CURLY FRIES SHOPPING THERAPY: Limelight Gold Kameez

A friend of mine recently went to Pakistan and was kind enough to get me an outfit from Limelight Pakistan, which was a beautifully embroidered gown with a silk inner slip. Here's a sneak peek of the outfit, isn't it gorgeous? I can't wait to style this outfit, I'm already thinking of gold and black combinations (with pops of red, maybe?)

The best thing was, the weekend I got this outfit, I went shopping in a local store which stocks designer outfits, which also had a very similar outfit to this one - but at twice the price! Always love getting a good bargain!

Outfit post coming soon...!

MAKEUP REVIEW: My Current Top Ten Beauty Products...April 2016

I thought I'd do a quick post about my current top ten makeup favourites, especially as I do get some readers asking for recommendations. Below are a mix of higher-end and drugstore products I use a lot - I wasn't able to post swatches but if you would like to see some, comment below!

1. Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette
The contouring trend has hit the makeup world hard, so it's natural to want some chiseled cheeks as well! This Too Faced palette is my go-to contouring palette - it's easy to use, and it's perfect for beginners. I'm one of those people where the saying 'less is more' definitely applies, so a light touch of contour is just what I look for. This palette is simple, easy to use and blends beautifully - not to mention smells like yummy chocolate which is always a plus in my books!

2. Inglot Gel Liner
I've been using this gel liner for a few years, the previous gel liner I used was Mac Blacktrack, but I actually prefer this. When I'm not reaching for a liquid eyeliner pen, I reach for this, especially to wear on top of eyeshadows. Not only is it smoother and looks a little blacker, it doesn't dry out as quickly as the Mac gelpot, and is seriously easy to apply. I also bought the Inglot 30T brush with this pot, which is also perfect for precise lines, and is something I would recommend for beginners.

3. Kiko Soft Blush - Shade 100
I bought this on a whim from Kiko, and have been using it for a few years now - it's the perfect glowy  honey gold shade for my skin without looking cakey, and blends really well. I'm a big fan of Kiko Milano products and really think they are great value for money. I've since bought a few more shades in this range and have not been disappointed - perfect for everyday wear or dressier occasions!

4. Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow Pomade
I'll admit, I wasn't sure about this product when it was released because of all of the hype that came with it. But I decided to give it a try and bought shade dark brown, and was pleasantly surprised - it really is that good. I use this pretty sparingly because I'm always a little conscious of having blocky eyebrows - but when applied with a gentle hand, this can really make a difference to your eye makeup.

5. Makeup Revolution Blush in Shade Now
One of my all-time favourite pink blushers - and it only cost £1! I have no idea if this is a dupe for a higher end blush, but it's a really pretty, flattering shade of plummy pink which gets me compliments every time I wear it. I've got a lot of other pink blushers but I still reach for this one for a nice girl look.

6. Mac Face and Body Foundation

I've worn Mac foundation for years, from Studio Fix and Pro-Longwear to the Matchmaster and Sheer Powders, but in the last few years I've used less of these because they either feel too heavy on me or oxidise a little. A big exception is the Face and Body foundation - it's lightweight, thin and easy to blend, and looks very natural on. I always recommend this for people looking for an alternative to tinted moisterisers, the coverage is decent without being heavy and feels natural on.

7. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Creams
I've posted about these before, and my opinion hasn't changed - these are amazing for drugstore liquid lipsticks, and the colour range are lovely - a lot of liquid lipsticks come in bright colours but these are softer and girlier. These are my go-to lipsticks for works, and last me pretty much the whole day - and better still, there have been more colours released recently too!

8. Mac Iridiscent Loose Powder
Quite possibly one of the best-kept secrets by Mac - multi-functioning loose powder which is very fine and beautifully pigmented, in golden bronze and a silvery pink. You can use it alone, mix with foundation or wear on top as a highlighter. I don't know many people who use this but I highly recommend it - a tiny bit goes a long way and really makes your face glow - perfect for strobing too!

9. Nyx Soft Matte lip creams
Another lip product I've blogged about before, these Nyx lip creams are amazing value for money. I had to buy these from a seller in America, but they have since been released in Boots and Selfridges in a big range of colours, which I love. I have most of the colours, and use these pretty much all the time - the nude shades are my favourites!

10. Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks

I know, another liquid lipstick product, but these ones are slightly more higher end and it really shows in the quality of these. I bought these recently via a friend who go them from Sephora, and they are one of my favourites in my lipstick collection. They are beautifully creamy, very pigmented and look great on. If you have a bit more money to spend, I highly recommend these - the shades below are Bahau5 ( a beautiful magenta purple) and Lolita (a rich pink-brown).

I'm pretty sure you can tell I love my lipsticks, especially liquid lipsticks! This isn't really an encompassing list of all of my favourite products, and I'm sure in a few months time it will change, but for now these are my favourites!

Do you own any of these? Which are your favourites?

Bollywood Moments...

...when Bebo doesn't want to ruin the furniture so poses against the pretty bubble-wrap with a pretty floral dress.

Image source - Elle

Inayah Collection comes to Westfield Stratford

Some good news for Londoners!
Modesty-wear boutique Inayah Collection opened up their first pop-up store in Westfield Stratford last week and will remain open for a few months for constumers to see what they have (which is great after an online-only shop) and gives the chance to peruse the store's latest collection of dresses, abayahs, hijabs and jewellery.

A few blogger friends and I took a quick look a couple of days ago to see the store's collection and have a browse through all the pretty things.

The store had some really pretty outfits - whether you wear a hijab or abayah or not, there's something for everyone. There were a range of scarves in cotton, silk and satin, with some fancier hijabs in gold and silver for special events, as well as some stylish outfits - palazzo pants, dresses with capes, swishy dresses and beautifully cut tops.

I didn't get to take many pictures of the outfits instore, but these were my favourites below which I remember seeing. My friends and I were seriously in love with the colour palettes - versatile pinks, nudes, browns and creams which make for a classic wardrobe, each piece could make up a beautiful part of a capsule wardrobe for work or evenings out.

There was also a variety of jewellery available - statement necklaces, bangles and arm cuffs, which were very reasonable priced and came in a range of styles. I loved the necklaces below, they reminded me of the Indian Rajasthani style - mirrors and chunky silver for an ethnic feel. There were also gorgeous bangles with gemstones for about £10 each, in different colours which I thought would be quite popular.

I didn't buy any outfits on my first visit to the shop, but I did snap up this lovely necklace below, which I though made a beautiful statement piece. The necklaces were a little different from the usual ones I have, and I thought this would be a nice piece to wear with either Western or Asian wear.

I'll be sure to post a picture the next time I wear this to show how I styled it - I've already thought of a few ways to wear it!

Have you been to the store yet? Did you buy anything?

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Blush Pink and Jamawar Outfit

A close friend of mine got engaged a few weeks ago, and also did her nikah on the same day, so celebrated with a reception party with her family and friends. Apart from being pleased for her (which I was!) I was pretty glad because it gave me the chance to pull out an outfit I'd been wanting to wear for a while.

Below is the outfit with what I wore (which I've laid out very artfully here) - I kept it simple with the shades of pinks and silver accents. For some reason the jamawar-printed trousers look gold in all of my pictures - it was actually a very pale pink with silver print, so it did go with the outfit, not to worry!

The kameez was taken from my Eid outfit which I wore last year, and the trousers were rose pink ones which I had bought separately from a local shop, which I had not had the chance to wear yet.

I love the details which are in the outfit and the trousers - the kameez has pearl details and silver threadwork mixed with metal-work, while the trousers were a very pretty shade of pink with fine print work on it. The only thing I wish the trousers had (which it didn't) were pearl buttons on the cuff, but I can always sew these on another day!

I paired the outfit with matching pastel pink pumps and simple silver bangles from Bees, as well as a sparkly diamonte silver clutch bag, which pulled the outfit together well. I also matched a silk oyster-coloured off-white scarf to the outfit, even though the whole outfit was pink it went better with the off-white scarf, rather than clashing with a peach or coral shade.

Kameez - Designed by myself and stitched by a local tailor

Trousers - RDC London

Heels - Office

Clutch bag -  Not a clue! Bought for my brother's wedding

Bangles - Bees

Off-white hijab scarf - Inayah Collection

And of course my post wouldn't  be complete without a close up of bangles and shoes! I love my gold-coloured jewellery and kundan statement pieces, but this was more of a classic, silver look which you can't go wrong with. Simple but sparkly, perfect for an Asian wedding!

I loved wearing this outfit (even if it does look a little off in the pictures!) and was glad that I could mix'n'match something which went well together. I got a lot of compliments from friends and other wedding guest, and it was something which was very comfortable. Although I'm still getting used to the shorter hem-line look of some kameezes, I'm liking the difference in look and the fact that it's easy to move around in, looks chic and is very easy to put together.

Here's a quick picture of the bride's outfit too, I can't post the whole thing, but here's a little peek. I LOVED the colours of her outfit, which was a traditional sari in a rich blue and gold - perfect for an evening event. There was something 'Devdas' about the whole look (perhaps Aishwariya in that rich-blue sari from the film?) but it was also very classic, and went well with the gold jewellery she had on.

The main wedding event is in a couple of months so I'll be sure to post about that when it happens - but it was a lovely start to the wedding and an evening I really enjoyed!

RE-INVENT YOUR WARDROBE #2: Add a Maxi Skirt to the Look

I've been meaning to post more about re-inventing your wardrobe but forgot to, and didn't realise how long I've left it since my last one! So apologies for that, but not to worry, I've been thinking a lot about how to recycle and re-use things from your wardrobe without having to buy a new outfit.

After my last 're-invent' post about jackets, I realised that there are a lot of ways to re-invent your wardrobe. One of the things which have become a lot more fashionable in Pakistani fashion is the lengha - it's not just for the brides anymore! The 'lengha-choli' look has come back in, and you can wear it simply or extravagantly for a lovely girly look which I'm sure everyone likes. I've been ransacking my wardrobes for skirts and different colours that I can put together, so you can see some of my results below.

I'm not the only one who has had this idea either - fashion blogger Nazma at Asian Fashion Blog has also posted about her attempts here and here (I love the idea of adding an underskirt to give volume to the skirt, I need one of these!)

1. Wear a skirt with your kameez
Experiment a little with different kameezes and maxi skirts, you'd be surprised how well a lot of them go together - whether they are long kameezes or shorter ones.

I wore this Karma outfit to a close cousin's wedding last year, and loved the detailing on it, which I thought were in gorgeous colours. Due to the price of the outfit being higher than I wanted, I opted for a plain hot pink trousers with the outfit, but when it came to the wedding I wanted something a little more extravagant so pulled out this nude silky skirt from Zara. The skirt is the perfect colour for outfits like these, and blended in well with the kameez, so that there was more of an A-Line look and it looked like a lengha outfit.

2. Wear a camisole top or fitted short top with a skirt.
It doesn't all have to be kameezes - you can mix crop tops, camisoles and blouses for a more Western but dressy look - it doesn't necessarily have to be for a wedding, it could just be for a night out!

This camisole top below is actually from a 3-piece jacket suit by Sania Maskatiya, which I wore with (another) pink Zara skirt for a smarter look with a blazer. The top was actually a printed inner slip for the Sania Maskatiya jacket but because it looks more casual, I thought it went great with the skirt.

3. Mix with a jacket for a layered look.
Add a maxi jacket or a pretty embroidered gown with the skirt, it gives a fuller look and can really pull the outfit together.

I'm sure you remember this outfit from my last post - this is me wearing the outfit put together for a close friend's wedding, because I loved how well the jacket went with the skirt. I got a lot of compliments while wearing this, and I loved how I could incorporate my jewellery into the look without it feeling too much.

4. Add a sharara or even palazzos

Technically these aren't skirts, but half the times when you wear these they look like skirts so I'll add these in! You can't go wrong with a classic sharara for a flowy look, they feel comfotable on and they work with long and short kameezes. Admittedly, I hardly ever wear shararas because I love my skirts, but I've seen these be worn beautifully and they're always a big pick for mehndis!

This is an outfit I put together from about 3 outfits - the kameez is from one of my Eid outfits, the dupatta is from a Sana Safinaz suit I have and the sharara is an very old one from Pakistan from the Noughties years which I've had hidden away! I was trying to go for more of an 70s and 80s vintage look here, something of the kind my mum used to wear in her early days (although her kameezes were shorter!). I loved how this looked together though, the peach worked well when pulled together and the kameez reminded me a little of some Elan bridals!

I also had a few other ideas such as mixing a maxi dress with a skirt to add volume (although this may feel a little too much), maxi skirts with closed jackets (short and long) and even maxi skirts with a top and a cape, although this might look better in my head!

I also had the idea of re-using my bridal mehndi skirt with a kameez for a pretty pink outfit to wear at wedding events. I'm in the process of finding the right material to make a top to go with my mehndi skirt but I love the shape of the skirt, and it's quite a simple design so it won't look too heavy or bridal. I'll be sure to post pictures once I find something and start putting it together though!

I love the idea of re-inventing something you already have for a beautiful outfit, especially as a lot of us spend quite a bit on our outfits so it's nice to be able to get more wear out of them. I also am a big believer in being creative - it gives our outfits that much more of a unique look and I know I can say that when putting these outfits together, the compliments alone left a big smile on my face!

Let me know what you think of these - do you have any more ideas for dressing up a skirt?