Dressing Up With Joy

August 11, 2013

Trend Spin: Striped Midi/Striped Maxi

I am big fan of a midi hemlines. Specially in full skirts and sheath style dresses. Kate Middleton and Victoria Beckham (both of whose style I adore!) wear just-below-the knee hemlines so fabulously! Since I am tall, it is hard to find regular dresses (in my budget) that fall below my knee without looking frumpy. I found some great skirts as ASOS (here and here) that fall below the knee beautifully! I am forever looking for a sheath dress or even blouson dress in that style of hemline. So when I saw this Cynthia Rowley column style maxi dress at TJMaxx, a quick idea came to my mind - put a belt on the waist and pull the skirt part of the maxi over it to create a shorter (well, shorter than maxi) hemline! It works great with jersey knit fabric, as it stays put like that for long wear! The last picture in the post will give you a better idea!!

Bib necklace - Sears, similar from Dillards, just for $15!

Sunglasses - Lauren Konrad for Kohl's, Similar from Nordstrom, for $22

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August 9, 2013

#BLISSandTell: My Moments Of Bliss

With the fast paced life full of deadlines and to-do lists, and multitasking schedules, we all experience the moments when the walls around us seem to close on us! The stress of doing-it-all and trying to have-it-all catches up with the best of us! A recent study* that surveyed more than 1,200 consumers revealed that nearly 50 percent of Americans spend at least half their daily lives stressed out. The cure for stress varies, with 89 percent agreeing that a night out on the town does little for stress relief. More than half admit a vacation is what they need the most, while a quarter of the respondents say personal time would help treat the stress. We all deal with stress in our own ways. My mantra for stress-busting -

1- Focus on the positive - We are humans. We are not perfect. We make mistakes. So when things seem to go awry even with your best efforts, cut yourself some slack and focus on what you have done right, and what you are capable of. As they say- count your blessings!

2- Remember what's important - We all have days when nothing seems to go right. When we have many projects going, many things to finish, we forget whats important and whats not! To prioritize the to-do list helps me bring down the stress level. For example, during summertime when my daughter and I spend more time in the park or exploring library or just doing any other fun activity in the City, I realize my house is a mess, dinner is late, laundry is not folded, and I start to have the feeling of 'oh-it-is all-so-chaotic!', I make myself see that food can be ordered out and I can always bring out the vacuum late in the night, but the time I am spending with my kid and memories we are making as a family can not be substituted with an immaculate house and lavish dinner spread!

3. Let it go - I believe strongly in fate, karma and the feeling that GOD HAS A PLAN FOR EVERYONE. When things don't go the way we planned, the only course of action is breathe and let it go. Give your best shot, if it's meant to happen, it WILL!

And last but not least, take advantage of nature and science for aiding in stress relieving. Foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins help lead you a healthy, happy life. I am trying this new beverage neuroBLISS , a delicious tropical citrus lychee flavored drink designed to reduce stress and relax the mind. It contains chamomile and a powerful blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants including L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea which has been found to reduce stress, produce relaxation and enhance focus. Although I have only recently strated drinking this, I can confidently say that it has the soothing, calming effect I usually get from my afternoon tea! It is lightly carbonated and tastes amazing! It has the taste of superfruit lychee (If you are unaware of this, look it up!. Growing up in India, this was my FAVORITE fruit. Luscious, juicy and so very refreshing!)

All varieties of neuro drinks have only 35 calories per bottle and contain no artificial colors or flavors!

Experience the taste and soothing effect of neuroBLISS by getting your own bottle of BLISS and save $1 with this coupon!

neuro is urging Americans to join a stress reduction movement with the launch of its BLISS and Tell campaign, which encourages consumers to take time to relax and share their blissful moments. What's your Bliss moment? Tell it on twitter/instagram with hashtag #BLISSandTell and you could win $10K dream vacation!! Now that's what I call a truly blissful moment!!:-)
I would love to hear your thoughts on your strategy for dealing with stress!
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* conducted by neuro brand

**Disclousre: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

August 7, 2013

Green Giant Veggie Chips Review: Wholesome Snacking For The Whole Family

I believe that every small step towards healthy lifestyle helps us reap giant benefits in long run. Whether it is getting up 30 minutes early that your schedule to fit in a quick run or taking stairs instead of elevator, every effort counts when you are trying to live a healthy life. I also don't believe in starving myself or denying little pleasures associated with food. Specially because I want my little girl to develop a healthy relationship with food. Instead of eliminating food that are considered 'empty calories' I look for healthier substitutes for them. For my family, crunchy chips are a snack time treat that we all enjoy! So when I discovered that our tried and trusted brand Green Giant has launched new Veggie Snacks, I had to give them a try. The good people at Green asked me to review the Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips and BBQ flavored Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips. Both the snacks are made with whole grain, have zero percent trans fat and made with real vegetables! And they taste amazing too. I loved the mildly sweet taste of sweet potato with BBQ flavor, perfect with a greek-yogurt dip for an afternoon snack! The roasted veggie tortilla chips are hearty with a zest taste of cheddar cheese (without the technicolor glow of synthetic-y neon orange color on your fingers!!)

For these yummy, wholesome snacks, I'd advise to make your own dips. I love making yogurt dip with Greek yogurt (either mix a cucumber-dill dip seasoning or just chop some cucumber, mix with the yogurt and add some ground cumin, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper). Another healthy dip I like to make is my chickpea dip (very close to Hummus, but I don't add any olive oil). Just grind chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) with some roasted red pepper and sun dried tomatoes - dash of salt and pepper and you are done!
Sneak in some Edamame (shelled soybeans) either as a garnish or grind it together with chickpeas!

Have you tried Green Giant veggie snacks yet? Take advantage of the coupon by visiting Green Giant Facebook Page and enjoy the wholesome yumminess!

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Disclosure: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

August 6, 2013

Check Mate: Mixing Geometric Prints

If the shoe fits, buy it in every color! And if an skirt suits, well, buy it in every color too! So, after trying (and loving) the ASOS Ponte Check midi skirt in black and white, I got this in black and blue too! Can't wait to wear it with ankle boots and a biker vest for fall!

These Zara sandals are my current favorite, very comfortable and go with everything! They are sold out at Zara, but you can get similar one from ASOS (On sale now!).

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August 5, 2013

Things To Do in NYC: Jazz at Lincoln Center #Priceless #NY #MC

I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric community. I have been compensated to share my experience with you by Collective Bias and their client, MasterCard. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am a romantic girl at heart. I love getting flowers with a poetry note, love that my husband always opens the car door for me (feminist in me is A-OKAY with that!) and I almost swoon at the scenes in movies where the guy gives up his jacket for his lady on the walk home on a chilly night! (You see what I mean by romance now!) I believe that taking time for yourself, away from work, family, kids and everyday stuff is really important for a couple. Sometimes just a hand-in-hand walk with your partner can be a stress buster. And sometimes you need to dress up and have a date night with great ambiance, music, food and as they say , you need all that jazz! For couples looking for a charming, romantic, fun date nights, New York is a perfect city and one such way to experience all this is to have a date night at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Located at the Time Warner Center, near Columbus Circle, this place is pure magic. MasterCard is making this priceless New York experience even more special for its customers! MasterCard card holders can take advantage of this priceless experience where they can get - • Prime table seating for two
• Music cover charge for two
• A flute of prosecco for each guest
• MasterCard^® mints If you are a MasterCard customer, you should sign up for their special offers for exclusive and priceless opportunities and experiences in food, sports, music and cultural events (Blue Moon group concert, MasterCard family day with NY Jets, sushi rolling class with world-renowned and Food Network star, Chef Masaharu Morimoto to name a few!) My husband and I really enjoyed our date night at Jazz at Lincoln center with great music, delicious food and amazing views of central park and Columbus Circle! As the MasterCard customers, we got great seats with amazing view of the musicians and the city back drop!

At Dizzy Club Coca Cola, the jazz was mesmerizing and the cajun food was delicious beyond words! I would recommend fried green tomatoes and their special mac & cheese! Food for soul for sure:-)

The view from the fifth floor of the building where Dizzy's Club Coca Cola is located is really beautiful and serene in an urban way! We had an amazing night! You can see my Google Plus album for more pictures and details about the directions for Jazz at Lincoln center location.

Jazz at Lincoln Center is not only a great choice for date night, but also for a dinner out with friends, family and even after work get- together. For the event details for a specific date, check out the event calender at jalc.org and book your seats via MasterCard for special prices, exclusive offers and priceless city events.

August 1, 2013

Lookbook: DIY Retro Style Pleated Skirt

I always wanted to learn how to sew, but never had a chance to learn. Thanks to Youtube and sewing blogs, I got enough courage to finally buy a beginner sewing machine! After trying out some simple skirts and dresses fro my little girl, I thought to make a skirt for myself. I am obsessed with full midi skirts these days! So I got cheap fabric from Walmart, followed youtube instructions on how to sew pleats and did it! It came out pretty neat if I say so myself:-)
In retrospect, I might have bought better fabric! LOL! But I was sure I am gonna ruin the skirt in first attempt, so $1.50 a yard fabric seemed a safe bet at the time:-)

This fabric has seersucker style stripes, but the fabric is not seersucker, it is very stiff. It falls nicely with the pleats though. My next project - a circle skirt with invisible zipper! Wish me luck!:-)