smokey Rose.

So these are my top 5 favourite lipstick/lip product brands! Which is your favourite lipstick brand? I love lipsticks and I enjoy trying new shades all the time, so do leave a comment below and tell me if know of a  shade that you think I should try!

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