New Product On The Block: Maybelline New York BABY LIPS Lip Balm

A friend of mine could not stop talking about her newfound love for Maybelline New York ‘Baby Lips’ lip balm. She went as far as to tell me that she would like to kiss her self just to get the taste and feel of her new and improved lips! I would not have bothered too much about it had I not seen a drastic change in her lips. They went from perpetually dry and chapped to soft and smooth. After seeing this result I was very keen on trying out ‘Baby Lips’. For starters, I have been using the same lip balm for 12 years and to try out something new was quite a challenge for me. The only assurance was that since it’s a Maybelline product it is going to be totally worth it.

The ‘Baby Lips’ lip balms are available in Care and Color range. Each comes in a retractable tube packaging.

Maybelline New York Baby Lips Lip Balm Claim: “The next generation lip balm is born, from Maybelline New York. Adult strength care for baby soft lips”.

 In order to give a complete and through verdict on the Baby Lips lip balm, I decided to try out one from each range.

 Since I love berry flavour I chose ‘Anti-Oxidant Berry’ from the Care range and ‘Berry Crush’ from the Color range.

Review of Maybelline New York Baby Lips Care range Anti-Oxidant Berry Lip Balm.

The other flavour available in the Care range is Mango Pie.

Review of Maybelline New York Baby Lips Color range Berry Crush Lip Balm.

The other flavours available in the Color range are Cherry Kiss, Coral Flush, Pink Lolita and Rose Addict.

Verdict & Recommendation:

For those who have severely dry and chapped lips opt for the care range lip balms. This will heal your lips, improve its elasticity, increase its suppleness, decrease lines, and improve its texture making them soft and smooth.

From those who wish to make their healthy lips even more supple, soft and smooth, opt for the color range lip balms. Not only will they protect your lips but also add a hint of color pop to them along with moisturising and improving the lip texture.

I am someone one who is bless with naturally smooth and soft lips, but after trying Baby Lips lip balm, in care and color range, I can honestly say my lips now are softer, smoother and have the feel and look of baby soft lips.

Maybelline New York Baby Lips lip balm has officially become my must have product when it comes to lip care.

Till then, tra-la,

 Amena!!

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email me- a.fashionopolis@gmail.com

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Mixing Art: Colour Pop!

I love colours. Especially bright ones. And as the world over people welcome earthy and neutral shades into their wardrobes, thanks to the festive and wedding season we in India turn to our brightest hue. And nothing screams 'bright' quite like the trio of primary colours: Red, Blue and Yellow.

[More information on these pieces here]
Mixing up primary colour scheme's tints and tones, here is one of my fave bright colour collage.

{Check out my coloured jeans, neon post for more styling tips.}



Till then, tra-la,

 Amena!!

 Connect With Fashionopolis on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin' & Subscribe
Instagram: @a_fashionopolis
email me- a.fashionopolis@gmail.com

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Celebrating A Year Long Journey.

This
morning I told my parents: “Today, your first grandchild turns one”.Yep, today
my baby, my blog-Fashionopolis- turns one. I feel like a proud mama and daddy {since this was
an immaculate conception, I play the part of both parents!!} Like any proud parent I am happy to share this news with you all. For my blogging journey is not complete without your support, your ever growing love and your undying faith in me. So thank you for everything and more!

For weeks I have been thinking as to how I would like to celebrate my 1st blogoversary {blog+anniversary}. While giveaways and special anniversary post are the popular choices, I decided to do what I do best-write! Not about fashion but about my year long journey and what I have learnt from it.
{F.Y.I: This is gonna be a text heavy post}

My blogging journey was born from a place of rejection, dejection and sheer frustration. I was at one of the lowest times in my life. Believe me, for someone who is shit scared of failure and does not take un-calculated risk this was a big leap in Amena terms. But, I took the much needed plunge.
From over coming massive writer's block, to dealing with lack of traffic panic attacks to almost bullying my trainer at the gym to follow me, I learnt to deal with all this and more. And like all good things, this too paid off-after initial struggle  sweat and blood, off course!
All-in-all, this has not just been a journey of self-expression as well as a year of self-discovery.


If you ask me, has my life changed due to blogging? The answer is YES.
While most people see blogging as a socially acceptable way of wasting time –at one time I did too- I love it. Even though many of my friends and family members keep telling me how I am wasting my degrees and talent on it and that I need a serious paying job and not this 'spare change gigs' I indulge in, I still think staring a fashion blog was one of my best career {and life} choice.
For blogging has made me a more confident person. It has made me aware of my talent and my weakness. It has made me see thing in different ways. Most importantly, it has pushed me out of my comfort zone and literally forced me to try out something new without worrying too much about failure.



Has the opportunity rolled in like I though they would? The answer is perhaps no, but it has opened up avenues for me that I did not consider before. I started blogging as a way of combining my fashion knowledge and writing skills, hoping a magazine job would come my way from it.
What did come were offers to contribute for some wonderful websites and blogs such as Yebhi Blog, Mumbai Mag and Indian Fashion Bloggers.


Has blogging influenced my life in a better way? There was a time when I would spend every spare minute reading books and watching TV. Those day my life was scheduled round TV shows. I would never go out on certain nights, not answer calls at a particular hour and so on. Blogging changed all that. I watch TV, but not as religiously as my pre-blogging days. As a friend wisely said it, I stopped channeling my energy into watching creative stuff and started directing it towards producing creative stuff.
Channeling of my energy into something creative paid off in a huge way. This positive change is one of the reason why I have had the wonderful opportunity of being featured numerous times on Independent Fashion Bloggers Link A La Mode Weekly Round-Up. Plus, my blog was selected as a 'Notable Newbie' by BlogAdda and recently it was added into the Directory of Best Indian blogs by Indian Top Blogs.

Do I now consider blogging my career now? A 100% YES!!! As blogging evolves so do the job profiles.
As much as I love designing and handling social media I realised I don’t want to give up blogging completely. What was started as an ‘experiment’ till I found my dream job in a span of year has become my dream job. Who would have though that! 



As I start a new blogging year a huge thank you to my parents, my brothers, my friends and most importantly to all of you for your love and support. This has been one amazing year and I can't wait to start the new one.
Love,

 Amena!!

 Connect With Fashionopolis on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin' & Subscribe
Instagram: @a_fashionopolis
email me- a.fashionopolis@gmail.com

[Images via Pinterest]

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Here Comes The Bride...{Part 2}

1. Ashima-Leena’s collection is a perfect amalgamation of trends, traditions, textiles and styles. Their collection 'Raag Rattan' brings together the beauty of regal Indian garments of the 18th century with contemporary touches.

The collection opened with the white section, gradually moving into brighter shades of light pink, peach and fuschia. Sequins, cut work and beaten gold embroidery, were some of the key embellishments.Net sari with crystal encrusted blouse, asymmetrical bias kurtas paired with net palazzos, paneled skirts with mind length kurtas and shararas were some of the key silhouettes’ seen through the collection.The designer duo have mastered the art of presenting amazing couture and have created a collection perfect for the wedding festivities.

2.‘Jamazeb’ was the collection presented by Meera and Muzaffar Ali's label Kotwara.Staying true to their traditional heritage, the duo added innovations to the fabulous embroidery from Awadh and experimented with chikankari by adding some techniques like zardozi, aari, appliqués and kamdani. Their choice of fabrics was as rich as the creations with velvets and nets blended beautifully to create lacy textures.

Cutwork jackets and bodice, sheer coat over sari, shaded black and white gown and saris, halter kurtas and lush lehengas were some of the stand out pieces of the collection.Opening the show with an all-black collection the second half of the show was filled with shades of reds, yellows, oranges and rust, ending the collection with blues and purples.

For traditional bridal wear that speaks a beautiful language of craft and style, the ‘Jamazeb’ collection by Meera and Muzaffar Ali offers the perfect choices.

What is your ideal bridal look? And which of these ones would best suit you? Share your views with me in the comment section.

Till then, tra-la,

 Amena!!

 Connect With Fashionopolis on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin' & Subscribe
email me- a.fashionopolis@gmail.com
[Image Courtesy PR Pundit]

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Here Comes The Bride...{Part I}

This year I was invited to attend the 'Third Edition of Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week 2012'. As aN ardent lover of bridal fashion, I was totally spellbound by its grandiose, glamour and drama. In fact everything about the wedding and its attire fascinates me. And as I saw designer after designer showcase their version of a bridal ensemble I could not help but fall in love the idea of getting married. 

For all you to-be-brides, here is a list of a few designers whose beautiful creations I had the pleasure of seeing up, close and personal.


1. Tarun Tahiliani, The Czar of Indian Couture chose the glamour of the 20s as his inspiration. To present his impeccably well constructed and crafted pieces he decided to turned the ‘U’ shaped ramp into a virtual Garden of Eden with foliage, creepers and greenery swirling down from the ceiling and around the stage.

 Stunning lehengas and paneled long cholis, draped net saris, self designed brocade saris with heavy crystal and sequined borders, peplum cholis, asymmetrical lehengas with churidars and sleeveless tunics over shot silk voluminous skirts were ultimate luxury wear. Bringing in a hint of old world charm there were glamorous shararas with kurtis. Keyhole jackets contemporary anarkalis in juicy citrus shades with meshes of Swarovski Elements while thread work added to the beauty of the creations. Embellishemnts were lavish with zardozi, sequins, antique gold work, clusters of crystals and appliqués, which added to the beauty of the garments. Volume was the key word for the collection with just a few slim line kurtas with sexy low backs.
The colour story was ideal for the wedding mood with reds as the predominant colour while fuchsia, rani pink, deep saffron, ivory, pink, peach, beige, maroon and black appeared in perfect harmony.

Presenting an utterly feminine line that had refined luxury combined with the grandeur of his embellishments, Tarun’s collection was a dream to behold.

 2. 'The Mogul Opera', presented by Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor; creators of luxe couture, was a stylish blend of the 17th century Victorian era styles with the grandeur of the Mogul era; the collection featured seductive gowns, lavishly ornate lehengas, remarkable corsets and sexy cholis.

Dividing the show into sections, the designers opened with a series of gorgeous gowns. 

The next look was floor length kurtas, heavily paneled as they swirled down the catwalk in layers of tulle.

The heavy lehengas and kurtis with draped net dupattas were visions of utter sophisticated beauty as layers of tulle, brocade; lace and silk with the most intricate embroidery made each piece a breathtaking vision. 

Embellishments were the highlight of the collection as Swarovski crystals and zardozi merged perfectly.The collection was filled with vibrant colours such as gold, fuchsia, orange, red and silver making a dramatic impact.

From the grandeur of yesteryear to the glamour of contemporary bridal wear, the designing duo combined the two segments to create exclusive statement pieces for the big day.

Are you a bridal fashion lover like me? And which of these bridal looks would you go for? Share your views with me in the comment section.

Till then, tra-la,

 Amena!!

 Connect With Fashionopolis on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin' & Subscribe
email me- a.fashionopolis@gmail.com
[Image Courtesy PR Pundit]

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