TheStyleChair

Happy Skin ft. Burst Of Happyness

The whole trend these days is about going organic and using all ‘natural’ stuff. While that’s a great way to go, are you sure it’s all organic and actually ‘natural’ as it claims to be?

Say hello to Burst of Happyness that opened my eyes about this ‘natural’ tag and let me experience some real good 100% natural skincare products. They are Vegan, Handmade and 100 cruelty free (so buy guilt free)

I was sent some BOH products to try them out and send back my honest opinion. So, I’ve put together this blog review of the three products I received- Deodorant cream, Clay mask and Facial cleanser. Along with that a complete overview of Burst of Happyness🙂

Let me start by Introducing BOH–

BOH was started by Shreya Sharan Pawar in 2012, who herself was looking at some natural products and decided to try her hand at soap making (which lucky us) worked out really well. The rest after that is history and BOH now is 40+ skin loving goodies strong.

Philosophy behind BOH-

BOH products are truly natural in the real sense of the word. They contain only cold-pressed oils, raw butters, essential oils, and herbs and clays.

They do not use any synthetic preservatives (yes, you read that right!) or synthetic fragrances, or any pigments or mica to colour their products. All colours are derived from herbs and other natural ingredients. They use a synergistic blend of anti-oxidising oils and anti-bacterial, anti-fungal essential oils which help increase the shelf life of our products.

You can actually go through the list of all the ingredients used on their website (which gives you all the possible details about products and ingredients) https://burstofhappyness.in/

List of Products available on BOH:

Body Scrubs
Facial Cleansers
Facial Serums
Lip Balms
Moisturisers
Masks
Natural Deodorants
Shampoo Bars
Soaps
And they even have E-Gifting cards.

Price Range

For being completely vegan and natural products with good packaging BOH is quite reasonably priced with lip balm jars at 150, soap bars starting at 250 and moisturisers going upto Rupees 700.

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My experience with the BOH goodness-

FYI my skin over the past few years has become slightly sensitive and tends to break out into a rash or acne if I’m not using my usual products. I would love to mention here that none of the BOH skin care products les to any sort of rash or discomfort to my skin and I was quite happy with the natural glow that my skin got minus any sort of chemicals.

Some people can tend to be allergic to certain natural things also hence the detailed mention of all the ingredients used in all the BOH products will help you avoid any sort of allergic reaction too.

The products sent to me were specifically sent according to my skin type, which btw is a Combination Skin Type that tends to be more oily in the summer and monsoon months.

What A Girl Wants (Facial Cleanser)

What a Girl Wants is a soap-free cleanser for oily or acne-prone skin, made lovingly with Rhassoul Clay and rose petals to gently cleanse skin. It leaves your face so moist and soft that you’ll think twice before putting on a moisturizer!

This cleanser can even be used as a spot treatment or as a face mask (if used with aloe vera gel). I have only used What A Girl Wants as a facial cleanser and quite liked the light scrubbing effect if had along with a fresh feel to it and true to what it claims it doesn’t leave the skin feeling dry. The skin feels soft and supple after its use.

Its available on BOH website- HERE for Rupees 450!

Clay-O-Patra (Face Mask)

A delicate but highly potent mask with a blend of six clays to detoxify your skin and scalp.

A clay mask is always a good idea for oily skin. This product can be used in a lot of ways and with water, rose water or aloe vera gel. It does tend to stain so if using as a face mask use it at night (if you aren’t headed out), a slight green layer of mask gets left (which is absolutely ok to stay on the face). The next morning once you wash your face again, you are back to fresh looking skin.

Read about the amazing other ways this clay mask can be used on the BOH website.

Its available on BOH website- HERE for Rupees 550

Lavender & Grapefruit Deodorant Cream

Natural deodorant cream ensures you smell good all day long. Now you can forget about body odour and stay fresh without worrying about your skin with this jar full of cheerful and fresh fragrance!

When using natural products the fragrances can be quite mild. But the skin does feel great and infact I layered it with my perfume and because it had a mild smell it didn’t overpower the perfume and the perfume scent did last quite well🙂 The little spatula that comes with the jar is helpful as you have to make sure no moisture goes into this product.

Its available on BOH website-HERE for Rupees 550

What I loved most about the Burst of Happyness goodies?

Apart from the obvious of BOH being completely free of any chemicals what I loved about BOH is:

The online shopping experience is quite organised and you can find the right kind of products as per your skin type without any kind of assistance too.
The deodorant cream is something very different and unheard of and definitely wins BOH some extra brownie points there.
You can even have your own customised goodies made. I would love to gift a friend a cute bag of BOH goodies especially according to her skin type (and I know she will definitely be floored with the personalised touch)

Order from their website- http://www.burstofhappyness.www.burstofhappyness.in or find them on Facebook- Burst of Happyness & Instagram- @burstofhappyness

They even showcased at the Kitsch Mandi in Bangalore so look out for them at the next flea in your city! You never know😉

Be Yourself & Shine On❤

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The Pondicherry Travel Vlog| TSC’s Guide to Pondicherry

Posted on 20 Days Ago by thestylechair

Two weeks back I was strolling along Goubert Avenue and enjoying a peaceful morning soaking up Pondicherry.
While I would give anything right now to go back to that sea breeze and banter with friends. I decided to put some meaning to the reminiscing and do a post on my Trip to Pondicherry🙂

Yes, Pondicherry is an offbeat holiday destination but there is a lot more that made this trip really special. It was more of a reunion trip, friends from school reuniting after 13 years from different cities, taking out time to travel together and catch up on all the years lost! Yes, that very rarely does happen and we made the most of every minute of this trip remembering old times and creating a lot of new memories.

Watch the Vlog⬇ for a total account of the road trip, fun, food and travel in Pondicherry. Hit the Subscribe button to automatically get updates for new videos on my Channel!

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This post isn’t just about my Trip but I’m going to be kind and make this a guide for all of you who fascinate a holiday in Pondicherry!
So here is getting to the travel aspect😀

Why Pondicherry?

If you want to experience a bit of Europe in the comfort of Indian faces and sea breeze then Pondicherry is the place to be. Its calm, its by the Bay, got great food And great food.

What to do in Pondicherry?

Pondicherry has alot to offer for the daredevils, the peace seakers and explorers.
Learn surfing at Kallialay surf school.
Do Scuba diving.
Go on a food crawl.
Long walks along the Promenade.
Meditate in the ashrams.
Cycle around the city.
Shop from the Hidesign factory outlet.
Visit Auroville.
Sit at the cafes and enjoy a good brew and read.
Take a blissful boat ride on lake Osudu or head to the Chunnambar boathouse.

Where to Stay in Pondicherry?

There are a plethora of stays in Pondicherry. For anyone my first suggestion will be to stay in the White Town area. White Town is the french colony area where its all green with lovely french looking cafes, restaurants and hotels. Palais de Mahe and Le Dupliex top the list for stays in White Town.
The other good option for all groups are ofcourse the Airbnb accommodations. There are some lovely bungalow that they have. Some are with a pool, some are right on the beach.
A little far from the heart of Pondi are resorts that are wide spread and have their own little villas and make for a very blissful stay. Le Pondy was actually on our mind for our holiday stay but then it was already booked out.
Note: book places atleast a month prior even in the off-season period!
When we went on our trip we eventually stayed at La Closerie, which is a homestay. When we entered and saw the pool, the smallness of the pool started to reflect on our faces but the very next moment we were just love-struck by the whole place. Every nook and corner was tastefully done. The interiors were fabulous and we were in love with the way the whole place was planned and done up. Also the place is very peaceful and the highlight of the place apart from the rooms being fabulous and having their own heritage quirk to them, outside every room is a little lounge spot or a veranda. Its not at all the typical room and lobby feel of a hotel. It just felt like a palace which I could spend my whole day at sitting in different corners. My Video above shall give you a complete tour of the place and I shall give my words a rest here for now.

Commute in Pondicherry?

There are cabs and rickshaws in Pondicherry and you can even take a bus to Auroville. Self driven cars can also be hired. Two wheelers and I include cycles too here can be hired if you are travelling solo or as a couple.
If you are in White Town then majority of the time you won’t even feel the need to use a vehicle and you can happily just walk around the place.
Disclaimer: if you don’t have GPS then you might find it difficult to get around at night in white town because there aren’t many signboards or sufficient street lighting.

How to get to Pondicherry?

By air, train and bus. The drive to Pondicherry on the ECR (East Coast Road) is fabulous and its about a 3.5- 4hours. Mahabalipuram comes right on the way and if you fancy visiting the temples in Mahabalipuram or buy some of the sculptures then Mahabalipuram makes a great halfway pitstop!
Do head to Moonrakers at Mahabalipuram if good seafood and beer is your idea of an ideal meal (its not a fancy place yet its not roadside at all)

Best places to eat at in Pondicherry?

Let me mention this at the start only that firstly restaurants close early in Pondicherry (which I already have mentioned in my earlier post). Secondly not all restaurants serve alcohol.
We dined at places like La Villa, Umami Kitchen, Le Club, Villa Shanti and Villa Helena (which was a total let down)

Here is a list of places (that unfortunately we missed) that you shouldn’t miss-

In White Town
Le Dupliex,
La Creperie( definitely try the crepe suzzette there), Baker Street,
Canteen 18,
Cafe du lycee,
La Plancha burgers.
Enjoy a breakfast by the sea at Le Café.

Cafes that you shouldn’t miss are- Cafe des Arts & Cafe Artika.

If you want some good wood-fired Pizza then-Tantos and Farm Fresh Pizza are a must try!

A friend of mine had suggested me a silent korean meal which you need to book prior! It sounds very interesting and it goes by the name of Jolly Kimbap

Places in Auroville that you shouldn’t miss are- Bread and Chocolate, Romas Bistro, Naturama and buy some yummilicious chocolates at Mason chocolates.
Zuka is another heaven for chocolates in White town and we all hogged on their nutty chocolates and what we called their chocolate lollipop :p

If you are looking at bars to go enjoy a drink and lively evening then check out- Ib2, Dis Dis Co, Umami Kitchen (on Fridays they have their funky friday night and the bar is very lively)

A Big Thank You to two lovely ladies Ritika Athwani and Devika Sekhar who kindly recommended a lot of places and things to do.

Best experience in Pondicherry?

Personally my best experience was the Pondi Cycle Tour. Getting up and exploring a city at 7 am is the smartest thing to do and that too on a Sunday! It especially felt like quite an achievement to be up in the morning after a crazy night with friends.
Not only did we cycle around but even got off the bikes to explore the real Pondicherry! Get all the deets on this cycle tour and find out what all we did in the Pondi Cycle Tour Vlog⬇ (the Pondicherry Vlog was getting too long so kept this seperate)

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Five things to Love and Hate about Pondicherry

Posted on 27 Days Ago by thestylechair

I recently travelled to Pondicherry as you all must be aware (if you are following me on social media). It was quite a short trip of barely 3 days and I went with a group of old school friends.

While planning this trip a lot of people asked me why Pondicherry? They told me it would be really boring. I just knew I wanted to do a trip in India and definitely down south that would be just ‘chill’, Kerala was an option but since I have done that earlier too we ruled that out.

As of what I researched and asked a lot of people who had earlier been to Pondicherry, I already had a fair idea of what the trip would be like and I was keen on Pondicherry especially for the drive from Chennai (on the ECR) which also happens to have Mahabalipuram en-route. I am saving all the details of the road trip and my whole holiday in Pondi for my next post that shall have my Vlog too.

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For now to answer a lot of people who have asked me ‘Is Pondicherry worth it’? Here goes:

Let’s start with five things that you will hate about Pondicherry–

No Nightlife– if you are going to Pondicherry thinking you are going to go party all night and be chilling at bars till wee hours in the morning then you are wrong. Pondicherry shuts early! Restaurants wrap up by 10.30-11 & bars (very few) would shut by max 12am if it’s on a weekend. FYI there are just a handful of dedicated bars or lounges.

Also not all restaurants serve alcohol so do check up on that to avoid any last minute disappointments if wine and dine was on your mind.

Prebook– the popular places in Pondicherry are generally crowded especially over the weekend so pre book your table if you don’t want to be stranded. We missed a real good dinner and had to go to some place else and had a real bad experience so you definitely want to pre book.

Shuts early– except Dominos I literally think there is no other saviour for you in Pondicherry beyond 10.30pm. Like I mentioned above, Pondicherry shuts early! Restaurants wrap up by 10.30-11 and bars also at 11.30pm max.

No beach shacks– Pondicherry is no Goa, so don’t expect the beaches to have shacks. Paradise beach does have just about two shacks but its nothing like the goa vibe. Best is to keep your own beach mat, food and drinks and relax. Disclaimer: the currents aren’t very kind to swim in.

Mosquitoes – Make mosquito repellent your best friend when in Pondicherry. I was bitten by mosquitoes even in the day (while others weren’t) & ofcourse the nights are just miserable in terms of being scratchy with mosquito bites. Don’t think twice and layer yourself with mosquito repellent.

Another thing to hate is the humidity. Unfortunately that is one thing you can’t change is the humidity and that really got to me especially coming from dry climate in Pune.

I knew all of these facts beforehand (except the mosquitoes), hence didn’t hate Pondicherry at all. I will definitely admit that it’s difficult to get ready in time for an evening and push yourself out by 8 (even in our city lives where do we manage to get out that early) but it’s workable🙂

Five things to Love about Pondicherry (FYI I loved Pondi for more than five reasons)

Drive to Pondicherry: this one factor that I was really excited about totally lived up to it’s expectations. Not only is the drive on the ECR beautiful (wait for glimpses of it in my upcoming Vlog) but also as the driver the drive is fabulous in terms of the roads being amazingly smooth.

Peaceful: If you are looking at a relaxed holiday then Pondicherry will play that perfect blissful host. If you are seriously looking at finding inner peace then you have Auroville and also the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the French quarters itself. Especially if you are staying in white town you don’t hear the city bustle or any honking and it’s all pretty peaceful.

Food: Yes I know it sounds awkward when people use the term ‘foodgasm’ but on a trip to Pondicherry that phrase can be very aptly used. From french food to tamil food, breakfast delights to wood fired pizza to the best of seafood and to top it all the most mouth watering desserts. There are some real good places for gelato and even fresh made chocolates. Don’t be surprised if you get served a dish you that you have even seen on an episode of Masterchef.

Long walks on promenade– I personally loved the walk along the Rock beach or promenade as it’s called. Especially being in white town and quite close to it, we went for walks there everyday at least once. For people who live inland like me, the sea breeze in my hair and the horizon being farthest in sight was one of the most picturesque sight and moment that will always be a memory etched in my mind.

Beautiful french colony– it’s quiet, it is green,it has the best of places to eat at or stay and yes i’m getting to it- most importantly the essence of a french colony. This town hasn’t been called the ‘Europe of India’ for nothing. No kidding I felt like I was in Europe too (did even say that in the moment there so many times) especially with the fact that once you are in white town everything is just a walk away.

Another European feel I got was with the Pondi cycle tour. Glimpse of it is already up on my Instagram @misschopchop

Of course you all know that Pondicherry being a Union Territory has lower taxation making it a rather inexpensive state for a holiday.

Safe to say I loved Pondicherry and definitely know I will go back because of the whole vibe of the place plus need to check off other things from my Pondi To-Do list which I couldn’t this time around.

Stay tuned for more on the Blog 💋

Be Yourself & Shine On❤

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Trend Alert: T-shirt Dresses

Posted on August 20 by thestylechair

Like t-shirts and like to dress up! Well what IF you get to have the best of both the worlds together?

No guesses there, I’m talking of T-shirt Dresses.

As much as I love dressing up, im most comfortable in a tee and normally that would be the first thing that I pull out of my closet when picking out an outfit for the day🙂 The days my legs are all silky smooth (if you know what I mean) I definitely flaunt them in dresses. A dress has got to be functional to be worn throughout the day.

If there is a website that’s a one stop shop for all things casual and fashionable it’s definitely Bewakoof.com
This time around Bewakoof launched their line of T-shirt Dresses and here is a dress they sent in.

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An earlier post HERE that I did where I glamed up a tank and joggers from Bewakoof shows that casual outfits can be styled in many ways to look stylish. Well that’s the thing with T-shirt dresses too, while they are fab as it is for everyday fashion paired with ripped denims, they can be layered and accessorised to create different looks.

For styling this dress I went in for a mix of different elements: boho, grunge and school girl. Sporty was already the key to this dress so didnt want to very obviously do just a Sporty look by throwing on sneakers!

PS: this dress is the best thing that could have happened to me this monsoon ❤ for its black and its short enough to not dirty the lowers of my outfit.

All I did was thrown on a bomber jacket and look how different this dress looks. Maybe if you all love tshirt dresses too then I should do a post on Five different ways of styling a Tshirt Dress?

Leave your comments below and don’t forget to Follow me on Instagram @misschopchop

Be Yourself & Shine On❤

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Dress up with TSC, Fashion 2016, Fashion Trends, Look Of The Day, OOTD, Outfit Ideas, TSC Styling Tips

Candy Pop ft. StalkBuyLove

Gallery | Posted on August 8 by thestylechair

Miss Chop Chop decides to play Miss Pop.

Are you all about feminine but yet have a funky side? Well then you are going to be able to relate to this look❤

Everybody has an eccentric side to them which can be expressed well with quirky dressing.

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I saw this midi pink and white striped dress on StalkBuyLove and was lovestruck! I had absolutely no idea in my head how I wanted to style it but I just had to have it (that was the feminine side of me all excited). When I decided to style this dress I realised with the baby pink in it, this dress went straight into the ‘girly’ category. Now that my red hair are back I definitely wanted to do a more fun look with this dress yet keeping the feminine touch to the dress alive.

One statement piece can own a whole look and that’s exactly what this quirky wrist clutch of mine did to the look.

Styling tip: when opting for quirky keep it minimal with all the attention on the quirky element.

FYI patches are the new thing! Whether on a bag or a jacket, a skirt or even jeans😉 If you are lucky to find a set of patches which I did at Stradivarius during my Spain travel use them as creatively as you want, Or just buy clothes or bags with the patches attached already.

For the makeup I opted for a nice pop pink lipstick and a blue eyeshadow that gave the look it’s ‘candy’ feels.

You can follow me on Instagram @misschopchop for my daily updates and also my Instagram Stories😉

Be Yourself & Shine On❤

The Style Chair

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