Finding Fanny Press Conference with Goa Tourism

Finding Fanny was one of the most awaited movies for this year. It was directed by Homi Adjania of Being Cyrus fame and was extensively shot in some "not captured before" locales of the Beautiful Goa.

On the eve of release of the movie, Goa Tourism [being the official partner of Finding Fanny] has called in a press conference at Sofitel, Juhu announcing their association, launching their new logo and the "Kenna Goa" Campaign.

The event was attended by Media, select bloggers, contest prize winners fo one of their contests, Social Media evangelists among others. The chief guest for the press conference were- representative from Goa Tourism and stars of the movies- Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor.

The conference started with a small yet broad presentation on Goa Tourism which summarized how Goa is a land of contrast and unveiling their new logo which can read "GOA" from either side- up or down. The followed by a small tete a tete with star attendees and representatives from media, a lot of whom asked some real useless questions like why Deepika was wearing a Saree for the promotion of movie based in Goa. To which Deepika replied very smartly- cause Goa is in India.  Some other questions were about the movie, camaraderie of lead stars, media release from Sonam Kapoor's PR stating how she was the first choice for this movie before Deepika, and about a petition filed against the movie name. Yeah you got it. Random, meaningless questions.

The stars made a beeline for the promotion and post felicitation by officials from goa Tourism, they took a hushed exit before spending some time with press and media giving quick sound bytes. The event was closed with dinner and we made a quick exit from the venue as I was supposedly returning there next day for EU Food Festival.

Here's the few glimpses from the event shot by feeble camera of my Lenovo tab. Sigh!

I hope you liked my coverage here. In case of any further query or association, do reach out to me. The movie review will come soon at www.numerounity.com 

Haute Kutir Social Presence at-

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook  

Stay Tuned to this space to lot of interesting stuff coming on Fashion/ beauty, Food/ Reviews and Lifestyle #Blogging.

Review of Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo & Conditioner

The Product: Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo & Conditioner
The Price: Rs 135 for 175 ml [shampoo]
The packaging: Bright Yellow Tan Peppy bottles with easy to open tabs

Suitable for: Men & Women
Composition: Almond Oil, Lemon Peel Extract, Sugarcane Extract, Apple Fruit Extract, Coconut oil, Olive Oil, Glycerin, Water

The Claim: Triple Nutrition of Almond, Coconut and Olive Oil; Triple strength from scalp through the length to tips.








Haute Kutir's Experience

Hair type: dark brown, wavy, normal to dry, Below shoulder length.

I have a history of not so good experience using Garnier hair care products. So when I received these free samples from Garnier PR team, I was unsure of whether trying it or no. I was supposed to attend Lakme Fashion Week and the last thing I wanted to risk was my hair, hence I refrained trying it that time and reserved it later for a relatively chilled day when I may not have to attend many functions.

My new shampoo from L'Oreal Professional through managed my hair well but was not helping dandruff which was on the high crawl. My scalp was very dry and itchy and I wanted to apply some raw curd to see if that settles my woe. So one of these weekends, in bid to lessen dandruff, I oiled my hair with Castor Oil and Olive Oil from Soul flower. You can read it's a review on my blog later.

Post oiling and 20 minutes before washing, I applied sour curd on my hair and the sight were not too exciting but yeah comforting. Indeed testing time for Garnier Fructis. I took a deep plunge of faith and washed my hair only to feel the soft, untangled and well behaved. Yeah! I said well behaved.

Though the product instructions asked to apply conditioner on the scalp, I avoided doing so except very mild application over the scalp hair and not scalp. The effect was good.

I did not want to bring down my review with just one usage, so I tried this shampoo at least 3-4 more times. With less oil and again with less curd. My experience turned out to be good. Maybe that's what transpired me to try this shampoo again. So next time I tried applying it on upper hairs excluding scalp. Even then, my scalp didn't feel oily and rather was, exuberant, with volume.

What I liked about the product-

1) The shampoo and conditioner and not very thick, nor too runny

2) The scent is not very strong but mild
3) It did not ward off all the oils in the first 2 washes from my hair so that means it is quite mild
4) The Ingredient mix- Olive, coconut and Almond

What I did not like about the product
1) It did not wash the oil even on repeat shampoo
2) Nothing much in particular

Final verdict: I was not a great fan of Garnier Shampoos. however, this one was quite better for the lot. During and post-wash, I got a smooth feel. Dandruff is not troubling my scalp as much though the shampoo does not claim to settle them. Maybe it did not help aggravate it. My first 4 wash experience had been good. My hair felt smooth and good and most importantly in shape and non-itchy [may be the curd and castor oil worked]

I am not sure if my hair becomes stronger but yes, they indeed look healthy and more manageable with each wash. Way to go Garnier. 

Do I Recommend?
Yes but suit yourself. Try the pouch packs first and in case, you find your hair in better shape post-wash, you can go for the full bottle.

The conditioner is quite effective too and even a little of it does its job well.

The products sent were part of PR samples however, they bore no influence on my review. All the product reviews on Haute Kutir are basis the user experience and not influenced by brands without merit.

Phone Review- Lenovo Vibe Z - The True Smartphone

You must be wondering that when the whole world is busy talking about the upcoming launch of new iPhone 6, why am I talking about a smartphone from Lenovo? Lenovo, a name that you, you my dear, consumer associate primarily with laptops and computers.

Well, Lenovo is not just a name associated with computers. The brand is making a huge foray in world of smartphones and it is just not mere a foray but indeed a good effort of bringing devices/ smartphones that are designed keeping the ever growing intellect and requirements of a smartphone user.

Lenovo Vibe-Z:- A New Way of Looking at the Smartphones all together

Lenovo has launched a stylish and a sleek smartphone- VibeZ. It is one of their new addition to the premium Lenovo Vibe series of smartphones.

Source: PR File

Vibe Z is an ideal combination of striking looks, exquisite design, captivating performance and cutting edge technology to help users "Do more" in lesser time, with lesser key inputs and efforts.

Yes, I mentioned- Lesser Key inputs and efforts. 

While a lot of company and brands are focussing off late on form factor as very important feature for buying a phone, I firmly believe in the actual "User Interface" while looking for a smartphone. In my humble Opinion, the external look can be manipulated with different designer covers, blings and other accessories. It is the user Interface that not just provide the "ease of usage" but also a better "quality on time and experience" with the so called generation of smartphone. And Lenovo VibeZ is one phone that actually scores very high in that arena. Before we embark on the highlights of this device and things that I liked about Lenovo Vibe Z, Let us have a [customary] look at the wide specifications of this device, with my remarks-

• Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor [HK Remarks: It indeed is quick, fast and does not let you down even if you are using multiple apps together]
• Weight- 147Gm with 5.5 inch display and thickness of 7.9mm [HK Remarks- It is ultra light given the wide display, indeed spoil you for choices]
• Running on Android Jelly Bean 4.3 Operating system [ HK: It does not hangs and as I said, quick and sharp]
• "SNAPit" 13MP Camera with BSI Sensor and Dual Flash LED [ HK: it captures incredible images with multiple shooting effects/modes and photo filters. One of the best MSartphone Camera that i ever came across with, incl iPhone. It has the largest Aperture lens available on a smartphone. An excellent and enhanced exposure to low light/ un optimal imagery]
• "SEEit Gallery"- An Intuitive interface helps you edit the images further and create significant effects. [HK: If you are a blogger or photo enthusiast, you will love this feature]
• "SHAREit Apps that let you share pictures, HD Videos and your favorite apps using world's fastest "peer to peer" transmission tool.
• "SYNCit" feature for permanent backup of all your data [ it is another innovative platform on this wonderful device that helps you avert data/file loss even though your handset is lost or replaced]
• "SECUREit" app to keep all your apps protected and speed up the performance [Need I say more]

Well that was the list of top features of the phone with inputs from my personal experience. And let me tell you that this experience was not based on usage of day or two, or week or YouTube video but I have used this phone for extensively 3 months. So much that I refuse to carry my other phone, DSLR and other "image editing" apps around. Well, that is the intensity of review that this phone has gone through and intensity of objective that Lenovo has with their smartphones range.

This phone took me for storm, so much that I did not care to open my iPhone 5 during this phase and given that to my husband to use. I was just too content with my Lenovo Vibe Z. Hmm I look like a teenage smitten by love with a rock artist or shall I say Ashton Kutcher? Haha.

Here are the things that I liked about this phone apart from the features that I commented above-

1) The Design and Form Factor- The sleek and the stylish sharp edges and metallic body design took my heart away. I was bored with white frames and believe their fad has faded away.

2) The wide screen and captive touch button on the Bezel rather the screen. Some people may find it little too big handset to fit their lady palms but after initial week awkwardness, I was so settled in and it, in my hands and pockets. 

3) The User Friendly Interface- Whether it is notification tab or the menu on the top screen or using the one dialer cum text cum edit feature, I found this device very high in user interface.

4) The printscreen option is too handy and barely available in other phones

5) Phone Performance and 2 GB RAM, the phone as Indian actor Anil Kapoor would say- Maska hai Maska! ;)

6) Easy Navigation to multiple menus and features of the phones incl smart call, smart dialer etc

7) Pre installed Multi themes in the phone

8) The camera quality, resolution and in built editing/effect utilities. Check out the "Beautify" feature. 

9) Gesture Control

10) 5 MP front camera makes for an ultimate Selfie Snapper on the go.

The phone has a wide array of features- in built and supporting. The list is exhaustive. 

Here's few things that I think needs improvement-

1) No slot for external memory. It can be deal breaker for few.

2) Sunlight Screen- It was difficult to read through this phone [even though with full Brightest setting] under the sun in city like Mumbai. 

3) Higher in built memory- In absence of slot/ provision of external memory card, the phone should have a high in built memory. The specs says that it has 16GB of in built memory but post the pre-installed apps, barely around 12GB memory is available. While this may be sufficient for some of us unless we want to download games like Asphalt 5, FIFA 14 and that too in HD.

4) Service might be an issue. I tried to get in touch with product managers but they were conspicuous by their absence.

Price point- Rs 32,000 MOP

Availability- The phone is available across the country through Lenovo Exclusive Stores, Leading multi brands outlets and their online store [check for stock availability and billing there. It could give you quite a tough time with stock and product support]

Packaging- I loved the sleek black and red box that this handset came in. Ya ya, who keeps the box of a phone once the product is out in hands but a good packaging not just protect the phone during pre sales storage but also elongate the delight while buying. The phone comes with Charger [USB and Plug], earphones [not available for Lenovo tab even the high ended] and a pin to open the SIM Slot [Macro SIM required] and a small manual.

My overall Rating: 4/5 [ I have taken off 1 point for the factors that I did not like]

Haute Kutir Vedict- Lenovo Vibe Z is anyday better than any of the Samsung phone incl S5. The battery life is decent and the phone gets charge easier than the tabs that Lenovo offers. The phone is definitely worth buying. I strongly recommend this phone. The price might be barrier for some but the features and overall experience makes the price worth it. 

I think you should keep "Fruits" are for eating and Samsung is a fab brand for white goods. Lenovo being the world's renowned brand in computing and technology, makes their efforts well with the new Lenovo VibeZ. If you want to do more with your smartphone than just making receiving calls, go for Lenovo.

Will I use this phone again? yes off course, I would love to.

So if you are planning to buy a new phone or change your smartphone, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get yourself a Lenovo Vibe Z. It is an actual smartphone in the sea of so called smartphones. And it is for people- Those who Do!

_______________________________________

Blog reviews: SmartPhone Reviews with Haute Kutir

Hello Blog Citizens,

India is the 4th largest smartphone market [Source GSMA, ET] So much that large players like RPG, Spice and others are placing high bets on this industry and taking the business a leap ahead with opening of new "exclusive stores" and "Smartphone SPAs". In short, it is just raining smartphones, cats and dogs.

So when the market is flooded with smartphones raining left, right and center, it leaves individuals off course spoiled for choices but then confused with selection. Often a peer promotion comes handy. Otherwise we just end up buying expensive phones in name of big ads and big brands and celebrities promoting the brands that they may actually never buy a phone from.

I am such a "once bitten twice shy" user as well. Hence, using this blog as medium to communicate and share my own experiences and understandings of various so called smartphones. Ahem, I am not a tech blogger per se and you must be wondering why you should be listening to me? Well, let me share few competencies that I may offer-

1) I am an avid cellphone user, using multiple devices incl CDMA since the inception of Telecom in India

2) I am a Telecom Professional [primarily a marketer] with 10+ years experience of working in telecom and ICT domain across India including Rural India.

3) A Telecom marketer who has facilitated launch of some ambitious phones in India and supported Retail operations

4) A blogger who uses Social media extensively 

5) Off course a smartphone user and an early adopter with insights on apps used in rural transformation as well Urban consumption.

6) I do not do "paid reviews" and my opinions are solely unbiased and not too laden with Technical Specs that are easily available on world wide web. The reviews would be strictly based on personal user based experience.

7) I [claim to] understand multiple consumers and their needs.

Well that were 7 commandments oops contentment of Smartphone reviews with Haute Kutir. If you are still not convinced, no problem mate, do drop in the name of your favorite site for such reviews and happy surfing. Probably you would have closed this page by now. If you continue to read this, then stay tuned to this space for some straight on your face and "not so technical" smartphone/ devices reviews from Haute Kutir. 

After all, Lets Keep it Simple and Sweet.

Upcoming: Review of Lenovo VibeZ, a path breaking Smartphone from Lenovo

Shopping haul with Flipkart.com

I always ache to shop. But Naturally! Such is the beauty of online shopping that you can shop anytime, anywhere.

Often my partner in crime is Flipkart.com. Yes, I find shopping with Flipkart.com super easy, convenient and interesting. It is one of the most sort out portal online. No wonder 90% of my online shopping is through Flipkart.

Here's what I bought on a haul recently. Cloths, cosmetics and more.

What I bought-

1) Visudh Kurta in Blue
2) Amari Printed Trousers
3) Lakme Absolute Matte Mousse
4) Lakme Eyeconic Kajal

While the Kurta and trousers [not paired indeed] were an impulse buy, the kajal and mousse was well thought upon. I am glad that I made those investment. I may not use them often but whenever I do, I feel good and satisfied. Well review will follow soon. Till then, keep hooked to Hautekutir.com

Mumbai Restaurant Week by European Union

Are you "an explorer of food"? 

or

Like to explore world cuisines 
and 
want to take a deep bite in to European cuisine? 
Loves to dine out? 
and

want to know more about the flagship restaurants of Mumbai?

Then read more. ....

Haute Kutir in association with European Union, presents to you-

As part of its ‘Tastes of Europe’ campaign, the European Union will host a restaurant week in Mumbai from 6th - 12th September 2014

The Blog team of Haute Kutir, on this "Business of food" and "pleasure of gastronomic delights", wants to take you on a ride with European Union, restaurant week.

European Union (EU) is all set to take consumers on a European gastronomic trip. Held

as an extension of its ‘Tastes of Europe’ campaign, the ‘Restaurant Week’ aims to increase consumer awareness about European dishes, ingredients and flavors in India and Aamchi Mumbai. Involving a collaboration with high end restaurants in Mumbai catering to European cuisine.

The upcoming ‘Restaurant Week’ will see some of the flagship restaurants of the city, whip out dishes guaranteed to tease Indian taste buds and in turn growing an appreciation for European produce, dairy products and wine. Isn't that interesting? Well read more.

The participating restaurants would be- Salt Water Cafe, Prego at Westin, Olive, Novotel- Olio, Vetro at Oberoi, Maritime by San Lorenzo- Taj Lands end, Nido, Indigo Deli to name few.

The EU will also participate at the 9th edition of the Annapoorna World of Food India Exhibition 2014 from 24th – 26th September 2014 in Mumbai, as part of this food promotional campaign. It will span around 20 days of gastronomic glory. During this tenure, the EU will undertake several initiatives to help provide a comprehensive understanding of European foods and ingredients in India, along with conducting workshops and seminars which will highlight the quality aspects and specialties of processed foods from Europe. 

Now I can see some mouths started watering. Well well, do stay tuned to the "Haute Kutir Blog" for more updates on this exciting program. You can also follow me at twitter, my handle is Numerounity. At instagram- Ekta Khetan Do follow and get updated.

In case if you are from media and wants to inquire something, do get in touch with me. I would love to hear from you w.r.t my updates and review and promise to have some delicious time ahead with #HauteKutir.

So what are you waiting for? Get tuned to www.hautekutir.com and explore the world of European cuisine.

For more about EU, visit their website- http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/india/index_en.htm

If you are a food blogger and keen to be part of this program/ want to cover a review for a restaurant, do drop me a message at numerounity@rediffmail.com with your blog url and photos. 

So, what are you waiting for? Register with Haute Kutir today and explore the world of European delights. 

If you are a participating blogger, do share your experience here.

_____________________

SYNC with UniverCell, Now In Mumbai

Your favorite Mobile store "UniverCell" becomes Universal. The "one of the most loved" retail brand has opened stores in Mumbai heart-land.  

They have the first mover advantage and have pioneered their own way in the world of "branded mobile expert" domain. I have been to their stores in Chennai and bought myself a phone from there during my Chennai tenure. So when I heard about them opening shop in "Aamchi Mumbai", I could not resist temptation and rushed to them. Thanks Indiblogger for letting us know. 

What you have not heard "UniverCell" yet? Well here's some facts about this giant store to give you a right picture-

• There are around 2,00,000 people buying UniverCell handsets every month.

• One out of every 3 handsets sold in India is through UniverCell

• The store is aiming to open around 100 outlets by end of 2015

• The Franchise has over 450 stores across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka.

My Experience with UniverCell Sync? 

If you are wondering what is UniverCell Sync? And if it is one of the "sync" accounts that you have to create in your smartphone to latch your data to the device. Well no. UniverCell Sync is a one of its kind new age Tech experience store. It is so much different than Croma and Mobile store of the world, merely by its virtue of providing a unique techsperience to the prospective consumer with it's clearly demarcated zones which include music, imaging, Noteworthy and social/ productivity zones. 

Here's things that I liked about UniverCell Sync-

1) Dedicated space for all your consumer telecom, music, device needs located at the heart of the city. Primarily we all use our phones for - Voice, data, Music, and Photography. Apparently, UniverCell has very cleverly covered all this aspect in their small yet spaciously designed store, catering to the different needs of different customers.

2) The Noteworthy Zone- It is one of the most attractive feature where you can experience products/gadgets that are yet to be launched in Indian markets. 

3) The wonderful Staff- Since the moment I appeared on the door of the shop, till the time I left its premises, I found the staff highly hospitable, supportive and helpful. The fact that they were not mere "courtesy dummies" and could take you around the store and explain to you features etc earned them more brownie points than the so-called "telecom SME" at other large format retail stores.

4) The Touch table- The sensitized touch table allows you to virtually check out and compare the devices. isn't that cool? You can view the product in 360 degrees. Bangalore I am so Jealous of you.

5) Experience before you buy without getting pestered to buy something. That is perhaps the reason that the bill counter was at the back side of the store and display at the first half. Indeed a good strategy, giving adequate privacy to people while making payment for the gadgets they bought, much away from the discerning eyes of visitors and vice versa!

6) The jazzy ambiance that is just apt and peps you up. I so much loved the "smileys icons" at the narrow pass through 

7) UniverCell "Total care" Service- How often you find yourself in mess and deep slush with your handset but unable to visit the store for a remedy? Well in my experience, very often. This is the "pain point" that UniverCell aim to de-stress by introducing "Pick me" service wherein the handsets would be picked and delivered from your doorstep and in case of any untoward instance where your phone is dropped in water bed [accidentally] affecting its motherboard, relax as the phone if covered in "Guarantee" and not "warranty". 

8) The marketer has a face- I appreciated the fact that Saumya Menon, VP Brand Strategy took efforts to be present at the store location, handling the visitors and answering their queries. I was attended by her and was glad to interact with her. I often interact with a lot of "straight from Victoria' Secret's closets" store manager and Retails heads from different brands but rarely do I find someone intelligent enough these "bird brain glamour queens". Saumya Menon was indeed intelligent and in full reckoning of her business.

9) The point and shoot Zone for Smartphone photo enthusiast and Selfie lovers- Now we all know how DSLRs are quite inconvenient and cannot be used for quick social media updates. In such cases, we often rely on a good camera, in built in our smart phones. More often we use our cell phones primarily for Voice, data, and photography. This zone helps in testing/ experiencing the smart phone photography while you take some cool shots using some interesting in store props. The music zone 

10) Junior Sync- First of it's kind. An exclusive zone for children wherein kids can get a tablet pre-loaded with edutainment content.

Overall, I was at the store for a very brief time, say for an hour or less. I visited the store at noon. The store was quite crowded with visiting bloggers and other visitors, indeed a wonderful sight for people maintaining the stores, coining good footfalls. Even then, the customer service representatives were adequately available on the shop floor, catering to our needs and queries. I am a mystery shopper by nature and loved the prompt customer service there. 

While exiting, I found a store rep standing near to the door, who not just helped me open the door but also politely stopped me to hand over a "quickie grub" from Cafe Coffee day. I had a long day as I barely slept the night hitherto and had to wake up early and rush to +Lakmé Fashion Week for attending a masterclass with Manish Malhotra, leaving me no time to pick any food. This gesture from UniverCell, came across as a very warm gesture, to the famishing me. I was moved by their thought. So imagine if a store can think so much about visiting bloggers who might be visiting from the distant locations of the city to review their store, how thoughtful would be that brand/store to their customers? Very thoughtful indeed.

I am indeed going to procure my next phone or related accessory from UniverCell Sync. How about you?

Haute Kutir Recommends UniverCell.

Haute Kutir Ratings-

Store Location: 3/5

Product Range and Availability: 3/5

Store Utility: 4/5

Staff: 4/5

Brand Concept: 4/5

________________________________________

PS: All pictures used in the above post [used with or without watermark] unless specified otherwise, are clicked from the author's camera in presence and consent of the store staff and are used strictly for this coverage purpose. If you want to use pictures from here or have any other concerns, do drop me a mail. 

This review is done in association with Indiblogger and UniverCell Sync wherein they invited multiple bloggers to register and review the store on the same day.