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Wednesday 29 January 2014

Rocker Chic

2 weeks ago I started this style guidance series, If you want to know how to achieve TomBoy Chic or Boho Chic the words are hyper-linked to the articles. I think since I post this series every Thursday, we can call it Thursday chic or something I am not sure though. Today's post is the rocker chic, being a rock fan and a former metal head groupie I know what I am talking about. This look has been adopted by lots of celebrities over different eras, such as Avril Lavigne and Taylor Momsen. Celebs like Miley Cyrus, Kate Moss and Gwen Stephani have tried their luck with rocker chic. I usually just mention Clothing, shoes and accessories, however this time I need to mention a little bit of make up because it's rocker chic. Here the 5 things to start with your rocker chic look.

Concert T-shirts

I have mentioned them in the TomBoy Chic and I personally love them. Rock chic first  rule is a concert t-shirt, even if you wear it on a floral skirt you will end up looking edgy and cool. I am not sure if you can get it easily in Egypt, you can print your favorite band logo or album cover on a T-shirt.

Skinny Jeans
If you are going for the rock edgy chic, your jeans needs to be the tightest, preferably darker washes and preferably ripped. This one from H&M is really rocker like with it's leathery looking. The more ripped and dark you jeans are, the more rock chic you are.

Biker Jacket 

They keep you warm, they are so trendy and you can throw them on practically anything to look edgy. Personally I have never been convinced that leather jackets can come in any colors but black, all that mint and purple stuff are not for me. When it comes to rock chic, black is your best friend. A red leather jacket might have been hot if we were in the 90's.  

Dark Makeup
You don't have to go all panda eyes like Taylor Momsen, unless you like that look of course. You can pull off the best beauty trends and still looking edgy and hard rock. Smokey eyes, winged eyeliner, dark lipstick, dark nail polish and crazy mascara. Rock chic looks can pull off dark lips and dark eyes, you can of course go dark on only one side. 

Studded boots
Personally I am the kind of girl who likes a pair of plain combat boots, however my rock chic flame has been put out a little bit. I love how studs and spikes are so in right now, because they have always been a definition of rock chic. You can get variety of spikes and studs on your dark boots, you can go girly with these heeled ones from Nine West and Charlotte Russe, or you can go a little bit more practical with these from Aldo and Burberry. 

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Revlon Color Stay 16 hours eye shadow quad Review

Today I am reviewing the Revlon Color Stay 16 hours eye shadow quad.  Revlon has several versions, I have this one which is 520 brazen. This is how it looked like when I first got it. The picture is not mine of course because mine is all used up. This was one of the products in the starter makeup kit. I have had this a while and I thought I would give you a little review of is it all about. It has 4 shimmery colors in these squares, and this little sponge eye applicator. It's @ 130 EGP.

Here are the swatches for 3 of the colors, the 4th color unfortunately is no longer with us. It was a dark brown color.

The Good:
These colors have divine Pigmentation, really strong. Look at the swatches, I just touched the shadows and BAM instant strong color. The variety of colors is great to create many looks on its own or with the assistance of external eye shadows. This quad has colors than can take a look from day to night very easily.  I also discovered that applying these shadows with damp brush make the colors pop even more and stay on.  The shadows are very soft, I haven’t had any fall outs with them. Never have I ever had these shadows on and went home with them fading, I am not sure about 16 hours but I can grantee at 10 hours. There is this little guide to where to put the shades on the back of the package, which is great for beginners and it creates a really pretty look.

The Bad:
As you can see I have lost two shadows of the quad in a year, which means that it’s not the best when it comes to hectic traveling. Personally I buy these small quads to keep in my hand bag for work or traveling and this one failed in standing that test.

The Ugly:
The Pan itself that holds the shadows suddenly got detached from the packaging itself, which eventually caused me losing two shades. When I looked up the pan I have found that it wasn’t installed strong enough. Now I have a little fantastic quad that is travel sensitive as you can see.


For me the product quality is too good for this packaging. If I was Revlon I would change the packaging.
It’s not a repurchase for me, because I like my little quad to be travel friendly.
I would recommend it for anybody who is starting with makeup, or someone who is really careful with their makeup, or someone who doesn't move their makeup out of their vanity a lot. 

Thursday 23 January 2014

Boho chic

I have started this little style posts series last week. Basically I pick a certain style and mention what are the style essentials you need to pull off that look. The first thing I talked about was TomBoy Chic. This week I am taking you on a different boat, the bohemian chic. It started in the 70's with the hippies and came back in the 2000's, many of my favorite style icons follow boho chic. The Olsen twins are the queens of boho chic, it's really effortless and it can be really feminine or edgy. I think if you are looking for a unique look, you can go with boho chic. Here are the 7 things you need to get that boho chic.

Sun dresses
Just looking at them makes me feel relaxed. Printed flowy dresses are so boho, that peasant girl look is achieved easily with these dresses. You can find them in silk, cotton or linen, they are so comfortable and I really never recall a time where sun dresses weren't wearable because they are timeless. They can be dressed up or down, go with tribal and floral prints. 

Gladiator Sandals 
Gladiators make feet feel safe and able to breathe, they are very simple and down to earth. The boho look is simple so choosing something like the Payless or New Look sandals is basic boho. If you want to amplify the boho look go with tribal beading like this one from Nine West. Remember to always keep it in the warm neutral color range (Blacks, Browns, Camels, Nudes, Blues, etc...).

Stacked Jewelry
Think Phoebe Buffet, remember how she used to stack all her rings. A real boho chic never have diamonds in her jewelry, instead go with silver and gold. Beads and gemstones are boho's best friends, they look earthy and ethnic. Stack up some friendship bracelets with meaningful charms like this one from GUESS.

Tunics
In Egypt these are so easy to find, you can find many bedouin and folkloric handmade embroidery tunics in any handmade shop. If you are not lucky enough to live in an arab country, you can still find linen or silk flowy tunic. They speak of comfort and simplicity, this one from Micheal Kors is really feminine and boho. There is a common misconception that tunics have to be long sleeved, this one from H&M is an example of the opposite with these tribal embroidery on shoulders.

Printed Oversized Scarf 
Don't you just love these, I have like 10? These are just basic for a boho look, you just throw it on a simple dress or tunic and BAM boho style. They are really nice if you like to cover up arms or cleavage, or just for styling, They are a part of the Olsen signature look. You can add your own twist on it, like they one with pumpums from Old Navy.

 Signature Vest
As you can see ANY vest can be incorporated in a boho look, given the fact you are wearing another piece like a scarf or a tunic or a dress. On top of the list are faux fur, denim, embroidery and leather. You may think that a vest won't do that much for your look, I advice you to look up Olsen twins with their fur vest over simple tops and you will change your mind. 

Neutral Ankle Booties
Fall or Winter these are saviors, you can always depend on a neutral ankle booties to pull off a bohemian look. No combat boots, think cowboy ankle booties like this one from GUESS or simple suede booties like this one from Pull & Bear leather also works very well. Your ankle booties should either be flat or with a very small comfortable heels. 

   

Monday 20 January 2014

Cairo's Fashion Night 3

I was invited to attend Cairo's Fashion Night 3 as a fashion writer, If you want to read more about the event  Click Here for the Scoop. The event took place on January 17th and 18th, the first day was a press conference and a bazaar then the second day was only a bazaar. This year it was in Sameramis IC in garden city, Cairo. I attended the press conference where I had the chance to interview the amazing Elisa Sednaoui, also Click Here to read my interview with her. It was a great day, and I had some fun. This is a picture based post, so I hope you enjoy it and feel like you had a little tour around the Cairo's Fashion Night yourself.

This poster was on the gates of the pavilion hall, the one where the event took place. I loved the idea. 
I was looking around when I found these awesome pieces, I shook hands with the designer. She introduced herself as Malak, when I looked at the bags and read Malak El Ezzawy I screamed like a little girl "Oh My God Malak El Ezzawy, I love you". Right there and then I thought I ruined my chances as a blogger and as a human being of any contact with here, however she was so kind with a smile and a thank you. I ended up taking pictures of the collection and this Awesome Awesome cocktail dress.
The friendly Yara El Shenawy told me all about the Fair Trade Egypt concept. Basically these awesome products you see are very affordable yet ethnic and handmade, why? because they were made by Egyptians from various villages. I had the urge to shop, however I was there on business so I am totally going to pay them a visit real soon in their Maadi branch. Each piece you buy, the price tag has the story of the person who made it. 
Al Haramlek is a brand for home accessories and women's wear. They are very ethnic and I felt also I actually told them that they reminded me of Hareem Al Sultan Series -not that I actually watch it-
I didn't really talk to Al Markaz booth, however this smart take on the bag really attracted me. I think that this tote will look really cute on casual days. 
Coterique had an awesome set-up as you can see, it looked very attractive and different than anything in the bazaar. 
This heavy Swarovski collection was in the MINT booth. They look really expensive and chic.
This is the tollie booth, the designer told me that 90% of the her work is hand made by her. 
Then Susan Sabet, Editor and Chief briefed us about the event and introduced the fabulous Elisa Sednaoui.
The beautiful Elisa Sednaoui talked about how happy she is to join the event and explained all about her new foundation. 
Then I took this quick selfie with the poster at the gate before leaving. 









Saturday 18 January 2014

Ciaté Colorfoil Nail kit review

I got the beautiful creative Colorfoil nail kit from Ciate, Click here to read all about the collection. I have been experimenting with it for quite a while now, different patterns and base coats. I have also made a little usage guide right here. I am not that much of a nail person, however I have to say this kit is so much fun. This is one of the looks that I have made using the base coat “Pepperminty” that came with the kit and the Golden foil sheet, the look is inspired by Dulce & Gabanna S/S 2014. I decided to have a little review on it.

The Good:
It’s very creative and versatile, you can have everything on your nails from runway chic to 70’s disco crazy. The quality of the nail polish and the kit from Ciate is unquestionable. I love that you can use any base coat, makes it much more interesting with different colors underneath. 

The Bad:
I thought that the nail wheel are fake nails to apply over your nails, little that I know they are not. They are just some gorgeous plastic nails of the same size that are actually useless. That was kind of a disappointment.
 
The Ugly:
If you forget to apply the clear nail polish, the glue will collect all the dust in the world on your nails. Without clear nail polish, your nails will look horrible within 2-3 hours. You need to reapply your clear nail polish everyday if you want your nail art to stay more than one day, which is not practical at all.


It is a fun one time purchase, to jazz up any dull outfit you have. If you are big on nails person or not, you will enjoy it. It does require some maintenance though.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

The TomBoy chic

So this is like a new little series I am planning to start here on my blog. I feel like most of the time I choose what's best of me or what goes well with my personal style, mostly that would leave some people out.  The first thing I am featuring is Tom Boy, I was a tom boy girl for a good amount of time in my teenage years. It can be chic and very well put together. I think it's great to go with tomboy chic if you are looking to change things a little bit. It's great also for not so girly girls to know how to put together outfits where they can feel comfortable in their own skin. This is a strict fashion post, do tell me if you me to add some hair & makeup for tomboy looks. Here are the 5 things you can do to pull off TomBoy chic.

Boyfriend Jeans
They were they hottest thing last summer and runways say that they will be hot at least till next season. The great thing about boyfriend jeans is that they are really comfy. Most of the time they are distressed, however you can get your hands on a regular pair like this H&M one. Put your own twist on it and be creative, I really love this Pull & Bear one because it has checkered fabric underneath the ripped areas.

Parka Jacket
The whole military camouflage trend is so in right now, for non political reasons. Parka Jackets are a great way to stay warm and fuzzy. Usually Parka are hooded with a trim line of fur, always go faux ofcourse. This one by New Look is the typical Parka. You can go for an even more simple look with something like the  H&M parks or amplify the look with different fabric like this one from Forever 21.

Oversized Jumpers
Weather it's knit or cotton, an oversized jumper is a must to pull off that tomboy look. Other than being in right now, an oversized jumper is all about coziness and comfort. The stripped one from H&M does really say tomboy, narrow strips scream tomboy. Neutral colors and monochromatic tones are best, also having a cartoon character or a brand name is great way to add some boyish charm to the outfit.

Band T-shirts

These are a personal favorite, I think they are super stylish, they look hard core and they add a personal touch to your style. You can find a guy easily wearing his favorite band t-shirt, however it would be really rare to find a girl doing so. It's so unique and stylish, it's truly tomboy. Here I have simply listed my favorite bands.

Sneakers


Last but not least, a pair of flat sneakers. Hightop sneakers like this one from forever 21 are a great way to unleash the tomboy within. Converse and vans are the official sponsor of any casual / boyish look. Go with monochromatic and neutral colors and avoid any bright colors. No true tomboy will ever wear heels so forget the wedge sneakers, they aren't a good idea anyway. 

Victoria's secret Ultimate Studio Makeup Kit lip colors swatches

I have been enjoying this versatile palette from VS for quite a while now, and even though I did a first impression / review back in May I feel like I should swatch it. I posted a little swatch review for the eye shadows , click here to see all the colors. The kit has 10 lip colors, 5 lip glosses and 5 lipsticks. Today I am swatching all the lip colors both on my lips and on tissue. This is a picture based review, Each horizontal line will be swatches on its own, meaning one lip gloss and one lipstick at a time. I am not writing a lot in this blog spot which is something new for me so I hope you enjoy it. Do tell me if you like more swatches like this. First here is the lips palette.


First line
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Right
Second Line
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Third Line
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Fourth Line
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Fifth & final line
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PS. I think my mom believes that I lost my mind. In the last 15 minutes I have put on 10 different colors on my lips just to take a picture of each :D 





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