A Meet and Greet Session with Mehreen Syed

I was lucky enough to be able to meet the beautiful Pakistani supermodel Mehreen Syed a few weeks ago, with a small group of select girls at the Dorchester Hotel in London. I've been a fan of Mehreen for a few years after seeing her modelling campaigns from as far back as about a decade ago, and I've also been interested in her charity work and business endeavours since.

We managed to speak with Mehreen for an hour, and she was full of stories, of modelling, fashion designers, beauty care and her travels. I wasn't sure what to expect as I haven't met a lot of Pakistani celebrities, but I found Mehreen very friendly and bubbly - she told us she got about 5000 messages a day while she was in London requesting meetings, and how she wished she could meet everyone!

It was also nice to see that she looks exactly as she does in her pictures (she's also super tall!) and has a very natural beauty which you can see photographs well, and is one of the reasons she's a sucessful model today.

Mehreen herself has previously blogged before, and is the founder of the Desi Beauty Blog (now managed by co-founder and makeup artist Nilo Haq whose work I also follow). I really like the idea of someone who is experienced in the fashion industry giving back knowledge from what she has learned and her experiences, rather than looking to make money from her knowledge.

Another project Mehreen told us about was setting up a beauty school in Pakistan for poor girls - daughters of workers and servants who couldn't always afford an education so that these women could not only learn makeup skills, but use these to create a career as makeup artists themselves. She is also chairperson for the International Fashion Academy Pakistan (IFAP), which is a private educational institute based in Lahore, Pakistan, and is a fashion industry school. The school was developed to an platform for the next generation of fashion industry professionals; specifically stylists, models, makeup artists and photographers, and for them https://www.facebook.com/IFAPofficial/to study their field in a professional environment

We spoke to Mehreen for a while, and also managed to get some beauty tips from her - I've forgotten some of these but I'll post what I remember:

• I'm sure you can tell from the pictures that Mehreen has amazing hair! She told us that the latest shampoo she was using was L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Hair Care series - the shampoo, conditioner and hair oils. She said that she sometimes has pretty dry hair due to a previous illness earlier on in the air, which meant she needs intense hydration, and these shampoo and conditioners were really helpful. I've bought these but haven't tried them yet, so I have high hopes for them.
• If you're looking to dye your hair - make sure you pick the right colour and don't over-bleach!
• Without sounding too obvious - a balanced diet is very important if you want to be healthy. As a model Mehreen said that this was important to maintain a good figure and remain slim, and to not over-indulge in sugary foods!
• Similarly, she said exercise is important, regardless of whether are thin or not in order to maintain your health.
• Mehreen encouraged us to try different makeup styles and tips - find out what you like, don't be afraid to try new things and practise doing makeup to find out what suits you.

It was really lovely to meet a down-to-earth, humble person such as Mehreen, and I'm really glad I got the chance to meet her during her stay in London. She has encouraged us to keep in contact and also email or message her for any queries, which I also though was very generous considering how busy she is! It was also nice to hear her stories - of fashion designers, of Pakistan and of her travels, and it was really great to meet a celebrity who made the time to sit with us and have tea : )

A Meet and Greet Blogger's Session with Ather Shahzad

I was lucky enough to get invited to a blogger's meeting last weekend, to meet the legendary fashion duo Ather Shazad, who are one of Pakistan's biggest stars in the fashion industry. The meeting was over tea and cake at The Tea Rooms in Fleming Manor, in central London, so it was an ideal place to be!

They are known for the seamless services which provide everything many fashion shoots, brides and fashion campaign require, being responsible for makeup, styling, selecting the model (which is mainly dealt with by Shazah Raza) as well as the actual photography (taken care of by business partner Ather). They're also known for their bridal services (which is where I initially have heard of them a good few years ago, as I have a few friends who have used him for their wedding days!).

Duo Shahzad and Ather

The event was mainly a sneak preview of Shahzad's make-up and styling skills (Ather is pretty shy so hid a little!), with a Q&A session and tips from the makeup artist himself, in advance of his Masterclasses which will be taking place in London, Edinburgh and Manchester in January 2016.

We discussed Shahzads' love for makeup and his history - he was 17 when he started doing makeup on others (and was doing photography initially with his friend Ather at the same time!) and began to get clients because of his talent. He's worked not just in Pakistan but for several designers for fashion campaigns, for the Western stars and for Bollywood, and has a variety of makeup styles - although these days he prefers soft, warm colours like peaches and golds, particularly when it comes to doing bridals.

We then were able to see Shahzad's talent on a model - he showed us one of his makeup looks and stylings on model Siarah who looked stunning. I really liked the fact that nothing looked OTT - everything looked very naturally, the foundation looked natural (no cakeyness!) and the whole look fused well with the outfit and jewellery.

Shahzad then took us through his steps - what he did and how to achieve the look - nothing was heavy or complex, and it looked very well done.

Tips from Shahzad:

• Less is more! Too many girls use too much contour, too much foundation, too much heavy makeup - do what suits you and keep it more subtle.
• Focus on one feature to emphasis - smokey eyes with a soft lip, or dramatic lips with lighter eyes. Sounds obvious but it's a classic rule for Shahzad when it comes to makeup.
• Experiment, play around with colours and styles!
• Lighting is EVERYTHING. You can have bad makeup and still take a good photo, but if the lighting is bad, no matter how great the makeup is, the photos can still come out badly.
• For hot weather - use a water-based foundation - Shahzad sometimes uses a old-fashion method of Kryolan pancake foundation mixed with water for a very thin base.
• Use a good cleanser for your skin - recommends the Creme de la Mer skin range and also Mac cleansers.
• Don't over highlight, and make sure you apply on the cheekbones and not underneath on the cheek area.

We were then given our goody bags (yay!) which had a new range of makeup which is being released by Ather Shahzad for a brand called Luscious - it is already on sale in Pakistan and will soon be sold online in Sephora and Beauty Bay, which make for excellent accessibility for American and UK customers. This is the first makeup range from a Pakistani makeup artist and it is also the duo's first business venture in the UK, which I think will certainly be a hit amongst the make-up lovers in this country!

We were given quite a lot of makeup to try out - a lipstick palette, a lipgloss palette, an eyeshadow palette and blushers - which were in a beautiful range of colours and in matte and shimmery.

The lipsticks and lipglosses all have names which are named after famous models that the duo have worked with - such as Mehreen (syed) Iman, Cybil (Chowdry) and so on - which I thought was a lovely touch. I loved the blushers as well, beautiful tones which work well on darker skin - Shahzad explained that it was not just for Asian skin tones but black skin tones as well. Being one of the first makeup artists in Pakistan to work with black models as well, he understood the need for colours which suited darker skin tones as well.

You can see my haul below - I'll be posting swatches and reviews in a separate post but from my initial try-outs I love the beautiful colours and pigmentation!

It was really lovely to hear about Shahzad's experience in the industry - having seen his fashion campaigns with various labels in the last ten years (or more, as I've seen a lot of his pictures in magazines as a child as well!) it was pretty amazing to hear his inspirations.

I really enjoyed the event, as it was not just an opportunity to meet the stylist but also fellow bloggers - there were a few beauty editors, Pakistani fashion bloggers and enthusiasts to speak, and it was really fun to talk to them about blogging and the fashion world. And of course, we all took the time for a selfie!

Photo credits - Shahid Malik

I would definitely recommend making the most of this makeup class, mainly as the makeup I saw was pretty well done and it's worth learning if you are interested in makeup, either for yourself or for a career as a makeup artist. Being one of the icons in Pakistani makeup, it's one to go for, particularly as these classes are one-off so won't be repeated after the New Year.

You can buy tickets here for the classes which are taking place in London, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Organisers: The Makeup Room
Makeup: Shahzad Raza
Hair: Shamalah Hairstylist 
Model: Sairah Khan
Wardrobe & Jewellery: O'nitaa London
Photography: Shahid Malik
Co-ordination:Zaf Shabbir
PR: Enigme Internationale

If you're not looking to attend the classes, check out the makeup line and let me know what you think - the prices are very reasonable and I'll be keeping an eye out for more!

Lollywood Ishtyle: Bin Roye's Glittering Outfits

I saw Bin Roye this weekend, and left the film in love with the beautiful outfits, sets and scenes. Mahira Khan looks amazing in the film and the film itself is really, all about her. I haven't seen many Pakistani films over the years, and I'm not sure this one falls into Lollywood (which I remember from my childhood being Punjabi films with a lot of shouting, over-acting and heroes jumping off buildings!)

I wanted to post some of the outfits showcased in the film - the images below are from both the film and also from the launch of Bin Roye's music at Telenor Bridal Couture Week 2015 last month, where the designer outfits worn were modelled by the main actors and reknowned Pakistani models.

First is this iconic outfit by Feeha Jamshed, which I love the colour combination of - yellow, royal blue and bronze accents. I've seen a few outfits in the Pakistani fashion trends with sequins all over, it works on some and doesn't on others - this one pulls it off with a lovely sparkle and glamour.

This is the outfit as worn by Mahira in the 'Balle Balle' song, which is actually a fun song because it reminded me of some of the dholki songs my sisters and I know. This is one of my favourite looks on Mahira mainly because of the swishy skirt and the simple block colours which work well together.

The next outfit I immediately recognised was this Elan outfit, from PFDC L’oreal Paris Bridal Week in 2012 - I recognised it especially because it's a pretty popular outfit and I love the soft colours and the heavy work. I couldn't find a picture of Armeena Khan wearing it in the fil, but it looks pretty much the same (except she has the dupatta pinned to her head in a bridal style).

I also loved this bridal by Sania Maskatiya, which was really pretty in orange, red and yellow, and ideal for the mehndi scene. It's a very traditional look which you just can't go wrong with, and looks pretty much the same as worn by Armeena on the catwalk (except the border of the dupatta which looks slightly different but that's minor)

It took me a good while to find out where the next outfit was from, I had to ask a few of my friends who are fashion aficionados like myself before I found out it was by Elan (I kept thinking it was Elan because it reminded me of their older designs) I liked the classic cut of this outfit but was less keen on the two-tone look of the fabric and the colour of the dupatta, which I think would have worked better as a deeper colour.

This is the outfit worn by Mahira in the film although with a skirt rather than with a salwar - I loved the brocade print of the skirt and the deep teal colour of it, and thought it went with the rust coloured kameez pretty well.

I also loved this sharara outfit which was modelled by Sabeeka Imam in the Bin Roye music launch, I couldn't find a picture of Mahira wearing it but it looks the same, except Mahira has her hair loose! It's a lovely traditional outfit and I think it works well as a formal.

The last bridal I found from this film is another Elan outfit, although I don't remember seeing this one in the film even though it was part of the Bin Roye catwalk, so I either missed it or it didn't end up in the film.

This outfit is a traditional deep red and purple outfit which is really heavily worked - I liked it but I found it a little too heavy as a bridal, and it not something I would pick myself. I liked the way it was styled on the model, although the jewellery on Mahira looked lovely too.

I also liked some of the simpler outfits worn by Mahira, I won't post them all but you can see the rest here - there were a lot of simple Punjabi-style salwar kameezes and casual suits which I thought was a nice touch for the casuals-at-home-look. 

Both of these remind me of other outfits I've seen in other films before, but Mahira looks lovely in them because she keeps it simple, her hair is loose and the jewellery is never overdone.

The last few outfits I wanted to post were these Elan (1 and 2) and Sania Maskatiya (3) ones below that are also worn in the film, which I loved because of the colours and the floral embroidery - all perfect wedding formals and Eid outfits!

It's really great to see Pakistani designers getting some visibility on the big screen - I'm so used to seeing the Bollywood go-to designers such as Manish Malhotra that it's nice to see Pakistani trends getting some screen time!

The film itself was a nice watch, a little too girly and romantic for me (I do like my sci-fi!) but I went with some close girl friends and we had a lot of fun watching the film. It was also nice to see some Eid scenes and Chand raat scenes as well, which was fun and made me want to visit Pakistan!

BRIDE COUTURE: Ayeza Khan's and Danish Taimoor's Beautiful Big Pakistani Wedding

As usual, I won't make my excuses about being busy (although I swear I really am!), I can't wait for the wedding times so it's time to enjoy and less of the prepping/stressing!

To start us off this week, I thought I'd do a quick post about Pakistani model and actress Ayeza Khan who got married to fellow model/actor Danish Taimoor only a few days ago. I'll admit, I don't know a huge amount about her, I only really recognised her from one of the (many) Pakistani dramas my mum watches.

While the events were very Pakistani in style, colours and flamboyance, I thought it was nice to see even a Pakistani celebrity enjoy a good long-winded wedding (I assume the valima/reception is yet to happen though!) and thought this made nice eye candy - something to prepare you before I get to post my own pictures!

Nikah -  Ayeza wore a pretty, white outfit with a dupatta that had kiran (that tinsley stuff our mums had in the 80s). Kiran is coming back in and I love that it adds a nice touch to a simple outfit.

Mayun (a pre-wedding, similar to mehndi function, where you put bangles/flowers on the bride and other stuff) - again, the bride wore a really sweet, simple outfit - a printed dupatta with white dots (Apparently they are called chunri, which is what I've always heard them be called)!in a vibrant hot pink, lime, yellow and orange.

Mehndi - the official mehndi was a bit more a grand affair, Ayeza wore a beautiful lengha choli in vibrant colours, although my favourite bit was the border on her dupatta. I'm not a fan of rainbow-style clothes, but on this dupatta it works because its a small border.

Wedding - Ayeza got her make up done by the wonderful Natasha Salon in Pakistan, I've tried to search for who the dress designer was but can't find it, but it was fairly traditional in colour and looked pretty on. I've also seen a lot of brides wear the sheer red veils for their bridal entrances or their nikah, which I think is a sweet touch.

 

As I'm sure you can see Ayeza and Danish had a beautiful wedding, there's probably hundreds more photographs out there but it looks like they had a nice experience, and it's nice to see a beautiful couple!

On the Catwalk, On a Celebrity: Mahira Khan in a Grey & Mustard Nida Azwer Kameez

This is not a recent design from 2013, but I still really liked it -  a Nida Azwer design from last year on the catwalk, a greyish taupe kameez with silver work which is brightened up with mustard accents and pants. I love how modest this outfit looks, it it long and flowy and is beautifully embellished in a way which looks dressy without feeling too heavy - definitely one of my future outfit idea/inspirations!

On the catwalk
I think the outfit looks really elegant here, especially with an asymmetric neckline and mustard tassells which gives a slightly funky, eclectic style to it. This outfit is great for those looking for a more Western look, particularly because it has been styled with no dupatta for a less traditional look and more of an evening-wear style.

Image Source

On the celeb
This is the lovely Mahira Khan, a popular Pakistani actress known for her stylish looks, wearing the same outfit to a live show about the TV serial that she stars in (you can see some of it here). I think she has accessorised it well and not tried to over-do the make-up, so it looks quite effortless and very comfortable. I love the sleeves on this outfit, and here it adds a touch of chic luxury and remains quite modest, which makes a difference in my opinion. I'm also glad that the neckline isn't too deep and is quite small, so doesn't look tacky or too revealing for my tastes.

Images from here

Personally, I think both the model on the catwalk and Mahira Khan wore this outfit beautifully, it looks chic on both of them, and both have been styled well so that there are not too many accessories with it. I'm not too keen on the model's hair with the outfit, as I think it needs a bit more volume and perhaps looks less feminine, but I think Mahira Khan could have tied her hair slightly up to show more of the dress's design.

On the whole though, neither of the wore it better, they both look pretty good (I've shown this to my sisters and they love this too) and it's nice to see a fresh colour combination like this.

Aisha Lenia and Shahbaz Shigri's Wedding

Aisha Lenia Akhtar is a Pakistani model and actress whose work and photoshoots I have had a glimpse at before, particulatrly her bridal make-up and jewellery photoshoots. She got married recently to fellow actor and celeb Shahbaz Shigri, what looked like a fun ceremony.

I haven't seen much pictures of the entire wedding at all, but the few I've seen looks quite fun - such as the mehndi picture below which shows the bride looking very pretty (you can see more images here)

I LOVED this film-style poster for the mehndi, which looked really cute and different, and definitely something to take inspiration from. I've seen a few mehndi-posters like these on other blogs and weddings, and it's cute to see here because they're both actors (definitely something to copy for an upcoming mehndi or birthday party!)

I've only seen a couple of the wedding pictures of the bride on her wedding day and her reception, but she does look very lovely, and her bridal look is one which I find very beautiful. I'm not sure who the designers of her dresses are, but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough!

Photography taken by Jahanzeb Khan Photography and belongs to their Facebook group

I also loved her nikah pictures, which took place last year (which you can see here), which had her wearing a really pretty grey and deep red dress which looked simpler yet very pretty (although for some reason shw
reminds me a little of Bollywood actress Manisha Lamba!)

I'll be keeping an eye out for more pictures, but I did think this was quite sweet, and the bride certainly looks beautiful on her special day.