Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Daisy by Marc Jacobs


Salut mes beautés intelligents,

I have always been into perfumes, scents and packaging design, but I think I'm beginning to understand what fragrances blend well with my skin's chemistry. I recently picked up Daisy by Marc Jacobs, and I am loving it. This perfume simply has the most amazing scent. It is like a superb blend of different flowers - very playful. It is sophisticated enough to wear out to dinner, but avoids being overly serious. I like that it's right in the middle between a fresh fruity scent and one that possesses a warm sensuality. 

I also adore the packaging! It has a vintage charm to it, and appears very youthful. I know I am a little late to the Daisy game, but no wonder everyone loves it! 

 I'm often curious to know what scents people love and are enjoying at any given moment -  please do tell in a comment below. :)


Stay Smart; Stay Beautiful,
- Onivie

Monday, June 16, 2014

Purple Triangles




The other day I was in the mood to wear something different from the colors I usually go for. I rarely wear purple, but there was something about this kaftan that made me steal it from my mother (sorry, mom).  It reminded me of the style that rocked women's fashion in Nigeria during the 80s. I wasn't born, but I've seen pictures, particularly those of my mom. I've always been a fan of kaftans, like these that have a bit of an Arab influence to them. They're so comfortable, and easy to wear! 

I paired it with a matching head-tie, and opted for black accessories to keep the focus on the vibrant colors. 



L'autre jour, je voulais porter quelque chose de différent de couleurs que je porte normalement. Je porte rarement violet, mais il y a quelque chose au sujet de cette caftan qui m'a fait la voler de ma mère (désolé, maman). Cela caftan m'a rappelé le style que les femmes portaient au Nigeria, pendant les années quatre-vingt. Je ne suis pas né, mais j'ai vu des photos, en particulier des photos de ma mère. J'ai toujours aimé les caftans, en particulier ceux qui ont un peu d'influence arabe à eux. Ils sont tellement confortable, et facile à porter!

Je l'ai porté avec une assorti tête-echarpe, et porte les accessoires noirs.




 Photo Credit: Nicole

 My stunning cousin, Nicole. I adore this floral dress she had on!


::My Outfit::

Kaftan - Made in Nigeria
Purse - H & M
Black Heels - Payless
Beaded Bracelet - Made in Nigeria
Gold Hand-cuff - H & M
Rose-gold Watch - Aldo

 ::Nicole's Outfit::

Floral Dress: Forever XXI
Sandals: Local Boutique (Dubai) 
Necklace - JcPenney

Pardon mon français, j'apprendre encore. :)

Always,
-Onivie

Saturday, June 14, 2014

The Printed Gather Dress




Salut mes beautés intelligentes! 

The other day I went out to dinner and a movie. It was basically a dine-in theater, the best movie-watching experience I could ask for, lol. I wore this printed gather dress I picked up from Zara. I don't shop at Zara very often, even though I completely adore their collections. However, when I do, I go for pieces that are easy to style - like this one. I see myself wearing this in the Fall (with a blazer or a leather jacket) and it's perfect for the summer as well! Score :D





Pictures taken with my iPhone 5  

Printed Gather Dress - Zara
Head Piece - Local Boutique
Earrings - Aldo
Nude Flats - Payless
Black Purse - H & M (also seen here)

Always,
-Onivie

Monday, June 9, 2014

Vanilla Cupcakes (A Simple Recipe)

Taken with the iPhone 5

Salut mes beautés intelligentes! I made this a while ago during finals week while desperately in need of a study break, and of course a good "midnight" snack. It's a quick and easy recipe that makes good use of basic baking ingredients that lay around one's kitchen (Ok, I suppose this is dependent on how often one bakes, but hopefully you get what I mean, lol).  I'm always looking for ways to "spike up" and add more flavor to basic recipes like these, please do tell if you have any suggestions. :D

Level: Easy
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 cup of softened butter (you could melt it if that makes it easier)
  • 1 1/2 cup of flour (I used All Purpose Flour)
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon of baking flour

PROCEDURE

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 360 degrees (Fahrenheit), and spread some butter (or oil, just a little) on a 12 cup muffin pan. You could also use paper baking cups to line the pan. See here.

Step 2:

Next, you want to cream your butter and sugar in a large enough bowl, by mixing the two together until the mixture is light and fluffy. This helps dissolve the sugar and creates a good base for the remaining ingredients to blend properly.

Step 3:

Stir in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

Step 4:

Stir in the flour, baking powder and vanilla. (You could add some cinnamon too at this step if you have some! I didn't think about this at the time).

Step 5:

Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, spreading it evenly.

Step 6:

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 mins, until it looks golden brown, the top springs back and a fork (or toothpick) comes out dry if used to poke a cupcake.

Step 7:

Cool in pan, and serve/arrange after cooling.

Bon Appétit,
-Onivie

Sunday, June 8, 2014

That Summer Print (Le Motif de L'été)


"Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fail, some work. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else." - Leonardo da Vinci

Salut beautés intelligents,

Discovering the perfect summer print (or palette of prints)  can be quite the challenge, but I've been on the hunt for unique ones, whilst playing around with accessories that complement them. Personally, I tend to choose the most subtle of colors in the pattern I choose to wear, and then pick out accessories from that color family. For example, I didn't wear this with a red/orange purse and red shoes, because it would have been too loud an outfit for me and the occasion I was headed to. Not that it wouldn't have looked lovely, I just prefer subtlety every now and then. However, since nude and cream colors are part of the 'brown color family', I would say nude is definitely another great color to consider. :) 


Photo Credit: Mother dearest

Découvrir le motif d'été parfait (ou palette de motif) peut être un défi, mais j'ai été recherche de ceux uniques, tout en jouant avec les accessoires qui les complètent. Personnellement, j'ai tendance à choisir la plus subtile des couleurs dans le motif que je choisis porter, et puis choisir les accessoires de la famille de couleur. Par exemple, je ne portais pas cette robe avec un sac rouge et des chaussures rouges, parce que le tenue aurait été trop voyant et il n'est pas approprié pour l'occasion. Ce n'est pas une mauvaise idée, MAIS je préfère la subtilité de temps en temps. Cependant, parce que les couleurs chair et crème font partie de la «famille de couleur brun», je dirais chair est certainement un autre grand couleur considérer. :)

Photo Credit: Mother dearest 





Printed dress (Robe) - Macy's
Shoes (Chaussures) - Payless
Bag (Sac) - Icing
Earrings (Boucles d'oreilles) - Aldo
Necklace (Collier) - H & M

Always,
-Onivie