And a simple pedicure it must not be — more than just cleaning the toenails. I needed one of the new Freespirit Orchid Foot Facials that Lakme Salon came out with a few months ago. It is not your run-of-the-mill pedicure but a foot treatment involving steps just like in a facial — cleansing, scrub, massage, mask et al targeting problems like pigmentation, aging skin, and dehydration.

So off I went to the nearest Lakme Salon seeking solace for my soles. It was not really the first time that I was entering a Lakme Salon, so there was a sense of familiarity. The same beige and purple decor and a smiling receptionist, who ensured I got what I had come for, a foot facial. Seeing the condition of my feet she suggested I try the soothing Freespirit Orchid Foot Facial — a treatment that complements the Freespirit Orchid Facial. This particular treatment with floral extracts and essential oils soften, and hydrate dry parched skin. I needed that dose of moisturiser.

As I sat at the pedicure station, my tired feet were soaked in cool water with rose petals in them. The pedicurist first cleaned, filed, and buffed my nails and heels like in any pedicure. Then came the actual foot facial as a lovely floral foot scrub was massaged on my feet and calves to exfoliate dead skin cells, and prep the skin. Post scrub was the soothing massage using dollops of cream with orchid extracts. The skin on my legs and feet was toned using an orchid foot mask that also had a cooling effect on my dehydrated skin. After moisturisation with a light lotion, my nails were prettified with a lovely shell pink polish.

No more Diwali-shopping damage! My feet gloried in their new look for weeks.

Available at all Lakme Salons Across The Country. For locations, check www.lakmeindia.com. Price: Rs 425 for foot facial.

It’s done with seriously hot stones, and this is how it goes. First, my aching feet are dipped into hot water, and scrubbed clean. Then, aaaah, this is where the good stuff starts. I am made to lie down, my legs and feet are creamed and softened. And then, hot stones, wrapped in a towel to retain the heat, are placed on my legs, and cellophane wrapped around the whole.

You can feel the warmth seep in, and the tiredness leach out. Vidya, one of the best make-up artists in town and a living advert for her studio — her face is bright, and her hair all fluffed out in a swish cut — stops by to see how I’m doing. More cream, one more round of massage, and I am unwrapped — the possessor of shiny, smooth legs and a pair of peds that long to be back on the floor!

I do not ignore my other extremity: along with my feet, my face gets its share of pampering, too. I get an O3 Vitamin C facial, which I can vouch for being an absolute winner: in fact, this has to be one of the most effective face treatments I’ve had in a while.

The products have been formulated by dermatologists in Hong Kong, and can be used on all skin types. Once the cleansing-moisturising-massage-serum process is over, and the darned blackheads out, the mask goes on, and sits for ten minutes. When the therapist takes it off, I can see the glow, three feet away, in the mirror. And it’s still there, a whole week after.

I know where I’m headed back, once the festivities are over!

The Vidya Tikari Studio, B-21 Lajpat Nagar, Ist Floor (Opp Ozone Gym, Next to Barclay’s Bank), Ph 011-41635074/5, 011- 41630940. Services start from Rs 750. Hot Stone Foot Massage Rs 1,000. O3 Vitamin C Facial Rs 2, 200. Happy Hours all through October, with a 20 per cent off on all services (except make-up). www.vidyatikari.in

Then along came Varuna Jani with her V Glam collection. Limited edition jewellery that burns the style charts, not your pocketbook. Just five pieces in every design ensures that I get the aura of exclusivity that other affordable bauble-makers don’t give me. New designs every three months means that I’ll always have a stunner up my sleeve that my friends don’t.

The latest range has a beautifully shaped three-colour ring that is just right with my pink-and-blue streaked tresses. What better way to brighten up a cloudy day than with a sparkle of daily glam?

Available at: Varuna Jani Exclusive Store, Ramani Villa, 1st Road, TPS IV, Lane opposite Standard Chartered Bank, Bandra (W), Mumbai; Tel: 26512719/23; Price: Rs 20,000 to Rs 5,00,000.

Such an excitingly refreshing change from yesterday’s soft-focus, rosy romance, I thought. Just perfect for this season, when I need a bit of bold bronze to radiate my magnetic charm to the max. For a wild night out on the town, I got to pick from bronzing powders, luster drops and skinsheens in rich, dark and intense golden hues. I loved the way my cheekbones stood up and took a bow after I applied the pearly mid-tone plum powder blush called On A Mission. And when I added the finishing touches with Night Manoeuvres (a deep charcoal brown with pearl eye shadow) and Mercenary (a radical blackened-bronze nail colour that matched the Style Warrior lip glass I had on) I was all set for the victory march!

And the range is a keeper, all packaged in super stylish zebra and leopard prints, with a colour spectrum that is sure to endure thanks to its ’survival-of-the-fittest’ allure.

MAC’s new range is available at Melange, 33 Altamount Road, Mumbai; Tel: 23541097/98; and MAC, Dynamix Mall, Juhu, Mumbai; and all MAC locations across the country; Price: Rs 3,000 onwards.

Sign up for a session of Lakme’s new Nirvana Glow Facial, of course! I rushed to the nearest Lakme Salon and asked for the whole works — a mind-body balancing therapy based on face reflexology, acupressure, aromatherapy, and skin treatment with active skin brightening products. That’s what the brochure said, but on enquiry I found that my 2 hour long treatment included facial, body massage, head massage, shampoo, and blow dry — the whole works.

I was justifiably thrilled. In the therapy room I took in the soft mood lifting aroma as the therapist cleansed my face and scrubbed it gently with an exfoliator. To improve the tone, and feed my dry skin, she used a cool, tingling hydrating mask and massaged in the Glow serum. Then came the fun bit when I was made to choose the aroma oil that best defined my mood at the time — you get four options: floral, calming, balancer, mood uplifter. I picked calming, and my therapist was quick to note my actual state of mind. It was impressive. Then came the actual face reflexology massage with tapping, kneading, friction and de-stressing strokes — I recommend it for those looking for a truly new facial experience. This was followed by the hands and feet acupressure and the Oriental Bundle Poultice Massage for the back. By the time I was given the head massage I had drifted into a tranquil space.

As I stepped out after my treatment, I knew I would be heading back there again soon for my monthly calming session.

Lakme Salons. www.lakme.com. Price: Rs 2,900.

So instead of heading to the gym, I packed my tote and drove straight to a glorious secret in the form of a palatial white bungalow, tucked away in a verdant serenity, called the White Mantra spa.

While I sipped on some herbal tea, I studied the various treatments offered at this all-new space. There was Indonesian, Hawaiian and Thai massages with signature therapies like the Balinese Boreh, Javanese Lulur and hot stone therapy. White Mantra also has exotic treats like chocolate-and-almond skin exfoliations, strawberry-and-oatmeal skin smoothers and frangipani and grapefruit facial, besides salon services. There are four individual treatment rooms and one couple treatment room with a soak set in a natural setting.

I picked a treatment that sounded both natural and heavenly: Lomi Lomi Hawaiian massage. I was escorted to a room with soft Hawaiian music playing in the background. The masseur gave me an intense massage with stretching and rhythmic limb movements to relax my tense muscles, using warm Hawaiian oils with long palm strokes. The massage, which lasted an hour, soothed me down on one hand and energised me simultaneously – the fallout of the exclusive mix of herbs, hand-pounded powders, pure essential oils and fresh, organically grown fruits and flowers.

And I’m out now, smelling fresh as a flower.

White Mantra Spa & Salon. 142, Pop Cottage, Rustam Bagh, HAL Airport Road, Behind Manipal Hospital, Bangalore. Ph: 32429960. Prices start at Rs 1800.

So, I'm predictably enthused about my all-new discovery -- the fantastic new Tapas menu at the Taj Land's End's Atrium Lounge! I've always loved the intimate ambience and the way the lobby is set afire by the rays of the setting sun just as the live band starts up. It sends just the right quiver of anticipation to accompany my Tapas platter, an exquisite assortment of finger foods of meats, sandwiches and compact meals served with contemporary accompaniments.

Luckily, this Tapas inspired menu is on all day. Served in pristine white plates these small, yet filling, meals are simply mind-blowing. The fresh spices, the unique concept, well-balanced portions and the great service are what make them a 'must-have'. There are a whole lot of dishes to choose from, but my pick of the menu are the Cajun Spiced Prawns accompanied by a Mango Salsa and the Lamb skewers which are fantastic spiced in Indianish flavours. My BFF, a veggie-enthusiast, was thrilled with the Asian-marinated Tofu on a bed of Soba Noodles. I've also tried their sandwich meal which is the Tofu and Cheese Sandwich with a shot of Gazpacho (a cold soup) and an unusual Watermelon Steak with figs and goat cheese. The health conscious can opt for a light and healthy salad Tapas. Plus, there's an array of breads like multi-grain, rye, buttermilk and wholewheat, each brimming with exquisite fillings. And when it comes to Spanish drinks, you can't go wrong with a Margarita, and my fave is their fresh Kiwi variant.

Let the fun begin. Ole!

Atrium Lounge: Lobby of Taj Land’s End, Band Stand, Bandra (W), Mumbai; Tel: 022-66681234; Tapas Platter: Between Rs 500 and Rs 600 (including taxes).

Based loosely on the Jessica Lall murder, it narrates the story of a handful of people the protagonist knew — who they were and how they were affected by the tragedy. This, of course, includes the murderer and although Lall’s character in the story is a popular film actress, the murderer is still a politician’s son, the bar owners socialites and designers. Shanghvi’s style is obsessively lyrical and even as you make comparisons with the events that unfolded in the last decade, the novel stands entirely on its own.

Not much unfolds in terms of action — we know how the real story concluded but I always wondered what the story was behind the headlines, the convictions. How the people who retracted their testimonies slept at night. According to Shanghvi, quite well.

Flamingoes is of course a work of fiction, and some of Shanghvi’s resolutions too simplistic but I found myself waiting to go back home and pick up where I left off. It was both the thrill of a new insight on an old story and the fact that Shanghvi’s prose gave it a whole new personality.

The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi, Penguin, Rs 499. Available at bookstores across the country.