Hey Shringaristas,
* Dream travel destination – Europe. France, Italy and Greece in particular!
* Favourite foundation – Difficult to choose one! MAC Matchmaster or Clinique Superbalanced. On good skin days – MAC Face and Body and more lately, Bourjois Happy Light foundation.
* Favourite beauty blogger – Karen of MBB and Christine of Temptalia.
* Favourite movie – Titanic
* Favourite song – very hard to choose! ‘A New Day has come’ by Celine Dion comes to mind
* Favourite food – I love my Indian food. Italian is a close second.
* Fave perfume – Right now it’s Marks & Spenser Autograph Isis.
* Beaches or mountains – Mountains
* Jeans or dresses – Dresses
* Heels or flats – Heels
* Lipstick or gloss – Gloss for everyday, Lipstick for special occasions.
* Eyeliner or mascara – Toughie! I’d say mascara.
Hope everyone’s enjoying a lovely, leisurely Sunday. Some of you might be catching up with friends over a cup of coffee. Well, how about joining me in this new feature on my blog, where I chat with celebs of the Indian beauty blogosphere and other really interesting people! What’s this new feature called? Coffee With Dollie (lol, not very original, I know, but will be loads of fun). So, who are we going to have coffee with first??
She’s a genius (not only is she a grad from IIT, she also is brilliant in coming up with various makeup looks) and she also is gorgeous. I’m sure you must have guessed who it is…it’s ANKITA CHATURVEDI who writes the immensely popular blog, Corallista.com. Let’s have a little tête-à-tête with her….
Dollie: The most obvious question, from engineering at IIT to beauty blogging….how. And why?
Ankita: It wasn’t planned from the start and I was someone who wasn’t into beauty at all! But around my 2nd year, I started paying more attention to my appearance – I started working out and watching my diet, I lost quite a bit of weight. I’d always had oily skin but I started getting breakouts that time when I started going for swimming. Not knowing what to do, I started looking up solutions online and discovered beauty blogs for the first time! It was a completely new world and I was hooked to beauty blogs from day one. Once I started experimenting more with makeup, I wanted to have my own space to share my looks and reviews and that’s how I started my blog in Jan 2011. I was already inclined to opting for a more creative career but because my blog was doing pretty well by the time I came to my final year, I decided to not sit for campus placements and put all my efforts into the blog because I enjoyed it so much! I was lucky to have a very supporting fiance (my boyfriend then) and parents who’ve also been very supportive of my decision! I know beauty is a far cry from engineering but most people from IIT don’t end up in engineering jobs anyway! (Me: this I know…my hubby is a computer engineer but what he does is not even remotely connected with engineering!)
D: What do you like the most about blogging? And what dont you like?
A: There are a lot of things I love about blogging – its creative, its fun and I get to try a lot of beauty products. One of the biggest blessings is that I don’t have to answer to anyone and that I don’t have a fixed tight schedule- there is so much flexibility in how and when and from where I can work. I can take time off by scheduling posts in advance, I can move anywhere in the world and not have to worry about the job! (Me: though you didn’t say what you don’t like, I’m sure you don’t like the plagiarism that seems to be increasing in the blogosphere)
D: Name five celebs /historical figures that you would love to meet. And why.
A: To be honest I’ve never given it a lot of thought! I think I’d like to meet J K Rowling because I think she’s really turned her life around and created something so iconic and amazing. She’s known the depths of failure, she’s known loss and how she dealt with the difficult times in her life is inspiring. Beauty-wise, I’d love to meet Bobbi Brown and Lisa Eldridge – both are so talented, accomplished and have wonderful personalities. That’s all I can think of off the top of my head right now! Speaking of historical figures, I’ve been fascinated with the lives of the royal women in ancient India – women who were trained in not just culture, art, mathematics, languages etc. but combat as well. I’d love to meet someone from that period.
D: You are brilliant at doing lots of different kinds of makeup looks. What’s your fave look? Or the one that you feel suits you best?
A: I think a thick liner with a deep red or berry lip suits me the best. (Like in the pic above)
D: What are your five “Stranded on a desert island” products.
A: Lotus Herbals 3-in-1 matte SPF 40 sunscreen (my HG!), Nivea Pomegranate lip balm, the entire series of Harry Potter books (I never get tired of reading), some nutrition bars (till I learn how to find my own food!) and perhaps a razor (I hate feeling hairy!). Though if I’m being really practical, I’d have a first aid kit instead of a razor! I know a lot of people say my laptop or my smartphone but there would probably be no reception on the island and the laptop would work only till the battery runs out!
D: What are your most recent beauty purchases?
A: A ton of Nivea lip balms and some Maybelline Color show nail paints.
D: Whats the one beauty product you’ve been most disappointed with (beauty/skin/hair)?
A: There’s nothing I’ve tried that has been horribly terribly bad or reacted very badly with my skin. Most of the times I read reviews before I buy stuff. In most recent times though, the Colorbar face brushes stand out. They were just so scratchy on the skin, I was really disappointed! I didn’t like the Colorbar fragrances either. I think I feel more disappointed because I quite like Colorbar otherwise and had really high expectations!
D: Besides blogging/makeup, what are your other passions?
A: Reading, painting, sketching, cooking and traveling (though I haven’t done much of that but I’d love to!) (Wow, painting and sketching too…truly multi-talented)
D: Your one feature you’d like to change?
A: I’m fairly happy with the way I am (except for my weight!). I don’t think I’d want to change anything face-wise but I’d love to have slimmer legs. Just really hard for me to lose weight there.
D: Whats the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
A: I don’t want to go into details here but lets just say all the night guards in college knew me and my fiance by name. Couples hanging out together were always on their radar! (Ooooooh, naughty, naughty *wink*)
D: One adventure sport you’d love to try.
A: Bungee Jumping! I’m a little scared of the water so no water sports for me.
D: You kinda said this in your first answer, but I’ll ask you anyway. What’s your relationship status?
A: Well you’ve figured out by now that I’m engaged! We’ve been together for 4.5 years and would be tying the knot quite soon! (And you’re going to be one super-stunning bride!)
D: Now some rapid-fire questions:
* Favourite lipstick –changes a lot but right now MAC Ruby Woo. Also love Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RS312 Sunstone. (I love these two lippies too).
* Favourite lipstick –changes a lot but right now MAC Ruby Woo. Also love Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RS312 Sunstone. (I love these two lippies too).
* Dream travel destination – Europe. France, Italy and Greece in particular!
* Favourite foundation – Difficult to choose one! MAC Matchmaster or Clinique Superbalanced. On good skin days – MAC Face and Body and more lately, Bourjois Happy Light foundation.
* Favourite author – JK Rowling (Harry Potter series), Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind), George R R Martin (A Song of Fire and Ice series)
* Favourite beauty blogger – Karen of MBB and Christine of Temptalia.
* Favourite movie – Titanic
* Favourite song – very hard to choose! ‘A New Day has come’ by Celine Dion comes to mind
* Favourite food – I love my Indian food. Italian is a close second.
* Fave perfume – Right now it’s Marks & Spenser Autograph Isis.
* Beaches or mountains – Mountains
* Jeans or dresses – Dresses
* Heels or flats – Heels
* Lipstick or gloss – Gloss for everyday, Lipstick for special occasions.
* Eyeliner or mascara – Toughie! I’d say mascara.
* Book or movie – Books! (Yay, same pinch)
D: Ohkayyy, and now the final question. You have a super successful blog, a YouTube channel thats doing great, you’re the official beauty blogger for LFW…..what’s next?
A: I’m always trying to improve the content. I’d like to do more video tutorials because everyone finds them quite helpful. If there is anything else that comes along, readers will definitely know!
Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading and getting to know Ankita a bit more. Though, honestly, I wish I could have actually sat with her and had coffee but I’ve been really busy with both the boy’s schools and Diwali stuff etc. Hopefully, I’ll get to meet this beautiful blogger someday soon.
Did you guys like “Coffee with Dollie”? Please let me know your feedback in the comments below.
hey i think you should write about the no.1 subscription box which reached in that position within 5 months..Glamego founder too..
Omgggggggggggg ma’am such a amazing blogs ma’am I just strt reading your blogs and really I done reading mostly blogs to be honest pyr hogya apse or apke blogs se🫣🫣💓💓 or apki yt channel se 😍😍😍😍😍 i love you ma’am you and bhumika didi is really my inspiration now 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 always with you 🫣🫣🫣💖💖💖😩😩😩💖💖💖 sudhar kaniyaaa 💖💖😩💖😩😩😩
I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog.
I really hope to view the same high-grade blog posts from you in the future as well.
In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to
get my very own blog now 😉
amazing interview!! I like you both dollie and ankita… you both are trully amazing souls i follow.
maybe its late to congrats, but still congratulations ankita!!
“late is better than never”. i hope.
Superb Idea Dollie, enjoyed reading this bit !! Just a thought, Would have loved a pic of you along with your guest 🙂
Loved reading it. Ankita, you are a true stunner 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I agree Vipra 🙂
Thanks 🙂
love the heart to heart talk <3
Loved reading it 🙂 I have always found her detailed reviews useful 🙂 She does a great work <3
aww…such a cute post…loved it..great to know more about Ankita 🙂
😉 🙂
I agree Richa 🙂
I totally agree with you Divya, though I “discovered” her blog, in fact the whole world of beauty blogging, just last year.
Thanks Preethi
Mine too 😀
Thanks Radha 🙂
Thank you
Thanks
Thank you.
Agree…and she’s a genius with makeup too.
Thanks 🙂
You deserve all the compliments you get Ankita :). And thanks for agreeing to be my first “interviewee”.
Thanks Niesha 🙂
Thanks for the lovely comments everyone! 🙂 And thanks to Dollie for choosing to feature me!
Lol thanks! 🙂
Loved knowing so much about u Ankita.
Great job Dollie
Loved it to know abt one of the most famous bloogers! also loved this new feature! 🙂
Loved reading it!
Loved reading the post and the answers Ankita!! and Dollie keep up with the new feature. It’s interesting .:D 🙂
From IIT to blogging, I would say is a very different leap. Kudos to her 🙂
Nice post loved reading about you Dollie 🙂
nice feature 🙂 loved knowing abt her 🙂
Ankita is one of mu most favorite bloggers. nice post 😀
Wow I love this coffee time 🙂 I have been following Ankita since she had her first blog post and no doubt she has been the most beautiful evolved blogger on Indian blogosphere for sure…. love her looks they are meticulous 🙂
Nice to know her more #BSP
Loved reading the Post Dollie! Shez truly an amazing blogger & so warm hearted… 🙂
Join the gang…I love her blog too 🙂
I love her blog too 🙂 Glad you liked this post 🙂
Thanks Anubhooti 🙂
🙂
Thanks 🙂
I agree 🙂
Glad you liked this post. I really admire Ankita too 🙂
I don’t knowww! we need to catch up soon! So much to tell you. But it’s so exciting reading what I already know about you! Haha
Loved reading about Ankita, I also admire her a lot, she’s a great blogger. Keep up the good work Dollie.
Ankita, it was fun reading about you like how guards knew you by your name and congrats for the good news 🙂
That is amazin. She is a beautiful person at heart and from the outside 🙂
loved reading the post…would love to see such kinda post in future also!
Wow….thts great …superb
loved this interview. 😀
Lovely post and very informative ! #BSP
i follow her blog 🙂 lovely reading her interview. 🙂
Loved reading this.. #BSP
I loved this interview.. feels like i am there in the audience.. Ankita is just fab I love her blog,.. <3
Congrats dear for new phase in life.. now I think we gotta see more bridal stuff.. 😉
She’s one of my favourite bloggers. I’m so happy she agreed to be my first “interviewee” 🙂
And I just read that you have some exciting news too 🙂 Congratulations! And I know how long distance SUCKS!
Thanks Ikya!! Btw there was more craziness along the same lines since we talked last which was like 2 years ago (or more?)?
Woohoo! Love it! Her craziest thing hasn’t changed since I spoke to her last which was reallllyyy long ago! Ankitaaa if you’re reading this, congratulations on your engagement! Mwah