My HandBags Wishlist

Purses are like Friends..You can never have too many.

I bet, you woudn't find a single girl who wouldn't agree with this quote.

I am a big time HandBags hoarder, and I just can't have enough of them.

My husband is often amused with the kind of handbag shopping I indulge in.
So no matter how many bags I have or buy, I can always go handbag shopping any time of the day.

So, today's post is an ode to my never ending thirst for Elite handbags.
Here's my handbag wishlist...am sure this will come in handy if someone is looking to send me a gift. ;)
Nautical Stripes:                                   

I want to own a nautical stripes bag for the longest time, and I really don't know what's stopping me.
Nautical stripes handbag instantly offers your outfit a cool quotient. It can be paired with with your hot shorts as well as kurtis effortlessly.

Grafical prints:                               

Add that instant oomph to your LBD or LBS(Long black Saree...Duh..!) with a clutch or handbag having colourful graphical prints.

Blingy Clutches:
                                                        

Whether you want to attend a cocktail party or an Indian wedding, clutches never disappoint you. They are compact and stylish, and if picked wisely can uplift any outfit.
Lately I have been crushing on these blingy animal clutches. What do you think?

Backpacks:

                          
Backpacks are my favourite pick for holidays, because they not only look stylish, but are very functional especially when you are traveling.
They keep your hands free and you are free to do any other activity that you may wish.
Right now, I own just one, but I am totally crushing on this Manish Arora backpack for the longest time.

Transparent Bags:

I owned one in college, and at that time these bags were not even in vogue.
When I flipped through an old picture of mine with the transparent bag, I added one more bag to my wishlist..The Transparent Bag.
These two beauties just stole my heart. How about you?

So this is my handbag wishlist
Let me know in the comments below about yours

P.S. I do not own images used in this post.

Confusion Fashion Accessories - Perfect for Every Occasion

A few weeks ago I was introduced to a fashion accessories brand ...Confusion Fashion Accessories.

The good people at CFA send me some of their pieces for review.

From the first look on their website, their products looked promising.
But when the package arrived, I was more than elated.

Each and every piece was a work of art.
The quality, the finish and the workmanship of every piece was beautiful, unique and a notch above most brands that I had seen.

From modern to contemporary, from metallics to coloured stones and from maang tikkas to anklets, they have it all.
I am more than excited to style their pieces on So-Saree in the upcoming posts.

They have a piece for every occasion and every fashionable woman.
So without much ado, let me offer you a sneak peak into what arrived in the package from Confusion Fashion Accessories.

If you are drooling over them already, and can't wait to start shopping, here's a good news for you.
Register at confusionfa.com and get 10% off on your next purchase.

So what are you waiting for?
Don't get confused and start shopping right away.

#Together We Had So much Fun

On my blog, I have written a lot about my mom, my sister, my husband and my in laws.
But there's one person who I have hardly mentioned.

She is my best-est buddy ..Sonali.

Sonali and I studied in the same college, but we didn't even know each other then.
We met through common friends post our graduation. 
But we hit it off really well when we joined the same organization.

Sonali was the quintessential Miss Congeniality and me...the ever guarded and too snobbish saree lover.
We were a match made in heaven.
She brought spontaneity and craziness to our relationship, while I brought the unnecessary maturity.

Today she is thousands of miles away from me in London, but whenever I need her, she is right there for me..
There are so many special moments that we have shared #together, but the most memorable one, was our trip to Hong Kong in 2010.

Tired of work and our monotonous lifestyles, we both were looking for a change and taking a vacation #together was the best idea we came up with.

Both being Disney fans, we were adamant about visiting Disneyland. But our meager savings wouldn't allow us to go to Paris or USA. So we decided on the next best destination.. Hong Kong.
We booked a short 4 day trip to Hong Kong and off we went..

We did so many things together, visited the Victoria Peak and the Madame Tussaud museum, relished the local cuisine, went photo frenzy at the beautiful beaches and on the cruise apart from sharing the same hotel room and shopping our hearts out at the local night markets.
But the best part was yet to come.

Our day #together at Disneyland was the best. From wearing Minnie hairbands, to going around in carousels, enjoying the Golden Mickey show or clicking pictures with Disney characters...everything was so much fun.

Today our busy lives hardly allow us time together, but I am glad we made the most of it when we could.
Today, whenever I feel low and depressed, I go into flash back mode.
I think of Sonali and of all the things that we did together. Dinner at fancy places, our shopping trips, slumber parties, our long drives, our gossip sessions or personal heartfelt conversations.
All these memories bring so much joy to me. It gives me the vigor and optimism to take life head on and face it.

Housing.com too believes in the power of optimism and the power of #together.
A small nudge or a big push .. it is the power of two that makes dreams come true.
Because together is a wonderful place to be and together we are so much stronger.

#StartANewLife with Housing.com

My blog is an extension of me, and the reason I started it was because I wanted to share snippets of my life, my fashion ideologies, my thoughts and everything about my life.
I wanted a diary that I could refer to years later and relive all those moments of my life which over time, I might fail to remember.

But did you know, how and when I decided I wanted to start a blog?

Just four months into our marriage and husband declared that he would start his own IT firm. 
We both were young and coming from a family who has always had the comfort of a 9-5 job, this thought kind of scared me.
But what followed next was even scarier.
Husband wanted me to quit my job and join him full time.
I tried to argue with him, explain to him, that this would be a big risk at this stage, but he was not ready to budge.
Change is inevitable, but it is equally scary.

Post marriage everything was new to me and this was even bigger. To #StartANewLife all over again, to learn new things, to commit mistakes and learn from them...all these thoughts was making my heart pulse at the speed of a Ferrari.
But the only thing that gave me confidence was my husband's trust in our abilities.
He kept on saying that we can make it work.
The journey will be tough, but it will be worthwhile.

So, I decided to go with the flow and quit my job.
Initially we started working from home, since we didn't have enough funds to afford an office.
Being from a Non-IT background, the transition was toughest for me. I had to learn so much and unlearn many things too. But all these while, I think I had found my sweet spot...Content management.
An avid reader and an excellent orator, I always took pride in these qualities of mine.
But the content management profile made me realize I loved to write too.
A few projects at the start of our new careers, were hugely successful followed by new references. All the clients said that they want the same content writer who wrote for XYZ client of ours.
I was elated. This was my first successful stint at something I didn't even know I could attempt.
More work started pouring in and I was immersed in work. But what surprised me was that this work gave me a lot of happiness and satisfaction.
One year of writing content for client's websites, managing their blogs and social media kind of got me hooked to this profile.
And after months of deliberation, I decided I would start a blog of my own.
And thus, So-Saree was born.

There are many moments that people cherish in the life...their first love, first baby, first foreign trip.
But for me it was this life changing incident that my husband encouraged me into.

Change is good, because it signifies growth.
Change is good, because it means we are open to trying new things
And change is good because whatever happens, happens for the best. :)

Buying a house is life changing and the most important decision in a person's life and Housing.com helps you to #StartANewLife with a lot of confidence and optimism.

                                                         
P.S. I do not own the image used in this post.

ASUS ZenFone5 - The Final Verdict

Hey all! I am sure you already know that I had the opportunity to review the ASUS ZenFone5 for a week. Read about my experience here and here.
This is the last part of my 3 parts review of the ZenFone5.

I decided to take the ASUS ZenFone5 to work. :)

The office building that I work in, has weak signal reception and I usually have to walk out of the office to have a smooth conversation on my cell phone. Normally when I get into my office, I start the air conditioner and my laptop simultaneously; and before I get on to reading my work emails, I first check my blog.
That day, while I was busy reviewing my blog, my phone rang and it was my mom checking on me. I spoke to her for a good 15 minutes while reviewing my blog.                   
Minutes after I hung up, a revelation hit me. I have never attended my mom's call at work from my cabin. It is always outside in the corridors of my office building.
With the ASUS ZenFone5 I could take calls easily from the comforts of my cabin.
No disturbance, no weak signals.
The ZenFone5's advanced antenna design ensures clear and excellent signal reception all the time.

So-Saree's website was designed by my husband keeping in mind my love for pictures
My main requirement for the website was loads of pictures.

Little did I realise that this requirement would make my website heavy. taking longer time to load completely.

Especially on the phone, it takes really long for all the banners to load properly.
Hence, Iusually access my blog from my laptop and hardly from my phone.

                                                     

Since I Wanted to test the Fone, I entered my blog URL, and BAM...there it was. My blog opened up in less than 5 seconds with all the banners and pictures.

And last but not the least; in fact the most important feature that I need in my phone is the camera.
I really fret over taking good pics of my nail-art.
The lighting is never perfect and most of the times my pictures come blurry.
As a result I have to pester my husband to help me while taking pictures   .                  
With the ZenFone taking pictures was much easy.
It has a 8MP rear camera which is infused with ASUS's unique Pixelmaster technology. This feature ensures superb pictures even in low light. As a result...say bye-bye to blurry pictures and hello to picture perfect, bright photos with every click.
My Final Verdict: The ASUS Zenpfone 5 is a smart option if you are considering to buy a smart phone under 10K.

It is sleek, has really smart features and you will love to flaunt it wherever you go.
As far as I am concerned, I am really missing #MyAsusZenFone. :(

CBazaar.in - A Saree Lovers Paradise

Hey people, I hope you all are doing fine. And the fact that you are reading So-Saree right now, will definitely ensure that.

;)

If you are a So-Saree follower or if you know me personally, you will be well aware of my taste in sarees.

I have seen that most girls my age, prefer sarees in synthetic fabrics and funky prints.

Though I wear synthetic fabrics and once in a while sport funky prints too, I feel the most beautiful sarees are the ones that our mom's generation wore.

Traditional drapes, natural fabrics and contemporary designs.

India is a culturally rich country. As you move from the South to the North of India, you will see that each state has a different history, different culture and different charm.

As a result, each state has their specialty sarees as well, and it is these sarees that I fancy the most.

Whether it is the Bandhani sarees of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the Paithani of Maharashtra, the Kanjeevaram of Tamil Nadu or Tant of Kolkata.

Though I would love to visit each and every state and pick these sarees from their place of origin, it might not always be possible.

But thank God to E-commerce, you do not travel so much to buy the specialties of different places.

I stumbled upon a site ..Cbazaar and little did I know that I would be in for a treat for the next one hour.

Cbazaar has one of the finest collection of sarees I have seen lately on any online portal.

Ikkat, Brasso, Bandhani, Chanderi, Benarasi, Kancheepuram...the list is endless.

So without much ado, I am going to list down my favourite sarees.

Let me know, which one you like.

Ikkat Handloom Coimbatore Cotton Saree

                               

Pure Silk Kantha Saree

                                        

Taupe Silk Bengal Handloom Saree

Pochampally Cotton Saree

  

Benarasi Silk Saree

Chanderi Cotton Handloom Saree

Building the Perfect Footwear Wardrobe

I am sure every girl will agree with this quote.
As easy as it may sound, in today's times building a quality footwear wardrobe, can take a lot of imagination, time, efforts and of course money.
So, today I decided to put together a post that will help you to build a functional and fashionable footwear collection that you can flaunt for any occasion.

High Heels:

High Heel Sandals can be a pain in the a#@, and I am not even considering stilettos here; but if there's any footwear that transforms you in a celebrity in minutes, it has to be the pointy high heels. I prefer to stock on black heels because they are versatile and go with every outfit. But I am seriously crushing on the floral print and bright colored heels which are sure to enrich my footwear wardrobe.

Wedges:

 These are my favorites kind of heels. Flat bottoms yet elevated. Isn't that a match made in heaven? They are much easier on your heels compared to the high heel sandals.

Formal Footwear: 

If you are a working women, it is always advisable to stock on some formal footwear too. Though women have an advantage to label their high heels as formal wear, nothing else screams business, as leather boots do.

Ballerinas:

I love ballerinas because they provide ease while walking apart from looking cute and stylish. They are not a favorite with short girls, but they are the ultimate friends to girls who love comfort over fashion.

Jootis:

The Indian versions of ballerinas are the jootis. Comfortable ballerinas with a contemporary twist is how I define Jootis. And you thought you could wear jootis on traditional outfits only? Think again and see this post. Pair your favorite jootis with your denim dresses or shorts and give your outfit an Indo-western look.

Canvas Shoes:

 Remember the white canvas shoes that you wore to school for your Mass Drill? Only if you knew, what a comeback they would make in the fashion world years later, you would have taken more care of them and maintained them well. Canvas shoes were always very comfortable and when the fashion gurus approved them as an essential fashion accessory, there was n looking back for these fabric and lace shoes.

Flip Flops:

If I had an option I would live in flip-flops. Flip flops while walking, flip flops while driving, flip flops while gymming and flip flops while sleeping. And for a beach bum like me, the more flip-flops I have, the better.

Boots:

Though boots are not really functional for Mumbai weather, they add an instant understated glamour to any of your outfit apart from protecting you from the cold. Boots are my favorite airport footwear, because they look chic and keep my legs warm in the long chilly flights.
I would recommend a pair of high boots and a pair of ankle length boots each.

Let me end this post with a very practical quote..
Rome was not built in a day.

And likewise, with this post I do not intend to say that you have to get out of your house and shop for all these types of footwear at a time. My point is to pick up every kind of these footwear at a time and preserve them well, so that a few months/years down the line, you own a functional and stylish footwear wardrobe.

#ZuperDayAtKidzania With Blogadda

Today's post is a guest post from my friend Riddhi Bhatt, who is a freelance writer and a full time mommy to two very cute kids.
In today's times, when parents can only think of malls to take their kids during weekends, I always thought we should have a place which is for kids only. Of course you have gaming zones, but all you have there are games, and there's no learning for the kids.
I randomly mentioned this thought of mine to my friend Riddhi and she shared her experience about Kidzania with me. I was pretty impressed. So I asked her to pen down a post about her experience at Kidzania for the sake of So-Saree Readers.
Over to you Riddhi...

Last Sunday we headed to KidZania, an indoor theme park for families that empowers, inspires and educates kids through real-life role-playing activities. Emulating the workings of a real life, scaled to that for children, Kidzania brings in entertainment within reality.

As my children went about role-playing various different work profiles from Surgeon to RJ, to Stylist to Construction Worker to Fire-Fighter, it was fun to see them enthusiastic about spending and earning the KidZos, the KidZania form of money.

With over 50 activities to choose from, both my kids we running from one direction to another and I was at a loss of what to do. Just then to save my day, a member of the Blogadda team and a marketing representative from Kidzania helped me with a nice schedule of activities that we could follow to enjoy and make the most of our time in the park.

Off we went from one activity to another, playing the role that was demanded sometimes making money and sometimes making goodies to take back. Slowly I realized that my children understood the concept of making money and ensuring they had enough to spend on the next activity. I saw that when the stash was decreasing they asked me to take them to those role play areas where they could make some money before enjoying the next activity.

                                                      

At every activity kisoks there are Zupervisors who are hands on to help assist the children, explain the activity to them and then finally help them enact it. The staff members are polite and humble and understand children’s needs and put their comfort and security before everything else.

After an hour or so the children got the hang of it all and then they were off by themselves. It was nice to see them being so independent and going to do activities that they themselves wanted to do. It was kind of a personal milestone for them to do the list of activities and earn a lot of KidZos. They were slowly but steadily getting a hang of working together with others, completing assigned tasks and think creatively.

As the day grew sunnier, they had more or less completed all the activities and we were all ready to call it a day. I saw a significant change in my boys. From the ones who had walked into the park holding my hand to the boys who strode out confidently wanting to buy me a gift with the KidZos they had earned.

My boys grew up in a matter of hours.

- Riddhi

This post is a part of the KidZania bloggers meet activity conducted by BlogAdda and KidZania.

#SlowDownZindagi with Parachute

Let's rewind 20 years back...okay may be most of our readers were not even born, but then I was.
So you get the point, right?

So ages ago, when I was a little girl, I never knew or had heard of stress.
Mom and Dad came home by 5pm from work and we spent so much quality time playing games, telling stories and eating dinner together. On weekends, my mom would heat some Parachute coconut hair oil in a pan and give a hot oil head massage to all.
She said, it would drive away the fatigue of the past week and get us ready for the week to come.
How awesome were those days...!

And now, lets get back to reality.
Husband and I, together run an IT firm.
Though we spend almost 10 hours together at work we hardly talk stuff other than work. Weekends, I am busy with the household responsibilities; cleaning, grocery shopping, blogging and other stuff, while husband brings the office home during weekends.
All the work and no 'Me-Time' gets me stressed and makes me really paranoid.
And this is how I #SlowDownZindagi every now and then.Beach Vacations:

At Havelock Islands, Andaman

Husband and me are both crazy about water and that is why most of the vacations that we take are on the beaches.
Whether its the Havelock Islands, Goa, Maldives or California. All our vacations involve only two things; beaches and doing nothing at all.
This is the way we choose to de-stress after working insanely day and night.

Yoga:


Surya Namaskar

Exercise release endorphins in our body which are feel good hormones and help us to de-stress immensely.
My way of de-stressing is by doing yoga. Pranayam and Surya Namaskar in really slow motion.
After an hour's session of Yoga I am back with a bang to face the world.


Girly Gossip with my Gal Pals:



On a green trail with my gal pals


Research has proved that a non stop gossip session with your girl friends can do
the work of multiple anti-depressants collectively. I feel fortunate that I have my gang of girls on my side whenever I need to gossip, bitch, hog or simply have fun. My mantra no.3 for de-stressing.

Nail Art:

People always ask me how I find time to do nail-art with my busy schedule. The answer to that is Nail-Art ,de-stresses me. It is my meditation. It helps me focus, relax and feel beautiful all at the same time. And that is why no matter, how tired or busy I am, I find time to do nail art every week.

Shopping:



Yay to shopping..!


If money cant buy you happiness, you are shopping at the wrong places. How true is that! Retail therapy can have the most exhilarating effect on you. And that is exactly why my husband tries to keep me away from stress.
LOL..how smart is he!

But now, I am going to try a new quick way to De-stress & #SlowDownZindagi using Parachute Advansed Aromatherapy Oil in association with BlogAdda 

My mom's way of de-stressing combined with Parachute's Advanced Aromatherapy Oil.
Stay tuned for a review of the same.

How do you choose to de-stress? Let us know in the comments below. The best answer wins a voucher from our sponsor.

ASUS ZenFone 5 - For the Rough and Tough

A women carries the whole world in her bag, and if there's a living example to this quote it has to be me.

My Purse

My purse carries my cosmetics, sanitizer, spare accessories, keys, glares, wallet, loose change, a pepper spray and of course my phone.

If I have to find any of these things in my purse at a time, you can imagine how much time it takes me.

Too much in my Purse



Amidst all this, it is always my phone who has to suffer the brunt of it.
My keys, the loose change and the jewelry, scratch and torture my phone which leaves it scarred for life.

Much to the disapproval of my husband I refuse to use a cell phone cover, because I feel it makes the phone too bulky and hides the beauty of my smart phone.
I am stubborn that way.

My research had told me that the ZenFone 5 comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass3 which protects the screen from scratches and accidental screen damages.
Tadddaaa...now was the time to test it.
And no better place than my overstuffed purse for it.

The results...

The ASUS ZenFone5 on Day 1

Sparkly Clean

 The ASUS ZenFone5 on Day 8

Still Sparkly and Clean :)

 

Now this was phenomenal. No scratches or bruises...it not only had 'my' thumbs up, but my husband's too.

Did you know, that the ASUS ZenFone5 also has an anti fingerprint coating to prevent smudges?

Well now you do!

 

Stay tuned for more..!

 

Affordable Prom Dresses - Courtesy PromTimes

Prom is a very special occasion especially for girls.
It is their one chance to make a smashing impression at the end of their high school academic year.

This formal Dance party, always hold fond memories in one's life and it is really important that you put your best foot forward.

Just like all good things come for a price, so do these prom dresses.
But you don't have to be disheartened by the price tags of these dresses.
Because PromTimes has come to your rescue.

Prom Times stocks good quality dresses at affordable prices, because they believe that you don't have to empty your pockets to look good on your special occasions.
Long, short, off shoulder, tube, etc ...you name it and they have it.

 

 

Can you believe all the above dresses are under £ 50?

 

But what differentiates PromTimes from its counterparts is their love and commitment for detail.
Each piece is crafted with a lot of love and precision and that is what makes them a favorite with their customers.

Buy Here

Buy Here

Dresses, Made Well, Shop Well... is their vision and they leave no stone unturned to deliver it.
With 24 hours customer service during weekdays and the best quality fabrics and manufacturers sourced from around the world, they promise to deliver nothing but the best to their customers.

 

Buy Here

As far as I am concerned I have a serious crush on this green beauty and can only imagine myself basking in my Angelina Jolie moment in this thigh high slit gown.

So what are you waiting for?

If you are looking for pretty party dresses, prom dresses, bridal dresses, bridesmaid dresses, or for that sake a dress for any occasion hop on to PromTimes.co.uk to end your shopping woes.