We'll always have Lipstick.

After lipstick sales doubled post the 9/11 tragedy, economists coined an interesting term called the Lipstick effect, which in essence means that in times of despair and recession, people are more likely to buy less costly luxury items. It's a bizarre phenomenon how when major luxury categories are struck bad by economic downturns, cosmetics remain largely unaffected. Women's love for lipsticks is a certified Investopedia index and its importance is summarised appropriately by some oft quoted quotes by Elizabeth Taylor who said that if you have had a bad day you pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together. Or Coco Chanel who recommended that if you are sad, just add more lipstick and attack. Lipstick is power. And even while you can still indulge yourself with one that costs a 100 dollars, it remains a universal little luxury.

Color on the lips is a bold declaration of one’s inner assurance. Lipstick signals an underlying tilt of power, by the manner in which it transfixes the audience’s attention to a minor detail on the cupid’s bow, making it in that instance far more significant than any other worldly matter and thus forces a surrender of power to talk or think about anything of real importance. Lipcolor is brash seduction, meant to translate seamlessly a woman’s intentions in the boardroom or the bedroom, at an interview or at a night out at the club. So much personality in a little color stick.

And then there are the dimensions of playing with the boundless range of color lipsticks bestow us with. The rainbow on our lips. We can differentiate a hundred shades of deep red, even though we might not wear anything red in a lifetime. There is a color for every season, every time of the day, every mood, every occasion, every location, everything and nothing. Afterall lipsticks made nude a legitimate color. And it is miraculous how these colors transform us, we can go from girl next door to glamazona, from dainty to diva, from pompous to pared down, from trendy to timeless and from sexy to subtle all in a matter of 30 secs. If a woman normally has 10 different personalities at any given moment, with the help of lipsticks she can develop a 100!

My lipstick journey started with some hand me downs from mom because through most of my adolescence I was too cool to be a girl. Putting on lip color just didn't go with the rest of my lanky, crew cut tomboy self and I would constantly write it off as 'too feminine' (I find nail paint too feminine even today) and would rather die than being caught wearing some outside of my own bathroom mirror. And then one fine day, MAC happened. Then one by one they came marching - the bright pinks, the light pinks, the dark browns, the natural browns, the glossies, the matts and the various shades of red. Today i am the proud owner of 44 lipsticks, out of which I use about 6. And these 6 are those timeless go-to saviors who have seen me through many a days of lip-biting stress and many a nights of pouty partying.

These are in random order and the ones you can order online without trying, applying or batting even an eyelid:

1. Nude - Chanel Rouge Coco Shine no 89 : A hydrating sheer lip-sheen that slathers on your lips smoothly and wears on like second skin all day long keeping that natural tint.

2. Natural pink - L'Oreal 101 Rose Melody : This is perhaps the only lip gloss I use as I can't stand how sticky glosses feel on the lips. Rose Melody is liquid lipstick with micor-oils which makes it a balm as much as a gloss, enhancing and reflecting the natural color of your lips beautifully.

3.  Bright pink - Dior Addict 865 : This high impact, weightless lip color comes in the most lustrous shade of fuschia and is a must have to every season and everytime you want to brighten up your look.

4. Oxblood : MAC Diva : Oxblood is my go to color for all things Fall and this deep bordeaux in matte shade is the quintessential old school vampy glam work best sans makeup.

5. Pinkish red : Estee Lauder Envy 350 : Hydrating, sculpting and smotheringly gliding, Envy has a super smooth lip application and a flirty magenta pink overtone making it perfect for bright day lips.

6.  Red : Tough one to choose but I'm gonna go with a classic Rouge Dior 752 - a vivid, oomphy Marilyn Monroe mattish red with no fushcia or orange undertones and a satin smooth finish. This is the typical make an entrance kind of red.

Lipsticks, beyond choosing the right color are also equally about application so here are some personal tips on how to select and wear them better :

a. Use balming and moisturising lipsticks so that your lips are cared for as long as they look pretty. If not, feel free to apply lipcolor on lips over nude lipbalm.

b. Depending on the brightness of your lipcolor, pare down the intensity of the rest of your makeup, especially the eyes. Not all parties are costume parties.

c. As subdued glam as they look, matt shaded doesn't go with all skin tones and lip shapes so use discretion while choosing a matt lipstick. Same goes for tones like oranges and corals.

d. Avoid matching your lips to your dress/top color. It's a bit 80s. So much fun to play with contrasts and surprises.

e. Always better to use a lipbrush to apply lipstick to spread color effortlessly and seamlessly and totally when the lipstick is running out!

f. Personally I don't use liner because I'm not quite from the high-definition makeup school. Nicer to shape lips directly from the lipstick for a natural, a tad smudged worn in look, then use a concealer wherever you go off and a highlighter wherever you need more prep-me-up. And oh my god it's way faster!

g. Choose, keep and wear all the time a signature red- the only shade where a signature shade adds more character and well, memory.

h. Exfoliate your lips with sugar, lemon and olive oil regularly to hydrate and retain their natural color.

i. And my favorite, to avoid lip stains on glasses, discreetly lick your lips before taking a sip!

Happy playing with this slip in your plam little luxury. Pick your favorite colors for every mood and give everyone a run for their words when you talk in them. And remember that one rule, every woman deserves a man who will ruin her lipstick, and not her mascara.

Bisous!

What would a French girl do?

Hello everyone and désolé for the hiatus. :)

Well I got a bit bored (..umm basically out of topics) of doing those erudite posts on little luxuries and decided to break it up with some shorter, less meaningful and more fun How To posts for much needed inspiration here and there. And this is for you, my dear ladies!

We have to admit, no one carries off that je ne sais quoi vibe as well as our ladies in France. It permeates all age, social class and other demographic and is recognisable from as far as the corner cafe where you see them go by as you sip your espresso. If I could sum it up in one phrase in English (although je ne sais quoi is by far the most apt description), it would be - I have cared a hell lot about my I-couldn't-care-less look and well hello, the rest is because I was born French. What does that even mean? The French, with their carefully cultivated passion for the slow and good life, quality over quantity and the ability to genuinely appreciate the petite pleasures of natural living, are actually a little less bothered about the real pressing concerns of the world than the flavour profile of the saucisson (artisanal sausages) bought at the neighbourhood boucherie. This certainly adds in good measure to their alluring charm to an unsuspecting audience too consumed with his routine, boss, parents, relationship status and other trials and tribulations of life. It's simple logic, focus on the little things and the larger ones will take care of themselves. Cute no?

So how do you bring on this cool French appeal wherever you are and whatever you might be doing? With my 5 essential tips that follow which will cover all aspects of mastering it - the clothes, the make up, the hair, the lifestyle and the attitude, and improvising on how you lead your life as much as the on way you look.

Alors, on commence :


1. The Clothes : Black, black and black. Black over black. Head to toe black. Black in multiple textures. There is no such thing as too much black in not just a French, but any self-respecting wardrobe. Intersperse the blackness with :

• The Breton - you know the sailor tops with horizontal blue stripes
• Finely knit grey cashmere pulls 
• Sheer white tops/tees - made of great quality cotton, and perhaps some lace and crochet
• Distressed cropped blue denims
• A fantastically fitted black leather jacket 
• A fantastically oversized camel coat
• A fantastically well cut navy blazer
• A colorful, preferably silk, prerferably Hermes scarf
• Ballet flats in black, blue, camel or a tres shocking fluoroscent 
• Pointy heels 
• Black booties with stud accents

Pin-up French woman for fashion : Vogue France Editor Emmanuelle Alt is the perfect embodiment of this classic French chic and a personal style icon and barely stirs away from the elements mentioned in the list above.

Pin-up French fashion quote : Having just a handful of clothing items that fit perfectly is better than having a whole closet full of items that aren't all that great.

The Vogue girls after show with Alt (second from left) - Get the drift on black?

Pin-up French fashion quote 2 : Androgyny is forever trés chic.

2. The Makeup - Au naturelle all the way. French ladies are big time believers in good skin being the essence of good looks and hence don't really use too much makeup, despite being home to the world's largest beauty major - L'Oreal! When it comes to skincare, they rely on good pharmacy or pharmacosmetic brands - Avene, La Roche Posay and Nuxe to name a few and average in the top 5 women nationalities in terms of daily time (and euros- a staggering 2.2 bn per year) devoted to skincare. A French woman's bathroom mantle is full of a dedicated battalion of hydrating creams, serums, sunscreens, night creams, cleansers, toners, peels, masks and essential oils to be used religiously and starting at a startling early age. Self care is an absolute top priority and no wonder French women are known worldwide to age really gracefully. You can use this damn useful link to guide you through French pharmacy skincare wonders and buy them rightaway!

The makeup thus acts only as an accentuation to the really fabulous skin and normally consists of only  the following:

• A light, well blending, moisturising foundation
• Cream-base rose-tinted blush for a pretty pop to the cheeks
• Some highlighter on the cheekbones and under brows
• A line of black mascara for nicely defined eye lashes (French women are not too big on eyeliners)
• Soft natural pink or strong red lips

Pin-up French woman for makeup : Marion Cotillard, the Oscar winning French actress and Dior ambassador at large. Her makeup at any red carpet appearance is the perfect case study of looking naturally beautiful and radiant and never ever overdone.

Marion Cotillard at Dior SS'14 show looking barely made up.

Pin-up French make up quote : Invest in great skincare and let your natural radiance shine through your makeup.



3. The Hair - Carefully unkempt. Heavily blowdried or perfectly straightened is just not a French. thing. Leaving home without brushing hair is. Hair must look and be as natural as the skin with the wave and the out-of-place strand right where it's supposed to be. Yes we are talking the 'I woke up like this' bed-head. French women never die their hair, never use a hair dryer, never shampoo their hair daily and never leave their house with wet hair. Most women rock their natural brunettes without any hair accessories except perhaps a dash of perfume to make sure you and your hair smell seamless.

French women normally leave their hair open but if you must try a hairstyle, opt for a messy French braid or a messy French chignon (bun) and go from day to night.

Pin-up French woman for hair : Caroline de Maigret, need I go any farther? Naturally tousled, messy hair with those perfect bangs that are styled exactly the same way no matter where she is. She has also recently authored the instant bestseller - How to be Parisian Wherever You Are and is these days your go-to French babe on all things parisienne.

Caroline de Maigret and her perfect 'rough night' mane.

Pin-up French haircare quote : I just had some great sex.



4. The Lifestyle : It has long been a topic of debate and endless frustration that French girls eat all they want without ever wanting to or needing to go to the gym? Is that true? Well yes. French women walk (and talk, especially during meals) a lot and shed their pain au chocolats as they traverse the rues on the way to work every morning and evening. French women spend tonnes of time outdoors. They also smoke a fair bit (how is one ever supposed to pull off a je ne sais quoi look without blowing a stylish puff?) and we all know that helps us stay gloriously thin!

A French woman has her portion control down pat, and she knows that a little baguette and brie never killed anybody but any foodly overindulgence is promptly followed by a day of conscious eating. Petite isn't just a dress size but a serving size as well. They love to eat farm fresh, organic foods as much as possible (going to the sunday marche is national obsession and a thoroughly gratifying experience for all senses) rather than mass produced supermarket snacks. French women love cooking their meals with fresh market buys keeping natural flavours high and seasoning low. And finally the trick is in savouring every bite (quality over quantity as we spoke of earlier) thus by by all means eating well.

Wine is paired (not poured) with meals and is had as more as a meal accent. Sugary sodas are avoided while sparkling water guzzled by the gallon essentially to to feel more full without pounding the excess calories. I still remember my American boss at L'Oreal ate a bottle of sparkling water and a few springs of rocket leaves for lunch everyday enviously eyeing the 5 course meals of all French girls ate in office. Life sometimes is unfair!

Besides, strict hours of lunch services closing at most restos force them to not delay lunch while store services closing promptly at 7:30 pm every evening forces them to have dinner on time, sleep on time, wake up on time et viola that's great well being right there!

Pin-up French woman for lifestyle : Garance Doré. A fashion photographer, illustrator and writer known for her eponymous blog, Garance Doré on fashion, beauty, travel and culture.She is charming, witty and just the perfect picture of cool elegance combined with cool job. A creative polymath, she shuttles between Paris, NY, Milan and London capturing it all on her blog with genuine anecdotal stories, inspiration moodboards and slice of life episodes straight from her friends, a gang of cool French girls who along with Garance, embody the live the good life attitude. Garance herself and her blog offers daily French girl secrets on eating well, working out and simply being beautiful while leading a very active life.

Garance, doing what she does best - being totally herself.

Pin-up French lifestyle quote : Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup. (Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly).

5. The Attitude : The ultimate art to be truly French girl lies in improving our day to day attitudes towards things around us and more importantly towards ourselves. Here are a few places to start.

a) Be self-indulgent - French women love themselves and are unabashed about cooking themselves a great meal, buying themselves flowers or spending weekends together simply taking care of themselves. After all, you are your own favourite!

b) Treasure the small pleasures - A freshly baked croissant from the bakery, fresh roses, an espresso at the cafe, good cheese, good olives, good meat, good wine, good music, good conversation and including all of the above, picnics. It is these small things that make our lives deliriously happy or the joie de vivre.

c) Let light in - Don't underestimate the myriad powers of the sun. Keep your room, your house, your office and your demeanour light and airy.

d) Old is beautiful - Wine that has aged well, smell of old furniture from your parents, postcards you send to friends, the cheque you write at the supermarket in France and the heritage lift you take to your office are all quaint joys that make life a wee bit more interesting.

e) Vacation more - Take your vacation time very strictly and don't compromise on its quantity (3 weeks at the minimum) or quality (Corsica or Portofino?).

f) Be culturally evolved - Always good to know your Proust from your Plato, your Merlot from your and your Montepulciano, your Monet from your Matisse and your Fauvism from your fashion. Visit gardens, museums, churches and cemeteries with the ardent vigour and surprise of making a discovery about yourself everytime.

h)  Create the balance - In work, love and life let there be spaces in between.

i) Be natural - Take all your time to be moody, melancholic or reticent on a not-so-good day or week. But then also always look your best, invest in your beauty and own your body. In life as in art, original version is the real masterpiece.

Pin up French girl for Attitude : They are everywhere.

Girls at a cafe in Paris the 1920s, as in today.

Pin up French attitude quote : Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future. Act now, without delay. (Simone de Beauvoir)


Have fun working on your French-itude ladies and here's an amaze Nouvelle Vague playlist to slip into the night!

La vie est faite des petities bonheurs.
 Paris, 2013 avec Valerie Bucek

Shady Business

This has been a 'Sunglasses and Advil' kind of a weekend, and hence the context for this post.

I'm sure just like me, a lot of us would not look presentable on Sunday brunches if not for our shades hiding away the debauched stories of Saturday nights. Sunglasses = instant swagger. They beat both high heels and red lips when it comes to making an instant statement or projecting a certain personality or mood. We remember Audrey Hepburn less for her Givenchy LBDs in Breakfast at Tiffany's but more for her signature Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses, just as trendy almost a century over and available here. Patrick Bateman's penchant for Oliver People's eyewear in the movie American Psycho or Maverick's classic gold rim aviators in Top Gun, there are sunglasses that have created iconic movie characters. Esquire mag does a cool round-up of cool movie eyewear and thank god you can still get your hands on all of them.

Audrey Hepburn in Olivier Goldsmith two-tone wayfarers in Breakfast at Tiffany's

So let's break down the psychology of why sunglasses are so popular and make for a post on little luxuries. Sunglasses rule out the need for eye contact and that is singularly how they can heighten any human interaction. At a subconscious level they give us an easy edge over the person we are talking to, signalling a cool confidence and some sort of human elevation, as if we were seeing the world with the casual disregard of an outlander. This then translates into a hint of brashness in personality and we tend to rattle the bars of our social cages a lot more while we are conversing with our sunglasses on making our conversations more exhilarant. They ofcourse make most people look better if not great and some people I know should definitely wear them all the time. They signal trendiness, a passion for glamour and the good life and just how much we love our eyes. Sunglasses make people more interesting and RayBan summed up this prophecy damn well with its long-running and iconic Never Hide campaign.

Some people cannot be imagined without their sunglasses. Karl Lagerfeld.

No discussion on eyewear can be complete without mentioning Luxottica, the world's largest 50 year old eyewear company controlling 80% of world's major eyewear brands. This Italian behemoth manufactures its own brands, your household names in the eyewear game like RayBan, Persol, Oakley, Vogue as well as licenses the eyewear category for the world's top luxury brands - from Armani to Chanel (yes I'm sorry to break it to you, Chanel does not make its own sunglasses). Luxottica also owns all major eyewear retail brands like Sunglasses Hut and Sears and thus is perhaps the foremost example of great vertical integration in the luxury space. Wherever and whenever you are buying a pair of shades, Luxottica is basically adding more euros to its 5.6 bn euros in annual sales.Well if not Luxottica then either of the 2 other Italian behemoths, Safilo (licenses Dior and Marc Jacobs) or Marcolin (Tom Ford and Zegna). Eyewear as you may notice, is an italian job.

However if you are the indie type and prefer cool niche brands and not be a part of this corporate trio poly here are a few brands you could consider :

1. Illesteva - Launched in 2009, this NY based custom eyewear brand produces its frames in Italy. Using offbeat materials like titanium and bamboo Illesteva takes classic shapes like the wayfarer and rejigs them in unusual colors and exaggerations. The Leonard is a popular version and you can lay your hands on some cool fashion forward but vintage designs for less than $200.

The Leonard -Illesteva

2. Cutler and Gross - These guys are from London but their frames are manually cut and hand polished at their family factory in Italy. Cutler and Gross does limited production and became popular almost entirely by word of mouth and designer collaborations. The brand comes with a quintessential British style and is known for some cool vintage frames.

Cutler and Gross - vintage eyewear from London

3. Selima Optique - A fusion of French sensibility and NY style, this brand was started by designed Selima Salaun who is a trained optician focused on creating eye-protecting eyewear that would flatter a wide variety if face types. Her iconic designs include 'Onassis' and 'Chad' and reflect the vibrant personalities of its core customer base, design editors and fashion bloggers.

Ryan Gosling wearing 'Chad' sunglasses in Crazy Stupid Love

So now a little cheat sheet on how we can exercise a little more discretion in buying our next pair of sunglasses rather than getting coaxed by a pushy dealer making margins at Sunglasses Hut.

1. The brand : You can easily translate your overall luxury brand preference to your eyewear, being assured that it will be ultimately be of an Italian-make. Brand-led decisions rely on what your favourite logo is or whether you prefer a double G, double C or capital D on the temples besides what shape looks good on your face.

Gucci's SS 2015 eyewear campaign

2. Face shape : Most of us do not pay enough attention to whether a frame suits our overall face type and there are some easy ways to do this. Face shapes can broadly be divided into round, oval, heart or square and depending on that you can choose a style that either accentuates or sets off your face type to create a seamless look. Below is a cool infographic on how to shortlist styles based on face shapes.

3. Frames: When deciding the eyewear frames, you can go for signature or trendy materials depending on whether you are more classic or fashion forward. Acetate in colors or textures work great for a more en-vogue vibe while metal certainly brings more chic. Another good point to consider is your skin tone and hair color to select a complementary frame color. One of the most iconic frames you can get your hands on is the Persol 714 worn by the patron of cool, saint Steve Mcqueen in The Thomas Crown Affair.

PO 714 SM from Persol

I'm personally going through this major love thing for sunglasses with sweat bars and hoping to get my hands on these Raybans Outdoorsman aviators in green with a cute pink brow bar. Hello August, come soon! :)

4. One or many? : Interesting point to consider when it comes to sunglasses. Must we opt for a signature look or should we add more variety for seasons, utilities and moods? I used to be a patron of the former and considered myself to be a 'Wayfarer' person till some Portuguese stole my beloved pair enroute Bordeaux a few summers back. I hurryingly picked up a pair of oversized Alain Afflelous in the city next morning to realise that I was totally loving my change of look and falling in love with the new ones all over again. So I conclude in favour of building a sunglasses collection, just like fragrances. Once you have determined your face type, go wild in choosing shapes, colors and materials that augment your personal sense of style and mood, and try to evolve both with time. I now own 3 Aviators, a Wayfarer, a Clubmaster, an oversized and a cat eye and love picking, pairing and playing with them when going out. There is no such thing as too many pairs of sunglasses. But remember, a strong pair of sunglasses can define your look so make sure you keep other frills like jewelry, accessories and makeup tempered down.

It's always fun and uplifting to wear sunglasses, no matter what we might be upto and how we might be feeling. So go ahead entertain yourself and exude your celebrity swag in your favourite pairs of shades whenever you want as long as...you are not wearing them at night. That just seems kind of douchebaggish unless you are Anna Wintour or Jay Z.

Expert tip 1 : Get yourself a pair of Dior So Reals in bicolor - easily the most futuristic looking pairs designed by Raf Simons last spring summer and perched on all celebrity eyes these days.

Olivia Palermo in Dior So Reals

Expert tip 2 : For more insights on whether you are an Aviator or a WayFarer person, check out this awesomely witty GQ survey!

And now what a great time to create a pic collage of my photos wearing different sunglasses. Weehoo!!

Many moods, many shades and a lot more to come! ;)

The Sweet Escape

Dessert.

I have been needing a whole lot of these lately.

Desserts have always been and will forever be instant mood lifters. A hard to beat combination of flavour rush and visual delight, a dessert by definition is meant to be an indulgent, guilty pleasure that allows us our temporary escape to carefree wonderland. There is an instant appeal of a meeting a friend over dessert, because you know you evening would be  bouncy and beamingly happy. We also know from the movies that eating ice-cream directly from the carton is a legit post-break syndrome. Sin food for the soul. Perfectly shaped, colorful and delicious sweet sugary things, desserts are little luxuries.

Living in France legitimizes starting your day with an unabashed sugar rush. France has by the way the world’s largest per capita consumption of our dear friend Nutella and the mighty sinful Speculoos paste comes a close second when choosing a spread for your breakfast sandwich, to be washed down with a double espresso. However just in case you woke up late enough to manage to skip breakfast, your attempt to have a carb-free morning would be happily rendered futile by the gorgeous smelling freshly baked sweet goodies from the fifty bakeries on your way to work. Pain au chocolat - 20, Me - 0.

Typical sweet sightings at a Parisian bakery, Eric Kayser

As evident from food trends, the world seems to have finally moved beyond typical ingredients for making dessert, read too much chocolate or too much cream and desserts are becoming more and more au naturelle, using fresh seasonal ingredients, artisanally created with a keen emphasis on the combination of textures. Ice-creams today represent  this trend in a very big way and have really come of their own in the cultivated dessert scene. Bite size is another key trend, a staple with your Cafe Gourmand which is perhaps the best example of dessert sampling perfected by the French – macaroons, panna cotta, a petit creme brulee and a little lemon tart served with your choice of coffee or tea. Savoury desserts, another big one in the game, although not a big hit in India yet, are pushing creativity with the use of unique ingredients ranging from chilli to kale.

Cafe Gourmand - Choice of bite size desserts served with coffee

I’m not exactly a dessert person (barring the occasional Nutella spooning while watching a TV show), which is unusual considering the fact that my mom finds it impossible to finish a meal without mithai and craves post-dinner ice-cream like a 4-year old. I have friends who are equally major dessert fans, a friend who is literally my Zomato (Bomato in this case, her name is Bani) for last minute dessert cravings and as we all know, peer-pressure goes a fricking long way in dessert land because no you cannot possibly refuse a bite from the chocolate ganache gooey cake the friend ordered, despite whatever you ordered for yourself.

While choosing a dessert, I normally stick to a few flavor profiles and land up repeatedly ordering or eating the same things over and over again. I think good dessert is all about the one overarching ingredient or flavour and my choice of dessert would normally include one or all of the below :

Dark Chocolate – The darker the better. The benefits of dark chocolate are infinite. It’s loaded with antioxidants, makes your brain sharper, helps you lose weight and even find true love (basically as a result of the first three benefits). There is at any given point of time a bar of dark chocolate with sea salt in my fridge. This Lindt slice of heaven has just the right amount of salty surprise in an otherwise great dark chocolate. I love the simplicity and consistency of a good dark chocolate mousse as well spiked with a hint of fruit, preferably strawberries or clementines. 

Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt - A square a day, keeps 

Vanilla – Truly the most multi-faceted and amazing of flavors. Vanilla makes everything non-vanilla. I’m known to add vanilla essence to whatever I can, and believe it can fix everything including even a broken faucet. Injecting fresh vanilla pods in your jar of sugar makes it instantly special. Indian summers are incomplete without  meals ending with a large scoop of vanilla icecream paired with the season’s heartiest mango slices. Pour a shot of espresso over a scoop of good vanilla ice-cream for an impressive afternoon dessert called Cafe Alfredo. The versatile vanilla, always to the rescue.

Organic vanilla pods - ready to go into your sugar jar

Salted caramel or Caramel au Beurre Sale – No a better thing wasn’t created. It found its origin in Britanny, France in 1980 in the form of a rich buttery sugary-salty candy and what can be seen from this NYT article, #saltedcaramel is definitely trending worldwide since early 2000s. Pour salted caramel sauce over any dessert or have it by the spoonful, whip it into a cookie, a brownie, a bar or a cake, a real salted caramel dessert is hard to make but a true keeper. What is interesting in its flavour combination is that you taste the saltiness, taste the sweetness, taste them together and yet experience them separately. Make a large jar using this recipe from Nigella and pour away baby.

Caramel au Beurre Sale, Ummmmhhhh

Ghirardelli, an SF based chocolatier does a fine combination of dark chocolate, sea salt and caramel chocolates. It’s difficult to not bite into your fingers while eating this damn thing.

Holy Trinity - Dark chocolate, sea salt and caramel

Coconut – My fondness for coconut is stuff of legends. I find inventive ways of incorporating coconut in my daily life, be it summer or winter, drink or dessert. When it comes to dessert, my love for coconut ranges from greasy coconut barfis that come home with wedding cards to the chocolate supreme, Bounty (no debate here). It cannot get more amazing that most people dislike or are by and large opinionless about coconut and hence I always land up getting a giant’s share of any coconut based dessert. My summer of 2015 is full of the Bombay staple and newly launched in Delhi, Natural's Tender Coconut ice-cream, with real coconut chunks and the right amount of sugar! #truelove

Natural's Tender Coconut Ice-cream - Perfect summer dessert

Cheese – The single most important ingredient of the best desserts – from Tiramisu to cheesecakes. Though Italians have originally mastered inventive uses of their cheeses in texture-heavy, melt-in-your-mouth desserts, the Americans gave cheese its legitimacy in dessert land with the eponymous cheesecake.  Bake or no bake, a classic cream cheese based cheesecake is the American way of life, where cheesecakes come with anthropological names depending on their origin (New York,  Pennsylvania  Dutch..) and are home to organized crime at The Cheesecake Factory, which boasts of 34 unique types of cheesecake. (Here’s a nice ranking of all the 34 - yes people have actually done that). Back in la Italia, mascerpone and ricotta are the 2 most widely used Italian dessert cheeses. A favorite ricotta based dessert is found in Naples - Sfogiatella or a signature warm and flaky pastry with a sweetened ricotta cheese filling. Typical example of cheese dessert divine.

A typical New York no-bake blueberry cheese cake

Naples signature dessert - Sfogiatella 

Another handy cheese dessert, Dolce Sergio, named famously after an Italian friend with a famous sweet tooth who invented it, is your Italian debauchery created by amazing things easily available at home - simply layer Speculoos biscuit crumbs, mascarpone and good quality fruit jam (raspberry works for me) on top of each other and top it up with a seasonal fruit. Kept in the fridge for 30 mins and it becomes the best thing to serve for a weekday dinner.

My attempt at Dolce Sergio, topped with oranges

I have always believed in the merit of dessert being a separate meal and the creation a dessert hour to celebrate the wonders of dessert as a cuisine in itself and not just an after-thought. I guess we all should add more of these moments of hedonistic rush, endorphin release and heightened mood to our daily lives and revel in the pure luxury of allowing ourselves a much-needed sweet escape.

A few of my favourite sweet things and where to get them in Delhi :

Creme Brulée – Le Cirque at The Leela Chanakyapuri or Le Bistro du Parc, Def Col

Tiramisu - Artusi, GK 2 M Block (by far, faaar, faaaaaaar)

Blueberry Cheesecake - The Big Chill Cafe, Khan Market 

Salted Caramel Eclair - L'Opera bakery, Khan market

Kahlua Mousse Cake - Whipped, GK 2 

Brownies - Theobroma, Mumbai (simply get them couriered to Delhi)

Expert Tip 1 : Knowing how to bake is therapeutic and sexy in equal parts.

Expert Tip 2 : Get on to dear friend Shaheen's eclectic food blog PurpleFoodie for your daily dose of sweet advice and simple tips on becoming a dessert diva at home. I once baked brownies with her in my apartment in Paris and it was really fun! 

Baking brownies with Purple Foodie on a rainy day (ah well always) in Paris
May'13

Sweet dreams, literally.

Seeing Art

I love spending time in galleries and going far and wide to see art in cities that I am travelling to. When travelling solo I can be quite heavily planned and pretty much know what exhibition I need to catch in what city, given the sublime experience seeing art can be and given the scarcity of such experiences in India. I'm also of the opinion that it is an activity best done alone as art can have this profound effect on you which gets somewhat diminished (if not ruined) if you over-discuss it, unless it is in highly knowledgeable company or unless ofcourse you both have shown up drunk.

There is something about the subjectivity of art which speaks directly to the kind of person you might be and the kind of life stage you are at. We interpret artworks not as they are, but as we are. That's probably why seeing good art can subconsciously address our deep-seated fears and anxieties and that could explain how we always walk out of museums feeling somewhat lighter. Swiss modern philosopher and author of Essays in Love, Alain de Botton (I'm a fan) goes on to explain in great detail how art can help us with our most intimate and ordinary dilemmas in his book Art as Therapy - a colossal must read. The currently trendy art blog  Berlin Art Parasites is infact founded on this very philosophy - using art as a means to alter how we live and love. Art not just for art's sake.

Museums and galleries take as much of our time as an otherwise wasted Sunday afternoon but fill it up with sensibilities of a life time. Seeing art is luxury for all and being at a museum paying homage to the arts, the best kind of idol worship.

Given this subjective nature of art, I'm most particularly drawn towards contemporary works even though Impressionist remains by far my favourite artistic period and those works create similar 'impressions' in us. While there is a whole lot of average work in the name of modern art, the reason why we tend to get drawn towards it the most, is the calming feeling that it is the creation of someone like us - with similar joys, sorrows, ecstasies and anxieties of a modern world, the one that we belong to.

The calming effects of Monet's Water Lillies at Musee L'Orangerie in Paris

I have distinct love for art museums that reside in spaces that bring their own unique character to the art viewing experience. The space carrying its own story interacts with the works it houses in very creative ways evoking a range of connections with the audience.

Hence I thought of sending your way a little round up of some of my favourite physical spaces that are home to certain major contemporary works, set in some of the most gorgeous cities of the world. Summer's right here and as you depart on your long vacations, keep some time (and just a few euros) aside to see and marvel at these stunning centres of living, breathing art that double up just as well as datey afternoon cafes, for those who couldn't care less about the art side of things.

1. Andalusian Centre of Contemporary Arts, Seville
   for a lazy sunny garden lunch date

This one is from my recent vacation in the South of Spain and came highly recommended by my Italian painter host. Couldn't possibly have gone wrong. The centre of contemporary art in Seville, set on the other side of the Guadalquivir river is housed in what can be called a wonderland garden. Amidst magical hanging creepers and bougainvillea on steroids, lies a museum inside the Cartuja monastery which once used to be a ceramic factory. The centre presents an overview of the artistic trends that developed in Spain from the mid-20th century through to the present day and includes pieces by Luis Gordillo, Candida Höfer, Rebecca Horn, Pablo Palazuelo, and Joseph Kosuth amongst others. 

The magical gardens of CAAC, Sevilla

The museum is celebrating its 25th year and is curating a stellar exhibit on the role of the artist in a world of economic troubles (See Not, Hear Not, Speak Not is running till Sept'15). With opening works by Curro Golzalez, this exhibit, divided in different galleries analyses the art acquired by the Centre in 25 years within the modern world's economic framework and is a resounding must see.

As a Backdrop (Immaculada Salinas)
Introspective piece on art as backdrop in various scenarios rendered in all pantone shades

Stepping out of the galleries set apart by vast sunny quiet spaces, you will enter a charming garden cafe where you can muse and bemuse the art you just saw over a cafe long and amidst views of lifesize bougenvilla gates and scents that emanate from endless trees of neroli and oranges. A complete feast of the five senses. 

Sipping a coffee at the museum garden cafe

Bougenvillea facades at the CAAC gardens

2. Maxxi, Rome
    for a night of martinis and caviar and hanging with Italian actors

Entrance, MAXXI Rome

Designed as a multidisciplinary space by celebrated architect Zaha Hadid and standing tall in its stark modernity against the classical eternal city of Rome, Maxxi is dedicated to innovation in the arts. I went to Maxxi last April and even though the word is that this centre is running into huge losses, there can be no finer example of a gallery where the medium is the message. Navigating through the steel and glass of this brazen structure, you almost become a part of the art on display, making you a central piece in this interactive experience , the protagonist in a novel. I was quite moved by the work of a Dutch architectural firm unStudio which has developed unique 3D architectural concepts, real enough for you to imagine yourself in your future establishment.

unStudio's Living Spaces installation

Or this jaw dropping piece by Emilia Kabakov called Where is our Place, a lifesize installation that makes you examine the relationship between ancient and contemporary art by the means of humans who are in three different temporal planes viewing art from three different eras.

Where is Our Place? (Emilie Kabakov)

Maxxi is a must visit for perhaps just for the sheer dichotomy it offers from say the Colosseum in Rome. And for some of the best installation art you are likely to see in Italy. And for a hip dinner date at the swish, black and white Maxxi 21 bistro. There is something for everyone here.

Towards MAXXI's hip bistro

3. Peggy Guggenheim museum, Venice
    for a rained-down romantic afternoon 

As unreal a city Venice is, taking a boat in the rain to visit someone's private drawing room is enough of an ethereal experience in itself. Located on the Grand Canal, Peggy Guggenheim museum is devoted to modern art, with works ranging from Cubism to Abstract Experessionism. Peggy Guggenheim was an American art collector and socialite with a body of collections on display from New York to Bilbao, who came to live and display her works in Venice in 1949. She was later buried within the gardens of this museum.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection at Grand Canal, Venice

Spending an afternoon at her Venice museum is akin to being invited for a private viewing of works inside her home, such is the intimacy and solitude this space recreates. Walk down rooms and rooms filled with works of celebrated abstract painters like Piet Mondrian (his Composition 11 in Red, Blue and Yellow is on my bedroom wall), Kadinsky and Picasso, lounge on a sofa to ponder a little or play hide and seek with a friend amongst the room walls. You will be at home at Peggy's Venezia museum and a stroll away from a magical gondola ride back into the rest of the city.

Piet Mondrian at Peggy Guggenheim, Venice

View of Grand Canal from the museum

The museum also houses a relaxing garden cafe set entirely in glass and displaying additional works from her collection. You will be in fine company.



4. Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
    for an elitist evening champagne and carpaccio

   
Luxury brands have been historically known to patronise the arts because luxury like art, is handmade and invaluable. So fter the Cartier Centre for Contemporary Art and the PPR museum, it was time for LVMH scion Bernand Arnault to offer his monumental tribute to contemporary arts. Enter Franck Gehry's architectural masterpiece (is it a bird? is it a plane?) and the creation of Foundation Louis Vuitton. This is scale unprecedented.

External View - Fondation Louis Vuitton, a stellar structure by architect Frank Gehry

So what is so cool about this space? Well, its better than better. A 5 level glass and concrete space set over a giant blue grotto. I walked 2 kms in 5 inches to make it to this masterful strcuture in Jardin d'Acclamation in the 16th arr of Paris, only to realise that I would be walking 12 kms more discovering its endless collection of best artworks from popular modern artists. A decade in the making and a budget undisclosed, this is a broken down Sydney Opera House that locks you inside its infinite vastness of space and art, intimate and grand, children's playground and futuristic spaceship.

Paris's skyline from Fondation LV's terrace

Glass and concrete over the blue grotto, Fondation LV

Arnault is a man of boundless influence, and with the Fondation he has managed to bring in what are by far the best works of the most famous influencers of contemporary art in one single opening exhibition (Les Clefs d'Une Passion, running till Sept'15). There's Edward Munch's The Scream brushing shoulders with Henri Matisse's The Dance, Kadinsky's Composition VI next to Fernand Léger's Trois Femmes. If you haven't seen any art expos in your life, there cannot be a better place to start and you would have pretty much seen it all by the end of it. For those who have seen it all, the Fondation brings highly original commissioned works by the likes of Ellsworth Kelly (Spectrum VIII in the auditorium) and Olafur Eliasson (Inside the Horizon) whose interactive work with 43 yellow prisms is this ginat structure's selfie-central.

Henri Matisse's The Dance (Les Clefs d'Une Passion - Fondation LV)

Inside the Horizon ( Olafur Eliasson) - Fondation LV

On your way out, stop for a champagne (or five) at Le Franck, the gallery restaurant run by a protege of Alain Ducasse and celebrate this glorious coming together of the best of luxury and art in the heart of Paris.

I wish you an arty summer vacation!

XX