Eid Mubarak...!

Eid Mubarak all, and hope it's been a fab weekend! I've been loving all the outfits I've seen people wear on Facebook and Instagram, and can't wait to post my photos!

Hope you all had a lovely celebration, and wishing you all a wonderful weekend of food, family and fun this Eid!

Love, Curly Fries xx

Ramadan Mubarak!

Wishing you all a productive month, a time to learn new things and earn rewards. I will do my best to keep blogging throughout this month, and hopefully will be able to post beautiful things, yummy food ideas and more!

Ramadan Mubarak!

- Curly Fries xx

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: Peach & Orchid Purple Spring Vibes

One of my favourite things about spring and it getting warmer (in terms of fashion, that is!) is all the pretty florals, pastels and spring colours that come out of the wardrobe (and all over my instagram feed!) As much as I love cosying up to my blankets and having a good book to read when it's freezing outside, I am glad that it's starting to brighten up and slowly get warm again. The last few weeks (apart from the horrible rain) has been a lovely excuse to dress more girly and pull out some colourful outfits (and also brighten up my blogs a little!)

Hubby and I were invited to a family dinner about a week ago, which gave  me the perfect opportunity to rifle through my wardrobe for something a little different. I came up with this outfit that was given to me by one of my sisters, and stitched from loose fabric. The colour isn't something I'd normally go for - I usually love my rich dark colours, or my pastels, so the peach and purple is a little different for me. The outfit was stitched to a short-kameez style, and came with churidar pants (which I'm not a huge fan of, but it looked really cute with this outfit. I even tried peach wide pants with this outfit to see if that looked better, but it didn't!)

This is the outfit below, and how what I wore with it. I picked out silver embroidery with the bangles and shoes, and also finished off with a lilac hijab. You can see it's a little matchy-matchy with the colours, but I like it!

This is the outfit itself - the fabric itself wasn't too expensive and I've seen a variety of this design in lots of local shops (I'm pretty sure my mum has something like this too!). The thing I liked about this the most was how girly and comfortable it was - chiffon isn't usually the best of fabrics for outfits like this but this was quite sturdy.

And here's me wearing it (you can't tell in the first picture but I had a really awkward look on my face from a passerby walking past and clearly wondering what was happening!)

Outfit - Unstitched fabric made by a tailor

Bangles - Bees Jewellery

Shoes - River Island

Hijab - Aatiya London

I loved wearing this outfit because the colours were a little different to my usual tastes, and it also felt very fresh and girly on. As much as I love following fashion trends and do try to update my wardrobe when I can, every now and then I want a random change from my usual tastes and go for something different. It was also nice to have something inexpensive which had a pretty classic feel to it - I can imagine wearing this in the 90s, as well as in a few years time!

The only headache with tailoring unstitched clothes is that although sometimes it is cheaper (but not always!), getting a decent tailor is pretty hard work! My sisters and I grew up with my mum sewing our clothes for us, so we have a pretty high standard when it comes to outfits, and it can be difficult to find a tailor who can do what we want without charging us extortionate prices!

I'm hoping to have a few more outfits like this for summer (although I'll also be keeping an eye out for the next trends too!). What do you think of this - do you like the colour?

EYE CANDY WISH LIST: Embellished Khussay

A little wedding inspiration for you guys this weekend - khussay with pretty gems, kundan stones and pearls to bling up your outfit. I know khussay have been around for years and years - they're a pretty traditonal accessory from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and I'm sure we've all worn one at one point or another!

I've even seen pretty printed khussay, beaded ones and sequinned pieces, but some manufacturers have upped their game by adding a little more bling for a luxury look.

I've seen these over the last few months, and love how great they look - they easily match jewellery pieces and add some beauty to our feet, making a great alternative to dressy high heels. And I love that there's a variety of colours and stones out there, as well as styles to suit every occasion.

I had a look around online to see where I could buy one of these myself, as I had my eye on these and wanted to see if they were worth buying. So far I've managed to find a few vendors but they seem to be based in Pakistan mainly - I'm sure if I was able to go shopping in Lahore I'd find plenty of these, and cheap bargains too!

Here's a few examples of sellers I found - I haven't ordered from these myself but I have read good reviews and they ship overseas, which is a plus point.

These pretty beaded gems by Eastern Dresses - based in Pakistan but seems reliable and have read good reviews, although I haven't ordered from them myself/

These embellished pairs by Allechant, a much more established brand in Pakistan. Slightly pricier but again, excellent reviews on service and fast delivery. You can also follow this company on Instagram and Snapchat for daily update.

Lastly is another Pakistani brand, Turbooz Shop, who have many quirky and very reasonably priced accessories, from khussay to jewellery and clutch bags. Perfect for the summer season, and I can also see a lot of these being worn for mehndi parties too - they also have some beautiful painted and embroidered pieces. I'm pretty sure they ship overseas, but I'm not 100% sure so check first!

I've seen a couple of these in local shops as well, although admittedly the quality aren't as nice as some of the ones I've seen online or based in Pakistan. I have seen a few in shoe shops in east London such as local shops on Green Street, and I also know that some stores in Southall carry shoes like this.

I'll be keeping an eye out for these in London, and will be sure to post if I manage to buy any khussay like these!

What do you think of these? Would you wear them?

The Muslim Lifestyle Show 2016

I was lucky enough to get two tickets to the Muslim Lifestyle Show a couple of weeks ago, so attended with my sister to check out the exhibitions and shows.

We managed to spend a few hours at the Muslim Lifestyle Show, and managed to see plenty of outfits, abayahs, scarves, books, desserts, nuts, dates, various halal food companies, household goods and fittings as well as have fun with photobooths!

A rickshaw with a photobooth inside!

There were plenty of things to see, so I won't bombard you with too many images, but here's a few of the fun things I remember from the Muslim Lifestyle Show below.

Fashion & Shopping
One of the main reasons my sister and I wanted to attend the show was to see the different clothes and outfits available for sale - there were a lot of beautiful outfits on display from boutiques, and modesty-wear brands being promoted. I managed to spot designer Farrah Naaz at the show with a stand (the picture on the bottom right), and also found a range of beautiful abayahs and maxi dresses from a lot of brands who usually sell online.

Food
I'm sure you can imagine that my sister and I headed straight for the sweet stuff, and sampled lots of goodies before buying a bunch of dates, cookies and brownies. I loved The Datery, which sells hand-made chocolate-covered dates, and Mubarak, which specialises in "little boxes of treats" from chocolates to scents and candles.

Of course we had to also stop to buy some halal sweets (or five) for ourselves and family, as you can imagine, these were popular stands!

Catwalk Show
I didn't get to see a lot of the fashion show as I got to the stage a little late, but I did snap a few outfits and thought these ones by Gulshaan boutique were lovely!

Jewellery and Perfumes
We also saw a range of halal perfumes, which were presented in gorgeous bottles, and in a range of colours and scents. I also liked a group of rings being sold by one company (I forget the name!) which had beautiful chunky precious-gems in clusters of twos and threes, lovely statement pieces (third pic below).

There were people getting their henna done on hands, as well as make-up artists promoting their work - below is the amazing makeup work done by the team of bridal makeup-artist Lubna Rafiq, complete with bridal dresses from Khans of London.

There were also men's products being promoted, which was probably useful as there were a lot of family men walking around with their wives and children! I loved this t-shirt below which I wanted for my husband, as well as the beard oils bottles being sold, which was a popular item.

My sister and I also liked that there were plenty of stands raising awareness for charities and education - this stand called Let's Educated Pakistan aimed to get people to sponsor children in Pakistan to be able to go to schools, and had already set up two schools of their own.

There was also plenty of homeware and decoration available - such as these beautiful, bespoke pieces of wall art, and very pretty coasters on the right which I wanted to buy (but didn't because they don't match anything in my house!)

All in all we had a really fun time at the show, and even managed to catch a show with singer Sami Yusuf who did a series of lovely songs with a group of schoolchildren. I also managed to bump into a few other fashion bloggers that I'm friends which, who were helping out backstage at the fashion show doing hijab styling and makeup, which also made my day.

I'll be sure to look out for similar events - and there will be plenty for Eid! - and post any that I know are coming up. I thought this was a great way to bring together new products for young Muslims who want something new, as well as showcasing a range of fashion, food and charity causes to be interested in : )

Ramadan Mubarak...!

I’m a bit late in posting this (only a couple of days late!) but I’d like to wish everyone a blessed month of Ramadan, full of good deeds, delicious food and a memorable month of fasting, prayers and charity.

Ramadan Mubarak and may all of your duas be granted in this beautiful month.

Curly Fries xx

Glamorous Accessories: Statement Necklaces from The Jewellery Box

I'm sure you may know that I love my jewellery, although most of the ones I have tend to be more 'desi' style jewellery which I usually pull out for special occasions and weddings. On the whole though, apart from this I don't tend to wear a lot of jewellery in everyday wear - partly because I prefer simple looks and jewellery can get in the way at work, and also partly because I like to buy good quality jewellery which I can get a lot of wear out of.

In the past couple of years, statement necklaces have become pretty big, and they're a fab addition to sparkling up an outfit, whether you wear hijab or not. I have a few necklaces of my own that I've collected over the years, which do make an outfit look nice!

I recently bought a few necklaces from online jewellery company The Jewellery Box UK, whose pieces caught my eye, and which were on offer. I have bought two necklaces from this company before which I meant to post about last year, and which I forgot about, but the ones I got were gorgeous silver and crystal statement necklaces which I've worn with both my Asian outfits and Western ones.

Here's a look at the necklaces I got from this company a few days ago, which came in a combination of gold and silver colour. I also got two sheets of henna tattoos in white and black with these which will be fun to play around with, but I thought these were an amazing bargain as I got these as part of a bundle.

I liked this one best, called the Regal necklace, which I thought would look lovely for dressing up an outfit - I can already imagine wearing this with a pretty maxi dress on a night out.

This one is called Serenity, which is a pretty, colourful necklace for a more playful look. I can imagine wearing this for a summery look, and would definitely try outfits to pick out the different coloured stones in this.

Lastly, is Dahlia, which is a girly, floral necklace which is a little more dressier to me but very pretty. I also like the mix of gold with sparkly silver, which I think would work well against a black outfit.

  

I'll be sure to post stylings of these on either Instagram or on my blog, but I'm looking forward to wearing these soon!

What do you think of these? Have you bought from this company before?

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!