My #WhatTheBlack Experience and the Reveal

Thank you Blogadda for giving me an opportunity to live one of my most cherished dreams. For someone who has grown up on a substantial doze of Enid Blyton, Carolyn Keene, Ruth Rendell,  Agatha Christie, Satyajit Ray, Sharadindu Bandopadhyay and many others, solving a mystery or atleast attempting to solve one has been number 1 on her list of things to do before dying. And I have managed to strike that off my list thanks to you and #WhatTheBlack! 

You all have probably read my tweets and facebook posts where I was updating you on the #WhatTheBlack activity and the clues that were sent out each day. Kudos to the team for coming up with such an excellent promotional campaign and managing to keep us all engaged for those 4 days, even my family members :D. My mum would wait eagerly for the clues to arrive and if it came when I wasn't at home, she would call me and excitedly share what's inside the package. 

First day's clue was a black egg and it took me nearly 15-20 mins to figure out that there was chocolate inside. I thought that the product would be something edible perhaps but not related to chocolate as that would make it too obvious. Racked my brains but could not come up with anything so eagerly waited for next day's clue. And it arrived in the form of a black newspaper with the name What The Black Times! My theory of something edible flew out of the window and I was focusing on a product related to reading so maybe something technology related. Then it struck me that these guys were sending things that are traditionally white in color like egg and newspaper so the product was probably something that has always been white but coming out in a new black avatar. Again, racked my brains to think of what that thing could be but no luck again. Day 3's clue came in the form of a black cup and a black tissue paper and I again went back to my 'something edible' theory and figured that it is probably the new Bourbon Black biscuit, something which my friend Poorna also hinted at. So chocolate biscuit that you eat while drinking the morning tea/coffee out of the cup and reading the newspaper. I was pretty much sure and feeling quite proud of my logical capabilities. Then the actual product came in and I was stumped. No biscuit, nothing related to reading but a toothbrush! The new Colgate Slimsoft Charcoal toothbrush with black charcoal infused bristles! 

Well, I might not have been successful in solving the mystery of #WhatTheBlack but atleast I was right in deducing that it would be something that has traditionally always been white. Thanks Blogadda for shortlisting my name for this super fun activity. I really had a great time over those four days and I look forward to many more such opportunities in the future. Oh and the toothbrush is quite nice. Dunno about the other properties but the bristles are really soft yet sturdy. 

Did you guys think the final product would be a toothbrush?? What were you expecting? Do share in the comments below.

Day 2 Clue of #WhatTheBlack Mystery

If you have read this post on Blogadda's #WhatTheBlack activity, you will know that I was expecting the second clue today and it arrived in the form of a newspaper! Yes and it is black in color with the name of What The Black Times! One more day to go before the mystery is revealed to all of us but I'm still stumped.

Like any detective who first tries to think of what's common between clues and hints, I have done the same. So the first day I received an egg which was colored black and the second day I got a newspaper that is all black. What's the connection? Well, both things are originally white and have turned black. So the product could be something that has been available in white but is coming out in a new black avatar. But what is it?? Any idea?

Want to join me in solving the mystery of #WhatTheBlack?

Thank you thank you Blogadda for giving me an opportunity to live one of my most cherished dreams. For someone who has grown up on a substantial doze of Enid Blyton, Carolyn Keene, Ruth Rendell,  Agatha Christie, Satyajit Ray, Sharadindu Bandopadhyay and many others, solving a mystery or atleast attempting to solve one has been number 1 on her list of things to do before dying for a very long time. And I'm about to do that all thanks to you and #WhatTheBlack!

You may ask what is this big mystery you are trying to solve? Well, I got shortlisted by Blogadda in their #WhatTheBlack activity to guess what black product they are promoting. First step was to write my wishlist of all things black. After being shortlisted, I was told that I would be receiving black things everyday for four days starting from the 30th of July and the last one I receive would be the actual product. Today I received my first product and guess what it is? A chocolate egg with a black shell! I was expecting some technology related thing but kudos to the blogadda guys for coming up with something so unexpected. Guess it is just not me who devours detective novels :D.

From the 1st day's product, here are some clues that I have managed to come up with it that could help crack the code.

1. It cannot be chocolate because that would be too obvious but could it be something edible?

2. The question in the note that was inside the box 'Did the chicken come first or the egg?'. Is it hinting at anything?

3. The product could be something that is ensconced in a hard shell.

4. When I touched the black egg, my hands turned black and then purple so could purple or color be a clue?

I'm stuck and cannot figure out much. Do you guys want to join in solving the mystery of #WhatTheBlack? I will be posting details about all the products I get so how about cracking this together? There might be prizes for both you and me. Please comment below on what you think the final product could be. I am so looking forward to tomorrow's clue!

Black is Beautiful - A wishlist of 5 things black

Navy Blue might be the new black or Orange might be the new black but Black will always be black, the color of mystery, power, beauty and charm. To write a wishlist of five black things I want is a very very tough thing to do considering most of the things I love are in black but will still give it a shot. Here goes my wishlist.

1. Batman's Batmobile - Yes yes I know the character is fictional and so is the car but what a beauty it is! I could practically rule the world if I had that car. Warner Bros, are you listening?

2. Black Roses - I want to have a garden of black roses. I find them so beautiful, mystical and alluring and I've actually asked quite a few flower shops in my city if I could get a plant but no one has them. Can anyone help?

3. Black Diamond - Now this would be the daddy of all rocks! Have seen these only in pictures and been obsessed with getting one for myself. The price tag is a deterrent so I would gladly accept one as a gift :D.

4. Jet Black Hair - I used to have this before I started coloring my hair and working night shifts. Jet black has been replaced with dark brown and quite a few greys and I so want my old hair back! I just want to wake up one day in the morning, look into the mirror and see myself with flowing jet black tresses. Sigh!

5. A Black Stallion - The most handsome animal and I want one. And yes, I love the book Black Beauty :D

I could go on and on but I'm gonna stop only at these five. What are the 5 black things you desire? Do share in the comments below.

This post is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com. For more information, check out the hashtag #WhatTheBlack. 

My Mint-O Ultramintz Experience

Apart from the usual makeup products and essentials that I carry with me all the time, there is one more thing that is a constant companion - a pack of mints. I love going to stores and checking out mint tins and of course the prettier they are to look at, the more inclined I am to buy. Had read somewhere that peppermint helps to reduce hunger pangs and given the fact that I'm always hungry, having a pack of mints handy is a very sensible thing to do :). Also helps that they give me minty fresh breath.

In India, we now have a wide variety of sugar free chewing gum but there is quite a dearth of sugar free mints. The new Mint-O Ultramintz that ITC has come out with fills in that gap very well. I had recently applied to review the Ultramintz on blogadda and was selected by them to be one of the 50 bloggers to try it out. When I first received the package, I honestly did not think that these had mints inside. My mum saw the package from a distance and with a surprised look asked me so now you are even sent chocolates for review? Really if the name of the product was not written on the cover, I would have thought the box to contain chocolates as well. I don't know whether the black and blue box is specially designed for blogadda but if that's the regular package, I would have bought it irrespective of how the product inside is. And the cuteness does not end there. When I opened the box, the case itself lay on a bed of black satin and it looked lovely! The case is again in black and white and has a tiny opening from where the mint pellets come out. It only pops out a max of two pellets at a time unless you are really shaking vigorously so everything does not come rushing out. Very well designed! The pellets are bright white in color and are tiny but don't underestimate their power by their size. These babies have a pretty strong peppermint flavor and ITC says that the peppermint oil has been imported from France. The peppermint, menthol and speciality cooling compounds combination packs quite a punch.

I've been popping these tiny pellets many times during the day and no I don't have stinky breath! I just love their taste and think they are by far the strongest ones I've used till date. What I like is that they are not the 'burn your tongue and mouth type strong' and I've become an addict. One pellet is enough to give me minty fresh breath that lasts for a long time and I don't have to worry about unnecessary sugar intake either. I received two of these from blogadda and my mum liked them so much that she now has one in her bag too. So there you go. Confirmation from both mother and daughter that the new Mint-O Ultramintz is pretty great. Go ahead, pop one in your mouth and freeze your senses :).

Ultramintz costs Rs 50 for 12g and contains 60 pellets. Pretty good value for money I think. 

For more information on Ultramintz, check out their Facebook page. 

"I am reviewing mint-o Ultramintz as a part of the Product Reviews Program at BlogAdda"