Knotted

In this forever changing weather (read more here), I have found a new interest in my life.. And that interest is called 'SCARVES". Yes people, the more the merrier it is! There are hundreds of ways to tie a scarf, use it as a belt, a bandana, a head wrap, a cover-up, a sarong and the list goes on..

It would not be wrong to say that 'different ways to wear different scarves' may get featured on the blog in near future! Stay tuned for that! And I am sure you would like it.

Scarves - Here I come..!!!

On this post -

A windy afternoon. It was sunny (thank god), but quite cold too. The hair were in full motion and so was I.

Husband acting as a photographer, later got a change to get clicked with his muse.. Score!!

Cheers

Ritika

Shirt: American Eagle (similar)
Jeans: Gap (similar)
Long Coat: Guess (similar)
Scarf: Forever 21 Men
Shoes: Payless (similar)
Watch: Titan (similar)
Sunglasses: Aldo

Pop

I am a lazy person when it comes to lipsticks. I used to wear lipsticks usually on special occasions or parties. However, these days I am paying special attention to the lips section. I make sure I am wearing a lipstick where ever I go (even if I am going for grocery shopping).

And there are 3 main reasons behind this change -
1. If I don't use my lipsticks, they will never finish.
2. I keep on buying new ones, and if I don't use the old ones, I will have a big mountain of lipsticks on my dressing table (very soon).
3. I like to play dress up (of course, this is one of the reason)!

Now when we are talking about lipsticks today, I would like to ask my fellow bloggers and my super lovely readers - Do your husbands, or boyfriends or guy friends (for that matter) think that you are always wearing only red lipstick (when the reality is you wear other colors too)?
Why I ask this question - Here is the answer. As I said, lately I have been wearing lipsticks a lot (because of the above mentioned reasons), hence my dear husband commented the other day - "Honey, Why do you always wear only red color on your lips?"
Me - "What? I am wearing Magenta today! It's dark pink, for God sake!"
Husband - 'Oh..! Is it? I thought it's Red...!'
Me (in my head) - What the hell? Are all men color blind or they recognize only primary colors? Huh..!

That's it!. Since that day, I am wearing all other shades, other than red. Just thought of giving him some time (read 'days') to come out of the red color trauma (in his head) <*wink*>

Now more on the pictures, this scarf was love at first sight! I mean - it saw me, and loved me 'so' much that it straight away jumped and sat in my shopping cart, completely declining to get out! LOL..
But then, I love it too! You can see it why.. It makes the otherwise plain outfit so popping and colorful..! Love it to pieces. And no, I am not trading this piece for ANYTHING. Thank you.

Cheers
Ritika

Sweater: Gap
Jeans: Papaya
Shoes: Forever 21
Watch: Invicta
Scarf: Forever 21
Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Bag: Wilsons Leather

In my Beauty List - Feb 2013

Hi everyone! Thank you for such a wonderful response on my previous post. Need not say, my husband loved it the most! Re-living those special moments is a definite turn on. What say?

Thought of starting a new section in the blog, apart from the musings of my life. I will be posting about few products I am loving lately.
Here goes the first list.
Note: All the views are my own. I have not been paid or compensated in any way by any brand.

1. Tigi Bed Head Control Freak Shampoo, Conditioner, and Serum - By far the best shampoo, conditioner and serum combination I have found for my super frizzy hair. It not only controls the frizz but also locks in the moisture. And how can I forget the bubblegum fragrance of the this range opens up my senses in the mornings.

2. Keratin Complex Style Glowtion Potion Styling Oil Styling Oil - I got this haircut done by one of the local salon here, where the hairstylist suggested me to try this product. She also applied it on my hair before blow drying. I love the effect it has on my hair. They are well in control, no flyaways and the style remains intact plus no stickiness.

3. Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Refining Moisture Cream Complex - Though it’s a moisturizing cream, I apply it at night before going to bed. The texture of the cream is a little hard, so a little goes a long way. It's great for dry skin, especially in winters.

4. The Body Shop Born Lippy Satsuma Shimmer Lip Balm - Totally love the smell of this lip balm. And it also adds shimmer to the lips. A must try, I say.

5. SCHWARZKOPF Got2b OIL-LICIOUS Calm & Shine Styling Oil Triple Oil - It actually came free with the Schwarzkopf Dry Shampoo that I bought (got a smaller size). I really liked the effect of this oil on my hair. It doesn't make my hair greasy at all. Actually it's texture is thick, so a small pea-size amount is enough for my short hair length. The warmth of the palms activates the product. I apply it as a leave in conditioner. It smoothes out the frizz and tames the hair.

6. Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Waterproof Mascara - Classic Black - It's my favorite mascara. I am hooked on to it ever since I bought it for the first time. My eyes feel bare without this applied on them. I don’t leave home without it.

That's my list for now! 
Would love to hear which products are you loving these days, or what else should I try? Do share with me.

Cheers
Ritika

On this Valentine...

Dear Husband,

I have always loved you, I always will.

Loved you yesterday, Love you still.

On this Valentine, I dedicate this post to my loving husband, who is the peanut to my butter, Water to my Ocean, Glaze on my donut, Spring in my Step, Twinkle in my eye, Blue in my Sky, Cherry to my Sundae, Flip to my Flop, Milk to my Cookie, Sweet in my Dreams, Beat of my heart, Cheese to my Macaroni, Best to my friend, LOVE OF MY LIFE..

Love is not about sex, going on fancy dates, or showing off.  It’s about being with a person who makes you happy in a way nobody else can.

Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. That’s when Gaurav (my beloved husband) came in to my life. I was not in a good state, personally and that's when he held my hand, became a friend, became a listener, a person whom I liked spending time with, who made me forget all other things when he was around. His magic worked on me! It sure did!

We then realized we were falling in love with each other, but then I wanted ‘him’ to accept it first (the ‘funda’ of ‘Ladies first’ does not apply here, at least not for me), and he was taking his own sweet time (which was annoying, but that kept our meetings interesting). Love definitely was in the air! Then, finally, one fine day, he said those three ‘magic’ words! Finally when the most awaited moment of my life came, my legs froze, they were jammed on the floor, and I had no idea what to do, what to say, what to reply or may be run? Err.. It was like should I say ‘thank you’, or may be.. ‘same to you’, should I run or.. hide my face or do something else! God Help Me! Never been so nervous..
But then, I simply smiled.. shyly.. looked down.. and smiled a bit more, was so shy to look in to his face, his eyes, which were wanting me to say something... I thank God he acted like a good lover, and understood my hidden answer behind that smile, behind that happy shyness on my face which was screaming inside my head - 'Yes! Yes! Damn Yes, I love You too! Have been waiting for you to ask me this, like for ages!!' But then my lips froze, like someone glued them up! I could not utter a single word..And that is how he proposed me. Very romantic, I know. And did I mention he also brought chocolates (instead of flowers)!

What next, you ask? Then, love happened. Beginning of a new life happened. Our journey together happened.

We never had family issues. Both our families were happy and supported our togetherness. And we got engaged. It happened fast!

Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly. And that’s when he moved to United States (from India) for an official project for one long year (that’s 365 long days, people!). And we realized the value of each other in our lives and decided to get married, as we did not want to live away from each other anymore. And we got married on 6^th of May 2011. Till date, I call it the ‘BEST’ decision of my life.

As they say good times never last, we also had our own bad days in our relationship. Everything was all good and like a ‘fantasy-coming-true’ after marriage, but then, after around 8 months of our marriage we started to have arguments, disagreements, misunderstandings, small fights resulting in big dramas and what not! We never wanted to do something permanently foolish just because we were temporarily upset.

What we wanted was to put an end to that phase and live happily ever after. Hence, we worked on it. We sat, we talked, we decided, we changed, we put lots of efforts and it worked! It works even today.

If a person wants to be a part of your life, they will make an obvious effort to do so, which he did, which I did! We both made it work.

That’s our Love Story. And no, it does not end here. Because a true Love-Story never ends. We are still madly, deeply and truly in love with each other, and will always be!

Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. And for us, LOVE matters. Being with each other matters. I must say, we are much stronger than before, because we have passed our bad times and built a rock solid base for our relationship!

We should not choose the one who is beautiful to the world; we should choose the one who makes our world beautiful. And he makes my world nothing less than a ‘heaven’. Sometimes I feel I am God’s favorite child. He plans the best for me! The only thing is I wait for the right time, and the right thing to happen. And it surely happens! Patience, Hope and Faith are the three keys to a happy life.

This Valentine –

• Learn to love yourself first, instead of loving the idea of other people loving you.
• Love and appreciate your parents. We are often so busy growing up, we forget they are also growing old.
• Be happy. Be yourself. If others don’t like it, then let them be. Happiness is a choice. Life isn’t about pleasing everybody.
• Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion, today is special, every day is special. Cherish the moments of togetherness with your loved ones.

Cheers
Ritika

Image source

Sore

While I am writing this post, each and every muscle of my (sexy) body is sore from the last two days of Yoga. (Check this post, if you don't know what I am talking about). I am enjoying every bit of it, though the pain is too much sometimes. Possibly because I am new to the intense stretching of all my limbs in all directions! Never done that before! But that is what I paid for, isn't it?

Still, I love to practice Yoga with the fellow Yogi's (that's what they call us). Every evening, I run from office (okay.. not literally run, but drive) to the Fitness Center  where I am always late by 2 minutes (don't know, why), practice Yoga and after an hour when I come out, there is adrenaline rush in the body but a calmness in the mind. Such is the effect of Yoga on the body. Love the relaxation in the poses, and the soreness later on. Would love to talk about the benefits of Yoga, but some other day. Today is not the right day, you see!
And these pictures? Oh they were taken before the Yoga thing started, hence the smile on the face. But right now, anybody can see the pain on my face and in my eyes. My weird expressions say it all! Anyhow, you may enjoy the pictures!

Oh yes, I curled my hair this day.. A different look for me, as I got my hair cut the same morning and I think they felt shorter than usual. The pictures say it all!
And I am in love with these sequined leggings which I picked from the sale section in Aeropostale. Sometimes you find gems sometimes, and they are so comfortable!

Cheers
Ritika

Tunic: Forever 21
Sequined Leggings: Aeropostale
Shoes: Old Navy

I have a wish

So it starts from those hot summery days for a week, then rains non-stop for 4 days, and then a super windy day follows and after that, we are back to the freezing zone again. No snow, thankfully! So that was pretty much last week's weather news from Phoenix. That was a roller coaster ride for me! Thank you Nature, you rock! And that is why, you may notice frequent changes in the outfits as well. Yes right, survival of the fittest!

Regardless of the weather, I like this city. A bright and nice sunny place to live, with ample of shopping destinations and other fun stuff. But, I am missing India these days. More than India, I am missing my mother. Want to meet her so badly! Though we do meet on Skype every week, and we talk almost daily on phone, but there is an incomparable joy in meeting her in person, hugging her, kissing her, listening to her for hours while laying my head in her lap, sitting on the kitchen slab and chatting while she cooks, eating the finger-licking yummy food she makes, going for long evening walks, spending hours shopping with her, having gol-gappas (Indian snacks) with her, all those memories never leave my thoughts. I envy those blessed people who are lucky enough to spend time with their mothers.

Yes, I miss her. Like a small child who can't stay away from his mother for long, who starts crying loudly once he realizes his mother is not around him, and then the mother comes running to hold the child and calm him down, ensuring him that she is right there, right next to him, just a call away! And the child believes her, hugs her and stops crying! Why can't I do that? Why can't I cry and call my mother to come and hold me? Why do we have to grow up? Why..? Why..?

Until we meet again..
Ritika

Polka blouse: Forever 21
Jeggings: Jeanswear, Lifestyle India
Shoes: Old Navy
Bag: Forever 21
Watch: Fossil
Sugnlasses: Aldo