Make you your top most priority.. By saying NO more often.

Small post..
I realised today.. That people-pleasers have the worst life. You time and time again try to swallow your own happiness with the belief that it will make others happy.. You always try to look at the other persons face and try to understand what he/she actually wants.. And you make sure you mirror the same emotion.. Or thoughts... So that your need of wanting to be on the same page as the other person is satisfied..
I'm one of these people.. I try hard to always not be an inconvenience to others.
But I've come to realise that.. This is the worst way to live.. Because.. In ignoring your emotions and wants.. You're abusing yourself...you're creating unnecessary negative energy.. You're angry.. For not getting your way and for having to bow down to the other person's way.. It's all a frustrating circle..
So.. I want us (people pleasers)  to say NO more.. Say it right to their faces.. Because that other person did the same to you.. By not understanding YOUR thoughts.. So u have every right to say NO... repeat after me.. NO NO NO..
I want to say no more... I have realised that we try so hard to please others because we somehow want something out of them.. Maybe they are our parents.. Our caretakers or our partners ... Basically our need to please everybody comes from wanting them to look at us in a pleasing light..
But there's a solution to this.. That solution is.. To be independent... Start caring for yourself.. If your mind is screaming no.. Then listen to it..be bold.. Make others uncomfortable.. Make them angry.. It's ok.. Say this to yourself.. IT'S OK TO MAKE OTHERS UNCOMFORTABLE OR ANGRY.. Because on the other side of that.. Lies YOUR happiness. I don't know when I will be completely independent.. But that's my goal for sure.. This is also my resolution for 2017...
Whats yours?..  :-)

Xoxo
Anu

Hiatus to Hometown

Hello my beautiful readers... Hope you're doing well!!
A week ago..i decided to travel to my hometown.. So right now.. I'm here tucked away into this remote little town... Which I grew up in.. A lot of things have changed here.. I don't know what it is.. But I feel both ends of emotions.. I feel reminiscent.. But then I feel blank and numb too... I now miss the house I stayed in for such a long time.. I remember sitting on the front door steps..I remember having temper tantrums with my mom about lame stuff.. And I also remember one particular colorful diwali.. Where my family and my both uncles family came together to celebrate as one.. This is so reminiscent because.. The diwali which we celebrated recently.. Last month.. Was like the one I mentioned before.. Family and festivities... Come together to make for an extremely fun filled weekend... Of course we do nothing but eat good food and hang and chill and laugh and shout and have maximum amount of fun.. Best times..

So here I am..hometown.. Doing things like eating good healthy food and waking up early like 5 and stuff and studying quite a bit.. (I hardly do any of the above mentioned things lol).. So.. This is like an amazing retreat.. Except not that glamorous but definitely as refreshing to the mind and body as would be, a trip to Thailand or Bora Bora... (minus the beaches.. Humph ).. My uncle and aunt.. Whose house I stay in right now.. Are real good human beings.. And am glad to stay with them..il definitely miss them when I go back to Bangalore.. Which is where I live btw..

On the blog front.. I'm so pissed off because I have so many ideas in my mind.. Just giving birth one after another.. But I'm not able to put them to action.. Because of sudden intrusions.. Which I will not speak of.. For fear that you'd get bored and leave.. (don't leave now..) but I'm itching to get back to my blogging.. In fact.. I'm writing this,not on my laptop, but on my phone.. (I just discovered that blogger has an app.. Got really excited lol).. I talked about my polyvore outfits last post.. So that's coming soon.. As soon as I get to bangalore..and also before that.. A post about my winter care essentials.. Be sure to check that out..

Love
Anusha

Crappy times..And new blog beginnings..

Hey guys...

I'm at a totally crappy place in my life....One of those times when nothing seems to work out in life and one can deal with only so much shit in life before one hits a threshold....and everyday i think..wtf......and no..I dont even feel like going into the details here(no need to bore you incessantly)...I'm writing this cause as far as this blog is concerned..new content coming up..I feel like I'm writing too less of fashion and skin care stuff and too much of other stuff...but I have so much to write about!! I have so much to say..so..I feel like i should be professional and create another blog for my insane stupid pointless(yet funny i hope) ramblings...So i can write about my daily life there...and keep this blog strictly what it is...fashion and lifestyle and skin care.....

So...here's to another blog...Ill keep you posted on that..

PS: New content coming up about my Polyvore outfits ..Keep in touch!!

xoxo

Worst Month Ever..

Hello everybody!...its been quite a while since i wrote a post..see the thing is...ive had the worst month EVER..September i.e...UGH where do i start..It all started off with the worlds worst sore throat..so severe that i couldn't swallow water ..let alone eat anything!!..(although that did help me drop off a few pounds..hehe..thanks sore throat..)..and then gradually the sore throat worsened to give way for the worlds worst cold..i mean my cold couldnt make up its mind..for quite a while my nose decided that it wanted to run fluids out of it(eww i know) and the next day it was like...nope..done with running..now im going to suffocate myself..by blocking them nostrils..and i was like "NOSE!... bitch u tryin to kill me"..and nose said "Yes yes Obviously I'm TRYING to kill you" (imagine this in a Hugh Grant-esq British accent...................)

Dawn of the next day...i was thinking this is it...im going to say buhbye to my cold...but no..something more had been planned("obviously" says Hugh Grant in my head) by God ("obviously"..shut up Hugh)....so..what came about next was...viral fever..ugh TELL me about it...i quite couldn't believe the thermometer showing 102 ...wtf!..so it was run run run to the hospital nearby where our family doctor(informal family doctor ie) works....She sees me and goes "Anu!! youre back..."....i was like..."wha..wha..wha..wha she mean im back??? When was i here recently??"(imagine this with the most perplexed expression on my face..like that weird Facebook meme and then my expression changed to another Facebook meme..the one with the handsomely dressed gentleman that says "kill yourself")...so i go in like as sick as i was..and she takes a look at my throat and says"ugh mega virus attack on throat" and adds "oh mega viral fever too"..i dont know what "mega" means here so dont ask...and gives me tablets..antibiotics crap whatnot.

Fast forward to two days later...I'm back at the docs..getting blood sucked out of me into an injection and peeing into a plastic cup..to check for malaria and dengue..fast forward to the next day..tests clear me of all diseases(by all i mean ..only malaria and dengue..)...(at this point..my mind starts playing "hallelujah" subconsciously like an android music player app running in the background while you're doing other stuff on the phone)..everything normal....

Everything normal??If it was...then this post would not be called worst month ever..ha....what happened NEXT was...my mother and sister caught the virus off me....(oops.. :-D)...and then i had to run WITH them to hospitals to get them checked ..my sister has recovered since ...but my mom is still sniffing her nose and spitting phlegm and popping paracetamols..(too graphic?..sorry my bad)...hope she recovers soon..

Next chapter of f'ked up month..happened a few days ago..where i dropped my phone into water..heart stopped beating..and i acted like a crazy person losing her child.....The screen is gone..i can hear stuff happening..like...the phone makes sounds but screen is blank..its safely sitting in a box of rice as of now..anybody know how to recover from this ??Somebody help me save my baby..

This post might seem kind of funny..(what?no?its not funny?alright whatever..)..but the whole month I was in pain...and I'm so thankful that im better now..
My point of this entire post is...Sometimes..Shit like this happens..You didn't plan it..and you weren't prepared for it..but you have to take it all in your stride...

This post also reminds me of the friends sitcom theme song..especially the line "when it hasn't been your day or week or month....or even your year.."...but the solution is the next line of the song.."I'll be there for you.."..meaning not me haha(well do you want me to??)...but your family and your friends who love you..seek them and try to spend a few days or a week with them watching funny movies and thinking only positive thoughts and just basically chilling like a boss..(but do bosses chill?some do right?)..and in no time you'll be up and running like a machine..Its all in the mind..alright I'm ending this post with hopes that October is going suck less...lets see shall we?..

PS : Book I'm currently reading : The Art of Thinking Clearly(more info on this later).

Ciao guys..stay safe and healthy..(In other words..don't eat orange ice cream on a stick..you're not a 7 year old..note to self actually).
Peace.

The Secret...

Hello Blog Readers!
A quick post about this book that I'm currently reading..Its called "The Secret" By Rhonda Byrne
I have to confess that I'm quite a self-help book nerd...any self improvement book around me will not be spared from my hands..So what happened was,recently (a week ago) i met my close friend for our usual evening walk/jog in the park and at the end we always relax..Does anyone else do this?We always sit down to chat all of life's mysteries and happiness and troubles...this is the whole point of us jogging the park lol..because no matter what our moods are..we always end up being infinitely cheered up when we go home..So anyway..On this particular evening...she noticed that I was not quite my chirpy self..(I'm the chirpiest of chirpy birds actually..)So she sensed that i was going to be depressed and she was like.."hey i have this book..self help..full of positivity and stuff..u want it?"..Do i want to read a self help book?I mean..DOES the sun rise in the east? Same question..

So..The Review yes..:-D

The first thing noticeable about this hard bind book is the shape..its not the dimensions of an usual book..its almost a square..with the width just a tiny bit lesser than the length..Now..this is really uncomfortable to hold ..But its a book with such a powerful message..So lets move on from the dimensions.

The first and foremost thing i like about it is..It reveals ..yes you guessed it.."THE SECRET" BAM right in the first chapter..there's no beating about the bush with this book...not like one those books which go.."Do you want to know what it actually is?Then go on to the next chapter "..I'm like.. TELL me already...you know?So i don't want to include spoilers in this post..but the secret is actually quite simple..right in front of our eyes but still unseen..But after that,,it gets strangely repetitive..Every chapter holds the same secret and message..book tells you to apply the same secret for all problems..I'm trying it everyday..trying to think like how the book tells me to and it definitely feels good..This book definitely needs to be read at least once in your life..just to try the secret...Its worth it...Oh and apparently this was a movie first before they published the book...I will watch it very soon hope they have it on YouTube..And also the website for the book has some really cool stuff you should definitely check that out..

If you want to start indulging in some self love then I suggest you start with one of my favorite self help books ever.."How to Win Friends and Influence People"...It holds such powerful concepts that I've been blown away when I tried applying it..A couple of other amazing self helps are "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff".."Who Moved My Cheese"(which is very short) and last but not least "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"(My absolute favorite short inspiring story..standing ovation for this one).Got any books you loved so much that you'd suggest them to me??

Lakme 9 to 5 Lipstick(Brownie Point)

Helllooo people!! aaargh its been quite a while since my last post..i wrote a few tips about motivation..if u want u can check it out here ..but now finally im back to write another post and it feels good..alright without further ado lets dive in!!

Another lipstick review??

Alright another lipstick review...honestly ive been thinking about what to write about in my next post and ive had quite a few ideas...but my cousin sister and I recently purchased this lipstick and i couldn't wait to write the review and finish it off..

Kylie Jenner vibe..

The reason we purchased this lipstick is because the moment i saw it i felt a very Kylie Jenner vibe around it...its quite a brownish lipstick..i was like hmmm i cant get kylies lipkits here so i might as well do a desi take on those...like..maybe this is a dupe..(always excited for dupes..lol)

Ok so..ive seen the lipkits ..so i can tell that this lipstick has a close resemblance to dolce k...but the difference is this is a legit matte lipstick..and kylies lipkits are liquid matte lipsticks..Alright enough beating about the bush.

The Actual Review-

Packaging - Might not be a new thing to most of you guys..All of you have seen these petty famous gorgeous rose gold tubes...Looks really really elegant one must agree.
Price - Around 375 INR....But i got it for a small discount in health and glow..the actual price was around 383 i guess..
Texture & Color - Applies soo smoothly and it's quite pigmented. The color is "Brownie Point"

Type - Matte
Staying Power - Not bad...Around 2 hours easily..but if u drink or eat something(which obviously we do..cause we don't belong to the Edward Cullen family hello)..the effects wear off ....I'm quite disappointed with the staying power actually.

Now i know that these aren't the best pictures(try to bear with me people I've got a crappy camera)..but these pics are pretty much accurate on the shade.Now i wanted to include one pic of my face but trust me you didn't want to see that..teehee.

On the whole this is a good brown lipstick but somehow it didn't quite suit my skin tone...if i apply two or three coats..it looks muddy..but a single coat looks delicious ..warm brown lips..definitely team this lipstick up with the right outfit otherwise it ends up looking gaudy..Do you guys remember the 1990s and early 2000s hindi movies and how they were obsessed with brown lipsticks?.(i mean literally you would see all top ladies like Aishwarya and Rani and Kajol wearing these deep brown shades)..if you loved those then you will definitely love this one!!

Motivational Rant and Other Random Thoughts..

Hello there!How you doin?( Dont imagine Joey Tribbiani saying this..this is a normal how you doin..haha)..What have you been upto guys???August 2016 has gone by...really??It feels like just yesterday that i heard a loud extremely drunk crowd shouting "happy new year! " on the streets..and now its already September!!..I dont know about you..but i always tend to reminisce or miss days..even if it was the previous week..like..if i see a photo i immediately check out the date and then i go..aw that was four months ago..but it doesn't feel like four months..it feels like one fifth of a second..where does all the time go?? And so..i decided to write this post...Like a random reminder that days fly past and you need to live every moment of it.

The past 8 months have taught me a lot of things...You can just be ..you can be a potato on the couch,,just scanning through the TV looking for something to kill the time..you can be this person..nobody would care(except maybe a few real well wishers)...that's the truth..nobody cares ..
YOU get on your feet and start putting your life back together ,because, YOU want your life to rock,,YOU don't want to be depressed anymore..YOU don't want to feel self pity..YOU don't want to hate yourself anymore..yes,it all starts and ends with you..so what do you do?..You pick yourself up...You start taking baby steps..one step at a time..I could talk about my depression but there would be no point because this post that Im writing right now,,,is a happy post..(but if anyone asks i might do a future post about it).

I feel like..in a country where being an engineer or a doctor is the stereotype..i feel that its extremely important to break out and do your own thing..because that gives you happiness..this is why i always admire people who leave everything to follow their passion..if being an engineer or a doctor is your thing then definitely go for it...But there are lots of people who are dreaming big but cant follow it up due to fear,doubt and other similar silly but scary reasons..and that's why if you love something you should plunge yourself  immediately into it...don't think,,,don't EVER think...just do it(now i know what nike means)...just do anything...you might be scared,doubtful,weary,hopeless....but get up on your feet...get up right now and follow your dreams..because nothing is impossible...this is all life,.and you live only once..(i dont want to include a cheesy YOLO here..:-)  )

Do you think you embarrassed yourself sometime and your'e feeling mortified?don't worry,...people dont care..they never do..they have already forgotten what you did...Do you feel your hands shaking before you enter the stage?Do it anyway...you have nothing to lose..and everything to gain..Are you a mother and sometimes you wonder where life is going and you dont know what youre doing??Then hang in there..life gets better..it ALWAYS does...Are you panicking and cant seem to think or breathe...count to 10 and take deep breaths and remind yourself that this is just life...you only have one life..You can either own it or go down..Because a week or a month or 6 months or a year from now,,you will think back to this situation and feel "oh i should have done that..now its too late"...never allow this thought to creep into your mind..because nothing can kill your mind like regrets and guilt..So..Go ahead and do what you've been thinking about...you can be awesome at it..and I KNOW it..but its time for you to know it..So..Go and be who you've always wanted to be because who knows..you might end up being successful beyond your wildest dreams and inspire others too along the process..remember somewhere in the future,there is a person waiting and wanting to look up to you and think "He/She is so awesome..thats EXACTLY who I want to be"..And that must be the best feeling...Right??

Beautiful morning and sunshiny flowers

Hello lovlies!I just woke up today and immediately felt like writing a post because the weather is so good!Weather like this,that is a little warm and sunny but cold and rainy all in one..makes me want to jump..because this combination is so rare.My favorite ever weather is when its raining cats and dogs..i dont know what it is about rain it juts makes me want to cherish life..and at the same time sit in my balcony with a hot cup of ginger tea(which is my favorite btw)..Bangalore has been blesssed with good weather lately..because a few months ago around April&May it was "omg just kill me now" kind of hot temperatures..

And there is a lovely bloom of these yellow sunshiny flowers, i dont now what they're called but they look amazing and also jasmine flowers..with their intoxicating smell piercing my nose

How beautiful are these?This jasmine has creeped up from the ground below to the first floor balcony and now its growing along the walls of the balcony!!..growing flower plants might be a pain in the you know what, but when they bloom it all seems worth it!!..

Maybelline VelvetMatte Liquid Lip Color

Hey guys! Let me share with you the main reasons why you need to step UP your lipstick game.

1. Wear an ok ok outfit but wear an amazing lipstick.Day conquered.
2. Can add an edge to a monotonous outfit.
3. Wear Red lipstick = Be Queen of the world.

So...Let me tell you an incident which happened last year November 2015.

It was my cousins wedding(yayy) and during the reception i was fully decked out in an amazing net sari and i came out of my dressing room and people were like..oh hey anu nice outfit..and that was it.

Then i remembered i had forgotten to put my lipstick on!!(i mean yes..stupid mistakes like these do happen lol) so i ran back into the dressing room and put on this mauve lipstick. And then stepped out again.. and people went crazy..anu!! you're looking fantastic!OMG drop dead gorgeous! You're looking like whoa.And they werent even complimenting the lipstick.They were complimenting me..

And i realized...ladies..it was the work of that one single amazing lipstick and how it helped pull together the whole outfit.

And today I'm reviewing and swatching that holy grail lipstick for you guys and I'm excited!

So lets gets started!

This is a Maybelline VelvetMatte matte liquid lip color in MAT6 (a beautiful fuchsia color)...It should suit all fair and wheatish skin tones.

1. Look - Omg..the first time i saw the packaging i fell in love with it!..it looks like a lipstick so i tried to pull the lid off of it (without success for about 5 tries lol) an then i realized that the shape of the inner container is in the shape of a lipstick but it actually holds the gloss inside this intriguing lipstick shaped container..This is quite unique..check out the pics for more understanding.
2. Price - Not bad. Around 475 INR. But i guess in the US you can get it for cheaper.
3. Color Payoff - Amazing.But you need to apply two or three coats.And it stays for about 4 to 5 hours easily.And after drinking or eating something i agree that this does wear off a little bit but it leaves a beautiful pink stain on your lips.(which is to die for actually)
4. Available in some really pretty shades. I've tried a couple of other shades too but i keep coming back to this one for the bold statement it makes and at the same time not making me look like a lipstick victim.

As you can see,the brush of the applicator is so soft and glides so smoothly and this is quite a fuchsia lipstick. Fuchsias are my favorite!!If im not wrong this has a purple tone to it too and thats great right?

And that's how it looks on me guys..trust me...this is one "compliment collecting" lipstick lol if you know what i mean and here in this picture I've applied just one coat. That's what amazing with this lippy. If you want some color but dont want to make a statement go for one coat and do two or three coats if you like to glam it up.

So what do you think guys?..Would you try this one?And also please do let me know in the comments if you have a holy grail lipstick that you always reach out for..for a date,as an everyday lipstick or as a lipstick you just apply even when youre just chilling at the house ,you know, because we all do that lol.

xoxo

My Beauty Rules

There's always days when you feel tired,hopeless,exhausted etc when you don't feel like getting out of bed! Here are a few awesome ways to always seize your day!

       Lets first follow the three Ms -

1. Moisturize! (the night before) - Always remember to moisturize your skin every night so when you wake up the next morning your skin feels soft and dewy and that's the battle half won already.And when your skin looks good then consider the day half seized.My suggestions are Garnier and Nivea moisturizers which are soo good.
2. Meditate - Take a few minutes everyday to meditate.You don't have to be a pro at this.Just sit in a quiet place and concentrate on your breathing for about 5 minutes.
3. Make your Bed - I can tell you for sure that making the bed (if not immediately after waking up then at least after some time) leaves you with a sense of calmness and gives your room an illusion of neatness even though,say, your desk might be cluttered.
4. Dress Up - Take some time to go through your clothes and choose something that is flirty or fun.When you look good you feel good.
5. Make Up - Try putting on basic makeup like bb cream,a little swipe of mascara and a beautiful lip gloss or lipstick.(Never underestimate a good lip gloss). Doing just this basic makeup routine will make you feel more confident. 
6. Read a good book - The right kind of books can be uplifting.My tip here is to choose one that   you have already read and loved so you know that you will be inspired no matter what.
7. Gratitude - When youre leaving your house ,before you get out the door,take two minutes to stop and be thankful for what you have and tell yourself "Today is going to be amazing".

    That's it..what are you waiting for?Today is YOURS! Go own it!