Arabella turns one!!

The greatest part about being a blogger is meeting other bloggers around the region and sharing special moments with them. I've met so many great bloggers and we've become such good friends now, Its amazing when someone hits a milestone and all of us bloggers are always there to be a part of their joy.

The gorgeous girls AlAnoud and Muneera from ARABELLA recently hosted an even to mark one whole year of blogging and all of us were thrilled to be a part of the celebration.The event was held at Green Diamond boutique at Seef Mall last week.

Cheers to the Arabella girls and many more fashionable years of blogging.

Flower Power !

 Floral dresses for summer? Yes please! And by floral,I mean delicate prints. Not garish loud, overcrowded and over-sized flowers, but small or medium oriental prints. Even better if the print is on white!
Remember, when picking out dresses to wear during the summer, It's always best to stick to un-blended fabrics. Like cotton and linen. Try avoiding rough, coarse material, or poly-cotton (polyester being more) Although it may seem lightweight, you'll only end up feeling uncomfortable and cranky in the heat.

On another note, Sorry I haven't been blogging much off late, I've been super busy with a lot of events and sometimes by the time I get back home all I want to do is nothing. Lol. I love what I do and how far I've come with the blog but sometimes it gets very hard to maintain and I'm sure you guys will forgive me for the delays because I have a number of great reviews and posts lined up for the coming weeks!

Dress:Quiz, Shoes:Spring, Clutch:Centrepoint, Armswag:Assorted

                                                                  

Repeating outfits:Fashion faux pas?

 Till date, the most frequently asked question I get in my mails and DM's on twitter is: " Is it OK to repeat an outfit? "

So here's what I have to say. Unless you're Kate Middleton, repeating an outfit is OK. I suggest you repeat the entire outfit (if you must) only once. I personally, don't repeat the exact same outfit from head to toe, I usually play around with separates or wear different shoes for that matter.
A lot of women I know wear a dress for an event and then never wear it again, but then again,they do have the money for "a new dress every day". What I would suggest is, Don't repeat the exact outfit. For eg, If you've read THIS post of mine, You'll realize what I'm wearing in these pictures are very similar, But I've played differently with jeans and a tank top and I've also changed my shoes.
Now if you want to repeat a dress, try pairing it with a blazer or do something different with your hair and makeup from the last time you wore it.

The key here is to mix things up. Don't be afraid to play match among smart separates in your closet. Lay them out on the floor before you wear them and you'll get so many ideas, you wouldn't want to repeat an outfit!

Jacket: Forever21, Tank top and Necklace:H&M, Jeans:Pimkie, Shoes:Zara, Bag:Mango

Product Review: Sally Hansen Maximum growth.

 As most of you know, I am a little crazy when it comes to nail polishes and because of my obsessive compulsive need to change my nail paint every 4-5 days, I've always struggled with brittle nails. I hate it when a nail breaks and I have to cut all the rest to even out the length to make my hands look pretty again.
Its been about two weeks of me using the Sally Hansen Maximum growth nail coat and I did notice that upon application, it actually makes the nail feel a lot more stronger.I used it on its own for the first week on bare nails and can I just say that the shine is insane! Its extremely glossy and two coats make your nails look like vinyl. The week after, I used it as a base coat, applied my regular nail polish and another coat of the Sally Hansen MG,because I wanted the shine. And guess what? My nails didn't break at all, they grew longer and I actually had to cut them off !!

So if you guys are looking for a product that will also help you with weak nails, I highly recommend this product! My suggestion would be to wear the product on its own, on un-polished nails for the first week and see the difference. You can use it as a top coat as well, but if you'd rather use another one, apply the product as a base coat, let it dry, and get on with your nail art as usual.

A Love Letter...

Its been a while since I've started blogging, and I've never really dedicated a post to all those people who have made this page such a huge success, and hence today's post, dedicated to some wonderful people.

They say if you want to do something right, do it yourself. But in this case, I beg to differ. If it weren't for certain people pushing me and encouraging me towards my passion, I would never have come this far.

What was once a hobby is slowly starting to feel like my job and honestly, I'm loving every single minute of it. So for getting me this far, I have to take a minute to thank TSCT crew, you guys are simply amazing and I don't think I could have achieved any of this without you guys being a part of my team. 

In the past I've said "you know who you guys are" and left out the names, but this time, a heart felt thanks to Nisha (Sister/Photographer), Suaad (BFF/Photographer), Muji for the brilliant conceptualization and photography; Sarika, Rachna and Shereen, for being the critics and not sugar coating the feedback you guys give me and last but not the least, my amazing readers! You guys truly are one of the main reasons I've come so far and I love that you always push me to blog better. I have so much exciting news which I cannot wait to share with you guys. 

But until I reveal that, Thank you all once again and I do love each and every one of you.

Lots of love,

TSCT.

Facebook:The Style Council Taash

Twitter: @Ashwathysk

Instagram:@askthestylecouncil

                                                                            

Giveaway with Swarovski Elements and Persil Abaya Shampoo

From June 1–July 31, 2013, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS has teamed up with Persil Abaya Shampoo to give women across the GCC region (KSA, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait) the opportunity to avail a 25% discount on a limited edition collection of abayas adorned with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. During this period, every Persil Abaya Shampoo bottle will come with a promotional coupon entitling the purchaser to 25% discount on the limited edition collection. SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS is an integral part of the design of each of these fashion forward abayas.

Participating partners include Ajooba, AL Shal, Bait Al Abaya Al Sharqiaa, Bait Hanayen, Fashion Line, First Choice House KSA, First Choice House UAE, Habayeb, Hanayen, Khunji, Marent, Oval Abaya, and Zumorrod. The crystal-encrusted cuffs, collars and detailed embroidery highlight these exquisite pieces made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. The images of the abayas that you have a chance of winning can be found HERE.

In addition to the discount, there is the opportunity to win one of thirteen bespoke abayas. Scan the QR (Quick Response) code at any of the touch points to download the Persil Abaya application. Enter your contact details and be automatically entered into the contest, the more QR codes scanned the more chances to win.


You can also get more details and LIKE / FOLLOW on the official pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWAROVSKIELEMENTS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/swarovski
Instagram: http://instagram.com/official_swarovski
Swarovski Elements page (Arabic): http://ar.swarovski-elements.com/index.ar.aspx

For more information on touch point locations please visit:facebook.com/persilabayaworld

WIN THESE GORGEOUS TWISTED GLAMOUR BRACELETS

In addition to this, ONE of my lucky readers will have a chance to win* one of the below gorgeous bracelets from Swarovski's 'Twisted Glamour' collection.
All you need to do is leave a comment under this post saying "I love Swarovski" mentioning your Name and Email Id. Please note that this contest is open to everybody.

* Since the bracelets are limited selection, you have the chance to win any one of these.
Winner of the giveaway will be picked at random from Random.org
Do follow my blog by simply clicking "join this site" and like my facebook page Here for future contests and updates.

Reasons why you should shop at Mango...

So as you all know I'm very picky when it comes to the clothes I wear. Be it the color, the fit or the style. Till date, two of the brands that have NEVER disappointed me are Mango and Zara. And I'll admit, this season I've gone a little overboard with stuff from Mango. Dresses and Tops in particular. They seriously have some great separates that can be worn so many different ways and the prices are really great.
I love the fact that they can take a simple design, recreate it in colors and fabrics so whether it's a formal or dressy occasion and you like the style, you can simply pick among the same range.
This blouse for eg- The one I'm wearing has shoulder detailing and the fabric is a beautiful satin which makes it perfect for a night out, but they also have the same style in crepe, minus the bling on the shoulder and in darker colors that can be worn to work. Needless to say, I got them in EVERY color.

Saving the best line for last, MANGO is now on sale- Upto 50% off! So hurry you guys, because the sale at mango is a big deal and it gets too crowded and leaves you with no sizes if you wait until the last minute.

Blouse, Jeans, Bag:Mango, Shoes:Forever21, Cuff:Anna Dello Russo for HM.

Lunch Date at Villa Mama's

There's been a lot of hype about Villa Mamas for a while now so TSCT crew decided to check it out and lets just say that the reason there are no food pictures on this post (being a restaurant review and all) is because as soon as the food arrived, It smelled SO GOOD, no one really had the patience to click what the plating looked like.

If you're following me on Instagram , you would have seen the image of the red velvet cake I had posted and I think its safe to say that it was, by far, the BEST red velvet cake I've ever had. Two of my friends are big on baking and they know exactly where to get the best cakes and even they agreed that the one at VM's was better than Le Chocolat's.Yep.Guys, you have to try the red velvet cake here!

On arriving, we were a little disappointed that whatever we picked from the menu wasn't available,but Villa Mama's believes in serving 100% fresh, healthy and organic food, so before ordering you have to ask about the specials for the day and I suggest you go for it because what we were served eventually was simply scrumptious. The rice dishes in particular were exceptionally good. My friend ordered the pasta and she wasn't completely satisfied with it as it had too much cheese, so if you guys get a chance, simply order from the specials, and make it one of the rice dishes!

It is however, a little bit more expensive than the usual but hey, I thought it was worth it. You can visit Villa Mama's in Saar, right opposite Saar Cineplex and feel free to leave your thoughts below!

Dress:Zara, Shoes:Monsoon Kids, Bag:Thrifted, Belt:Camaieu
 

Sharing is Caring...

 TSTC crew were recently invited to the official launch of the new 'Sharebox' concept at McDonald's Bahrain, wherein which you can feast with your family by simply ordering for a chicken, beef or bites share box. To know more about what the sharebox is and what it offers, you can visit any of the McDonald's branches closet to you. You can also visit and "like" their FB page here.

Do check it out with your family and friends and feel free to leave your thoughts about the sharebox in the comments box below!

Apart from the great food and company, we also had a lot of fun at the photo boot with cute props and what not!

P.S: Special mention to Mr Fakhro, who was celebrating his birthday the very same day!