NEED TO TRY: THE 5 CAMOUFLAGE CREAM PALETTE BY MAKE UP FOR EVER

Looking better in a few simple steps

Though I have always liked using my make-up, right since my college days, the products I own are pretty basic. Every day when going to work, I use sun block, foundation, face powder, blush, eye liner and kajal. Lipsticks make occasional appearances on my face and I am enjoying experimenting with them more lately. But kuch aur ho na ho, foundation hamesha hota hai because I’ve never had that flawless skin. Afsos.  Jahan aksar genes ne saath diya, skin ke maamlay mein mukammal failure raheen (mom’s gonna get really offedend by this BTW but what to do).

Kher, a combination of age and pregnancy kinda begged me to start using something for coverage on my face. And so, I requested for a spot corrector as a present from my sister who was making a trip to Dubai. She came back with a corrector palette by MAKE UP FOR EVER rather than just a spot corrector – ‘coz it turned out there ain’t just a single spot corrector. Being the makeup jaahil that I am, I never knew that! The one she brought for me (shown below) is palette #5, which has 5 of Make Up For Ever’s main corrective shades.

Price: $40

I was quite curious about what role the green and purple colours that sat in it will assume in my life. What I found out made me realize that makeup too is a science!

Peach: is the concealer

Brown: is for sun damaged skin and can also be used as a bronzer on your cheeks

Green: cancels out redness so is to be used to cover pimples or red marks. (Hmm. Much needed since my skin doesn’t seem to understand that I passed puberty almost half my age ago.)

Purple: neutralizes yellow so is meant for brown pigmentation or age spots. Much needed.  (You can also apply this on the high points of your cheeks to brighten them but I might try this when going to a wedding, not for work)

Orange/Red: cancels out blue undertones, hence, meant for dark circles. Didn’t think I needed this but turns out THIS is the magic shade.

Basically my bachpan ki ROYGBIV knowledge came into play here. In case you forget what cancels out what, here’s a colour wheel visual that you can even Google later if you forget the correcting rules. This actually makes the whole technique sound simple.  

It has taken me a bit of practice to figure out the routine that is right for me based on my needs and requirements. It was initially the age spots that were bothering me which prompted me to get my hands on correctors but  it turned out that it’s the covering of the under eye circles which gives my face the lift and freshness that I was looking for! So on days when there’s a lack of time, I will be ignore the spot correctors and just dig into the red!

Suggested everyday routine:

1. Moisture your face at night so your skin is free of dry patches in the morning.

2. After washing your face, apply your sun block (please start using it now if you don’t already, iss se pehlay ke meri tarha pachtana parhey). Recommended by a dermatologist, I have been using Helionoff for the past 2 years and it works pretty well with makeup.

3. Apply your eye shadow at this point and clean off any residue that might have fallen on your cheeks or under the eyes with some makeup remover. I use Urban Decay Naked 1 as my staple eye shadow palette. The Body Shop Camomile makeup remover is nice and mild in case you're looking for one.

4. Now complete the correcting process, based on the colour wheel. I prefer using my finger tips for this.

5. Dab a damp cosmetic sponge to ensure the correctors are set. 

6. Don’t be scared of your face looking like a box of macaroons and proceed with confidence.

7. Use your finger tips to put a few spots of foundation on your face and use a brush in circular motions to blend the foundation. Avoid rubbing too much so the correctors don’t smudge in the wrong places. I use the Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques – it’s supposed to be one of the best.

8. Now dab (never rub) the concealer on top of the orange corrector used on the dark circles using your fingers. This must be done in a downward triangle. This will bring all the right attention to your eyes and cheekbones.

9. Dab some setting powder under your eyes as well as the rest of the face to finish the look. (If you don’t use powder, your makeup will crease)

10. Now that your face has some nice coverage, and I am hoping you will notice it too, put on some blush, Kajal and eyeliner to complete your look.

Additional information: I do not use too much of any of the products mentioned above so I don’t look like someone right out of a YouTube makeup tutorial.

As of late, I am following these simple steps to get better looking skin and some more confidence. Why I like the MAKE UP FOR EVER corrector palette is because it’s quite basic. There exist corrector palettes with even 15 shades and I cannot run that marathon every morning. I cannot run that marathon ever, in fact. It is also quite pigmented, so just a bit of the product will do wonders and last long. For those who do basic makeup every morning, colour correction is essentially just one additional step that makes a whole lot difference. And I am all for it!

I have been pretty stubborn about makeup and like sticking to familiar products for years. But the MAKE UP FOR EVER corrector and concealer palette is something that I unexpectedly loved and makes me want to open up to some new products and techniques. One must do that with age and changing textures of the skin. What do you think? Try it out and let me know how you liked it!

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Trip to Katas Raj Temples – The Dos, Don'ts and Some Rambling

You want to add this to your winter bucket list

It is true that sometimes the lack of information and at others lack of access to pretty places to visit leave Pakistanis with no choice but to resort to food for recreation. Not that I mind resorting to food at any given time of my life, my heart the traveler never stops wanting to discover not just the world, but more of Pakistan. Without a doubt, there is no dearth of natural beauty as well as history in our beautiful country and mano ya na mano, there are several opportunities to be out-doorsy, especially when the weather is a treat during winters. My day trips around Lahore and Karachi and longer ones to Bahawalpur in Punjab and Kund Malir beach in Balochistan have left me convinced that when you have the will to ignore a few unpleasantries on the way (such as bathrooms) , Pakistan is an ideal place for tourism. In the summer, there is ample Switzerland-like beauty in the North and in the winter, a plethora of historical sites to visit across the country.

So, to feed the perpetual tourist in me and to avail the good weather that Punjab sees for a short while, on a recent trip to Islamabad, I made my tabeeydaar husband take a detour to Katas Raj Temples, something I had been wanting to do for AGES. And what a great decision it was. The Katas Raj complex, which houses about 10 Hindu temples, lies just ahead of Kalar Kahar and is accessible through a proper pakki road. We reached an hour before sunset and a hailstorm had just ended – the entire area was beautiful and the dhula dhula sama simply breathtaking. The leaves painted in autumn colours looked wonderful. Lush green hills lined the outskirts of the area, looking nothing less than the Scottish countryside. The Katas Lake displayed shades of blue and green. And the grey sky, not letting in the harsh sunlight, created just the right photo opportunities (keep reading for saboot).

What is this place all about? Well, it is one of the holiest sites in the world for Hindus (with an active Shiva temple) and allows you to flip through various chapters of history during your visit. The temples relate accounts of the past 5000 years, from acting as hosts for Ram and Sita to witnessing the rise of Mughals, the advent of the British and Ranjit Singh's victory of the area. Empires and rulers exchanged hands over centuries, making their own architectural contributions to the complex.

The story goes that the Katas Lake was formed by Shiva shedding tears on the passing away of his wife (as told by our tour guide). One tear fell here and the other in Ajmer in India, forming the Kushkar Lake. Two tears, two lakes and one interesting story. 

Every year, Hindu pilgrims from all over India and Sindh in Pakistan travel to the holy shrines to celebrate the festival of Shiva, with pooja, ritual dances and bhajans adding colour to the atmosphere. Pilgrims also bathe in the holy pool as a part of the festivities.

Today, these temples stand mostly financially abandoned, with the government doing less than little to protect these historical gems. As it is true for any other historical site in Pakistan, the age old wall arts have been destroyed by graffiti which is extremely saddening (unless you want Aslam or Rahim’s mobile numbers – the walls are almost like the ‘fraaandship’ yellow pages I tell you). It is a beautiful, peaceful place nonetheless, definitely worth a stopover, especially during this beautiful weather. Here’s some practical information in case you plan to visit Katas Raj temples soon.

Nestle advert for you

10 Things to know:

1. On taking the exit at Kallar Kahar and driving on to the Chooa Saidan Shah road (yeah, it’s a weird name for sure, mostly because of Chooa, reminding me of chooha) in about 25 minutes time you reach the temples.

2. This detour takes 1 hour going and coming.

3. You will spend about an hour’s time or a little more touring the place and taking pictures.

4. Tour guide is available at an unfixed cost – khushi se jo aap dena chaahein, de dein. He will tell you stories of all the temples. I am not sure how correct they are but surely are interesting enough to make the tour worth it. Therefore, hiring one is highly recommended.

5. As of now, there is no café to have a cup of tea or a snack after the tour involving lots of stairs. Therefore, fuel up at Bhera in terms of food and relieve yourself as well in terms of bathroom requirements.

Special Tip for those who are not on the M2 that often – the best araam gah at bhera, at least for me, is the KC Grill (KC for Kitchen Cuisine). The food is decent and the bathroom the best you will get on the motorway. You will find toilet paper as well soap in it (happy dance). 

6. If you are dying for tea/coffee after your tour, in 25 minutes you will reach the Kallar Kahar exit again, where you can buy refreshments from the petrol pump. (I was in a blissful state on my way back because luckily I had Oreo Cheesecake from Hotspot with me for this drive. Tip applicable only in winters. DO NOT try this in the summer unless rotten cheesecake is your secret weakness.)

7. With ageing bones like mine and a herniated disc in my spine, I don’t think a day trip from Lahore JUST to Katas and back is worth it. The total travel time from Lahore to there is 3 hours. The thought of going back was kind of a killer so I was glad we did this on the way to Islamabad. For those residing in Isloo however, a day trip is do-able. [For young school and college students, one could push it to be a day trip since with junk food, good music and each other’s company they will be happy to spend all that time in the bus.]

8. Personally I think the temples look the most beautiful during rain which gives the dramatic background and the dhuli dhuli look which I love. So, the best time would be rainy winter days or then barsaat to make sure the day is cloudy. The area is, of course, uncovered so a trip during dry summer months would be torturous and aesthetically unpleasing. It will also take a toll on your fair and lovely skin.

9. A stopover at the Khewra Salt Mines can be coupled with this to make the trip even more educational. An electric train takes tourists deep inside the mines to experience the grandeur and learn a thing and a half about salt mining. Since we have already toured those before and taken pictures with the Minaar e Pakistan and Iqbal’s statue inside it, we let it be this time. The stalactites and stalagmites, salt pools, light shows and salt sculptures are quite spectacular.

10. Avoid going on a Sunday so random peeps don’t photo bomb your pictures.

*This story was published in the Singapore based Fuchsia Magazine. 

Ingredients of a Happy Marriage

Finding the extraordinary in the humdrum

Tonight, I celebrate my 8^th wedding anniversary with my husband and by some stroke of luck, or maybe through our conscious efforts, we were successfully (or so I hope!) able to avoid the infamous 7 year itch. Through routine and through chaos, having a child, moving cities, family drama and occasional financial crises, I find myself to be happily married and very much in love with him. Well, if he had as much hair as he did when we first met, it would have been nice – but despite minor cosmetic deterioration (which I am sure I have also been through) I don’t think I can live without him.

Finding the right partner is the best thing that can happen to you. But these days I see girls more concerned about the wedding celebrations rather than the life post marriage, meticulously planning functions, losing it over the dance performances and spending millions on their outfits. The wedding is not the end – it is the beginning of it all. The goal should be ensuring that when you come home after a day’s work, you should be looking forward to coming home to your spouse. And for that, both partners have to play an equal role. After all, miaan biwi aik hi gaarhi ke do pahiyay hein aur tali bhi do haathon se hi bajti hai. Here are 10 ingredients that have helped me ensure that my gaarhi is always on a roll.

1. Being best friends

I put this as the first ingredient because to me, this is the most important. Being good friends before anything else will help you enjoy each other’s company forever. Long journeys won’t seem long, explaining things will be easier, understanding will be easier. We are each other’s best friend and turn to each other first in happiness or in sorrow.

2. Say I love you, thank you and sorry

Even after you have been together for the longest, these tiny sentences/words maintain their significance. You need to let your spouse know that you still love him and appreciate the tiny little or the big-deal things he does for you. Appreciation makes the other person want to do even more. And of course, apologizing for your mistakes just brings you closer. Remember, there is no ego in love and saying sorry will make you a winner.

3. Know your rights but don’t forget your responsibilities

With education, awareness and changing times, girls are now smarter and husbands more involved in the house and with the kids. This is certainly something to be welcomed because we can all use a hand when it comes to home stuff but with your spouse sharing more of your chores with you, you should be doing things for him too, which I see missing with aajkal ki paud. Basically it is give and take and there is no work that is ‘too small’ to do for each other. I iron his clothes when needed, but he irons mine too kabhi kabar. I will make him a cup of coffee and fix him up a snack, but when I’m tired he will do the same for me. He will babysit for me when I need a few hours at the mall or the salon and I will tidy up his cupboard. At the end of the day, there is no pre defined jurisdiction and when you share your life, you share it all.

4. Have your own identity instead of merely being the Mrs.

Having your own stuff to do is the key to sanity, not just for yourself but your husband as well. Have a routine, have stuff on your things-to-do list to make sure your only activity is not gnawing at the husband’s brain as soon as he gets home from work. Whether it is having a career or simply pursuing a hobby, channeling your creative juices and energy into something that makes you feel happy about yourself is good for you and your relationship. And if you’re a mum, returning home to the kids feeling refreshed will definitely make them like you more.

5. Kids free time

Needless to say, we love our daughter and love our ‘family time’ but being with her also means that time being about her. She makes sure of that. Listening to her day, answering her questions and tending to her needs is what we do when she’s around and having a meaningful conversation in that situation is something that we don’t even attempt. We make it a point to have ‘our’ time, whether it’s watching a show after putting her to bed, going for a movie or dinner together – these little ‘escapes’ from life help us stay connected and up-to-date with each other’s feelings. The day I don’t have that bed time chat with him, I sure do feel incomplete.

6.  Invest in experiences together rather than things

That is something that some of our actual friends and those not-really-required ‘Facebook friend’s have disagreed with and have also been at times very vocal about it. But I wouldn’t ever trade those experiences with say a land investment, a Chanel bag, a polki set or expensive furniture. We save the entire year to take our trips together which allow us to discover more about each other. We get to concentrate on us and return being closer.

7. Share funds

Though the primary purpose of my earnings is to fund our vacations (LOL), I sometimes chip in with the rent, with the insurance premium and sometimes in the monthly household expenses if the need arises. I find it unfair for women to put the entire financial burden on the husband.  When women want a certain kind of lifestyle, it is only right for them to contribute and use the degrees that they feel so proud of. If times are such that the hubby changes the baby’s diapers, then times also call for the wife to actively participate in the finances.

8. Let each other’s personality thrive

I admit that my husband is so much better at this than I am – BUT I am trying! The fact that he has supported me in all kinds of decisions that I have taken about my career and my hobbies means a great deal to me. Whether that involves him driving me to Ghausia market and waiting outside for hours on end, going with me to events just to help me take good pictures for my blogs or helping me mark MCQs when those exams come in, he has been THE one I can depend on. He has never to date told me "you can't do this" and I think my endeavors have been reasonable too (LOL). He encourages me to make new friends and to experiment with life. He gives me the space to thrive which makes me feel alive in this relationship. THENKS for that, husband.

9. Try to make sure outside influences don’t affect YOU

After loads of stumbling and fighting, we have finally learnt that our family unit, based on the both of us and our daughter, comes first. I guess there is no marriage free of other people trying to interfere or making remarks but the key is to not let your relationship fall prey to the trouble mongering. It took us a lot of years but now arriving at this understanding is probably the best thing that has happened to us. Since we cannot control what other people say, we have stopped blaming each other for what is said or expecting each other to deal with ‘situations’. Finally, there is nothing that we want dealt with, as long as we know that we love each other and nothing or no one else is more important.

10. Don’t aspire to be THAT couple – work on what makes YOU happy

Whether it’s how you raise your kids, allocate your finances or how you spend your weekends, you need to do what works for you and remember that grass is always greener on the other side. Yes, it is great to learn from other couples and if you find certain aspects of their relationship good, try to incorporate them into to your own but not all aspects need to be replicated or envied. Your happiness cannot, and must not, be defined by what might work for someone else.

Times can be good and bad. The idea is to be able to keep that boat sailing, in calm waters as well as wild. And you manage to do that successfully after a lot of soul searching, self correction and appreciation for your partner. That’s what makes that expensive, ugly and cramped apartment the home that I love.

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PLBW 2016: How I Dressed for Less

Looking good without burning big holes in your pocket

When I found out that I will be covering PLBW 2016 for the magazine I write for, the first thing I was worried about was my wardrobe. The fact that I will have to leave my daughter behind in Karachi for 4 days was the first runner up in the hierarchy of worries, and the fact that my husband will be the babysitter was the second. Anyway, I was quick to switch off in the runner up departments and move to the real issue at hand – how to produce myself a three-day wardrobe fit to attend Pakistan’s biggest annual bridal week in the capacity of a decent-looking reporter.

The masla in life was that my wardrobe is packed with innumerable lawn kurtas only. Reasons are many; number one being that I have converted from being a pakki lahori to fully Karachiite - so I kinda dress up less now. Second, my main line of work has been teaching since I graduated eight years ago so my outfits involve simple kurtas and nothing more. Third, all my friends are also very naukri paysha types and happy in their Daamans and Generations, so yeah, fortunately or unfortunately I’ve never needed anything more than lawn. Plus, if I had designer friends or one million followers on Instagram maybe I could play the borrowing game and look all – kya kahoon….designered(?). But I don’t have either, so had to do some samjhotas with the haqeeqats of life. (This is where you help btw by following me on Instagram.)

Anyway, after being a little tensed up about this major wardrobe issue and visiting a few designers for some understated but stylish evening wear, wisdom hit me. I decided not to run down on my savings because spending money makes me the happiest only when it’s spent on a big fat annual vacation and on my yearly all-purpose handbag. So, I shook hands with the faisla that fashion is all about your personal style, and of course raiding your mom’s cupboard as and when needed.

I’d rather be under-dressed than look like a complete chammak challo for any particular occasion and with that motto, I proceeded with confidence. So here’s what I cooked up for PLBW 2016 and I THINK I did pretty okay. After reading, you may leave a comment if you have nice things to say. If you don’t, make ghubaaras of your bubblegum and let your silence be my support.

Day 1

A few weeks back I made this random and purposeless (at that time) purchase of a jacket from Generation for 4K. Since I had nowhere to wear it I was all drowned in guilt at that time. Still bought it, what a creep I am. Anyway, this purchase made me really proud finally when I was figuring out the sawaal das crore ka. I dug out this pair of formal pants I got from River Island some time back for my brother’s graduation (okay, a long time back) but they were as good as new so there! I had my day 1 clothes sorted. Teamed up with soft waves, dark purplish lipstick and New Look black heels, this is what I looked like. Not such a disaster, kya khyaal hai?

Style Summary:

Jacket: Generation

Pants: River Island

Shoes: New Look

Bag: DKNY

Lipstick: KIKO Amaranth, shade 914 (P.S. if you don’t know of this brand, get to know it. It’s Italian and amazing. They have a shop in London too now on Oxford Street and are coming to India soon, and, hopefully, to Pakistan as well)

Nail Polish: A random purple one I picked up in Bangkok 3 years ago. It still works very nicely so quality pretty good eh?

Bracelet: Platinum Mall, Bangkok (spilling all my dress for less deets just for you here)

Earrings: nothing exceptional so let’s skip

Hair: My own

Day 2

Since dusty pink is trending big time (and I was proven right over the 3 day show) I decided to buy this layered piece from Daaman, which is one of my favorite shops for kurtas. It was around Rs.3500 in crepe-type material so I was beyond excited to find it. I got matching pants made from my darzi who was new but did a pretty good job (Thanks mom for the intervention). Since the color I was wearing wasn’t too flashy, I decided to get my hair done to add some excitement to my look. Btw, if you are a Cavalry-Ground dweller in Lahore, try out ‘Cutting Edge by Amna’ there. It’s a big but non-busy place with great service. Thanks sister in law for the discovery because going all the way to DHA for this would’ve killed me before my LONG evening even began.

Style Summary:

Shirt: Daaman

Pants: Master saab

Shoes: VINCCI

Bag: Fashion ComPassion, you can check out their website here.

Lipstick: REVLON Colourburst, shade Unapologetic, 210

Nail polish: Barry M Hi Shine Nail Paint, shade Grapefruit

Cuff bracelet: Sapphire, for a 1000 bucks, it's pretty great

Earrings: Saphigo, check out more from this amazing brand here.

Hair: Again, my own, done by Cutting Edge by Amna’s, Cavalry Ground Branch

Day 3

I tried to find day 3 clothes from another brand for some variety in life, but what the heck, I just got this one from Daaman too because  i) navy blue is very in, ii) I loved the cut and the flowey material, and iii) it was for Rs.3800 and kinda easy on my pocket. Again, master saab made my pants with organza strip detailing and voila, clothes all tayyar. I couldn’t have done my hair third day in a row so just kept it simple and straight. This look is my favorite and I also have other nice memories from day 3. My boss was the happiest with my coverage on day 3 and my story for the night also turned out pretty good, if I may add that myself ;) You can read it here if you like. If you don’t, still read it bhai.

Style Summary

Shirt: Daaman

Pants: Master saab

Shoes: VINCCI, thanks for this Malaysia

Bag: Good ol’ ALDO

Lipstick: Rimmel Apocalips, shade Eclipse

Nail polish: KIKO Nail Lacquer, shade 239

Bracelet: Juicy Couture

Earrings: Random ones I got from Istanbul while my husband played mini golf, but I love the subtle silver shine

Hair: ok sorry…it’s getting lame now.

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The Good, the Bad and the Weird at the Magnum Chocolate Party 2016

Dali and the Chocolate Factory

Inspired by Salvador Dali, the wackiest party of the season brought chocolate, art, dance and fashion together to create a night of ‘surrealism’. The name Magnum is synonymous with indulgence, intrigue and pleasure, and all three were evident as soon as I arrived at the ‘chocolate carpet’ after walking through a woman’s dress that would have been right at home in Willy Wonka’s factory. The Surrealism Movement that began in the early 1900s had to do with illogical, strange representations of the mind and also with unleashing one’s imagination through the mediums of art, literature and music. I saw all these meanings insinuated in the elements of the party, doing complete justice to the theme of the night.

Overall, I had a nice experience watching the fashion sequences that depicted the theme well and brought a fusion of Dali and chocolate to life on the runway. It was a cozy affair with various film and TV stars scintillating in snug lounges along with the audience. The music, however, was somber and not very characteristic of a party. A party is supposed to bring people to the dance floor so the name of the event was pretty illogical to start with – The Magnum Show would probably have been better?

While there was much to give one’s eyes a jolt of varying degrees at the party, some people/features stood out more than the rest. Here are the 10 wackiest things about the party.

1. THIS!

The now infamous chocolate covered man bathing in a chocolate tub is the talk of the town. Well, surrealism is about dreams, and perhaps crazy nightmares too – at least that’s what this tub suggests!

2. Zara Peerzada’s outfit 

The ‘brown carpet’ host for the night looked beautiful indeed in black and gold  - the jacket with puffed up shoulders and heavy sequins embellishment definitely stood out from the other mainstream (and mostly boring) red carpet dresses. The velvety jacket, however, was more of a flamboyant rock star number than something to be worn to a party.

3. The lavishly indulgent chocolate bar

If there’s anything that can excite me more than fashion, it’s food, that too made of chocolate. The brown sculptures and the spread of yummy chocolate goodies were the highlights that remain closest to my heart. Confessions of a chocoholic! But the chocolate inspired face is my favorite in the display, featuring Dali’s melting clock and a starfish inspired by his famous starfish portrait.

4. Ali Xeeshan and his rooster

Now, we all know that Ali Xeeshan loves his headgears and is known for his eccentric dressing style. But this fashion statement was one like never before! The life size rooster on his head and an egg resting on his shoulder were as bizarre as it could get. Plus, the fact that a rooster does not have the biological instruments required to lay an egg was perhaps another manifestation of surrealism. 

5.Live art installations

If the Surrealism movement was about letting your imagination run wild, unhalted, then these installations by Wahab Shah did complete justice to the theme. For an art-illiterate person like me, these just went way over my head. But the sparkles, the pipes that looked chocolate coated and the bird cages used to create a dresses were admittedly pretty fascinating.

6. The Human Wall

Made up of ten people, was one of the more interesting features of art that caught the eye of many. A little more eerie than artsy for my taste but creative enough to demand attention. 

7. Amina sheikh’s shoes

Honestly, I am still suffering from withdrawal after Pakeeza’s last episode and Amina Shiekh is one of my favorite actresses, but this red carpet dress is kinda beyond me. The pink army print shirt with a silver blingy skirt, paired up with YELLOW shoes? Am I too lame to understand this fashion collaboration or are you also wondering how it makes sense? Face-wise, she looks beyond beautiful though.

8. Nomi Ansari’s tie

Totally apt for a party, Nomi Ansari’s Honeycomb EMIRATES HEX tie sparkled to bring just the right amount of glitz and glam to his look. The acrylic tie was super quirky, so different and I love it. Don’t miss those leopard print loafers with tassels!

9. Ali Zafar’s Painting

His act took him back to where he started from and me to my teenage years when I used to ogle at him while he made live portraits at PC. The most enthralling part of his act was the portrait he made onstage using chocolate!

10. Nilofur Shahid's collection

My favorite collection has got to be the one by the magnificent couturier Nilofur Shahid, inspired more by Dali than by chocolate. Nadia Hussain’s look was a representation of Dali’s painting, The Face of War, while Fauzia Aman’s dreamy sky blue dress was a depiction of his Meditative Rose. How cool is that Maleficent-inspired bejeweled headgear on Nadia Hussain and that larger than life pink rose adorning Fauzia Aman is simply gorgeous.

You can follow me on Instagram here.
This was published in TGIF Magazine, The Daily Times.

The East End - Restaurant Review/Interview

Bringing Authentic Karachi to your Table

Food is meant to excite the taste buds, cooking is a form of art, and cuisine is a reflection of the people that make a city. The founders of The East End understand this well, and promise to offer you the familiar flavors of Karachi with a twist.

Left: Me, obviously. Right: Mufadal, Adil, Gulnaz, Fawad

As you turn towards the red wall that’s the hallmark of the East End Restaurant, you can’t help but notice a wall-size poster of a cawing crow. With the very familiar image of the bird welcoming you inside, you are reminded of its perpetual chattering up the air of the happening Karachi. The restaurant nests peacefully in a quiet part of Clifton and its doors open to a dimly lit, cozy little place, perfumed with the smell of South Asian spices. It screams Karachi inside out – from the flooring to the rickshaw wallpapers; from the recipes to the die-hard Karachi walas that run this place.

Why should you come and dine at the East end? You will be served recipes, which make up the multi cultural, pan ethnic, colorful and exotic cuisine of Karachi, the European way, giving you a dinner experience that spans over 5 courses. Unlike any other eatery, The East End offers you a chance to savour Karachi’s bites with class and sophistication.

I had the chance to have dinner and chat with the founding members, Adil Moosajee, Muffadal Halai, Fawad Arif and Gulnaaz over some succulent mutton leg and flavorsome black pepper crabs. Want to know more about the restaurant? Here goes!

Why did you choose Pakistani Cuisine and where does your menu take inspiration from?

Adil: I will give you multiple reasons, the first one being that I was really bothered by the fact that people are willing to pay 3000 bucks for Japanese cuisine or an Argentinean steak but when you ask about Pakistani food they say “saath rupay ki nihari honi chahiyay”. We really under-sell our food, which is why I wanted to introduce the idea of fine dining with Pakistani cuisine. I was sure that we can create the same experience. When you travel abroad and you take foreigners out to a desi joint, they will love the food but never tell you what a great experience that was. I wanted to change that. Before my grandma passed away my household used to be thriving with hard core old bohri recipes. When she left us, I started missing those dishes. That’s when Gulnaaz, who used to be the cook at my place at the time, and I started developing some of the recipes I loved. I wanted all of Karachi to try out some of the dishes I grew up with. Also, I was upset that the Kemari crabs were dying and I really wanted to keep that recipe alive. Hence, the Kemari crabs are also on our menu! Basically, what you find on our menu is a celebration of the food that contributes to the very fabric of this city. You will find Sindhi, Parsi, Bohri, Memni and Afghani items here. Our restaurant is dedicated to the people of Karachi.

Ghaatia Mirch, Aaloo Paparh, Jumbo Prawns, Kemari Khattay Aloo

Why ‘The East End’?

Adil:  ‘East’ comes from this part of the world where we are at. ‘End’ comes from the word ‘anth’ when we want to describe a killer experience the desi way – “yaar! ye end hai!” You know? We found this name to be catchy as well!

Why is a ‘crow’ a part of your logo?

Mufaddal : Well, the crow is a Karachi bird. No where will you find so many crows!

Adil: Plus, it is a resilient bird, and Karachi is all about resilience!

Your favorite items on the menu?

Adil: It’s got to be the crabs!

Mufaddal: Daal chawal paleeda.

Fawad: Currently, peanut chicken.

Tamarind Fish

Daal Chawal, Paleeda and Lal Raan

Black Pepper Crabs

Peanut Chicken

Did you hire somebody for the décor or are these all your ideas?

Adil (after a big laugh): Nope. Mufi and I started our first business, which was furniture based, when we were about 19 years old. So we have designed the furniture ourselves and a lot of the features here are experimental and accidental (laughs again). This place was an old tile warehouse and we have not done many changes to the ceiling. We had this particular flooring style in mind and spent two days digging out these old pieces from a plot next to a tile factory in scorching heat. Some of the decoration is from my home. The radio gramophone was my dad’s matriculation gift given to him by my grandfather. The achaar bharnis are my grandmother’s. The suitcases are my grandfather’s. He used to carry them to London back in the day.  So most of the stuff here has a lot of connection with us!

Who is your target audience?

Adil: We are catering to people who have Karachi nostalgia and love for the local cuisine.  We get a lot of customers who are visiting from Lahore or abroad who want to taste what Karachi is made of. Our target audience includes people who travel and know what a 4-5 course meal is like, who enjoy Spanish Tapas or those long, lazy lunches in Florence. So, when you come here, be sure to have about 2 hours at hand.

Mint Drink

Is it difficult working with friends?

Adil: Our work is divided. Fawad is the systems guy – looks after the hiring, firing, audits, costing, training, policies etc. Mufi’s job is the food; he has to ensure the food tastes amazing. Gulnaz develops recipes. My job is the aesthetics part – food plating to be exact. So yeah, we are sorted that way.

Date Halwa, Maal Pura, Kulfi Falooda, The East End Infused Water

Do you plan on expanding the menu or the premises?

Mufaddal: The place will stay nice and cozy.

Adil: We are starting a breakfast menu, most of which has been tested during Sehris this Ramzan. We are hoping to serve brunch Friday through Sunday soon. We are adding something called The Feast at dinner time – the concept is like a king’s table in Game of Thrones! We are also looking at a crab shack and a tapas bar. So there is a lot in the pipeline. Wish us good luck!

Proudest moment at work?

Fawad: We got to host the celebratory party for Raza Rabbani Khar, chairman of the senate

Mufi: When Sharmeen Oaid came here after her first Oscar to celebrate

Adil: Fawad and I were in Dubai and ran into some Karachiites at a restaurant. When introducing ourselves we mentioned we run a restaurant called The East End and everyone there knew about us! That was a happy moment. When I meet Karachiites while travelling all over the world and they know about The East End and tell me how awesome their experience was when they visited, it makes me really proud.

Challenges of running a restaurant in Karachi?

Fawad: I see three main challenges – consistency of ingredients sourced, training and retention of skilled labour and managing the expectations of guests. To sum it all up, maintaining the high standard against all odds every day.

* Photography: Locura by Faizaan Ahmad. You can see more of his work here.

**This story was published in TGIF Magazine, The Dailly Times, with some edits