Nailed It!

Yesterday I visited my beauty haven, Gloss Salon and Spa to get a quick manicure as my nails have just started growing out stronger.
I used to have weak nails and keeping them long wouldn't help, as they would break very often and look uneven.
Honilett Vidal, also known as Lett at Gloss, is the nail technician and specializes in manicures, nail art and marbling. Here are Lett's tips to keeping your nails strong and healthy:

1. Always keep your nails nourished with a good nail oil, Like Dr. Haushka's neem nail and cuticle care oil.
2. Try to wear darker nail polishes less, as they can stain your nails, causing them to turn yellow.
3. Always wear a good base coat before applying nail paint.
4. For weak nails, massage in olive or almond oil weekly to keep them strong and healthy.
5. Look for nail colors that are DBP, formaldehyde and paraben free.
6. Get Manicures/ Pedicures at least once a month with a good nail specialist and.
7. When you don't absolutely need to, don't wear any nail polish. Simply get a good cleaning, massage and let your nails breathe.

All nail polishes at Gloss are non-toxic and free of DBP, tolulene, parabens and formaldehyde.To book your appointment, call 17826030 NOW!

Rosso at The Art Rotana

The ASK crew is always around town scouting for new locations to shoot, and while we’re not, we’re always eating. With Bahrain being a small island, there’s only so many great places with good food, ambiance and service- Which is why we are so glad that Rosso has opened up at the Art Rotana hotel in Amwaj, quickly adding on to our top 10 restaurants on the island.

The Italian restaurant has it’s own charm and uniqueness. With a great selection of wine and cheese when you’re simply feeling experimental or mouthwatering pizzas and delicious pastas, Rosso serves only the very best and we guarantee it.

We recently had the chance to sample the menu and what a feast it was! Overlooking a beautiful pool side, we sat and had a taste of selected appetizers , pizzas, pastas , desserts and even drinks! Pizzas are simply out of the world at Rosso and so are the delectable desserts.

We highly recommend going with your family or friends for a relaxed brunch , where you can enjoy your meal outdoors under sun umbrellas, whilst watching the dancing fountain show.

Majestic Magenta

 The climate change has been in our favor lately and my entire team has been taking some time off, eating out at our favorite restaurants, hitting the malls for new season buys and simply taking in all of this gorgeous weather.

Over the weekend, we visited quite a few places and although a shoot was unplanned, we just couldn’t resist taking some pictures for the blog at this location. The colors around and the weather were almost too perfect to match my casual, chilled out weekend look- A boyfriend blazer in rich magenta, thrown over a laced crop top paired with my ‘Alice’ skinnes , metallic flats and gold accessories. I set my hair to big waves, matching my care-free mood and sported my current favorite pink lipstick shade from Inglot ( #28).Super casual, easy and a perfect look for weekends with friends? Hells yeah!
What are your casual weekend looks like? I'd love to know. Feel free to comment below or simply hashtag #askthestylecouncil and tag me @askthestylecouncil on Instagram so I can see how gorgeous you look!

Blazer- Centrepoint, Cropped top- F21, Jeans- Mango, Bag- Payless, Sandals-Spring

Sans Sugar Factory

 Home made treats are my favorites, especially when they’re desserts! Being a sweet tooth, I was delighted when I got this beautifully packaged goody bag from Sans Sugar Factory- a home business catering sweet treats and customized cakes.

SSF is owned and operated by Sana Akbar, a passionate baker, who specially prepares all the yummy baked goodies at her home! She personally loves desserts and it was in her teenage years that she realized she needed to share her love for sweet treats with her family and friends. Sana started by experimenting with different flavors, ingredients and toppings and mixed them to create something that satisfied her unique taste buds. Once satisfied with the taste results, she moved on to perfecting her decorating skills. After all, taste and appearance go hand in hand.

Her first entrepreneurial venture was in for charity (2013)- Sana set up a stall at the Amwaj Marina market, where her mini desserts were literally selling like hot cakes! Ever since, people have always remembered Sans Sugar factory for special events and Sana has been taking lots of orders for customized cakes, biscotti’s and other delectable desserts.

Below: Customized gift set: Coconut Raisin Biscotti, Orange cocoa Pistachio coconut Biscotti and Mini Peanut Butter cupcakes
I personally love peanut butter so it was no surprise that the peanut butter cupcakes were me favorite. Unbelievably moist and a rich peanut butter- chocolate frosting. Heaven! The biscottis were so deliciously airy and crisp, perfect for tea time.

To know more and place your order, check out @SANSSUGARFACTORY on Instagram .

Teal Tales

Having brunch with friends and family is my favorite way to unwind after a busy week. I recently attended an event at Rosso, (which I will blog about in more detail soon) which is a perfect place for brunch with friends.

Here are a few tips on brunching in comfortable style.

· Dress up or down depending on the place where you decide to eat. Casual cafes call for skin tight denims or leggings with pretty floral tops paired with wedges and stacked accessories, while jewel toned dressed paired with heels and minimal jewelry are more apt for classier hotels.

· If you’re more comfortable in pants, cropped pleated palazzos in viscose and chiffon are trendy and feminine. Paired with a crisp white button down with the sleeves rolled up, these add the right amount of attitude.

· If you find stilettos or pumps uncomfortable, Opt for jeweled sandals or wedges instead to up the wow –factor.

· Smelling good is a part of being stylish too. Put on body mist prior to wearing perfume. While you step out the shower, spay on light body mist onto the skin and wear perfume only on your pulse points. In the peak of summer, wearing the right perfume n the right spots can keep you smelling nicer for long.

· Hats are almost too perfect with sundresses. Straw trilby’s are more suited as opposed to pressed felt fabrication for summer.

· Dainty filigree necklaces and needle thin chains are in! Layer fine gold chains together and stack up thin bracelets on one hand for an easy-chic look.

· Keep your hair loose and well nourished. Soft waves are my personal favorite for summer and if you like to experiment, go for a dip-dyed  or balayage look. I’m currently wearing dark blonde low lights.

Have more tips or suggestions? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Whitewash

 The start of summer calls for crisp white color palettes. White is such an elegant color and almost too perfect for the summer sun. While bright and pastel shades work wonders too, white has it’s own simplicity. I love working with cleaner colors in summer like whites, nudes, tans and lightwash denims. Chalky colors are great too, but the selection here is so poor, I cannot find the right shade that’s chalky and not pastel. I still remember the days when I used to be “that girl” who only wore black and it’s been 3 years since I started wearing lighter and brighter clothes- I’ve not regretted that change.

Moving on, I paired a pair of white jeans with one of my favorite cropped blouses and added in hints of tan and animal print to break from the plain look. Silver roman sandals add the right amount of bling to this otherwise carefree look!

What colors have you been leaning to lately?

Champagne Chiffon

When I'm designing, pure silk chiffon is my favorite fabric to work with. I cannot stand poor quality clothes like cheap satin or cheap chiffon. I only like to work with fabrics that look and feel great.
Silk chiffon is such a flirty, feminine fabric and I've used them in all my gowns, dresses and I've started incorporating them into ethnic wear as well.I love how floaty , lightweight and delicate they are.
I got this piece stitched last year when I got bored of normal ethnic outfits. This beautiful embroidered fabric on the top half of my outfit, was gifted to me and I've already make a midi skirt of of it and used the left over piece for the Bodice of this champagne anarkali jacket. While I originally got gold sequinned pants tailor-made for the top, I decided to mix it up with black for this post to add a bit of depth and some edginess.

Moving on, the weather is getting warmer now, and as my turtle necks and cable knits go back into hibernation, all my lighter, breathable clothes are taking place in the front row of my closet. I cannot wait to work with my favorite summer colors like white, tan and dusty shades of pinks and blues. What about you guys? Are you enjoying the start of summer or not?

Algae

The past few weeks have been so busy for me, I stayed in yoga pants and sweatshirts way too much to take outfit posts.
In between frequent travels, events and my hectic work schedule, all I could ever think about was sleep. I still haven't caught up and feel  exhausted and moody these days.
Moving on to my outfit, this look was long overdue and I decided to post this today to match my mood. Black. A timeless color in my favorite cropped trouser and blazer combination. It never fails to make me feel effortlessly glam for a mall event. While other women show up in dresses, A crisp suit looks classic and super sexy worn with bedazzled sandals. Who says you need to show skin to feel sexy? I wore a two tone peplum top inside to add some dimension to this look and match  the colors of my beaded clutch and diamante pumps.I personally love pointed toe shoes with cropped pants, as they are so much more appealing than chunky sandals. They might be slightly uncomfortable if you're not used to walking in closed heels, but once you master the art, you wouldn't want to wear strappy sandals ever again!