Red Haute

Come February and our teeny-boppers are making the most of the mushy season... :)

"Red" being the theme for the Feb issue of 'Cliq', Chennai's themed photography magazine, this one is for you scarlet-lovers.

"Whether your single or happily married, whether you celebrate this love-infused season with a romantic tete-a-tete or with your BFF for a wild night out, this is the time to pamper yourself to a fun and flirty make-over.

Red, the color of the season, symbolizes love, fire and flamboyance, but just how much of this color can you handle?

A recent interesting study states that red makes women appear more attractive and desirable. But does this help translate into a better date? In doubt, opt for a red dress. Ladies, vamp up your style with a drape dress or a strapless satin dress. Opt for striking scarlet tones with lashings of Gold accessories to embrace a vintage look. For variety, reverse the formula with a different dark colored dress and pair it with Red pumps and subtle red accessories.

Men, as much as we want to choose this shade, stay away from the ‘fire-engine’ shade of red. Choose colors in the family of red such as burgundy, vermillion, wine-red and maroon.

Wear only one to two elements of red. Avoid matching accessories, shoes and make-up to your outfit. It would be ideal for men to keep the color to a minimum. Ladies, your hair is your best accessory! Watch out for the latest up-dos.

Don’t compromise on style but be sure to pay a little extra attention to grooming yourself and you are sure to paint the town red!"

Foot-Fetish

Pavers England Review for Frappe, October 2010:

Pavers England

Flip Flops are fine and dandy while ballerinas are always adorable, but any fashion soldier knows the key to a stunning look is a shoe that’s equal parts stylish and comfortable, which is why we have a reason to celebrate the opening of a Pavers England Showroom at Express Avenue.

Bold, graceful and versatile enough to pair with outfits on both ends of the fashion spectrum, Pavers England is proud to open its 10th franchise store in the city, bringing International Men & Women’s’ retail footwear experience to the Indian consumer.

This unique space reflects the global design store concept, echoing the sensibility of the Pavers brand.

On the occasion Utsav Seth, CEO & MD, Pavers England said “We are delighted to open our exclusive franchise store at Express Avenue Mall, one of India’s most vibrant malls to showcase our world class products to the residents of Chennai. The collection is inspired by global fashion trends, keeping in mind the sensibilities of the discerning customers.”

He further added "We will be coming up with twenty four exclusive stores by the end of this financial year, located at all the major cities across India. The company also plans to further strengthen its market presence by opening fifty exclusive franchise outlets by year 2012".

Mr.Yavar Dhala, MD Forward Group & Joint Venture Partner Pavers England said "Forward Group is honored to have partnered with Pavers UK, as Pavers has brought international experience to one of largest vertically integrated Leather Tanning Export Division."

The Pavers England collection complements every facet of lifestyle offering styles from comfortable flats (Life and Lady Flex Range), elegant and sophisticated (Signature Range) to fashionable Heels (Dazzle, Staccato) amongst others making Pavers England a perfect solution to create a fashion statement with flair and comfort.

Customer Quotes:

“The collection at Pavers is a nice amalgamation of style and comfort. The overall ambience and customer service is brilliant. The product speaks leaps and bounds about the brand and the quality. The most convenient part is that I can float from work to an evening out in the same pair making it suitable for all occasions”. Apurva, Merchandiser

“The store is simply fabulous, great products and good quality. I purchased a pretty pair of flats and I really like the fine detailing given. I would recommend the rhinestone studded elaborate collection as a great fashion investment.” Rehane, Designer.

“My purchase at Pavers England is a classic buy proven to be complete value for money. I received great customer service with real good advice. Being my first time purchase, I am very happy with the quality, comfort and the look of the shoe”, Vinay.

The voice of the customer says it all, so those of you with a strong fetish for shoes, Pavers are the exact place to put your right foot forward!

Dear Choco-holics,

This one's for you:

Reviewed for Frappe, October 2010 issue..

Lots of chocolate for me to eat…!

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz

Amrita Samant

Right from ancient times when cocoa beans were used as currency by the Aztecs, till date, when they are mixed, melted and eaten, chocolates are irresistible for most of us. Crunchy or nut-filled, caramelised and sweet or dark and bitter or fruit-flavoured, chocolate is craved by people of all age groups.

As I first walked into Le Chocolatier on Harrington Road, I was amazed - besides the great variety of temptations on display, what caught my attention was the range of unusual and strong flavours married to chocolate and the outcome was a pleasant surprise. The fragrance was overwhelming. It had a rich, smooth creamy touch and guaranteed sweetness in taste that would make each bite sinfully delicious; I knew I was headed towards a chocolate overdose. With over 20 different kinds of chocolate, the variety ranged from fine truffles to peanut butter flavoured chocolate pebbles - chocoholics can indulge blissfully to experiment and find their favourites.

Le Chocolatier houses everything chocolate - figurines, spoons, tablets and truffles, in flavours ranging across fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices. While relishing these pieces of art, the Chief Confectioner Boopesh P, patiently took me through the finer details. The ingredients, imported from Belgium and Singapore, are highly rich in cocoa (58.3%) and need to be maintained at controlled temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius, thus creating an unadulterated chocolate experience.

When it came to taste it served up exactly the experience I was expecting. The combinations were what I liked most because of my preference for chocolate with interesting fillings. The Butter Truffles were soft and gooey and made a lovely contrast to the hard, thin covertures that melt on your tongue. The shiny-textured Bianco Mocca started with a good light crunch and revealed a distinct light toasted peanut flavour.

Two of the chocolates made an impression that remained unmatched - the nut-paste filled Arabian chocolate and the Bianco Rice Crispies which was both heady and fresh. I was also surprised by how harmonised the mint chocolates were; usually mint is a little overpowering.

Le Chocolatier also offers a sugar-free variety of chocolates to cater to the diabetic and health conscious segment.

With the festive season in queue, Le Chocolatier has a stunning range of gift hampers that are hard to resist. After saddling my stock, enough to last me a week, I bid farewell to this little heaven on earth, with a sugar kick that had me craving for more.

Shoppers Link - Influence Spa review

Yelloo!

Amidst all the chaos, I finally made time to get this blog started...

My posts are ideally original reviews written for various magazines I freelance for as an Image Consultant.

Sharing one of my earlier reviews on a fancy city-based elite spa, "Influence" has all the right elements to enhance your spa-experience. Definitely, a good variety of services to choose from. Their recliner seats for manicures and pedicures are trippy!

This review below was featured in Shopper's Link July 2010 issue.

"Influence Spa

On entering this luxurious and elite spa, I felt a serene calmness about the graceful

interiors. The stylish yet contemporary ambience promotes peace of body and mind with

contemporary music and natural scent. Done up in shades of off-white and a touch of

grey, the first thing to strike you is the oomph-factor of the interiors. The warm faces

at the reception only lure you further into indulging in their signature therapies listed

on their leather bound service cards. Influence spa, started in 2009 has state of the art

equipment and services providing a perfect blend of the traditional and modern approach

to beauty, rejuvenation and relaxation.

Known as an exotic day spa designed to pamper the body, mind and soul, with 12 service

rooms (including couple rooms), their ample variety of services will keep you busy for a

while before you settle on any one. The gamut of services available includes massages,

Signature therapies, facial therapies, scrubs, wraps, nail, hair care and foot care. The

staff has been specially bought in from Bali and has been internationally trained for the

services.

Their renowned services are the “Vichy Shower Massage” which includes 12 shower jets

positioned horizontally along the tension points in your body where the pressure could

be adjusted according to requirements. Another specialty is the “Chroma Hydro Thermal

Therapy” also known as Color therapy uses colored lights (in a water bed!) and heated

water to balance the body’s energy. Other popular services include the Luxury Gold

facial and the Gold body scrub leaving your skin soft and bright, the deep tissue massage,

the oxygen facial therapy, the papaya whitening scrub & wrap (especially for our

summer tan) and the chocolate indulgence pedicures. Some unique services provided are

couples therapies, Thai massages, Wine and Rose petal bath, reflexology and detoxifying

therapies. All products used are from the French brand Thalgo

While their treatments provide a relaxing retreat for body, mind & soul, let their

exceptional service restore your balance and profoundly influence your psyche!"

Hi folks,

Amidst all the chaos, I finally made time to get this blog started...

My posts are ideally my original reviews written for various magazines I freelance for, as an Image Consultant. Apart from the reviews, the posts include a

Sharing one of my earlier reviews on a fancy city-based elite spa, "Influence" has all the right elements to be a great spa. A good variety of services to choose from.

This was featured in Shopper's Link July 2010 issue.

"Influence Spa

On entering this luxurious and elite spa, I felt a serene calmness about the graceful

interiors. The stylish yet contemporary ambience promotes peace of body and mind with

contemporary music and natural scent. Done up in shades of off-white and a touch of

grey, the first thing to strike you is the oomph-factor of the interiors. The warm faces

at the reception only lure you further into indulging in their signature therapies listed

on their leather bound service cards. Influence spa, started in 2009 has state of the art

equipment and services providing a perfect blend of the traditional and modern approach

to beauty, rejuvenation and relaxation.

Known as an exotic day spa designed to pamper the body, mind and soul, with 12 service

rooms (including couple rooms), their ample variety of services will keep you busy for a

while before you settle on any one. The gamut of services available includes massages,

Signature therapies, facial therapies, scrubs, wraps, nail, hair care and foot care. The

staff has been specially bought in from Bali and has been internationally trained for the

services.

Their renowned services are the “Vichy Shower Massage” which includes 12 shower jets

positioned horizontally along the tension points in your body where the pressure could

be adjusted according to requirements. Another specialty is the “Chroma Hydro Thermal

Therapy” also known as Color therapy uses colored lights (in a water bed!) and heated

water to balance the body’s energy. Other popular services include the Luxury Gold

facial and the Gold body scrub leaving your skin soft and bright, the deep tissue massage,

the oxygen facial therapy, the papaya whitening scrub & wrap (especially for our

summer tan) and the chocolate indulgence pedicures. Some unique services provided are

couples therapies, Thai massages, Wine and Rose petal bath, reflexology and detoxifying

therapies. All products used are from the French brand Thalgo

While their treatments provide a relaxing retreat for body, mind & soul, let their

exceptional service restore your balance and profoundly influence your psyche!"