A Little Luxe by Artisan Jewels

I'm always on the look out for decent jewellery, especially as over the years I've culled my jewellery box and gotten rid of the plastic rings, dinky necklaces and random mis-matching bracelets to make room for more quality pieces. When I was younger I would collect a lot of colourful pieces of jewellery - some of it I'd get given, some I'd pick up from Green Street, junk sales, random friends and even some I'd attempt to make!

These days I prefer a more minimal look - quality statement pieces over heavy blingy sets. Probably the last heavy jewellery set I've bought and worn was my wedding set - although that at least was a nice quality set! But having said that, it's quite dressy and not one I'd wear often, especially with my hijab. I also often find that although there are nice designs out there in the shops and online companies, the quality isn't always there. I'm not a fan of cheap crystals (is it me, or does every shop all claim their crystals are from Swarovski?) or and I tend to go for understated pieces which reflect good quality - good settings, good quality stones and wearable designs.

I bought this necklace and bracelet set not too long ago, from a jewellery company called Artisan Jewels, who I came across at an Eid exhibition. What I liked about their pieces is that each piece can be worn alone or combined but doesn't look over the top or too blingy. I particularly liked this set because it felt quite solid and elegant, and I love it when white and gold is done well. The necklace and bracelet both have stones and mother of pearl enamel in them, which looks really pretty and not too flashy. I've worn it a few times already, although I will admit that they don't always stand out in photos! The two pieces were just under £50 for both, which I thought was a good deal, especially as I have seen a lot of jewellery companies which sell their pieces for a lot more.

I'm still on the look out for some nice bracelets and necklaces that I can wear with occasion wear, so will post any more companies I come across, but I thought this was a nice one which had decent items which don't break the bank!

A Silky Purple Abaya by Hafina Official

I was recently gifted a gorgeous silky open abaya from modest clothes company Hafina Official, which does beautiful dresses, co-ords and abayas in gorgeous, vibrant colours. The abaya I received was a beautiful silky abaya in a rich purple shade, with white piping and lace embellishment on the hem and sleeves.

This is the abaya - doesn't it look gorgeous? I love how silky the abaya feels and looks, and it looks quite easy to style open or closed. I love my deep, rich colours and this is a gorgeous shade of purple which you can't go wrong with.

This is how the abaya looks on me, it's quite flowy and long, which I love. I can imagine this will be perfect for the summer months when I don't want to layer too much with heavy outfits, as it is quite modest and still feels quite loose and cool.

I also wanted to show a close up of the sleeves, which I love. I really think that the lace adds a gorgeous delicate touch to it which makes it look quite girly without being too heavy or OTT.

I love how easy this outfit was to style andwear - I can imagine wearing it with a plain dress to dress up an outfit, or using it as a summer staple, which I'm looking forward to! I love that there's a good range of colourful abayas out there, which means there's something to suit everyone's tastes, and also doesn't necessarily mean that it's just aimed for people who wear hijab, but just want something modest.

Hafina Offical has a pretty range of dresses, abayas and co-ords so the website is worth checking out. Let me know what you think of this piece!

Website and Shop - Hafina Offical

Instagram page - Hafina Offical

SPARKLY GIVEAWAYS: Curly Fries x Elegance of Oooh My

To start the 2019 in the right way, I’m having a giveaway! Take a look at my latest post on Instagram, where I’m giving away a kurta or casual suit of your choice from clothes boutique Elegance of Oooh My for one lucky winner. Check the post for the terms and conditions, and the giveaway ends on  Monday January 21^st 2019.

Good Luck guys!

Love,
Curly Fries xx

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Grey & Red Outfit by Elegance of Oooh My

I'm always looking for affordable (translation: cheap!) outfits online - if I can't find them on the high street then I usually have a search online on various websites, Instagram pages or just stalk some of my randon style icons to see where they shop!

I was recently sent a lovely outfit by online company Elegance of Oooh My, (their sister company is modest fashion wear Oooh My), which sells affordable ready made Asian outfits, ideal for casual wear or slightly dressier occasions (I'm thinking dawats, bbqs and random dress up days!). The outfits on the website aren't too dressy and are mostly cotton, lawn and chiffon embroidered pieces, with the emphasis on comfortable, including kurta style tops and 3-piece outfits.

I was invited to pick an outfit to try, and picked this outfit below - a grey 3-piece suit with black embroidery, accented with a pretty scarlet red scarf and red rose embroidery on the hem of the kameez. This is the kameez below - I loved the tassel details!

Here are the details while the kaam is not high end, I think what you pay for a cheap outfit is not too bad. The embroidery is machine-worked, and the material is standard cotton, but I thought the cut of the outfit was done quite well.

This is me wearing it - I really liked the fit of the kameez and thought it looked lovely with the red dupatta. I'm a little wary of outfits which don't fit well in a flattering way, and also am not too keen on kameezes which are too short - so this was the perfect length for me, short enough to  be trendy but still long enough to be modest.

I loved how easy it was to wear this - just pair with red shoes, red lips and you're done! It was also a lovely suit for the heat - the material is quite lightweight and it's very fuss-free.

Outfit - Elegance of Oooh My

Shoes - New Look

Handbag - Zara

Overall, my experience with Elegance of Oooh My was great - the communication with the seller was great, my outfit arrived in about 2 days after I confirmed the order, and it was exactly what it looked like on the website. 

I have often bought custom-made outfits in the past (especially in the days of Facebook sellers!) but am a little more wary now - I would rather buy an affordable branded outfit or a buy from a reputable seller who posts pictures of their actual products rather than generic photoshoot or catwalk photos so I know what to expect. I am also finding that as the prices of designers and custom-made businesses are raising their prices, there are also more companies filling the need of those who want affordable ready made outfits (although not all of them are brilliant!).

I thought this outfit was a pretty good bargain - this particular one is only £35.00 which is cheaper than a lot of the pieces I've seen on the high street, and the company has come across as quite reliable. The website itself has outfits ranging from £25 to £38 which I think is reasonable, and the outfits are pretty on-trend which is always great!

Elegance of Oooh My - website
Elegance of Oooh My - Instagram page

I'll be posting most of my experiences of Instagram sellers, but do let me know if you have tried any companies worth recommending!

Eid Stationary by Muslim By Design

I was recently sent an Eid bundle by by greeting card company Muslim by Design - who design and make their own Islamic-themed quirky cards, wedding invites and wrapping paper. For Eid the company designed some cards and wrapping paper to be sold as bundles or individually, which I thought were perfect - they're simple, beautifully made and they make me smile!

It's nice to see that there are companies like this one catering for Muslims for special days - I remember when we were young most of our cards on Eids from relatives had big cheesy roses, or were pretty generic cards.

These are the cards - they're perfect for me and my sisters, and I'll admit, I half-wished someone had bought these and gave them to me! I can think of several people I would give these to, however and can imagine them smiling when they get it!

Next is the wrapping paper which I though looked lovely - you can't tell but the gold spots are actually metallic gold and look very elegant. I didn't get a chance to use this paper for last Eid so I'm saving it for the next! I've seen a lot of Eid cards but I haven't come across much themed wrapping paper, so it's nice to know that this is being thought of too.

I have bought from this company before, and find their designs refreshing, cute and very on-trend! I actually came across the company at an Eid fair a couple of years back and loved their designs - it's rare to find a company that combines good quality with aesthetics, great customer care and great price! I bought a few colourful cards from them at that time and am glad to get hold of a couple more!

Muslim by Design sells via Etsy, or you can also contact them via Instagram.

Eid Outfit Inspos!

It's that time of the year - the struggle to look for a decent Eid outfit! I've been browsing around online as well as looking in the shops for a decent piece (or three!) to catch my eye. I thought I'd post a few of the pretty pieces I've seen online as inspiration, even if I don't end up going with them.

#1 - This lovely embroidered Eid collection by Nida Azwer

I do like Nida Azwer and her formals (I even have a couple of outfits by this brand!), the outfits are pretty, wearable and strictly non-fussy. This collection dropped last month, and I loved the pretty pastel tones, gorgeous worked dupattas and simple cuts of the all of the outfits. The outfits range from £60-90 for the simple printed kurtas, to £200-400 for the worked formal pieces. I have to say though, as much as I love this range, it does feel a bit much to shell out a couple of hundred for what is essentially a simple-ish range.

#2 - Nishat Lawn UK Kurtas

Nishat Lawn is an excellent quality lawn brand which has finally hit the UK this month, and which I'm loving right now. The company sells a range of ready-to- wear outfits and kurtas, as well as unstitched material, and something for the kids and men to wear as well.

I've already got my eye on a few kurtas, if not for Eid then for summer wear, as the pricing is really reasonable and perfect for the summer - most of the kurtas start from around £25 and even the luxury wear is very reasonable at around £45-65 per outfit.

#3 - Elan's 'Nuit de fête' collection

For a little more luxe in our lives, Elan comes to the rescue. The new collection just released today (and half of it is already sold out, so don't hold your breaths!) - but some of it is just darn pretty.

Shimmering fabrics, bead fringing and something a little Parisian about some of these outfits which really makes them look chic. But again, this is a pretty pricey collection, ranging from £250-600, which may be a bit too much for some of us mere mortals, even if we do manage to get hold on any available pieces! Here's just a couple of their pieces, you can see the rest of the collection here and the advert for the collection here.

#4 - Agha Noor at Westfield City, Stratford

Agha Noor finally has opened up a shop for us on East London, with a glossy, sleek shop in Westfield City, Stratford. I made a visit a couple of weeks ago to look at their pieces and liked what I saw - a lot of summery embroidered pieces which are light, girly and easy to wear. Unfortunately I haven't been back to look this week so I'm not sure if they have had any new deliveries of outfits yet, but it's worth a look! Outfits range from about £28 for kurtas, while the full suits are from £50-80.

#5 - Hali H Eid Collection

Hali H is a company I quite like because their outfits look amazing in person, and I have personally had a really good experience with this company! Although I ordered online via Instagram, they have a physical store in Tooting, London so you can check out their latest collections as they come in. Here's a few which caught my eye, they have pretty kameez suits as well as heavier lenghas and ghararas in lovely colours.

I will be posting some more outfit inspiration soon so don't worry if these aren't what you're looking for!

I've been looking online at a few websites, as well as the growing number of Instagram companies which sell outfits, so will be doing a separate post on those soon. I've seen a number of sites selling designer wear, and would love to explore affordable outfits soon so will be posting a few ideas soon!

Have you bought your outfit yet? What do you think of these?

My Online Shopping Experience: Hali H

I haven't ordered a lot of outfits in the past year, partly because I've had less of a budget, and partly because I haven't had as much need to, as there's been less weddings and events to go to. I do still keep an eye out on the fashion trends though, and do love a new outfit every now and then!

Over the last couple of years, there has been a huge increase of Instagram sellers (remember when it used to be the Facebook sellers?), who have created a business online by selling replicas, designer outfits and budget-friendly outfits for people to buy. I find that Instagram has been much more successful for businesses that Facebook because it's more visual and accessible, and pretty easy for people to place and order and order and outfit.

I wanted to post about a brand that I found online recently whose service I loved, and who I ordered a outfit from for a wedding we had recently. The brand is Hali.H, a UK vendor on Instagram who sell their own designs, which are pretty, trendy and quite wearable. I have seen their designs before, and was also recommended to them by a friend who had ordered and who had a good experience with them. The brand is actually not just Instagram-based - they have a website as well as a London-based stored which is in Tooting so London customers can easily go there and try on things before they buy.

So after being recommended to Hali Ldn, I messaged the company via the Instagram messaging system and asked the vendor to show me their latest stuff, as I wanted to see what they had as well as what was on their page. The vendor showed me a few things from their collections, as well as a few things which were on display in the store, like these pretty outfits below - I loved the colours of all of these and couldn't decide what I wanted!

Before I had a chance to pick, I saw a new design from Hali Ldn which had just come in, which was on the company's Instagram page - this pretty, mauve outfit with a gharara. Ghararas have become pretty fashionable and popular in the last few months, and I've been in two minds about them - I've never thought I suited them in the past, and I always get confused by shararas and ghararas! (Although now I know the difference, shararas are looser, flowy two-legged pants, and ghararas are very similar but have a band around the knee and more 'ghair' or excess material which flows out from the knee).

The vendor also showed me the other colours in this same style - a pretty lilac and golden-beige, both of which I loved. I almost picked the lilac but just loved the mauve so went for that. The seller was very quick to respond to my messages, and extremely thoughtful about a lot of things, like adding lining to sleeves of the outfit, as well as checking the measurements would fit me properly. I'm very conscious of outfits fitting me properly as well as outfits which are too sheer or short, and it was really sweet of the seller to consider this in regards to my order.

I paid for the outfit via bank transfer, and the seller confirmed that she had posted out the following morning. I was a little worried that I wouldn't get the outfit on time because the wedding I wanted it for was only a couple of days away, but the outfit literally arrived the day after.

This is the outfit I received - isn't the colour beautiful? I'm a big fan of dusky pinks and purples, and this is right up my street, a gorgeous colour for a formal - perfect for a wedding! The outfit is a 4-piece one - with the kameez coming with a full-sleeved slip for underneath, the pants and a beautifully embroidered dupatta.

I loved the detail of this outfit - the beautiful jamawar used for the gharara pants, the embroidery on the kameez and the beautiful pearl and embroidery detail on the border and hemline. I have had bad experience before with bad finishing, and even bad stitching, and in this case it wasn't an issue at all - there was nothing out of place or badly made, and I thought the quality of this was great.

I was really happy with how fast I got this outfit, and how lovely it looked - we've all had that experience of ordering an outfit which ended up looking nothing like the pictures! One of things which keeps me going back to the same sellers and designers that I've been happy with is the customer service I get, as well as the quality of the outfits - and in this case it was above and beyond my expectations. Ordering on Instagram has made a lot of people's lives easier (especially those who aren't near a lot of shops selling Asian outfits, like I am) and it's really nice to see a brand which takes their customers seriously, and gives not only beautiful outfits but customer care - from quick delivery, careful packaging and being on top of their messages.

I'll be posting the outfit as I wore it at the wedding soon (which I loved wearing!) so watch this space!

Atelier Finds: A Ramadan Gift

I recently was sent a beautiful Ramadan gift by Instagram company Atelier Finds, who specialise in tasbih and oud perfume wedding favours, hijab accessories and Islamic Gifts. The company sent me a new idea of theirs, Ramadan and Eid gift parcels which would make ideal presents.

I thought this was a really lovely idea, and a great alternative to the usual Instagram pages and online sellers I have come across, most of whom usually sell outfits, jewellery or scarves. While all of these are always in demand, it's nice to see something different out there which is well-put together and relevant to my faith.

This is the box I was sent, isn't it lovely? It was so pretty I almost didn't want to open it.

It also came with a lovely card with a sweet message inside for Ramadan - personally I think it always makes a difference when a company puts in small touches like this because it shows how much they care about their products and their service.

Even thought e box was almost too pretty to open, I opened it in the end! I was glad I did, because inside were some even prettier things which I loved - two gem-stone hijab pins, a mini-tasbih and a pretty pin tin, which you can see below.

I really liked the fact that each product was a good quality, luxury product, and not just random generic things which you would find on the high street. The hijab pins are part of the real gemstone range, with the the black one being black onyx in gold vermeil (gold plated sterling silver). The tasbih was another well-crafted piece with sparkling beads and a lovely chain finish.

I thought this was a really lovely, innovative idea for Ramadan and Eid gifts, and it's something which is new to the market - it's nice to have a few pretty things like this on your dressing table or on your shelf. One of the things I loved was that these were all things I would use - the pin tin is a pretty, vintage-style piece, the hijab pins are lovely for dressing up, and the tasbih would always be used in my house.

I also love that these are all available as wedding favours - it's a really nice alternative to the usual sweets and nuts look and it's something guests can take home. The company also does ouds in different scents as well, so will be checking those out next!

You can contact Atelier Finds or buy any of the products via the company's Instagram Page, or via their Etsy Shop.

DESIGNER MODE: Faraz Manan presents the Imperial Collection

Who doesn't love Faraz Manan? In the last couple of years the designer has really made a name for himself and gained popularity, and it's no wonder why - his collections just keep getting better and better. I meant to post this earlier but couldn't get any decent pictures until now - Faraz Manan's launch at his flagship store in Dubai, debuting his Imperial Collection.

I followed a lot of the designs from the launch on instagram and loved what I saw - shades of creams, golds and silver in beautiful dresses and formals.

I won't go on too much about the outfits, but I thought each one was beautifully detailed and made amazing outfits - ideal for as bridals for wedding functions or heavy formals for special events. I also loved the colour themes in this collection, which all complemented each other and look every elegant and regal.

Here's some pictures of the outfits below - my favourites were the maxi dresses but I also loved the cuts of the saris and trousers suits too.

You can see the beautiful detail in each piece, which have intricate embellishments and crystals in silver and gold which go wonderfully with the outfits - right up any bride's streets.

I think Faraz Manan also managed to produce an amazing range of outfits which would appeal to a lot of body shapes and tastes too, and you can certainly see how luxurious this collection is. This is a collection for special events and weddings, and each piece certainly is designed to stand out.

I also thought it was interesting that while not every outfit is modest, there are plenty of flowing maxi dresses which are, and there are a lot of dramatic pieces too. Faraz Manan certainly made a splash with this launch and received a lot of praise for this collection - since then we've seen a few of his newer pieces in the year and he has not disappointed.

Images from Wedded Wonderland and Facebook

Did you see any of this collection's launch? Which one did you like best?