Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Red Leather & Fur






ASOS Fur Coat / H&M Jumper & Bag / Levi's Shirt / Miss Selfridge Leather Trousers / Kurt Geiger Boots

I've been on the hunt for a new winter coat and completely forgot that my mum had put a huge suitcase full of my winter clothes in the loft. I found this jacket that I had bought years ago and it brought back many memories of first and second year at my old university in scotland. I went two sizes up so I could layer up as much as possible but thankfully winter hasn't hit us full throttle just yet!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Avoid A Same Dress Disaster


"It's that all too familiar scenario. You've spent weeks, months even, searching for that seemingly perfect party outfit and arrive feeling fabulously festive - only for someone else to show up wearing the exact. same. dress"

Harvey Nichols have come up with another brilliant and hilarious Christmas ad! They've taken the 'death stare' further and heightened it with sci-fi laser beams and explosions. Enjoy!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Peanut Butter & Nutella Cookies

After numerous failed attempts, I recently decided to tackle my fear of baking (the only thing i could well was apple crumble) and start again with the basics. I wanted to share with you a recipe for some cookies that I made yesterday using my two favourite spreads - Nutella and Peanut Butter! 


What you'll need:

Greaseproof Paper (or Parchment Paper)
170 g (unsalted) butter, softened
105 g dark brown sugar 
100 g white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
160 g smooth or crunchy peanut butter (I used crunchy!)
110 g Nutella
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

MAKES APPROX 30 (I GOT 26)

Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees C and place greaseproof (or parchment paper) on your baking tray. 
In a large bowl, mix the butter with both the brown and the white sugar until creamy. Add the peanut butter and then the nutella (I just threw them in together!). Next combine the egg and the vanilla extract into the bowl. 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda and incorporate slowly into the peanut butter-nutella goodness! 
NOTE: This next step isn't necessary but I would strongly advise you do so. 
Place the mixture in the fridge for about an hour (you can actually freeze the cookie dough as well - just roll into little balls and pop them into a freezer bag).

You can either roll the cookie dough mixture into little balls of the exact same size (e.g. 1inch) and then press down with a spoon or knife OR you can do what I did and just use a tablespoon to measure out a 'dollop' of cookie dough, transfer onto the greaseproof paper and press down gently with a spoon.

Bake the cookies for 10-15 mins or until they're lightly brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and cool them down on a wire rack. Serve warm with ice cream! 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Revlon: One Perfect Coral




When the weather gets colder, I usually go for dark shades of plum, red, blue or purple but I found this gorgeous coral nail polish my mum had recently bought and loved it instantly. It's a slightly neon and more coral in real life which unfortunately doesn't come up on the camera, no matter which setting I used! Drying time was surprisingly quick and I didn't even need the two coats that I used because the polish has the right amount of 'thickness' to ensure full coverage. Now all I need is a holiday to somewhere obscenely hot and sunny to wear this to.   

Monday, December 10, 2012

Inspiration: Magazine Covers






As part of my project at university, I have to come up with an artefact that represents me as an individual. I wanted to find a way to display my interests and what I'm passionate about and as a result came up with the idea of creating a print magazine. I have spent the past month or so compiling a scrapbook for inspiration for content, layout and the general aesthetics for the magazine. Today, i've spent the day navigating myself around InDesign and looking at magazine covers to keep myself inspired. The whole process is going to be stressful but i'm excited to see how it's going to turn out!  

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Wishlist



'Jil' pumps are at the top of my wish list!
These 'Micca Earrings' are gorgeous! Now that I have shorter hair, I've noticed how much earrings can brighten up your face. 

Admittedly, I already have a pair of red leather trousers but these H&M Imitation Leather Trousers come in a shorter length!


Acne Velocite Oversized Shearling Jacket (sold out)


Monday, November 26, 2012

Candid Neon






H&M Neon Dress (dark turquoise version here) and Bag / Givenchy Necklace / Bershka Boots 

I bought this dress months ago in summer but it wasn't quite cold enough for comfortable wear. The material is quite thick so I didn't need my jacket until much later in the evening. After uni, I went for a wonder around Southbank with my boyfriend Paul and managed to squeeze in a trip to Tutti Frutti in Covent Garden which is definitely one of our favourite places to go in London. I can't believe how quickly November has passed and can't wait to get that Christmas feeling. It doesn't really happen for me until a week or two into December - usually when I do the panic rush to get everyone's presents! 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Watermarked


DIS Magazine's ad for Kenzo menswear, entitled "Watermarked", is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! Directed my Marco Roso, this brilliantly sarcastic film mocks the stock photography world full of toothy smiles, hand-holding and Abercrombie-esque models. 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Winter Hawaii





Warehouse Bag / Urban Outfitters Jacket / Zara Top / H&M Skirt / Zara Boots 

After some much needed breakfast at Cafe Rouge, we headed towards Greenwich market on the hunt for apples to accompany the mixed berries I had thawing away at home (boyfriend made crumble!). We must have come on the wrong day or time because the stalls were selling mainly clothing & jewellery, amongst other items. In particular, one jewellery stall stood out; the designer created beautiful pieces from silver cutlery, computer memory boards and old coins.
I don't usually like feminine prints but couldn't resist buying this skirt a couple months ago - the cut is amazing! In a bid to try and wear less monochrome recently, I tried these trousers on from Joy and was surprised at how much I liked them. I think i'm finally warming up the idea of having prints on my clothing, as well as my walls!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

First Levi's






TOP - Forever 21 / SHORTS - Levi's (via Urban Outfitters) / SHOES - River Island / BAG - H&M

I decided to try on a bunch of high waisted denim shorts in Urban Outfitters last night for the first time - for a long while I always thought that they wouldn't fit me right. I couldn't believe my luck when I found these in the sale over at the Spitalfields store and knew it was meant to be (cringe!). Ever had that wonderful feeling?! Tonight I'm going out for my friend's birthday and she's not best pleased about turning 22 but anyone who knows her well will know that she'll soon forget about it once she's had a drink down her! :)

Aisha, xo

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tux


TUXEDO JACKET - Zara (alternative here, nice plus-size version here) / DIY LONG-LINE VEST (originally a mens t-shirt) / DISCO PANTS - American Apparel / HEELS - Zara

I will forever thank my friend NT for making me keep this tuxedo jacket. At the time of purchase I wasn't initially sure about whether I could pull it off properly or feel comfortable wearing it but now I can't seem to get it off. This outfit was one of my options for the Azealia Banks gig I went to last week but I quickly came to my senses and realised that white jacket + heels is a complete no-no for a sweaty gig. I'll show what I actually wore in my next post! :) 

Aisha, xo

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Metallic Skirt




SHIRT - River Island / SKIRT - New LookBOOTS - Bershka

These boots will probably not be leaving my feet for a while - I have a habit of wearing new shoes to complete exhaustion until the next pair entrap me. Please tell me that I'm not the only one...? :)

Aisha, xo

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Simply Red






SHIRT - Forever 21 / LEATHER TROUSERS - Miss Selfridge (alternative here) / BOOTS - Bershka

I've just started my first year of my new course at university and they haven't held back with the workload. It's all very exciting and slightly overwhelming at the same time but i'm secretly glad to be busy again! :) I tested my new boots on Monday and although hard to walk in at first, they are actually one of the most comfortable pair I own. During the autumn and winter months, my footwear usually consists of shoes in all kinds of boot form. 

Aisha, xo

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Autumn Layering









SCARF/WRAP - New Look / SHIRT - Forever 21 / SHORTS - Topshop / BOOTS - Burberry Prorsum 

The sun beaming through my window yesterday morning was incredibly deceiving as you'll know if you're in London at the moment. Autumn is definitely here and I love it! I love being able to mix leather with lighter chiffon materials and for the days I don't want to wear a jacket or coat, I experiment with layering. This poncho-style wrap also doubles up as a huge scarf and i've also been using it as a small blanket. 

Yesterday was enrolment day at my new university and i'm getting really anxious about starting my new course. My fresher's week doesn't start until Sunday but I'm trying to avoid going out too much! My hangover recovery time is not what it used to be! :)


Aisha, xo