Agnimitra with her showstopper priyanka

Some style and skin talk in the morning and a glitzy fashion do in the evening. Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2010 Style Weekend on Friday was a blend of all this and more. This new initiative from eastern India’s biggest beauty pageant is an attempt to pack in much more than the regular prelims-grooming-finale routine.

Hotel Hindusthan International’s Topaz was abuzz with activity from 1pm as young girls with their mothers in tow queued up to listen to all the fitness and beauty talk. Designer Agnimitra Paul inaugurated the day-long do followed by three workshops on skincare, haircare, diet and fitness.

First up was a session with actress Sonalee Choudhury and beautician Moushumi Mitra. A VLCC workshop followed next, which also featured city model Sanjukta. “Be healthy. Eat good. A balanced diet is important because crash diet affects your skin and hair,” smiled the frizzy-haired hottie. The last workshop had actress Chaiti Ghoshal and beauty pro Threety Irani and her daughter Nilofer on board.

Irani, a veteran in the business of beauty, pointed out the need for “external as well as internal care”, exercise and a healthy lifestyle as the three pillars of glowing skin and lustrous locks. “Ageing sets in when you are in your mid-20s. So start taking care when you are in your teens,” she added. Nilofer stressed the importance of sporting clean feet. “Use a loofah and a brush daily. Twice a month pedicure is also a must,” she smiled. Irani also recommended laser hair removal, a good nourishing night cream and some hot oil for the hair. Models Trishita, Roja and Tilottama received makeovers from VLCC.

A catwalk by designers Soumitra Mondal and Agnimitra, styled and choreographed by Sandy, was on the evening menu. Madhabilata, Roja, Chirosree, Tulip, Sanjukta, Tilottama, Tiffany, Trishita and Koel walked the ramp. While Soumitra’s collection was all about short dresses with cubes and sequins, Agnimitra showed floor-kissing gowns in soft shades. Dark eyes, nude lips and ponytails defined the look set by make-up artist Abhijit Chanda. Aparajita Ghosh Das (of Ekhane Aakash Neel) and Priyanka (of Chirodini… Tumi Je Aamar) fame were the showstoppers for Soumitra and Agnimitra respectively.

Dev receives the award

The evening, hosted by actress Rii, also saw Sanjukta, designer Dev and Le Chakka star Payel Sarkar being feted. While Sanjukta was Blenders Pride Complete Fashionista, Dev was Blenders Pride Creative Fashion Designer. Riding high on the Raj Chakraborty movie, Payel won the Blenders Pride Most Promising Face award. “I would love to play a character like Kajol’s (Anjali) in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” smiled the lady in red.

Prelims for Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2010 are up next with the Calcutta round slotted on July 20. All the aspiring Tilottamas make note: July 9 is the last date for sending entries for the city prelims. Guwahati, Jamshedpur and Bhubaneshwar will also be hosting prelims. A mega prelim at Swissotel will seal the fate for 10 finalists on July 22. The grand finale will unfold on August 22.