09/03/13

Know how & what to pick: Bubble Tea

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Due to experience, I know how hard it is for one to go out with friends when trying to eat healthily. Although one most certainly needs a lot of will power in order to maintain their “good food” streak, one must also realise that there are always alternative options. You have to look carefully, read labels and be creative in order to stay on it, but you have to enjoy yourself at the same time! Starbucks for example, (the London one, at least) sells these incredible gluten-free chocolate brownies…I can guarantee that there is absolutely no difference in taste, but is a thousand times better for you than a flour infested one!

Over the past year, especially in my life/social circle, Bubble Tea has been the new “it” drink. I totally get it, considering how flavourful it is, but at the same time I get how unhealthy the actual liquid content of it is. The tapioca balls (aka the “bubbles”) on the other hand, are completely fine as they are in fact vegetables. Anyway, with all the added powders and sugars, I knew that I couldn’t continually drink this drink, but at the same time I absolutely wasn’t going to give it up, so my best friend and I knew we needed to get creative. We began ordering jasmine, with no cream and no sugar, ultimately being just plain cold jasmine tea with double tapioca!

It’s delicious, it’s satisfying, and the tapioca balls make it just sweet enough. When deserving of a treat, add an extra topping and it’s absolutely perfect!

I urge anyone who is trying to change their eating habits to just get creative and know that there are ways of staying healthy without over indulging, or indulging in the wrong things. Order jasmine with no cream, no sugar with double tapioca next time you go to Bubbleology (where I usually get mine) and leave a comment letting me know your thoughts.

(PS My favourite places to get Bubble Tea from, in London are Bubbleology and Chatime).

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04/10/12

Wish List: Top 3

As you can imagine, my wish list consists of many more items than just the ones above. But, rather than creating a 10 page collage containing every-single item, I’ve decided to pick and share my top 3 picks. The ones I am currently craving. As soon as I laid eyes on Liberty Ross wearing the Givenchy Tee (1), I fell in love (picture below). The way she styles this look with her red Céline bag allows her to appear so effortlessly cool!

My second item, the Valentino flats are to die for. I would style them with black opaque tights, an LBD and an oversized coat for a night look – or even, a plain white tee and a simple black skirt. My third item is perfect in my eyes. I love a good t-shirt dress, I love Isabel Marant and I love the whole western look to her current collection; therefore it embodies it all for me.

Which items are your favourite and how would you style them?

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29/07/12

An Utter Surprise: Paris Couture Week 2012

All these photos from Paris Couture Week were taken by chance. Upon arrival to Paris, though fully aware it was Paris Couture Week, never in a million years did I think that I would be able to (somewhat) experience the fun and fast-paced life of one of fashions craziest weeks. By luck, my friends and I got off at the underground stop in front of the Hotel de Crillon. While walking out of the underground we were immediately aware of the hustle and bustle around us. Pedestrians and photographers running from one end of the street to the other in order to catch a glimpse of one of their fashion icons or snap exclusive pictures of the likes of Anna Wintour or Grace Coddington. At first, we were completely unaware of the scene we had just stumbled upon, but as we walked closer to the Hotel, photographers zoomed passed us yelling: “Mira! Mira!” And there stood Miroslava Duma. We were shocked, yet overjoyed that we had miraculously come across such a site. After ten minutes of discussing our luck, a fleet of “fashion royalty” began emerging from the Crillon. Thank God one of my friends had a camera in tow! Here are some pictures we were able to offhandedly snap.

(Love this models support for Syria!)

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28/05/12

Neon Yellow VANS

As you’ve probably noticed, I have a thing for neon yellow shoes. Out of all the season’s hottest trends, neon has definitely been the most prominent trend in my wardrobe – especially now in this gorgeous London weather. A friend of mine told me about these super cool VANS and both of us were instantly dying to own them. After not having found them in the first few shops (due to the fact that they were all sold out), we were finally lucky enough to find the last two pairs at the VANS store in Westfield!

What do you guys think?

(Photo credit to Jessica Haghani)

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27/05/12

Compilation of Inspiration

To start off the week, I thought I’d share a bit of my most recent compilation of inspiration. Browsing through my favourite blogs, I love dragging my favourite shots to my desktop so that I always have them somewhere to glance back at when I’m in need of a creative boost. A few of my favourite blogs include: Jak & Jill, The Man Repeller, The Blonde Salad and The Sartorialist, and all of the photos shared above are from one of these blogs.

Be inspired….Hope you all have a great week!

Photo links: 1,2,3,4,5

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03/05/12

Close up: Details

Turquoise butterfly ring & Proenza Schouler PS11 shoulder bag

This week I’ve been snapping pictures of random little details here and there. From the spiky studs on my purple Louboutin flats, to the gorgeous green texture on the ‘Maya N.’ clutch, below – I love all the details I captured and wanted to share them with you!

Cute turquoise flip-flop ring

Purple Louboutin studded flats

Maya N. Clutch - Obsessed with the colour and texture

Gorgeous bejewelled collar on 3.1 Philip Lim Blouse

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29/04/12

Gluten-free goodies: Victoria Sponge Cupcakes

Ever since I’ve stopped eating gluten, finding and tackling the perfect gluten-free dessert has been both a fun and interesting challenge. Of course, there is always the classic flour less chocolate cake, but recently my mom and I have been constantly trying to come up with new and different ideas beyond what we knew. This past weekend a friend of my mom’s who is both an amazing chef and baker, perfected these gluten-free victoria sponge cupcakes. Absolutely delicious and the perfect treat! Even though these cupcakes aren’t sugar-free, I find it’s always important to try and “minimise the damage” – we all have cravings here and there, and we all want to enjoy eating, but, for me it is as important to take care of our bodies as much as we can while doing so! The taste is truly the same, if not better, than any flour infested pastry and I therefore urge each and everyone of you to try making these cupcakes when the occasion arises.

In order to make 24 cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients:

- 8 eggs
- 440 g caster sugar
- 440g gluten free plain flour
- 440g butter
- 4 teaspoons of gluten free baking powder

In order to make the butter icing, you will need the following:

- 500g icing sugar
- 250g butter

And the instructions are as follow:

1. Add the flour and baking powder in small portions alternating with the eggs, keep going until all eggs and flour are well mixed in.

2. Make sure that the mixture is completely smooth.

3. Put the cupcake cups in a cup cake tin, and fill each cup half way.

4. Then, put the tin in the oven which should be preheated to 200 degrees centigrade.

5. Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes.

6. In a mixer using the paddle attachement mix the sugar and butter till it forms a smooth paste.

7. Then, add a little water in order to make the process of spreading the icing, easier.

8. Once cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool.

9. Once they are cool spread the icing on top and freely decorate with sprinkles and glitter.

Enjoy!

Special thanks to Lady Marmalade.

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27/04/12

Currently Obsessed: Isabel Marant Sneakers

I am currently in love with these Isabel Marant wedged sneakers. From celebrities to fashion mavens, everyone owns a different model of this shoe – whether they are the velcro high tops or the lower lace ups. Not only will these shoes complete an outfit, but they are extremely comfortable (perfect for shopping around NYC ;) ) The hidden wedge inside the shoe makes this shoe a perfect mix for a girl who loves a fresh pair of Nikes as well as a beautiful pair of wedges. If that’s the case, then these are most definitely for YOU. If you were able to snag a pair of these before they completely sold out (literally) EVERYWHERE – you are extremely lucky! I’m super excited to see the upcoming variations of these must-have sneakers!

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26/04/12

The Purple Party

Even though I never really throw many parties of my own, when the occasion does come along I’ve always been interested in finding a neat, simple and fun theme to work with. I feel like whenever a party is themed, guests arrive already in a fun and pleasurable party mood. This week my mom and a friend of hers threw a joint birthday party. She told me that the theme was a ‘Purple Party’. I didn’t think much of it and I didn’t think it was anything special. A Purple Party wasn’t a theme I’d seen anyone else use – but, when the day came I walked into the room and loved what I saw. I thought everything was so simple, yet so well done. There was a purple candy counter (including only purple M&Ms and jelly beans) with purple paper bags to match. Purple pencils. Purple candles, flowers and butterflies everywhere. Purple balloons – and even boxes of purple sunglasses, necklaces and pashminas for people to take and enjoy (not pictured). Everyone came dressed either in purple from head-to-toe, or added just a hint of purple to their outfits. Everyone and everything looked so gorgeous!

I have never been fond of purple, but after this event it really has grown on me. A simple, colored theme (not including black and/or white) for a party sounds so fantastic and fun to me now. So classy, simple and beautiful.
If you are throwing party and need a simple theme – I highly suggest picking a fun colour and going all out with it!

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29/03/12

DK01 PNKYRNG Collection

The moment I layed eyes on the DK01 PNKYRNG collection, I fell in love. I didn’t know anything about Dina Kamal’s pinky ring collection before stopping by to check them out last Saturday. I had never consciously seen a ring from the collection before, but my mom kept telling me how cool and trendy they were – definitely enough to get me excited. Dina Kamal is both an architect and designer, therefore the rings not only embody unique style and attitude, but a contemporary architectural perspective.

Once Dina started unravelling the bags which held the rings, she began telling us her inspiration behind the collection. A truly intriguing and fascinating concept. One that made my love for the collection grow even more.

The rings are so simple, yet so incredibly unique and elaborate. Different materials, different textures and different designs – each and every ring was so attractive. I wasn’t carrying my camera on that day, but was able to take a few snaps on my iPhone!

Here is what it says on Dina’s website – clearly stating where her inspiration for this collection came from:

“Throughout history, the pinky ring, signet ring, or chevaliere, has implied status, style, and attitude. From the Pharaohs to ancient Rome where royalty and clergy had their pinky rings embossed with symbols and seals, to dandies, and mafia, to the glamorous women of the 1930s who defined their avant-garde attitudes through fashion, to the silver screen icons, movie, jazz, rock, hip-hop and rap stars, the pinky ring is – and always has been – shorthand for distinction, style and attitude. In a contemporary style, and from an architect’s perspective, the DK01 PNKYRNG Collection re-defines the shape of the signet ring and sets a revival for the pinky ring or chevalière.”

When Dina was telling us about the roots and the research and the thought behind the entire collection, I was really drawn in even further.

I also love Katy Perry’s pink diamond encrusted pinky ring – so cool!

Check out the DK01 Facebook and Twitter pages and let me know what you all think!

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