London flowers

Recently, I visited the famous Columbia Road flower market in London.After viewing several pictures on Instagram of different bloggers in Columbia Road, I decided to make my way there. I was so please with my decision as it was beautiful. Here are some pictures that I hope you enjoy. 

Simply baking.

So today being my day off, I decided to raid my kitchen cupboards for ingredients to bake. I found half a packet of self raising flour, some vanilla essence so I knew I had the basics for baking with the addition of eggs, milk, sugar and butter. I didn't even follow a recipe today. Crazy right? 

My electric whisk is not working so decided to go through with the manual way. Peeps, I do not know about you guys, but my manual whisking normally ends with half of it stuck on the whisk. So I decided to abandon the whisk and took a wooden ladle and gave it a good mixing. After several minutes, despite being unsatisfied with the dough, I decided to place them on cupcake silicone cakes and whacked them in the oven, which was preheated at Gas mark 5. After 15 minutes, little bundles of joy came out of the oven in the shape of cupcakes. I am not a big fan of icing so I didn't bother with it. I have left them to cool for now and going to enjoy it later with the housemates. 

Little bundles of joy. 

Advent calendars

With the build up to Christmas, not only are we digging deep into our pockets for 
Christmas gifts but also for advent calendars.

 It's come to that time of the year where most of us flock to stores or online to get our advent calendars. Everyone has there own preferences of the type of advent calendar they go for, be it chocolate, tea, or beauty. I have decided to be treated to a beauty one this year.

Competition between beauty advent calendars have been rife ever since the launch of the Lancôme advent calendar in selfridges back in 2011. While on the hunt for mine, I have come across some amazing verity advent calendars.

The one that I have chosen to get is this +Ciate Nagellacke und Caviar Manicure  advent calendar. 

As any advent calendar would, this one comes with 24 surprises leading up to the Christmas day. 

The not so surprising factos is that they are all nail polishes. It might not seem exciting and questions like ' are you really going to change your nail colour every day? ' why are you paying such a high price for it?' Let me just tell you, I think it worth it.

It's available at John lewis and Space NK. Its priced at £42 

The second one is the BOOTS advent calendar. This is a new advent calendar to me as didnt come across this last year.

 Its got such a christmassy feel to it with the red layout. This is £30 and promises products from diffeerent brands like +Juicy Couture , Paco Rabanne, Soap and Glory and many more. 

If i hadnt chosen the +Ciate Nagellacke und Caviar Manicure  calendar, I would've gone for this one as you get a lot of big names for a small price.

 This would be perfect for ladies who are just warming up to the idea of the Beauty calendar. It is available at Boots

I lusted over this next one last year but was too late to buy it as it was already sold out. 

Personally, I am not going for this one this year as the products are not for every day use. I know nail polishes arent really for every day use as well  but I genuinely know that it will be used , if not by me then probably by my hosuemates ( who are equally fascinated by the different colour available in the calendar).

 Anyways, its the +YouBeauty advent calendar. It is definitely a good bargain if you are going to use all the products. As for £49.95 you will be getting products worth £240!! Thats quite good value. They are available on the YouBeauty and it gives you the detailed description of the items available. 

I hope this helps you make up your mind and I would buy it sooner than later as these calendars sell like hot cakes. I hope you are all easing into the Christmas spirit like I am. Lots of love 

P 

Nepal in Pictures

Pictures speak a thousand words, indeed they do. I've been going through all the pictures from my visit to Nepal this summer and just by looking at them I could relive certain moments and experiences. I thought instead of continuing writing about my experiences from my previous post, I'd share some photos for you to get an insight into them. This is a summary of my days in Nepal documented in pictures. I've tried to put them in chronological order as best as I can remember…

Day 1: Coffee at Himalayan Java, Thamel to kickstart our trip

Dinner with the cousins at Tamarind, Jhamel

I wish I could remember what my cousin said

Why did I wait 6 years?

This summer I went back to Nepal with one of my sisters after six years. It does sound like a long time but I don't know where time went. My dad would always ask if I wanted to go over the years and things like A-levels, uni and work always got in the way. Family were waiting and friends were back in town so it seemed like a good time. I got my holidays booked in advance and all that was left was to finish my second and last placement for uni. I was done by the end of June and then came July. Aaaah July July and even August, these were two good months. Sun, no assignments (placement report postponed until I could be bothered) and I had really got in the spirit of healthy eating and exercising. Every other day I'd do kettleworx from home and when my sisters came back from work in the evening we'd go out running along the canal route. Once we got into the routine we kept it up and even my dad seemed a little bit surprised, thanks dad! Let me not ponder on this too much. It's been several weeks since I've returned from our trip and I am about to share my experiences with you all. I've only put up a few pictures and might put up a post purely of a collage of pictures of my time there. Now let me first say that I did not want to come back! Why did I wait 6 years to visit? I really don't know and I wish I hadn't. Life there is so laid bad back. For the first time in my 22 years I got to actually experience life in Nepal as a young adult. I understood things better and was able to take things in properly. During my time there in the past I was a kid and in between school, family, friends and home there was not much else I thought about. Going back to "visit" meant that I saw things, places and people from a different perspective. Things have changed drastically; housing, malls, the lifestyle, people yet I found myself slipping right in.

The moment we landed I looked out and saw this. I remember it so well. It had just
hit me we were back on home soil. A warm, sunny day and I could not wait to get out.

Guy Fawkes day

Hello!!

So the fifth of November is celebrated as the Guy Fawkes day in the UK. It celebrates the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organized by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605.It's celebrated by having a bonfire and also some fireworks. I had not celebrated this occasion in the past years but just viewed the fireworks from my bedroom window. This year I was lucky enough to attend a bonfire night and view the spectacular fireworks. It was absolutely freezing and you could tell winter is on its way if not already here. I wrapped up warm and walked to the venue with my cousin and her family. There were many eager children with glow sticks and necklaces running around. After waiting for a while for the preparation of the fireworks, it started. It was such a spectacular view. I have attached a video I shot with my iphone and am sorry if it's the best of quality videos. I do hope you enjoy it. Did you celebrate bonfire night too?

  

Firework video.

Till next time - P 

I did it!

Paragliding was always something I wanted to do ever since I heard of it. I had the opportunity to do it when I was there during Summer 2013. At just around £50, it is well worth it price. It starts off with meeting up at Lakeside, Pokhara. Oh yeah, it is in Nepal ( just realized I missed the important details) You are taken in a very adventuous type Jeep with your fellow tourist/brave at heart people. After about a 30mins drive, you reach Sarangkot hill, where the take off takes place. and Oh boy! the fear or for some the adrenaline grasps you here. I was not so scared, surprisingly as I normally am a wimp at stuff like this. We were all kitted and had all the safety talk done, we took off. It was a splendid view from up there. You could see the beautiful city of Pokhara with the view of the Fewa Lake as well. It also helps that Pokhara is not as polluted as Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.
Whether or not I would do it again, I am not sure but if I had the company then I definitely would. Oh btw, all this was done with Sujata. I wouldnt have been able to embark on this adventure without my bestie Sujata. Really glad, she was there, so we could scream together hehe. I have attached some photos to give you a bit of what I saw and also a video. It doesnt do justice to the actual experience though. So go on then, what you waiting for? Book that flight to Nepal, and start your adventure. If only going on holiday, would be as spontaneous as that. Cheers guys!

 Just before take off, notice the nervous smile on my behalf. Top: Ralph Lauren Shoes: Converse Trousers: Asda cotton trousers.

                                                             Amazing view.

A short video to give your a taster of it.

Birthdays!

                                                                                        

Hello readers,
Luckily, both Sujata and my birthday falls in the same month. Its only a couple of days apart. I turned 22 on recently and Sujata is not far behind now. Wow 22, feel quite old almost matured.. OK maybe not, well how do you know you have matured? hmmm.. Lets leave it at that for now. So after the  daily early morning tasks and breakfast. I headed into town determined to find the perfect dress for the dinner later on the night. Looking around the high street shops I couldn't find anything suitable. I was looking for a maxi dress with an elegant look and not at all flashy. I found the perfect dress in House of Fraser under the label Jack . 

Right enough about the dress! I got the cake from Swinky's sweets . The cake was amazing.
This past year has gone by so quickly its ridiculous how time flies. So yeah, that's what I got up to on my birthday. I will do a few more posts soon. Thanks for reading!

Highlights of this week #1

1.Cute jewellery stand I bought in Bath 2.store in Bath 3.early bday present 4.baking attempt 5.new laptop 6. food food

Entering my final year of study is not easy!! Dissertation as well as coursework and who can forget the dreadful exams. Its all piling up but honestly I am really glad that it has kept me on my toes. This is what I have been up to in the past week. I really want to keep blogging but after watching other blogs, I just think that my life or purchases aren't as interesting. Being a student my budget for these extra items are quite low :( 

Anyhow, I will try my best to keep up atleast 1 post a week. That would be a good start, I reckon. Right, gotta stop rambling for now. Ciao 

Pratista 

The One with the Iconic Bordeaux

I've tried writing this post several times now and it was just not quite right. I've now decided to just write it and not over think things. Here goes.

In one of Lisa Eldridge's recent beauty videos on You Tube she used a coloured mascara on her model, Bip Ling. I have much more to say about her on future posts. It intrigued me so much that I did a little bit of research that is "googling" on it. At a whooping £31 it is one of the most expensive mascaras I've come across. Personally I prefer drugstore mascaras. They work better on my lashes compared to the higher end ones and are a fraction of the price. My all time favourite is falsies by Maybelline. Ever time I test out a different one I go running back to this!

But with coloured mascara drug stores don't really have a good range and so for the first time in a long time I browsed the YSL and Estee Lauder mascaras. The coloured variety to be specific. There was a burgundy one by YSL which I was very close to getting but I couldn't help but compare it to the one Lisa had used. Yes it was pricey but I thought I'd rather pay a bit more than the YSL one and get a product that I knew I wanted 100%. So I did buy the one Lisa used. And which one was that you say? I got the Iconic Bordeaux mascara by Terry. It's a relatively new makeup range and I believe you can only get it at Space NK. I got mine from their online store.

It is a beautiful deep reddish, plummy almost burgundy colour. It has growth boosting ingredients and such in it.  But I hear once you stop using a mascara that says it will help grow more lashes, that quality goes too. Although a few extra lashes would be grand, I was more into the colour of the mascara. You can tell it's quality and when the light hits it you can see its true colour. I'm not keen on taking pictures let alone zoomed in ones of my face. But here's one of the mascara one me. You have been warned. I think it's a very pretty mascara but one I'd wear say on a sunny day or something just so the colour shows up properly. I'm thinking of pairing it up with Avon's diamond glimmerstick eyeliner. It's a purple colour with silver specks in it and hopefully it'll pair up with the plummy colour in the mascara. We shall see whether it complements my eyes or makes me look like I've got a bruised eye. I joke!

Glossy box June

Hi there,
This is going to be one of those posts with more pictures and less of my scribbles! I recently got this glossybox and this is my second one so far. To be honest not so impressed on the overall I am still waiting for a box that would completely take my breathe away. Well not really completely. This box contains a Glossybox beauty brush, a Yves Rocher ultra volume mascara,Summer warmth BM beauty, Agent Provocateur perfume samples and Vichy foundation cream stick. Out of all these, I have only used the mascara which is one of the best I have used. I don't have very long eyelashes and this mascara has done wonders for me and really compliments my eyelashes. I have yet to try out the rest but will let you know soon. Right I am off now to the Bristol zoo, random I know but it's such a nice day and it can't be wasted indoors. So caio xxx

The One Stop

Burberry makeup was exclusive to Harrods until recently with John Lewis' flagship store being a new stockist. I first found out they'd be in store a while ago whilst certain areas of the beauty department were being refurbished and I spotted their campaign.  I was ecstatic! Oxford Street is my shopping place and I hear Victoria's Secret is coming to town? No idea when. Anyway, the exam period helped me refrain myself from splurging and I am still quite busy with things now. On my short visit there last week I had a brief look around and was tempted to buy an eye shadow I've been lusting over. It looked very similar to something I already have so ended up not buying it. But you never know might go next time and pick it up! 

Burberry Beauty at John Lewis, Oxford Street

 Speaking of eye shadows I'm doing my friend's cousin's makeup tomorrow for a party. As selfish as it sounds, I'm quite confident when it comes to applying my own makeup but on others I'm hesitant. You have different facial features and I'd be worried about what the person thought. We shall see how it goes. I'm also currently in the midst of writing several articles for something quite exciting. I don't quite exactly know where it'll lead to. I'm doing it with the hope that it will improve my writing skills and I'll take away something valuable from it. Now off for a cuppa! After burning (literally) in the sun yesterday I don't mind today's wet weather.

The One that Got Away

Time is really becoming an issue for me. So instead of doing 3 individual posts full of pictures of my top 3 inspirations I've put up one look for each of them. It doesn't necessarily sum up their different looks and styles but is rather a representation for the kind of looks they go for.  A little bird told me Sonam Kapoor might be heading to London this September for a fashion show by a new and upcoming designer. I've been begging my friend to see if she can get me tickets or if I don't get in for her to take pictures with her!

Alexa Chung

Olivia Palermo

Sonam Kapoor

Lots more posts coming up, watch this space.

The one about the dip dye craze

Dip dye or sometimes also known as ombré colour is becoming a new craze at the moment. I am so hyped about it and so is my friend. Sujata has already got a ombré look going on while I am still stuck with the jet black hair. Don't get me wrong, I love that I am an Asian but the thick black hair makes it difficult to colour it. I might just be excited about this as part of my procrastination but I have decided I am going for a neon turquoise colour dip as soon as my exams are over. If your still confused about what I am rambling about, here are some photos to give you an idea. Lauren Conrad who has been given credit for making this trend a craze has recently opted for pink which looks awesome.

Clocks gone forward

So,the time has gone forward which also meant an hour less sleep on that night. It didnt help that I had work early the next day. On the bright side, the days are sunnier and longer. Its been such a sudden transition from very cold to very sunny. Not that I am complaining. I have some outfits lined up and will be posting soon. In the meanwhile enjoy the sunshine!

Life Goes On

Finally I have my hands on a Longchamp bag! I am mega happy, especially as it was a bargain. I managed to get it after an intensive E bay bidding war! Anyways, with this outfit I have teamed up my Topshop dress with my dark blue coat to give it a more formal look even though I was just heading to a seminar. Initially I was wearing pumps, but chose these beautiful and comfy heels to glamourify my outfit. I love this necklace, which l has a very Red Indian look due to the feathers. Today was an exceptionally good day due to the weather. Spring is nearly here! :) 

Learned something new

I have seen moving picture animations on many fashion blogs recently, and just figured I would try one myself.
I have created one while taking a break from my workload. Here goes.



How to make gifs

Procrastination doesnt help!

Procrastination is taking over my day at the moment. I have got a report due in a week and I just seem to take the term off day to its literal meaning. It doesn't help that the Oscars took place yesterday and the internet is buzzing about the dresses worn and the now famous right leg of Angelina Jolie. Its even got a twitter account of its own. How Bizarre! Anyway the pictures taken are in Bath, the beautiful city in South West England. 


                                                                                    

                 Cardigan from New look. Jeans from Zara. The top is vintage. Yay!Japanese food
                                                 I spotted a Nepal travel book displayed in a travel shop.