SHOPPING FOR FALL BOOTIES: FASHION

So the evenings have started getting just a bit cooler, and you can't stay as long as you want to in the pool, any more. Summer is on its way out and Fall is stealthily trying to make an appearance.Editorials everywhere are about how to make a transition to Fall. I wanted to live in denial that Summer  could be stretched, but I cannot do that.

Time to push the flip flops to the back of my shoe closet and bring out the heavier boots. I decided to tread on the middle ground and go shopping for some BOOTIES or ANKLE BOOTS. Its been years since I have worn or bought BOOTIES as such.Some of my longer boots double up as booties, if you fold them down. As it had been that long since I had some new Booties, I decided , now was the right time.

Me and Booties go a long way. I have even had TRANSPARENT BOOTIES, way back in the 90s. My mom might still have some pictures of that infamous pair.

I wanted a pair in which I could walk around a bit. And no heels. The toddler often wants Mommy to carry her and managing that with heels can often be tricky. Not that I haven't done it. And preferably in neutrals.

The first pair which I tried on was a pair from G BY GUESS GIGGY WOMEN'S BOOTIE . This pair was in my eyes very Coachella like. I have never been to Coachella but the sheer abundance of Coachella videos I have seen, gave me that idea. The reason being the Fringe on the bootie. It was all black and in suede. Somehow it had looked better in the display case than when I tired it on. Pretty simple but comfortable.

The next pair I tried on was a Grey colored one from REPORT ELSON. Made of faux suede, it had an easy slip on style. I had some belt detailing going on front and on the side . The color was pretty unique and while I have stilettos in grey, I don't have booties in the color. The man was gushing over the pair when I tried it on. In fact it was him who had pulled it off the display case, and got my size to try it on.

But the pair which wooed me like none, was a black leather pair from G BY GUESS. It had a pointed toe and was shiny and total bad ass. What made it edgier were all the studs around the back. It was a killer pair. In my mind I was already making pairings of it with items from my closet. The only problem was that while it was a pair fit enough for parties, the leather was a bit tough. Once you're a mom,  you seek to strike a balance between style and utility. And this pair was a bit problematic to wear or take off.

So which one did I finally pick up?

I picked up the grey pair. The color was unique and it was a comfy pair. And there's a long weekend not to far away. Who knows where these new booties might take me.

So you want to try out the pair I tried? Here are a few links for the shoes I tried on.

G BY GUESS GGIGGY WOMEN'S BOOTIES 


 G BY GUESS GG ROY WOMEN'S BOOTIES IN BLACK LEATHER AND STUDS 

GREY ANKLE BOOTS BY REPORT ELSON

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REPRESENTING INDIA AT THE KC ETHNIC ENRICHMENT FESTIVAL

 It was an honor representing INDIA at the recently concluded KANSAS CITY ETHNIC ENRICHMENT FESTIVAL.Its a three day festival which is held in Swope Park, in Kansas  City. A weekend full of celebrations. Music, food, dance, fashion, you name it and its there. US is a country which has residents or citizens from across the world. All these people from different parts of the world,who bring with them their unique flavors and lend to the flavor profile of the great American plate. So this weekend seeked to celebrate these different unique flavors. More than 60 participating countries celebrating in a festival which seeks to create an understanding an appreciation of cultural diversity.

Our slot was on Sunday, the last day of the festival. every country was given a certain time slot, and they had to present anything on stage which represented their culture and their uniqueness.

The INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF KANSAS CITY  had planned their slot well. A Fashion show celebrating Indian outfits. From Sarees, to lehengas, from anarkalis to patialas, we had it all on show. And we also shared the stage with our daughters.

Choreographed by Kansas City based Fashion Designer and Choreographer Preeti Gandhi, it was a show which had the audience asking or an encore.

The colors, the fabrics, the ladies and the tiny gentleman all summed together to make it a great show.

India itself is a country of diversities, and Unity in diversity is something, we live by everyday. So even the stage representation had to bear that spirit.

If there as a fashions how celebrating Indian fashion, there was the BHARATNATYAM food offering dance.

Followed by a beautiful KATHAK rendition.

And if we are celebrating INDIA,how can BOLLYWOOD be far behind. Yes, we decided to hold an impromptu BOLLYWOOD DANCE SESSION for anyone who was interested. Shaking  leg to the latest desi chartbusters with a  bunch of KC kids was indeed a great experience.

The LATKAS, the JHATKAS and the THUMKAS were not to be missed.

It was total Paisa Wasool kinda fun for everyone. Those of us on stage had a great time performing and the audience had a great time soaking in all the fun. Win Win as they say.

Time for some some photos with all the other Fashionable ladies who took the stage with us. It was an honor and a pleasure to represent INDIA.

Huge Thank you to my husband for the lovely photographs all day.

Then it was time to literally let our hair down and explore the festival. There were tents or stalls from every participating country. From kinck knacks to clothes to food and drinks, every country was offering their best. We decided to stick to food. You could not miss the smoke from the meat on the grills, floating about, or the sheer power of aromas of all the different cuisine, which could take your taste buds for a craving. Our Food journey had to commence fast.

Started off with NIGERIA. It was GOAT CURRY and a sweet fritter called POP POP.

Followed by ETHIOPIA. A lovely chicken curry with a heady dose onions. Very similar to the Chicken Rezala I felt.

Then it was time to sample the famous CHICKEN ADOBO and PORK KEBABS from PHILLIPPINES.

We were so full that we had to literally had to collapse on the hay bales, to recover from the food coma. A bit more exploring and it as time bid farewell to Swope Park this year.

It was indeed a unique experience celebrating the cultural diversities of so many countries.

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EVERYDAY SUMMER MAKE UP TUTORIAL

Hello everyone. Hope all of you are having  great weekend so far. I had a great time too. I know its been  huge gap since my last Youtube video.While I had shot this the same day, and in the same vein, as the previous one, this did take a long time, in finally getting to the edit table. I had been tied up with so many Blog Posts which I had planned and the video got relegated to under the carpet. So I thought, enough as enough, Summer is almost on its way out, and my tutorial deals with EVERYDAY SUMMER MAKE UP.

I have been steering towards Golds and Bronzes for my eyes. It has almost become my latest Go-To look. You can pair it with a lighter lip, for the day.Or feel free to sport a brighter lip as I did. The best part of this look, is that it can be adjusted according to the occasion. If you want to make it smokier, for a night out, you can change the color in the outer corner of the eye, from a Chocolate Brown to a Black . The possibilities are literally endless with this pairing.



If you liked my previous VIDEO featuring TRAVEL MAKE UP -BEAUTY MUST HAVES, then this video comes almost as second part. This video seeks to use the same make-up products which I had mentioned, in a cohesive make-up tutorial. Looking at products is one thing, and then looking at them being put to use, is a different thing altogether. I always prefer it myself when I see a product being put to use. In case you missed the previous video, featuring a review of all the products I have used in this video, here it goes as a quick reckoner.

Hope you like it. And if you do like it, then go ahead to my Youtube Channel, and click on LIKE. And if you want to keep updated on when I post videos, then don't forget to click on SUBSCRIBE on the channel.

Thanks for all the support.

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CHAR BAR, KC : EATING OUT

Weeknights and eating out are fairly common for us, like most other suburban families. Be it exploring a new joint downtown, or going ahead to the neighborhood favorites, we make sure we are sampling something from someone else's kitchen. Its nice to sit back, relax and have someone cook for us and even serve you at the table. And don't worry about dishes and cleaning up the table. Last week I was attending the launch of THE BLOG GUILD downtown, and the Man and our daughter were spending some quality time, while running errands. So we decided to head out to dinner after all our individual plans for the evening had concluded.

The man had been talking of going over to CHAR BAR and this seems the perfect opportunity as we were almost in the neighborhood. So Thursday became a barbecue dinner night for us.

The large parking lot was indeed a blessing as most places downtown have a huge struggle with that. you often have to park at a nearby lot and walk up to the restaurant of your choice.But CHAR BAR had a personal, and fairly large parking lot of their own. Which meant we had to walk less.

The decor was like a typical gastro pub but I loved the brick walls all round. Gave it an old school rustic charm I felt. It was pretty spacious, with outdoor seating and even some option of some outdoor games to keep you busy while you wait for your food. Or if you just want to indulge in a game bout with your buddies while chugging on some local brews. Smoked Meats and Amusements, as their website claims.

When it comes to menus, the first thing we look for, are the options for kids. We opted for SMOKED MAC CHICKEN NUGGETS for our daughter. Rather than being nuggets, there were more more big chunks of country fried, smoked chicken pieces. It came with a flight of sauces or dips to dunk your chicken in: Buffalo Mayo, Spicy BBQ, Buttermilk Chive and Carolina Gold.

 The Crust had a good crunch to it and the smokiness are all prevalent. Maybe a bit too strong  for kids. But for a typical Barbecue loving toddler Kansan, it was right up the alley. The picky eater was surely digging in. Bon Appetit, Mommy said in her mind  !!

We started off with LOBSTER DEVILED EGGS. If deviled eggs were not decadent enough, then you add lobsters to it. I felt the presentation as way too sloppy. It looked like a thirteen year old, was having a first go at making deviled eggs, in terms of presentation. They would have looked better if the boiled egg yolks had been piped in, using a curly or star piping tip. Would have looked more professional. And the sauce was hastily smeared below. It looked very sloppy and unprofessional. But taste wise, they were pretty decent. The pea shoots added a nice crunch.

I had been sipping on some wine, at THE BLOG GUILD LAUNCH, so I opted for a beer to pair with my eats. ODELL'S MYRCENARY  DOUBLE IPA. The man was driving so stuck to his iced water. And boy did the Beer pack a punch. It was not your regular lighter beer which you can chug all night long, without even realizing anything This was strong and had a few layers of taste , when it hit your tongue. I am surely gonna be looking for this beer whenever I eat out next.

For our main course, we opted for the BBQ TRAYS with a choice of three meats. They came with a side of pickles and Texas Toast, a choice of sides. We decided on CRISPY JO- JO POTATOES for our side, which came in a nice mug. the LO made a dash for the mug the moment it arrived at our table. For our meats, it was BLACK ANGUS BRISKET , PULLED PORK BUTT and HAND CRANKED SAUSAGES . 

As Kansas City is the city of Barbecue, you always tend to compare the fare with the other local favorites. The brisket was the best of the three and had a nice smoke ring on it. The Pulled Pork was a tad bit dry and the sausage was  just about so so. Had we just opted for the Brisket, it would have been a smarter choice on our part.

The service was great and our server kept checking in on us, without being intrusive. I had a mind to try  my hand at the outdoor amusements in the backyard, but it was already getting late on a weeknight. Maybe next time. Want to check out their brunch fare, maybe on a cool crisp Fall Morning. Cant believe how short this Summer is turning out to be.

CHAR BAR
Website: http://charbarkc.com
Address: 
4050 Pensylvania Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64111

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and the dinner was paid for us in full. The opinions expressed are those of mine. 

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