Trending this week...

Metal plate belt 

Fresh passion fruit, a great source of fiber

My darling Captain turns 45!  Happy birthday, Gemini!

Homemade Mojito to quench the summer thirst

10 minutes a day, keeps the flab away!  Go on, try it!

Wishing all of you a fabulous weekend and be safe wherever you are.  See you on Monday's outfit post!

Trending this week...

Red and white linen, perfect for warmer weather!

DVF wrap dress - wish list 

Porcine mushroom ravioli at Pizzaro, heavenly!

Two toned T-Bar high heeled sandals.. obsessed!

The twins preparing lunch! Another new step taken :)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone and take care wherever you are!  Warmest greetings from Dubai and see you all on Monday with new outfit post!

Closet Must Have - LBD

I am sure very girl knows that a little black dress (LBD) is an essential to have in the closet. Some asked "How many should I have?  These trends are changing rapidly and I found myself with an outdated pair everytime!"  I personally have more than one LBD in my closet but if you must have only one, I would say the trick is to find something classic in shape and style to last in your closet for a long time! 

The iconic Givenchy dress from the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany's

Remember Audrey Hepburn's iconic black dresses in Breakfast at Tiffany's? The dresses are still stunners even today and this is why.  It has a simple cut with clean lines and perfect length, no frill extravaganza and has timesless evergreen style that survived every trend and era. These dresses are perfect for every occasion - cocktail party, dinner party or more elegant gathering, date night, you name it and chances are they fit the occasion.  So this week I put together some of my selection for that one classic, evergreen black dress that you can have in your closet for all occasion, and for every budget too!

Splurge on this Black Halo, perfect for any type of body shape

Nicole Miller on sale with 50% discount

... or spend less on something similar from ASOS 

Body con dress, splurge on T by Alexander Wang

Utterly in love with this one from Rick Owen. Worth the splurge!

A steal choice by ASOS

Great dress for pear shape gals! Splurge on Lanvin

On sale! Graham and Spencer.  Perfect for pear shape girls.

Another great dress for pear shape by ASOS. A steal!

Single shoulder classic by Halston Heritage. 40% off!

Love this one and it's a steal! MM6 Maison Martin Margiela

Single shoulder dress by Vera Wang Lavender, 50% off!

Splurge on this evergreen bustier dress by Rebecca Taylor 

Or get something more modern from HATCH at a lower price!

This one from Wyatt has more than 50% discount.  Love the simplicity of this one.

Longer Version!

Tadashi Shoji lace dress with nude lining. 60% off!

 A stunner from A.B.S 50% off on Bluefly

With sleeves

Nicole Miller, on sale, 60% off!

Love the detailing on the neckline and cuff. This one from Hayden is at 50% off!


LINK UP:
Small Town Big Wardrobe

To LIFE! - Sleek and Crisp

In our daily life, we often get caught in the wants rather than need.  Some of us want designer outfit from head to toe, others want a fabulous seaside property, or a bigger sportier car, 5 carats diamond rings and one thousand and one more wants that we can come up with, that we tend to loose the bigger picture that is, to be able to enjoy the wants we have to have one thing that we need most - good health.  

Last week, Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has shockingly revealed that she had undergone a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer after her doctors calculated that she had an 87 percent risk for it.  Such a brave move. It made me think that how many of us took our own health for granted?  In our busy daily lives it is easy to forget or brush aside totally the importance of a regular check ups and tests that could save our lives.  After the age of 40, women are more open to breast cancer risks but with that said, this does not mean you are 100% safe if you are under 40.  Breast cancer can attack anyone of us, bigger risk if we have the established risk factors like family history, genetic, lack of exercise, alcohol consumption and smoking, to name a few.

I had a scare a few years ago when my doctor found a suspicious cluster in one of my breast during a regular check up. We decided to go ahead with a biopsy just to make sure it was not cancerous.  It was a stressful time in my life but I am glad I went for the check up and did the biopsy that later determined that it was not a cancer cell.  Through this experience I learned to be more aware of my breasts and follow up with my 6 monthly check up religiously until now.  If you haven't done any check up or has been missing on your regular visit to the doctor, please make time to do so.. it could safe your lives.

So, this week I decided to dedicate this outfit post to this courageous and beautiful woman Angelina Jolie.  Jolie has always been known for her classic style.  She's mostly comfortable in her blacks, whites and greys but once in a while she'd shine in colors.  I chose this outfit above as an inspiration of this week's outfit because of its simple clean lines and crisp white that in my opinion she does so well.  Also it gives me a chance to feature once again my white cotton blazer that I love so much! This is truly a Spring/Summer staple as it is light and made of breathable cotton and the color white is such an icon for the season.

:: Wearing ::

Stradivarius blazer

Zara tank

Michael Kors pants

Coach pumps

H&M jewelry

Own custom made bracelet

Link Up :
Not Dead Yet Style
Peacoats and Plaid
Watchout for the Woestmans
Fashion and Beauty Finds

Vacation dilemma. How to choose where to go?

Everyone of us has own preferences or what we deem as a perfect vacation. Be it lazing in the sun in the Bahamas, hitting the best clubs in London, discovering the ancient ruin in Rome, or safari adventure in Africa, we all have an idea of our perfect vacation.  Choosing a destination for a vacation  might not be as easy as imagining what a perfect vacation would be in fact it can be difficult as there are so many things to consider, more if you are planning for a family vacation. 

So how do you plan for a vacation?  In my household we stick to these few simple rules :

When? It is important to know the time of when the vacation would take place.  Be aware of the peak seasons when people normally travel like Easter break, summer, Christmas and new year.  A vacation during these times need earlier preparations especially with travelling arrangements and accommodation booking.  Acting fast would give you time and the luxury to choose as oppose to having to settle for whatever that was left. Also consider that even if it is summer where you are, it might be winter somewhere else.  We learned that the hard way going to Mauritius for a beach vacation in July and it was winter there!

Where? Where to go is depending on how much time allocated for the vacation.  For instance if you have a week off from work, going to a destination that requires 16 hours of flight to get there and another 16 to get back is unlikely going to give you a relaxing and full vacation.  You'd be spending 2 out of 7 days travelling, another day or 2 to adjust and adapt to the time difference, by the time you are refresh and ready to enjoy your well deserved vacation, it was time to go!  Travelling should be a small part of the vacation, not the vacation itself.  It is always great to know a bit about the current affairs of the place you have in mind.  We don't want to end up in places with some political instability or at the verge of a civil war. Check also the weather to see if it was the best time of the year to visit.  Nothing worst than being on a vacation in the middle of typhoon season!

Who?  It is easier deciding where to go if you were on your own but for those with family, it could be difficult. Some prefers this and others that, this factor could be a issue. Try to consider everybody's interest in making this decision for an example I enjoy ancient architectures and shopping, Captain loves the museums and the boys like outdoor adventures and thrills.  To accommodate everybody's interest Paris would be best  as it has great ancient structures everywhere, filled with museums and places to shop and Disneyland is just a drive away!  At the end of the day, parents should take charge and decide what's best for everybody. Make sure everybody has the proper travel documents needed for the country in mind and check also if everybody is up to date with the vaccination recommended for that country.

How much?  It is nice to travel with a limitless or big budget but unfortunately not all of us have that luxury.  I have always travel with budget ever since I was single and just started out in life up to now as a family.  We would set a reasonable budget and work within it.  With time I learned a few tricks that has proven to save some dollars and cents like always buy tickets to shows or exhibits in advance, online. They are normally a lot cheaper.  You can print these tickets and bring them with you or in some cases have them delivered to your hotel room on the day of your arrival. Get one of those daily or weekly passes to visit  the attractions, it is cheaper than to buy single ticket.  You can also have an idea of how much money to set aside for wine and dine.  Some websites even give an estimation of how much a meal would cost.  Don't forget to have a buffer for tips in your budget too!

Above all that I would say be adventurous and open minded with the idea of visiting places that might not even occur to you, you might just be surprise with the outcome and have a memorable time! After all the whole idea of travelling is to see new places on this face of earth.  What about going back to the place you've been before, would that be a waste of time since you've been there done that?  In my opinion there is always something new to discover about a place even if you've been there many times.

Bieber Fever

It was a huge 'hoo-ha' last week when the teenage heart-throb Justin Bieber made his way to town for his 2 nights concert, part of his on going world tour.  Originally he was due to perform for one night only but with the massive response from his fans, he added another night of show for Dubai.  Luckily for me, raising a family with no daughter and a couple of teenage boys that simply do not care about the Bieber fever, I didn't have to pocket out the $$$ to pay for the tickets and busting my behind to beat the crazy traffic and parking to the venue of the concert but I can't say the same for those with kids that were attending the show. 

The next day splashed across the newspapers news of Justin Bieber failing to appear on time, instead he was more than 2 hours late for both of his concerts!  Fans that came as early as 7 am in the quest to score the best spots in order to get a better view of their idol in the open air stadium, waited up to 15 hours with  little to no water in the temperature as high as 38 degrees!  Paramedic reported that a big numbers of young fans, some were as young as 8 fainted due to dehydration and heat and had to be given medical help on site. It was a mess.

Well, congratulation Justin for showing the world what an inconsiderate fool you are.  May your fans see this fact and realize that you are worth the amount of respect you give others and in this case, none.

Now on to this week's outfit, it was inspired by Charlize Theron's style that I mix together.  I always love her street style which in my opinion is very chic and easy.  She would look good even in simple tee and jeans hence the saying "It is not what you wear, it's how you wear it!" 

 And my interpretation

:: Wearing ::

Stradivarius blazer

Gap tank top

American Eagle jeans

Aldo sneakers

Tous jewelry

Linking up with :
Not Dead Yet Style
Penniless Socialite