eStylista

How to holiday in Centre Parcs....

For some reason, when I posted on to Facebook that I was off to Centre Parcs for a weekend away, I got a lot of derisory comments. They ranged from "There's no Nobu there" --- er Duh! to "No high heels", again, super duh! I am the queen of research. While these friends may have been taking a good-natured, albeit, sarcastic swipe at my perceived inability to holiday in a non-luxury property - I have come back with glowing reviews and a super-helpful guide to holidaying in Centre Parcs.

Let me put it out there, these holidays are a bit daunting. Wondering what to pack, how it will be etc etc. You are not heading to a beautiful beach where swimwear and kaftans can be worn with a surety that one will be lounging in sunshine. Centre Parcs are an active holiday and one must, like all good scouts, be prepared!

I went to Elveden Forest. It was beautiful, lush, our accomodation was very much in heart of the forest. Deers and squirrels came by the villa in the morning to beakfast on the bread we put out the night before. The accomodation was clean, not as basic as I was led on to believe. The beds were super-comfy (or I was super-tired). We biked everywhere, a very hands-on and brimmed with loads to do. Here are my top tips:

1. What to Wear

I sensibly packed a lot of training clothes and the only pair of shoes I took were my running shoes. I spent the day in my gym-wear, it was comfortable and perfect for biking around, playing badminton, tennis and laser-tag with my son!

2. What to Pack

Apart from training clothes, take a few pyjamas, swimwear, a couple of warm hoodies and a rain cover. I also had a lightweight bag to carry on my back for kit. It is easily available for sale there too. For kids, follow the same principle. Just add on a few sweaters in case it gets too chilly.

3. Food

The food there is not too great. There are plenty of options for a quick lunch on the go, but for dinner, a meal at home was the best way to feed the hungry munchkins. The on-site supermarket is slightly expensive. But anything you forget is available to buy - which is a huge comfort! I went (taking on-board some very wise advise) armed with casseroles of Indian curries like Rajma, Chole etc. which were cooked at home and heated there. The rice was eaily boiled in the full kitchen which came very handy. We also took snacks, makings for tea etc - but all this is easily available in the supermarket.

4. Activities

Pre-book everything! It gives you a planned agenda and no time is wasted thinking what to do now! The website is great and also book a pushchair for the little ones if one is required. There is lots and lots to do - it is one holiday where the nothing-to-do situation does not arise!

5. Rent that bike

The first thing to do is to rent a bike for everyone. It is great fun and the only practical way to navigate the long distances. Spend the first few hours getting a feel for the layout by biking around. It will also save time when you are trying to get the kids to say laser tag at the Outdoor centre if you roughly know where it is!

If you are going to Elveden forest - plan on one afternoon/evening at the indoor, heated pool complex. Rent a cabana, the kids will have a blast going up and down by the slides, the food in there is pretty ok too. This would hold true for the other properties too.

And best of all, kids sleep like logs exhausted by the full, fun days.

So Centre Parcs has the full eStylista seal of approval! Perfect for a quick break away.

Beauty prep for the summer...

While sunshine continues to tease us this summer in London, I look ahead to next month when schools will be off and holidays will most definitely be on.

This year, I attempt to avoid the "Oh, I wish I was in better shape! when I am getting ready to hit the pool scenario."

Here is the eStylista guide to the essential beauty prep for the summer holidays...

Workout! If you have been good and consistent with your workouts then you are reading this rather smugly. If you haven't, then START NOW. My latest find is EducoGym - home to the 20 minute workout, which is a whole other blogpost! Concentrate on the core, with lots of squats and arm exercises thrown in.

Diet Do a detox via Raw Fairies  or go one step further like my friend and fellow blogger Ambarina aka BeautyPassionista and use SoulMate Food. Whatever you do follow my 3 golden rules:

                    No Carbs after 7

                    No Sugar 

                    Lots of hydration

Hair removal If you have followed my previous advice and are fully lasered - then congratulations. (I assume I am writing for the female readers of my blog here) If not then book in your waxing appointments for just before you jet off. I love BlissSpa. And remember - come winter - slot in those Laser hair removal appontments!! Seriously - It will change your life!! Go to BeautyWorksWest.

Nails Your best buddy, as far as nails are concerened is Shellac. I had mine done at Michael Van Clarke last summer and what a life saver!. Shellac is like gel, but without the nasty after-effects. It goes on and dries like normal nailpaint under UV light and best of all it does not chip for upto 2 weeks!!! Go for a nice bright, coral shade and have pretty nails all through your holiday.

Hair For your crowning glory - the Brazilian Blowdry is the best bet. Again do it just before you leave and the frizz will be a distant bad dream. My hair however is a whole other story, so I will embrace the curls!

Face Get a facial now and drink lots and lots of water - it works wonders for that dewey glow that looks so fabulous for all those vacation photos you might want to plaster on Facebook the moment you get back. Remember to work the sunscreen! Top up with a mini facial just before you leave.

Body Start dry brushing ASAP, you should be doing it regularly anyway!. it improves circulation, removes the icky dead cells and leaves the skin gorgeously smooth! It also improves waxing results. Invest in a dry-brush and be religious about it. 

I usually do a block booking for a body-scrub, mini facial, and mani-pedi (with shellac) the day or so before I fly. Add waxing to it if you need it and don't forget that blowdry. 

Holidays are fun - the sun, the relaxation are the perfect recipe to looking and feeling great. But a little headstart never hurts. Its all in the prep!

What to pack for the holiday is another post... will come up with it soon.

How to get your child into school in London

Disclaimer: This blogpost is by no means an exhaustive guide, it details my experience with the British schooling system and has my suggestions which can make a good starting point. It focuses on the private schooling system in London as my experince is limited to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the past two days I have met two (lovely) mums with kids around the age 2-3, living in London who HAVE NOT registered their child with ANY school. I was rather horrified as it brought back my memories of coming to terms with the British schooling system - which is rather unique and befuddling, especially if you have not studied through it.

I moved back to the UK with a two year old son, with little idea about what I had in store, schooling-wise. I assumed that it would be a simple matter of registering in schools. But that is so not the case. I realised, much to my dismay that I was woefully late in registering my child for nursery and school. 

Schooling in the UK is not a simple matter of getting your child into school and then worrying about university a decade or so down the line. The preparation starts before the child is born. 

At the age of around 2.5 years, your child will begin nursery. At 4+ s/he will be in a pre-prep school. Depending on the school, it may go up to 18. If it does then you don't need to worry too much. But more likely than not, the child will change schools at least two-three times. At 4+ the child enters Reception, leading on to year 1 and year 2. At 7+ and 8+ there are competitive exams which lead on to prep school. Again at 11+ for girls and 13+ for boys there are further exams which lead on to the final school. It is highly competitive and not to be taken lightly - unless you have a little genius on your hands, in which case accept my congratulations :) 

But first things first - registration for both nurseries and pre-prep schools must be done at BIRTH. Many London schools even the top ones are non-selective. This means that it is a simple matter of applying as soon as the child is born to get high enough on the list to be offered a place. If your little one happens to be born towards the end of the month, the places may already be allocated. I have heard tales of dads rushing to schools from hospitals to get the form in. 

Here is my recommended timeline.

Congratulations, you are pregnant! Right now the little one is a mere twinkle in your eye and a faint blue line on the pregnancy test. It is a good time to begin paying attention to all the school chatter that your friends-with-kids rather annoyingly indulge in ALL the time (and you conveniently tuned it out). Pay attention to names of schools and nurseries - the good, the bad and the ones to apply for.

Second Trimester of Pregnancy By now you should be very conversant with the names of the good nurseries and schools around where you live - you don't want to travel too far for a nursery as for the first few terms the sessions are only 3 hours or so long. By the time you drop, go home - it is time to do the pick up once again - so proximity is good. Look at OFSTED reports, listen to the parent's opinions and call around to arrange a visit. 

Third Trimester of Pregnancy Your shortlist for nurseries and schools must be ready and the application forms filled out barring the name, sex and birthdate of course! Remember to make sure that your husband or any other responsible adult will get the forms to the nurseries and schools the MOMENT the little one arrives.

Now you might feel, I am going a bit over the top with this , but I promise you - it is always best to be over prepared, especially where schools are concerned, it will save you endless worrying later on. Make sure you have visited nurseries and schools, made your choice and also let your first choices know that you will definitely take a place if offered. 

Its a Boy! Its a Girl! Now that baby is here, all you have to do is get the form in ASAP and enjoy parenthood. You will in due course be offered places and all you have to do is send off the acceptance and deposits.

If you have NOT done all this, and are still stuck for schools. My advice is apply ASAP. Knowledge is power. Get to know the school secretary. S/he is responsible for your admissions file. Every time you call to indicate your interest in the nursery or school a notation is made in your file. Every letter/email you send in is kept together and it all adds weight in your favour when they are deciding to whom the last few places that have suddenly opened up must be offered. So stay in touch. Let them know you are still waiting for a place.

Do not despair, this is London - people move around, get transferred all the time, places come up all the time. Persistence is key. 

I was lucky enough to get my son into Strawberry Fields and then into Chepstow house.  I highly recommend both. Here are some good nurseries and schools that I know of, just to get you started!

Nurseries: Rolfes, Hope Montessori

Pre-prep schools:

Wetherby - Princes William and Harry went there. Non-selective, so first come, first served. 

Bute House - For Girls, ballot at 4+, Assessment at 7+

Notting Hill Prep - For Boys and Girls, non selective

 

How to… use Twitter

A friend's Facebook status sparked of this post. 

Twitter is a funny thing. We all know it's there. We also know have friends who are 'on' it. But what does one do on Twitter? Where do you begin?

This is Twitter 101. If you use Twitter already - skip the post, or even better add to it via comments. The Twitter help page has all this information, but here is my take.

Twitter is a 'micro-blogging' platform i.e. you say what you have to say in 140 characters. It does play havoc with your spelling and grammar but surprisingly, one gets used to it quickly.

It is opposed to blogging (which is what I am currently doing) where you can use how many ever characters you like.

Choose a relevant 'handle'. This is your identity on Twitter. It begins with the @ symbol. Mine is @priyankagill. Keep it simple, short as it eats into the 140 character limit when people reply. Use the ' _ ' symbol if you have to. Add numbers only as a last resort. Keep it in sync with your other social profiles for simplicity and consistency.

Fill out your profile. Put up a picture. It tells other Twitter users a bit about you. If yours is a public profile, search engines will also index it. So make it count.

Find your voice. You may be a mum of two with a great sense of humour or a fashion journalist or a die-hard knitter or a book-lover. Whatever you are interseted in, I promise there are more like you out there. Use twitter to connect with them. 

Tweet. Often. This means say something relevent, fun, interesting and do it regularly. By the way - its called a 'tweet' not a 'twit'. It's a verb. 

Find interesting people to 'follow'. This will add what they have to say to your 'time-line' which is like your newsfeed on Facebook.

If they are saying something that resonates with you - respond to it. Do it politely. Don't be intimidated. Even celebrities reply rather naturally on Twitter - at least the nice ones do. Like Jonathan Ross (@wossy) - he once responded to me... He's lovely! So did Barkha Dutt (@bdutt). She's quite active on Twitter and a great one to follow.

Twitter is about having a conversation and occasionally evesdropping on other people's conversations. Follow Suhel Seth (@suhelseth), his brother Swapan Seth (@swapanseth) and Soni Agarwal (@SoniAggarwal) to see what I mean.

Obviously follow all the celebrities. The verified ones have a tick next to their handle. It is almost like being a fly on their walls. The more socially savvy ones tweet well and connect. 

Follow friends for sure. They are most likely to support you, to have a conversation with you. But the beauty of twitter lies in how quicly you get to know perfect strangers really well. 

Twitter is great for news - I follow all major news sources. 

Apart from tweeting, you can also 'retweet' innteresting, informative tweets written by someone else. It is a way to send out information to your followers and share the expertise of people you follow.

For example, I follow Hussein Kanji (@hkanji). He is a hot-shot venture capitalist with a strong expertise in the tech world. He reads absolutely everything and tweets links to what he thinks is relevant. I get a big chunk of my tech news via him. I also retweet him a lot.

Use the inbuilt 'retweet' function or write 'RT' and copy, paste the tweet. ALWAYS credit the original writer. Never, ever pass on someone else's tweet as your own for obvious reasons. 

You can also quote a tweet. Comment and put the " " symbols around the quoted tweet.

Always reply when someone mentions you. Be polite. Say thank you for a nice mention or a retweet or even a follow, if you can. Good manners go a long way on Twitter (as they do in real life). Engage your followers. 

If someone annoys you (such people are called trolls) you can block them. I also block 'bots' - computer programmes that follow you, users with obscene profile pics and those who are plain rude!

If you begin a tweet with the handle - only people who follow both you and the other person can read it. To make it public, don't begin with the @ symbol - or at least put a "." before it.

Twitter is fun. The more you use it, the more rewarding it gets. It is a good way to pass time when you are waiting in a cue or are in transit. It also opens up your world to intelligent, wonderful people with a stimulating point of view. 

My Style: Sun and sand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dress: Emilio Pucci

Sunglasses: Chrome Hearts

Toes: OPI Charged-up Cherry

This photo was taken at Soneva Kiri, a Six Senses resort on Thailand's Koh Kood island. It was perhaps the most idyllic holiday I have ever had. The resort was eco-chic with serious luxury thrown in. The food was beyond superlative and they take their 'No news. no shoes' policy very seriously!

Packing well for a beach holiday is a study in minimalism. Swimsuits / Bikinis plus coverups, t-shirts and shorts, flip flops, sunglasses and an outfit or two for the evenings is purely optional! 

Its lazy, bright, colourful dressing that does not take itself seriously. Less is definitely more. I tend to favour the classics of beachwear - Missoni for its bikinis and coverups and Pucci for its wraps. 

A beach holiday is the best time to embrace simplicity. Everything is pared down. A light tinted moisturiser and a heavy duty sunscreen are pretty much the only beauty potions you need. The same goes for the makeup kit. My holiday routine is limited to putting on some lip balm and lining eyes with kohl (MAC's 'Smolder'). 

Before you jet off, all you need to add to the mix are a few weeks of serious work-outs in the gym plus a wax and a heavy-duty pedicure (I swear by Bliss Spa).

Fabulous photos for Facebook bragging are guaranteed!  

How to get the woman of your dreams…

Store windows can be beautiful, innovative, cutting-edge but only rarely can they simultaneously touch your heart, make you sigh and go all gooey. Disclaimer: I am a closet-romantic.

These windows at Tiffany's in Selfridges are a lesson that should be learnt by all boyfriends and fiancees looking to propose and husbands. Do something like this and the all-important woman in your life will melt like a chocolate bar on a summers day.

Romance is timeless. It earns you major brownie points. So whether you are looking to impress a girl, make-up with your girl friend or if you have finally decided to man up with a wedding proposal to the woman you love - put some thought into it.

Especially if you are proposing. It is the one moment she will remember for ever. When you have your first fight after marriage - she will think about this moment and soften up (a bit). All her girl-friends and her mum and her aunts will ask her how you proposed. This story will be told and re-told. One day your kids will will want to know - so better make it a good one.

Over the course of a relationship, small, thoughtful gestures show that you care. They are a reminder that you are thinking about her and that you are willing to make an effort to make her smile…even if your attempt may not (always) not include a Tiffany's  diamond ring… :) 

(click on the images to enlarge them)

 

Maid from India...

There is a whole tradition of young women (like me) who are born and brought up in India, (blessed with the many comforts and staff that are de rigeueur in that lovely part of the world) who get married to men living in London.

I love London, but remember acutely the sheer shock of not having the many people in India who made life so simple! "Driver bhaiya" - the friendly chauffeur, the cook, the cleaners, maids. Let us all admit to being a tiny bit spoilt! 

While you might with a sigh say goodbye to an entire staff, once you have kids - one seriously begins to miss an extra pair of hands!!

When my son was born, bringing over his nanny from India became a matter of prime importance. I had done enough research to realise that using the route of the nanny agency may well not work - because there is a cultural difference (I really needed someone Indian, who would speak to the kids in Hindi etc.) 

So I contacted my lovely friend Ratika Puri Kapur. She is a lawyer based in the UK, who does a lot immigration work - but is best known for being able to get 'maid visas' - UK visas for household staff. She was able to get the visa cleared with little hassle and I finally had some sanity return into my life. 

If you are ever in a similar situation, you will do well to contact Ratika - she is single-handedly responsible for the many lunches that (Indian) ladies of leisure attend in London - how would they be possible if there was no nanny at home ;) 

(This post is a plug - but before I knew Ratika, I remember searching high and low for someone I could trust to get this done - hopefully it will be helpful to some new mom)

Bushy tales…

Growing up in India, the local 'beauty parlor' was an ubiquitous part of every day life, curiously emblematic of small-town India; embodying nostalgic comfort in continuity that pervaded sleepy little towns.

The 'parlor' was more often than not be called "Looks" or just "Best Beauty Parlor" a small, kitschy room - with mirrors along one wall, a couple of chairs - with an aunty/didi who would take care of all grooming needs - waxing, threading, facials, manicures and pedicures - although I don't remember mani-pedis being so popular as they are now. 

I grew up in a tiny town called Abohar in Punjab - its barely a speck on the Indian map and it was was home to two such establishments. The one my mum went to was called "Nisha" - the name of the lady who ran the place. It was a matter of grave importance to Nisha that we never ever went to the other 'parlor'. 

Now of course things are completely different - Nisha still exists, but her daughter runs the place - she has upgraded, her place is now 'modern', mum no longer goes to her much, there is someone else in town. 

Once I moved to London - this was almost a decade ago, getting my eyebrows done became a massive deal. One memorable evening in the Nicky Clarke Salon, I was booked in for 'eye-brows' - the technician asked if I wanted them plucked or waxed.. I politely said 'threading, please'.  At her incredulous look, I realised that 'threading' was (then) not something usually performed in salons. I explained to her that threading was performed by using a piece of string to remove unwanted hair... she was amazed!

So then began my search for someone who could 'thread' without me having to make a trip to Southall! 

At that time, there were two big names in London for eye-brow threading - Vaishaly and Shavata. 

Vaishaly was (and probably is) very precious about who she saw. Years ago, I called and asked for an appointment - only to be told that Vaishaly no longer sees new clients, but I could be put on a two year waiting-list if I wanted to be part of the select circle worthy of her tender ministrations. I quickly put the phone down - I  have never been to see her.

Shavata I did see - once or twice. But getting my eye-brows done continued to be a struggle.

Then came Blink Brow bar - it was a complete life-saver, as far as my brows were concerned at least. It is difficult to overstate how much it made my life simpler - finally a hassle-free place I could walk into and get my eyebrows done with even better results than India. 

Recently I was introduced to its founder Vanita Parti - a dynamic woman, who started Blink because of the hassle she faced in getting her brows done! Great companies are born out of necessity.

Now Blink is every where - its even opening up in New York in Hernri Bendel.

Once every couple of weeks, I pop down to Selfridges and get my brows done - there are no magic passwords required, you no longer have to be 'in the know' and the calibre of the their technicians is usually good - its revolutionary!

Of course, brow maintenance is a very delicate art. In the pre-Blink years - due to the questionable expertise of women who did my brows, I have had all sort of brows - thin, thick, and a few times (which I would totally like to forget) two completely mismatched brows!

I now religiously refrain from plucking, especially the DIY variety. I have also learnt patience. The two (minuscule) patches, where I would like a few hairs to grow - will only happen with time. This has made me an enthusiastic proponent of the  Blink eyebrow pencil - I use it to fill in gaps, get the shape close to the 'perfect arch' - the holy grail of eye-brows. 

Vogue tells me that big brows are back and that pencil thin, groomed-to-death eyebrows are passe - thank the beauty gods!

Post baby: losing the fat!

I got a lovely message from a friend asking me to blog on how I lost baby weight after my first pregnancy. Having a baby is the most beautiful experience in the world, but trying to deal with the after effects on your body is pretty daunting. Unless you are one of those skinny pregnant women who swing back right into shape (I know a few of those, I secretly found them very annoying :) especially as a new bloated mum).

When I was pregnant with my first-born, I decided to take pregnancy as a fab excuse to eat what I wanted. I was in Delhi at the time - pregnancy is treated as a very special condition. Well-meaning female relatives ply you with all kinds of yummy food. "Take it easy" is a constant refrain. I stood on the scales a few days after my son was born and to my utmost horror, I weighted in at 85 kilos. I had put on 31 kilos. It was way too much - 'normal' weight gain in pregnancy is 12-16 kilos.

Bu I did lose it. It was painful and required a lot of motivation. Here is how I did it. It's pretty much common sense - we have all heard it a million times.

1. Breastfeeding: It is good for the baby and it works wonders in trying to shed the kilos. It only works if you follow point 2 and 3.

2. Diet: The down-side of breastfeeding is that it makes you absolutely ravenous. I remember by first meal after his birth, I all but inhaled a full plate of food. The advice I was given was: control what you eat, cut the fat, no sweets, no chocolates, no refined carbs, no rice, lots of protein and veggies. Eat small meals throughout the day and drink lots of water and fluids. Simple foods, ideally non-spicy (babies rarely respond well to the mum eating spicy food).

3. Exercise: once the doctor gives the go ahead, start with moderate exercise and build up. I started with walking for an hour or so every other day and graduated to 5 sessions in the gym. There is really no substitute for exercise.

I swore by 40 minutes of interval training cardio, three times a week; this meant running at your highest speed for 3 minutes, slowing down for 3 and then running again - at the end I was running for 8 mins and slowing down for 2. I hate cardio. I will happily do weights and pilates but running I do kicking and screaming. You can add cycling, cross-trainers - whatever gets your heart-rate up. If you have had a normal delivery you can start doing ab crunches way sooner than if you have had a Caesarean section.

4. Massage: If you happen to be in India or southeast Asia, you are lucky, massage is way cheaper than in the west. It is really good for conditioning the skin and gently moving the muscles. Once again, on a doctors go ahead, I had a massage a few times a week. On a daily basis, I tried to do dry skin brushing and lots of moisturising after bath.

The birth of a baby is a wonderful time to celebrate the child as well as the mother. So if you are looking to buy a gift for a new baby, think of the mum as well - massage vouchers (with the offer to baby-sit if she needs it) will always go down a treat, or get the masseuse to come to her house :)

5. Consistency: For me - this is the biggest factor in weight loss. How many times do we start a diet or routine will all the best intentions in the world, only to give up in a week or so? Start as you mean to go on. Small, healthy changes to your everyday life. Drastic diets and fads work in the very short term. I was told a zillion times - it took 9 months to put on this weight, it will take at least as long to lose it. I hated hearing it, but sadly, it was true. 

With my second pregnancy - I did not put on so much weight, but even then it has been a struggle to lose the last few stubborn kilos. Men do have it really easy!!

Social Media 101: what to do and what NOT to do...

The internet and companies like Twitter are changing the way we interact with our world and how companies interact with us. They have amplified the reach of the average consumer. In the past the upset consumer would complain to friends and family or write a letter - but today the damage is considerably more.

 This is a tweet I posted a few days ago whist at the Airport at Delhi…

____________________________________________________________________________

@priyankagill

Priyanka Gill

Said the shop assistant at Kimaya to me "Madam, you are a size large(!!), our clothes are sized according to size zero types!!!" #WTF

17 Mar via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Reply Delete 

_____________________________________________________________________________

It was a minor incident – I was trying on clothes that were a bit too big for me and assistant said this in response to my asking for a smaller size. The reason (I presume) was that he did not have anything smaller and by some convoluted logic he was trying to explain it away. I am sure he did not mean to be anything other than helpful.

I left without buying anything and tweeted about it!

A few lovely friends on Twitter expressed rightful indignation and that was it.

Today I wakeup to this email.

From: Karmik Varma <karmik.varma@kimaya.in>

Subject: Response from Kimaya

Date: 19 March 2011 08:22:27 GMT

To: Priyanka Gill <priyanka_gill@hotmail.com>

Dear Priyanka,

Greetings from Kimaya!

This is in regard with your recent tweet - "Said the shop assistant at Kimaya to me "Madam, you are a size large(!!), our clothes are sized according to size zero types!!!"

We profusely apologise for the untoward incident that you may have faced at one of our stores and seek your assistance in ascertaining & reprimanding the staff personnel who was involved in the same.

Would you be so kind to tell us the store location and the name of the staff and/or designation and/or description of the person and also the approximate time and date of your store visit so that we could nip this once and for all. 

Once again, on behalf of Kimaya, we extend our sincerest apology and assure you of   taking strict action against the offender. Look forward to your response.

--

Thanks,

Karmik Varma

Vice President, Online Operations

Kimaya Fashions Pvt Ltd

www.kimaya.in

 karmik.varma@kimaya.in

karmik.varma@gmail.com

D -  022 61590507

M - +91 92233 24808

Kimaya gets points for pro-active customer service and trying to retain a slightly aggrieved customer.

But they are taking it a tad too far!!

The sales assistant may have been a bit politically incorrect, but it was seriously no hanging offence.

While companies like Kimaya have begun to harness the power of social media – they have to get the process right. A better way would have been an instant tweet saying “oops – sorry, we really didn’t mean to do this” as opposed to this very formal email. I have nothing against the shop assistant – and really don’t wish to see him reprimanded!

 
A few companies get it right.

Like the Grosvenor house in Dubai. Whilst having dinner at their excellent Rhodes Mezzanine ...

  
I tweeted: 

____________________________________________________________________________

@priyankagill

Priyanka Gill

White tomato soup @ rhodes mezzanine, grosvenor house dubai.. Yummy! http://yfrog.com/55abqpj

9 Nov via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Reply Delete

via  YFrog

 _____________________________________________________________________________ 

Almost instantly I got a tweet back saying, thank you! we are delighted you like it.

That’s the way it should be done.

Social media is a whole new frontier for companies – they have to get it right. Here are my tips.

1. Every company should have a Twitter account – ideally the name of the company. The Twitter handle must be prominent in all contact details.
2. The person in-charge of it has to be soc-media savvy - ideally she/he must be involved in the company. If you are service-based company like a hair salon with regular clients, she/he should know your clients – in my experience outsourcing it to the PR company results in very corporate tweets. 
   
3. The monitoring of Twitter should be on going. Constant searches of the company name – and instant appropriate responses (a sense of humour would help)
4. The frequency of company tweets should be regular, not overwhelming - informative, chatty.
5. Running promotions on twitter, announcement of sales – all this is part and parcel of any forward thinking marketing plan.
6. The follow list must be well chosen – clients, individuals important to the industry and potentially every person who tweets about the company. Trying to ‘follow’ every follower will result in a bot-heavy list.

All this done well – will make and maintain happy customers…

Perhaps eStylista should offer social-media training to companies - it would be based on my (extensive) experience as a consumer and happy user of all things online and social! 

My Style: transitional looks

Dress: Missoni AW10

Shoes: Gina for Selfridges

Jacket: Balenciaga

Dressing for transitional weather is challenging, especially in temperamental London.

Winters are easy - many layers, big coats. But come March and your brain is shouting (wistfully) spring but the thermostat can't make up its mind, leaving you in total wardrobe dilemma.

My solution to such quandaries is to fall back on favourite staples. In this case - the Balenciaga jacket. I bought it years ago in New York. It has seen me through everything - pregnancy, travel and seasonal changes. Over a pair of skinny jeans, with a lace top and boots , or to toughen up a dress - super soft, made of buttery leather, very comfy and I love it!

Another fall-back for me is the Italian label Missoni. Its the lazy person's answer to stylish dressing. A Missoni dress, stockings and heels - and you are set for almost anything. Lunch with friends, a spot of shopping, dinner or for meetings teamed with a well-cut jacket. Its perfect for those crazy days when your diary is crammed with assorted appointments. 

Missoni was a life saver when I was pregnant with my daughter - it looked good and stretched in the right places. 

Knit dresses also make great travel pieces - don't crease and easy to pack. 

As for the shoes - they are Gina special editions for Selfridges. Super high but on the comfy scale (one is "I can walk all day" - ten is "my feet are killing me") would be a seven - perfect for car to restaurant and back but definitely not for walking all over town. 

Lets see if you can guess where this photo was taken :)

Curly hair and all things fair…

I have a new twitter follower today - Sarah Khan - among other things that struck me about her (she rated an immediate follow) was the fact that she champions curly hair.

Male readers may want to switch off at this point, but I if you are a woman, especially if you have curls - read on…!

Now I have a confession to make - I have curly hair - not just frizzy or gentle waves - its a head full of maggi-noodle curls. Mean girls in boarding school would call me Maggi Noodles - If you are one of those… an apology would go a long way :)

(For those of you who didn't grow up eating this staple of childhood on the Indian sub-continent, Maggi is a brand of very curly noodles manufactured by Nestle)

So I spent my teenage years wrestling (rather unsuccessfully) with my curls; until I bid adieu to the nuns and hostel wardens, began college and discovered the joys of blow-drys and hairdressers. Talk about simple things that change your life - I felt like a whole new person - no, scratch that! - I was a whole new person!

I have acquaintances, some close friends even who have known me for years, but have never seen me au-naturel hairstyle wise. 

There is something about a sleek shiny hair that finishes an outfit - I use this logic to justify my visit to Michael Van Clarke every couple of days or so. Now the problem arises when I go on holiday - especially a beach holiday. Maintaining straight hair is next to impossible - so I learnt to tame the curls.

The answer lies in product. Over the years I have tried and tested most curly hair products in the market. If I am going to wash my hair and embrace the curls (it has been known to to happen - out of sheer necessity) - here is how I do it...

(If I have been good and have remembered to leave in some Phillip Kingsley Elaticiser, its a bonus.)

The product line that has worked for me is the Kerastase oleo-curl line. Before washing I brush out my hair throughly. Then I wash and condition and after removing excess water I take a squeeze of the curl definition cream, run it through the hair and scrunch up the curls. I let it dry naturally, a touch of the serum and voila - a head full of shiny ringlets and I am a whole new person!

Its a totally other matter that the ringlets last for only a day. After a good nights sleep, frizz wins the battle and I am left with a (big) halo of hair - waiting for its transformation...

p.s. now that I have a daughter, I hope that she has straight hair!

The (never-ending) battle of the bulge...

If there is one thing men and women have in common - it is the desire to be thin. We may not agree on major issues like toilet seats (they ALWAYS stay down!) and shopping (it IS important) - but when it comes to losing weight, the sexes are definitely on the same page.

I remember when I was younger, I was lucky enough to eat what I like without the tell-tale bulge. Slowly, the pounds began to pile on - so the exercise routines began. I managed to stay ahead - just about, but then the babies came. Now I love my kids - but what childbirth does to the body is totally another issue. 

With my eldest I put on 31 kilos! it was almost a whole other person - I remember standing on the scales, a few days after his birth and seeing the number 85 (kilos) flashing!!

As soon as I could, I began to exercise (a lot) and diet (hated it) - it took one painful year to regain a semblance of what I used to be. 

When I got pregnant the second time round I had learnt my lesson. I was more sensible (and busy running around the first) - I put on 13 kilos. Its eight months on (time flies!) and the last 7 kilos still stubbornly hang on! 

I have tried everything...

Crash dieting - it doesn't work! It only makes you crabby and miserable

OTT exercising - Doesn't work either - the moment you stop (or eat) the inches pile on

The raw food cleanse with Raw Fairies - it was good, but then it can't be a lifestyle choice - it brought my social life to a grinding halt!

Capsiplex tablets - Initially they really seemed to work , but the more I took them, the less effective they became

The key I realise, lies in moderation.

I have finally settled down to one hour of exercise 5 says a week - a mix of gym (with Diego Core) and Pilates on the reformer (with his beautiful wife Daniele Kleiber). 

My diet is a bit of a hit and miss - I avoid carbs as much as I can - but the desserts get me every single time. I am yet to meet a chocolate souffle I can say no to!

But then - life is short - deprivation is bad for the soul (or so I firmly believe)!

How to... Attend a fashion show

So you've been invited to a fashion show? (In my case, it's a Christian Dior Show at Paris Fashion Week!!) After a few cartwheels, you sit down and think OMG, what am I going to wear? In today's age of photo/fashion blogs, if you get it wrong, your sartorial choice may be recorded for prosterity with the dreaded "what not to wear" tag.

In times of uncertainty, I did what every self-respecting, tech savvy woman would do - I called my friends. That didn't work out so well, so then I trolled the net and after a few voyeuristic sojourns on varous twitter feeds arrived at the all important question "does one only wear Dior?" After calling up one of my fav salespersons, Amir, who used to be at Versace and has just changed jobs and now works at Dior on Sloane Street, I went shopping :).

After much deliberation, I bought a dress (or two); checking first to make sure how many had been sold (3 worldwide!) - I did not want to be sitting next to someone wearing the exact same outfit. Later, I nipped in to see the fabulous Elena at Michael Van Clarke. She is a genius with a hair dryer. All set!

The evening ended at Zuma with fabulous company - a few close friends and a (straight) Irish broker who knew handbags, shoes and fashion as well as he did his swaps and bonds). Many martinis and laughs later, I was in bed - tomorrow is another day! Sooo excited ...

How to… Pack for a ski trip

I really wish there was a post like this when I went skiing for the first time. 

"What do I need to take to a holiday where the temperature will be -10 degrees!" -  Packing was rather stressful, despite advise from our snow-mad friends - they were all male, so they could only help so much...

Most ski trips range from a long weekend to one week. the clothes you take are pretty much the same - it also depends in your commitment to doing laundry while on holiday. I don't - so I take one option per day and come home and do a few machine-fulls.

Adult or child - here is the basic gear you need:

Base layers: this is the first bit of clothing you wear - a thermal vest and long pants. Icebreaker or Spyder are both good brands - I prefer Icebreaker, its merino wool. Raj wears Spyder - totally synthetic - but also does the job well. I carry one per day of skiing - so for a week, that's 6 each.

Mid layer: Its either fleece or wool top - it goes over the base layer - again - Icebreaker or Spyder. 

Ski socks - get proper ski socks - 6 in all. 

S ki Jacket - the technical ones like Spyder trump the designer ones (it does pain me to say so! Having said that my jacket is by Pucci - but I need a new one with lots of pockets!) You need to carry basic things: High SPF tube, SPF lip balm, tissues, lozenges for the throat, lift pass, money and credit cards and mobile phone, plus camera.  One is plenty.  

Sallopettes, ski pants - go for the technical ones - again one is plenty.

Gloves - the best you can get. Find ones with a little compartment on top - so you can slip in some glove warmers. Also, try them to make sure your fingertips don't reach the very end - that prevents them from getting too cold. I also wear a thin pair of inner gloves, this prevents your fingers from freezing when you take out the outer ones to make a phone call. Be sure to try both together when you buy.

Neck muff - A bit naff but I love it - you can pull it up and it keeps your nose warm. I usually carry 4-5 as I sometimes get sniffly on the slopes!

Ski-goggles - go for proper ski goggles with a yellow-ish tinted lenses that works on all snow conditions.

Cap - you don't really need one on the slopes as you will be wearing a helmet (not wearing a helmet is silly and dangerous - you would never dream of letting your kids ski without one!) But you will need one for walking around the resort.

Ski boots - they are instruments of torture if they don't fit well as they are big, hard and heavy. The first time I went skiing, I rented them - it's was a not very pleasant option. But its better to do so till you are sure you will ski a lot - then it's fine to buy a pair. It's best to buy them at the resort and get them fitted by a company like Surefoot - so if your boots hurt your feet on the slopes you can go back and get them adjusted whilst you are there. I made the mistake of buying mine and getting them fitted in London. The left foot was fine - the right foot hurt and there was nothing I could do about it all week!

That's it for the slopes - for the Apres ski wardrobe - it totally depends on how far you want to take it!
 
Moon boots or any other snow friendly boots - mine are grey ones by Dior and I love them. You don't really need any other shoes.

Regular wollen/cotton socks - 6 pairs

Outfits - I carry merino wool stockings by Falke in black, brown and grey and a few woollen dresses to go over them. a black skirt and a couple of jumpers - that is enough if I'm going out all week.  In my experience - the restaurants tend to be very warm, so I prefer to dress in layers and not have too much wool next to skin.

For men, its jeans and cardigans. One smart suit - if you are going to a resort where jackets may be required at restaurants.

One big jacket - mine's by Moncler - and you are set!

For staying inside the chalet/hotel- Juicy track pants are good enough - I usually carry 4 of those - along with 5-6 basic dark vests.

Underwear - It's best to wear a proper sports bra while skiing as opposed to a regular one. I carry 6 of each (but there is always the option to carry fewer and wash), the same with briefs

3-4 sets of nightwear

Remember to pack them in cubes - else trying to find your black base layer that is mixed up with hubby's black base layer becomes a challenge!!

Lessons: Book yours well in advance. We tend to go private - but if you are in a group, try and make sure it's an English speaking instructor and other people in the group are of similar abilities. Either ways it's much better if the instructor is enthusiastic and fun to be with! 

I love skiing - and I want my kids to learn when they are young - so they don't struggle like me. It is totally mortifying to see little babies whizzing past you as you stand at the top of a slope contemplating with slight dread its steepness!!

How to… Pack

Packing is an art - this is not something that can be stressed enough.

When I think back on my early holidays, before I got the packing thing right - I can vividly remember rummaging through a suitcase to find a top that was right at the bottom - messing up the entire suitcase in the process.

What you pack is a whole other post but here is how you do it.

Never put anything directly into a suitcase. Make piles of things you need according to type; edit them, try on clothes if you are unsure (how many times I have a dress, only to realise that it does not fit perfectly?!). 

Invest heavily in Eagle Creek packing tubes, cases and bags. Tumi makes the posher versions. They are made of mesh so you can see the contents, they are sturdy (trust me on that) and they stack neatly in a suitcase. While ordering it might be wise to color-code each member of the family. Remember to buy in bulk - you will need them. You also get packing folders - they are for bulkier items like jeans and also for shirts. For shoes - I use shoe bags by Tumi, ditto for the toiletries case.

The principle is simple - like goes with like. All socks go in one cube, underwear in another, tops, jeans, dresses - they all have their own mesh compartment. All you then need to do is place the various cubes in our suitcase and zip up. The suitcase looks neat - and there is a strange sense of satisfaction!

When I went on an extended family trip to the US with 8 suitcases, my parents, husband and son - packing properly saved my sanity - especially as we began the trip in LA, went to Hawaii, Vegas and ended up in New York. Each city had its own type of clothing requirement.

The beauty of this method is realized when you reach your destination. Each article of clothing is sectioned (which, by the way is one of my favorite words!)

Unpacking means placing the various tubes and cubes in the chest of drawers, hanging up what needs to be hung, remembering to keep the cubes tight below for ease of repacking.

Repacking is zipping up said cubes and putting them back in your suitcase! Voila – surviving a holiday 101. Especially with a baby!

Eagle creek also do a great case for wires etc - this comes into its own if your partner is like Raj - travelling with a whole collection of wires and chargers - they all stay put in their own case - and he can find them himself!  

Keep all your travel basics together at home - suitcase locks, adaptors, travel wallet, passports. If you are a frequent traveller - keep a toiletries case packed with basics, buy a spare tooth brush, hair brush etc and keep it in one place.