KAPRAY SHAPRAY: Sea Green & Black Velvet Sari by Masaba

I came across this lovely combination of deep black velvet, ocean-y turquoise and printed cream blouse, creating an almost boho-chic look to the sari. Created by Indian designer Masaba Gupta, this is something which caught my eye purely because it looked fresh, modern yet strikingly simple. I would describe this as a 'fusion' type design because it combines the traditional sari with beautiful, bold colours and seems to mix a traditional style with a more elegant, westernised one. Certainly it looked great on the catwalk below, fresh from the Summer/Resort 2012 collection by Masaba, and it looks just as pretty on Sonam Kapoor below. It's always great to see clothes from the catwalk worn by celebs (and the ordinary public!), so I'll be looking out for more examples of these! I'm not sure that this sari would be to everyone's taste, as it may look too random or eclectic, but for me it works :)

Images from here

Henna Art Eggs by Farhana Henna MUA

Here's something I saw this weekend, beautiful henna-inspired decorated eggs! Thorntons in Ilford, East London had teamed up with a make-up artist Farhana Ali to create beautifully customised eggs for customers to celebrate Easter. Here's some of the lovelies that I saw:

I spoke to Farhana Ali of Farhana Henna & MUA briefly and was impressed by the range of services being offered, from henna, bridal and bridesmaid make up and henna party make up. I was also surprised how how many years of experiences she had, and how well she has been able to promote herself. I've not had a proper chance to look at her website properly, but a quick glimpse has provided me with an idea of the range of looks she is able to create and the different services she provides. I'd definitely recommend that you take a look too, and let me know what you think!

You can contact Farhana here on her FB page or otherwise her website address.

GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: Jewellery used as Hair Accessories

I've been looking at various hair accessories and jewellery which can be worn by brides for ideas for my sister, and also as ideas as something blingy that could possibly be incorporated as hijab accessories to make for blingy accessorising. I came across this picture by MUA Saima Akram which uses a pretty piece which drapes along the hair and across part of the forehead. I'm not sure everyone could pull this piece off though, and I think you'd have to have a larger face to be able to make sure this look proportionate. One alternative way of wearing this though, could be to wear it behind at the back of your hair (or scarf!) to make it feel less cluttered and pretty :)

Is this something you would wear?

Image from MUA Samia Akram

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Preity's Taj Mahal Romance in 'Bol Na Halke Halke'

This is one song (of many!) which I can have on loop in 'Bol na halke halke', featuring the beautiful Preity Zinta in her dreamy brown-eyed-ness. Looking beautifully vintage and colourful, Preity seems to bring back several eras of previous fashion trends, as well as older Bollywood songs, from her beautiful outfits, each of which have their own colours scheme, style and accessories.

First up in this song is this lovely fitted kameez and baggy salwar mix, which uses a fresh combination of rich green, royal blue and orange, which works very well with the gold work. I've seen these colours being used in the catwalks and the high streets today, and find it a very flattering colour combination, which doesn't need too much embellishment. I also like how Preity's make-up and bangles are matched to her outfit without looking too much, making this one outfit I'd love to wear!

 Next up is this sunny yellow suit with a colourful dupatta. I love gold jamawar prints on bright fabrics, and this is one example of how well it works (although I can't say I'm too keen on the dupatta - it reminds me of an outfit I used to have several years ago!). Again, this is a Punjabi style outfit which doesn't focus too much on any embellishment, but rather on the bright colours and the mix of blues and pinks against yellow.

I love how throughout, there is a beautiful mix of colours which are carefully accessorised, with small details picked out against rich fabrics. Below is just one example of a plain white suit which is completed with a pretty orange, pink and white dupatta, which has a glittery touch due to the work, and is finished off with pretty bangles.

This off-white lengha is another outfit which appeals to me a lot, from the mother-of-pearl detail to the swish of the skirts. I think cream and off-white is one of those colours which can look elegant on everyone, and is one of those colours which seems to have been in vogues for decades. In this scene, I'm reminded of the golden-oldies of the 50's and 60's, such as the beautifully made outfits in Pakeezah and the famous song Chaudhvin ka Chand, which show iconic flowy dresses in creamy whites and gold. I also like how Preity chose not to wear any accessories here, emphasising the simplicity of the look instead of it clashing with any jewellery.

I also like the old-style sharara which is used here, again, reminiscent of older eras which focus on the cut of the outfit. I also liked the use of lace to hem the dupatta (which my mum tells me was something they used to do back in the 60's and 70's), and the shade of pistachio green which looks surprisingly elegant.

Lastly is this black and gold outfit, which again,  uses the gold jamawar print on the outfit to emphasise the use of rich fabrics and colours. I like how there is an almost bridal look created here from the jewellery, which gives a result of something which almost seems as if it was from a photo shoot taken out in the fields. Again, Preity's make up is immaculate here, and the focus is on the cut of the skirt and fitted top, rather than any embellishment which the outfit has. I also like how it takes an underused colour like black and makes it look  very wearable.

  All images owned by producers/directors of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

The outfits in this song are a collection which will probably never feel dated. The film itself was only released around 5 years ago, yet the colours, rich metallics and beautiful accessories are something which feel beautifully classic. I'm sure that there is something for everyone in these outfits - they appeal to the various strands of South Asian culture - be it Rajasthani, Mughal, Punjabi or even modern fashion trends. Preity Zinta pulls off these looks very well, and looks, in my opinion, at her most gorgeous in this song, with her lovely brown eyes being accentuated, her rich brown hair and the range of colours which really shine.

BRIDAL COUTURE: Elegance, Pearls and Smokey Eyes...

...always make a beautiful combination. And this picture is certainly one example of how to balance the whole look without going overboard.

I love the look of this 'bride' (not a real one, unfortunately, this is from a promotional shoot!), with the emphasis on beautiful jewellery and a traditional look. I also love the pink smokey-eyed look going on here, and the fact that the rest of the bride's face is kept fairly light, with am emphasis of a pink flush. Although it does help that the model is very beautiful! I really like the simplicity of hair and make-up here, with key features being high-lighted and a very regal style :)

What do you think of this look?

Image from Khoobsurat Collection

MAKE-UP REVIEW: Sleek's Pout Paints

I've recently discovered lip paints by drugstore brand Sleek, usually found in Superdrugs, which does a whole range of colours in these 'Pout Paints'. Some of them were a bit too adventurous for me (blue or lilac just wouldn't suit me I suppose!), but I was interested in the pinkier shades, which looked quite pretty.

Here's the colours I ended up buying, a mid pinky-brown shade, and a deeper, fuchsia pink which appealed to me because it looked like a flattering colour, which would suit Asian skin pretty well. Although the tubes are not very big, there's not much that is needed per application (the tube says that you only need one or two drops on your lip brush).

I tested out both colours, they were fairly easy to apply and came out quite rich in colour and fluid to apply. What I also liked, incidentally, was the yummy smell that came with it, which reminded me of sweets. But that's less to do with how practical the lip paints actually are! Here's how the colours came out, they both looked pretty much the same as they do in the tube. I really don't like how some make-up products can be a bit misleading in colour, especially since I'm the type to test out colours at make-up counters or in the stores, and sometimes packaging for makeup doesn't always reflect it's true colour.

The Pout Paints pretty much only needed a couple of drops on a lip brush to apply to the whole lip area, and it's fairly even when applied. I mainly bought these because they are long-lasting, and don't come off easily, which is practical for me as I don't always have time to keep re-applying lipsticks during the day. Also, because I tend to drink a lot of water during the day, this is quite useful as it doesn't come off easily once applied.

I also love the fact that this is, after all, paint - meaning you can mix the colours to make different shades. I've seen in a few reviews of this product how some bloggers have used the cooler colours like blue or white to neutralise the pinkier shades to suit their skin tone, and it seemed to work for them! Here's one shade I managed to mix up with the light and darker pink I have, not sure I'd wear it as it's slightly too 'bubble-gum pink' for me, but I do love the concept of making new colours!

 Overall, I think this is a useful product because of the long-lasting factor of it, it seems to withstand wear from food and water, and it's very easy to apply. The price is pretty good, and although it's not a big tube, there's a lot of lip paint in the tube, so gives a lot of wear. I've heard good things about it overall, although I don't know anyone personally who has tried it, as I'm not sure it's their kind of thing. What I would say is that the colours are not all entirely practical, and some of them may be too bright or dramatic for some people - certainly I wouldn't wear the darker pink shade every day as it's too dark for my liking, and I tend to stick to natural, pinky colours. My verdict: a nice product to try, and great if you're looking for something bright and funky that lasts all day, although maybe not for a glamorous look!

Imani Studio comes to East London

Stockists Imani Studio has arrived in East London in Ilford, bringing a collection of Pakistani design wear with it. The store opened last week, so obviously I had a quick browse. For research purposes, y'know, obviously. There was a good range of designers in store, although most of the outfits were party wear and semi-casual wear, rather than the heavier stuff. I liked some of the dresses they had in store, the HSY was worth a good look and the Karma stuff was quite pretty too. What I liked was that a lot of the outfits were very wearable because they weren't too heavy, the work looked pretty good up close and the colours weren't crazy (I'm sure we've all had experiences of outfits with random colours matched together, lime green and hot pink is one such disaster in my case!) I've been told that there will be more outfits coming into the store, although the prices were a bit high, the outfits make for good eye candy!

You can see some of the outfits in store here as well, with some of the pretty pieces being modelled.

Bollywood Moments...

That awkward moment when you see your childhood fairy hero and realise it was just a dodgy costume and some questionable storylines :/

HIGH STREET DESIGNS: Pink and Cream Dress by Khubsoorat

Saw this pretty dress today at Khubsoorat in Green Street, East London while out looking for wedding dress ideas for the sister, and thought this was a nice, yet simple outfit. I think this is one of those outfits in which the cut of the dress, and the bright colours are what makes the outfit. Would be perfect to wear to a summer wedding, especially if it's outside in the lovely sun amongst lots of flowers :)

COLOUR-COMBINATION LOVES: Forest Green, Mint Green and Cream

I'm always on the look out for colour combinations which uses colours that haven't been over-used in the fashion industry, as well as the high street. It's not always easy to find something new, and in some cases you'd be surprised where inspiration can be found, whether it's old films, colours found in nature, or just something you saw on the way to the shop!

I came across this magazine cover which circulates in Pakistan, featuring a bridal outfit on the cover in a lovely forest-y green, mint green and cream combination. I really liked this mix of colours, as it's not too bold, it's natural and quite flattering on a lot of skin tones. I know a lot of people who don't feel comfortable in bright colours, and are always looking for something which they feel pretty in without feeling too OTT. I didn't manage to find out who the designer of this outfit was, unfortunately (but if you know, please do let me know!), but I think the outfit colours are a great source of inspiration for anyone looking for something different yet also classic-y for their wardrobe.

Personally, I'm leaning towards softer colours these days (I've always worn bright or very deep colours!), simply because I'd like to try something a little different, and there are some soft colours which really suit Asian skin without feeling too harsh or bright, and I certainly think that this mix of greens and cream is one great example.

What do you think of this combination?

via Fashion Central