MW's Fall/Winter Footwear

Hello Whirlers,

To ensure I get maximum use of my shoes/clothes, every season I choose what are the likely items I`m going to wear. I put them out, so I know what my options are every morning when I get dressed.

I have a theory that if I do this, every season, then I know I am making use of my clothes and not gathering dust in the closet. What I like to tell Mama Mango, is that I`m being economic with my clothes. Plus, its always nice to have you clothes out, so when you`re creating an outfit, its easy to see the options.

This evening I sorted out my fall/winter footwear, and I thought I would share with you:

(click photo to enlarge)

BOOTIES

Booties are PERFECT for the fall/winter where your toes will stay nice and warm! They are also all over the catwalk, so they are big this season! I have kept my open-toed booties out for a short period because I think open-toes are perfect for the transition into winter, so I think I will RINSE these booties until its too cold to wear them.

RIDING BOOTS

I adore riding boots, they are ideal for fall/winter! They go with jeans, even coloured jeans, which is ideal if you want to carry your coloured jeans over into the fall/winter. They go fabulously with midi skirts, which is perfect for a modest dresser, especially as midi skirts are all over the shop floors, so its a perfect excuse to buy midi length skirts.

OXBLOOD

Any footwear that is oxblood/maroon/burgundy - then you are SERIOUSLY on trend this fall/winter. I am absolutely obsessed with this colour and I am buying EVERYTHING that my eyes fall on in these shades - its getting ridiculous now though!

LOAFERS

These are the new ballet pumps, just much more trendy! I love them. Round up outfits so nicely and goes with EVERYTHING - I kid you not! If you prefer to wear flats to heels, then I think tan, black and oxblood hues would be ideal for this season. At least one pair would go with your outfit, you will be comfortable, and more importantly, on trend!

NEUTRALS

These types of footwear NEVER go out of fashion, simply because it is a safe option. I tend to sway to neutral footwear, when I am unsure about which shoes to wear with an outfit. I know I will feel confident in neutral because attention won`t be drawn to the shoes, so it won`t be an issue - does that make sense?

MILITARY BOOTS

I don`t really have military boots simply because its not my style and I`m 5ft, so they don`t really suit me. However, I do have these trendy/edgy/studded boots, which I feel work as a substitute and I would use these to attempt the military trend this fall/winter.

What are you wearing this fall/winter?

xo

MW's Neutrogena Visibly Clear Moisturiser

Whirlers,

Everyone knows my obsession with Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Face Scrub, where I did a review here and here, so when I discovered the matching moisturising cream, I bought it, and shared my excitement with you here. 

Due to the excitement, I purchased this in bulk, thinking it would be just as amazing as the face scrub, however, much to my dismay, it was a disappointment.

But, I`m Asian, and I have to use my money's worth, so I stuck it out, and have been using it ruthlessly! 

(I have one in my handbag - ideal for when I do wudhu outside of home, I have given one to mum - she doesn`t like it either and FINALLY nearly finished this one)

The texture was exceedingly light, much lighter than my usual Olay Daily Moisturising Fluid, but because of this, I had to use a lot per application to cover my entire face (I don`t think my face is that big!), which is bad  because you shouldn`t have to use a lot of product to cover your entire face, BUT, its good - because the product is pretty rubbish and I didn`t want to use it for very long - so the quicker I can finish, the better! 

The packaging states the cream is a 'daily facial moisturiser with a fresh fragrance that hydrates, clears and refreshes for a beautifully clear and healthy looking skin everyday'.

Fresh fragrance - It has the same smell as the facial scrub, which initially smells fantastic first thing in the morning and very refreshing, but after a while, it gets boring and doesn`t smell exciting. It also made my skin sting a little bit - I don`t know what that was about?

Hydrates, clears and refreshes - I`m not entirely sure if it hydrated my skin as it didn`t really make much of a difference - and surely drinking plenty of water is what keeps the skin hydrated?! 

The cream has salicylic acid, which is great for reducing marks, which was the determining factor for me to purchase the cream - I thought it would aid the reduction of marks faster(!). But, it really didn`t! It made no added difference to my skin. And, this is why I`m disappointed with the product.

It was refreshing though, but after a while, you do get used to it. 

Beautifully clear and healthy looking skin everyday - As previously stated above, it didn`t really help clear my skin, but as the product is 'oil-free' it did keep the skin from clogging up further - in that respect the product was good. It was also pretty good as a base for make up as the product absorbed pretty quickly into the skin.

Another thing I didn`t like about this product is that there is no SPF included, which I find annoying. I`m a massive fan of SPF and the benefits it entails, so when my basic face cream is missing this? It is instantly not a great product for me. I try not to wear foundation as I like to keep my pores clog free, so I actively seek SPF in my face creams, to protect my skin from the harsh sun rays. But, as this product misses the SPF, I`ve had to be extra cautious and consciously ensure I wear foundation or sun protection on top of my face cream! So, that`s a MAJOR negative for me, in respect of this face cream.

Would I purchase this product again? No, the face scrub is amazing, but the moisturising cream is a let down in comparison, and my skin didn`t change dramatically, which sucks. Once I have finished this cream, I will go back to purchasing my Olay moisturising lotion, which I feel my skin is better suited to.

How about you? Have you tried this cream? I know, chocoholic-hijabi's sister tried it out and didn`t seem fond of it, either! Check out her funny review here. 

Can you recommend YOUR face cream to me?

xo

MW's DIY: Cute Cushion Covers

Whirlers,

Sunday. Sitting at home. Raining. Mama Mango watching Star Plus - what should I do?! I decided it was about time I learnt how to sew, so I rummaged in the cupboard underneath the stairs and dug out Mama Mango's old school sewing machine...and, begged her to deter her attention away from Arnav and Kushi to teach me!

And, this is how it all went down:

(click on photo to enlarge)

What I needed: 

- Material

- Cushion 

[I purchased mine when it was on sale on the H&M website - 99p! But, this was a while ago - but I`d keep an eye out all the time - H&M have amazing sales all the time]

- Black cotton thread

- Scissors

- Measuring Tape

-Sewing Machine

Measuring and cutting the material:

Mama Mango obviously didn`t want me to cut and mess it up, so she laid the material down on a flat surface, placed the cushion on top and measured the material.

She cut three pieces:

1 x large piece, which would cover one side of the cushion

2 x smaller pieces, the height would be the same as the larger pieces, but the width would be half of the cushion size's width, plus an inch or so over  - this is so you can fold a little over and create a nice edge (as you can see in the image below on the two smaller pieces), as well as the "fold over" (to insert the cushion)

[e.g. if your cushion, width wise is 30cm, then half would be 15cm, but adding an inch or so = 18/19cm]

To create the neater edge: 

Fold the edge over a little bit (little over 1cm) and pin it in place, this will create a neat edge. Sew this all the way down. 

Once you have done this to one side to each of the smaller pieces, lay the cushion back ontop of the pieces put together, so you can get an idea of how much you would need to sew around the outer edges. Mama Mango measured it where I would have an inch space to sew:

Again, using sewing pins, along the edges so the material wouldn`t move, put through the sewing machine. 

Make sure one of the smaller pieces overlaps the other small piece, as this is how the cushion will stay in its cushion cover, like this photo:

Ensure you do the sewing inside out.

And, once you`re done, turn it back around and put the cushion inside, and you should end up with something like this:

So, that was my first ever sewing project - I hope it was easy to understand! If not, please do email/comment/tweet me! 

What shall I do for my next project? Although, it was scary and a pain - I did feel the final outcome was rewarding (lol!)

Do let me know if you also make a cushion cover!

xo

MW's New Obsession: Rose Gold

Hellllloooo Whirlers!!

Safiyah over on Frootibeauty, recommended a Sleek Blusher for me, Rose Gold. So, I`ve been on the hunt for it and could NEVER find it in any of the Superdrugs for a good month or so. Until a month ago I found it in town! I was totally happy and put it into my basket without a second thought!

(with flash)

(without flash)

After using it for a month, I can tell you I am IN love with it. The colour is amazing! I always put it on my cheeks and still use the Sleek Contour Kit for the hollows of my cheeks.

What do you guys think? Isn`t it just a beautiful colour? Especially on brown/tanned skin? 

Do you have this? Would you buy it? 

xo

MW's Bright Lights and City Lights OOTN

Whirlers, 

If you follow my blog, then you will know I went out for dinner with Lilmissrosh earlier this week, where Rosh was kind enough to take photos of my outfit to share with you:

(click photos to enlarge)

I wore black chinos, black shirt and an oversized tailored blazer in hot pink. By keeping the accessories muted, I was able to ensure the hot pink blazer stood out!

OVERSIZED BLAZERS

I am kind of in love with oversized blazers at the moment - I think that`s because its so simple to throw on over an outfit and it will just round it up - and still be on trend! Especially, as I went to dinner straight after work, so needed something office friendly, yet could pass as 'going out' afterwards. To keep it casual, I rolled up the sleeves and ensured my black shirt sleeves were poking out.

Shirt - H&M

Chinos - Zara

Blazer - Forever 21

Clutch - New Look

Shoes - New Look

Belt - Zara

Hijab - eBay

What do you think? Yay or nay for oversized blazers? 

xo

MW and LilMissRosh Have Dinner

Whirlers! 

Hope you`re all whirling in happiness at the moment! Work has been taking over my life currently. From chilling at home, travelling and spending my parents money for 6-7 months...I finally sat up and decided to get a job. Its been fun, though!! Working with amazing girls in the office - and, I love finding new hijab friendly outfits which are office appropriate. Will have to do a separate post and share!

Anyway, on with the post! So, I heard Lil Miss Rosh was working down South. I got in touch and we decided to meet up in Brighton for dinner. Obviously, my Canon was slung over my shoulder and ready to capture the evening:

(click photos to enlarge)

Rosh is a fussy eater, doesn`t like Chinese or Thai, only eats Indian, Mexican or Italian and she`s vegetarian...do you see what I mean? Had my work cut out to find a nice restaurant!

She`s Indian, so safest bet was to go to a Gujrati restaurant, in my opinion - so thats what we did!

We were given a spicy vegetable soup, whilst our starter was being prepared. It was in a TINY cup, probably same size as an espresso cup.

I obviously saw mango juice on the drinks menu and had to order it! Rosh had a salty lassi which was served in a tin can! That was pretty cool. For starters, Rosh ordered a Vegetable Dosa (I think) and it was presented on a massive taal! I tried a little bit, tasted really nice - if I ever go to a Gujrati restaurant, I will definitely order this.

I ordered the Bhel Puri, which was surprisingly nice, and was a small risk as I`m lactose intolerant and it was drizzled with yoghurt! But, the mixture of textures from the savoury, to potatoes to sauces was really nice. Unfortunately, neither of us could finish our starters! 

Whilst we were waiting for our main course, we were given Mango Sherbet in these cute little pots - they were really yummy, too. But, lets be fair, anything with mango in, is yummy! 

We then had our main courses, which consisted of Rosh getting the Vegeterian Taal and I ordered the Chingri Malai. 

Us eating our food.

We both really enjoyed our meal. As I`m bit of a fatty, I finished my meal (except the beans - they were too hard for my liking) but Rosh wasn`t able to and took the remainder as a takeaway. 

The restaurant:

We decided to take a stroll along the seafront, even though it was a little cold! But, the view was amazing!! Check it out:

And, of course a photo of us:

Hope you enjoyed this post! Sorry the last few posts have been food related! I`ve been trying to do different things on the blog, and lately, the only 'social' thing I`ve been doing is, going for meals! 

OOTN from the evening will come later this week! :)

Make sure you check out Rosh's blog! 

Should I do foodie posts? Or, not? Have you tried any of the dishes? What`s your favourite Indian restaurant in London?

xo

MW's Bordeaux Booties OOTD

Whirlers,

Two of my recent purchases, which I am crazy about: 

- City Bag - Zara (£49.99)

- Burgundy Booties - New Look (£24.99)

I`m finding any opportunity to wear these:
(click on photos to enlarge)

Tunic - Next

Trousers - Dorothy Perkins

Hijab - eBay

Accessories - Street Princess/Dorothy Perkins/H&M

Both are fab items to wear this fall. 

I paired these items with a black tunic, black jeans and a black hijab as I wanted all eyes to be drawn to my booties.

BURGUNDY

ANYTHING burgundy, whether it be your shoes, or your lips all the way to your socks, will be a big on-trend movement this season. I`m loving it this fall, simply because burgundy is one of my favourite colours and I already have a few burgundy items in my wardrobe! Although, there is no harm in stocking up on more burgundy items...

STRUCTURED BAGS

Move aside, slouchy hobo bags and make way for structured, rigid big handbags - YAY! I hate slouchy bags, I much prefer structured bags - so am totally loving this trend, too. This bag is GENIUS. It has SO many compartments and keeps everything organised. The interior is burgundy, too! 

TOTALLY LOVE.

What do you think? Yay or nay?

xo

P.S.  I`m on bloglovin`, so if you`re on that, follow me.
P.P.S. I`ve finally added my instagram photos onto the blog! Check them out on the right! So, the Whirlers that don`t have an iPhone/iPad/iPod - you won`t miss out, now! If you are on instagram, do follow me!
P.P.P.S. I`ve actually sat down and started my Pinterest boards, and I am BEYOND addicted! Make sure you check my Pinterest out and follow me! :)

MW's Foodings: Mango Tree

Whirlers,

So me and a dear friend (ignore her man-ly hands in some of the photos, they were too big to crop out of the photos :p) went to eat at The Mango Tree in Grosvenor Gardens, London (closet tube was Victoria and a short 3 minute walk from the Station). I thought I`d share my experience with you, Whirlers, obviously with photos :p

(click on photos to enlarge)

I`ve heard of this restaurant and had been wanting to try it out for a while, as I had heard such good reviews from friends, "celebrities" and newspaper reviews, alike. The cuisine is Thai, which I enjoy and the meat is halal, all thumbs up, so far! I randomly came across an offer that had 50% off the a la Carte Menu, which available was through toptable. Do join and check out their other special offers on their site because they are pretty good! It was a simple process of selecting a table for 2, at a set time, with an email confirmation sent to your email address all done within 2 minutes. 

You would have to ensure you are able to make the reservation as there is a £20 charge per head if you miss the reservation, so reserve carefully. Also, there is a 2-hour turnaround for the table, which in effect means, you have two hours to eat your food, wash your hands, pay the bill and leave. I like this policy because if you`re hungry, you know you`ll get your food within good time and won`t have to wait around! 

We were pretty happy when we saw they had a mocktails menu, the two that are circled/squiggled/clouded are the ones we chose. Virgin Mojito was for myself and the Exotic Pago was chosen by Man-ly (lol). 

This is how they were presented to us. Yay. We all love it when mocktails come in pretty shape glasses, with fruit stuck on the edge, right? Only an umbrella was missing!

One thing, I wasn`t very fond of in regards to the mocktails, however, was the price. At £6.85, I personally think this is pretty dear, so what is essentially a mixture of fruit juices, no? The maximum I usually spend on a mocktail would be £5, but even then, I`m quite reluctant...

Oh, also, the Exotic Pago was the nicest out of the two. It was nice and sweet, which we were surprised about as it had such a large combination of flavours! They didn`t put enough brown sugar in the Virgin Mojito, so I was disappointed with that.

Me posing away with my mocktail...any chance to pose, eh?

(Ignore my man-ly hands, too now that I think about it!)

The starters: Chicken Satay and Gai Hor Bai Toey

I adore Chicken Satay! Its my favourite dish so I always order it whenever I go to a Thai restaurant, and I was not disappointed with this one. The peanut sauce was perfect, too! My friend ordered the Gai Hor Bai Toey, this was pretty standard chicken boiled in spicy sauce and wrapped in a leaf. Nothing too exciting. I won the starter round for best choice. Haha.

Main Course: Gai  Pad Med Mamuang and Chicken Chilli Basil

My friend had the Gai Pad Med Mamuang, which also had cashew nuts, but she requested it be taken out. I made her keep the mushrooms though, which I had. Her dish was mild, but really nice. The mushrooms were fresh and nicely cooked. The dish was put in a pastry sheet, so the sauce made it soft, but the top was still crispy, so the combination of textures was really nice. 

I had the bottom dish, the Chicken Chilli Basil, which was really spicy! It was covered in chilli's, which was disappointing, because it was basically a dish filled with chilli's...I didn`t want to eat chilli's for an entire meal? So, I just had the chicken and sauce, which was nice and spicy though - which I love.

2 - 1 to the friend -______________-

How do you feel about having an automatic 12.5% gratuity added to your bill? I personally hate it! I know its not compulsory to pay the gratuity, but it is just so awkward, when they take the bill and money and realise we didn`t pay it. And, 10% is more than enough to give for services, and that is coming from someone who has been a waitress from the age of 13! 

My feedback.

Would I go back? Yes, but only on a special offer basis, maybe next time the chef special offer, as there was more choice of dishes under that offer. But, they also accept the tastecard on weekdays, which is great - as I have one! And, I will most definitely be ordering the Exotic Pago. And, I probably won`t pay the 12.5% next time...10%, most likely.

What do you think of my review? Have you eaten there? How do you feel about 12.5% added automatically to your bill??

xo