Eid Mubarak!...Eid-al-Fitr 2019/1440

Wishing you all a lovely Eid and hope it's been a fun celebration for you all! I've been loving all the outfits I've seen people wear on Facebook and Instagram, and can't wait to show you my outfits !

Hope you all had a lovely Eid, and wishing you all a wonderful week of food, family and fun this Eid (which I'm sure will carry on onto the weekend for me!)

In the mean time, here's a quick peek at what I wore for Eid, which was very comfy (plus some seriously yummy chocolates from my sister!)

Love,
Curly Fries
xxx

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Alia Bhatt's Vintage Wedding Outfits in Raazi

I'm a bit late for this one, as the film came out about 10 months ago! I thought I'd post about the outfits from Bollywood hit Raazi, starring Alia Bhatt as a spy called Sehmat, as I loved the outfits she wore. The costume designers were Maxima Basu and Bhagyashree Dattatreya Rajurkar, who have designed for other period movies (think Padhmavaat!) so it's not surprising these are pretty.

The first outfit was the Sehmat's wedding gharara, which is vintage gorgeousness! The film is set in the 70s, and I love how the outfits reflect this (not to mention this faux wedding photo below!)

I loved the details of this outfit, not to mention the contrasting green dupatta, , the gota kaam (the gold fabric sewn on), and the beautiful jewellery. I'm sure my mum would be able to relate to a lot of these pieces, as a lot of it is reminiscent of her time (although perhaps some of this is a little more glamorous that some brides at that time!). The makeup is dressy without being too much, and works well with the red lips.

The next outfit is the sari worn in the bride's 'rukhsati' or 'bidaai' scene, which is when she is leaving her parents to go to her new home.The character wears a simple baby pink and light blue sari, which is accessorised with a separate dupatta for her head, as well as pretty jewels. I thought this was more cute than gorgeous, but it does go with the Alia's look for the movie, and certainly does look a little 70s to me!

What did you think of the costumes in this movie? And did you like the gharara or the sari more?

BOLLYWOOD ISTYLE: Anushka Sharma Weds Virat Kholi

I’m sure a lot of you caught photos for this one – Anushka Sharma’s super-secret wedding to Virat Kholo last month, which was planned by the couple themselves, in a small ceremony in Italy (which I did follow via hashtag #Virushka!) The couple looked like they had a fun wedding, and it seemed like a pretty happy event all around. I wanted to post the outfits the bride wore, which were a good mix of styles - although all designed by Sabyaschi!

The Engagement

This was a pretty smart affair, with Virat wearing a smart suit and Anushka in a gorgeous velvet maroon sari which she rocked with a simple updo and red flowers in her hair, and a gorgeous choker necklace. I think this would be among my favourite of the looks she had, striking, classy and elegant done well.

The Sangeet

What I liked about this most of all was how genuinely happy the couple looked here – neither of them are overly dressed up, and the henna looks exquisite. I really liked Anushka’s and Virat’s outfits – they’re wonderfully colourful, and feel fun fun – perfect  for a henna event, and you can see how relaxed the bride and groom are. And I’m sure none of us missed the déjà vu feeling though – seeing some of these photos reminded me a little of the wedding in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil! Anushka looks pretty in a print, brightly printed lengha choli and Virat looks great in a complimenting hot pink waistcoat jacket.

The Wedding

For the wedding ceremony itself, Anushka wore a pretty floral lengha by leading designer Sabyasachi (who seems to be everyone’s first choice at the moment, I’ve noticed). The outfit was a girly one – pastel pinks and white, with a very spring vibe to it. I have to confess, I didn’t love this wedding look  – it was okay but it could have been so much better. Perhaps I’m used to the more glamorous looks, but something about this looked a little ordinary – especially the hair and makeup, which looked a little flat, and felt like Anushka’s  beauty didn’t shine through. I was a little surprised by rave comments about her bridal but I guess it’s down to different tastes. Personally I think Anushka would have looked amazing if she had gone for a similar look as this one (especially the hair which I love!) – but hey, that’s just me. Having said that, I later saw photos of Anushka's hair under the dupatta which had beautiful soft pink roses, which looked really pretty!

The Delhi Wedding Reception

For the couple's first reception in Virat's home town, Anushka looked appropriately ‘wifey’ in a rich red silk Benarasi Sabyasachi saree – can’t get more regal and respectable looking than that – and with her gorgeous figure pulled it off well. She got the ornamental side of things pretty well put together as well, and I do think that she looked more glowy on this event. having said that, I still think her hair was again, a little flat, and could have been made more glamorous, but it did showcase her sari and extravagant jewellery quite well!

The Mumbai Wedding Reception

This last event was the wedding reception in Mumbai with all the stars, where Anushka wore another Sabysachi ensemble, this time a nude-beigey gold lengha-choli outfit. I think this outfit suited her the most, and was another of all of her bridal outfits that I really liked. I also think her hair looked the best on this day – it framed her face well and looked elegant with her tasteful makeup.

  

Over all I think Anushka did look pretty on her wedding events, but some looks were better than others. I can guess that like a lot of Bollywood heroines, Anushka has done a lot of bridal looks before so wasn’t looking to go overboard or too blingy on her wedding, which makes sense. I also think that the first bridal look in pink pastels and florals looked great for a destination wedding, and I can see the theme she was aiming for.

What did you think of her bridal looks? Which one did you like best?

A Baby Shower at The Rose Lounge

I recently attended a baby shower for a friend of mine, at The Rose Lounge in Sofitel St JamesHotel, which is a lovely venue (I forgot to take photos of the lounge but it's very pretty!)

Most of the baby showers I have been to in the past have usually been at the mum-to-be's house, so it was nice to have an opportunity to dress up and enjoy some tea. The baby shower was a surprise for the mum-to-be, and she was very surprised when her husband dropped her off and we were all waiting!

Here's and idea of the food we had - this was a halal afernoon tea, and was very filling - sandwiches, schones, and buns were on the first course, along with a range of teas and lemonades.

After the mains came the desserts (of course!) which were a variety of macarons, cakes and sweet tarts. We all had fun trying the different flavours and comparing the tastes, which were lovely.

One of the things which was really cute was the baby shower favours which were given - hand-made biscuits in the shape of baby-grows, in pink and blue! After we ate we played some games, including guessing celebrity baby names, and guessing people's identity from baby photos - lots of fun as well as a lot of cheating!

I don't have a picture of what the mum-to-be wore, but here's what I wore - I decided to go for a flowy skirt as it was a pretty warm day, with a pretty white top that had pearls all over. I love emerald green, so of course this is one of my favourite skirts!

I love going to afternoon teas, although I will admit, some have tasted nicer than others, and sometimes a nice venue will make the experience so much nicer! I'm looking forward to going to a few more afternoon teas this year (not to mention the pretty ones which come out during Christmas time!) - let me know if you recommend any places!

DESIGNER MODE: Amber Gohar

Amber Gohar is a designer whose work I've followed for the past couple of years, after discovering her on Facebook and Instagram - I like her pieces because they seem comfortable, stylish and easy to wear.

I've seen most of her outfits being worn by real customers, which I like because it shows how it actually looks on, and I love how effortlessly chic the pieces look.

The designer has a range of styles for her pieces - her latest outfits has incorporated frilly sleebs and trousers which seems to be quite popular, and perfect for summer - like the pieces below.

A lot of the outfits I've seen are a range of colours, with either separates for a mix-and-match style like many other designers are starting to adopts as well, or full suits which are perfect for occasion-wear. I really like how most of the outfits aren't too busy or heavy, and look easy to wear.

One of the first pieces which caught my eye from this designer was the cape outfits below, which I loved, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! The outfits are focused on summery colours and lacey material, with minimal work for a more simple look.

There's also a lot of embroidered pieces which I really like, that look really stylish - I can imagine wearing most of these, and I love all of the colours.

The brand also does heavier formal pieces too - I can see that they have a similar style to their lighter pieces with a focus on embellished kameezes, straight trousers and a East-meets-West fusion look.

I also like that the designer and her daughters are often spotted in their own design (and that Amber Gohar's daughter Mishal Asad has her own designer collection, Cross Stitch,which I also love!)

I've mentioned before that I had my eye on one of Amber Gohar's pieces as a potential Eid outfit, and althought I didn't end up buying the outfit, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of her designs. Her latest collection is the 'Wonderful White' collection, which is a series of cotten white seperates, which is perfect for summer.

Amber Gohar is available to buy in London via vender Hina Rasim, through website LibasUSA and also directly from the designer herself.

Curly Fry's Shopping Therapy! My Lipstick / Highlighter Haul

If you know me, then you'll know I'm a huge lipstick freak when it comes to makeup, followed closely second by highlighters, which are also an obsession - and my primary love these days are liquid lipsticks. As I was describing to my friend yesterday, I'm so used to wearing lipstick lipsticks, that when I wear 'normal' lipsticks, I keep thinking that it will come off my lips too easily!

I've been pretty good with buying make-up for a few months, so decided to treat myself to a few things a couple of weeks ago. There's a good mix of brands here, and I wanted to wait til I tried them all before I posted (I wore one each day for work!) so here's a quick review about each. My sister also  gave me a pretty highlighter brush in a fish-shape, which I've seen online but wasn't sure where to get from, which adds to my brush collection nicely!

This is my haul - there's a good mix of American and UK brands, some of which were new brands that I hadn't tried before.

As you can see I got mostly liquid lipliners, some highlighters from Makeup Revolution, and some things from Model's Own (which has opened up a store in Westfield near me, which is where I bought these from).

Here are all the lipsticks from left to right - Faryal Makhdoom Cosmetics, Colorpop Ultra Matte Lip, Drayon, Dose of Colors and Model's Own Lip Crayon.

Firstly, the Colorpop lipsticks - I've tried a few lip crayons from this brand so had high hopes for the liquid lipsticks, and wasn't disappointed. I've loved the shades these came in (there were quite a lot to choose from), they smell great and really pigmented. They mostly last the whole day but do come off a little when eating, so not completely long lasting, but very good value for money.
Top to bottom: Beeper (soft pink/nude). Trap (cool mauvey-pink), Tulle (red-toned dusty dark plum)

Next is Dose of Colors which I have been eyeing up for ages on Beauty Bay - I bought two of these when there was a 20% flash sale on so got lucky there.
Top is Pinky Promise, which is an almost neon pink shade, and bottom is Stone, an almost lilac-pink shade which is pretty for every day wear. These are pretty long-wearing and took me a while to get off my arm, so be warned!

Faryal Makhdoom Cosmetics matte liquid lipstick in Latte - I was lucky enough to get this sent to me via the company's Instagram page for free, and love this shade. It's a really lovely nude shade which would suit a lot of skin tones, and feels pretty creamy on. It's not as long-wearing as some higher-end brands but pretty decent in pigmentation and coverage.

Next up is the Model's Own jumbo matte lip crayon in shade Cute Candy, which is a rich brown shade, and has a nice matte look but a creamy feel. I've worn this a few times already to the office because it's a pretty easy colour to wear, pretty flattering on Asian skin and makes a good everyday brown.
I bought the Drayon lipstick from eBay after seeing a Youtube video by Dyna, who compared these to Kylie Jenner liquid lipsticks, and looked like a pretty good dupe. They don't have names, but come in shades, and this is a shade 8. This was surprisingly very pigmented and very long-lasting, although it is another one which takes a while to take off.
Top to bottom: Faryal Makhdoom lipstick in Latte, Model's Own Cute Candy, Drayon shade 8

Lastly are the two strobe highlighters from Makeup Revolution - I'm a big fan of this brand's highlighters and blushes because of how good value they are, and the excellent colour range. I have two or three blushes and highlighters which are my makeup-staple because they are so flattering on me, so I was excited to try these.
As you can see, both of these are decently rich shades, the gold highlighter is pretty gold, although I did expect a bronze undertone which it doesn't really have. The silvery highlighter is actually a holographic one, although the other colours in them are very subtle, but it still makes a nice warm highlighter.
I also did try to use the fish brush with these, but unfortunately, while it picked up the product, it was a little hard so didn't blend on my skin well!
Left highlighter is Flash, right is Gold Addict.

I'm quite pleased with this haul, if you keep an eye out on my Instagram stories, I post my new stuff every now and then, so let me know what you think :)

PRODUCT REVIEW: Halal & Vegetarian Sweets by The Sweet Path

I was recently sent a beautiful sweet hamper by halal sweets company The Sweet Path, who are a UK-based sweet company, who specialise in retro, halal sweets which are also vegetarian. The sweets were sent to me in a beautiful box (which I am keeping for my pretty things) and were beautifully packaged. Naturally I couldn't resist laying all of them out for a pretty photo, so please appreciate the time and arranging-fiddly-things which went into the below picture!

These are the sweets - and yes, they tasted as good as they look!

This is the box the sweets came in - it's a surprisingly sturdy, very well made box which was lined with tissue and had a pretty ribbon and bow on it. The sweets came in wrapped packets were well protected - and can I just say, there was a lots of sweets in each packet!

My sisters and I love our halal sweets and always stop to buy some whenever we find a shop that sells them - so this is pretty perfect. These are the sweets that were sent to me (everyone in my family are obssessed with marshmallows so that one was perfect for them!) My favourite was the tangy cola bottles, and my husband ate all the jelly meerkats which he said were amazing (he only let me have a few but they were nice!)

I'm really impressed with how this hamper was put together and arranged - it would make a really lovely present and the size is pretty good. I also love the fact that the company also does wedding favours, sweet jars, sweet cones and even sweet lanterns - there's lot of different sizes and they're handy for anyone looking for a mix of sweets for various occasions.

I really liked this sweet hamper, and the fact that it also comes in different sizes - they really are a nice idea for a gift for someone who has a sweet tooth, and it's lovely to see the effort which is put into these products. I'm pretty sure that the next time I have a tea party or event, this will be a great option for favours too!

You can buy the halal and vegetarian sweets at The Sweet Path's onlinze shop here
Facebook group here
Instagram account here

The company will also be at the Muslim Lifestyle Show this Bank Holiday weekend so check them out if you're attending!

Sunny Days...!

Sorry for the long absence guys, I know, I know, it's been nearly a month since my last post! I've been soaking up the recent (and short) spell of sunshine and making the most of the weather with trips out - which hasn't left me time to spend on my blog!

I've got lots of blog about, so make sure you visit back to this blog! In the meantime, here's a picture my sister took of me at the park yesterday (when the weather was a beautiful 25°) - I'm wearing my new tailored maxi dress that I got stitched about a month or so ago, and love how ideal it is for the warm weather :)

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Seasons Floral Maxi Dress

This is a while back, but remember these floral dresses? I finally managed to get hold of the floral print dress I wanted from Seasons ADW, a gorgeous cream dress with floral print all over and pink accents, and of course took the chance to wear this for an outdoor wedding hubster and I went to a while ago (this was acually in the summer when the weather was warmer, I've been lazy about posting this!)

The thing I loved about this dress was the amazing quality - it really reminded me of Ted Baker's floral dresses and shoes, which seems to be their trademark these last few years (especially with the little girl clothes!) and I loved how thick the material of this dress was - not flimsy at all.

This is the outfit and what I wore it with - I didn't want an overly blingy or heavily-accessorised look and loved the pop of pink, so opted for pink shoes and pink lips - and not much more. I didn't even need bangles (and I do love wearing my bangles) because the sleeves had velvet cuffs which I loved.

And of course, I couldn't resist taking a swirly pic in this dress! You can see how flowy the skirt of this is, and how nicely it hangs, which was really flattering the figure (not sure why some of these images look grainy, apologies!)

I really enjoyed wearing this (I'm sure you can tell!) and found it pretty comfortable - it's pretty hijab-friendly and I think it would be wearable without or without the pink dupatta. I can also see this being worn to a Western event or an English wedding too and fitting in nicely with a summery theme.

And of course a sneak at my shoes - I love picking out bright colours in outfits and these pink shoes worked perfectly for me!

I've been lusting after this outfit for a while so I was glad to finally be able to wear this. The dress itself is fairly reasonable in price, and was made to measure by the store, hence the lovely fit. If I wasn't already married I'd love to wear something like this to a bridal shower or a registry - can you imagine the wedding theme for this dress!

It's gotten a little chilly these days so I think I've put this outfit away for now, and will be bringing out the velvets and dark red pieces, but I'm sure I'll get to wear this again soon!