Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Monsoon Rejuvenation at Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE

Hello Chicas,

Recently I was invited by Raichak on Ganges to review their property. During my stay at Raichak, I couldn't resist from visiting the highly coveted Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE to rejuvenate myself and therefore I booked an appointment for myself. I'm not a big spa junkie, but I do take out time once in a while to rejuvenate my body and soul from the strenuous city life. So, off I went for a luxurious experience at Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE.

Where:

Spread across 14,000 sq. ft. of area, Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE is nestled on the banks of the magnificent Ganges at Anaya Kutir. A Mediterranean wellness sanctuary, this spa offers complete rejuvenation with combined techniques from the East and the West such as Swedish, Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi, Balinese & Shiatsu. Founded in 1974 in Provence, France by Olivier Baussan, L’OCCITANE is a luxurious beauty brand, which hugely glorifies the beauty traditions of Provence. Touted as the best facial spa in Kolkata, the peaceful environment of Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE embarks you on a journey of deep relaxation, invigorating the mind, body and soul.

What are the services offered:


From anti-ageing to drainage facials for men and women, Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE provides four different types of hydrating facial. They have employed professional therapists who are trained to offer best facial services after thoroughly analyzing the skin. Apart from facials, they offer an array of body massages, body scrubs and other area focused technical treatments.

The service I opted for:

 As my skin is super dry, I opted for the Angelica Fountain of Glow  facial.  Angelica is an exceptional plant that grows incredibly fast due to its hydration capabilities. L'OCCITANE has placed this amazing plant at the heart of a complete face care range to intensely rehydrate and revitalize the skin. Retaining the skin’s natural beauty, this facial delivers ideal moisturization and comes blended with two organic Angelica extracts namely water and essential oil.

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: 

The Angelica facial I tried is priced at INR 5000 approximate.

My experience at Anaya Spa by L’OCCITANE:

Prior to the treatment, I was greeted with a “Welcome Ritual”. I was welcomed by the manager of the spa who gave me a tour of the place. Post that I was offered a pair of spa slippers and a cup of delicious tea consisting of ginger and honey. After that my therapist took me to the treatment room and gave me the spa robe to change into. She started the treatment with a very gentle foot massage ritual to relax my body for which I was asked to soak my feet in a bowl of scented warm water. And then my facial treatment began which incorporated 2 organic angelic extracts – water and essential oil, working together to deliver ideal moisturization. The Angelica facial treatment includes cleansing, toning, skin analysis, exfoliation and hot compress. After the hot compress the therapist proceeded with the comedon removal. After the extraction, she performed the signature drainage face massage that ensured all possible impurities were removed from my face. Later, my face was covered with a mask and the therapist applied the L’OCCITANE exclusive herb mask. While the mask was on, she performed relaxing shoulder and hand massage. The mask was removed after 20 minutes and once again toning was performed to hydrate the skin and make the skin ready to absorb the Angelica hydration cream, Angelica protective lotion SPF 15 and Eye retreat. The L'OCCITANE signature drainage face massage sequence made my skin smoother, re-plumped and more radiant. After 75 minutes of pampering session, I could see my skin glowing. The soft background music that played in the background made the experience even more delightful.

 I was highly satisfied with the service at Anaya Spa. The Angelica facial by L'OCCITANE helped my skin to regain its natural vitality and suppleness. The hydrating facial made my skin smoother, re-plumped and more radiant and I would highly recommend you'll to try out this luxurious treatment.

Picture Courtesy: Jyotika Baijal



Monday, 24 July 2017

We all scream ice-cream at I Scream Co.

Hello Chicas,

For those of you who follow me on Instagram closely you must be aware of the fact of my love for desserts. So, I was particularly elated when I was invited by the I Scream Co. team for a tasting session. Located on Justice Chandra Madhav Road, the place is small but has been done in a very quirky fashion. The walls are painted beautifully with colorful animated dragons relishing ice-creams and I don't think the interior of an ice-cream parlor can get any cuter than this.

The menu has been curated and designed by Shawn Kenworthy and boasts of 36 ice-cream flavors, 6 different types of sorbets, mocktails, milkshakes and some exclusive dessert with over a dozen of toppings to choose from. Following the liquid nitrogen trend in the city, I-Scream Co. has also come up with an array of innovative flavors using the liquid nitrogen, which makes the texture of the ice-cream extremely smooth and creamy.

I was so confused looking at the bazillion options and after spotting Nutella on the menu, I settled for Warm Chocolatty Nutella Crunch Brownie from their exclusive dessert menu. This dessert is basically a warm chocolate brownie topped with Nutella ice-cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and some chocolate butterscotch to add a little crunch. The dessert was absolutely lip-smacking and I really love the fact that it wasn't very sweet, so you can definitely gorge on some more of their unique flavors. The above mentioned dessert is priced at INR 240. Next came in the Dragon Shots, flavored popcorn cooled with liquid nitrogen, which, when you bite into them, makes you breathe smoke out of your mouth like a dragon, how cool is that? I think this one is certainly going to be the talk of the town. Dragon Shots are currently available in chocolate and caramel and is priced at INR 130. Lastly, I couldn't resist from trying out the sorbet, this time I went with the strawberry flavor. The strawberry sorbet was colorful and very fresh with a perfect balance of sweet and tangy. The sorbet too was priced at INR 130.

I had a truly amazing time at I-scream Co. I enjoyed all the deserts, the ice-creams were very creamy with a mild sweetness and I was very surprised to see the variety of unique flavors available. This place is a gem for dessert freaks like me, I'm so glad that such innovative dessert joints are coming up in Kolkata. I cannot wait to visit this place again and would highly recommend you'll to visit I Scream Co. the soonest.

Location: 41, Justice Chandra Madhav Road, Bhawanipur, Kolkata
Opening Hours: 2 pm to 1:30 am
Pocket Pinch: INR 300 for two people

Picture Courtesy: Jyotika Baijal

The quirky logo!

Liquid Nitrogen Ice-Cream in the making

Warm Chocolatty Nutella Crunch Brownie

Sunday, 16 July 2017

Gillette Venus Breeze 2-in-1 Razor Review

Hello Chicas,

I recently shared with you all the details about the Subscribe to Smooth event hosted in Kolkata by Kalki Kamani and ace dermatologist Dr. Rashmi Shetty. We received the newly launched Gillette Venus Breeze at the event and since then I have used the razor more than a couple of times and therefore thought of sharing my views on it. Shaving has been the first hair removal tool which I had tried and I keep coming back to it every now and then when the situation demands. Shaving is one of the easiest and quickest methods of hair removal however one cannot ignore the fact how important the role of the razor is in having a safe and smooth shaving experience. I have always been a big fan of Gillette Venus razor and I was happy to see another amazing launch by the brand. 

Price: 
Gillette Venus Breeze Shaving Razor: INR 299
Pack of 2 cartridges: INR 350
Special Offer: Razor + 2 cartridges: INR 499
Product Description:

Now smooth skin is just a shave away! The all new Gillette Venus Breeze razor for women is the secret to a time saving shave. It is built with flexible shave gel bars and contains rich body butters for a light lather. A smooth glide that makes no need for separate shave gel or soap.
• 3 Spring-mounted blades with telomer coating with shower storage.
• Gives a smooth and silky shave
• This razor is gentle on the skin
• Easy to use and convenient to carry


My experience with Gillette Venus Breeze Razor:

I was pretty impressed with the packaging. The Gillette Venus Breeze 2-in-1 Razor comes in a pretty transparent plastic box. The front part has some violet floral print, whereas the other side has a nice plastic tray, which contains one razor and one cartridge. The cartridge comes in a small plastic box which can be used as a cap. The translucent lavender body done in rubber provides an easy grip making the shaving experience even more pleasant. One has to attach the cartridge to the clip like part on the top of the razor. The cartridge contains two shaving gel bars which has a very pleasant floral fragrance. 
Gillette Venus Breeze 2 in 1 Razor glides on quickly and smoothly on the skin. And the built-in shaving gel bars create a light lather which helps to make the shaving process quicker. The best time to use this razor is during the bath, otherwise the shaving process can get a little messy. The razor head has 3 blades in it and they are sharp enough to give a smooth shave without causing any cuts. Also, the razor has a user-friendly curved body & head, which helps to reach the curved areas easily. Since it's a 2-in-1 razor Gillette claims that you don't need to use any soap/ foam for shaving and to my surprise the gel bars lathered easily after dampening the razor. The triple blades ensure a close shave and successfully eliminates even the tiniest hair. The quantity of the gel bars is sufficient and they do not melt easily. Overall, the experience of shaving with Gillette Venus Breeze was wonderful. I was really satisfied with its performance, one stroke removed all the hair making my skin soft. There wasn't any irritation or scratches after shaving and the lather created by gel bars hydrated my skin well. 

Pros of Gillette Venus Breeze Razor:

  • Attractive packaging
  • Travel friendly
  • Easy to use
  • Comes with two shaving gel bars attached to the blades eliminating the need of using shaving cream/soap
  • Provides smooth and silky shave
  • Feels gentle on the skin
  • Flexible razor head glides easily to curved areas
  • Skin doesn’t feel dry/itchy post shaving
  • Pocket friendly
Cons of Gillette Venus Breeze Razor:
  • Gel bars remains damp post shave and needs to be kept in a dry place vertically
  • The gel bars may wear down before the blades loose its sharpness.
Would I recommend Gillette Venus Breeze Razor:

I would highly recommend you all to try out Gillette Venus Breeze for a quick, safe and easy shaving experience. And I would definitely be repurchasing the cartilages for future use.

My Rating:
4.5/5




Tuesday, 11 July 2017

New Hawker's Hall Menu at Mamagoto

Hello Chicas,

Being an ardent lover of Pan Asian cuisines, I was super excited when I received an invitation from Mamagoto to try out their newly launched Hawker's menu. Pan Asian cuisines are known to have a lot of different flavors reflecting the broad diversity of numerous cultures within Asia. The vibrant colors combined with the depth of flavor is something which I love about Pan Asian cuisines.

Hawker's menu as the name suggests, is the cuisine which has been picked from the streets of Thailand, China, Indonesia and Malaysia all in a single menu. The traditional recipes of Pan Asian cuisines have been given Mamagoto's signature twist. The menu has a good mix of 10 dishes of different Asian cuisines. As we entered the restaurant, we couldn't help stopping by in awe of the quirky decor and the play of colors. They don't only bring their signature twist to the dishes, but also to the decor of the restaurant. 

Coming to the food, we started off with mocktails, which are already there on the permanent menu of Mamagoto. I tried the Kiwi Mint Collins and Cranberry Kaffin Lime Punch. Both of them were very refreshing, but if I had to pick one, I would go with the Cranberry one as I love berry flavors. Both the mocktails are priced at INR 229.

Next came in one of the most epic dishes, Thai Puchka. The puchkas were on a bed of grounded peanuts and stuffed with betel leaf. There were hints of  coconut, tamarind and ginger. The platter consists of 6 puchkas and for a person like me being a huge puchka fan, I wouldn't share it with anyone. Priced at INR 219. The puchkas were followed by Rice Pancake with Chicken another favorite dish of mine. The pancake was filled with minced chicken and veggies and was accompanied by lip-smacking apple and mint sauce. The rice pancake comes in a generous quantity and can be easily shared between two people. Priced at INR 249. Now coming to my favorite dish from the Hawker's menu Mekong Boat Chicken Curry, it tasted absolutely smashing. It has a peanut based chicken curry along with broccoli and is served with rice noodle nests. I am still salivating while describing the dish. The whole dish beamed with all the right flavors and I'm definitely going back for this one. Priced at INR 429. Bibimap is another wholesome dish which is basically a platter of sticky sesame rice accompanied with sauteed seasonal vegetables and meat keema. I really liked the way this particular dish was presented. Priced at INR 539. Lastly, I tried the vegetarian Garlicky Noodles which were served with broccoli and burnt garlic. Again, the flavor was too good and the dish tasted like an authentic Chinese one. Priced at INR 349. Finally coming to my favorite part of meals, dessert, there were two spectacular dishes served to us. One was Home Made "American Style" Chunky Caramel Cake served with warm Toffee Sauce and Ice-cream and the other one was Choco Walnut Fudge with a scoop of Ice-cream. Both of them were absolutely delicious. I particularly loved the divine toffee sauce served with the caramel cake.

Coning to my look, I wore a monochrome outfit, I don't know why I have been doing monochrome so much these days. I paired a basic round neck ripped tee with a drawstring black skirt. The skirt has a really sexy mesh detailing at the hem. Again, to add some colors I opted for a pair of candy stripes pump.

Picture Courtesy: Jyotika Baijal



Thursday, 6 July 2017

Monochrome with a Pop

Hello Chicas,

No matter how much I love experimenting with bold colors, I keep coming back to neutral shades every now and then. Recently this particular monochrome stripe dress from Raaika caught my eyes while surfing the net. This one came with a belt, but I ditched it as it was on the wrong place and kinda made me look even more petite. I really love the fact how shirt dresses work for just about any occasion. This one, for example can be worn to work with statement earrings as a sleek office wear or dressed down for a casual look. Also, you get to play with layering by pairing it over a basic outfit to level up the look.


Coming to the brand Raaika, it's a brand new label based at Kolkata catering to the fashion-conscious, independent woman who wants to look good, feel great and have fun with her look. Their pieces are stylish yet sufficiently casual with super unique design and is sure to add flair to your look book. I was really happy with the products I received from them and would definitely recommend you'll to check it out.

I have kept things simple and worn the shirt dress casually with a pair of white sneakers. To break the monotony I have added a turquoise bag which has a huge pink pom pom attached to it. I was so dead tired with another shoot before this one that we ended up taking some shots in McDonald's and a few nearby a local hawker's magazine stall. And, yes I was checking myself out in Cosmopolitan throughout the shoot. :P

Picture Courtesy: Jyotika Baijal