tgif! holiday edition

Don't these look so yumm and super cute?  And who doesn't love strawberries? Santa's Hat Brownies via daisy's world via style-de-naal.

Yaaay!  An excuse for a vacay.  Soooo...I've promised myself a blogger-free week until New Year's...and yeah, we'll see how that goes, but I'm excited for the changes I've got in store for the blog, so I'll still be at work behind the scenes.  Still, hopefully a little break from the blogging will take the edge off this writer's block I've had lately, and I'll be able to come back with some really fresh content in the New Year.  I'm also thinking about how I want to blog in the coming year, particularly my level of commitment to it. What do you guys think, more, less, different topics, any particular fashion shows, designers, wedding styles, parts of the world? 

Personally, I don't think I'll be shopping much next week, since I find there are never any ACTUAL deals on Boxing Week, and the real discounts start at the end of January.  Or maybe it's just my luck?  I don't know.  I will spend my time printing all my pictures, which I've been collecting from three different computers and put them in a photo album, AAAAND I'm thinking of joining a gym.  I know what you guys are thinking, it's  New Year's resolution thing, but it isn't, because those never work for me!  This is more of a I should have done this ages ago, and I finally have the money and it just happens to coincide with New Year's.  I'm just not sure if a gym membership with is worth the investment.  What about you, do you make resolutions, and are you good at keeping any?

Take care, one and all, whether you are celebrating or not.  And if you are, have a very safe and Happy Holidays, I'll see you in the New Year.  Lots of love!

XOX Asiya

Love-ly Locks: Adding Volume to Your Styles

Chances are, you want to add a little bit of oomph to your hair for that added drama under your dupatta.  A lot of times, extensions are recommended as an option by many hairstylists, but I personally feel they aren't always the best option.  They are expensive, can be time consuming depending on the procedure, may just look fake if they aren't the good kinds.  Maybe you want a temporary, fuss-free solution, instead of a long-term one that will require a little bit of upkeep while they are in.

Another alternative, teasing, is fine, but not my personal favourite.  Basically, the hairstylist will back comb your roots until they are tight and compact enough to stand up a bit and look voluminous when you smooth them over. With a little bit of hairspray you can smooth it over and set your dupatta on top and it will sit over your hair without crushing it.  This is the technique I went with, since my hair was plenty long enough anyway.  Thing is, on my wedding day at the end of the night, I was standing in the bathroom back at the hotel, frantically trying to comb it out and get rid of all the kinks from the teasing before my husband saw me.  My hair was seriously all over the place, knotty, puffy, and kind of dry. Not a good look on the wedding night.

Enter the rat roll.  They are cheap, easy to use, you can keep your hair smooth, and in a ponytail, or in loose curls, so when you undo it at the end of the day, you are still left with sexy hair to finish the night with.  What it is is a hair foundation, made of mesh or foam, that comes in a range of natural colours including black and dark brown.  They generally come in three shapes, a round ball, and doughnut shape and sort of a tube shape.  All you do is wrap them around your hair, or your hair around them, and pin in place.  They can achieve a variety of hairstyles, and to get an idea of how to use them, you can just google for video tutorials.

Paris Hilton via/ Adele via thebeautydepartment via adele.tv/ bouffant hairstyle via thehairymonster/

 images of hair foundations via thehairymonster. Prepared and designed by Asiya.

Love-ly Locks: Bridal Hairstyles from B:Blunt Hair Salon

If you are the type of bride who finds the traditional hairstyles a little too pretty, a little too been there, done that; I may have just the salon for you.  B:Blunt Hair Salon, based in India, has been the number one name is colouring, cutting and styling since they opened in 2004, so now that they've decided to enter the fray and offer their clientele a complete range of bridal services, they are raising the bar just a bit higher for everyone else.  With salons in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, they will offer services ranging from pre-wedding day hair, nail and foot care, to full hairstyling and makeup services for the big event. 

The salon plans to offer up an arsenal of their best stylists, including nationally renowned talent Adhuna Bhabani-Akhtar, Osh Bhabani, Shefali Shetty and award winning stylists, Avan Contractor and Brent Barber.  They plan to focus on creating "unique designs for the fashion forward bride with a twist on the classic looks."  I can't wait to see their work showing up the most fashionable of India's A-list brides in the months to come!

All images courtesy of B:Blunt Salon

Guest Blog: Bloggers' Fave Five Fashion Moments - Curly Fry of Kapray Shapray

Hello everyone, and happy Monday!  One more week till Christmas if you're celebrating, and the New Year is just around the corner!  Can you believe it?  I've got loads of errands to run before everything is shut for the holidays, and besides, with the new year just around the corner, there's a to-do list to clear and preparations to make for some new plans in 2012!  While I'm away, please welcome Curly Fry of Kapray Shapray blog, she has amazing taste and I really love checking out her style finds, so I was excited when she agreed to share her favourites with us here today.  When you see her picks, you'll understand why! 

Hi all, I had a hard time finding my top five fashion looks, as I like so many and I kept changing my mind! Enjoy x

1. Subyasaachi Anarkali 

via Curly Fries via Filmi Cafe

Subyasaachi is well known for his rich, classic looking styles, and this one is no different. The antique, dull-gold colours of this anarkali appeals to me because of how luxurious and classic it makes the outfit look. This would make a great mehndi outfit for a bride. What I love is how wearable this outfit is as well, it was designed a few years ago yet still would fit in with today's fashion, it's modest and is overdone in terms of style or detail. I also like how the model's toned down hair, make-up and even flat shoes compliment the outfit completely, showing how it's such an effortless outfit.

2. The Bunto/Bina Bride

via Bina Khan facebook group

I love love LOVE this combination of two of my favourite Pakistani (fashion) artists - Bina Khan the make up artist and Bunto Kazmi's the bridal designer - on this very beautiful bride. This bride looks so regal, serene and absolutely stunning in rich colours and subtle, yet striking make-up. I'm sure I'm not alone is being enamoured with Bunto Kazmi's work, and her signature rich work and intricate design can certainly be seen here, while Bina Khan's natural-looking make up emphasises the bride's natural beauty. You know when you see a bride's picture and you think 'that's the look for me', and hope you'll look like that, ? This was the one for me, I love everything about the this bride, right down to the pearl necklace detail :)

3. Bipasha's Smouldering Eyeliner

via Curly Fries

For Bollywood, this is actually not a very complicated look, and Bipasha certainly pulls it off well. Her eye make-up is immaculately done here, with the emphasis being on smouldering, black eyeliner. Paired with nude lipstick, Bipasha glows in a smokey-eyed look after my own heart.

4. Tammana's Maxi Dress

via hindibollywoodactresses blog

Maxi dresses have always been a yes for me, partly because they look modest and go well with my hijab, and partly because they feel so nice and swishy when you walk in them :) This dress fits my profile quite suitably, its nice and swishy and it looks so pretty because of all the work on the bodice of the dress. I don't think many people can pull off white dresses, but on Tollywood actress Tammana it looks very elegant, and very feminine. It's certainly something I have my eye on, as I'd love to wear something similar to this.

5. Nilofer Shahid's White Bridal Gown

via PakLinks

I've always been a red wedding dress girl, rather than classic white wedding dresses. So this showstopping number is certainly an eye-opener in terms of mixing traditional designs with white, dazzling wedding dresses, and changing the idea of having a white wedding dress. I've seen a few imitations of this dress, but none of them have come close to this beautiful original, and it only goes to show how unique it is. I like how flattering the shape of this dress is, and how classic it looks, which can be tailored to suit almost any occasion, be it wedding, valima, reception, registry and so on!

Thank you Curly Fry!  I love that Bina Khan Bride, right down to that gorgeous pearl set, I think I have a new favourite on my own list!

Sunday Afternoon Pretty: Tarun Tahiliani Coture

Tarun Tahiliani Couture

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If you need me, I'll be in bed. See you Monday. Jyothsna Chakravathy via Bollywood Nerd

Worth Noting: More Eye Crack via PakCouture Tumblr

via PakCouture Tumblr

...to save myself from having to to reblog every single picture myself.   And because I am practically in lust with every outfit on this blog. You're welcome.

The Bride's Lookbook: Inspiration for the South Indian Bride via Wedding Vows Magazine

New kid on the block, Wedding Vows magazine is proving to be an amazing source of inspiration for a wide demographic of brides.  I really want to get my hands on a hardcopy of this magazine, since it looks so good from the uploads I am seeing online.  Since their extremely popular inaugural issue featuring Dia Mirza as the covergirl, each subsequent edition has seen some great editorials, all very accessible within the context of a real wedding.  I particularly liked their spring and late summer campaigns, which focused on the South Indian Bride.

All of the above photographs taken by Vishal Kullarwar

All images via Wedding Vows Magazine

Designer Bride: Maria B.'s Latest Designs

I think we all have designers we dream of wearing.  I  have designers whose work feels like if I had the talent and know-how, I would create their works myself, they literally speak exactly for my taste.  Among my top five would definitely be Maria B.  I really like the tone-on-tone muted colour schemes she favours.  In terms of embroidery, she rarely ventures outside of crystal, silver, and goldwork, all of which is treated with a light hand across specific focal points.  I also like that she uses brocade silk a lot, since it's one of my favourite fabrics to wear.  On her own wedding day, she looked lovely, and I think her choice, which was a piece from her own collection, was refined, and she wore it well.   She's also started a line of costume jewellery, and posted some pictures of her work.  Here's a selection of her latest designs via her facebook page:

 

via Maria B. Designs Facebook

The Inspired Bride: Pink and Gold

Winter whites, tempered down to creamy champagne tones and set off with golden pink candle light glow...all it takes to bring a little warmth to a frosty December evening.  Your guests may never want to leave.

L Photographie via Asian Wedding Ideas/ Pink and Gold Cake

via This is Glamorous/ Off-white Anarkali via paklinks.com

Sunday Afternoon Pretty: Her Best Accessory

via Asianaires.com

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Because there's no place an Indian bride doesn't look good. via South Asian Bride Magazine.

Some links I loved this week:

A little overdressed for the wedding, are we?  I can't believe this is for real, except there's a picture to prove it.

I like these...I REALLY like these!!!

This a story...of leis, luaus, star-crossed tiki love, all in the pursuit of photobooth greatness!

I have heard too many nightmare stories of makeup artists who tell brides what to want.  How to stand up to a pushy MUA, without losing your cool.

Tricks of The Trade: Make-up looks from Chanel's Pre-fall 2012 Runway

Karl Lagerfield has never been to India, according to him, "It's much more inspiring not to go to places than to go."  What?  Anyways, he might be right, considering that his Indian look is pulled off with irreverence and faithfulness to the Chanel brand rather than the Indian aesthetic, which may not have been the case, had he designed the collection in India.  All the handwork, embroidery, beading, that these days is exported from Paris to India, because of expense and lack of sources, this time was done in Paris.

The makeup director for Chanel, Peter Philips thought, "black kohl" when Karl Lagerfield said, "Indian decadence."  He created what he calls a "graphic interpretation of an iconic Indian beauty ideal."  The kohl was applied in an almond shape around the eye using cream shadow Illusion D'Ombre in Nirvana and Chanel Le Crayon Eyeliner in Noir.  The rest of the face was left soft with just a touch of Chanel Joue Contraste Blush in Brume D'Or.  Lips were painted with Rouge Coco Shine in Empreinte.  The cheeks and lips were then given highlights in gold tones from the forthcoming limited edition Chanel Palette, Route Des Indes. Fingertips received a gilded treatment in the form of Diwali, a limited edition golden colour expected to be out this summer.

All images via Style.com

p.s. For a cheat sheet on how to pull of this intense eyeliner look, check out the The Beauty Department Blog's guide.

Designer Bride: Karl Lagerfield goes to Bombay and Takes Chanel with Him

So, at first, when it popped up in  my facebook feed via exclusively.in, I thought, "every desi on the planet is going to blog this." Brilliant stroke of social media genius, Karl Lagerfield.  And then I thought, should I blog it?  First I was like, no, because I don't want to make everyone have to look at the same pictures for the tenth (ten hundredth?) time today.  But then, I was like, at least let me look at them, if I like them, I'll blog them, if for no other reason than to add them to my personal plot of cyberspace. And I looked at them.  And at first, I wasn't crazy about them, some of the pieces are kind of weird.  But then the humor of the collection; it's such a Lagerfieldesque take on India.  I love it if for no other reason but that the designer himself makes me laugh, he's so tongue-in-cheek.

The jewellery is kind of wild, with chains in incongruous places, like a nath connected to tikka, and the links between peices of a kundan collar are purposely warped. A jhoomar is reconceived with spikes.  There is the requisite "sari-inspired" piece in cobalt blue, because really, who will go Indian without trying one of those. But there are some showstoppers, like a white trouser suit styled after a sherwani and accessorized with pearls.  And now, ladies, you can unapologetically accessorize a power suit with kundan jewellery and your open-toed gold sandals from your last trip back home.  If someone looks at you strange, they are gauche.  This is the collection Lady Gaga should have worn in India. Without further ado, Chanel Spring 2012 ready-to-wear, by Karl Lagerfield:

All images via style.com