Precious Jewels

One of the most exciting things about a holiday is holiday shopping. I usually try and dedicate a whole day in my itinerary for shopping. I know this might sound crazy to some people, but it probably stems from my family holidays when I was younger. I have vivid, fond memories of my mum and I going to all pretty boutiques for a good bargain. We almost made it a sort of holiday ritual, to find something special from every place we visited. 

Now, all those years after, I only wish I could go on those random bargain hunts in exotic places with my mother. Whenever I travel alone or with friends, I make it a point to drag them along (even if they don't want to go) to a flee market or independent boutiques.

I managed to get a few gems back from my holiday in Istanbul. 

I am a big fan of dainty jewelry and this bracelet was a gift from my friend. It is meant to be the ever-seeing eye that wards off all evil. I personally don't believe in any of that, but I did think it looked really pretty. We got it from the Grand Bazaar for 10 Turkish Liras after haggling to our hearts' content.

I also got this gorgeous black and green mesh bracelet from a street stall for 5 Turkish Liras.  It looks beautiful when it catches any light and the green beads glisten.

Although I did not technically buy this beautiful gold beaded bracelet in Istanbul, it arrived on the day I was leaving for Istanbul and I wore it throughout my holiday, hence I have included it in this post. It has a colourful tassel that makes it the perfect summer accessory.

Also, in the technical purchase category is this beautiful infinity ring that arrived a day before I left for holiday. I took this along with me too and have been wearing it non-stop since.

My favourite purchases however were these two cocktail rings.

I have very thin fingers and as a result finding a ring that fits me is usually a task.

I found a little boutique that sold silver jewelry and scarves, a combination that was too tempting to resist and hence walked in. Little did I know that I would be walking out with these beautiful rings.

The green agate ring has a very ornate setting while the black onyx ring has an exquisite and detailed setting with rhinestones around it.

I didn't get much from my holiday in Istanbul, but I went down the route of the fewer but better and I think it worked!


Gold Bracelet: Some place Beautiful (link)
Infinity Ring: Etsy (link)

Sunglasses 101

If god told me that I could have only one accessory for the rest of my life and asked me to pick one, I would choose sunglasses.

I say this because I have learnt it the hard way over the years. I come from a country where temperatures drop below 25 degrees very rarely and its sunny all the time. i.e. India. Growing up, I thought sunglasses did not suit me and people stared at me when I wore them. As a result, I avoided wearing and this meant there was a lot of squinting in the sun and terrible headaches involved.

Over time thankfully, I have grown out of my strange, awkward phase and now love sunglasses. I have even managed to collect a decent mix of high street and designer sunglasses.

The ones below are my current favourites.

Bottom Left: Chanel; bottom right: Tom Ford; mid left: Michael Kors; mid right: Ray Ban; top left: ASOS; top right: ASOS

My friends always ask me how I manage to have so many pairs, but the truth is I have collected these pairs over the past five years. Taking good care of my sunglasses has prolonged their life ensuring that I have a variety to choose from.

I often give my friends these three simple tips to protect their sunglasses and although these things might seem like common sense, you might be surprised how more often or not, most of us do the don'ts of this list.

1. Keep you sunglasses in a protective case. Throwing them in the bag without a case is NOT advisable as the lenses will get scratched. Even if they are not expensive sunnies, scratched sunglasses don't look good on anybody!

This Forever 21 pouch (Link), and is inspired by Rebecca Minkoff (Link). I love the Rebecca Minkoff version however I wanted a pouch for my highstreet, inexpensive glasses and hence did not want to spend a lot on the pouch.

2. Do not wear your sunglasses over your head! Yes, this is convenient and can look cool sometimes, but it loosens the hinges of the frame. You don't want your sunglasses drooping over your nose. That look never really works for anyone, unless you are playing the role of a strict grandma in a film!

3. Keep the cleaning cloth that comes with your sunglasses in the case. This might sounds like silly advise, but this cloth helps clean the lenses and is a protective cover for you sunnies in the box. (Yes, I know about the OCD of protection IN the box, but it works!)

I also often get asked how to pick a frame.

I'll be honest, I have a very narrow and small face and often find it hard to find sunglasses that suit me. But, over the years I have leant to make it work for me.

When picking sunglasses always try and stick to classic frames. Trends come and go but frames like Aviators and Wayfarers never go out of style. If you are feeling more glamorous, then big frames could be ideal for you. 

People say that different face shapes should wear certain type of frames and although it makes sense to an extent, I don't think anyone should restrict themselves to rules like that. If you have the confidence to carry off a frame you like, go for it, confidence is after all the ultimate accessory!

Getting Ready for Summer

Summer is finally here! The sun is shining and I couldn't be happier. I decided to pick out a few key pieces of accessories for summer from the wardrobe and in the process I realised that less is more.

Summer in my opinion is all about minimalisation. So this year I decided to have only 3 key accessories  for all of summer and then I feel like, depending on the outfit and occasion I can always add or subtract something to match my outfit.

So here is a list of my summer essential accessories:

1. Ivory/ White coloured Sunglasses

A light coloured sunglasses frame screams summer and looks really chic. Mine are from Michael Kores and have a lovely rose gold detailing at the top rim giving a very on-trend, cat eyed effect.

2. Comfortable Nude peep toes

Nude peep-toes are very versatile and can be dressed up or dressed down very easily. Mine are really comfortable with a very slight wedge heel. I would wear them anywhere and everywhere possible this summer; right from a wedding to a holiday. 

3. A bright coloured Satchel

A satchel is just a perfect bag for summer. It is the perfect size, not too big but can contain everything I need. I personally prefer a bright coloured one as I feel it adds a fun element to my outfits and is quite a statement piece. I got this from a boutique while I was in Spain last year and absolutely love it.

I wore all three of these items to the park yesterday with a lace top and polka dotted jeans. You cant see the nude wedges in the picture but those are the shoes I wore with the outfit.

Hope you are having a good weekend! x

McQueen, I love you.

The title almost gives it away, this post is all about my love for Alexander McQueen. I'll be honest, I have always believed in being trendy and that does not necessarily convert to be branded or brand conscious. When I moved to the UK, I was introduced to a whole new world of brands, brands I did not even know exist, brands I would lust after, the minute I was introduced to them. 

On my very first evening in the UK, my new found friends and I decided to go to the city centre and get familiar with the city. Soon we found ourselves in a mall (come on four girls in a new city; what do you expect?) As soon as we entered, the first store my friend saw was the McQueen store. "Oh I love McQueen.", she gushed. "Really? Me too." the other one added. I instantly saw them bond over something that I dint even comprehend and stood there silently. They looked at me, waiting for me to add my little bit about McQueen, but there was nothing I could add so I simply smiled like a fool and in that moment I knew where this newly founded friendship (4 hours before this incidence) was going.

Flash forward January 2013, yes, I did figure out who Alexander McQueen was, thank you very much. Not just that, but I fell in love with his style. Classic designs with that goth edge. Just perfect for a little punk-chic rebellion every now and again. 

Over time I have collected a few McQueen accessories and love them!

To start off with, I love the green scarf in the picture above. Although it is has the skulls on it, it is very unique and very different to the usual Mcqueen skull pattern. This scarf was from the SS12 collection and is in a jersey material. As it was for spring, the skulls are actually in  floral pattern and hence unless seen carefully virtually invisible. My mum loved the floral pattern on the scarf and almost stole it from me until I told her that the floral pattern was actually skulls. "I don't think I can carry off a skulls look at work." she said quietly, clearly not happy with it. 

The purse is from the SS12 collection as well. This is in a limited edition sky blue variant, although the pattern makes an appearance in all collection in different colours.  The studs give it an edge and the pastel blue makes it look feminine. I simply adore this purse.

Lastly, I own the gold razor double wrap bracelet. However I have tiny wrists and can manage to wrap it around thrice around wrist. "Is that a razor you are wearing on your wrist?", my manager asked me yesterday. "A bit too gothic for you isn't it?", she went on. But thats what I love about it. It is a bit gothic without being too overwhelming and I can wear it practically with outfit and it looks good.

Purse: I couldn't find a link to the blue one but the black one is now available at 55% discount on Outnet! Link

Bracelet: Is now available at 50% of the original price I got it at! How unfair! Link