BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Sushmita Sen's Sizzle in Mast

Remember this song? It was the sizzling item number which got all the girls (well the ones I knew anyway!) swaying their hips like bellydancing wannabes. Sushmita looks every inch of her Miss Universe title in a number which could have competed with Katrina's 'Sheila' back in the day. Dripping in diamante jewels and bangle cuffs, and wearing an Arab-inspired set of outfits, Sushmita shows off her dance moves while looking surprisingly natural in terms of make up. The focus is on dripping necklaces, rich fabrics and flyaway hair, and it looks great on Sushmita. Admittedly this is something right out of the early noughties, (at one point Sushmita looks like she's dancing in front of an air balloon!) but it's still pretty interesting, and shows how dance choreographers were starting to move away from the whole prancing-about-in-fields-around-trees theme. I love that the outfits really suit Sushmita's tall, willowy figure, and that the jewellery used is rather different (the bangles which go all the way up the arm, for example) rather than the jewellery which is used in today's videos, which perhaps is a little more toned down. This was seen as a pretty sexy song when it was released, and the tune was kinda catchy too; Sushmita has a great artistic thing going on here and she manages to pull off a look which may otherwise have looked tacky or vulgar.
And her hair looks amazinggg :)

 All images owned by directors/producers of Fiza

EYE CANDY WISH LIST: Maria B Kundan Rings

I love these beautiful kundan rings by Pakistani designer Maria B, in her latest jewellery range, and they're definitely something I would add to my wish list! I love kundan style jewellery anyway, the Mughal era has always appealed to me and films like Jodha Akbar popularised this style further and made the look even more appealing. My favourite out of these is the last one, it's such a colourful mix an it has a very pretty floral shape to it, although to be honest all of these are pretty gorgeous and they look very well made. It's inspired me to be on the hunt for a nice big kundan ring now, although I doubt I'll be able to afford something made from semi-previous stones like these!

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GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: Brocade Green & Bronze Peacock Clutch from Indian Hanger

I recently won a gift voucher for the wonderful Indian Fashion e-tail website Indian Hanger recently, courtesy of the lovely AAINA Bridal's giveaway promotion. It was a bit of a struggle trying to decide what to buy first, as there were so many things which appealed to me (talk about eye candy), plus there were a few items which were a little out of my budget! I finally settled on a brocade green clutch with peacock made by a designer called Sarika Desai (although I also very much liked this one and absolutely fell in love with this one). What I liked about this clutch is that it seemed very versatile, as it can be matched to a lot of colours (think off-white, gold, bronze, deep red, navy...) and the peacock embellishment looked beautifully made too.

 Image courtesy of Indian Hanger

So I placed my order and the clutch came arrived super fast, and in a matter of days. Here's a few my own pictures of the lovely clutch. I love the detail on the peacock, it's 'tail' is made from beautiful enamel and stones, and the metal work is quite well done. The  fabric of the bag is surprisingly soft; the bag itself it quite light (I'm sure you've all had a heavy, stone-encrusted bag at some point made heavier with keys and mobile phones!). The fabric of the clutch is a brocade material and tone-toned, in bronze and green - I'm not a fan of two-toned fabrics normally (probably due to trauma from being forced into garish organza disasters as a child) but in this case, the 'tone-toned-ness' colour of the bag is nicely toned down, giving it a lovely shimmer and a rich shade. I also quite liked the the general shape of the bag, as it was nice and slim without being bulky and securely fastened.

 

You can see that I'm pretty happy with the clutch bag I got,  what I ordered was what I received, and I think the price (and the shipping) was very reasonable. Although I would also have considered buying a more neutral colour like gold or bronze to go with my outfits, I like this piece as I think it has more character and stands out more (plus I've always been a sucker for sparkly peacocks).

LOVELY HIJAB: Top Hats

One ker-razy item I've worn with my hijab in the past is my mini Top Hat for a funky twist. The hair-band bit helped to keep it in place, and the feathers and black net added some glamour. I wore this to a 1920s' themed boat party with a black and white dress, and it went pretty well with the hijab (and lots of eyeliner!). Can't say its for everyday use, but it certainly looks quite good together (even if I do say so myself!) and it's fun to wear. There's plenty of small top hats and feathered hats floating around that can be used to accessorize the hijab if you're daring enough, give it a try and let me know how it looks!

Sushmita Sen and Kalyan Jewellers for 'Sangalp' Bridal Collection

South Indian gold jewellers Kalyan have managed to snag the beautiful Sushmita Sen to play their ambassasor and promote their lovely jewellery, for a new bridal range called "Sangalp". Her ad campaigns for this company are below, and she looks suitably breathtaking in her costumes, with a regal glamous and a polished-to-perfection look.

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Also part of the campaign is the advert itself for Kalyan Jewellers, as seen in the video below, showing the lovely Sushmita in a gorgeous backdrop:

Some beautiful photoshoots here, and some equally beautiful (although heavy!) jewellery pieces. My favourite image definitely has to be the first picture, the colours are beautifully rich to compliment the metal-work, and Sushmita's make-up is flawless, it really is a memorably picture. You can browse the Kalyan group on Facebook, and also their official website for moreof their pieces and latest news :)

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Kareena's Spring Sparkle in Chup Chup Ke

'Chup Chup Ke' is a not a recent film, having been released a few years ago now, but it still stands out to me because of the prettily-coloured mix of outfits and just how spring-y the theme looks. I think the main outfits that look nice in this film are the ones worn by the lovely Kareena herself, they're feminine, not too complicated and flatter both her figure and her skin tone. I also like the fact that the clothes designers were not afraid to splash colour together, which makes the outfits nice and girly too. First up is this minty/spring green lengha, with baby pink hem and dupatta to give it a 'cute' look. I also liked the simple accessories mixed into this and the simple cut of this outfit.

 

The next outfit which caught my eye is this lovely sari, and perhaps my favourite out of all the ones in this film. I'm not a fan of blue-and-pink contrast look as it often looks quite dated, but in this scenario it just adds to the fresh, summery look and makes Kareena look quite sweet and fresh.

The final outfit I'd like to point out in this film is the bridal outfit, which is a pretty, coral/peach colour. This colour is still very current in today's trends, and flatters Kareena immensely in terms of looking natural on her and giving her a pretty pink glow.

All images owned by directors/produces of Chup Chup Ke

All in all although some of these outfits look like they were left over from the '90s, there's a general cute, feminine feel here where the focus is on pretty and soft colours. Neha Dhupia also looks very pretty in this film, and her outfits are of a similar style, and this just adds to the theme really. I suppose this is a change from the dramatic, sexed-up outfits you may find in some films today, and its nice to see outfits which are more realistic for a bride to wear.

GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: The Proud Peacock Necklace

I've been seeing peacock themed necklaces and earrings everywhere (or so it feels), and this is one of nicest ones I've seen so far. The Proud Peacock pendant necklace is nice and sparkly, and looks eloquently made, with each 'shell' of the peacock take being made from individual pieces. I think this also looks pretty as it is a long necklace and dangles prettily.
Does anyone have any peacock shaped jewellery?

The Proud Peacock necklace can be found at Accessorize stores

DESIGNER MODE: Fahad Hussayn

Fahad Hussayn is another Pakistani designer whose work has caught my eye due to the regal-influenced style and the rich fabrics he uses. Below are just some of his latest work, which continues the Pakistani favoured long-dresses and long kameezes, with flowing skirts and long jacket styles. I also like how his clothes have male counterpart designs, showing how they fit together well. What appeals to me about this designer's clothes is his use of rich fabric and elegant design, which carries a very classy, modest look. There are often splashes of colour and quite a lot of focus on gold embellishment to brighten up the designs, without making them look garish at all. Below are just a few examples of this designer's latest work. although more can be found on Fahad Hussayn's website and Facebook group.

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I have heard (or read, rather) a lot of praise for this designer, as his work seems to have a traditional-yet-fashionable look to it which is carried off rather well, although there are also criticisms that his work is also quite expensive. Also, some of his bridal wear has been described as not being very bridal-y, suggesting that it is more the formal wear which is more popular. Overall, I like the rich, elegant style of this designer's work, and there are certainly some funky pieces and colours which also crop up through his collection to add a bit of spice. I can't say that I have a particular favourite piece as some of his designs have a similar look to them, but I do like the general look of the collection and it certainly seems like it has been quite well thought out.

MAKE-UP REVIEW: Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint Pen

I bought the Max Factor Lipfinity lip tint pen recently to try out whether it really is as good as it seems to be. The colour I bought was Shade #3 (or Pink Princess, its cute other name), a longlasting lip tint which can just be applied on its own. I bought the pink shade as I thought it would not be too dark or browny, and it would be nice to get a girly colour which would suit my skin.

This is the actual colour of the lip pen as it comes out, it is slightly more corally than the picture suggests, but overall it is quite a light pink shade It is applied fairly easily and pretty much does it what is meant to do - it's a lip pen which can just be 'drawn' on, although it does feel like using a felt tip pen on your face!

On the whole I did like the ease of application of this lip pen, it was nice and liquidy enough to be applied on, and didn't feel sticky like some lip pens or glosses can be. I also liked the fact that it did stay on for quite a long time, and had a very, very matt-look effect. The colour of the pen was also quite pink, although it came out a little darker on my lips (I usually wear lipliner or base with my lipsticks) which was probably due to the fact that I needed a light base colour under it to make it look like a lighter pink shade. The downsides to this pen however is that although the lip tint did last, it did come off a little in some places, making it look a little like my lips were coloured in some places and empty in other, abd having a streaked, worn effect after a few hours. This meant I had to keep reapplying to keep an even look after a while, which made the general colour also look a little darker.
I think this is a great everyday make-up for those gals who like hassle-free lips. The fact that it is not glossy or shiny like lipsticks of glosses tend to be was a bit of a turn-off for me, although some may like this non-shiny look. I also think that the actual colour of the lip pen was nice, but a little dark for my tastes, although this is more due to not wearing any kind of base underneath it as well.
A nice lip pen colour, although not amazing, and something to try out as it is different from the usual glosses and lip stains that you may come across, but I will leave the final verdict to you :)

Wedding Cakes...Cupcakes & Hearts

Cupcakes have been all the rage for the last few years for weddings, and why wouldn't they be? They're convenient for sharing out to guests equally, they look supercute and they have so much potential in terms of colours, designs and arrangement styles. This is from a wedding I went to recently, where the theme was red and white cupcakes, with hearts which had the initials of the bride and groom on. I think this is a sweet idea which is very easy to do, and yet wonderfully effective. And they tasted pretty yum too, they were very much like red velvet cupcakes! :)

KAPRAY SHAPRAY: Tammana's Gold & White Maxi Dress

South Indian 'Tollywood' actress Tamanna wore this beautiful white and gold maxi dress recently, which I thought it was beautiful.I'm a big fan of maxi dresses anyway, and it's rare to see it done well in a white which flatters the skin and the figure (it's my belief that not everyone can pull off white!). Therefore I was suitably wowed when I saw this dress on Tamanna, she looks radiant in this dress, and equally elegant. I'm also a fan of long, fitted sleeves, and that fact that this is covered in gold beads and diamante work, with a splash of burgundy at the hem of the dress adds to its beauty. It's definitely something I've got my eye on for my next Copycat Outfit, as Tammana effortlessly shows, it's simple yet very feminine and looks beautiful on :)

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