Cherry Red Gown: First Day

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Twenty Eighteen will be amazing because it's an EVEN number! I am crazy like that. I have special love for even numbers even though I was born on the world's most odd number (for most). Any guesses on my birthdate?

I have great plans and huge expectations out of 2018. This is going to be the most important year of my life. I am not kidding about the even number but, I have a feeling that unlike 2017 (which was not that great for me), this year will be wonderful.

I decided on posting this wonderful red gown from Rosegal for the new day. As you all know, how much I love colors. I love experimenting with the most bizarre sounding color combinations in a decent dosage. This is my 2nd attempt at wearing a red lipstick on the blog (and otherwise). Check out the first post where I wore a red lipstick, here.

I have literally saved this post for this day. I had a great time posing for this pictures back in November. So yea, almost 2 months! Have you ever safely kept a post for a future date? 😅

Today I will talk very specifically about today's post. I will not lie about the discomfort I had in this photoshoot. So today I will be talking about reel vs real. Many of you know that I have been blogging for over 6 years now. Many (like many) people ask me how I do it? How I am consistent of this hobby that has turned out to be more than just a mere hobby. I will talk about it today.

So let's begin!

FIVE things people say or feel about fashion bloggers which are far from reality:

1) Photoshoot fun - let me make things very clear here. Photoshoots are fun only for a few minutes, especially if you are not wearing comfortable shoes. If you are not used to wearing heels, makeup, primp and proper clothes, and on a daily basis. 

I am not used to any of the above things so you can imagine my bitter-sweet 2 hours at 8-8:30 in the morning, 25 km (15 miles) from my place.

It was surely challenging, little fun but, totally worth it. You can tell, right?

2) Freebies - yes we get freebies all the time. Free clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. are our constants. We don't have to spend another dime anymore! True; absolutely not.

If you accept freebies as a blogger, it will do you two things - you will either donate or sell these clothes after wearing them once or you will stop shopping completely. Guess which one I ended up with.

I did not enjoy shopping altogether and when this happened, I forgot what a mall looks like, except on occasions where I had to shop for my birthday or gift to someone.

I am one of those girls (if they exist) who have everything they need and do not keep more than one item on their wishlist.

As a result, I don't have a retail therapy or wardrobe cleanse to attend to. 😂

3) People know you - while this is true, even for a part-time fashion blogger like me, but the downside of it is, wrong people, knowing you. I can't tell you how many times people have made pages with my photographs.

This part of being a fashion blogger is not very pleasing. I have always had to experience my writing and DIY projects being copied on others' blogs. I am talking about very professional blogs here.

4) Collaborations and event invite - Ah yes! Recently I received mail to become a brand ambassador. You might think, 'Wow! what's wrong with that?'. Nothing, except that the brand was a very good IT brand. 

Agreed that if one achieves success with their blogs, then more relevant opportunities will come to them. I have seen such life too where you do 5-6 shoots a day and promote 1-2 big brands. Your body goes through so much that you don't have time to breathe. Don't even get me started with bloggers who are invited to different countries. Jet lag, fatigue, lustless skin - just some of the non-perks of being a blogger.

5) What the future looks like - most of the full-time fashion bloggers end up with a brand; fashion magazine, luxury or any other similar brand set. Only a few stick to earning a regular income from their blog, only if they have adapted to the current times. I'm being too optimistic here. There are bloggers who reduce the front-end blogging and realize their passion has turned elsewhere, like behind-the-lens, or managing other blogs or taking a different route.

Not everyone starts their own fashion line, as most people think. Just because we can style ourselves, or in some cases, others; doesn't mean that we have what it takes to visualize, design and launch a brand of our own. Now that I'm working in a company that is into B2B of the fashion industry, I know how much it takes to build a brand. I'm not just talking about financials over here.

In short, most of the bloggers you see on the blogosphere, will most likely leave or minimize their blogging and soon you will find new faces on your phones.

That and more is the bitter-truth about fashion blogging. It can all depend on individual decisions and preferences and the above are my personal views and experiences.

I have always said that blogging has given me so much and taken nothing, that I owe a lot of my personality to it.

I hope you enjoyed reading my post. Now enjoy the pictures below. Took a lot of effort :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEARING:

Red gown: Rosegal, Nail ring: Unknown, Peep-toes: Milanoo

Wish you a blessed year ahead.

Head over to Pinterest and Instagram to look at inspirational posts and awesome graphic designing done by the one and only 😅

xoxo

Akanksha

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5 Smarter ways to dress faster in the morning: Fall 2017

Hello people!

This is my first fall post of 2017. So excited to share this post with you.

I was on the lookout for a new location for my blog pictures. So fed-up of greenery in my posts. Nine out of my ten blog posts are usually in a green backdrop- park, garden, trees, etc. This time, I literally went outside for a change, only to be disappointed with more greenery (so ironic!). But, I guess this greenery is different from the rest of my posts right? Let me know in the comments below if you seriously would like to see me in some other backdrop for a change! Also, let me know if you don't mind the greenery :)

 

I had a hard time picking this outfit. I honestly am that girl who can confidently say, 'I have enough clothes'. I actually don't need more clothes. Let me re-phrase the statement. I actually don't want to spend anymore on clothes (bloggers say Aye!). I spend like how; on kiehl's products and any healthy food. Like crazy! So clearly I am not any better off than you guys. 

So, anyway, I had a hard time pairing this Rosegal bag with anything I owned and not shown enough of here. Instagram, pinterest, and tumblr were not of much help either. In moments like these, I do these things to put myself out of misery.

So if you want to know how to decide what to wear if you feel like you don't have anything to wear, read along.

5 ways to decide an outfit, in the morning:

1) Pick a reference color- Easy for me, I had this pink bag as my reference color. To make it easy for you, wear the first color that comes to your mind which you haven't worn for 3 days. As silly as it sounds, if you're staring at your cupboard for 10 minutes, it's better to be silly. It can be a color of a bag, shoes, or a dress. If nothing works, black. Feel black, wear black, drink black?

2) Pick your first garment- Next, I pick my first garment. This step always depends upon the state of my mind, the weather, status of legs/arms and the time of the month! That's right, people. If it's super hot outside, I'll never pick a pair of jeggings or other polyester materials that would make me uncomfortable. So, it's always the pants first. If I have to decide a dress then this 'first garment' changes to 'mood'. Lace: work with lace. Don't have one? Get a lace top or a dress and then lace it. It never gets you wrong. Check out these gorgeous women dresses for a quick lace pick.

3) Pattern- If you are feeling it then let your print decide your outfit for you. I personally love stripes but you can pick any print you have. Florals are a magical contrast this time of year. I see plaid making a come-back. Just make sure to play neutral or one color, rest of the outfit.

4) The third one- If you're a jeans and t-shirt kind of a person and almost always has a problem deciding to look different with this outfit then, do this- pick a happy color for the third color. You must always wear three colors in your entire outfit (including accessories), unless you are in New York's Times Square then wear whatever the heck you may want. White tshirt with blue denims? Throw red accessories with it. My favorite red family color is burgundy though!

5) Odd pair- If nothing works, I pair odd colors or garments together. Like in these pictures, who knew peach could work well with meadow green? Just visualize an outfit in your mind and if it seems fine, you can definitely lift it with accessories. 

Clearly not green!

 

Struggling to hold these cute bags

 

 

 

 

WEARING:

Bag: Rosegal, Pants: Rosegal, Blouse: HM, Cardigan: Zara,
Flats: New Chic, Ring & Earrings: Thrifted

I hope you liked the 5 tips to dress faster in the morning. Even better would be deciding it in the night but who does that? :D

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xoxo

Akanksha

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Blackbelle: Rosegal

Hello Beautiful

So much to talk about obviously because I was MIA. August, the thirteenth: as scary as the number sounds, it was my birthday that day and I wore a black slip dress ;)! I don't believe that 13 is unlucky for me or for anyone. Whatever sheer coincidence happens with this number, it brings beautiful pages for memories to be made.

So my friends and I decided to visit the pink city of India, Jaipur. As you can see from the pictures below, everywhere you look you can find artistic inspiration. Stone walls, pillars, doors, palaces or even cafes of this place have some history behind it. No wonder, photographers and soon-to-be-wed couples come here for photoshoots or even get married!

The dress- I wanted to wear a maxi dress for my birthday this time. Was looking for something- a color or style, I don't have. After full 2 days of research online & offline (btw, found only one Forever New dress which I liked but it was insanely expensive! Anyone else thinks they are over-priced?) ; I narrowed it down to two dresses. This and another in burgundy lace with boat neck. Keeping in mind that I already have two in burgundy and also the fact that you can never have enough in black; this was my obvious choice. First of all, the material is so easy to carry. It gives a grand look and doesn't need to be ironed. So perfect for vacations! The sheer maxi tulle was a perfect addition & contrast to the otherwise horizontal stripes which run throughout the dress.

I wore crocs with these for two reasons- One, it was supposed to be a let-your-hair-down vacation and I always prefer comfort over packing too much! Second- If you remember my pin from few years back on "Different ways to wear converse" you'd see how one can wear it even with sneakers and they look kickass! If you want to see more ways on how to wear converse then head here.

When I was about to wrap-up this shoot, I realized this dress has pockets as well! Score!!! Utility + style, I'm comfortable at the very least. You should check out Rosegal for more such dresses.

WEARING:

Dress: Rosegal, Shoes: Crocs

Here's a coupon code for you guys to get 10% off- ZEFN. Use it well!

Can't hear to hear your thoughts

xoxo

Akanksha

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