My Fabbag Special Anniversary Edition

A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.

John Keats

Fabbag, India's no 1 "Beauty subscription bag" has completed it's 2nd anniversary in the month of September. As a special Anniversary edition, they have chosen a leopard print bag for all the special edition subscriptions. Here's what I got in my Fabbag-

 I was very excited to receive my Fabbag. It's been almost 2 years since I first discovered it and have been loving it since then. Fabbag involves an element of surprise and joy of receiving different products curated for you in the bag. Curated? well off late, the personalization had been missing. Still Fabbag brings a special joy every time you receive them.

What's in my Fabbag this time?
Well, here we go-

1) Skin Yoga Sandal Wood Saffron Face Mask

I just loved this differently designed small bottle for sample. I have not used any of the skin Yoga products in past and quite a gung-ho about trying it out.

2) Bellapierre Mineral Foundation

I am little lazy when it comes to using make up and the creamy, liquid foundations always put me off.  I have been using Oriflame loose powder for face and loving the effect that it creates on my face. This foundation is also in a loose powder form and that's what attracts me to it. Yes, I am kicked to try it out soon.

 3) Sally Hansen Natural Nail Growth Activator with a Gift 

The product came in full size. and seems to be interesting. I will try this too. I hope given the chippy quality of my nail and my own personal inconvenience of growing my nails long, would get some help from this product. Ah! The free gift i.e. nail filer makes sense but did not entice me much.

4) The Scarf
This product really put me down. I loved the quality of the scarf though but the print is so not me. I don't think I would ever wear the heart shape printed scarf. Wish they could have sent me a better print that I could use.

No, I did not received the magazine as promised in the bag.

Haute Kutir Verdict: Overall the bag made for a nice gift concept and I look forward to gifting few to my friends and family soon. Detailed product reviews will follow soon.

Do I recommend this bag to others? Yes
Would I buy from them again? Well depends as in what is the offer and what lies inside.

My overall rating for this month's bag- 3.5/5

What I liked- Full samples and array of brands
What I did not like- Not so personalized brands and if samples are outdated.
TG: Youth and teenager who wants to try new products without spending much or want to try something before buying them as beauty sampling is still very nascent in India

Prize: Subscription is for Rs 599 per month and is also available on 3 months, 6 months and 12 months subscription basis. Off course advance subscription brings down the cost of bag upto Rs 399/ month

Special Offer for Haute Kutir Readers- Pl click this link to subscribe and avail 5% discount on your first ever fabbag- http://curebit.com/x/R8RSv5 

To read my posts on other Beauty Subscription bags, visit these links-
NaturesCo Beauty wish Bag
Enchantess Bag

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All the pictures used in this post is a copyright property of this blog. Please refrain from using without seeking permission from the team. 

Pl note, this post is a personal experience and not a paid post nor does the owner of this blog believes in writing biased reviews. All reviews are purely non biased irrespective of paid post, PR samples received or not.
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Food Tips: How to Prevent Pasta from Sticking

I am a known Pastafarian and I love my Pasta. Contrary to popular availability, I love my Pasta Al-Dante. So when I avoid eating a highly gooey-mushy pasta at dinner outside, I take all precautions to avoid making my pasta a way too soft while cooking at home.

I believe a lot of you too wouldn't want that. So for people who love to eat Pasta and also cook at home but always wonder how to stop making it sticky, here's "self-proclaimed foodie" Haute Kutir brings some tips upon her apron sleeves for you.

How to Prevent Pasta from sticking while cooking-

They say- well begun is a job half well done. So keeping the beginning in the mind here are some tips that we use, and you can use too while boiling/cooking your pasta-

1) Take a nonstick pot and boil the water before adding Pasta to it

2) Add 1/2 a spoon of oil [pref Olive] while boiling the Pasta

3) Do not over boil the pasta or keep it too long out from pot post boiling in open

4) Strange as it may sound, place a spoon in the boiling pot while boiling the pasta

Someone told me about using nonstick spray before boiling the pasta. However, since I have never tried it, I am not sure how well it works or how healthy it could be.

The above tips hold good for all kinds of Pasta- Penne, Ribbon and even Fettuccine as well. 

If you have any other tips to share, do let us know. Till such time- Happy Feasting, Happy pasta eating!

pic credit: Self! Copyright!
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Review of Khadi Mixed Fruit Soap

We all have heard about the brand Khadi and wide range of products it offers in beauty, Spa and Toiletry range, from Soaps to Oils to Body Lotion to Hair Cleansing products.

When I first used Khadi's coconut soap with glycerin and the Neem soap, I have taken to the fancy of Khadi and wanted to try all other variants. Hence using Flipkart, I ordered few more variants. One being, the tempting and gorgeous looking Mixed fruits soap.

I didn't bat a eye lid and ordered 2 of them in one of my latest flipkart haul where I ordered other Khadi soaps and nail paint remover among other products. The fact tat I ordered 2 Khadi Mixed fruit soap and flipkart delivered just one and the second one was Rose water based variant, made me little upset on the online e-commerce giant's order mishandling. I comforted myself that since Rose water is my all time favorite variant in all beauty products and there's always next time I can order more pieces of "Mixed fruit". Anyways, time to use and review. Well, read more to know more

I could not wait for trying it out and unwrapped the big bar and diligently placed in my shower soap dish. Here's my review of the product, let us first begin with what I did not liked -

What I did not liked about this soap-

1. The soap is very rough in texture baring the unevenly placed pieces of colored bars
2. The white base of soap has a chalk like feeling and ends up drying your hands
3. The soap has mildly fragrances and unlike the other Khadi soaps wherein the entire shower area is filled with sensuous smell of the soap, this one goes totally unnoticed
4. The soap did not nothing good to my skin rather than making it dry

What I liked about the soap-

1. None that I think of except the fruity part of it

Haute Kutir Verdict: The soap priced at Rs 60 is not worthy the prize and hype. The soap is harsh to touch and it's usage leaves skin dry and broken with blisters on face. Do not use on face. I am very happy that Flipkart goofed up wit my order and instead of sending 2 mixed fruit variant of Khadi soaps, it sent only one.

Will I buy it again- No

Do I recommend this to anyone? NO! Unless they want to wash cloths

My overall rating: 1.5/5

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Bloggers Event- #ArtOfOiling with Parachute Advansed & Nargis Fakhri

I am a beauty reviewer and writer who loves her hair dearly. My hair care regime is simple-OCCC

O- Oiling

C- Cleansing

C- Conditioning

C- Covering [when traveling in an open window scenario]

I am a stern believer in oiling my hair especially before washing and it is a ritual that I have been doing since my childhood. I still remember how my Grandma insists on oiling my hair every day, especially with coconut oil. Needless to say, Parachute was the most preferred/ used brand since those days. 

Parachute is one of the flagship brands of Marico Group, the pioneers in Oil and allied industry. So when Parachute invited me for a DIY Blogger's event on rediscovering the fading #ArtOfOiling with International Massage Expert Moses Chundi and the Gorgeous Nargis Fakhri, all my childhood memories of Parachute [different logos, packaging] came reminiscent and I canceled my Hair spa appointment with my Salon to attend the same. 

The event was not just a tick in the box but was a very well planned, conceived and organized one. In spite of the unexpected rain, the organizers and the team at Venue 69 managed to pull up a wonderful venue, ambiance and a setting that was just perfect. Here's a top view Dekko-

It was an open-air setting with a small stage, a colorful sitting arena for bloggers and media with a table consisting of oiling essentials, for each and hair wash booths at the end, and of course Camera all around.

Rediscovers the fading art of oiling with a line of ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) oil massage techniques that are quick, easy & fun developed for daily rejuvenation

Most of us are juggling with our multi-faceted daily life with multiple challenges and roadblocks. At such times, it has become imperative to invest quality time in ourselves to let go of any of our daily niggles, knots, and stress. #ArtOfOiling with Parachute aims to provide rejuvenation with quick and easy to "do it yourself" 10 minutes massage techniques. The vested benefits include- distressed, relaxation, rigor and rejuvenation- All in a Jiffy!

Moses Chundi, the noted massage expert, who mastered this art under the "Guru of Indian Head Massage and Founder of London Center of Champissage", the late Mr. Narendra Mehta, had developed his own signature line of DIY massages and demonstrated the same with the gorgeous Ms. Fakhri for the Parachute Advanced Knowledge Center.

Moses is not just passionate about this therapy but apparently, he endorses the #ArtOfOiling so much that he oils his hair every day. 

They spoke out and demonstrated techniques like-

• Tapotement- A technique from the "Art of Instant Energy" that invigorates and boosts energy levels.
• Slow Pinch and Release- From the "Art of Facial Glow" to increase blood circulation and release facial muscles tensions
• Thumb Press- From the "Art of Office distressing that helps in loosening up the tightness due to work stress.
• The Art of Bridal- He spoke about this technique that is a must for all "brides to be". I will post the video and details on another post soon.

As I mentioned, all the bloggers were given a table each with beautifully laid out oiling sets to not just witness the demos but also try it on themselves. The oiling sets consisted of Parachute coconut oil, a bowl, a lovely wooden comb, potpourri, lights some towels and tissues along with strands of Sandalwood. Yup, the expert asked to soak the sandalwood in an oiled bowl and with help of cotton, he demonstrated to apply it all over the scalp and only the scalp.

Hair Fact by Haute Kutir: When you oil your hair, you need to oil your scalp alone with the help of a cotton ball. Avoid oiling strands unless it is really necessary.

Post the session, there was a video booth and selfie booth for the photo/video enthusiast. Nargis was a great sport throughout the event and unlike other "ivory tower" celebs, she was more engaging, responsive and collaborative.

The event was followed by photobombing sessions, "paint your own graffiti" and dinner. The lovely PR handed each blogger a lovely cane box consisting of Oils from the parachute and a beautiful oil lamp by Bombay Store.

The parachute had also flown bloggers from Delhi, Kolkata, and Pune. I met two lovely bloggers Tanya and Pallavi from thatDesiGirl.com along with other blogger friends like Dollie From Indian Shringar, Bhumika, and Vipra.

Overall the #ArtOfOiling was a fulfilling experience. Thanks to my Grandma, I was aware of most of those techniques taught there. In fact, for me, it was like self-reassurance on my long-standing belief of oiling hair and the technique too. 

Here are more pictures from the event-

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Thank you Team Parachute. 

Happy #ArtOfOiling

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Make your Dream 24K Home with Porcelanosa

Home is where the heart is. And the heart of the home is people who live in and the design. Yes, the design is the heart of the structure. No matter how big or small your house is, unless cemented with a good design and accessories, it does not speak for itself, neither for the people who live in. SO as to say the at the heart of a home is, it's designed and at the heart of the design is- Porcelanosa.

Recently when 24kliving asked me to pick as many items that I want from the Porcelanosa website, I could not stop going gaga over a range of products and designs over there. From floors to walls to designer washrooms, Porcelanosa has everything that you wanted, dream and envisaged for your home. Don't know what I am talking about? Well, you must check the site for yourself to believe. 

Porcelanosa and my house

I love doing my house and my husband echoes my passion. However, I have been working at different lengths and breadth of India, and so I am staying in a rented house. There's a lot of things that you cannot do in your rented house. So we do them at my in-law's house in MP. And there's a lot of things that you can still do at your rented house, that I am already doing up picking up furniture etc. Do stay to my blog for more updates on that.

After hours of surfing and dilly-dallying [read confusion to pick one from almost all the best designs] Here are a few of my preferred [finally] items that I picked from there and wanted to highlight on Haute Kutir. Let's have Dekko-

1) The Anti Slip Tiles from Porcelanosa- We are re-doing the tiles for my in-law's house and given their senior age and mobility, I loved these anti-slip tiles in wood finish. It will not just add a new look to the whole house along with comfort factor, it seems to be easy to clean and maintain as well. Perfect flooring for the drawing-room and the bath areas. Another best part is, unlike other anti-slip tiles, I am told this one does not "fade away" with cleaning agents. Ain't that a good investment?

2) Wardrobes and chests of drawers by Gamadecor- I fell in love with this design the moment I saw it. I can see my husband smiling as he is the one most baffled with the way I treat my room [s] while getting ready. I have a tendency to change more than twice, throwing clothes and accessories around, messing the cupboard while dressing up or getting ready. I always need an exclusive space for self and do not like storing wardrobes or multiple chests in my bedroom. Now I have a spare room at my rented 2BHK [such a luxury in Mumbai after palatial houses of Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Gurgaon] which I use as "dressing room" and a design like this would transform that into "one-stop" destination for all my "getting ready" needs. Girls out there know what I mean :)

3) Krion® Ras collection with new washbasins and bathroom units- Isn't this basin looks neat, lovely and comforting? Yes, I loved the super ergonomic design of this bathroom unit that sees outside at greens, making the morning a lovely time. I loved this design cause it is not just a clean design but also had the minimalist approach to it, hiding away the waste pipes et all. The open window and pots adds to overall look and elegance. And the Flat, board surface of the washbasin provides ample space to prevent the water from running down to the floor. 

4) PAR-KER® Ceramic Parquet for walls- I loved the look this ceramic parquet is creating for the study floors and the walls. The material used is highly resistant to wear and tear caused by continuous usage. The surface finish is unaffected by the sun and hence makes a perfect material for my long-planned study that I love to frequent on a bright Sunday, taking a lot of Vitamin Sun and Shine, without worrying it impacts on my decor.

I love to keep my walls neat and absolutely loved these "Decorative Profiles" by Porcelanosa. The color play between subtle black, grey and white took my heart away and I am totally sold on these trendy wall sets that provide a superior finish for any kind of setting. The silhouette is neat and adds to the design. I loved the way it blended and I would be happy to use them in my bathroom or kitchen.

5) Kitchen- The Food Blogger and Foodie in me absolutely loved this trendy kitchen design in black and white. The design looks accommodation enough with ample storage space and also space for stacking the regularly used kitchen appliances. The wide countertop, cooking area, large capacity drawers with oak finish and above all the unit with the audio-video area made me go weak on knees for this design. I especially loved the "orange angle" into the whole decor.

Well, this is among the top few in my wish list as of now. Do go through the website and let me know about the items that you may have liked. I would be happy to hear from you. Also, for those who are wondering if Porcelanosa is accessible for Indian consumers, the good news is this Spanish Lifestyle venture has joined hands with Kotle-Patil Developers to make a Foray in Asia for their luxury brand 24KLiving. 

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Handset Review of HTC One - Eye M8

17th November, HTC a global name in handsets, launched the all new HTC One [M8 Eye].  I attended the launch of this latest addition to the HTC One family at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai amid the star/media studded event. HTC had invited Actor John Abraham to grace this launch along with Chialin Chang, Global President of Sales and Chief Financial Officer, HTC Corporation

The handset is positioned as a top of the range, advanced handset with intuitive and lightning fast network data, blazing speed and a brand new 13 megapixels Duo Camera. Now, doesn't that sound interesting and definitely- “Eye-catching”?

HTC One [M8 Eye] Beautiful Design, Precision Crafted

HTC M8 Eye is a beautifully designed GSM smartphone with 5 inches, 1020 X 1980 display, powered by the 2.3Ghz processor. The handset is precision crafted design with a single block of metal, with smooth zero edge finish that wraps right around to the screen. The form factor is high with very slim, sleek and attractive to hold metal finish. 

HTC One [M8 Eye]

Phone Specs-

Haute Kutir Reviews

Needless to say, with the listed features, form factors and superior camera technology, HTC M8 was one of the most awaited phones of the year. It was my first HTC phone and given the high touchscreen performance reviews about HTC handsets, I could not wait but to try this handset, even though that made me run around to get my sim swapped from Smart sim to Nano sim and installing all my Apps and contact list in the sleek, Greek god version of handset.

Apart the technical specs and brilliant features that everyone is raving including me] about this handset, following are my two pence basis my 2 weeks of usage-

1.  Form Factor:- I simply loved the metallic body, finesse, and the lovely touchscreen. The phone was not very heavy while holding and could easily fit into my trouser pockets. Brilliant job HTC. Rating 5/5

2.  Camera:- Camera is the highlight of the phone. The phone is high “selfie-friendly” and with the 13MP camera at both rear and front, it has become the best “Selfie” camera phone among all smartphones.  It offers interesting features like- Crop me, Split capture, Photo Booth etc. The camera autofocus operates at a speed of 300 seconds and the intelligent LED Dual Flash automatically selects the exact color tone and light intensity whenever flash is required. Results- Professionally shot pictures are captured. Rating 5/5

3.    Battery Life:- Battery life is good however, I found the “time taken for charging” the phone on a slightly higher side. It took me almost 2-3 hours to get the phone charged 100%

4.  Heated up device:- The device gets heated up too soon and sometimes to an alarming level even though not being in charging, in use or in confinements. Well considering the proximity of the handset to the user that did not help me much.

5.     Pricing:- The handset is priced at around Rs 39,000 is slightly on the higher side of premium pricing that may discourage the possible penetration in iPhone and Samsung Laden market. With the technology changing/updating every month, the pricing unless targeted at only niche “urban- high value” customer serves as a big constraint to probable buyers who may choose HTC over iPhone. Pricing could have been better and more inviting in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 INR max.

6.   Text Input:- How much we all still love our qwerty or 2G handsets with type-pads. Ask any “high text” user and they will vouch for it. The phone’s text input gets hanged [even for a smaller fraction of time] and the intuitive input method serves pain. However, one good thing is that phone text has an option of typing into various language including Hindi and that works seamlessly fine and may work well for people with lesser proficiency/comfort typing in English. I wish they should have the “swing” text input feature as available with Samsung handset and some of Lenovo too.

7.     Seamless navigation and ease of accessing apps including phone book: This one is a big Yes. And unlike the popular notion about HTC phones- that they hung up a tad too fast, HTC M8 Eye provided a good “User Interface” and “ease of operations”.

8.  Easy Settings: The phone comes with easy, one click, 12 at 1 setting panel accessibility feature that can help you activate mobile data, power saver, DND mode, Active Printscreen, GPS etc hassle free. I loved the “extreme power saving” feature too.

9.  The “Trim” Feature: Good news for all people who love to customize their ringtones. HTC One comes with the TRIM feature using which you can select the portion of any song as downloaded in your device as your ringtone.

10. Amazing Sound: HTC One gives an amazing song clarity while listening to songs or watching live videos on youTube.

Well my experience with HTC One M8 was not one written straight away from fairy tale but it has suffered a biggest failure that all “App Savvy” population rues. I named it- Restart Debacle.

Restart failure: One of the setback and the biggest setback that I found with my HTC One M8 handset [and that caused me high Internet usage/ loss of data/ time/ money] was that on restart, the entire phone was set back to factory setting, deleting all the launched apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Pictures [if not saved on SD] and other apps. When checked in settings, no such option was found. Even when you restart the phone, there was neither any prompt nor notification saying that restarting the phone will delete all the installed apps including your “contact list” [even though it was sync with google] and phone ringtone as well.

Now this happened not just once but both the times when I have to restart my handset. Kaboom and all that was saved, synced was gone! I checked at Playstore and it showed in my “App history” and not the “recently installed list”. Now if it happens once, you may discard as some seeding failure. Trust me without SD card, it would be total lost. But if the same thing happens all the time you restarted your device, then I have a concern to highlight here. I have communicated the same with team, let’s see if this was one of the rare case.

HK Verdict: The phone is highly accessible is majority of the cases however certain setting are rigid and in spite of option to remove pre-installed apps, it did not allow to remove certain apps like "Demo" that unceremoniously start playing on your screen without waiting for the hat to be dropped. Even while tying to restore factory settings, the phone did not allow to restore the same unless you "un-sync" each account individually and "restart". 

Do I recommend this phone sot others?

Yes provided the “restart debacle” is taken care of.

Overall rating: 3.5/5