JewelleryBox Launch Event : You're Invited!

A few days back I got invited by JewelleryBox to attend their launch event. Unfortunately, the event is in London and obviously I can't attend. However, they have kindly invited all of you guys to attend! If you live in or around the location you should definitely check it out. There's going to be a preview of the new collection to be launched and an exclusive sale with discounts. Photobooths, fizz, food and fun with a lovely goody bag to end the night. When I heard about the details of the event I really wished I could attend but I can't so I really hope you do. You can RSVP at http://t.co/AT9uXWM7Mp

Let me know if you do attend and I would love to see your pictures at the event over Twitter and Instagram so be sure to tag me.

Tanaya <3


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The Bags I've Been Dreaming Of Recently.

The Celine Trapeze: There’s a reason this bag is at the top of the list. It inspired me to do this post. I’m so obsessed with this bag right now that I’ve started having dreams about it. In the most recent one (I don’t remember it very well) the world was ending but I suddenly owned this bag and felt really calm. I know the dream makes no sense but the point is that I now really really need this bag! And I have a few color combinations in my mind that I need to have it in. So even if someone offers me one for free in another color I would not be happy. The one with the pictures here is at the top of my list of color combinations. I just love everything about it! The front closure clasp especially. I think this bag has a beautiful clasp.

The Bloomsbury Bag by Burberry: I fell it love with this bag the moment I saw it all over my instagram feed as Burberry posted pictures of it on their instagram at the same time that it was shown on the runway.  The darker one in the pictures here is my favorite! The purple version of it in the third picture is excellent as well. And then the other one is a close second. I can’t help but be specific when it comes to bags. But look at that detail! These Bloomsbury bags are all so unique and beautiful.

The Prada Saffiano Tote: This bag is an old classic but I never really lusted for it until I saw one in this color. It’s such a beautiful dusky pink. There’s also a brighter pink and a paler pink available but this one is right in the middle and it’s so perfect. I just don’t know how to express what I feel about this color with this bag. Just look at it.

The Dolce & Gabbana bag #1: I’ve wanted this bag for the longest time out of any of these. I even used it in my Fanny Crown outfit post (which won a contest so this bag must bring luck) and I just think it’s gorgeous. It has the whole baroque/classic greek and roman theme going on and the contrast of pretty plum flowers on a cold monotone background is wonderful.

The Dolce & Gabbana bag #2: It’s the perfect bag for spring-summer. I don’t think it’s possible to find a better bag for this season. The shades of green and yellow just make it look so bright and the gold chain and lock add elegance so that we all remember that it’s Dolce & Gabbana.

Celine Boston Luggage Tote: Aaand I’m being overly specific again. I need this combination of white/creme and black. I have seen a few grey and fuchsia suede ones that look wonderful so I wouldn’t mind those. Under no circumstances would I settle for the plain black one though. Isn’t plain black just over-used in bags nowadays? This bag has the perfect wings (unlike the Celine Phantom Luggage which I think has huge weird-looking wings) and is so wonderfully structured.

That's quite a lot of bags I think. What do you think about my list? Do you have any bags on your list that you would like me to check out? Share the bag-love in the comments below! And then go follow me/my blog on all these other internet-place-thingies: Twitter, Bloglovin', Facebook, Instagram, GFC, Polyvore and Google+. I hope you liked this post. I'm doing a post other than a review post after so long and it feels awesome! It was so much fun compiling this list and all the pictures in it so I hope you had fun reading it as well.

Tanaya <3

Giveaway! - The Fanny Crown Voucher.

This is my first giveaway! I would love to do a bigger giveaway for you guys but this blog is only about 8 months old now and I feel like I'm not at the stage to hold a big giveaway yet. However, I created an outfit post using a fanny crown dress as my inspiration and the outfit I had created ended up winning a €50 voucher! I was ecstatic that my outfit had actually won something so huge considering fanny crown had received entries from all over the world. I then had an idea (which I think is brilliant but that could just be me. Haha ). Instead of using the voucher myself, I wanted to give the voucher to one of my readers. Now this giveaway is INTERNATIONAL and so all of you can enter! The rules to enter are very simple. Complete each of the steps and leave your Facebook/twitter/bloglovin'/google+/gfc usernames below in a comment so that I can check. It might be slightly inconvenient and I apologize if it is but it would ensure that the giveaway is fair.

Requirements for Entries:
1) Follow this blog on Bloglovin'
2) Follow this blog on gfc
3) Follow this blog on Twitter
4) Share a tweet about this giveaway and tag @Thesecretlife_T #giveaway and leave the link to the tweet in your comment.
5) Follow me on Instagram
6) Like my blog's page on Facebook
7) Tell me which dress you like the best from the fanny crown site. (Either leave a link to the dress or tweet me a picture)
8) Don't forget to leave your email address in the comment so that I can contact you when you win! :)

This giveaway is open till April 14th so that's about a month and I will pick a winner from among the comments below and send an email to the winner on April 14th.

I'm so excited for this giveaway and I hope you are too! Go ahead and enter and spread the word.

Tanaya <3 

Eye Look : Museum day!

I've wanted to publish this post for so long now because I went to the museum about 2 weeks ago and that's when I clicked the pictures. I used one of my favorite BB creams as a base since I didn't want anything too strong and dramatic. However, I felt like experimenting with my eyeshadow palettes and trying a new look. I was so happy with this look that I knew I had to click pictures of it to share it with you guys. After that day, this look has pretty much become my everyday look and I love how versatile it is. The shades blend so well together that I think this look could work for just a casual day or a daytime event too when a smokey eye is too loud.

I started with my Elizabeth Mott Creamy Shadow Stick(Received in ipsy bag) in the inner corner of the eye and over the inner half of the eyelid. It isn't pigmented enough to be a shade on it's own but it works well as a base since it's shimmery and the sparkles show through the shade you apply over the top. I then used a shimmery burnt orange shade over the top and went further out to cover the whole eyelid. This creates a natural gradient since the part of the eyelid with the shadow stick base appears lighter. You can blend it to achieve a better gradient. I then blended the dark plum eyelid shade from my wet n wild eyeshadow trio, that I reviewed here, into the crease (Yup I used an eyelid color for the crease. pretty badass right? Hahaha).  Finally, I used a really light golden color from an old Chanel palette that I hadn't used for ages and used it to highlight the inner corner of the eye and the middle portion of the eyelid (be careful not to cover up the actual shade you used on the eyelid. Just pat enough highlight to add some glitter and dimension.)  A winged eyeliner with my standard MAC Gel Eyeliner and a coat of Revlon Lash Potion (review) completed the look. Update: I don't think I used any mascara at all actually. I think I just didn't want the look to be too over the top for that day but I use that mascara for other days when I don't mind the little extra flutter. 

I hope you liked this look. Tell me if you would like to see a complete tutorial for it so that I can add it to my list of videos to do when I finally have the courage to start a youtube channel. If you do try it out, tweet or instagram the picture and link it to me so I can see it. It's just fun to see how the same look adapts to everyone's personal style. 

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Tanaya <3

Greek Goddess - Obsessed with Fanny Crown

I came across this site Fanny Crown (such a funny and quirky name!) through the blogger contest they have and it was a bitter sweet moment for me. I instantly loved the concept of the site and almost every single dress on the site. However, I have been glued to my laptop screen staring at them ever since. Fanny Crown has been around since 1998 but their webstore is pretty new. They have offices in several parts of the world including UAE, Hong Kong, UK, USA, Australia and Paris. I read a few reviews of the website online and they were quite mixed so I guess it's one of those websites that you need to have an experience with to find out. However, I really love the concept of selecting a pattern and color and having a dress tailor-made to your size. The dresses on the site look like really expensive designer dresses that cost wayyyy beyond anything I can afford (and if you can, let's be friends :) Hahaha ) so the dresses on fanny crown are relatively much cheaper especially considering they're tailor-made.
 When I decided to create a whole look centered around their dress design, it was one of the most difficult decisions I've made in the past few days ( yes, I have a boring life where choosing a dress to make an imaginary outfit around is a huge moment of decisions ). The first bunch of words that came to my mind in the form of an abstract ides cloud were - Goddess, Elegance, Opulence, Classical Richness, Extravagance. My method of organizing such abstract idea clouds is by writing them down and connecting them much like a child playing connect-the-dots. In such special cases however, the magical website of Polyvore helps me out. So here's the outfit/look I put together and how I did it:

Greek Goddess by tanaya-tanaya-t featuring Dolce & Gabbana

I started by choosing this lovely peach dress from their website. A number of things attracted me to it the first of which was the color. I love everything PEACH! The color, the fragrance, the flavor...everything. Next was the beautiful flowy fabric of the dress. It seems like a very easy and comfortable dress to wear while looking like a beautiful goddess. It's the perfect combination of comfort, glamour and style. One of the best part about the dress is it's detail which adds that "classical greek goddess" element to it. There are beads, pearls and rhinestones around the collar and neckline and then the beautifully draped fabric gets cinched at the waist with another band of beads, pearls and rhinestones. The little keyhole is one of the best details in this dress. It isn't too revealing but it's just the right amount.
The next thing I added was the Dolce & Gabbana bag that I have been dreaming of for absolutely ages! It's just the bag of my dreams and coincidentally it matches the theme of the look. It has the grey and white scene of what looks like the pantheon while the wintery shade of plum flowers injects color to the bag. The gold details around the bag help tie it with the rest of the accessories. I picked the handcuff next which has the iconically greek vines on it. It's delicate and gold and fits in perfectly. If you notice, I've picked 2 pairs of earrings in this outfit mainly because I love them both and couldn't make myself pick one. The Versace ones on the left have an ornate gold and crystal pattern while the Laurent Gandini Corintio ones on the right go so well with the cuff. I've always been indecisive with earrings and that's why I have 2 piercings on each ear. Hahaha. The great thing about the embellished neckline of this dress is that it doesn't need any neckpiece. It's just fabulous on it's own and flaunts the collarbone. With the jewelry done, it was time to pick a shoe and I finalized on the simple strappy pumps after staring at lots of studded ones. Something about these just adds a touch of understated elegance.
Now onto makeup. The Dolce & Gabbana Bronzer was an obvious choice wasn't it? Every bronzed goddess needs her glow so a highlighting bronzer gets picked over any matt bronzer. The lace and baroque pattern just makes it the ideal product. After going with neutrals for the whole outfit, it was time to add some color so I chose a lovely plum shade by Estee Lauder which would look great on the fingertips wrapped around the bag with plum flowers. I chose the YSL Glossy stain in a dark red so as to add color to the overall look and tie the makeup look together with the outfit. The Naked 3 Palette was basically me cheating because I couldn't decide on a smokey eye or a mauve toned or a neutral look.

Sorry for the extremely long post but I hoped you liked it and all the details of creating it. Please let me know what you think about this post in the comments below because I love reading them. The comments just tell me that I'm not putting you off to sleep with my posts and that you're still enjoying them! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin', Facebook, Polyvore, Instagram and GFC.

Tanaya <3 p="">

Accessorize Yenzi Owl Bag

Accessorize brought out this bag a long time ago and I loved it. However, I didn't buy it because it was quite expensive. I recently came across a bag that reminded me of the lovely Accessorize bag and so I started looking for the Accessorize bag. Here's a picture of the Owl Bag from Accessorize:

Now this bag costed about $48 in the states and about £25-28 in the uk. I didn't really need another owl themed accessory at the time so I wasn't about to spend that much for it. However, that doesn't mean I don't love it and don't keep staring at it if it's in the old stock pile of an Accessorize store. "yenzi", as this bag is named, eventually gained a lot of interest and became one of accessorize's most popular bags being spotted at fashion weeks and events like that. The Yenzi look-alike that I recently found is priced at $11.71 and I couldn't even believe how similar it is! In fact I've been over every detail and compared the two but I can't find a difference. So here's a picture of the Yenzi look-alike :

The color difference is probably just because of the lighting and camera angles and it still looks so adorable! For $11.71 it seems like a total steal! If you were lusting after this bag like me, you can find it here and you're welcome. Now all I need is a pair of dark brown skinny jeans or jeggings(like the ones Vero Moda makes) and I can make the perfect autumn/fall outfit! Maybe polyvore can help me create it for you guys to see. 

If this bag isn't really your thing and you would rather like a fox, I have you sorted too. You can also find a similar bag that has a fox here. We can name him Fenxi (Fox brother of Yenzi). 

So what do you think about my new finds? I've got to say that even though I've been looking for Yenzi for a long time, I would pick Fenxi over Yenzi. I'm off to go order Fenxi now while you leave me some lovely comments below. Also, while you're showing me some love, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, GFC, Bloglovin', Polyvore and Instagram so that we can tweet each other and you can stalk my blog and me through our social network. Hahaha. 

Tanaya <3

LuxLock Reviewed!

                                       
I love earrings. Actually I love all forms of accessories but earrings are important too and so I love them specifically. However, if you just randomly happen to meet me you might notice that I'm not wearing any earrings. That's because on most days I don't wear them. I used to wear earrings everyday until my earring luck just went superbad and they started falling off. I was eventually left with so many earrings with incomplete pairs that I started wearing a different one in each ear just because they were too adorable to throw away and never use. One day I lost one out of my pair of favorite earrings and that was the last time I wore earrings on a daily basis. I suddenly get the feeling that I sound like someone from the weird and funny commercials for new products on tv...do I? Forgive me if I do but it's all true! I miss wearing earrings everyday though so obviously I didn't turn down the opportunity to receive and review the LuxLock earring backs. They claim to securely clasp the earrings so that they don't slip off and fall and you never lose your earrings again!  It works like this :"A strong stainless steel mechanism within a stunning an easy-to-handle 14kt gold clutch easily slides into place and securely grips your earrings."

I wore the earrings with the LuxLock backs and I put them through my own stupid tests (they may be silly but they work). I had a shower with them since I lose the most number of earrings in the shower when they fall off and go down the drain. I also wore them and slept to see if they would fall off since I've lost some earrings that way too. All I need to do now is wear them to classes for a week because sometimes my earrings just fall off on the way to classes and I don't notice until it's too late. So far the LuxLock hasn't failed me so I would recommend it if you have the same problems with losing earrings constantly as I do.

Pros:
 It's made of gold so my skin doesn't get a rash like it does with many cheap metals.
It holds the earring quite well but isn't uncomfortably tight.
It comes in Sterling Silver too if you don't want the gold.
Can be used with any pair of earrings.
Jewelry manufacturers can order in bulk from Dama.
It doesn't look like a weird and huge contraption- you can't even see it from the front like in the picture below.

Cons:
LuxLock/Dama don't sell it online on their own website. However, you can still buy it from ebay and other such online stores.

Links for more information and where to buy:
www.dama.net
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/111254859829?lpid=82

*The Earrings are not sold with the LuxLock earring backs. 


So what do you think about these? They sound useful don't they? They're kind of pricey but if you have earrings that have a huge sentimental or monetary value I think these earring backs are worth it. You could also just get one pair and use it for all your earrings like I do. Tell me in the comments below if you would be buying these and what you think about this post since it's a little different from my usual posts. I would love to read what you have to say.

Tanaya <3

Accessories Haul- India

If you haven't read my tweets or previous few posts, you wouldn't know that I'm in India visiting home and having the best time! (also, go read my previous posts! why haven't you read them? :( Go read now) Now I had a whole month to shop and I'm worried I might not be able to fit all my thingsin the bags to take with me. I hope they fit in. Clearly, I can't fit everything into one haul post so I've decided to split them into different categories. This is the first and it's all the accessories I've bought.

So the first is this lovely necklace. I love the combination of deep red/maroon with the white cord running through the gold details. 

This is probably my favorite one. I've already used it so many times because it looks good with almost every outfit and it's so pretty. 

I'v used this one just twice yet because I think it only looks good n white, cream, beige and blue outfits but the cute little butterflies were irresistible.

These are the 3 pairs of earrings I bought while in India. I've wanted the chandelier earrings since I was a child but never bought them ( I don't know why). I finally bought the ones with blue beads and loved them so much that I went back and bought the ones with the black beads too. I do like the ones with blues beads more. Maybe i'll buy another color when I visit again. The light seafoam green ones look so lovely and I can pair them with my tiny seafoam green earrings from accessorize since I have 2 piercings. You can see them in an outfit of the day post or instagram. 

So which piece did you like the most? I hope you like these haul posts because there are many more to come. Tell me what you think in the comments below. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin' , Polyvore, Instagram and Twitter. 

Tanaya <3

My Christmas Outfit & Makeup.

How long has it been since my last post? Not long I hope. I know it's a little late for christmas outfit posts but I still wanted to share it no matter what time of the year it is. I really love the eye look that I did on Christmas so I did the same one for New Year's Eve too. I think it adds a wonderful glow to the face and looks great with almost every outfit. So it's only appropriate to start with the eye look.

I just used a random eyeshadow palette but I would love to do a tutorial for the look if you would like to see one. I am absolutely obsessed with it. I also used the Revlon Lash Potion mascara and I apologize for the less than good mascara application but I was in a hurry. I also used the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer. Now for the rest of the look.

I used the MAC Frankly Scarlet blush with some Em Cosmetics Lipstick in Violaceous that I reviewed here. I also used the Benefit Hoola bronzer. Oh and how could I forget! I've also used my most recent and favorite purchase- the Pond's BB+ Cream. It makes the skin look just so flawless and it's a shame that I can find it only in India :( I will do a proper review soon. I've also gotten a new haircut since that picture which I'm so excited to share so follow me on Instagram to see it! 

For my outfit I chose my lovely Forever 21 white lace dress. Something about white and red just makes me think of christmas. The dress is so adorable and it has a cutout back.

I hope you like this post. What do you think of my look and outfit? Leave me links to your christmas outfit posts or just send me a picture on twitter! I would love to see them all. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin' , Polyvore, Instagram, GFC & Twitter.

Tanaya <3

Weekly Picks : The Really Delayed Pick

I haven't done a weekly picks post for many weeks now. But I hadn't been perusing online stores all that much at all recently. Lucky for my Indian readers, I was out shopping in India and there will be many posts about it soon. I read a tweet today by a follower that talked about SwayChic so I decided to check out the store. It is not the usual kind of online store that I would spend a lot of time looking at but it had quite a few lovely pieces! A majority of the products are quirky and I can shop for quirky things only when I'm in one of my weird moods. However, I found that there were some products that would look lovely and classy when styled right. So my pick for today is an ear cuff. I don't have any ear cuffs because I'm not sure that they would look good on me but I still love them. For those of you who wear ear cuffs or are looking to start wearing them, this one is a beautiful statement piece. The moment I saw it, my brain began styling it with all-white outfits, white blazers over elegant blue print tshirts/tops and the sort. There are millions of outfits that can be put together around this one piece of jewelry and I love it.

I like the colors and I'm seriously obsessed with embellishments and jewels so this seems perfect to me. It's available for $15.20 at http://bit.ly/1i5MipQ. So will you be getting this ear cuff? Tell me what you think of this weekly pick and whether you would be getting it in the comments below. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin' , Polyvore, GFC and Instagram (Yes, I finally got Instagram! ). 

Happy Holidays!

Tanaya <3

Weekly Picks! It's Shoe-Time

It's time again for my Weekly pick! So if you didn't read my weekly picks post from last week, it's basically a post where I talk about something that I've been staring at on an online store and really really really want. So then I tell you about it and give you the link to that product so that you can go stare at it, fall in love and then buy it and join our club of shopaholics and fashionistas. Simple. This ween I decided to pick a shoe. I saw a girl wearing the most adorable nude heels and well my beloved pair of nude heels is quite ruined so I really need new ones. For once in my life I acted like a normal and sane human and didn't stop the girl to ask her about the shoes. Instead, I found a pair that's even prettier! It's got everything I need: Lace, Bows, Peep-toe Heels, Platform at the front of the shoe, Beautiful looking material. Nude shoes are essential for a girl like me because I'm short and nude heels are famous for making people look tall and long-legged. So here's the wonderful shoe:

Isn't it so prettyyyyy? You can find it here for $16.07. It looks like I could wear it all day since it has so much support. So do you like it? Are you going to buy it or do you have anther shoe on your wish list? I would love to know so comment below or send me a tweet. You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin' , gfc and Polyvore. 

Don't forget to comment and let me know what you think of this post and the series of weekly picks in general. You can find all my weekly picks under the weekly picks tab at the top. Have a great day :)


Tanaya <3