Sunday 16 October 2016

Twirling Away in a Janki Prakash Number!! Twirling Away in a Janki Prakash Number!!



The simplest of detailing can elevate a good ensemble to a divine one. A plummeting cut, some dainty guipure or even the finest understated embellishment can truly make a difference. 









Then comes drapery, the effortlessness in the way the silhouette embodies you and yields heaps of chic-armour and that is, the true distinction between a fine outfit and an EPIC one!




‘Black trumps all’ declared Mademoiselle Chanel!  A cheeky black number for the wardrobe is certainly much-needed wardrobe-arsenal! Now, it is no secret that I am a sucker for a Janki Prakash Design and in this post I am super thrilled to feature another stunner of a design from her label. 


Well, Janki certainly embraced the Chanel-esque spirit and produced a colossal version of the quintessential LBD! Ladies, get ready to unlearn the little-black-dress as you know it!




Kalamkari is no stranger to an Indian wardrobe, we probably have a bazillion kurti’s hidden in the deepest wardrobe treasure troves in an assortment of vivid colours and flamboyant motif prints of all sizes(Guilty as charged :D)! Little would have one imagined it in a skater-midi version of a dress!



Not holding back on her artistic instincts, Janki valiantly triumphed the Kalamkari and transformed it into a sassy piece! With flounce in plenty and sharp cuts and oh-so-well-defined drapery, this dress is certainly an absolute wardrobe favourite of mine, the shameless-glee in all the pics  gives it away, way too easily and you’ve probably gathered it already- I was on cloud-central NINE and  undeniably ecstatic to flaunt and twirl away in the splendid dress!




The ‘tie-me’ knot keeps it playfully feisty and pair it with some heels galore for the dreamy-date night look! Janki endorses sporting feminine-chic and the added waist band in a zig-zag motif print garment not only produces a juxtapose effect but adds much needed structure to the silhouette! An ardent lover of all things silk, Janki has an instant instinctive expertise as to what garment works best for a design and which ones to steer-clear off!



The picturesque settings in Mattencherry, was just the perfect rustic-setting we could have asked for! It was a much-fun shoot day with Mr Anvar Zayan and it was the bluest of doors that first caught our attention and us luck would have it , the rickety building  and adjoining yard was packed with eclectic charm! It almost seemed like, the stars aligned for you Janki;) !!







And it surely felt like the dress electrifyingly came into life and I twirled and twirled, LEFT CENTRAL RIGHT, like there was no-tomorrow as if my life dearly depended on it :D and there was no stopping me!  Ha!





Can’t thank you enough for this EPIC outfit Janki : ) ! I absolutely loved it!



And a little birdie tells me they spotted the diva by the Burj soaking up  all the sun and sand, follow her along @jankiprakash on Instagram and @Sreelakshmi Prakash on facebook to stay tuned on all her exciting adventures!



And special thanks to Anvar for the awesome pictures! Anvar was  the perfect-partner in crime for this project- thank you for all the amazing pictures :) it was an absolutely memorable shoot! To see more of Anvar's remarkable work, head to his page  Tadpol photography or follow him along on IG  @anvarzayan


Until Next Time

Meera









































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Thursday 13 October 2016

Say Hello To Beauty BagMe!! Say Hello To Beauty BagMe!!

Hello,

 With temperatures, settling down it is a much welcome relief from the scorching summer and the exhausting humidity here in Qatar! IAnd needless to say, I am more than psyched to strut in ma’ boots-Oh yes,Let’s bring out the Boots,Baby!



And in other news, Ian turns 4, As clichéd as it sounds, Time surely flies and it has been an absolute joy ride and it fills me with sheer pride to see my little man- all grown up! Little Nevan is making a lot of word-progress, his tiny sputtering is becoming much more sensical!

Now ladies, I love beauty Boxes! Yes, it’s out there and official. I love the air of surprise and the almost Christmassy feel(lol) about them! The newly launched BeautyBagMe range easily sweeps away all my deep wounds from the absence of beauty boxes of any sorts in Qatar all these years! It’s the first ever subscription based range in the country and like other beauty boxes, they provide termed subscriptions and currently offer  a monthly subscription priced  at 125 QR and a  3month subscription  priced at 345QR!












With an extensive offering that includes deluxe samples and full sized products from various brands across the world, the beauty box by BeautyBagMe is certainly attractive! From lush hand creams to Nail Care and False Lashes, they have it all covered! The opportunity to be able to sample new products is what made me a covert for beauty boxes in the first place and there have been times when I was really surprised by a product that I have used via the box and would have easily brushed aside otherwise.



My September goodie bag was an absolute delight! The pouch was filled with awesomeness- With a Be A BombShell Eyeshadow to  ELF  glitter primer, I thoroughly enjoyed all the products!


Be a Bombshell -Undercover Lover Eye Base

Be A Bombshell is an LA based cosmetic company, their products have been really picking up recently and  I was really looking forward to trying out the range and thanks to the box the opportunity came sooner rather than later!!Their Eye Base range has about 6 shades in the eye base range from frisky teal to lovely Nudes. Undecover Lover was the shade that came as part of the box! It’s a very well pigmented bronzy shade and its absolutely perfect as a base shade and a detailed review will be coming up soon, so stay tuned for more;)



L.A Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss in Frisky
Another brand I have been eagerly waiting to get my hands on! And if you are Matte Lover like me, I am sure you will share the excitement! Frisky is a beautiful tomato red shade and if you are a sucker for red lippies, this one is definitely up your alley!

E.L.F Cosmetics Glitter Primer

I have been looking out for a good glitter primer and I am so glad that thie E.L.F Cosmetics glitter primer  came along in the beauty bag.The light wear formula is designed for prolonged longevity!Infused with shea butter and jojoba its extra nourishing!


BioRepublic Green Tea Detox Purifying Fiber mask
Now for some skin TLC the BioRepublic Green Tea Detox mask is divine! Packed  with rich green tea antioxidants,it removes any trace of excess sebum and leaves you skin all glowing!The sheet mask is packed with vitamin E and its well worthy to  be  included in your weekly skin care routine!

Miss Jessie’s MultiCultural Curls
Founded by sisters Miko and Titi Ranch,the brand is quite popular for their hair care products, From  deep conditioning formulas to versatile Styling products, their love for all-things-mane is pretty obvious! The Sample included in the box was for MultiCultural Curls,is claimed to suit for all kinds of hair types and  it’s your perfect partner to add some texture and vroom to your hair styling routine! With soft manageable curls sans the frizz and it has just the perfect amount of superset hold.


La Fresh Travel Lite Facial Cleansing Wipe and Makeup Remover Wipe
What I love most about La Fresh is their dedicated effort to be an environmental friendly brand! They  strive to create products that use less water, reducing the water foot print, that’s the volumes of water consumption and pollution that’s  ‘behind’ our daily consumption. The Makeup Remover wipes and cleansing wipes were part of the box and I was certainly impressed by the product! It gently removed makeup and easily dissolved stubborn makeup! It’s perfect for your bag!





At 125QR the box was definitely value for money. I you would like to read more about the BeautyBoxMe range, head to their site or you can check out their IG page.

Until Next time!


Merin!
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Monday 10 October 2016

  Fall Trend Alert- Military Jackets! Fall Trend Alert- Military Jackets!










Well, We’ve all probably had a love-hate relationship with uniforms of some sort in our lives!But this season, Fashion moguls have yet again bedazzled the masses by bringing back the flamboyance and verve in the form military jackets!



Yes, Ladies – a uniform for the wardrobe is a must have this season! Say good bye to the good old parka that served you well last season and befriend the ‘Diggie Coat ’ and say hello the ‘Army Jacket’.





 And there you are, brushing aside military jackets all together, shaking your head in utter disbelief, but before you writ them off from the face of your wardrobe history, give it the benefit of the doubt!

With velvety sheen,ropey-thread details, brassy buttons and epaulettes galore- get ready to unleash the admiral in you!Creative Genius, Christopher Bailey made headlines (yet again) this season! There was much whimsy and playfulness in his beautifully curated collection! 



His  new home, a 1636 country house, was certainly a strong inspiration and set the scene for his collection that show cased military jackets in all forms,shapes and sizes- From classy khakis to cavalry jackets with strong drummer-boy influence, Burberry’s whiz kid, Bailey artfully portrayed how easily gender fluidity can be achieved!



Whereas Alessandro Michele from Gucci, took to decadent silks and shimmer-glam to re-invent 1940’s war time attire!

As for the styling, You can go crazy (CRAZY) layering, over a dainty shimmery skirt and immerse in chunky knits or perhaps a pin-stripe trouser to keep it mannish! Or Pair it with skinny-ripped or boy-friend jeans for a fashionably casual-look!!




Mango’s Long-military Jacket is all about ‘ATTENTION’( ha! Pun intended ;)) and the Double breasted coat from Zara is absolutely dreamy!




Mango has clearly received the fashion memo, Loud and Clear and they have even brought us magnificent  velvet fine tailored jackets!


Mango Jacket, Uniqlo Tee,
White Jeans  from Zara (similar here) ,
Aldo Shoes( On SALE!!),Gucci Bag

And let’s embrace a bit of Napoleon-charm and make way for some 14th Century Hussar antiquities for a glamourous- everyday! Let the Parisienne way inspire us, To Be Bold and Beautiful, even in the darkest of times!

 Niels Bohr‘ rightly says,'Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.’ 

  


Until Next Time

Meera!

















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Wednesday 5 October 2016

Maybelline Super Stay 14 hour Lipstick Review Maybelline Super Stay 14 hour Lipstick Review







Hello Everyone!

Hope all is well that side! We are slowly settling into the daily grind! Ian has been creatively coming up with  excuses ‘to-not-go-to-school’ and Nevan has been at his hyper-active best!



In today’s Post, I am reviewing the Maybelline Super Stay 14 hour Lipstick Range! I picked them up during a recent drug store visit, the range has been pretty popular and have been around for a few years now! 14 hour wear time was a huge claim and I was intrigued to test it out!

The range comprises of 5 shades that includes peachy corals to bold reds to meet everyone’s fancy. I picked up Eternal Rose and the Always Plum.




The lipsticks are cased in a transparent bottom container that makes it super easy to identify the shade and comes with a smart white cap.The light-weight long-lasting formula has  a matte finish sans the dryness of your typical matte lipsticks. 







Eternal Rose


There is a hint of creamy texture that slowly settles after a few hours of wear time. The highly pigmented formula meant that a little of the product rendered a whole lot of colour to your lips. It gave an opaque finish to my lips. I would recommend prepping your lips before applying the product to prevent the product from sticking to dry flaky bits of your lip.


The lipstick is not transfer proof and easily transfers to your coffee cup! Interestingly it also had a fruity smell, not too overpowering I must add, and it did ease out after a while. It gave me a total wear time of about  7-8 hours ( coffee and hogging involved) and there was minimal fading but it did settle into dry bits. I was a tad  bit disappointed to see the colour getting a bit patchy after a while.


eternal rose

Eternal Rose is a gorgeous rose-pink shade, not too warm nor cool.The colour is super vibrant and I believe it would suit all skin tones!The shade is towards the brighter spectrum but not the neon bright ! I am absolutely in love with this colour and on days when I am consumed by sleepless weariness, a dab of this shade is all I need for an instant uplift!


Always Plum


Always Plum is a lovely plum shade with deep plum tones and mauve undertones. Like Eternal Rose, this shade too should easily suit all skin tones. For reference my skin tone is a  MAC NC42. It’s a perfect fall/winter shade and I am sure to be reaching out to this one often! For a subtle look you can even settle with a single layer of the product and coat up if you are after some drama!



Always Plum

The lipstick is priced at USD 8.99 for 3.3 gms and should be available at a Drugstore/Boots close to you or buy directly from here.



Eternal Rose and Always Plum


If you are looking for a long lasting,daily wear lipstick then I would recommend giving this product a go! Eternal Rose is definitely one of the best pinks I have used!


Have you tried the 14 hours Super stay range? 

 I would love to know your thoughts!

Until Next time,

Merin




















































































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