Toss The Gloss - A Book Review

So I announced that I would be doing this blog’s first ever book review quite a while ago on Instagram and if you follow me on Instagram you might feel like I’m a terrible person for not posting this sooner. However, let me explain myself. I think the fact that this review has taken so long reflects how I feel about this book. That isn’t to say that I didn’t like this book because I did! It just means that this book isn’t one I would go crazy and let everyone know about instantly because it’s the best book I’ve read in a while. It’s a great book and for my readers that fall under the 50+ age demographic this book is a must-have. The best part of the book for me was the glimpse into the inner workings of the beauty industry that you get as Andrea Robinson tells you about her experience. Her experience in the beauty industry is so entertaining to read that I would buy this book just for that! She started the whole "Nakeds" revolution so without her our beloved naked pallets by Urban Decay probably wouldn't have existed. We would all be stuck wearing bright and unflattering makeup. She was also the former Vogue beauty editor who has also been president of Ralph Lauren Beauty, president of Tom Ford Beauty and chief marketing officer at Estee Lauder so you know you're taking a sneak peek into the beauty industry through the life of the ultimate insider. That's what excited me the most about this book and I wasn't disappointed.

Other than that aspect, the book has loads of tips for your makeup routine no matter how old you are. Being much younger that 50, I still learned so much more from this book and it’s my go to book when I feel like I’m making some mistake with my makeup. It teaches you how to correct application problems, how to choose between different shades, formulations, textures, brands, etc. However, if you’re under 45, you need to be careful and know when the tips apply to you and when they don’t because some parts of the book are pretty specific to the 50+ demographic. Overall, it’s a wonderful read but not something I would feel the need to rush out and get. If you’re 40+ though, that’s right 40+ not 50+ in my opinion, you should definitely rush to get your hands on this book. As the aging process starts, I’ve seen many beautiful ladies start hiding behind layers of products and this book helps you enhance your natural beauty and look younger without all those products. Here are a few pictures of my favorite illustrations from the book that I felt like just fit in with this post.

I just felt so proud of myself arranging beauty products around the contents. Hahaha. Products: Marks&Spencer Lip Butter in Coconut, Bourjois Paris Blush Pot in Brun Cuvre, Maybelline Cheeky Glow in Creamy Cinnamon, Sweet Princess Mascara, Nars Lip Gloss in Orgasm, Studio Gear CC Cream

So would you be getting this book? It looks pretty good just to decorate as well I think and that's mainly what it's doing right now - sitting and looking pretty on my desk along between the boring other chemistry and calculus books. Let me know what you think of the book in the comments below.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin' , Facebook, Instagram, GFC or Google+.

Tanaya <3

*A pre-release copy was sent to me for review. However, all the opinions are honest and not influenced. 

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

Bright Winters - Outfit post

It's been quite a while since I did an outfit post so when I came across a contest on polyvore, I decided to make a set for it even though the contest was already closed. The guidelines just seemed so interesting that I had to try and create an outfit for it. The contest required a perfect winter outfit but needs the picture of a city in it. I chose the picture with pretty snowflakes and fairy lights because it looks so festive. Bright colors are unexpected in a winter collection but they're beautiful so I went for a Fuchsia coat with fuchsia lips to go with it. The wonderful blue Oscar de la Renta highlights the fuchsia but still looks lovely with the snow and lights. I would love to wear this outfit to a lovely christmas dinner with family or friends. What do you think of this outfit? You can follow me on Polyvore to see other collections, sets and outfits.

A Winter of Brights by tanaya-tanaya-t featuring Elizabeth Arden

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

The Bag-Centric Outfit

While I stared at the pretties and lovelies that I found on polyvore, I suddenly had this idea. It was perfect since I hadn't posted any of my polyvore creations in a while and also because it felt different. I decided to create a whole outfit that was inspired by a bag. Think of it like this: instead of the bag being an accessory that adds to the outfit, the bag is the focus of the whole look and everything else compliments the bag. I found this black clutch with white lace and a crystal clasp which seemed perfect and it inspired me to put together an outfit that had a theme of black, white and glitter. However, since being different is the idea behind the whole look, I decided to add pieces that wouldn't necessarily go together otherwise. Rather than a plain black or a white dress, I chose this black shift dress with sequins to glam it up and a satin bow belt to make it more fitted and less "shift-y" (if that's even a word). Next came the shoes and although high heels may have been what my brain immediately thought of, I decided to use these black wedges with gold chains. They add a certain roughness to the outfit that you wouldn't see coming and yet keep it glamorous. Plain black studs so that the focus still stays on the bag. At first I had picked a dark berry lip but then this pale pink lipcolor seemed to highlight the elegance of the clutch even more. Then came the dark burgundy nails (a light color would have taken attention away from the white lace on the clutch) and a sultry but classy smoky eye!

So there it is. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below. You can follow me on polyvore to see the creations that don't get posted on the blog. Stay updated by following me on Twitter, Bloglovin' , gfc and Facebook.

Tanaya <3

From the runway to your nails!

There are quite a few interesting things that I’ve come across online recently and I want to share all of them with you but I can’t do that all in one post. So this is one of the most beautiful, inspiring, creative and artsy thing I’ve come across yet (You can also find it on allure.com). How many of you love nail paint? Most of you I hope…because I love it! I love fusing around and trying different combinations of shades and trying to do some nail art with glitters. However, I’m not nearly as talented as the people that have done the nail art in the pictures that follow. They’ve incorporated styles seen on the runway into their nail art! I’ve added some of my own suggestions for alternatives that you can use if things are too difficult to find or expensive.

Inspiration: Balmain Booties.

What you need: Black nail paint, top coat, some tiny beads, studs.

My alternatives and tips: you can take the tiny beads from a caviar nail set or just buy some separately from a craft store. Use tiny rhinestones or those pretty stickers that look like rhinestones instead of studs.

Artist: Ginny and Donne Geer from heynicenails.com

Inspiration: Dolce & Gabanna

What you need: White nail paint for base, 3D nail art flowers.

My alternatives: You can use little cutouts of flowers and fix them in place with a topcoat but they won’t give you a 3D effect. Great way to tone down the nail art trend for the workplace. 3D flowers may be hard to find since the artist got them from Japan.

Artist: Julie Kandalec, nail artist

Inspiration: Macqueen Clutch

What you need: black nail paint, white nail paint, and Swarovski crystals

My alternatives: You can just cute bits of delicate real lace and glue it on with a transparent topcoat. It’s easier than drawing on everything. Use the stickers that look like rhinestones instead of Swarovski crystals because Swarovski crystals are expensive!

Artist: Maki Sakamoto

Inspiration: Peter Pilotto

What you need: Black, neon green, light blue and a dark blue polish.

My alternatives: This one may take a lot of precision and patience to draw by hand like the artist did. I suggest using those strips you get in French manicure kits to make the process faster.

Artist: Fleury Rose

Inspiration: Miu Miu Bag

What you need: Black, Red, Light pink, Fuchsia and white polish.

My alternatives: You can use the sponge to create the effect on that bottom bit and just go crazy and creative with the rest.

Artist: Sophie Harris-Greenslade from theillustratednail.com

Inspiration: Prada

What you need: Black, Red, Purple and Orange nail paint

My alternatives: None. This style looks simple but is tricky to do!

Artist: Sophy Robson, Nail Artist

Inspiration: Balenciaga

What you need: Deep red nail paint, Black nail paint and a champagne color

My alternatives: I just feel like using either a gold nail color or golden sparkles instead of the plain champagne can amp up this look

Artist: Taryn Multack

Inspiration: Marni for H&M

What you need: Red, Black/deep blue and yellow polish, Dotting tool

My alternatives: if you don’t have a dotting tool try using one of those tiny papertacks.

Artist: Taryn Multack

That's it for now. If you like this post I would be happy to find more looks like these. Also, if you want me to do any particular look on my own with a tutorial be sure to let me know. If you do any of these nail looks leave me a link in the comments and just tell me if you like these because reading your comments brightens up my day.

Tanaya <3

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