August | 2013 | the asian fashion journal

Aug 07 2013

Wedding Weds: How to decorate a shop bought wedding cake

7th August 2013

For my second Wedding Weds I’m sharing some ideas on how to decorate a shop bought wedding cake. Waitrose and M&S have a range of plain wedding cakes that you can order in different colours that with a little imagination and basic d.i.y can transform a plain cake into something WOW.

RIBBONS & CAKE TOPPERS

Ribbons and Cake Toppers are super simple and inexpensive ways to decorate your cake

The Mr & Mrs Adams cake Toppers is from Miss Cake via Not on the High St, Etsy.

FRESH FLOWERS

Real Flowers are a lovely way to decorate your cake. I love it when flowers are layered between the cake tiers. You can either d.i.y it using an oasis or if its too tricky see if you’re florist will do it for you. Petals sprinkled over the cake can be just as pretty.

CAKE STANDS

Fancy cake stands look fantastic but can be expensive to hire for some d.i.y alternatives check out my d.i.y cake stand made out of a lampshade here & Martha Stewarts cake stand tutorial here. Oh How I love Martha Stewart weddings! And how beautiful is the Owl cake stand by Green Wedding Shoes see her fab guide here.

SUGAR FLOWER SPRAY

Sugar Flower Spray placed on top or cascading down a cake has a pretty vintage feel. You can buy spray online from Cakes For All UK, Rainbow Sugar Craft and my favourite sugar flower sprays are from Cat’s Whiskers Cake Design via Not On the High St.

And if you’re pockets are a little deeper I’ve got some great suppliers to share with you in post coming up. Their skills and creative flair will make your jaws drop.

Images: Pinterest, Etsy, Not On The High St

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Tagged budget, cheap, d.i.y, decor, flower, receptions, ribbon, spray, stands, sugar, toppers, vintage, wedding cakes

Aug 06 2013

India Bridal Fashion Week: Part 3: Ardash Gill, Suneet Varma & Tarun Tahiliani

6th August 2013

Here’s my last part of my India Bridal Fashion Week coverage

Day 5: Ardash Gill & Suneet Varma

Ardash Gill

I don’t mind a bit of bling and I don’t mind loud colours but when they are combined it’s just a little too much for me! and Ardash Gill’s was just that! bold colours of fushias, bottle greens, bright oranges, deep blues met with a whole lot of metallic embellishment. It wasn’t for me but what do you think?

The jacket over sari trend continues here. I think I may have to a trend report on IBFW and PCJ Dehli Couture Week

Suneet Varma

Suneet Varma’s Pompeii inspired collection came with a heavy dose of styling but looking beyond the headpieces, armlets and collar necklaces there were some stunning pieces on show. Suneet reinvented the traditional silhouette in this collection, saris, blouses, pants, lenghas were all blended together resulting in some exciting fresh shapes. Blouses especially were given centre stage- there were beautiful macrame examples, corset styles and interesting cut outs. It was a fab collection and there were plenty of pieces for the modern bride.

Beautiful flocked velvet & print

Whites and Golds a key trend

Blouse cut outs

Jersey sari with gold plated corset type blouse

I like the embellished pants under the layers of chiffon.

Showstopper Chitrangada Singh

Day 6 Tarun Tahiliani

Tarun Tahiliani closed India Bridal Fashion Week with the gorgeous collection that he showcased at his Tarun Tahiliani Bridal Couture Exhibition a couple of weeks ago. For my write up on the collection and more pics go here. and below is a few catwalk pics

Showstopper Lisa Haydon

Images: Vogue India, Adrash Gill Facebook, India Bridal Fashion Week Facebook

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Tagged Aamby Valley, anarkali, Bride, Chitrangada Singh, choli, groom, india, India Bridal Fashion Week, lace, lengha, lisa haydon, reception bridesmaids, salwar kameez, sari, sharara, Suneet Varma, tarun tahiliani, wedding

Aug 02 2013

4 Comments

Beauty

Friday Five: Bobbi Brown Products

2nd August 2013

I haven’t done a beauty type post in a while and seeing as Bobbi Brown just opened a store in India I thought I’d share my five favourite products from her cosmetics range. I’m a bit of a make up dud- (my fifteen year old cousin is more of a master of make up then I am) so Bobbi Brown’s free consultations have been great at showing me which products suit my skin and importantly how to apply them. So here’s my fav five products:

Bobbi Brown: Protective Face Base SPF 50

I’ve talked about my previous problems with adult acne before and as a result I see a dermatologist and facialist regularly. The one thing they always talk about is the importance of wearing a high factor sunscreen daily- to help prevent pigmentation from acne scarring and of course to slow down the signs of aging. I’ve tried Thalgo and La Roche-Posay’s SPF 50 creams before and found them too greasy on my oily skin but Bobbi Brown’s Protective Face Base SPF 50 works well on my skin type and is hopefully helping to keep those wrinkles at bay.

Bobbi Brown: Eye Shadow: Mahogany

The Mr. and I used to live in Liverpool where the girls are known for their strong (sometimes OTT tattoo-like) brows and what did the Bobbi Brown make up artist in Liverpool recommend? Yep powdering in my eyebrows! I wasn’t too sure about her suggestion at first but once she’d done it- I did like it. I have a few sparse patches and just brushing on the powder evens out my brows and does make them look better.

Bobbi Brown: Skin Foundation SPF 15: Honey 5

This was the first foundation I bought and I did deviate a few times to try out other brands foundations but I’ve come back to Bobbi Brown. The colour matches my skin tone, blends in well and I just really like the light consistency. You don’t feel like you’re wearing lots of make-up.

Bobbi Brown: Blush: Cranberry

I like a bit of Blush and at the moment its Bobbi Brown’s Cranberry that I reach for.

Bobbi Brown: Bronze Shimmer Brick

I use Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick when I’m going out in the evening. It’s easy to use and just adds a bit of a bronze glow to the skin.

Images: Bobbi Brown website or my own.

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Tagged blush, Bobbi Brown, Bronze, cosmetics, Cranberry, Eye Shadow, honey, Mahogany, make up, Protective Face Base SPF 50, Sihmmer Brick, SPF 15 foundation

Aug 01 2013

3 Comments

Bridal, Events, Fashion

India Bridal Fashion Week 2013: Part 2: Falguni & Shane Peacock, Raghavendra Rathore & Rohit Bahl

1st August

Day 3: Falguni & Shane Peacock and Raghavendra Rathore

Falguni & Shane Peacock

I’ve already been pretty vocal about my opinion on Falguni & Shane Peacock’s work here and their latest offering hasn’t made me change my mind. They are two of India’s greatest design talents and their talents lie in non-ethnic wear. Their ethnic wear is just soooo bland in comparison and so different to their mainline style! I’m grudgingly posting a few pics from the show!

Raghavendra Rathore

Overall, I have to say I wasn’t keen on Raghavendra Rathore’s collection. Although the antique gold embellishment was beautiful the fact that it was pretty much the only type of embroidery in the show made it become a little monotonous. I did like some of the more Middle-Eastern silhouettes- the Kaftans and Abayas not sure if they were really Bridal wear though. And the menswear- hmmm, I like the fact it was different but whether it was good different I’m not sure. What do you make of the collection?

Day 4: Rohit Bahl

Rohit Bal’s show was OMG, WOW, WOW, WOW! Now this is what you call a Bridal collection. Beautiful Victoriana influences met with regal Indian colours, embroideries and silhouettes that just screamed LUXURY. Enough of my babbling enjoy the pictures!

Love the sheer high neck detail on the blouse on the left and the dreamy tone on tone tie dye.