Coco Rose

I know all women have been there: you're wearing a great pair of heels on and you look fab, but by the end of the night, your feet are killing you and you can't take it anymore.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a lovely woman and it turned out that she ran an amazing company, who had a solution to this problem: Coco Rose. This company was started by Janan Leo and she came up with a great concept: Foldable Ballet Flats.

You buy these adorable foldable flats that you can wear while commuting, then when you get to where you need to be, you just fold them in half and swap them for your heels. The fold away shoes also come with a matching bag that you can put them in, which fits perfectly into your handbag. Each one also comes with a shoulder bag to put your heels in when you're holding them. They are just perfect for when those killer heels are literally killing you from the pain.

All you need to do is pack a pair in your bag and you're good to go. Take them on a long commute, to a wedding, party or even at the airport, when you're travelling. Not to mention, these shoes are absolutely gorgeous. You wouldn't expect comfortable shoes to look that great, but Coco Rose makes gorgeous shoes.

I've been given the chance to look at their A/W '09 Collection, which is called 'Sugar and Spice'. Here are a few of my favoiurite shoes from the collection:

This is called 'Vesper', and they are stunning! It has gorgeous 'Smokey' coloured gemstones and a ribbon at the front and comes with a purse, and a satin black carrier bag for your heels.

I love the look of this one, called 'Ruby'. You have lovely red gemstones at the front and its matching purse comes with a red satin bow.

These 'Portia' ones are by far my favourite. The colour is amazing and they are so chic and come with a real gold leather inner sole. And the purse to put them in also comes with a small chain that can turn the purse into a handbag, as well as connecting the purse and the bag for your heels together.

As if this brand couldn't get any better: they've also made a foldable pair of flats for Cancer Research.

Naturally, they're bright pink!! Coco Rose teamed up with Cancer Research to make these amazing pair of flats for anyone wanting to look good, but also do their bit for the greater good. They are a bright pink, with butterfly bow at the front and come with a matching pink bag.
And for every sale of these Fuchsia shoes, £2 goes direct to Cancer Research.

 
Sherin xx

Surprise Giveaway #2

There are very few people in life with whom you share an instant connection. We stumbled upon Erika's blog (Cafe Fashionista) when we first started blogging, and we knew we had found our blogger BFF. If she lived in London, I just know we would go on coffee dates (wearing ballet flats or Converses), or spend Saturdays trawling Oxford Street for great fashion finds, or lounge around on the couch exchanging books and discussing our latest reads.

The truth is, though we certainly love all of you, Erika is a special blogging friend. She never hesitates to leave a kind word or interesting comment on our blog (as well as on many others!) and her own blog presents us with a daily slice of all things fashionable. She is a talented, warm hearted person and we are so lucky to have "met" her!

So, to celebrate our friendship with Erika, we have decided to send her a little gift to say thank you for being the wonderful, talented girl that you are. Darling, if you are reading this, please e-mail us your postal address so we can get it out to you as soon as possible!


xx Leia and Sherin 

New Toms

I first saw Toms on the feet of some random guy on the bus, and thought they were interesting looking. They kind of looked like Slip-On Vans, but more casual and comfortable, and not as good looking. I saw them on a lot more people and they really began to grow on me.

They all looked so comfortable, but I really was in between minds about getting them: they weren't exactly the cheapest of shoes and I'd never heard of the company before either. So I Googled them and I'm happy that I did! Buying these shoes is for a great cause:

The company was started in 2006, by Blake Mycoskie. He went to Argentina and was shocked to see so many children without shoes. So he created Toms. Literally, for every 1 pair you buy, 1 pair goes to a child in need. So far, over 140,000 pairs have been given to children in need. Talk about guilt free shopping!!

My mind more made up, I decided to ask someone who had already bought a pair to see if it was really worth it (I really do my research when I buy something). I remembered that the lovely Jane from Little Violet Dress had bought a pair and read that she loved them. I asked her what she thought and she said that they were really comfortable and definitely worth it because of the good cause behind it.

Now to find the perfect pair: after a bit of research, I stumbled across these from Shudoo.

I don't think I've ever owned anything this colourful before. Initially, I wasn't going to get them, and had decided on a plain blue pair. Then an email from Leia changed my mind:

'I know they're a bit wacky, but you do already have a pair of navy blue slip on shoes, don't you? (Aren't the Vans a similar color?) Besides, I think they would be a really great way to spice up a simple outfit. You can just throw on blue jeans, any t-shirt or hoodie in a neutral color, a plain bag, and then BRIGHT shoes and it instantly makes you look more dressed up and fun! Don't you think? They'd also work with denim skirts (& tights if it's cold), harems, or cargo pants.'

I am so glad I chose this colour. They are really fun looking and as Leia wrote, perfect for spicing up an outfit!

I absolutely love them! I've been wearing them today and they are so light and comfortable. I love the colours on the pair and I know I'll definitely be wearing them a lot!

So do your bit and buy a pair of shoes!

Sherin xx

P.S. The winner of the Perricone giveaway are the lovely girls from We Were Damsels! Congratualtions. Email us with an address and we'll pass your details onto Perricone.

Zooey Deschannel

I first saw Zooey Deschanel in 'Tin Man' and instantly loved her. She was absolutely gorgeous and was a brilliant actress. Tin Man was basically a modern take on 'The Wizard of Oz', and it was really good!

I'd never heard of her before (yes, I live under a rock), so I Googled her (not in a stalkerish way) and realised that she'd already made a name for herself on the other side of the pond, by being in various different things.

I then saw her in 'The Happening' not long after, (which is where my brother said 'Isn't she the girl who sang about kissing girls?' Lol, they do look very similar!) That's when I realised just what an amazing actress she really was.

I absolutely love her style, and her voice. I mean we've all seen her ad for Cotton. I love how talented she is and found out that she plays a number of instruments, including the keyboard. She seems like such a cool person and does look good wherever we see her. I haven't seen 500 Days of Summer yet, because...well I don't know why, but I am dying to see it.



What do you guys think of her?

Sherin xx

P.S. Don't forget: Tomorrow's the last day to enter our Perricone giveaway.

What to wear for halloween

I love dressing up for Halloween; it is so much fun. Seeing as Halloween nearly around the corner, I thought I'd write a post about the few costumes I'm thinking of this year.

Flapper:

This has been a really popular one in the past. I went as a flapper last year, and Lauren Conrad has previously gone as a flapper as well.

I loved this look, and had so much fun wearing it. I was also surprised at how easy it was to pull off. All you need is a lovely flapper drss, which I got from Morgan, and then you just accessorise around it. The important things you need are a feather boa (mine was from Portobello Road Market) and a feathered headband. All the high street stores from Topshop to Accessorize do really cute ones.

Add some beaded necklaces and some dark jewellery, and you're pretty much set.

I also loved the make up for it. I usually wear light make up, so it was fun to wear really dark make up. I did smokey eyes and wore really bright red lipstick, and bright blusher.

Pirate:

This is definitely the one I'm going for this year, and as you can tell, I had a great time making that polyvore set. I love the all black and the lace everywhere needed for this look. You can wear asymmetric skirts and white blouses, with a black waistcoat/corset on top. As for the boots, over the knee boots are perfect!! An how perfect is that knuckle Alexandra McQueen clutch here?

The jewellery here is really fun as well. You can wear a lot of silver and black. I think wearing stacked bracelets and layered necklaces will go well.

The make up has to be very dark and very edgy. Go all out with the dark eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner, and bright red lips are a must again.

And don't forget to add a scarf around your neck and a pirate hat.

Little Red Riding Hood:

Definitely one of my favourite characters ever, and Lo B does look amazing here. I guess with this, you do go all red. I love wearing the colour red, so it should be really fun to wearing it. There are some really gorgeous red dresses out there, which shows that Red Riding Hood can also be very sexy.

As for the make up, its probably best to keep it natural and light. Red is an innocent young girl, so light make up is probably the best. Neutral coloured eye shadow and really light pink blush should be perfect.
Jewellery is something you can really have fun with here. It should be really girly, really colourful and just plain fun.

What are you all thinking of dressing up as this year, and do you have any ideas that you'd like to see in polyvore form?

Sherin xx

P.S. I've been lucky enough to be featured on the Go Find It blog. Find out about my shopping habits here.

P.P.S. Our giveaway ends on Friday. Don't forget to enter.

Diamonds are Forever

I, like every other girl out there, love diamonds. They are gorgeous and so sparkly (ok, I sound 5), but seriously, diamonds are something that every girl should own.
Ever since I was a little girl, there was little more that I wanted than to have a nice piece of diamond jewellery in my hands, and I do remember trying on my mum's diamond rings, which were quite big for me at the time.
So, I was really excited when I discovered Abazias. They have some great fashion jewellery, from Wedding Bands to Earrings. When I find Mr. Right, I will definitely leave his internet browser open at their website, so that he can shower me with presents from it.
Here are some of my favourites from the website. It was really hard to narrow it down to 3 gorgeous items!



I absolutely love this necklace. It is stunning and really is something you can wear everyday. I love pearls almost as much as I love diamonds, so this necklace really is perfect.


Everything on the website was so pretty that I even ventured to where the Wedding Bands were, despite getting married being the last thing across my mind, and I came across this ring. It is made so beautifully, and I can definitely see myself flaunting it.



My favourite accessory of all time is a bracelet, and Abazias have some gorgeous bracelets. This one caught my eye instantly and it really was love at first sight. Although it is slightly out of my price range, I'm sure I'd be able to get someone to chip in and get this for me. It is so different from everything elsee out there right now, and uses both black and white diamonds. The pattern is lovely and I can really imagine it sitting on my arm, just sparkling.

So, these are my favourites, but by no means are the only ones I love. The website is really full of some pretty brilliant stuff that you all have to check out.

All pictures are courtesy of the Abazias website.

Sherin xx


P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Links à la Mode: Shifting Gears

Beyond Fashion Week

Edited by Ashe Mischief
There’s a certain amount of irony in the fact I edited this week’s Links a la Mode, as it’s New York Fashion Week– because it’s something I’ve never actually covered before.  Style moves on– whether it’s fashion week or the holidays, or the worst day of your life, and for that, we’ve got a bit of coverage from NYFW, some great posts to challenge your mind and body, and a bit of eye candy to tide us over through the weekend.

Links à la Mode : September 17th

    
• 39th and Broadway – Designing Divisions
    
• Anywhere but here –  Inspired by: Elton John
    
• awakened aesthetic – I Got Tatted!
    
• Denim Debutante – Denim Store Review: ECBC (and Giveaway!)
    
• Denimaniac – Interview | Philip Goss for Ijin Material
    
• dramatis personae – South African Street Style
    
• Fashion Pulse Daily – Blogging Live from Vivienne Tam S/S 2010
    
• FashionHippo – Best Fall 2009 Top Trends:  Draped, Ruffled, One Shoulder and More
    
• girl friday – DIYLeather Necklace I’ve been thinking about…
    
• HiFashion – Successful Online Shopping
    
• Individual Chic – 7 simple steps when shopping for swimwear
    
• Oranges and Apples – Diversity in fashion and style for all ages
    
• Rags to Reverie – Give Me A Hint!
    
• Retro Chick – Make Do and Mend
    
• Style Symmetry – Symmetry Seven ~ Doe Deere
    
• sweetarchivia –  The Lighter Side of Olive Skin Tones
    
• THE COVETED – Backstage and on the runways at Matthew Ames SS10
    
• The Demoiselles – Body Type? What Body Type?
    
• The Greyest Ghost – The Day I Met Gwen Stefani…Twice
    
• The Sideshow Scrapbook –  have to have……….Knuckle duster clutch
    
• Think Thru Fashion – One Scarf, Tied 5 Different Ways

Perricone: No Foundation Foundation Giveaway

Once again we've teamed up with the brilliant people from Perricone to offer you guys another giveaway. This time it's for their 'No Foundation Foundation'.

It's a great product to have. Basically, it gives you all the benefits of foundation but without leaving you with that matte finish. It keeps your face moisturised for the whole day, as well as smoothing fine lines and reducing your skins pores and puffiness.

To enter all you have to do is comment and let us know why you need a product like this for your skin.

Unfortunately, this is only open to US Residents, but don't worry, we'll have lots more competitions in the future.

This competition is open until the 25th of September.

Good Luck

Sherin & Leia xx

DIY Routines

I've had many, many phases in my life, which has proved to be expensive for my parents. One of my phases was that I wanted to be a beautician (this is before I wanted to be a lawyer, but after professional footballer). I think I was about 15 and was only just discovering make up.
My parents arranged for me to shadow a beautician for a week, so that I could learn the basics. They thought that even if I got bored of this phase, at least I would have learnt something. She was really nice and worked out of her home, so she made lots of homemade products.
I was taught some useful things, like how to thread (a South Asian hair removal technique) and how to make products that are available in shops. I thought I'd share the latter with you guys.

How to make your own waxing mixture:
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons of water

Mix together and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until it becomes thick. Put the mixture on wherever you want to wax and put some old denim on top of it. Pull it off in the opposite direction of hair growth.

Picture from here

How to make your own manicure/pedicure mixture:
1 teaspoon salt
1 squeezed lemon
1/2 tablespoon of shampoo (no idea why).

Mix it all in a bowl of warm water and soak your hands/feet in it.

Picture from here

What do you guys think? I remember using both these mixtures, and they worked well.

Sherin xx

How cool am I?

Yup, thats me on the left (with the massive cheesy grin) and this picture made it to the front page of my local paper! And yes, I'm in pink camoflage and a pink beret. My aim: to bring pink camoflage back into fashion. I have to admit, I did feel very cool and trendy standing in the middle of the park in this outfit. Hopefully, everyone will be wearing it this winter.

But in all honesty, there was a reason I was wearing this. I'm currently volunteering at Cancer Research, and am helping them organise a massive walk in North London. If any of you will be around in London that day, please sign up to do the walk. (Shameless plug, I know). I'm not doing the walk, because I'm going to be running the event, but I would love to have as many people as possible. For more details, check out the website.

Sherin xx

P.s. Do you still have any questions for me or Leia? Ask us here.

Scarlett Johansson for D&G

Scarlett Johansson is the face behind Dolce & Gabbana new fragrance: 'Rose The One'. The fragrance is out next month, and I love the pictures behind the campaign.


















Johansson looks absolutely stunning in the pictures for the perfume. I absolutely love her curly hair, and her make up makes her look just like a 1950's star, which is perfect because I hear she plays Marilyn Monroe in an upcoming movie. I don't know about you, but I'm really excited for this fragrance to come out!

Sherin xx

P.S. Don't forget to ask me and Leia anything you want.

What a Joy-ful evening

Joy had teamed up with Ford KA, through their Go Find It campaign and had invited 14 bloggers and a reader each to attend the exclusive evening. I chose Harriet to go with. I'd met her once before and am a huge fan of her blog. She was absolutely lovely and great fun to be with.

I came straight from work, so there were no glamorous outfits for me, but everyone else looked great. We were let into the Bankside Joy Store at 7.30 and were drawn in by cupcakes and drinks (did we need anything else?).

We were welcomed by the lovely people from the Go Find It campaign and then were unleashed to find these adorable Miniture Silver Ford KA's. They were hidden around the store, each one giving us £60 of Joy Vouchers. Seriously, these little KA's were adorable and the best bit: we got to keep them!!! Anyway, everyone found the KA's early on and soon we were armed with £60 Vouchers and a big shop open just for us (every girl's dream).
I quickly got through my £60 and that left me time to mingle. I got a chance to speak to Claire and Nicola (I went to school with Nicola and hadn't seen her in years, so it was great catching up).
The girls behind it all, Violette and Camile, were lovely and I had a long chat with them. I also spoke to the shop assistant there. I used to work near that store and spent a lot of time in there, and the shop assistant recognised me.

I bought a skirt and a bag that was sent from heaven. I saw it from across the store and floated towards it (life went in slow motion) and grabbed it. I love that skirt. It fits so well and looked great! Everying cost me £67, so I had to spend £7 of my own, but thats not bad!












Joy are running this promotion every friday this September, in the UK. Just walk into a Joy store and find a miniture KA for your chance to win vouchers worth £10.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the event (I look tired because I'd been up since about 6am!!):

Sherin xx

P.S. Tomorrow (sunday) is the last day to enter our giveaway.

Wuthering Heights

ITV has made a TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights. I read the book ages ago, but couldn't actually remember the story. The adaptation was OK, but, as a fashion blogger, what I really noticed were Catherine Earnshaw's outfits.
They were absolutely stunning and I wish I could wear them everyday, unfortunately, I live in 21st Century London, so those outfits aren't that practical. The outfits were actually quite modern for a show set in the 19th century, and they really were pretty. I thought I'd give them a more modern touch, so they could be more wearable today.

Sherin xx