Hi5 Mondays

Tags

body butter, cut out shoes, DIY, make up, mexican chile, pacifica, spinning

Hello World!

Roller coaster week.. quite weekend… back to the grind is what is on loop for me off late but hey at least the weather is getting better.( Not taking into account the crazy weekend rain) Here are 5 things that made the week worth my time ;P

1. Wet weather calls for a hearty soup. I whipped up a mexican black bean chile, topped with non fat yoghurt and fresh guacamole! Yummy and filling! 2. Smell like a walking coconut mango dessert while giving your skin a hydration boost? Yes please! I love this body butter from Pacifica! 🙂 3. Stockings with cut out shoes look better than I thought:) 4. As my lipstick collection grows, I have been thinking of investing in a little make up bag but then this cute DIY totally changed my mind! 😀 5. Took my first spin class.. and survived! Have a happy week ahead! Breathee!!! 😀

“Shady” business ;)

Tags

avoce, Collaboration, eyewear, sunglasses

Now that the sun makes a more regular appearance, sunglasses are touted to be out full force and hence this well timed rant!:P Is it me or do the vast majority of people seem to really look phenomenal when they have a pair of shades on? Goes without saying that it can take off a few years, hide those dark circles/hangovers and generally give you an air of “hey I am fabulous and I know it!” but unfortunately they fail to have this effect on me.. in fact not only do I look terrible but also like I try too hard( the horror). My squarish face is not forgiving to most frames and I simply have accepted that they are nothing more than a functional tool to keep the sun at bay despite looking bleh! Le sigh!

So imagine my surprise when I was approached by Avoce Eyewear( a really cool NYC start up that sells affordable and stylish sunglasses/ prescription glasses) to be their blog’s march crush – An opportunity to try on a bunch of handpicked frames at the comfort of my home?! Here you can have my money!:P Obviously I did wonder how it would turnout especially because shopping at a store is hard enough for me, but I was in for a surprise! I picked out four pieces to try and the results are here for you to see!

1. This was my favorite – The Gata, a stylish little cat eye which looks great with dresses and more dressier feminine pieces! 

2. I liked Carolina a lot too! This is also a mild cat eye shape but I already own a very similar pair unfortunately but if you don’t, this could a very flattering pick!

3. The Olivia was a surprise. I was expecting to hate this when I saw it because it had a square shape but it was weirdly nice and looked really great with my jeans and tee uniform!

4. The Luciana was the least flattering on me! Made me look like a D list socialite  if you know what I mean but I am pretty sure it would do wonders to a different bone structure! 😀

On the whole the experience was real fun for me and made me feel like I still have hope as far as looking good in sunnies are concerned! 😉 The entire post is here! And am not being plain nice  when I recommend that you give avoce a try( They ship within the US but will accomodate you if you live overseas:D)! If you are lazy like me, it is godsent! 😀 Have a wonderful weekend!

Milkmaid Braid for the meek! :P

If I can do it so can you.. there is still hope for skinny haired folks such as myself to tactfully mask bad hair days in a milk maid braid! A colleague at work was even surprised I, of high ponytails and top knots had taken an ounce of effort to do this! So surprise those around you and more importantly yourself by trying this easy hair do.. it works even without hairspray except there is a higher chance of you looking like you are wearing a bird nest for a hat 😛 Have a wonderful wednesday you’ll!

Hi5 Mondays!

Tags

face mask, macarons, roasted root vegetables, skyn iceland, Spring, tax day

Hi Everyone!

It’s monday! And I am refreshed and ready to hate today 😛 but only before thinking about the good week that went by! ;D

1. Oven roasted root vegetables are such a delicious side you might want to eat it for main course! 🙂 I used parsnips, carrots, beets and turnips but I am pretty sure it would work with just about anything. 2. Hello spring and open shoes! 🙂 Finally some toe cleavage 😛 3. I got my taxes done and over with! Whew!Tax time is the only time I seemingly regret living in NYC 😀4. I am no authority in french desserts but maison de macaron has the best tasting macarons I’ve eaten so far! Try the rose for sure 🙂5. It’s spring already( Just kidding! we have an alleged snow day this week) at least on paper! So I decided to give my skin some extra TLC. I am wary about getting a facial ( it caused me to break out so badly am still reeling) so tried a face mask from Skyn Iceland. I do have to warn you that it is heavy duty stuff and can sting, so exercise some caution, but three days later am still glowing and cant stop touching my nose! 😀Have a wonderful week ahead! Break into smiles for no reason! 🙂 

Closet Diaries: Seriously statement stripes

Tags

bold, Inspiration, OOTD, statement, STRIPES

I have always been the skinny stripe kind of girl! Large bold across-your-chest stripes intimidate me to no end! I usually dismiss their existence with the wave of my arm when I go shopping! But it looks like I have turned, thanks to some samples from a collection at work which I tried on 😀 And now I have been wearing bold statement stripes over the last week without even meaning to! I really don’t know what I was worried about all along! 😉 Which makes me want to ask you’ll – WHO WORE IT BETTER? 😛

Hi5 Mondays!

Tags

converse, green shoes, manicure, mexican food, mini pot pie, Nails, rosebud salve, sofritas

Hello Monday!

We meet again! I hope this time you are nicer to me! If not I guess Ill just have to make do with wallowing in memories from the previous week 😛

1. Baked mini tofu veggie pot pies for the first time! They were so tasty I forgot to take pics and had to do it while eating midway 😉 2. Everyone has items in their wardrobe that they love but forget it’s existence and eventually when they rediscover them, they fall in love all over again! For me it’s these green converse kicks! 😀3. I need another lip balm as much as NY needs another snow storm!:P But I still bought a tin of my favorite Smith’s rosebud salve! Smells divine and does the job! 4. I walked into chipotle with the intention of ordering the usual veggie burrito bowl but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had introduced a new tofu item called Sofritas which I of course tried! It tastes great.. a tad salty by itself but with the bowl it gave it a nice kick! 5. I spent a good 30 mins shaping my nails and painting it a nearly nude pink but of course I ruined it before it dried and now you’ll have to make do with this picture which is version 2.0 of my now DESTROYED manicure! 😛 Rise and attack this week with enthusiasm! 🙂 

Inspiration for the week!

Tags

Inspiration, life, quotes, sunshine, weather

After three days of glorious weather and open toed footwear, the bubble has burst and it’s been cold and windy again:(….I thought this quote was so apt.. now if only I could literally create some sunshine 😛 Have a wonderfully smiley weekend 😀

Viva velvet!

Tags

burgundy, Inspiration, OOTD, sun, Velvet, winter

Hey you’ll, anyone missed me on here? I sure hope so! Unfortunately a nasty cold got me down over the weekend and all I’ve been doing is sleeping and drinking warm liquids, but fortunately the weather has turned and with it my health has gotten better too!:) To celebrate 2 days of lovely weather here’s an outfit post! Despite velvet not being the most flattering material I decided to throw caution to the winds and buy a pencil skirt.. now you tell me if my risk paid off or if it has to go right back to the store ! 😛

Oatmeal Pseudo Muffins! ;)

Tags

breakfast, healthy, oatmeal muffins, recipe

I had no idea so many of you’ll would want to know the recipe for the oatmeal muffins I posted this week on Hi5 Mondays! I am surprised to say the least simply because it was more of a DIY experiment which actually turned out fine!:P So I’ll let you in on it with utmost pleasure.. again it is totally DIY so feel free to add and remove whatever you would like… and make it more you!

Technically this isn’t a real muffin as it uses no flour, eggs, oil and as a result has no crust of any kind. It is simply a lazy woman’s attempt at healthy eating and portion control with leftover pantry ingredients! The bonus is it is lower cal than a regular muffin, a good alternative to baked oatmeal when you have no eggs, and you can totally toss it in a ziplock bag to eat on the go!

IngredientsOld fashion Oats – 1 cup

Milk – 1 1/2 cups( I used almond milk but anything should be good)

Apples; cored and peeled – 1 cup( I used Gala but you could use granny smith for a more tart taste)

Cinnamon – to taste ( I usually go all out here)

Nutmeg – A pinch( This can be overwhelming so exercise caution)

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Dried cranberries/ Raisins – Handful

Slivered almonds – To garnish

Sweetener of choice – To taste.. I used agave nectar, but maple syrup, honey or brown sugar should work just as well. I used about 2 tblspoons but then again I like them on the less sweet side. Also you can always drizzle more of your sweetener when the muffins are semi warm. Do not forget that cranberries also add sweetness so be wise! Cloyingly sweet muffins for breakfast is a no go. 😛

Vanilla bean extract/ vanilla essence – 1 tsp

A pinch of salt

Note: I made mine without any oil or butter. The result is a slightly sticky muffin. If you would like a more true to the name muffin, feel free to add 2 tblspoons of butter to the mixture or as suited. You can also replace half the portion of oats with half a cup of flour and two eggs to make it a good ol’ muffin! ( yawn)

Now that you have everything, its pretty simple to whip up. Pour the milk into a mixing bowl and add the cup of oats to it along with the vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg. Give it a quick mix and let it sit for a good 30 mins; the oats must have soaked a good mount of milk at this point. Stir in the sugar, salt,baking powder and cranberries. Add in the chopped apples and mix until it has a chunky yet gooey consistency.  Scoop the mixture into cupcake/ muffin foil liners. Use slivered almonds or chopped nuts to garnish each muffin.. spray olive oil over if required. I skipped this and instead chose to drizzle some agave nectar. Line these up in a baking tray and stick it in the oven at 350F for 20- 30 mins. Make sure the nuts are nicely browned and let it sit in the cooling rack. Enjoy your guilt free muffin.

Portion size: My mix fit in 6 medium size muffin cups – 1 cup a day for breakfast 😛 ( sunday is cheat day remember ) Let me know if any of you try these and if it was edible! That would inspire me to write another recipe! 😉 Happy weekend!

Lust List: Cool Cuffs

Tags

ear cuffs, lust list, statement jewellery, trend

While last season was all about cuffed pants( But I shall continue to wear them anyway.. ha!) this one’s all about the ear cuff! A single piece of jewelry that can totally transform your look….taking you from mehh to holy molly! It would also be the perfect way to detract attention from a sleepy early morning face, acne scars, and a make up free face which makes this high priority on my lust list! 😉 Happy hump day!