Origami Pocketed Dress

 I always think twice before buying a dress that's not on sale because I hate repeating outfits and a single piece of clothing, like a dress can only be worn so many ways. Of course you can change your hair, accessories and make up depending on the occasion- but how long can you keep doing that? I personally love layering a dress to add some style factor into it. Anybody can wear a dress, but it's up to you to make it really stand out.

This printed green dress was a great bargain and because it was a little too deep a V- neck to be sporting in broad daylight, I decided to make it quirky by wearing a shirt underneath. I'm a sucker for pinafores and love playing with collared shirts under shift dresses and jumpers. The origami pockets make the dress modern while the print adds a hint of romance. I love the structured silhouette and the fact that I can play with this garment in many ways.

Oh, and yes, I chopped off my layered locks. Just for a change ! What do you guys think?

Dress: Zara, Shirt and bracelets: Mango, Bag:Monsoon, Shoes: Pull and Bear

Travel Diaries- Dubai 2

 As promised, here are some more snapshots of my time spent in Dubai with my best girlfriends. The day started with brunch at Paul's followed by a trip to the mall where one of us got lost.IWe did, of course, find our way back to each other and that story that will be told for years.
Moving on, after splitting up and exploring the sales all the stores had to offer, we had dessert at The Cheesecake factory after waiting  for about 45 minutes to get a table. It was definitely worth the wait. My favorite flavors were the Fresh Banana cream cheesecake and the White Chocolate Raspberry truffle.They were absolutely divine and I highly recommend that you try them when In Dubai Mall. Also, make sure you make a reservation in advance because they are always packed and the waiting list is endless.
On another note,you also get to meet the entire gang in  the pictures below, my best girlfriends, including the one who got lost, who made this trip, the best one of my life.

Shereen (The one who got lost) , Suaad , Sarika (The Bride-to-be), Rachna , Nisha and Sneha 

What's in a Jean?

 One of my biggest fashion fears, is being caught in ill-fitted denims. However well- dressed you are , if your denims don't hug you in the right places, you can end up looking sloppy and un-organised . I'm only talking about skinny jeans here, and all my jeans or trousers need to fit me right , else I don't even bother buying them, however trendy they may be. A lot of women I know can never find a great pai of jeans dye to mass market pattern cutters. They're either:

• Tight at the waist and loose on the ankles
• Loose on the waist and tight on the ankle
• Sagging bottoms
• Fabric that stretch out in 2 washes
• Fake skinny jeans- Jeans that disguise themselves as skinny jeans and are loose at the knee.
• Skinny girls and the never ending search for the perfect pair.

My suggestions to get a great pair of jeans come with years of tried and tested methods. Trust me, All the denim I have now are about 5- 6 years old and they've saved me many "lazy" days.

• Always look for the label on the piece of clothing.I only try on tags that say super skinny. Skinny isn't skinny enough for me. Do not judge the item on the mannequin- Mannequins are sturdier and are built to unrealistic proportions. If it looks great on the mannequin, It might not fit as right on you.
• Stretch the fabric. If the fabric doesn't come back to the original shape immediately, put them back. They're not worth your time or money.
• Waistbands on jeans that are too stretchy or loose and go all the way up that it gives you a wedgie are prone to create an illusion of sagging bottoms with frequent wear. Try it out in the changing room and make sure the waist band is a good fit.
• Always buy denims that are a little tight. They stretch out a little in 3 or four wears and come back to shape after one wash.
• For girls that are super slim or skinny, opt for tricot jeggings or shop from the kids section in the biggest size they have. Always stick to low rise jeans and try to find a tailor who can tuck in seams for you.

A few of my personal favourite brans to purchase well fitted denims are  Mango, Pimkie and Salsa. Mango carries a great range of denims. My favorite are the Alice and Paty fit jeans in Mid and low rise.Pimkie has a great selection of Tricot jeggings that can be mocked as trousers and worn to work. Salsa is a more expensive brand , but great for night outs and parties!

Jeans: Mango, The Alice fit. Bag :Mango

Travel Diaries: Dubai 1

As you all know, I was away on a one week getaway with my girlfriends in Dubai. It was the best week ever and we are all so depressed at the moment and cant stop discussing about the trip. It was me and 6 of my other best gf's whom you may recognize if you follow me on instagram. We stayed at a huge 3 BHK apartment and had an itinerary planned out all the days we were there. Now if I were to post all the pictures from the trip, that would go on and on and some pictures are strictly Adults only. Lol. ( P.S: It was a bachelorette party trip)

Moving on, I've collected a bunch of my favorite moments from the trip that are open to public and although you might not see all the girls in this post, you will be seeing them in the posts that follow!Here are some images from a dinner event at Maya's Dubai where we chatted and played charades over sangria and yummy food!And Yes, these images were taken in the restroom, which was too pretty to pass up.

A Black & White story

 Turning back to the oldest and safest color combination in the books, black and white is, without a doubt a classic, and one of my favorite combinations. You can always add a bit of spunk by pairing a black and white dress with a hot pink clutch or neon accessories. I decided to do an all B&W look, only focusing on oxblood lips and keeping the rest of my look simple. This striped crop top is my new favorite addition into my collection and I love the variated  stripes and the cool, breathable fabrication. I decided to tuck in the tee , because paired with a pep- hem skirt, it only made me look frumpy because of my frame.

On another note, I go on my one week trip to Dubai starting this Wednesday! I am SO excited and cannot wait to post lots of pictures from the trip with my super hot GF’s! I wont be posting for a week, but to keep up with my travel, you can follow me on instagram @askthestylecouncil or like my Facebook page here, where I will be putting up some pictures.

Until then folks,  XX.

Top, Skirt and Bag: Mango, Shoes: Zara, Necklace:H&M

June Favourites

Its been quite a while since I updated you guys on my new fave products. So there are some things I've tried and tested over the past few weeks and the ones featured on this post have made it to my "must have" list for the month.
Let's start off with:
1. Revlon colorburst lip tints: I don't usually wear lipstick to work and now that I'm so used to staining my lips Merlot on date nights and weekends with the girls, I find that I look pale and tired without any color on, the rest of the week. I do not wish to wear garish colors to work and so I've always been on the lookout for long wear tinted lip balm, that moisturizes and tints at the same time. And after trying out many products, I finally have something to shout about! I love these chubby stick replicas that are, to me, even better than the original ones. They are absolutely amazing, give great colour and 6 hours moisture. They even taste and smell yummy, so bonus points for that! My top 3 shades are-
Balm stain in "Honey Douce" 001 which is a petal pink stain and my every day work wear.(Highly recommended).
Laquer Balm in "Ingenue", a high-shine brownish-nude, gloss like finish for when I wear heavier winged liner and want my lips looking neutral but still super shiny.
Balm stain in "Crush Beguin" 005, which I save for my work trips to the mall, and hence it has a merlot tint to it!
I highly recommend these tinted balms if you hate cracking and dry lipstick-ed lips on work days when you really don't have the time for touch ups!

2.Sally Hansen "Big Shiny" topcoat : As much as I love matte nail colors, I have to say that I love glossy nails a little more . There's something very classy and feminine about high shine PVC finish nails on a woman and especially when they reflect natural light. Which is why I love a good top coat. Something that helps my nail color last longer and leaves a lacquer like finish. Enter: Sally Hansen. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Sally Hansen products, they always make an appearance on my product reviews. This topcoat was an impulse buy. I'm not going to lie, and I only picked it up because of the beautiful casing. But ladies, it really is super glossy and dries off in an instant, which is great for a klutz like me who cannot keep her hands steady after a manicure.

3.Rouge Edition Velvet matte lip gloss, Bourjois: This lip color has become the talk of my instagram account. I have a lot of girls asking me about the color I'm wearing and it was always this. I purchased this after a very good friend of mine recommended it to me. She purchased a pink shade and it looked amazing on her as she's quite fair. I loved the pink but it didn't suit my dusky complexion so I turned to my all time favorite - deep red. The color that everyone loves on me is "Grand Cru" 008. This lipstick is the bomb. It makes me feel like a sexy Jessica Rabbit in seconds of application and leaves a velvety-matte finish and OH  MY GOD, I LOVE IT. It is extremely hard to take off with just water and face wash though, but that doesn't bother me one bit. Nothing a good make up remover cant fix.
Note: You cannot wet your lips before application and even the upper part of your lips that tend to get moist due to saliva, has to be completely dry before you apply the product, else the color wont catch because of the consistency. Be patient with it and it will reward you greatly.

4. Victoria's Secret Sensual Blush: A great summer body mist is a must for me after I step out of the shower and now that it's summer, I love fragrances with a hint of floral scent,but not over powering. Which is why I love this pink lotus scented mist by VS.

5. Victoria's Secret Runway Ready Backstage glow: Saving the best for last, as always. This product is a god send girls, trust me. If you guys didn't know, I suffered from mild Lichen Planus when I was younger. It's a skin infection where there's a war going on between my antibodies and my skin cells, which in turn, left horrible marks all over my skin. Although it cleared up very well, I still have a few scars on my legs and wrists.  Bronzer is a must for me when I wear dresses and skirts and I've always been using Inglot's AMC bronzer which didn't completely satisfy me, as  the only color that they made, make my legs look 100 times darker than my actual skin tone. Plus, it was a tiny, palm-sized tube for 10 BD.
I chanced upon the backstage glow bronzer at an event at VS last month and although it didn't look too promising because it came in a generous container and was priced at only 11 BD, I decided to give it a try anyway. Girls, say hello to my bronzer for life! It not only makes my legs look super sexy and radiant, it smells great and gives off a summer tanned- bronze glow! In the previous outfit post of mine, I'm wearing the bronzer , so you can check it out there, or try it out yourself. Now I must warn you that this comes in only one color so it might not work for fair skinned women. But dusky women like me, try it out and let me know your thoughts because I really recommend it and think you will love it too. It's great to carry with you to the beach or simply for a sunny day out in a mini dress. It doesn't rub off that easily and although it may look red upon application, it turns bronze after it dries off and gives you sexy, sun- kissed legs in minutes! It easily washed off in the shower and is super easy "lotion-like" application and is perfect for summer and to even out the skin tone for your legs. (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), but will smear off on white/light colour garments if rubbed against.