I like to RUN!

I bought a Groupon three months ago for a month of unlimited Yoga classes. For some reason I never redeemed it. And kept postponing it till the last week when it was finally going to expire.
May be the reason was – I started to enjoy something else. Something I thought I would never like. And that was my evening running sessions. I was never a big fan of running truly. I even hated the 10 minutes of jog on the treadmill which used to be a compulsory warm-up (as instructed by my then gym instructor).
Well, I love doing body weight exercises, lifting light weights, abs-toning workouts etc. But running was something I always disliked and dreaded from!
Then things changed.. I moved to U.S. My work hours changed and hence my gym hours changed too…
Now I had less time to workout since I had to perform all the household activities and go to work as well. So I came up with the idea of brisk walking in the evenings. Slowly those walks turned in to jogs.
And now I can happily say that I RUN! Yes I do and I enjoy it.. But the most fascinating part is the post run feeling.. it’s like an achievement in itself! My strength and stamina increases everyday with every run... No wonder my body is thanking me in so many ways..
And here I am.. thinking why didn’t I start running sooner.. Well its LIFE.. As they say – Better Late Than Never. Right?
So tell me – Do you run? Do you enjoy it?

Cheers!
Ritika

T-shirt: Gap | Skirt: Loft (similar) | Shoes: Aldo | Clutch: Aldo | Watch: Fossil

How to Dress for an Event or a Party?

We all spend a lot of evenings getting ready for events, parties, weddings or a friend's birthday party.. And I can say this from my personal experience that fun part of it never gets old.
And I believe you would agree with me when I say that the process of getting ready is half the fun of going out.

So coming back to the million dollar question of how to dress for a party or an event?
Here are the three questions that I ask myself when I'm choosing an outfit -

Is it comfortable? It's very important for your outfit to be comfortable. There is nothing worse than spending all evening fidgeting with an ill-fitting strapless dress or tugging down a skirt that's a touch too short.

Is it fun? Well, there aren't enough occasions in life to justify wearing something boring! What say?

Is it flattering? You want to spend the night enjoying yourself, not wondering if your upper arms aren't toned enough for something sleeveless.

Last but not the least - comfortable shoes are also a no-brainer, because evening events tend to be long.

Cheers!
Ritika

Jumper: H&M (try this, this or this) | Skirt: H&M (similar) | Shoes: Nine West | Sunglasses: Aldo | Watch: Titan

This & That - 1

Few random things I wanted to share with y’all ~

1. I am missing India a lot lately. Well, it has been more than a year since I was last there.. And more than anything I am missing my hometown - Kanpur - the place where I grew up – my city!
2. I am on a working out spree these days. After I come home from work, I eat something (I am usually super hungry at that time), then after an hour I go for a run! It feels great post workout.. I am feeling so 'light' these days..
3. Weather is still not good here. It’s very hot all the time.. I miss the rains. On that note, it’s raining cats and dogs in the northern part of India.. (you see.. how much I am missing India)..
4. I am growing out my hair.. plan to keep it shoulder length.. umm.. like a long bob.. Let's see how that goes.. (And for that I am eating a lot of proteins now-a-days, so they grow faster).. haha..
5. Travel is on the cards again! But I can’t spill the beans yet.. Though this time I am nervous (and not excited) – and that’s all I can share for now! Fingers are crossed..!!
6. I pampered myself a Swedish body massage yesterday.. And it felt divine.. truly..
7. These pictures were taken today in the afternoon. It was an unplanned quick iPhone photo-shoot to be precise (hence the picture quality).. My husband and I love eating pizza at Peter Piper Pizza. They don’t over-do cheese and they make these crunchy veggie pizzas which are drool-worthy! Did I mention they have lunch buffets? Yeah!!
8. I am quite active on Instagram (@rising_colors)... follow me if you like!

Happy Weekend you all...!!

Cheers!
Ritika

Blouse: Gap (similar) Love this playsuit | Capri pants: Tommy Hilfiger | Shoes: Ross (similar here and here) | Sunglasses: Forever 21 | Watch: Invicta

Last August

This August completes my one year in Phoenix, United States! Remember when on my birthday I shared with you all for the first time that I was moving to the States with my husband.. Well, it still feels like yesterday when I left my job in India, packaged all my stuff and came here to start a new life! And not to mention, I have loved every bit of life has offered me in this past year.. I have grown in so many ways.. traveled to so many places, learned so many things..

Today I was looking at my archives and thought of doing a recap post of how my last August went (style-wise)..
And those of you who have joined me recently, can look at these previous posts! I love reading my old posts during leisure.. It takes me back to the time and the mind state in which I wrote all of these...
Thank you all for being on this journey with me ~ the journey of life!
Happy August, you all ~ ~ ~

P.S. Click on the link below the picture to view the full post.

Kingdom of Dreams

Just Being Neutral

How to Style Harem Pants

You're Beautiful!

Less is More

Things are different today

20 Fun Facts about me

Cheers to life!

Ritika

A-Line

My husband plays cricket. And he loves his game.. and for the past few weekends (three to be precise), he has been sneaking out on Saturday evenings for his (four hour long) games. Well, then on such weekends, I am all by myself - free to experiment something in the kitchen, or go shopping to my favorite mall, treat myself with a relaxing pedicure, or simply sit in a coffee shop with a book and sip my favorite mocha!

So this weekend, I made a point (very firmly) that my loving husband spends this complete Saturday with me (and only me).
Now that my point was made, we went out for a daytime date. We had a sumptuous lunch at our favorite chinese place, watched a movie (which we have been wanting to see for about a month), and spent a lovely long evening sitting and chatting at our favorite coffee place, watching the sun go down. Such are the perfect weekends...

Anyhow, while dressing up, I was feeling all girly but wanted to keep it comfortable, so I chose this light A-Line denim dress with a flattering cut and fit. I kept the makeup minimum with a matte lipstick. Sunglasses are a must in Phoenix heat (which I hope you know by now). Also I have been wanting to wear these new pair of Converse sandals and thought it was a good day to try them out! So how was your weekend pals?...

Cheers!
Ritika

Dress: Urban Outfitters | Shoes: Converse | Bag: Sole Society | Watch: Fossil | Sunglasses: American Eagle

Beauty isn't make up

I ask this question to all my married girlfriends and female readers - Has it ever occurred that you have to go to a party and you get all dressed up in a sexy short dress, put on your photo-ready make-up, glam up those eyes, slip in to high heels and as you are about to leave the house, your beloved takes a rough look at you and snaps - 'Hey, you are not looking beautiful today.. and are you wearing make-up?'
Well, yes, that moment is what I am talking about. Though it happens very rarely, but it does..
To me, this happened last Friday when we had to go to a party.
Now if you are thinking what was my response, well I was definitely not happy to hear that (like any other woman), since I spent like 20 minutes on my dressing table decorating my face! So much of hard work goes in to that.. isn't it?

Anyways, then I asked him - 'Why do you say that? I think I am looking just fine..'
Then he said softly - 'You look good with out all the make-up. You are beautiful naturally, you just don't need to apply make-up!'
And the very next moment I find my (angry) self going to the washroom, pumping two drops of the facewash and washing my face off with it!
And just like that all the make-up was washed down the drain..
On that note, while I was lathering my face, watching my reflection in the mirror, I thought to myself - is this why I buy all those jazzy expensive foundation bottles, eye shadow pots, shimmer and what not - to simply wash it off? Well, he wants natural and so will he get it!.

I told him to wait in the living room for me. I came out of the washroom, pat my face dry, switched my little black dress in to a simple pair of jeans and a chiffon blouse. To finish it off, I applied my favorite pinkish-red matte lipstick from Smashbox (that's my go-to). And that was it! I barely took 5 minutes and I was ready! As I said, he was waiting in the living room. The moment I entered, he exclaimed with joy 'Wow! Now you look beautiful!' (At this time I was still furious knowing he was lying just to make me happy.. since I was determined that I was certainly not looking that party ready since I was wearing a pair of jeans, and, in my blogger dictionary, a pair of jeans is my last option if I am in the mood of dressing up..  i'ts just too casual for me!)

Well, anyways we left for the party. The venue was about 10 miles from our home, so we had plenty of time (red lights) to talk on the way..
While driving,  he kept saying it over and over again 'You are looking so very pretty - 'au naturel'.. trust me you don't need any make-up.. etc. etc..' And I kept listening to him, making faces that I don't believe him! Then to prove his point, he took out his phone and clicked a picture of me sitting next to him in the car and said 'See for yourself - I am not lying.' The moment I saw the picture I smiled and said 'Yes, may be you are right..'

And there it was - the truth of all our lives.. We really don't need make-up to make ourselves look or feel beautiful. We should accept ourselves the way we are!
Well, there was my moment of awareness. Now I will (literally) trust my loving husband every time he says that I look beautiful because I know he will mean it!

“Beauty is being the best possible version of yourself on the inside and out.”

P.S. I am seriously 'this' close to throwing away all my foundation bottles, eye shadows, compact etc. Any takers??

Cheers!
Ritika

Blouse: The Limited | Jeans: Levi's | Watch: Fossil | Clutch: Gifted

Retro Inspired

If you are wondering where I was this past whole week, then the answer to that question is quite simple - I was too lazy to blog or do anything at all.. And I really enjoyed this short little break (since my last post), but now I am back, all charged up and back on track with the first post of this week.

So for today's outfit, I thought of reviving one of my old shift dresses. Added a scarf and my favorite cat-eye sunglasses to get that 70's touch. As far as I have known - Polka dots have always been in fashion. I think this evergreen print never went out of fashion since the day it got invented! Isn't it?
Wore this dress before with sequined leggings here.

Cheers!
Ritika

Dress: Forever 21 (old) (similiar here and here) | Scarf: Levis (wore recently here) | Sandals: Zara | Sunglasses: Forever 21

Slow Days

So it happened last Tuesday when me and and my husband came home early from office, packed our bags, hopped on a plane and flew to Oakland. Yep, just like that! It was a 2 day - super short, super awesome trip!

What a wonderful break from the burning heat of Phoenix. Let me tell you it was lovely out there..
We ate some delicious food, drove to the Napa valley, did some sight seeing in the beautiful towns called Sonoma and Concord. And we flew back to Phoenix on Thursday night.. like I said - short and crisp!
Ah, I'll just let the pictures do the rest of the talking...

{P.S. Only while editing the pictures, I noticed that our outfits were color coordinated! (I swear, it was not planned)}.

Cheers!
Ritika

Dress: Tommy Hilfiger | Leggings: Tommy Hilfiger | Shoes: Clarks | Watch: Michael Kors | Sunglasses: Oakley | Bag: Thrifted
Green Shirt: American Eagle | Jeans: American Eagle | Scarf: Levis | Sunglasses: Ray Ban | Shoes: Converse