Tuesday, 6 August 2013

How to: travel in style

As most of you know by now, I am travelling for around three months for a semester abroad. I thought it would be nice to share some of my travel tips with you. I have never been able to pack light, so, but that should never stop someone from travelling in style. I know that this seems like a very long post, but it is more of an article than a regular blog post.





Comfort first

First and foremost, it is important to keep in mind that it is better to arrive looking stylish. I know in a perfect world we would all travel with our G5s, in heels with perfectly done hair and make-up. But let's face it, that isn't really the case.

In my experience, I usually wear my walking shoes (or flats) in order to be more mobile and comfortable around the airport. That's right! If you're about to miss your flight you can't exactly run in your Laboutins. So take it easy on your feet.




I also would like to stress that unless you're travel takes less than 2-3 hours, do not wear anything that's too tight and fitted. Once the sleep deprivation and long distance gets to you, it is the little things like your tight super skinny jeans that will begin to irritate you. Maybe a flared skirt or chinos would be a good alternative for you?

Eating habits

It is completely natural for your diet to change during your travel. However, it is important to take extra care of yourself. You may look tired on the outside, but your body will be exhausted on the inside. So always always always drink plenty of water when you're traveling. This is the number one rule for you from now on...

Recently I have also been carrying 1-2 green teabags with me and have it on the plane. I am a green tea fanatic but I have heard that it is so good to drink it when you're travelling. So when the air hostess is offering "tea or coffee" don't be shy, perhaps ask for some hot water instead and make yourself a nice, hot cup of green tea.




Keeping fit

If you're anything like me than you cannot sit somewhere for very long. I feel like I constantly have to move around and get at least some form of exercise. This is essential when you're travelling. So if you don't have a lot of hand luggage  take a walk around the terminal while you're waiting for your flight to board. Even when you're on the plane, get up, walk a few steps and stretch. Trust me it'll help you be more refreshed and decreases the chances of your feet swelling.

Do your research

I have always been a planner. And so I always do my research before I leave the house. For example, I always do a little digging about what shops, brands and cafes I might find in the duty-free of the terminal I am travelling from. That way I can determine how long I need to do some shopping. I've made a list already (yes I know it's silly but it has to be done). The list includes products like my usual Chanel foundation, a new perfume I must get (I am open to suggestions by the way) and an Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat highlighter among many other things.

Flight-time reading

The majority of you like to listen to music when you're travelling. Trust me, I feel the same way. But let's face it, if you're travelling for more than 5 hours your battery will not be able to keep up. So this time I have prepared myself with a few books. And of course they are fashion related!

Therefore, travelling in style means carrying something that carries style within it. When I'm travelling on Thursday I will be carrying one of my three unread fashion-related books and Vogue's September issue (DUH!).






I hope that these tips have been helpful for you guys. If you have any tips of your own I would love to hear them. You can leave them in the comment box below. I will be sure to update you about my travel outfit from the airport on Thursday.

Xo

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Toutes Mes Excuses

I know it's been a very long time since I have posted anything on my blog. One of the most important rules of blogging is to be consistent and I haven't done any of you justice. So the purpose of this post is simply to apologise for my absence for the past 4 months.

Being busy with exams and coursework deadlines has taken a high percentage of my time, but that is no excuse. So I am happy to announce that I have been working on a variety of ideas to improve this blog and take it to the next level.

However, these ideas will take a while to execute as they are a variety of projects I have lined up. I hope you guys will enjoy them and I look forward to getting feedback from you lovely readers.

Seeing as I am still a university student, I will be spending a semester abroad in a location which lacks extremely fast internet access. Therefore it's bye bye Virgin Fiberoptic broadband and hello studying. This means that I won't be able to be consistent and post various segments everyday. However, when I do post new things I will make sure to make up for all the lost time.

And that is a promise...





Xo

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Mix it up - Neon and Bright

Sorry I haven't been able to write to you guys in the past few weeks. As exams are approaching it is difficult to manage both the blog and revision at the same time. But I will do my best to post regularly.

I thought I'd share my outfit from my birthday/houseparty from Friday. I have noticed that there is an increase in the combination of nude and neon/bright colours in daily outfits. I personally love the trend and hope that you guys feel the same way. So here is how I chose to follow the trend.

Now you know what they say: "sharing is caring". So don't be shy and send me your favourite combinations and I will be posting my favourites soon. You can send the photos to painohchocolat@gmail.com.

Xo


Top - Victoria's Secret
Trousers - Style Stalker from Rtister
Shoes - Ted Baker
Bracelet - Hipanema from Rtister


Thursday, 11 April 2013

Goodbye Teen Years

The day finally came, on Monday the 1st of April I turned 20, and yes I know it was on April Fools Day!

Seeing as I had to say goodbye to my teen years I wanted to celebrate in a classy way. So on the last day of being a teenager, despite the fact that I had to write a 2,000 words essay, I took the longest bubble bath and reminisced about all the wonderful years and memories. As calm as it was, it made me realised how far I've come to achieve the things I've always wanted and how lucky I am to have shared these memories with my family and friends.


My family and I celebrated my birthday by going to lunch as well as celebrating Sizdabedar (and Iranian tradition, yet it was celebrated a day early). It was wonderful...


And on Thursday the 4th, me and my dear friends went to the Beach Blanket Babylon in Notting Hill. It was my first time ever going to that restaurant and it was a fantastic experience with the people I love.


Don't worry guys I will dish about some of my favourite presents with you. First of all my mother and brother were extremely kind enough to get me my favourite Aperlai Paris shoes from Rtister along with a few other items that I will choose myself. My second favourite was all the 
Ladurée macarons I received from various friends. It is no secret that the key to my heart is shaped like a box of Ladurée macarons as I fell in love with them after spending a summer in Paris. Here is my opportunity to thank everyone for being there for the special week I had and thank you for all the thoughtful presents, cards, messages etc.

So here are some photos to share with you guys...

Xo

Me and my brother on my birthday
Celebration at home with my family
Me and my friends at the Beach Blanket Babylon
Me and my friends at the Beach Blanket Babylon
Beach Blanket Babylon, Notting Hill
My outfit for the night
The Ladurée macarons I received from my friends


Dress: Topshop
Shoes: Aperlai from Rtister
Clutch: Angel Jackson from Rtister
Bracelet: Hipanema from Rtister

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Lunch at Dior's

I am all for Breakfast at Tiffany's, but I decided to have Lunch at Dior's instead!

After locking myself home in order to finish an assignment (hence why I have not been active on the blog), I decided to treat myself with a day out in central London. I met a good friend of mine at Dior Cafe at Harrods for a late lunch. The place looks exquisite and I felt like a star with the way members of staff treated us. I will definitely be returning there as soon as my second assignment is finished!
It was a wonderful day and it felt very good to be back in London.

How was your day?

Xo








Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Happy Norouz (Iranian New Year)

This is my favourite time of the year, it is officially the first day of Spring.

So I'm writing this post to say Happy Norouz (Iranian New Year) to everyone especially those back in Iran! My best childhood memories were around this period of time. Our New Year is filled with wonderful traditions from the Zoroastrian era.
Since 2008, I have spent New Years away from my beautiful country as I had school and/ir exams. I hope I can return for New Years after I graduate and reunite with the wonderful people of Iran.
I hope 1392 will be a wonderful year for everyone, filled with love, laughter, health and happiness.

نوروز همگی مبارک

Xo

We always got a fish or two to complete our Haftsin table
Haftsin table (a tradition of table setting including seven items that begin with the letter 'S' or Seen/Sin (س) in Farsi.
We always have an 8th Seen/Sin which is our beautiful Persian cat, Suri

Friday, 15 March 2013

Weekend at Kiana's...

It is officially Saturday which means that the weekend has begun. Now I usually tend to take it easy on the weekends, but seeing as the end of the semester is fast approaching, I guess I have no choice but to study and work, great...

Although it's Friday night and I've stayed at home, I've been thinking about how much I miss photography and so I wanted to share some of my work with you. I hope I can have time to pursue my passion for it once my summer begins. Let me know what you think.

I wanna know what you're up to this weekend. Are you going to rest? Or work your butt off?

Xo

Iran, 2011

Iran, 2011

Iran, 2011

London,  2010

London,  2010

Paris, 2012

Paris, 2012