Tribal Print Winter Stint

Once it a while it is so much fun to experiment with prints. I found this rather striking print sweater dress at Papaya. And coupled it with standard black leggings and booties. I chose to go with opaque tights, but you can combine this with  sexy see through tights and high boots for a more risque look, especially if you plan to go out at night

Now these wonderful Jessica Simpson fleece lined tights are my fav go-to this winter. The fleece lining keeps me warm and the tights are so figure flattering with long sweaters and dresses.Guess where I got them ? Ross, off course! Yes, that store is proving to be a treasure trove for me. All sorts of designer wear is available at such wallet friendly prices. I bought all three pieces at different points of time but they all blend together so well, don't they ? Take for example the booties. I got them last year and did not wear them at all. So they were lying around in my closet for more than a year and almost made it to the Goodwill bin. I'm glad I didn't throw them out. They are so comfortable and go along with most of my new outfits this year.

I do want to mention the nail polish which is an utterly heavenly shade of light pink. If you have dark skin like I do, then this color will give your nail an almost translucent nude look making your fingers look oh-so-delicate. Do try it out. Details provided below.

Dress: Papaya (option here, here and here)

Tights: Jessica Simpson (similar here)

Booties: Rialto (similar here)

Leather Jacket: Similar here and here

Shades:Apt 9 (similar here)

Bag: Recommended option here

Earrings: NY&C (similar here)

Rings: Forever 21 (options here and here)

Nail Polish: Neutral Nude - Forever 21 

Over-sized comfort

 I'm crushing on oversized sweaters, pullovers and cardigans this year. They are so freakin comfy and perfect to hide the few extra pounds I put on during the holiday season. I know many curvy girls are hesitant to try these on as they believe that the loose bulky sweater will make them look fat. And I definitely subscribed to that thinking until last year when I realized that the over-sized sweater if styled properly will give my figure an illusion of thinness that the tight fitting sweaters never can.

All of you following my blog might have realized my aversion to pants by now. Yes, I would do anything to avoid wearing pants especially jeans as I don't really feel comfortable in them. I know, I know, I must be the only person on earth to say that I'm uncomfortable in jeans but it is a fact. Lucky for me these super comfy sweaters and pullovers can be paired with sexy tights or leggings thus avoiding jeans completely. I've also worn a shiny scarf and earrings to brighten up my look on a very dull day. The final effect is quite eye catching don't you think ?

Pullover: Papaya (similar here and here)

Leggings: Jessica Simpson (similar here )

Boots: Ross (similar here and here)

Scarf: Ross (similar here)

Rings: Forever 21 

Earrings: Forever 21 (similar here , here and here)

Beauty Review - PIXI by Petra Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition

As many of you already know, I was out for more than a month to enjoy a long deserved holiday in my home town Mangalore. I took time to unwind and relax, meeting up with friends and family, enjoying the warm weather and good food. Maybe I enjoyed the food a little too much judging by the extra pounds I have put on. sob! Now I'm back to the grind and ready for the new year. So I'm starting with a post dedicated to beauty. I am not fond of wearing makeup and usually stick to the basics but I recently discovered a video blogger - Aishwarya Ajit and was amazed with the way she could transform herself using make-up. Check out her You tube channel here.

Anyways, I was so inspired after watching Aishwarya's video tutorials that I decided to go out and buy myself a wide range of eye shadows. Lucky for me, PIXI was having a fall edition of the Ultimate beauty kit with close to 40 different shades. I decided to jump in and purchase it. After returning home, I regretted my impulsive buy but was loathe to go back to the store to return it. So I packed it up and took it along with me. I figured I had enough time in India to experiment with it. And guess what ? That's exactly what I did. We were invited to so many weddings and parties over the Christmas break, I made it a point to use the eye shadow kit to the max. The colors are beautiful and last all day long. They do not cake up or crease and have this fresh effect for hours on end. The palette has a nice assortment of mattes and shimmery colors for both day and night use.

Today I will feature a few looks that I created using this eye shadow palette. Some maybe extreme closeups as I want to show how the makeup is applied.

Smokey eyes (Dark)

This look is very simple and can be easily done. Be sure to highlight the brow bone with a neutral color which matches your skin and apply dark eye shadow on the upper eyelide. Add kajal on your lower eye lashes and do not forget to use mascara. For best results, apply two to three coats of long lasting mascara

Smokey eyes (Light)

To create a light smokey eye, use a light gray shade for the upper eye lid. Using an eye shadow brush apply dark grey or light black eye shadow near the eye lash rim. Be sure to extend the eye shadow a little beyond the natural eye crease to create a winged effect. Apply light kohl on the waterline and finish off with mascara

Red lips

To get this look right, it is imperative to ensure that the eye makeup looks minimal. After applying concealer to the under eyes as well as eye lids, sweep a neutral shade of eye shadow (tan/ cream/ light brown) on both the eye lids. Apply a simple black eye liner and mascara. You can chose whether you want to apply kohl to the lower eye lash line or not. Draw a cupids bow along your outer lip line using a lip pencil and fill in with deep burgandy or red shade (whichever color suits you).

Shimmery eyes (Club wear)

This look is the hardest and requires a lot of time. First cover the eyes both the under eyes and upper eye lids with concealer. Then use a light mettalic shade (either light blue or silver) across the entire eye lid. Then apply white or ivory shade eye shadow on your brow bone. Take a dark shade of blue or black and pat on the outer edges of the eye. Blend it along with the lighter shade used earlier. Using a black or dark grey eye liner pencil draw a line on the upper eye lashes. Pull the line upwards at the edges creating a winged effect. Draw a dark kohl line on bottom lashes and coat liberally with mascara. After this, use a concealer brush on the lower eye lids to define the line and remove any unwanted creases/ spots.

Natural look

This day time look is really simple. All you need to do is apply a neutral color (tan/ cream/ pink) to the upper eye lid. Use a brown eyeliner pencil to define the eyes and add a coat of mascara. This minimal makeup makes you looks fresh and natural 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by PIXI . All opinions in this post are my own and are not endorsed by any brand.