Category Archives: Fashion

Guys wearing makeup

Posted on August 31, 2013 | 30 comments

Is it only me or is everyone seeing more and more men wearing make-up these days. I am not talking grooming themselves like shaving or putting on deodorant but literally wearing make-up like nail polish, foundation, bronzer, mascara, concealer and eyeliner. I do understand that mascara and eyeliner on a rocker or Goth but in a normal man this makeup doesn’t quite work for me.

There is a new movement towards men wearing makeup and it’s not just gay men. According to the study, 33 per cent of men use hair removal products, nine per cent use foundation, 11 per cent use bronzer and 10 per cent apply concealer. When it comes to beauty treatments, 29 per cent of men get manicures, 24 per cent have facials, and 13 per cent book in for eyebrow waxing appointments.

Celebrities like Boy George, Seal, Johnny Depp, Marilyn Manson, Russell Brand and many more are embracing these latest traditions as well. It’s fine, as long as it looks natural but some of them are too girly for a man.

My husband won’t even touch the countless bottles of conditioner I give to him, and if I want him to moisturise his skin, I need to do it for him. In winter, I really want him to but he will only do it if I nag him constantly. I am glad because I can’t imagine my husband coming to me and borrowing some concealer to cover a pimple or asked for a foundation before a big interview or party.

Several well-known women’s lines are starting to offer cosmetics just for males. They call concealer “camouflage” and put the stuff in masculine packaging.

So what do you think about it?Do you know a man who uses make up? What do they use? 

You may also like :

*Spring Cleaning and Shopaholic *A guide to culling your closet  *

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Different looks of Prabal Gurung for Target collection

Posted on July 26, 2013 | 8 comments

This article was published in +977 (a Nepalese Lifestyle Magazine in Australia) in June-July 2013 issue.

blog

If you are following the fashion world, I am sure you are familiar with Prabal Gurung,  the Nepalese born American designer who has dressed famous ladies like Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zoe Saldana, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lawrence, Demi Moore, Emma Watson, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried,  and Sarah Jessica Parker to name just  a few.

On February 2013, Prabal Gurung collaborated with Target and launched a collection based  on the theme “LOVE”. The collection was a big hit with some of the favourite pieces running out on  the first day. Unfortunately, Target Australia did not carry the collection, which means we were left out.

Luckily, we managed to purchase a few items from his collection from the USA and have styled our pieces in different looks.

Prabal Gurung For Target Cardigan in Meet the Parents Print

Boho chic: For this look, we paired the cardigan with a black maxi dress and belted it to cinch the waistline. For accessories, we just went with a pair of black sandals, silver necklace and a mini shoulder bag to keep things simple and casual. This look is very bohemian and adding the printed cardigan elevated a simple black maxi dress making it boho chic.

Casual edge: For this particular look, we tried to put together a causal and laid-back style with a bit of an edge.  We simply paired the cardigan with a very basic yellow tank top and black skinny jeans. To add some edge, we accessorised with a pair of studded ankle boots, cross earrings and a big crescent pendant. Again, adding this printed cardigan injects life to this otherwise very plain style.

Girlie girl: For the third look, we tried playing the colour pink and girlie silhouette. We basically put the cardigan buttoned up and tucked inside a flared black skirt. To emphasize the waistline, we used a skinny belt in neon pink which also adds a girlie touch. To make this look even more feminine, we went with a pair of pumps in bubble gum pink and a statement necklace with pink accents. It’s a very fun and girlie look.

Prabal Gurung For Target Dress in Meet the Parents Print

Colour Burst: For the first look, we used some key pieces from Prabal Gurung(PG) collection. We styled this PG black & white floral printed skater dress with PG heels in similar print and PG clutch in lolita print. This cute clutch injects some colour to this otherwise monochromatic outfit; we also added some fun statement necklaces in yellow and pink for that extra punch of colour.

Frosty: We tried adding some glamour to this dress with frosty silver pumps and clutch. For some drama, we added a chunky pearl necklace. This look is perfect for girl’s night out or that romantic dinner date with your partner.

Lady in Red: Adding some structured pieces like this red blazer and wedges gives this dress a very formal and sharp appeal. This outfit can be worn to work or anywhere where you want to polished and formally dressed.

Casual Chic: We did a fun experiment by turning this dress into a flared skirt. For this look, knitwear is worn over the dress making it appear as a skirt. We finished off the look by adding pair of black tights, ankles boots and a scarf in bright yellow colour. This look is very casual, comfortable and chic; great for walking around or running errands.

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*Loving Nepali Culture and traditions *Recycling and reusing in Nepal *Slave of Smartphone and Instant messaging

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Confessions of a Shoeholic

Posted on July 21, 2013 | 6 comments

This article was published in +977 (a Nepalese Lifestyle Magazine in Australia) in June – July 2013 issue.

Confessions of a Shoeholic blogI am sure most women are crazy about shoes and I am not an exception. I am crazy about shoes or should I say addicted to buying them. Owning countless pairs of shoes has not stopped me from looking for more. You always find a nice pair of shoes and how can a girl walk past the shops.

If there were a group call “Shoeholic Anonymous”, I am sure I would need to attend one of their meetings. This is how I would be introducing myself.

“Hi, I am M and I am a Shoeholic. I love shoes more than anything in this world and when I see shoes in a shop’s window, I feel like they are calling me with soft voices saying “Wear me”. I am 4 weeks sober because I have promised my husband that I will not buy another pair of shoes for three months if I was allowed to buy a Prabal Gurung shoes from the USA. I am doing OK so far but it is getting very hard. The worst part is that I can purchase shoes without feeling any guilt.”

Or I can be in denial and never attend these meetings :).

I justify myself that my collection of shoes didn’t happen overnight as I don’t have money like Tamara Ecclestone. It is my collection of over a decade now. And they are from all over the world. Wherever I travel; I try to get at least a pair to add to my collection. I was quite surprised that when we were in Europe, the shoes were cheaper there than in Australian so I had to buy a few pairs for sure. And how can I not mention America where everything is so cheap especially the shoes. I bought so many shoes there because,  when bought one pair, another was just a penny. Can you imagine my reaction when I learned that I was getting the second pair literally for nothing?

Buying a pair of shoes has always had some supernatural effects on me, making me super happy and super confident when I wear them. I believe that shoes also tell a story about the kind of person you are. Feet are our feelings and a good pair of shoes that are well-made, attractive to look at, and comfortable to wear tell the world what you think of yourself all day long.

I might be highly inspired by characters like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City or Rebecca Bloomwood from Confessions of a Shopaholic but I know I live in the real world. I don’t have 100s of pairs of Jimmy Choos or Manolo-Blahniks. Neither will I buy the latest issue of Vogue instead of buying dinner, max out my credit card while shopping or become a shoe lady. But I just love shoes.

I have to tell you a funny incident regarding my shoes. A while ago I was lunching with my friend in a café. That day I was wearing my favourite suede shoes as there was no sign of rain when I left home.

But while we were having lunch, it started to rain cats and dogs. We waited for a while for the rain to stop but it didn’t let up and there was no sign that it was going to stop anytime soon. We were less than 10 minutes away from work and we were getting late so we decided to run from the café to work.

Instead of saving myself from getting wet, I took my jacket out and put it on my head to save my hair and took off my shoes and hide it under the jacket. Then we both ran all the way to work. I was really hoping that no one I knew would recognise me in the street. It was quite embarrassing to run shoeless on the streets but my brand new shoes were made out of suede. If they got wet, I was not sure what would happen to them. When I finally got to the office, my dress was wet but my shoes were dry, not a drop of water on them. I was really happy with myself.

If you really want to start a shoes collection just remember quality over quantity. A quality shoes with quality maintenance should last for years and that is how you build your big shoes collection. As an adult, if you look after your shoes, you can keep them for years.

I am hoping to keep adding new and lovely shoes to my collection and one day will have this lovely collection which I can pass on to my daughter.

If you have watched the movie Sex and the City and remember the scene where Mr Big takes Carrie to their new penthouse and shows her the new walk-in wardrobe, that’s the moment my heart nearly stopped because that is exactly what I want; a walk-in wardrobe with one whole wall just for my lovely shoes.

 I hope one day my dream will come true.

Till then – “If the shoe fits… buy it in every colour.”

P.S: I wrote this article few months ago when I had no idea that I will own my walk in wardrobe soon 🙂

You may also like :

*Loving Nepali Culture and traditions *Recycling and reusing in Nepal *Slave of Smartphone and Instant messaging

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A walk in wardrobe: Dream come true

Posted on July 15, 2013 | 26 comments

I know every girl dreams of having a walk-in wardrobe like Carrie Bradshaw’s from Sex and the City movie but not everyone can have Mr Big in her life who will surprise her with a wardrobe as big as a one bedroom apartment.

Actually, it may not be only a woman’s dream to have a walk-in wardrobe, what about the sneakers wardrobe of Turtle from Entourage. BTW, Entourage is one of my favourite series  :).

I am sure in many of my previous posts I have mentioned how I would love to have a walk-in wardrobe. The fasionista inside me always dreamed of opening a door and seeing all her clothes and shoes nicely hanging from floor to ceiling in a walk in wardrobe.

As you, all know, I have moved recently to a bigger place and one of the things I got in this new place is a walk-in wardrobe. 😀 Initially, it was just a storeroom which was meant to be a storage or study but from the first time I saw this place, I knew what I wanted to do in that space, a walk-in wardrobe.

My hubby was nice enough to let me have my dream so we designed the space and bought wardrobes and finally I have a walk in wardrobe.

I am sure all of us have seen big fancy walk-in wardrobes on TV. Mine is definitely nothing like that so don’t be disappointed when you see it. It’s not the biggest walk-in closet ever or the prettiest of all but it’s certainly my little heaven. Here is a peak.

walk in robe

walk in (2)

walk in (3)

You can imagine my excitement when I walk in every morning to pick my dress and shoes to go to work. It feels like I am shopping from my closet. Before, this wardrobe, I had my clothes overflowing everywhere but now everything is in one place and the feeling is just awesome.   To make it fair, my hubby is getting the whole wardrobe in our main bedroom and I had this slice of heaven to myself. As I said, it is not very big but has enough space for my dresses, shoes, bags and accessories. It took me a while but I have arranged the entire wardrobe.

I have my work clothes in one section while my daily dresses at one end, parties and formal dresses are on one rack and summer dresses on another.

walk in wardrobe (8)

Then all my shoes are nicely displayed in two cupboards so I know what I have. I have talked about my obsession for shoes here and here so you know that I have many pairs of shoes. Now as they are all visible, I know my options upfront. I made sure all the black ones are at one area and all closed shoes are on another. It feels so good to know that I have so many pairs of shoes. Before, most of them were in boxes so I had no idea what I owe.

walk in wardrobe (11)

walk in wardrobe (19)

I also have enough room for my accessories like earrings, belts, hats etc.

walk in wardrobe (15) walk in wardrobe (10)

Except my winter clothes, everything is in this room.

walk in wardrobe (2)

For my winter stuffs, I used the wardrobe in the second bedroom where I have jackets, coats hanging while all my jumpers and sweaters are neatly folded on the shelves. Then I have scarves, gloves, stockings and beanies in drawers.

walk in wardrobe (1)

All my saris and traditional outfits are not used so often so they are in my suitcases. I can’t believe I have so many saris and kurta surwals. Most of them are from my wedding.

walk in wardrobe (14)For my makeup and other accessories, I have a slim boy. Each shelf has different items and now I can match my outfit to different accessories like rings, sun glasses, necklace and lip gloss more quickly.

walk in

I still want to do some more in this room like having a nice carpet and a small ottoman. But for now, I am very happy with what I have.

 “I like my money right where I can see it…hanging in my closet.” —Carrie Bradshaw

So tell me about your wardrobe. What you wish you have?

XOXO

M from Nepaliaustralian

You may also like :

*Spring Cleaning and Shopaholic *A guide to culling your closet

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A guide to culling your closet

Posted on July 10, 2013 | 5 comments

I was reading this post on Vouge the other day and decided to share it will my gals here because I know our wardrobe need makeover from time to time.

 Winter is the perfect time for wardrobe rehab. Out with the old, in with the new.

So makeover your wardrobe with four-step guide.

CULL

1. Set aside pieces you know you won’t wear, whether it be damaged (unrepairable stains, rips), ill-fitting or are too dated.

2. Eliminate double ups:

– If you own numerous striped t-shirts, there’s a good chance you like the one you purchased most recently better than its predecessor. Throw the oldest one out – you’ll always choose to wear the updated version when getting dressed.

3. Adopt the 3-month method:

– If you haven’t worn something for three months but you’re not quite ready to part with it, store it away in a bag. If you haven’t gone back to these pieces three months later, you can be sure that they won’t be missed in the long-term.

4. Determine what needs to be altered, donated to charity or sold. Group them in piles accordingly.

RECYCLE

5. Donate to charity: everything you eliminated in the first step.

6. Hold a clothes swap with friends: sometimes pieces are too good to throw out or they’re simply too recognisable to wear too many times.

– Keep the clothes swap to a small group of close girlfriends (six or less is ideal) with similar or complementary style.

– Set a date and stick to it. Make it a group activity to encourage and motivate each other.

– Discuss how it will work with your friends beforehand to clarity details. Will it be a straight swap system (e.g. clothes for clothes) or will it work on a points system?

– Remember, don’t fall into the trap of coming home with more than you took there. Only take your friend’s pieces if they truly add value to your wardrobe.

Sometimes you have to be ruthless when culling items in your wardrobe.

7. eBay: reserve pricier items or pieces that are still in great condition for eBay.

– Use your phone to create and upload listings to avoid the ‘need to eBay’ pile growing too large.

– Clear photos are essential. Use photo editing apps to optimise your images.

8. Hold a market stall with a friend.

– Be sure to choose an appropriate market for your goods (e.g. fashion-specific markets offer the best customers for those selling pre-loved clothing).

– Promote your market on social media in the weeks leading up to the event.

– If you’re not offering Eftpos facilities, know where the nearest ATM is for customers. They will lose interest if it gets too hard.

– Make your prices reasonable. Remember, a market is saving you the hassle of creating listings on eBay, so the more you sell, the better!

ORGANISE

9. Buy new hangers:

– Count how many pieces you have left. Purchase that many hangers, plus three extra to keep spare.

– Purchasing thicker, wooden hangers will leave less room for clutter in your wardrobe.

10. Section your wardrobe into categories that work best for you:

– This could be by style (coats, shirts, skirts), occasion (weekend, work, evening) or colour.

11. Take note of staple pieces you’re missing, whether it be black jeans or a white button-up blouse.

– Keep a list stored in your phone so you don’t make unnecessary purchases when shopping.

MAINTAIN

12. Self-discipline is key:

– Every time you buy something, throw something out.

– If you’re going to make a purchase, think of what that item is worth replacing. If you can’t think of anything, you don’t really need it.

– Repeat these steps every three months so the task does not become too overwhelming. The more often you cull, the quicker and easier the process will be.

P.S:  Lots of the points in this post is bit hard to follow but I am going to try my best  and see where it leads me.

Please share you own tips here too.

You may also like :

*Spring Cleaning and Shopaholic *My love for shoes  *

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