Awards & Giveaway

Firstly, I recently wrote this article on the best way to stay in shape: eat better and exercise. Turns out I might have been wrong about the latter. I was flicking through Time Magazine on a place recently and came across this article.
Read it and let me know what you think. I thought it was really interesting and am definitely re-thinking my getting into shape regime!
It basically says that exercise doesn't necessarily allow you to lose weight because you allow yourself to eat more as a reward.

Secondly, we've been given a lot of awards recently! Thank you so much to everyone! It seriously means a lot to us.

We were given an award by the fabulous Kait from Wild Tendency.
We pass this onto:
Tasha from The Hot Spot
Jane St Clair from Little Violet Dress
Mermaid in a Manhole
Luinae from More Magic Always
The Sydney Girl

And the lovely Clarabelle passed this award onto us!

And we pass this award onto:

Greystrawberrys
Code for Something
I Heart Fashion
Fashion Inquisitor
Redhead Fashionista

We were also given this award by The RedHead Fashionista

We pass this award onto:

Maria Confer
Danielle from Irene & Mabel
Clarabelle
Jennifer Fabulous
S. Elisabeth from Modern Dreamer

And finally, its time for another giveaway!!! I swear we spoil you. I know I've written lots of articles about my trip to Barcelona and thanks for putting up with them. I did get a magnet from Barcelona for one of our readers. I know it's nothing special but I love buying souvenirs. I like having a little something that reminds me of a place and a few magical days. While buying myself a magnet, I had to buy one for you guys.

To enter, just leave a comment and tell us the best experience you've had. For me, it has to be either rock climbing or abseiling. I was scared to do both of them and never thought I'd get to the end, but I did and I had a massive sense of achievement when I finished.

Sherin xx

P.S. The brilliant Glamorous Grad Student posted a City Chic with me and Leia. Check it out here. For those of you who don't know what that is, its where A asks people questions about their city. Its a great way to get to know a city, and is really useful if you're planning a trip there. For more about A, check out our Style Swap with her.

Confessions of an Underweight Girl

Scientifically, I'd be classed as underweight: my BMI is about 16. I don't look it and it doesn't really look unhealthy. I'm just naturally petite and thin.
Sometimes I do feel like I need to put on some weight. And then I see girls starving themselves and going to ridiculous lengths to get to this weight, and being thin.


But being this thin isn't all that and has a darker side.

I'm naturally really small. This means that I also have a small head. I can't wear large sunglasses. I love the look of them but because my face is so small, when I do wear them, they cover me whole face and I look weird. I also can't follow trends like high waisted trousers (they don't stay high) or slouchy hats. And headphones on planes do fall off my head (thanks Leia for reminding me).

Easier to get injured: I have next to no fat on my body. That means when I do fall or hurt myself, I have nothing to 'cushion' the fall with. I bruise very very easily, and I always have at least one bruise on my body at all times from small knocks.

Jewellery doesn't fit: I have actually stopped wearing rings because they keep falling off and I keep losing them. Same with bracelets. I'll have it fastened as small as it gets and it still manages to make its way down to my knuckles. With jewellery so big on me, theres no point wearing that much. This makes accessorising so much harder.


Clothes don't fit: I have the same problem with clothes that I do with jewellery. It's so hard to find clothes in my size. I'm a UK size 6-8, and most of the clothes in shops usually don't go below a UK size 10.

No boobs: I have very small 'assets', and because of this people do think I'm 15. In fact, I swear they're getting smaller with time *sigh*. But yeah, being 21 and flat chested is no fun.

Knobbly knees: I don't really have this problem, but others have really complained about this. They say that because thir legs are so small, they can't wear short skirts, dresses or shorts. I think if I was even a little bit thinner, I would be in this category as well.

Picture from here.

You still won't be happy with your weight: I still look in the mirror and think 'I look really fat'. It's weird, but I don't think anyone will ever be 100% content with their weight. It's one of those crazy things. We'll work hard to achieve a certain weight, and when we get there, we still feel fat and not like what's in the mirror.

Other people: I get really annoying looks from other people and they say things like 'why are you so thin? Are you ill? Are you sure you're not ill: you look it, you should really put on some weight!' People saying things like that makes me really self conscious and makes me feel so weird for being the way I am. Yes, I'm thin, but it's not really in an unhealthy way, so when people say things like that, it can be really upsetting.

Sherin xx

Guest Post: The Ten Commandments of Travel Fashion

We are so lucky to have a guest post from Sarah Von of Yes and Yes. We absolutely love her blog, and some of her posts are just so inspirational.


International Travel is an undertaking. Eye-opening? Yes. Challenging? Uh-huh. Enriching? Absolutely. But it can also be an exercise in mind-bending and questioning long held assumptions - and that's just the packing bit!

Now, there are not many things that I can claim to be an expert on (unless you count 'Pony-tail Wearing' and 'Compulsive Cheese Eating') but travel fashion? After five years and twenty countries, I've got a few tips to share, if you guys are willing to look past the crumbs of cheddar all down the front of my sweater.

Picture from here

Thou Shalt Not Wear White Sneakers
Are they comfortable? Sure. But they are also deeply unflattering and mark you instantly as a clueless yokel who's obviously 'not from around here.' And you have no excuse when there are so, so many other options! If you're in an urban area, Adidas or Converse are always good. If you want something a bit dressier try, I cannot speak highly enough of Clarks ballet flats. They're crazy comfortable, dressy enough for a dinner out and small enough that you could pack a few pairs.


Thou Shalt Reconsider Cotton
Yes, yes it's the fabric of our lives and everyone's girlfriend Zooey Deschanel seems to love it, but you guys? Cotton is heavy, dries really slowly and it's not so great with the sweat-wicking. I know that artifical fibers get a bad rap, but if you're trying to pack light, it's worth considering the poly blend. You don't need to splash out on over-priced specialized 'travel clothes.' Target frequently has cute, non-cotton button-ups and tank tops.


Thou Shalt Not Wear Print T-Shirts
If you're traveling through an hip, English speaking country you can probably disregard this one, as I suspect that the keyboard kitty T-shirt may speak the International Language of Awesome, but in rural India? or Paris? or Bolivia? you're going to look like a grade-A douche. Also, in twenty years, you will probably be embarrased that all of your pictures in front of the Eiffel towel also prominently feature your U of M t-shirt. Opt for mono-chromatic tops in dark colors that won't show drips of olive oil or all the sweat from hiking along The Great Wall.


Thou Shalt Only Pack What Thou Can Carry
Ooooh, that's quite the challenge isn't it? But don't you want to be that woman who whizzes through baggage check, rolling only her enviously small carry on? Annnnd, $25 richer because you didn't have to pay any of those ridiculous baggage-checking fees we're all saddled with these days. A good rule of thumb is to pack everything you think you'll need. And then leave half of it at home. And then pack the remaining half into your backpack and carry it around the block. If you don't break a sweat, you win!


Thou Shalt Pack a Sarong
After a pocket dictionary and a few tablets of Imodium AD, you will find few things more useful than a sarong. It’s a beach cover up! It’s a towel! It’s a sheet/blanket/pillow/skirt/scarf/impromptu bag! You can use it to cover your shoulders or knees when entering cathedrals or temples or to cover your hair during a surprise afternoon rain shower. And if you’re one to hand-wash things in your hostel’s sink, sarongs dry really quickly as well. I’d highly recommend steering away from the tropical, tie-dyed sarongs in favor of something a bit more sophisticated, so it could actually pass for a piece of clothing, like this one or this one.


Thou Shalt Not Wear Something Thou Bought in Said Country
I know you can’t wait to wear that awesome Che Guevara/Kangaroo/I Heart NYC t-shirt. And I know that it’s one of the only clean things that you have left in your bag. But trust me, roll it up, tuck it into the bottom of your bag and save it for your flight home. You’ll thank me later. Not only will you look cooler, you won’t be such a target for touts, pickpockets and the other no-goods that hassle tourists.


Thou Shalt Not Wear a Visor/a Fanny Pack/A Passport Holder
You do, in fact, need something to protect your head/ carry things/hide your passport. But let’s opt instead for this cute little number. And a messenger bag. And a hidden, under-your-clothing money belt. You can carry more in a messenger bag *and* tuck it under your arm so you’re less likely to get pick pocketed. And less likely to look like a 56 year old woman from Wisconsin.



Thou Shalt Consider a Color Scheme
If you are going to attempt the carry-on only approach to packing (and I know you can do it!) a well-thought out color scheme will help you out immensely. A good way to go is choose two neutral colors and an accent color and work from there. I’m a big fan of black and grey plus pink, or brown and navy plus orange – but you should obviously choose something that works for you.


Thou Shalt Consider The Local Culture
It’s tempting to think that because you’re going somewhere warm your travel wardrobe should consist of tube tops and short shorts. But a surprising number of countries that we think of as beach-y destinations are actually quite conservative. You’ll rarely see native Thai women swimming topless like the tourists, or Fijian women even baring their shoulders. Indonesia (and it’s famous islands of Bali) is actually Muslim and not too keen on your bustier as a top. This is not necessarily to say that you are required to wear long sleeved shirts and pants through out your trip, but you may want to bring at least one outfit that’s culturally appropriate if you’re going to visit rural areas or religious sites.


Though Shalt Bring Two Swimsuits
If you're headed someplace warm and beachy, you'll probably be spending approximately 97% of your time next to the water. And the other 3% of the time oggling the waiters over the top of your Pina Colada. But if you spend your morning spashing around in the shallows in your bikini, then dress for lunch, putting back on your wet, slightly smelly swim suit is a less than appealing option come 2 pm. And if you want to try kite surfing? Or snorkeling? Or riding a horse through the waves? You're exponentially less like to flash your goodies if you bring along a cute one piece.

What are you travel fashion commandments?

If you would like to guest post for HiFashion please get in touch with your ideas!

Spanish Fashion

I promise, this is my last post about my holiday. Spanish girls are gorgeous and have an amazing sense of style.
Harem pants were everywhere. They came in all colours and patterns. It was such fun to see people in so many colours. Not to mention when I say they were everywhere...I mean EVERYWHERE. I saw teenage girls, young women, old women and even the occasional guy in a pair of harems.

Another trend that was everywhere in Spain was lovely long legged, tanned, girls in reallly short denim shorts and baggy tops. Seriously, these girls looked amazing in this.

I couldn't control myself, I had to buy a pair of harems as well. They're not as fun as the ones the girls there were wearing, but I had to start somewhere, right?
I bought this black pair from a small nameless shop in Spain.

Actually, about the t-shirt I'm wearing in the pictures: it was only 5 Euros. I got it from a shop in Spain called Lefties, which apparently is like a Zara, Bershka and Mango outlet shop. So all the stock that these 3 stores don't take on go to Lefties, who sell them really cheap.

Sherin xx

P.S. Sorry about the wild hair and lack of make up in the pictures, it was 9am and I'd just woken up.

P.P.S: Don't forget to enter our 'We Love Colours' giveaway and the chance to win a shopping Session in Joy, in London here.

Why can't all men wear this in summer

For me, the best part of going to work in the mornings is seeing everyone else really well dressed, especiallly the guys. I'm a complete sucker for a guy all suited and booted.
Its been hot recently, and I've noticed a few guys in 'work' shorts. I know a lot of guys don't like them and stick to trousers, but those shorts look amazing on guys.

formal men by sherin88

Also, do we have a treat for you or what?!!? So if you'll be in London on the 3rd of September you'll love this. We're teaming up with Ford Ka and are offering one of our readers an amazing treat. You'll get the opportunity to hang with me (yay), and other bloggers and their readers, for a private shopping session in Joy .
We've hidden a picture of a Ford Ka somewhere on our blog. All you have to do is find it, and let us know the location of it, and then comment by telling us where you would go for a weekend away in your Ka. The most creative answer will win.

Sherin xx

P.S. Don't forget to enter our other giveaway as well.

I hit Barcelona, armed only with a camera and a lot of Coke!

No seriously, I was drinking 3 cans of coke a day. I wouldn't have done it without them. My parents took me to Barcelona for a few days and I loved it, although it was quite tiring. My dad makes us walk a lot on holiday. He says it gives us a better feel for the city. It's either that or using the underground system, so sightseeing does become quite tiring for us.

Our hotel was amazing. We had a 3 floor suite with our own private swimming pool, so as you can imagine, it was hard to leave the hotel. But when we did, we saw that Barcelona was a beautiful place, and some of the things we saw were truely breathtaking. We were only there for 2 days, so I cramped in as much sight-seeing as possible, and then some.

Picture 1) Park Guell. Probably the best park I've ever been to. It was hard getting up there, and very tiring, but it was worth it. The Park had some amazing views and some gorgeous places to take pictures.

Picture 2) Casa Batlo. An amazing looking building. It was designed by Gaudi. There were a lot of buildings dotted around Barcelona that were designed by Gaudi.

Picture 3) Another Gaudi building: Sagrada Familia. This was spectacular! It started being built in 1882, and isn't due fo completion for another 15 years! We were so impressed by the way it was built. The design was amazing.

Picture 4) I have no idea who made thism but it was some pretty good graffiti. It was on the way to the Park Guell.

Picture 5) Another one of Park Guell. This was probably the highest point in Barcelona. There wasn't much room to stand at the top, so I wasn't up there for long. The view from up there was probably the best I've ever seen.

Anyway: what I wore when I was actually there. I was going with parents, so I didn't pack anything for nights out. All my outfits were pretty casual and comfortable. I took t-shirts and cropped combat trousers. I wore a t-shirt from Hollister, and it really was so comfortable. And cropped combats are the best thing to wear in the summer. They are really comfortable and perfect to wear when walking around for hours.




My swim wear was a black and white polka dot tankini. I love wearing it and polka dot swimwear is amazing.

As for my shoes, I stuck to wearing a pair of Vans for the whole trip. I'd recieved this pair for my birthday a few weeks ago and had to wear them. The thing about Vans is that I can be really rough with them and I love not caring whether they get dusty or dirty.

How do you guys spend your holidays? Relaxing by the beach, or (like me), constantly craming as much history/culture/sight seeing as possible.

Sherin xx

A story from Barcelona

So, I've only just come back from Barcelona. It was an amazing city, and I had such a great time. Anyway, this post is not about my trip (I'll have a post up about it in the next few days). This post is about something I saw while in Spain.


It was about 9.30pm and we went into a shopping centre, which was just off a pier. When we came out of the shopping centre about 45 minutes later, the pier was completely transformed. There were hundreds of little white sheets on the floor and on each on there were about 10-15 knock off bags. It was remarkable just how quickly the pier changed. We asked about prices and found that the bags were going for, at most, 30 Euros, and we saw people haggling them down to 10-15 Euros. Even 'genuine' knock offs aren't that cheap.



So we inspected some of the bags. My Grandad made his living out of leather, so my dad knows his leather pretty well. He was inspecting the bags and was shocked to see that some of the bags were genuine leather. I'm no bag expert, but at first glance they could pass as real. Obviously you know they're not after just picking them up and looking inside.


Anyway, we were still inspecting them when the guy behind the 'sheet' grabbed the bag, as did all the other guys there, and within 30 seconds had everything wrapped up and running away.
It was actually a clever thing here. Each of the for corners of the sheet was tied to rope and in the middle, the rope was tied together, and all the guys had to do was pull the rope and the sheet would immediately roll up.


So anyway, we saw why they all immediately legged it: the police had come. But in all honestly, I don't think they cared too much. There was one (gorgeous Spanish) policeman on a motorbike. And he had a bored expression on his face and kinda shrugged his shoulders and drove after them. But he was going really slowly and was dragging his feet on the floor as he was driving. He was actually driving alongside the running guys and could have caught them with very little effort.


This reminded me of a place in Dubai. You get knock off stuff there as well. You go into the market and people take you to an apartment block nearby (very dodgy indeed) and each shop has an apartment there and you walk in and the walls are covered in fake stuff: bags, shoes, jewellery, clothes, pens etc. And again, with a little effort the government/police could close it all down if they wanted to.


So this got me thinking, just how big is the knock off industry? It must be massive, maybe even bigger than the real industries. I mean there are so many knock offs out there and it's obvious from these 2 places I've been to that all their stock comes from the same place. But there has to be a huge organisation behind it. And if it seems so easy to crack down on them locally, surely, by working your way up the ladder, you'd eventually be able to find out who really is behind it.


And if companies like Prada and Chanel, know about all the knock offs, in theory you'd think thats they'd do whatever it takes to get rid of them, so why don't they?

There really has to be more to the big knock off industries than what we think. They are a lot bigger and way more organised.



Sorry about all these incoherent thoughts . I just thought I'd put them down and then see what everyone else thinks.

Sherin xx