SHOPPING FOR NEW WORKOUT CLOTHES

Recently shopped for some new workout clothes, and thought of sharing with you'll. My body has changed postpartum, from a size zero to a size 4., from a size XXS to a size M. And with Covid,  and all the covid pounds I had gained, I needed some new workout clothes. I had looked at a few styles, and a few brands, and had a few ideas on what kind of style I wanted to opt for.

I knew I wanted something high-rise and high support. I am petite and curry and sometimes that becomes a problem, in finding the right fit. I knew I had to try on a few different brands and their offerings in the categories, I was looking for. Last, but not the least, I was on a budget. I needed a few key pieces, so ruled out Lulu Lemons.

I headed to my local Dick's Sporting Goods, as they still have their trial rooms open. And I knew that it was important for me to try on a few pieces. The brands I tried on were Nike - Dry Fit, Calia by Carrie Underwood, Under Armour, and DSG. Fell in love with the tie-dye number from Calia. Loved the fit and fabric of the leggings. They were ankle length, which is always a good idea for us Petites. The second choice of leggings was the Under Armour ones, which had a tummy control panel, with medium support. I opted for one, in this blush pink color.

Where sports bras are concerned, I tried out two different styles - DSG Women's Adjustable High Support Sports Bra, and DSG Women's Long-Line perfect Performance Sports Bra. In terms of support and comfort, I opted for the first option.

Everything I picked out, seems to be very comfortable when I work out in them. If you wanted to take a look at the trial room diaries, head over to my Instagram stories.

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CARAMEL BALAYAGE - SUMMER HAIR WITH STUDIO A SALON, KC

Self-care Sunday, hair color edition! While I will do a few things at home, like my own nails, but I will always trust the experts, when it comes to my hair. My hair has often been a conversation starter so I love chronicling my hair journey. For my hair care needs, I trust the best - Amanda Pogue of Studio A Salon, KC. Amanda has been taking care of my hair for over a decade, and also of my husband and daughter. The best part of a session with Amanda is how she gives life to a vision you had, for your hair. It is very important to have a good consultation session with your stylist so that both of you are on the same page. What you want, and what can be achieved, while preserving the integrity of your hair. I have been getting my hair colored since I was 16, and I will be 40 in a couple of years. But the fact that I have been blessed to meet fabulous hairstylist as Amanda, who have not only created the cut and color I wanted but also helped me preserve the health of my hair.

Amanda is taking every precaution possible to keep ensure her clients stay safe in this new reality created by COVID. When you arrive at the salon, you text her and stay in your car to wait. Once she has the station/salon ready and sanitized in between appointments, she lets you in. We wear masks all the time, during the appointment. We just took off the mask, to get a few photos for this post. As a client, I couldn't have felt safer, for all that Amanda has done for us, in these crazy times. I, my husband(who is immune-compromised), and daughter have been to Amanda for appointments since March, and I wouldn't have done that if I didn't have ultimate faith in Amanda and her safety standards.

I get my roots covered every 8-10 weeks, and we touch up my balayage every other appointment. I am obsessed with balayage if you didn't know that already. We have been doing different types of balayage on my hair for the past few years, I think. And every time, we try switching it up a bit, to make it more exciting. Balayage is a French word that means to sweep. The color is painted upon certain sections of the hair to create the desired effect.

Summer will soon be over, so I wanted to preserve summer with my own hair. That was the inspiration I had for this recent appointment. Amanda did a root touch to cover my grays. She created caramel balayage which added that much-needed summer warmth, and dimension, that I was looking for. Amanda toned the color with a silver/blue + a blue/violet toner to help counteract orange and yellow. Amanda has always complimented me that warm tones look better on me, so she chose to only tone out some of the warmth!

The products used for the color and toning were:
Color: Pravana Chromasilk
Lightener: Pravana Pure Light Ultra Lightener 
Toner: Redken Shades EQ

Since I am more of an air-dry person every day, the sessions in Amanda's chair are my super-pamper days. She styled my hair in beach vibes. For styling wet hair, she applied Its a 10 Leave-in Conditioner and Amika Perfect Body Mousse. Then she blowdried with a  square brush for smoothness and volume.
Prior to curling hair, she sprayed L'ANZA Keratin Healing Oil Lustrous Finishing Spray section by section then she curled my hair opposite ways leaving ends out with 1.25 inch Bio Ionic Stylewinder Curling Iron. 
After curling hair, she let the curls cool down, and then separated them with her fingers, She used Amika Texture Spray for extra beachy hair.

 I am in love with my new summer hair. For reference, the only makeup I have on, for these photos, are my eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.
If you wanted to treat yourself to a pampering hair appointment or get a new hair makeover, make sure you get in touch with Amanda Pogue, of Studio A Salon, in Overland Park, Kansas.

Photograph courtesy: Amanda Pogue and Debashish Dasgupta

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DUCK & ROLL, KANSAS CITY

 
I am head over heels in love ----- with the latest Chinese restaurant in town! I have a weakness for Chinese food, having grown up in a city that has one of the oldest China towns in the world. So my standards for judging Chinese food are very high. On a rare occasion that I  mention that I was wowed by Chinese food, you know you are in for a treat. Another reason I fell in love with the food at  Duck & Roll, was because it serves Cantonese food. The Chinatown or the large Chinese community in my hometown, Kolkata(India) is all Cantonese. So it felt like I was eating in the Chinatown of my childhood. Take a bow Duck & Roll, Kansas City, you know how to win a foodie's heart. I am so in love with this new place, that I have already done a few rounds of takeout before I started writing this post.

I take no credit in discovering Duck & Roll, it is my husband, Debashish who did the research. I was heading downtown for a shoot when he mentioned if I wanted to try out a new place. I was pre-occupied in planning my shoot, and agreed, without even asking much. Shoot done, he mentioned that we were headed to a Chinese place. Duck & Roll, he mentioned had come near Country Club Plaza, and he had ordered our dinner online. We were doing a takeout, as you know my husband is immune-compromised for his battle with cancer. The first takeout was followed with another, within a few days. And we live nowhere close to the Plaza. Yes, we drove up all that way from a takeout from a new restaurant, during a world pandemic. That should say something about the place, right.

If you have seen pictures of videos of those amazing food stalls, and hawkers in Hing Kong, then let me tell you, Duck & Roll has been designed, on those lines. Its almost as if a few food stalls were combined into one, for the benefit of the local foodies. Loved the kitschy decor and the colors- it made me feel as if I was on a vacation to Hong Kong! Duck &Roll specializes in Chinese barbecue, dumplings, and wok bar with made-to-order fried rice and noodle dishes.

Let us start with what we ate and what we loved from the menu at Duck & Roll. Since they pride themselves on their dumplings, we started off with a few rounds of their Pork, Shrimp, Chives, and Mushroom Dumplings. Three dumplings are served per serving, so we started with a serving for each.

The second item, we tried on the menu, from their appetizer section, was their Chicken Satay, which was served with their signature peanut sauce. Our daughter loves Chinese food too, but can't handle spice. So she opted for the satay, and we sampled it, a bit.

The third item we tried out, is the item we ordered on two different occasions. Yes, the same item, as its that good - Beef Ho Fun! The beef was tender and flavorful, the flat noodles, had enough bite to hold up to the beef and the sauce!

 The fourth item we tried out was XO Shrimp with Canton Noodles. Another favorite of our daughter, who just mentioned that they were the best shrimps, she has had. It was snot spicy, yet packed a flavor punch.

The fifth item we tried out was Master Stock Chicken which was served with sesame rice. The chicken came off as briny at first bite but in a good way. It's very easy to dry out chicken, in trying to cook it. But this chicken was moist and had a good bite.

Last but not least. was Cumin Lamb! This item is a favorite of ours in general, so it was good to see a familiar name on the menu. The lamb was not gamey at all, which it can often become, if not cooked low and slow, and with the right marination. It was spicy and everything good and paired perfectly with the sesame rice. 

So if you are looking to try out a new place in town, I would say head to Duck & Roll in Main Street, in Kansas City MO! I enjoyed both our takeouts, and the portions were great. I did miss pairing the food with some good Asian beer, and also the entire charm of dining out and asking the ambiance in. Hoping the pandemic is over, we can get back to dining in and enjoy the food in-house at Duck & Roll! 

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