Hi guys, I have been meaning to do this post since a while now and hence asked y'all to shoot me up with your questions (again)! I am of the opinion that answering these questions for you might just help us connect even better. I have always been someone who looks up to people for inspiration and wants to know about their journeys and understand their perspective on things. You never know what might inspire someone; hope you have fun reading this!
General:
What is your birth date & Sunsign?
17/12/1993 that makes me a Sagittarius
What's your height ?
5'6"
What is the best place that you have visited?
For me it's LA, I just love the vibe of that place! Can't wait to get back to LA!
Blogging and Education:
How did you start blogging ?
I honestly had no plans for this. My social media was always fashion oriented and that was always just a hobby. People and brands started noticing me on Instagram and that's how everything started off. During the year 2013-14 I started getting approached by brands for social media collaborations and since I didn't have a blog back then, my social media presence was the reason behind the plethora of opportunities that came my way. India Circus was one of my first collaborations.
Eventually, in my 4th year of Architecture, I got an opportunity to start a YouTube channel with the help of a production company. They were looking for a fashion talent for their channel and this was definitely the start of my blogging career. I took that up only because it wasn't time consuming, they took care of the production aspect and I could do something that I loved along with architecture, which was at the point a work in progress. When that took off, the fact that it was liked by a lot of people made me realise that there’s so much more potential in this area and I can take it to another level! And so I did :’)
Then sometime in October, around the same year, I came across wix.com on Facebook and decided to experiment with it as it was all about designing a free website and having a lot of fun doing it. I did all of it myself and put one of my youtube content on the blog page that I created with the help of Wix. Eventually when more brands approached me for collaborations, I took my website seriously, got a domain for it and to this date I have kept enhancing it every now and then :)
And yes, my architecture degree will always reflect in my work as I believe fashion & architecture both influence each other & go hand in hand! Both fields are extremely creative and if you have a vast interest in both, then the scope and reach is magnanimous!
What college did you study Architecture from?
I studied Architecture from IES college of Architecture, Bandra.
How did you manage Architecture & Blogging?
So while all this was taking off, I was in my forth year, and just like any other student I would invest sometime to do something I love, a hobby. This definitely started off as a hobby so I really didn't invest a lot of time in this initially; but as and when it started getting bigger and more professional it became more time consuming and hectic. At the same time I also learnt the art of time management very deftly due to the increasing work load. I always ensured that my submissions were done on time so I have no qualms about taking time out for working on my blog. And that really worked. I got everything done in time and had quite some free time on hand to utilise it for blogging.
4th year was relaxing for me, but 5th year definitely had some complications with finishing my thesis, internship, etc. So every week I used to shoot all my content in a day's time and then my job was easy as it was just about putting it up which I could do from anywhere and was quite quick! I'm someone who is a total procrastinator and I work only when I know it would be a task to pull off the job if I let it go beyond this. That's how I challenge myself and that's also when I give my best. It helps in putting the right kind of pressure on me and I deliver far better that way, always making sure I complete the task at hand.
I was definitely the happiest when I got done with Architecture. I felt free, relaxed and like I had no limitations and no more extensive time management and prioritizing to do anymore. And that can be a great relief. Especially since blogging really took over and became a huge part of my life as it is now :)
What was your thesis topic?
A Fashion Technology Park.
What editing apps do you use to edit your pictures?
I sometimes like the FADE effect on iphone, it's an inbuilt filter.
Other than that I use - VSCO, Snapseed, Afterlight, Picsart
For videos - I use SPLICE, QUIK & Chromic
How do you earn from blogging?
Through brand collaborations/ promotions.
Beauty:
What are your fave nude lipsticks?
Currently I'm loving Kinda Sexy from Mac. I have also done a blog post on my favourite nude shades, you can check it out here.
Do you use eyelash extensions & which mascara do you use?
No I don't use any extensions, mascara really does well for me. My favourite mascara is They're Real by Benefit.
What do your tattoos mean? Where did you get your tattoos and piercings done from?
Again for this I have done a blog post, get details about my tattoos and piercings here.
Health and Fitness:
What do you do to stay fit?
To be honest, I'm not someone who workouts everyday religiously. Especially with all the travel, I'm not regular with my workouts. However hard that is to believe, it's true!
So as and when I get time for myself, I try doing something for my body. I'm someone who is fitness conscious but I'm not consistent, I kind of understand my body and know how things work for me which helps me keep fit and be on track by not going over board with eating junk food or losing track of my exercise regime completely. Sometimes it's about having control over your food intake, mostly the junk that we eat and sometimes it's about working out. As many of you follow me on snapchat and see me eating fancy food, I tend to get a lot of questions about how I eat what I eat and stay fit and healthy without really piling on the kgs.
Here's what I do. I don't really follow an outright healthy lifestyle and plus I have a sweet tooth so I can't make myself go on a diet. And that's fine because I might as well work out and enjoy eating what I feel like instead of continuously restricting my body. That's how my metabolism works.
My mom's into fitness as a power yoga trainer and she has always taught me to eat in small portions and every two hours. So I don't eat huge portions in one go, like I may eat three/four pieces of starters and two bites of the main course and I'm full. Yes, my appetite is small and that helps me digest my food faster. I avoid over eating as much as I can. If during lunch / dinner I'm not hungry, I won't eat. I eat only when I feel my body is calling for food. But yes, when I'm not hungry I don't mind indulging in some healthy juices just to keep it light and still get a feeling of fullness within the body, which can be really important in putting the mind at ease and not crave food constantly. Whenever I'm at home I try to avoid carbs as much as I can. My mom always asks me to have little carbs for breakfast because your body needs it. But apart from that she gives me healthy meals and foods that are wholesome and nutritious. If you want a healthy and happy state of mind and body, eating right is an absolute must.
Some healthy eating options that I opt for;
Breakfast-
Starting my day with warm lime water early morning is something I happily follow. For breakfast it may be an oats pancake (which has oats, milk and eggs) /avocado toast breakfast /eggs /moong dal dosa + green tea.
I also eat chocos and milk sometimes because I'm so used to having that since childhood and I love the chocolatey goodness. You can pick up some healthy cereals here instead of chocos, if you wish to! After breakfast and before lunch I have
mixed vegetable juice.
Lunch and Dinner-
I replace white rice with quinoa or brown rice or I have a moong dal dosa. I'm a pescatarian so sometime I have cooked fish and quinoa or I just eat home cooked vegetables with curd. I get salads and fruits whenever I'm hungry in between my meals. Also, my favourite salad places are Kitchen Garden, and Bombay Salad. I also like Suzette for healthy crepes and salads. I prefer having early dinner and sometimes when I've really had heavy meals during the day, I skip my dinner or may be just have something light. Keep your dinner as light as you can and also avoid late night meals/snacks. And that will really do the trick when it comes to losing weight or just simply keeping your body fit and healthy.
Beverages-
I have two cups of green tea a day. I just feel so much better after having it.
While I travel-
While traveling I don't really think too much and just eat what I feel like, but again in small portions. And also, your body not just depends on the food you eat but it's also dependent on your thoughts, so always think that you are fit and what you're eating is healthy!
What is your workout regime?
Now coming to my workout plan, as I said I don't really have a routine, but I try to do something or the other everyday when I get time.
For cardio it's usually either dancing/zumba or swimming and sometimes I go to the gym. It's always a combination of all these because I get bored very easily so I like to change it up every time. Dancing my heart out is my favourite thing to do, of course it's cardio for my body but at the same time I feel happy and my mind feels relaxed, always elevating my mood and spirit.
For toning, I usually do some power yoga sessions with mom. They can be ab workouts, squats or sometimes it's a circuit workout at the gym. Also, swimming helps in toning your body.
So yes, that's about it, for my fitness routine. I'm definitely enjoying food but at the same time I'll make sure I maintain my weight and keep myself fit. I balance things out and that's what makes it more fun and gives it an edge as it motivates you to work better and eat right. I have always been healthy and never skinny, my weight has always been between the bracket 53 - 56 kgs, so I have never done anything to lose weight, but over time I see how my body has toned and I feel fitter now. I can see the changes in my body when I see my old pictures but I'm happy that my weight has been constant throughout. I don't aim for weight loss, I aim to tone myself and become fitter. Since childhood I have always been in sports, dance and other activities and that has helped me with the toning and acheiving the athletic physique. I feel very grateful for that but that doesn't mean I don't have to work on it. You will always have to work and improve your body no matter what, whether you have the so called perfect body or whether you are trying to lose tons of weight. Because in the end it's just about a healthy lifestyle and not just being a particular size. It's all about your health, your mind and your soul :)
Life:
How do you deal with negativity?
By ignoring it and not letting it bother me. You should rather give more energy to all the good things, the positive that is happening around you which will just make you realise and appreciate what you have now! Always be grateful. And whenever there's any negativity coming your way, just take that in a positive way, and tell yourself that you're doing something right in life.
I came across this quote by Nhung Hoang the other day;
'Let them hate
love them from afar
the truth is they only hate themselves
for thinking they aren't enough'
Also you can't impress everyone, because things are subjective and perspectives are different. So taking it in your stride is the best thing to do at any situation. And if you think it's really not needed, IGNORE :)
Do you believe in the law of attraction? What role has it played in your life?
YES, I'm a strong believer of this, I'm sure a lot of you must have figured it out by now through my posts :) I believe in the Universe.
And I believe in this because I have experienced it, I have seen my manifestations turning into reality.
As a kid I was always a fashion enthusiast, right from deciding my birthday outfit for school to looking the best at my friend's birthday, dressing up my dolls, playing online games where I used to style the barbies, it was always something I did and enjoyed thoroughly. The difference is that it's become reality for me now :)
My desire to be known for something I am best at was the energy that I always put out subconsciously. I had always imagined myself in a particular way, what I'd be doing, the way I wanted to look or the way I wanted to see the world, everything was manifested even without me knowing about it. Obviously I had no idea about how I was going to get that but I always believed in myself and I saw myself there, exactly where I always wanted to be! It's called thinking in affirmation and imagining yourself in that situation where you have already achieved it and are experiencing it.
And I see all of it now, I connect the dots to my thoughts and I'm filled with awe on how you attract things just by having a positive approach towards it! It works, it really works and how!
Coming to this photo editorial, we shot this while in Maldives. I feel the location and the outfit just complement each other with its calm and serenity. Enjoy the pictures and if you have any more questions, do mention them in the comments below; I shall surely answer them in my next post xx
Outfit - Posh Pride
Photos- Mrinmai Parab
--- Good vibes ---